IMPROVEMENTS IN MANUFACTURING, OBTAINING, OR PRODUCING OIL FROM CERTAIN SUBSTANCES, AND IN EXTRACTING, PRODUCING, OR OBTAINING GAS FROM THE SAME OR SUCH LIKE SUBSTANCES, OR FROM OIL PRODUCED THEREPROM
Year: 1833

page_text: TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, RICHARD
BUTLER, of Austin Friars, in the City of London, Merchant, send greeting.
WHEREAS His present most Excellent Majesty King William the Fourth,
by His Letters Patent under the Great Seal of, Great Britain, bearing date at
Westminster, the Twenty-ninth day of January, in the third year of His
reign, did, for Himself, His heirs and successors, give and grant unto me, the
said Richard Butler, His especial licence, full power, sole privilege and
authority, that I, the said Richard Butler, my exors, admors, and assigns, or
such others as I, the said Richard Butler, my exors, admors; or assigns, should
at any time agree with, and no others, from time to time and at all times
during the term of years therein expressed, should and lawfully might make,
use, exercise, and vend, within England, Wales, and the Town of Berwick-
upon-Tweed, my Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN MANUFACTURING, OBTAINING,
OR PRODUCING OIL FROM CERTAIN SUBSTANCES, AND IN EXTRACTING, PRODUCING, OR
OBTAINING GAS FROM THE SAME OR SUCH LIKE SUBSTANCES, OR FROM OIL PRODUCED
THEREPROM;" in which said Letters Patent is contained a proviso that I, the
said Richard Butler, shall cause a particular description of the nature of my
said Invention, and in what manner the same is to be performed, to be inrolled
in His said Majesty's High Court of Chancery within six calendar months
next and immediately after the date of the said in part recited Letters Patent,
as in and by the same, reference being thereunto had, will more fully and at
large appear.
NOW KNOW YE, that in compliance with the said proviso, I, the said
Richard Butler, do hereby declare that the nature of my said Invention, and
in what manner the same is to be performed, is particularly described and
ascertained in and by the following description thereof, that is to say:-

page_text: The substances from which are to be extracted oil and gas are bituminous
schistus or shale and slate (not including slate coal), and bituminous
sandstone, which substances; when pure, do not usually cake if ignited or
thrown into a good fire, and which, by distillation or carbonization as herein-
after described, give an oil and gas free from napthaline. The process for
extracting the oil and gas from the said mineral substances is this:-
The said substances are to be broken into small pieces, (taking care to
separate therefrom any heterogenious substance, such as clay or pyrites,) and
put into a retort (such as used in making gas from coal) so much of these
pieces as will fill about half thereof, adding thereto some water, which
advances the process, but is not essentially necessary. The retort is pro-
vided with two apertures, to which are adapted pipes with cocks, so that
they may be shut at will. Each of these pipes at its other extremity opens
into a close vessel or recipient, placed in a tub or tank; a second pipe
joins the first recipient to a second recipient, and a third pipe joins the second
recipient. to a third recipient, similar to the apparatus known by the name of
Mr. Wolf's apparatus. Thus to each aperture of the retort there is a distinct
set of recipients, both of which sets must be made air-tight. The third
recipient in one of these sets is provided with a pipe leading to a gasometer,
and the third vessel in the other set with a pipe fitted to a worm or refri-
gerator, which opens into a fourth vessel or recipient, from which issues
another pipe; connecting at will the last-mentioned or fourth' recipient with
the same gasometer, so that no gas may be lost." I say at will, because the
gas obtained' in this 'set of 'vessels is not as pure as the gas obtained through
the second. Several retorts may be so 'arranged as to work into two main
pipes, each of which will be connected by a minor pipe to one of the two:
apertures with which each retort is provided. By this arrangement two sets
of vessels will serve for each set of retorts, and the cocks will be placed on the
main pipes, so as to shut or open these at will. Under the retort or set of
lighted, and after having
retorts in a common furnace a gentle fire is to be
shut the cock placed on the pipe of that 'apparatus which is not connected
with the worm or refriger, the other cock remaining open, the operation
soon begins. First, a watery vapour issues from the retort; next, a yellow
oily vapour; both of which are carried into the several recipients of. the
apparatus, where they are condensed, the most volatile of the oily particles!
being carried into the worm. As soon' as the oily' particles become of. a
darker color, and are obtained from the retort or retorts unmixed with water,
and the means by which the color is observed is by having a piece of glass let
into pipe leading from the retort, the cock belonging to this apparatus is.

