IMPROVEMENTS IN TREATING AND DISTILLINGĠ PETROLEUM AND IN APPARATUS EMPLOYED THEREIN.
Year: 1870

page_text: "
-
LETTERS PATENT to Robert Kell, of Bradford, in the County of York
for the Invention of " IMPROVEMENTS IN TREATING AND DISTILLINGĠ
PETROLEUM AND IN APPARATUS EMPLOYED THEREIN. -A communication
from abroad by James Laws Heverin and James Lloyd Bewley,
both of Freedom, Beaver County, Pensyllvania, in the United
States of America.
ealed the 21st October 1870, and dated the 27th June 1870.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Robert Kell at the
Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on the
27th June 1870.
I, ROBERT KELL, of Bradford, in the County of York, do hereby
declare the nature of the said Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN TREATING
AND DISTILLING PETROLEUM, AND IN APPARATUS EMPLOYED THEREIN," to be as
follows:-
This Invention has for its object improvements in treating and
distilling petroleum and in apparatus employed therein. For this
purpose the petroleum to be operated upon is introduced, first, into an

page_text: upper still or chamber, in which it is caused to trickle over the surface
of a cylindrical casing, heated in a manner herein-after described, to
such a temperature as to volatilize the most volatile parts of the petro-
leum. This vapour passes at once to a condenser and being condensed
forms a liquid known commercially as naptha or benzine.
So much of the petroleum as is not volatilized in the first still or
chamber passes to a second, where it is brought in contact with steam;
it may be exposed to a jet of steam, so as to disperse it as a spray
through the still or chamber, or whilst it is running through the second
still or chamber jets of steam may be projected onto or through it.
The steam again volatilizes a portion of the petroleum. The mixed
steam and vapour passes into the casing within the first still or
chamber which is thus heated. A partition is provided within the
casing to compel the steam and vapour to traverse from end to end of
the casing before passing to the exit pipe, which leads it to the con-
denser, where the condensation of the whole of the steam and vapour
from the second still or chamber is completed. The vapour yeilds
kerosine oil. The remainder of the petroleum which is not evaporated
in the second still or chamber is drawn off from the lower part thereof,
and is fit for use as a lubricating oil for dressing leather, for oiling wool,
for the manufacture of paint, and for other purposes.
A cavity is provided in the second still or chamber to retain any solid
matters which the crude petroleum may contain. If desired jets of
steam may be introduced into the first still or chamber, and the steam
employed in the second still or chamber is by preference superheated.
The flues from the superheating furnace are passed underneath the
second still or chamber to aid in maintaining the requisite heat therein.
The petroleum is thus without decomposition separated into three
products at one operation.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent, 30
filed by the said Robert Kell in the Great Seal Patent Office on
the 27th December 1870.

page_text: WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her
Letters Patent, bearing date the Twenty-seventh day of June, in the
year of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and seventy, in the thirty-
fourth year of Her reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors,
give and grant unto me, the said Robert Kell, Her special licence, that
I, the said Robert Kell, my executors, administrators, and assigns, or
such others as I, the said Robert Kell, my executors, administrators,
and assigns, should at any time agree with, and no others, from time to
time and at all times thereafter during the term therein expressed,
should and lawfully might make, use, exercise, and vend, within the
United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland, the Channel Islands,
and Isle of Man, an Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN TREATING AND DIS-
TILLING PETROLEUM AND IN APPARATUS EMPLOYED THEREIN," upon the condition
(amongst others) that I, the said Robert Kell, my exccutors or ad-
ministrators, by an instrument in writing under my, or their, or one
of their hands and seals, 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 Robert Kell, 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, that is to say :-
This Invention has for its object improvements in treating and
distilling petroleum and in apparatus employed therein. For this
purpose the petroleum to be operated upon is introduced first into an
upper still or chamber, in which it is caused to trickle over the surface
of a cylindrical casing, heated in a manner herein-after described, to.
such a temperature as to volatilize the most volatile parts of the
petroleum. This vapour passes at once to a condenser, and being
condensed forms a liquid known commercially as naptha or benzine.
.
So much of the petroleum as is not volatilized in the first still or
chamber passes to a second, where it is brought in contact with steam;
it may be exposed to a jet of steam so as to disperse it as a spray
through the still or chamber, or whilst it is running through the second
still or chamber jets of steam may be projected onto or through it.
The steam again volatilizes a portion of the petroleum. The mixed

