An Improved Construction of Alembic.
Year: 1892

page_text: Date of Application, 24th Aug., 1892
Complete Specification Left, 15th May, 1893-Accepted, 15th July, 1893
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
An Improved Construction of Alembic.
We VICTOR JOSEPH KNESS and CLEMENT HENRI JOSEPH DONNADIEU,
both of 21 Boulevard Poissonnière, Paris in the Republic of France, do hereby
declare the nature of this invention to be as follows:-
The alembic which forms the subject of this invention consists of an alembic the
head of which is somewhat of a globular form, the said alembic being provided with
a central tapered pipe (or pipes), the lower end being open to the outside, but the
upper end entering the swan's neck of the alembic.
This alembic is placed in a vessel to contain water (forming a water bath),
suitably connected with a small water cistern, by means of which the height of
water in the vessel is always kept constant.
The water bath vessel containing the alembic is placed in a furnace, by which
the water is heated, giving off steam, which passes up the central pipe at a greater
or less speed, and acts as an injector to create a vacuum in the alembic, and thus
draw off rapidly the vapours arising from the materials being distilled.
At the top of the furnace, and surrounding the water bath vessel, is an annular
boiler in which water is heated, the steam passing off by a suitable pipe, which
enters and descends nearly to the bottom of the alembic, suitable cocks being
provided for shutting off the steam from, the alembic and allowing of its escape
into the air.
The alembic is provided with means for drawing off the residue.
Instead of heating the water direct by the fire, a small boiler may be employed,
connected with the water bath vessel by a pipe passing through a heating space,
so that the steam, as it passes through this pipe, inay become superheated.
Dated this 24th day of August 1892.
NEWTON & SON,
Agents for the Applicants.
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
An Improved Construction of Alembic.
We,
VICTOR JOSEPH KNESS and CLEMENT HENRI JOSEPH DONNADIGU, both
of 21, Boulevard Poissonnière, Paris in the Republic of France, do hereby declare
the nature of this invention and in what manner the same is to be performed, to
be particularly described and ascertained in and by the following statement :-
The alembic which forms the subject of this invention, is applicable specially to
the distillation of the essence of terebenthine (raw terebenthine), oil of resin
(colophane), and, in general, of all resins and highly inflammable greasy matters
(petroleum etc.), likely to form pyrogenous products when these matters are sub-
mitted to a too violent dry heat, and which give to the products of distillation a
disagreeable odour and a dark colour, which odour, above all, renders the oil of
resin unsaleable.
The ordinary water bath alembic does not give enough heat to distil colophane
and other resins, and to produce the oil or the essence.
In the alembic constructed according to the present invention, all the advantages
of the ordinary water bath alembic will be found, but, in addition, the heating
power will be increased by the operation of superheated steam, aided by a vacuum
produced by a special arrangement of draw-off tube.
Now, in order that the nature of the invention may be readily understood, the
apparatus is represented, by way of example, in the drawings annexed hereto.
ΓΕ
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page_text: Fig. 1 is a vertical section of an alembic constructed according to this invention.
Fig. 2 is a vertical section of an alembic of slightly modified construction.
The apparatus constituting the improved alembic consists of a vessel 3, which is
placed in the interior of another vessel 1, containing water. The vessel 3 and
the water bath vessel 1 are both screwed or bolted directly to the head 4. This
head is of a somewhat globular form, terminating in a beak, as shown in the drawing,
in place of having the form of a widened dome (cupola), like the head of ordinary
alembics. Between the water bath vessel I and the vessel 3, there is an annular
space 1, of which the size is variable according to requirements. By way of
example, it may be said that the size or width of this space ought to be, by
preference, 10 centimeters for the distillation of the essence of terebenthine, and
5 centimeters for the distillation of oil of resin (colophane and other resin), what-
ever may be the size of the alembic. The distance which exists between the
bottom of the water bath vessel 1 and the bottom of the vessel 3, is also variable;
thus, it may vary from 20 to 45 centimeters, according to the capacity of the
alembic.
The water bath vessel should always have a length or depth greater than its
width. The water bath vessel 1 contains, at the bottom (at 12), the water to be
converted into steam, to effect the heating of the matters to be distilled, and the
steam thus formed circulates in the annular space 1*. The matters to be distilled
are introduced into the vessel 3 through the opening 21 in the head 4 of the alembic,
in any convenient way. 22 is a discharge pipe for the residue of distillation from
the alembic. The vessel 3 has, at bottom, a circular opening 2, giving access to a
pipe 7, which has a diameter variable at its base, by preference, of 5 to 10 centi-
meters, according to the capacity of the alembic. This pipe is prolonged through
the vessel 3, enters the head 4, and is turned over according to the curve of the
beak of the head, so that it just enters the tube 6. At the outlet, the pipe 7 has
only half the diameter it had at its base. The beak of the head, at the commence-
iment of the tube 6, should have, by preference, an interior diameter three times
that of the exterior diameter of the pipe 7, in order to leave sufficient space
around the pipe 7 to give a free course for the vapor of the matters being
distilled. The bottom of the water bath vessel is provided with a pipe 13, which
puts it in communication with a supply cistern 14. The level of the water in the
cistern is 10 or 20 centimeters above the level of the bottom of the vessel 1, and
the cistern 14 may be supplied with running water, being provided with an overflow,
the position of which is calculated so that the level of the water in the vessel I has
always the height indicated. The furnace chamber is constructed in such manner
that the water bath vessel is surrounded by the furnace 11. The water in the
bottom of the vessel 1 is converted into steam, which spreads into the space around
the body 3, and escapes by the pipe 7 in the middle of the body 3. From the
outlet of this pipe 7, the steam rushes with force into the tube 6, and draws out the
vapors arising from the matters being distilled, by forming a vacuum in the outlet.
