IMPROVEMENTS IN THE MODE OF DISTILLING OR SEPARATING THE MORE VOLATILE PORTIONS OF PETROLEUM AND OTHER MINERAL OILS, AND IN MEANS OR APPARATUS FOR ASCERTAINING THE IGNITING AND EXPLOSIVE POINT OF SUCH OILS
Year: 1867

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Edward Alexander Rippingille, of the Albion
Lamp Company, Holborn Hill, in the (ounty of Middlesex, for the
Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN THE MODE OF DISTILLING OR SEPARATING
THE MORE VOLATILE PORTIONS OF PETROLEUM AND OTHER MINERAL OILS, AND
IN MEANS OR APPARATUS FOR ASCERTAINING THE IGNITING AND EXPLOSIVE
POINT OF SUCH OILS."
Sealed the 24th January 1868, and dated the 27th July 1867.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Edward Alexander
Rippingille at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his
Petition, on the 27th July 1867.
I, EDWARD ALEXANDER RIPPINGILLE, of the Albion Lamp Company,
Holborn Hill, in the County of Middlesex, do hereby declare the nature of
the said Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN THE MODE OF DISTILLING OR SEPA-
RATING THE MORE VOLATILE PORTIONS OF PETROLEUM AND OTHER MINERAL OILS,
AND IN MEANS OR APPARATUS FOR ASCERTAINING THE IGNITING AND EXPLOSIVE POINT
OF SUCH OILS," to be as follows:-
The Invention has for its object improvements in the mode of distilling or
separating the more volatile portions of petroleum and other mineral oils, and
in means or apparatus for ascertaining the igniting and explosive point of such
oils, and consists, firstly, in the employment of a jet or jets of steam to draw
or force in a current or currents of air through the petroleum or other
mineral oil from which it is desired to separate the more volatile portions,
[Price 8d.]

page_text: such jets acting in a somewhat similar manner to the blast of a locomotive
engine.
The oil to be treated is placed in a vessel in which a finely perforated pipe
or pipes in a coil or other suitable form is arranged at the lower part; with
this perforated pipe is connected a pipe passing from the aforesaid vessel to
another vessel, into which a jet or jets of steam are blown, such jet or jets of
steam acting to draw or force in air to such vessel from which a combined
current of air and steam passes from the upper part thereof to the perforated
pipe in the interior of the vessel containing the oil to be treated. The
combined current of air and steam issuing through the perforated pipe passes
in numerous small jets up through the oil and out through a
"goose
neck" connected with the upper part of the oil vessel, and in doing so
carries with it the more volatile portions of such oil, which are then
conveyed into another vessel and condensed in any suitable manner. The
jet or jets of steam may be caused to issue direct into a pipe con-
nected with the perforated pipe, or as above stated the jets of steam may
be caused to pass first through another vessel and out at the upper part
thereof, such vessel being for the purpose of separating the moist steam from
the comparatively dry steam and air, a throttle valve or cock being provided
at the lower part of such vessel to allow the moister portion of the steam to
escape therefrom.
If desired additional heat may be applied to the vessel
containing the oil in any suitable manner. And in order to correctly ascertain
the explosive point of such oils, either before or after treatment as above, I
employ a vessel into which a portion of such oil is poured and in which the
oil is heated to any desired temperature. At the upper part of such vessel
wire conductors from an induction coil or otherwise are arranged at a suitable
distance apart so as to produce an electric spark between the opposite poles
of such conductors, as is well understood; such vessel is also provided with a
valve working in suitable guides and pressed upon by a suitable spring or
weights. On the stem or rod of such valve a rack is formed, which when
the vapour from the oil in such vessel has exploded and forced the valve from
its seat serves by the aid of a catch to retain such valve at the highest
position to which it has been forced, and so indicate the amount of explosive
vapour given off from the contents of the vessel.
For ascertaining the temperature at which the oil will ignite similar
apparatus is employed, but the conducting wires are arranged so as to be
almost in contact with the surface of the oil which as before is heated to any
desired temperature. The upper part or cover of the vessel is capable of
being readily separated from the lower portion thereof containing the oil, in