page_text: steam and vapor passes into the casing within the first still or chamber,
which is thus heated. A partition is provided within the casing to
compel the steam and vapor to traverse from end to end of the casing
before passing to the exit pipe, which leads it to the condenser, where
the condensation of the whole of the steam and vapor from the second
still or chamber is completed. The vapor yields kerosine oil. The
remainder of the petroleum which is not evaporated in the second still
or chamber is drawn off from the lower part thereof and is fit for use as
a lubricating oil for dressing leather, for oiling wool, for the manufacture
of paint, and for other purposes.
A cavity is provided in the second still or chamber to retain any
solid matters which the crude petroleum may contain. If desired, jets
of steam may be introduced into the first still or chamber, and the steam
employed in the second still or chamber is by preference superheated.
The flues from the superheating furnace are passed underneath the
second still or chamber to aid in maintaining the requisite heat therein.
The petroleum is thus, without decomposition, separated into three
products at one operation.
In order that my said Invention may be most fully understood and
readily carried into effect I will proceed to describe the Drawings
Figure 1 is an end view of the apparatus, arranged in the manner
which I prefer; Figure 2 is a transverse section%3B Figure 3 is a
longitudinal section; and Figure 4 is a side view, partly in section, of
the same,
a, a, is the upper still or chamber, and 6 is a pipe with small per-
forations in it at distances apart, by which the petroleum enters the
pparatus; it falls in drops or small streams on to the heated cylindrical
casing c. The most volatile parts of the petroleum are evaporated by
the heat of the casing and pass away by the pipe d into the condensing
coil e, from whence in a liquid form the naptha or benzine runs into a
suitable collecting cistern and is stored for use. is a water tank, in
which the coil e is immersed; a stream of cold water is kept running
through it, it enters at the lower part and escapes at the upper. So
much of the petroleum as is not evaporated falls from the surface of

page_text: the casing c on to the bottom of the still or chamber a, along which it
runs until it meets the pipe g, by which it descends. h is a steam pipe
with roses or nozzles upon it, by which the steam issues and strikes
down upon
the liquid running along the bottom of the still. This
steam pipe is not always used, when it is, the steam produces a further
volatilization of the petroleum in the first still or chamber a, and the
boiling point of naptha or benzine running off by the coil e will be
raised; this is regulated as may be required. The liquid descending by
the pipe g enters the cavity in the bottom of the lower still or chamber i;
it-runs from end to end of this still or chamber along the bottom, and is
acted upon in its course by steam jets from the pipe k, which is similar to
the pipe h, but it admits superheated in place of saturated steam. The
flues from the superheating furnace, which is not shown in the Drawings,
also pass under the still or chamber i, so as to aid in maintaining a
sufficient heat therein, but care is taken so to arrange them that no
part of this still or chamber may become overheated. A further
portion of the petroleum is here evaporated, and the vapor passes by
the pipe into the interior of the casing c, which is thus heated, whilst
the mixed vapor and steam here part with some of their heat before
entering the condensing coil m, which is contained in the same water
tank with the coil e. The partition in the casing c compels the
vapor and steam to pass along the top of the casing and return along
the bottom. From the coil m kerosine oil is collected and stored for
The boiling point of this oil is regulated as may be desired by
varying the heat of the steam and admitting more or less as may be
desired. The portion of the petroleum which is not evaporated enters
the receiver n in the bottom of the still or chamber i, and from thence
it flows out by the trapped pipe o, and is collected for use. Any solid
impurities which the crude petroleum may contain will accumulate in
the cavity, and a discharge pipe at the bottom of this cavity is opened
from time to time for their escape. In some cases a steam jet is placed
immediately beneath the pipe g, so that the jet may strike the liquid
as it falls from the pipe and disperse it as spray through the still or
chamber ; the pipe & may then be dispensed with.
use.
k
Having thus described the nature of the said Invention, and the
manner of performing the same, I would have it understood that what
I claim is, the treatment and distillation of petroleum in such manner
as without decomposition to separate it into three products at one
operation and by means substantially as described.

page_text: I also claim the construction of apparatus for treating and distilling.
petroleum, substantially as described.
In witness whereof, I, the said Robert Kell, have hereunto set my-
hand and seal, this Twelfth day of December, in the year of our
Lord One thousand eight hundred and seventy.