AN IMPROVED REFINER FOR DISTILLING APPARATUS."
Year: 1873

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to William Neil, of San Francisco, California, in
the United States of America, for the Invention of "AN IMPROVED
REFINER FOR DISTILLING APPARATUS."

page_text: NOW KNOW YE, that I, the said William Neil, do hereby declare
that the following Complete Specification, under my hand and seal,
fully describes the nature of my Invention, and the manner in which
the same is to be performed, that is to say :-
The object of my Invention is to provide an improved refiner to be
used in connection with any distilling apparatus for spirituous liquors,
and it consists mainly in a novel construction of an elongated vessel
having diaphragms placed across it at intervals. These diaphragms are
perforated alternately at the top and bottom for the passage of the
vapors. Each compartment thus formed has a pipe leading out of it
into a corresponding compartment in another vessel below. These
compartments are so arranged that the different products, previously
separated in the upper vessel, may be drawn off at once, or they may
be allowed to overflow from one compartment to the other until all the
impurities are thoroughly washed out, and the whole can then be
returned to the still for a further elimination of spirituous vapors, in
case the process should not have been thorough. The vapors which
pass out of the refining vessel are those of the purified liquor and are
led through a distributing vessel to the condenser.
Referring to the accompanying Drawings for a more complete
explanation of my Invention:-
Fig. 1 is a longitudinal section of my refiner;
وو
2 is a transverse section.
A is an elongated vessel having an elliptical transverse section as
shown. This vessel is surrounded by another vessel B and the space
between the two is kept full of water by means of a pipe and cock C.
An overflow pipe D serves to discharge the water and thus a constant
circulation is kept up; thereby cooling the inner vessel. The vessel A
has numerous partitions E, F, placed transversely across it, and the
partitions are perforated as shown, those marked E having perforations
near the bottom, while those marked Fhave perforations near the top, so
that any vapor will pass alternately through the lower and upper per-
forations. Pipes G, H, I, pass out from the bottom of each of the
chambers formed by the partitions and these pipes, except those marked
I, arise so that their upper ends open at the height of the perforations
in the partitions E. These pipes lead downward and are bent so as to
lead into a vessel J below. This vessel has partitions K separating it into

page_text: chambers into each of which a pipe leads. Cocks L are suitably placed
for drawing off from each chamber if desired. The partitions are so
arranged that each partition, from the left for example, is a little higher
than the one preceeding it, so that the contents of the last chamber shall
overflow into the next, and so on to the first, from which the whole will
be carried back into the still. The operation will be as follows:―The
vaporous products from the still are brought into the vessel A near the
top at one end, as shown by the pipe M, thence the vapors pass to the
bottom and through the perforations in the partition E, thence up and
through the perforations in the partition F, and so on to the end of the
vessel. After running a short time the lower part of each chamber will
be filled with the products of condensation to the height of the pipe G
or H, and also to the height of the perforations; through this the vapors
must pass before reaching the perforations. Within the first chambers
the heavier oils and impurities will be condensed while the more watery
vapors will pass on to the other chambers.
The pipes G will carry off the heavier impurities to the chambers
below while those marked H will take a lighter class. The pipes I are
made to open flush with the bottom of the last two chambers in order to
carry off all of the residue which is nearly pure watery vapor. The
spirituous vapor will pass off through the pipe N at the top of the last
chamber and thence they pass through the vessel O which is provided
with perforated partitions or floors for the purpose of retarding and
breaking up the flow of the vapor. From this vessel the vapors pass to
the condenser.
The condensed impurities and watery vapors from the different
chambers in the vessel A flow through the pipes G, H, I, to their
respective chambers in the vessel J.
The purest or watery products from the pipes I if not drawn off will
overflow their partitions E, F, into the next chambers, each partition
being successively lower than that preceeding. By this arrangement all
the impurities are thoroughly washed out and are then returned to the
still by the pipe P from the first chamber, so that they can be worked
over again in case the whole of the valuable portions should not have
heen extracted by the first oneration. By this construction the whole

page_text: Having thus described my Invention, what I claim and desire to
secure by Letters Patent is,-
First. The vessel A with its perforated partitions E and F for directing
and condensing the vapors, and forming chambers for holding the
condensed products together with the enclosing water jacket B,
substantially as herein described.
Second. In combination with the divided vessel A I claim the
discharge pipes G, H, and I, and the vessel J with its partitions K,
gradually increasing in height from first to last, substantially as and for
the purpose herein described.
Third. In combination with the refiner, as herein shown, I claim the
peculiar discharge vessel or pipe N having perforated floors, substantially
as and for the purpose herein described.
In witness whereof, I, the said William Neil have hereunto set
my hand and scal, this Fifteenth day of May, in the year of
our Lord One thousand eight hundred and seventy-three.
Witnesses,
JOHN L. BOONE,
C. M. RICHARDSON.
WILLIAM NEIL. (L.S.)