page_text: order to facilitate the cleansing of such vessel, and if desired a thermometer
be fixed at any suitable position in order to facilitate the regulation of
the temperature to any desired degree.
may
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent, filed
by the said Edward Alexander Rippingille in the Great Seal Patent Office
on the 27th January 1868.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, EDWARD
ALEXANDER RIPPINGILLE, of the Albion Lamp Company, Holborn Hill, in the
County of Middlesex, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her Letters
Patent, bearing date the Twenty-seventh day of July, in the year of our Lord
One thousand eight hundredandsixty-seven, inthethirty-firstyearof Herreign,
did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant unto me, the said
Edward Alexander Rippingille, Her special licence that I, the said Edward
Alexander Rippingille, my executors, administrators, and assigns, or such
others as I, the said Edward Alexander Rippingille, my executors, adminis-
trators, 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 THE MODE OF DISTILLING OF SEPARATING THE MORE
VOLATILE PORTIONS OF PETROLEUM AND OTHER MINERAL OILS, AND IN MEANS OR
APPARATUS FOR ASCERTAINING THE IGNITING AND EXPLOSIVE POINT OF SUCH OILS,'
upon the condition (amongst others) that I, the said Edward Alexander
Rippingille, my executors or administrators, 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 Edward Alexander Rippingille,do hereby
declare the nature of my 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 :-
The Invention has for its object improvements in the mode of distilling or
separating the more volatile portions of petroleum and other mineral oils, and

page_text: in means or apparatus for ascertaining the igniting and explosive point of
such oils, and consists, firstly, in the employment of a jet or jets of steam to
draw or force in a current or currents of air through the petroleum or other
mineral oil from which it is desired to separate the more volatile portions, such
jets acting in a somewhat similar manner to the blast of a locomotive
engine.
The oil to be treated is placed in a vessel in which a finely perforated pipe
or pipes in a coil or other suitable form is arranged at the lower part. With
this perforated pipe is connected a pipe passing from the aforesaid vessel to
another vessel into which a jet or jets of steam are blown, such jet or jets of
steam acting to draw or force in air to such vessel, from which a combined
current of air and steam passes from the upper part thereof to the perforated
pipe in the interior of the vessel containing the oil to be treated. The com-
bined current of air and steam issuing through the perforated pipe passes in
numerous small jets up through the oil and out through a "goose neck" con-
nected with the upper part of the oil vessel, and in doing so carries with it
the more volatile portions of such oil, which are then conveyed into another
vessel and condensed in any suitable manner; the jet or jets of steam may be
caused to issue direct into a pipe connected with the perforated pipe, or as
above stated the jets of steam may be caused to pass first through another
vessel and out at the upper part thereof, such vessel being for the purpose of
separating the moist steam from the comparatively dry steam and air, a
throttle valve or cock being provided at the lower part of such vessel to allow
the moister portion of the steam to escape therefrom. If desired heat may
be applied to the vessel containing the oil in any suitable manner.
And in order to correctly ascertain the explosive point of such oils, either
before or after treatment as above, I employ a vessel into which a portion of
such oil is poured, and in which the oil is heated to any desired temperature.
At the upper part of such vessel wire conductors from an induction coil or
otherwise are arranged at a suitable distance apart, so as to produce an
electric spark between the opposite poles of such conductors,as is well under-
stood; such vessel is also provided with a valve working in suitable guides
and pressed upon by a suitable spring or weights. On the stem or rod of
such valve a rack is formed, which when the vapour from the oil in such
vessel has exploded and forced the valve from its seat serves by the aid of a
catch to retain such valve at the highest position to which it has been forced,
and so indicate the amount of explosive vapour given off from the contents of
the vessel. The upper part or cover of the vessel is capable of being readily
separated from the lower portion thereof containing the oil, in order to