By this means, distilling with the improved alembic can be effected at a lower
temperature than that hitherto necessary. The vapors of the matters to be distilled
do not remain for any length of time in the head 4, but are withdrawn at once, and
consequently those vapors are not acted upon by the heat, and the distillation takes
place much more rapidly than heretofore.
Moreover, in the tube 6, the steam is in contact, and mixes with the vapors of the
matters to be distilled.
The steam draws out, envelopes, and rolls over, so to speak, the vapors of the
essences or oils etc., and cleans them and washes them during their passage through
the coil.
The essence or the oil, intimately mixed with water, now falls into a receptacle,
which, at its lower part, is provided with an emptying cock, and in its upper part
with an inlet opening. Once in this receptacle, the water being the heavier, sinks
to the bottom, drawing with it all the impurities, whilst the oil or essence rises to
the surface. In place of a single taper central pipe 7, several pipes may be

page_text: adapted, which, join together at the commencement of the tube 6, but it is preferable
to have only one.
The object of the difference in diameter between the base and the outlet of the
central pipe 7, is to give to the steam greater pressure, and consequently to increase
the force of the exhaustion, which becomes such (when the temperature is raised to
a certain degree), that the entire mass to be distilled is raised and sucked out.
For this reason, the amount of heat required is much less than in the ordinary
alembics.
A further advantage, namely, that of being able to distil the matter to its last
particle, is also obtained, and when the alembic is opened, there remains absolutely
nothing at the bottom of the body 3. The faster the essence of terebenthine is
distilled, the better is its residue, that is to say, the colophane is more transparent
and less colored. For that reason, it is desirable to heat the mass as rapidly as
possible, to disengage the essential vapors. To this end, the alembics for distillation
of the essence may be provided with a kind of heater 5, in the form of a hollow
ring, into which water is introduced by a funnel 16, which is closed by a cock 17.
This hollow ring or boiler communicates with the interior of the body 3 by a
removable pipe 18, which terminates in a rose. This pipe is provided with two
cocks 19 and 20. The cock 20 serves to shut off the steam from the body 3, when
the distillation of the essence is finished, and consequently to prevent the steam
rendering the colophane opaque. The cock 19 provides means for the escape of
the steam when the cock 20 is closed.
When it is a question of matters requiring a very great heat for their distillation,
as for the transformation of colophane into oil, for example, then, in place of the
water in the vessel 1, as described above, the water 12 may be put in a little
boiler 10, which is in communication with the water bath vessel 1 by a pipe 9.
Water is introduced into the boiler 10 by the pipe 13 in the manner before described
for the water at the bottom of the vessel 1. To produce the steam necessary for the
distillation, the furnace 11 is arranged to heat the boiler 10. The steam thus
formed escapes by the pipe 9 (which passes through the middle of the second
furnace chamber 8) to the vessel 1. The steam, before expanding in the vessel 1,
and before rising into the central pipe 7, is superheated to the highest degree
possible by means of the heat in the second furnace chamber, which envelopes the
vessel and surrounds the pipe 9.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of our said inven-
tion and in what manner the same is to be performed, we declare that what we
claim is :-
:-
1. An alembic, consisting of a receptacle 3 and a vessel 1, the latter com-
municating with a cistern, so that the level of water forming a water bath will
always be constant in the vessel 1; a pipe or pipes of decreasing diameter from
the base to the summit traversing the receptacle 3, 4, and bent over in the head 4,
and entering the tube 6, in order to form an injector, by which a vacuum is created
in the tube 6, so that the distillate will be drawn from the alembic or receptacle 3, 4,
and the distillation of matters contained in that receptacle 3, 4 will be accelerated,
as described.
2. In an alembic of the kind referred to under Claim 1, the use of an. annular
hoiler 5, for the purpose of introducing steam directly into the interior of the
receptacle 3 containing the matters to be distilled, as described.
3. In an alembic of the kind referred to under Claim 1, a boiler 10 and the pipe 9,
communicating with the bottom of the body of the water bath vessel 1, in com-
bination with an additional furnace chamber 8, to superheat the steam passing
through the pipe 9, as described.
Dated this 15th day of May 1893.
NEWTON & SON,
Agents for the Applicants.