AN IMPROVED PROCESS AND APPARATUS FOR THE PURIFICATION AND CLARIFICATION OF OILS
Year: 1855

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to William Armand Gilbee, of No. 4, South Street,
Finsbury, London, Gentleman, for the Invention of "AN IMPROVED PROCESS
AND APPARATUS FOR THE PURIFICATION AND CLARIFICATION OF OILS."-A
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said William Armand Gilbee
at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on the
6th September 1855.
I, WILLIAM ARMAND GILBEE, of Number 4, South Street, Finsbury,
London, Gentleman, do hereby declare the nature of the Invention of "AN
IMPROVED PROCESS & APPARATUS FOR THE PURIFICATION AND CLARIFICATION OF
OILS" to be as follows, that is to say:-
My improvements relate to the purification of oil without the employment of
acids or alkalis.
DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS.
0,
Figure 1, elevation of the agitator, or machine for beating the oil.
handle; A, moving pinion; B, bevel pinion; H, vertical shaft, which passes
into the recipient or box which contains the oil, and on which are fixed the
beaters I, I, which turn with it; F, moveable pivot; G, support; E, E, wings
fixed to the sides of the reservoir, to arrest or change the circular movement
which is constantly given to the oil by the rotation of the wings of the shaft
H; K, cock. At the point H' the shaft may be disconnected at will.

page_text: Figure 2. U, reservoir, composed of sheet iron, and containing compressed
air; F, pneumatic forcing pump; G, fly wheel & handle to work the pump;
R, manometer; I, I, bolts; K, wooden plank; L, pipe, serving to convey the
air into the filter; Y, pipe to feed other filters.
Figure 3. M, tube, surmounted by a nut, to intercept the passage of the
air when the oil is in the filter; N, N, bolts for fastening the cover to the
filter; K, space reserved for the compressed air; U, level of the oil when
the filter is charged; V, graduated glass tube, indicating the level of the oil;
B, receiver, composed of sheet iron, well tinned; S, nut & screw to fix the
receiver to the support G; F, cock, serving to intercept the passage of the oil
from the receiver to the vase, which must not be in copper; A, flanges with
screw to fix the vase to the receiver; D, D, vase, composed of tinned sheet
iron, containing the filtering material; E, bottom of the vase, slightly inclined,
into which the oil runs; H, space occupied by the filtering material; O, plate
of iron; Z, tightening screw; Q, cover of the vase; J, pipe for conveying the
purified oil to the cask; L, cleaning pipe at the bottom of the vase: .
Figure 4, frame in tinned iron, pierced with screw holes, serving to main-
tain the plate to the canvas.
Figure 5, tinned iron plate pierced with small holes.
DESCRIPTION OF THE PROCESSES.
The first operation is made in the 'agitator (Figure 1), into which the oil is
in the first place introduced and agitated for about an hour, more or less,
according to its quality, which decomposes it in its different essential. parts,
such as grease, mucilage,, stearine, and pure oil, and after standing quiet for
twenty-four hours, the wick, K is opened, and the oil is then submitted
to the pressure of the compressed air in the reservoir of air (Figure 2). It
then passes to the filter, described at 3, 4, & 5, which is previously provided
with the purifying matter, enclosed in a canvas bag, adapted to the sides
of the apparatus, and prepared and placed as described below, and which it
is obliged to pass through to the upper part, and which purifies it completely.
The oil must occupy about four-fifths of the receiver of the filter, the entrance
pipe of which must, immediately after the funnel has been removed, be
hermetically closed by means of a nut screw. The vacuum. remaining, is
filled by the compressed air on which the piston of the filter presses.
COMPOSITION AND PREPARATION OF THE FILTERING MATERIAL.
The filtering material is pumice stone broken and sifted to a fine powder,
which powder is to be mixed with oil, similar to that which is to be filtered,

page_text: and which should be as clear as possible.. With this a soft paste is made,
which is spread evenly on canvas, in a layer about the '/3 of an inch in thick-
ness, more or less, according to the degree of purity and fineness which it is
wished to obtain, and the degree of pressure given by the piston to the oil con-
tained in the filter. The same object is accomplished by employing ordinary
apparatus, such as wooden tubs, or of iron; lined with lead or tinned iron.
Into these vessels, either covered or uncovered, a given quantity of seed oil,
olive oil, cods' liver oil, fish oil, ox foot oil, castor oil, or tallow oil is introduced,
with the pumice stone in powder, in the proportion of 50 to 75 parts per 1,000
parts of oil, according to its nature. I agitate the whole for an hour, more or
less, then let it remain quiet for 24 hours; more or less, until the agent has
precipitated with it the mucilage; the operation is then finished. If it be not
complete, which very rarely happens, it must be commenced de novo.
also by my processes complete the imperfect purification of oils, and take from
them the traces of acid which have been left by the present processes. The
pumice stone may serve for a very long time without losing its purifying
qualities by cleansing it after each operation in warm water.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent, filed
by the said William Armand Gilbee, in the Great Seal Patent Office
on the 6th March 1856.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, WILLIAM
ARMAND GILBEE, of No. 4, South Street, Finsbury, London, Gentleman, send
greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her Letters
Patent, bearing date the Sixth day of September, in the year of our Lord
One thousand eight hundred and fifty-five, in the nineteenth year of Her reign,
did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant unto me, the said
William Armand Gilbee, Her special license that I, the said William Armand
Gilbee, my executors, administrators, and assigns, or such others as I, the
said William Armand Gilbee, my executors, administrators, and assigns, should
at any time agree with, and no others, from time to time and at all times
during the term therein expressed, should and lawfully might make, use,
exercise, and vend, within the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ire-
land, the Channel Islands, and Isle of Man, an Invention for "AN IMPROVED
PROCESS AND APPARATUS FOR THE PURIFICATION AND CLARIFICATION OF OILS,"
communicated to me by Monsieur Laffon, of Paris, upon the condition (amongst