page_text: facilitate the cleansing of such vessel, and if desired a thermometer may be
fixed at any suitable position in order to facilitate the regulation of the
temperature to any desired degree.
And in order that my Invention may be more fully understood and readily
carried into effect, I will proceed, aided by the accompanying Drawings, more
fully to describe the same.
Figure 1 is a sectional view of apparatus such as I have found to answer in
carrying out the first part of my Invention. The oil to be treated is placed
in the chamber or vessel a, in which a finely perforated pipe or pipes b in a
coil or other suitable form are arranged at the lower part of the vessel a. The
coiled pipes or tubes 6 are by means of a pipe or tube b¹ connected with the
vessel or chamber c, into which a jet or jets of steam are blown through the
pipe or tube d, such jet or jets of steam acting to draw or force into
the chamber c a current of air through an opening e¹ in the chamber or
hood e, from which it passes with the steam through the pipe or tube e² into
the chamber c, whence a current of combined steam and air passes by the
pipe or tube and coils 6 in numerous small jets through the oil in the
chamber and thereby carries off with it the more volatile portions of the oil
which pass through the goose neck a¹ into a suitable condenser, as will be
well understood. The opening e¹ in the hood or chamber e is provided with a
slide ein order to facilitate the regulation of the amount of air passing with
the steam into the vessel c, where the comparatively dry steam'andair pass off
by the pipe or tube 61, whilst the moist steam is collected at the bottom and
blown off through the cock or valve c¹. The vessel a is provided with a
well a², into which the water formed from the condensed steam is collected, and
from which it is drawn off by the cock a³, a cock a being employed for
emptying the vessel a when it is desired to remove the oil therefrom. If
desired beat may be applied to the vessel a in any suitable manner.
a,
Figure 2 is a sectional view of apparatus constructed according to the
second part of my Invention. g is a vessel in which a small quantity of oil is
placed, and h, h', are wire conductors from an induction coil or otherwise,
such wires being carried by the cover g¹, and insulated therefrom by glass
tubes i; j is a valve which fits closely the seat k, and is provided with a
notched stein, as shewn. When it is desired to ascertain the explosive
point of the oil contained in the reservoir or vessel g such oil is (by plunging
the vessel g into hot water, or by other suitable means) heated to any desired
temperature, which may be regulated by a thermometer, and an electric

page_text: current is passed through the wire conductors h,h', by which an electric spark
is formed between the two wires h, h¹, and when the vapour from the oil has
exploded the valve; is forced from its seat, and by means of the spring
catch is retained at the height to which it has been forced by the explosion.
The upper part or cover g¹ is connected to the vesselg by a screw thread, as
shewn, whereby such parts may be readily disconnected in order to facilitate
the cleansing of the vessel g.
For ascertaining the temperature at which the oil will ignite similar
apparatus is employed, but the conducting wires are arranged so us to be
almost in contact with the surface of the oil, which as before is heated to
any desired temperature.
Having thus described the nature of my said Invention, and the mode in
which I carry the same into effect, I would have it understood that I do not
confine myself to the precise details herein shewn and described; but what
I do claim is,-
Firstly, the peculiar mode of distilling or separating the more volatile
portions of petroleum and other mineral oils, substantially as herein shown
and described.
And, secondly, Iclaim the peculiar arrangement and combination of means
or apparatus for ascertaining the igniting and explosive points of petroleum
and other mineral oils, substantially as herein shewn and described.
In witness whereof, I, the said Edward Alexander Rippingille, have
hereunto set my hand and seal, this Twenty-seventh day of January,
in the year of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and sixty-eight.
ALBY& RIPPINGILL
ITS
Witness,
B. J. B. MILLS,
Patent Agent,
35, Southampton Buildings,
Chancery Lane.
RIPPINGILLE