Improvements in and Apparatus for the Purification of Alcohol or Alcoholic Liquors.
Year: 1889

page_text: Date of Application, 3rd June, 1889
Complete Specification Left, 27th Feb., 1890-Accepted, 29th Mar., 1890
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in and Apparatus for the Purification of Alcohol or
Alcoholic Liquors.
1 EDWARD LUCK of 70 Stamford Street Blackfriars in the County of Surrey
Chemist do hereby declare the nature of this Invention to be as follows:-
My Invention has for its object to effect the purification of alcohol or alcoholic liquors
in such a manner that the product can be purified to the required degree only and not
necessarily to such a degree as to become neutral or tasteless.
According to my Invention I pass the alcohol or alcoholic liquor in the state of
vapour through liquid hydrocarbon effecting this preferably in conjunction with
apparatus such as is described in the Specification of Letters Patent No. 3148 of
1st March 1887 granted to me. For this purpose I introduce into the system therein
described a vessel or vessels between the still and the receiver this vessel or these
vessels containing liquid hydrocarbon. It or they may be analogous to the vessels
used for washing gas and may be provided with means for heating if necessary the
contents as desired a steam jacket being suitable for the purpose.
I preferably pass the vapourous alcohol or alcoholic liquor in at the lower part of
the vessel or vessels it being drawn off at top by the suction of the pump or other
vacuum creating device as described in my aforesaid Specification.
0 11
T
1000
J. H. JOHNSON & Co.,
47, Lincoln's Inn Fields, London, W.C., Agents.
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in and Apparatus for the Purification of Alcohol or
Alcoholic Liquors.
I EDWARD LUCK of 70 Stamford Street Blackfriars in the County of Surrey
Chemist 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 :-
My Invention has for its object to effect the purification of alcohol or alcoholic
liquors in such a manner that the product can be purified to the required degree only
and not necessarily to such a degree as to become neutral or tasteless.
According to my Invention I pass the alcohol or alcoholic liquor in the state of
vapour through liquid hydrocarbon effecting this preferably in conjunction with
apparatus such as is described in the Specification of Letters Patent No. 3148 of
1st March 1887 granted to me. For this purpose I introduce into the system
therein described a vessel or vessels between the still and the receiver this vessel or
these vessels containing liquid hydrocarbon. It or they may be analogous to the
vessels used for washing gas and may be provided with means for heating if necessary
the contents as desired, a steam jacket being suitable for the purpose.
I preferably pass the vaporous alcohol or alcoholic liquor in at the lower part of
the vessel or vessels it being drawn off at top by the suction of the pump or other
vacuum creating device as described in my aforesaid Specification.
And in order that my said Invention may be fully understood I shall now proceed
more particularly to describe the same and for that purpose shall refer to the annexed
drawing which represents in side elevation and part section an apparatus constructed
and arranged according to my invention.
I premise that I do not limit myself to the precise form or arrangement of the
apparatus illustrated by the drawing.

page_text: A represents the still which by means of the pipe a leads to the exhausting device
or vacuum creating apparatus. D D are two vessels (I may however use one or more
than two if desired) containing the hydrocarbon. EE are the casings or jackets
surrounding or partly surrounding the vessels D D and provided with means for
circulating steam or other heating or cooling agent through them for heating refrigerating
or regulating the temperature of the contents of the said vessel or vessels. d dare per-
forated false bottoms to the vessels D. Down through the said false bottom of the first
vessel D passes the pipe which leads the vapours from the still from the pipe a
down to beneath the said perforated false bottom the vapours thence pass by the
pipe down to beneath the perforated false bottom of the second vessel D and thence
by the pipe f leading into the pipe a. At the outlet side of the vacuum creating
apparatus or exhausting device and in addition to the main condensing coil there may
be used a supplementary condensing coil to prevent loss of spirit. This supplementary
coil, the exhausting device and the receiver are not shewn in the drawing. The said
supplementary coil is preferably placed at a higher level than and is connected to the
exhausting apparatus at the bottom end of the coil the condensed distillate being dis-
charged at the top of the said coil. When the vapours arising from the still pass along and
down the pipes of the first vessel D by the pipe they are distributed by the perforated
false bottom d and thence passing through the liquid hydrocarbon contained in the
vessel pass by the pipe f2 into the next vessel and therefrom by the outlet through
the vacuum creator to the secondary coil and thence to the receiver.
I am aware that various methods have been devised for purifying alcohol by means
of liquid hydrocarbon but most of them have necessitated a second or third
distillation and the character of the spirit has been either entirely lost or very
considerably altered.
By the arrangement according to my Invention the spirit can be purified to any
desired extent at the first or primary distillation from the wash, thus not only effecting
a very considerable and most important economy of time and cost but at the same
time complying with existing Inland Revenue requirements. The cocks f* and a
can be opened or closed so as to allow the vapours to pass from the still either directly
to the exhausting apparatus or through the vessel or vessels containing hydrocarbon
as desired. By means of the jackets E the temperature can be raised to such a
degree that the coarser and impure oils and other matters can be eliminated from the
hydrocarbon.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said Inven-
tion and in what manner the same is to be performed I declare that what 1
claim is :-
1. The purification of alcohol or alcoholic liquor by drawing or otherwise causing
it to pass in the state of vapour through liquid hydrocarbon.
2. For purifying alcohol or alcoholic liquor the combination with distilling apparatus
of a vessel or vessels for containing liquid hydrocarbon and situated between the still
and the receiver.
3. For purifying alcohol or alcoholic liquor the combination with distilling apparatus
of a vessel or vessels for containing liquid hydrocarbon and situated between
the still and the receiver and of a drawing or exhausting device between the
said vessel or vessels and the receiver substantially as and for the purpose herein-
before described.
4. For purifying alcohol or alcoholic liquor the combination with distilling apparatus
of a vessel or vessels for containing liquid hydrocarbon and situated betweeen the
still and the receiver and a casing or other means for heating or cooling the
same and of a drawing or exhausting device between the said vessel or vessels
and the receiver substantially as and for the purpose hereinbefore described.
5. The arrangement and combination of parts constituting the apparatus for use
in effecting the purification of alcohol or alcoholic liquors during the process of
distillation substantially as hereinbefore described and illustrated in the accompanying
drawings.

page_text: 6. In apparatus for purifying alcohol or alcoholic liquors the combination with the
distilling apparatus and vessel or vessels for containing liquid or supplementary hydro-
carbon of a secondary condenser between the vacuum creating or exhausting device
and the receiver substantially as hereinbefore described.
Dated this 26th day of February 1890.
EDWARD LUCK.