page_text: others) that I, the said William Armand Gilbee, by an instrument in writing
under my hand and seal, should particularly describe and ascertain the nature
of the said Invention, and in what manner the same was to be performed, and
cause the same to be filed in the Great Seal Patent Office within six calendar
months next and immediately after the date of the said Letters Patent.
NOW KNOW YE, that I, the said William Armand Gilbee, do hereby
declare the nature of the said Invention, and in what manner the same is
to be performed, to be particularly described and ascertained in and by the
following statement thereof, reference being had to the Drawing hereto
annexed, and to the figures and letters marked thereon, that is to say:-
The Invention communicated to me consists in the construction of improved
apparatus, and in a process for the purification and clarification of oils.
DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS.
Figure 1, front view in partial section of the agitator, or machine for beat-
ing the oil. O, handle; A and B, bevel pinions; H, vertical shaft which
passes into the receiver which contains the oil. To the shaft are fixed the
beaters I, I, which turn with it; F, moveable pivot; G, framework; E, E,
stationary beaters, fixed to the sides of the receiver to arrest or change the
circular movement which is constantly given to the oil by the rotation of the
wings of the shaft H; K, cock. At the point H¹ the shaft may be discon-
nected at will.
Figure 2, elevation of the compressed air reservoir U, composed of sheet
iron; P, pneumatic force pump; C, fly wheel and handle to work the pump;
R, manometer; I, I, bolts; K, wooden base; L, pipe serving to convey the
air into the filter; Y, pipe to feed other filters.
.
Figure 3 is a section of the oil reservoir B. M, tube surmounted by a
screw cap, to intercept the passage of the air when the oil is in the filter,
Figure 6; N, N, bolts for fastening the cover of the oil reservoir; K, space
for the compressed air; U, level of the oil when the filter is charged; V,
graduated glass tube, indicating the level of the oil; B, reservoir, composed of
tinned sheet iron; S, nut and screw to fix the reservoir to the support G; F,
cock, for regulating the passage of the oil from the reservoir to the filter; A,
flanges and screw bolts, to fix the filter to the reservoir B; D, Figure 6, filter,
composed of tinned sheet iron, containing the filtering materials; E, bottom
of the filter, slightly inclined, into which the oil runs; H, space occupied by
the filtering materials; O, plate of iron; Z, tightening screw; Q, cover of the
filter; J, pipe for conveying the purified oil to the cask; L, pipe at the bottom
of the filter, for discharging the dregs of the oil.

page_text: DESCRIPTION OF THE PROCESS.
The first operation is effected in the agitator, Figure 1, into which the
oil is in the first place introduced and agitated for about an hour, more or less,
according to its quality, by which operation it is separated into its various con-
stituent parts, videlicet, grease, mucilage, stearine, and pure oil, and after
standing for about twenty-four hours, it is drawn off through the cock K and
introduced into the reservoir, Figure 3; the oil is then submitted to the pres-
sure of compressed air from the air reservoir, Figure 2, which forces it to pass
into the filter, Figure 6. The filter is provided with the purifying material,
prepared as herein-after described, and enclosed in a canvas bag, adapted to
the sides of the apparatus, through which the oil is forced to pass to the upper
part, by which means it is completely purified. The reservoir should be about
four-fifths full, and after the oil is admitted and the funnel removed, the cap
M should be screwed on, so as to close the vessel air-tight. The space K. is
then filled with compressed air.
PREPARATION OF THE FILTERING MATERIAL.
The filtering material is pumice stone reduced to a fine powder and sifted,
which powder is to be mixed with oil of a similar kind to that to be filtered,
and which should be as clear as possible. A soft paste is made, which is spread
evenly on the canvas, in a layer about one-third of an inch in thickness, more
or less, according to the degree of purity and fineness which it is wished to
obtain, and the degree of pressure applied to the oil. The purification of oils
may also be effected by employing wooden tubs, or tubs of iron lined with lead
or tinned iron. Into these vessels, either covered or uncovered, a given quantity
of seed, olive, cods' liver, fish, ox foot, castor, tallow, or other oil is introduced,
with the powdered pumice stone in the proportion of fifty to seventy-five
parts per one thousand parts of oil, according to its nature. The whole is
agitated for an hour, more or less, then left to repose for about twenty-four
hours, until the mucilage and other impurities are precipitated with the
pumice stone. If the operation is not complete, which very rarely happens, it
must be recommenced.
I can also apply my process to complete the purification of oils already
treated by the ordinary process, first removing from them the traces of acid left
by the ordinary processes. The pumice stone may serve for a very long time

page_text: without losing its purifying qualities, care being taken to clean it after each
operation in warm water.
Having now described the nature of the said Invention, and the manner in
which the same is to be performed, I would have it understood that what I
claim 'is, the construction of apparatus and process for the purification and
clarification of oils, as herein-before described, and referred to in the Figures
of the Drawing.
از
In witness whereof, I, the said William Armand Gilbee, have hereunto
set my hand and seal, 'this Sixth day of March, in the year of our
Lord One thousand eight hundred and fifty-six.