page_text: then to be shut, and the cock belonging to the other apparatus is to be
opened, at the same time the fire is to be increased, so as to bring as soon as
possible the retort or retorts to a red heat. In this stage of the process oil is
obtained from the retort or retorts, with a large quantity of gas, which flow's
into the gasometer, whilst the oil is condensed in the several intermediate
recipients. By this method. oils of different density are obtained; those
obtained in the worm apparatus being more volatile than those obtained in the
other apparatus. This difference should be attended to, as it is desirable not
to mix them together. These oils may be designated as oil number one and
oil number two, the oil number one being the most volatile. Water may be.
used in the tanks or tubs in which the recipients are placed for more quickly
condensing the products, which is the course generally pursued; and although
in general it be preferable to put some water in the retorts, this is not
absolutely necessary, as before observed, but the materials may be dried, and
even slightly charred, before they are thrown into the retorts; and indeed when
the principal object is to obtain gas, they should be carefully dried before
putting them into the retorts, and the retorts should immediately be brought
to a red heat. In the several vessels within which the oils No. 1 and No. 2
are condensed, the oils are mixéd at the time of coming over with ammoniacal
water, and a small quantity of heterogeneous substances, particularly the oil"
No. 1, but they quickly separate, and the oil floats upon the surface of this
With respect to the oil No. 2, when care is observed, it should comė
over free from water. The oils so produced may be said to be in their rough
state, and subsequently the most approved methods for purifying oils may be
applied to the purification of these oils, such as washing with sulphuric acid,
filtration, and distillation. These oils in their rough' state (but it is preferable'
they should first undergo some degree of purification) may be manufactured
into gas by any of the methods, processes, and apparatuses by which other oils
are converted into gas. The oils No. 1 and No. 2, in their rough state, are
often found entirely free from oxigen, and if obtained by the process described,
never contain so much as is contained in the coal tar obtained in the coal gas
works, where the coal is thrown into retorts already brought to a red heat.
These oils in their rough state are further distinguished from coal tar by their
containing no napthaline. Moreover the oil No. 2 offers another characteristic
feature; if, after being drawn off' and distilled, and if in this latter process the
more solatile or first proceeds, say one half of the quantity acted upon, be set
apart, and the remaining half exposed to a low temperature, there will soon
appear in this part of the distilled oil No. 2 small flakes of a white, odourless,
and light substance, which is a compound of carbone and hydrogen. The gas
(prior to any purification), whether obtained from the oils aforesaid, or directly
water.

page_text: from the said minerals, is distinguishable from coal gas (also in its unpurified
state) by its being free from napthaline. In some instances, when the said
materials are found stratified in or embedded with coal or otherwise, and may
happen to be impregnated with portions of napthaline, the bituminous schistus
or shale, and slate and bituminous sandstone, will not then be in a pure state,
and after trial should not be used. It will only be desirable further to add,
that the gas (whether produced direct from the above-mentioned materials, or
from the oils obtained therefrom, as above described) may, and indeed will, in
most instances require purifying before being used as a means of producing
light; and in order to purify the same it will be necessary (as is the practice in
gas works) to pass it through water, and if particularly impure, then it will be
desirable that such water should contain lime, as is well understood.
Having now described the Invention as communicated to me, it will be
evident that the apparatus herein described for producing the oils and gas
from the materials herein-before mentioned form no part of the Invention,
they being in themselves well known and in use, and the same may be varied
without departing from the Invention; for what I claim as the Invention is,-
First, the production of oils by distillation or carbonization from bituminous
shistus or shale, and slate (not including slate coal) and bituminous sandstone,
as above described; and,
Secondly, in the production of gas for illuminating purposes from such oils,
or direct from the bituminous sbistus or shale, and slate (not including slate
coal) and bituminons sandstone, as above described.
In witness whereof, I, the said Richard Butler, have hereunto set my
hand and seal, this Twenty-ninth day of July, in the year of our
Lord One thousand eight hundred and thirty-three.