AN IMPROVED MANUFACTURE OF OIL APPLICABLE FOR USE IN RAILWAY LAMPS AND FOR OTHER PURPOSES
Year: 1884

page_text: PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
I, WILLIAM PHILLIPS THOMPSON Fel. Inst. P.A. of the Agency for Foreign
Patent Solicitors, C Lord Street Liverpool, in the County of Lancaster, Civil
Engineer, do hereby declare the nature of the said invention for "AN IMPROVED
MANUFACTURE OF OIL APPLICABLE FOR USE IN RAILWAY LAMPS AND FOR OTHER
PURPOSES" to be as follows:-
In lamps for burning oil; where the reservoir of oil is exposed to the radiant or
conducted heat of the flame there is always a danger of explosion.
For this cause mineral oils which are otherwise preferablo to animal and vegetable
oils cannot be used in railway carriago lamps and other lamps of like character, but
vegetable or animal oils of greater cost have to be substituted. Now my invention
is designed to produce an oil partly mineral partly vegetable or animal, that will
burn with safety in these lamps. I prefer a combination of castor oil and petroleum
oils. I produce the mixture as follows:-
1
I boil the vegetable oil with or without the addition of water, till all included
water has evaporated, I then add the mineral oil and further boil and stir the two
well together till the two have united, or when necessary and in such proportions
as are requisite, I add successively acids, alkalies or other purifying chemicals to
the vegetable oils and well wash with water to eliminate the salts, then add the
mineral oil and boil. Although I prefer castor oil other oils of organic origin such
as cocoa-nut oil will do. Care must be taken if chemicals be used not to saponify
the oil. The proportions most preferable for general purposes appear to be equal
quantities of organic and of mineral oil. This improved oil is useful for many
purposes besides.

page_text: I, WILLIAM PHILLIPS THOMPSON Fel. Inst. P.A., Agency for Foreign Patent
Solicitors, 6 Lord Street, Liverpool, Lancashire, Civil Engineer, do hereby declare
the nature of the said invention for "AN IMPROVED MANUFACTURE OF OIL,
APPLICABLE FOR USE IN RAILWAY LAMPS, AND FOR OTHER PURPOSES," and in what
manner the same is to be performed, to be particularly described and ascertained
in and by the following statement :-
This improved process consists in first refining the vegetable oil till the water
present in it has ovaporated, and the oil is free from extraneous matter. This is
effected either by bleaching in the sun or by boiling. The latter process is
preferable as being the quickest. The two oils are then placed in a kettle (in the
proportion required) that is to say, for lubricating in the proportion of 50 to 75 per
cent of vegetable oil and 50 to 25 per cent mineral oil, for burning and lighting in
the proportion of 50 to 65 per cent vegetable oil and 50 to 35 per cent mineral oil.
The two oils are heated together to from 90 degrees to boiling point by steam or
fire, or in rare cases friction, (the former method being preferred to avoid the
possibility of the oil taking fire) and they are then stirred together for from
30 minutes to 1 hour till they are mixed. After the mixed oil has cooled down it
is ready for use, but experiments show that by storing the mixed oil for a time it
is greatly improved. Tho. temperature required to mix the oils depends on the
class and proportion of vegetable oil to be mixed, and the amount-of-stirring it
receives; for instance, all vegetable oils in any proportion (except castor oil) can be
mixed at boiling point by stirring with an ordinary iron spoon, but when the
temperature is lower, say 160 degrees considerably more friction is required, such as
centrifugal force, or putting it in a revolving cylinder. If the vegetable oil is not
more than in the proportion of 1 to 5 per cent, it can be mixed at a temperature
of 90 degrees by using great frictional force as described. A mixture of mineral
and vegetable oil is also effected by boiling the mineral oil with the pulp of the
vegetable oil seed in a kettle when in course of manufacture, but this is mentioned
only as a modification of the system of mixing by heating and stirring, other
mechanical contrivances for mixing the two oils by heating and by friction can be
used if desired in this process. From experiments it is found that mixed oil
consisting of half cocoa nut oil and half mineral oil, or two thirds castor oil and one
third mineral oil burns in a lamp equally as well as pure mineral oil, it gives a
clear white light, and can be burnt in almost any class of lamps without danger of
explosion; hence for train lighting it insures a light in the carriage all night
without the inconvenience of changing lamps, and there is not that risk of
explosion, which exists when only mineral oil is burnt. By mixing as above
described 50 per cent of mineral and cocoa nut oils together, the mixed oil remains
in a liquid state ready for use. Mineral and cocoanut and castor oils and all other
lighter vegotable oils can be mixed in any proportions required, though the
proportions above mentioned aro preferred.
A useful lubricating oil for carriage and wagon axles consists in the mixture as
above described of 70 per cent of castor oil and 30 per cent of mineral oil, and by
the mixture as above described of 20 per cent of mineral oil and 80 per cent of
castor oil, a lubricant for machinery such as lathes, shafting, milling, machinery,
and the motion of engines. All classes of vegetable oils can be mixed in the saine
manner but castor and cocoanut oils have been specially mentioned as being most
suitable for mixing with mineral oil for lubricating and burning purposes.

page_text: In the provisional is mentioned the use of acids and alkalies, these are necessary
if crude petroleum oil or crude rosin oil be used, but as it is preferable to use
only refined petroleum and such oils as above described which do not require
purification by acids and alkalies, this chemical treatment is not further referred to.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of the said
invention and in what manner the same is to be performed, I declare that what
I claim is
1st. The process for mixing mineral and vegetable oils together, which consists
in extracting the water, heating and stirring or otherwise intimately mixing,
substantially as described.
2nd. As a new article of manufacture, the mixed vegetablo and mineral oil
manufactured, substantially as and for the purposes described.