AN IMPROVED APPARATUS FOR DISTILLING PETROLEUM AND THE OILS OBTAINED FROM COAL SHALE AND OTHER LIKE SUBSTANCES
Year: 1866

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to William Aristides Vérel of the Haugh, Stirling,
in the County of Clackmannan, North Britain, Merchant, for the
Invention of "AN IMPROVED APPARATUS FOR DISTILLING PETROLEUM
AND THE OILS OBTAINED FROM COAL SHALE AND OTHER LIKE SUBSTANCES."
Sealed the 13th July 1866, and dated the 5th March 1866.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said William Aristides Vérel
at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition,
on the 5th March 1866.
...I, WILLIAM ARISTIDES VEREL, of the Haugh, Stirling, in the County of
5. Clackmannan, North Britain, Merchant, do hereby declare the nature of
.the said Invention for "AN IMPROVED APPARATUS FOR DISTILLING PETROLEUM
AND THE OILS, OBTAINED FROM COAL SHALE AND OTHER LIKE SUBSTANCES," to be
.as follows, that is to say:-
-:
.My.Invention consists in an improved construction of still for the distillation
. of petroleum and the oils obtained from coal shale and other like substances,
so as to admit of. such distillation being carried on continuously, and of a
-separation being effected during the process between the spirit and qils of
different specific gravities. This object is effected by the introduction within
[Price 8d.1

page_text: an ordinary still of an internal compartment or cup, into which the oil for
distillation and the superheated steam or air which I find it convenient to
employ are admitted, and by acting upon only a small body of oil at once,
which as it distills over is replaced by fresh oil, the process may be continued
for any length of time without intermission. The separation of the different
products into spirit and oils of various specific gravities is effected by means of
internal gutters or traps placed at various heights round the sides of the still,
into which the heavier oils which do not rise so high as to pass into the still
head with the lighter portion or spirit are caught as they condense along the
sides of the still. The number of these gutters or traps may be increased or
diminished at pleasure according to the varieties of oil required. For the
distillation of the heavier portions which may flow over the internal cup or
basin I find it convenient to introduce a branch from the pipe containing
superheated steam or air into the lower part of the outer shell, to play
upon such heavy oil, and cause it to rise in vapour and condense on the
sides of the still, whence it is caught by one of the inner gutters or traps;
to further aid this operation heat may also be applied externally.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent, filed
by the said William Aristides Vérel in the Great Seal Patent Office on
the 5th September 1866.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, WILLIAM
ARISTIDES VEREL, of the Haugh, Stirling, in the County of Clackmannan,
North Britain, Merchant, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her Letters
Patent, bearing date the Fifth day of March, in the year of our Lord
One thousand eight hundred and sixty-six, in the twenty-ninth year of
Her reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant unto
me, the said William Aristides Vérel, Her special licence that I, the said
William Aristides Vérel, my executors, administrators, and assigns, or such
others as 1, the said William Aristides Vérel, 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 "AN IMPROVED APPARATUS FOR DISTILLING PETROLEUM AND

page_text: .
THE OILS OBTAINED FROM COAL SHALE AND OTHER LIKE SUBSTANCES," upon the
condition (amongst others) that I, the said William Aristides Vérel, 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 William Aristides Vérel, 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, reference being had to the Drawing hereto
annexed, and to the figures and letters marked thereon, that is to say:-
My Invention consists in an improved construction of still for the distilla-
tion of petroleum and the oils obtained from coal shale and other like sub-
stances, either crude or partially refined by chemical treatment, so as to admit
of such distillation being carried on continuously, and of a separation being
effected during the process between the spirit and oils of different specific
gravities. This object is effected by the introduction within an ordinary still
of an internal cup or vessel, into which the oil for distillation and the super-
heated steam or air which I find it convenient to employ in the distilling opera-
tion are admitted, and by acting upon only a small body of oil at a time, which
as it distils over is replaced by fresh oil, the process may be continued for a
long time without interruption. The separation of the different products into
spirit and oils of various specific gravities is effected by means of internal
gutters or traps placed at various heights round the sides of the still, into
which the heavier oils which do not rise so high as to pass into the still heads
with the lighter portion or spirit are caught as they condense along the sides
of the still. The number of these gutters or traps may be increased or
diminished as required according to the varieties of oil required. For the
distillation of the heavier portions of the oil which may flow over the internal
cup or vessel I find it convenient to introduce a branch from the pipe
containing superheated steam or air into the lower part of the outer shell or
vessel, to play upon such heavy oil,and cause it to rise in vapour and condense
on the sides of the still, whence it is caught by one of the inner gutters or
traps; to further aid this operation fire heat may also be applied externally,
The Invention is applicable to all oils which are subjected in the process
of refining to distillation by heat, and it is more particularly intended for the

page_text: distillation of petroleum and of the oils obtained from coal shale and other
analogous substances.
In order to make the Invention better understood I will now describe it
by reference to the accompanying Drawing, in which Figure 1 shews a
vertical section, and Figure 2 a horizontal section, of my improved still.
The still, which may be of cast or malleable iron or any other suitable
metal or of various metals, consists of an outer vessel or still a, a, which may
be oblong,square, or spherical,at option; within this outer vessel a is enclosed
a cup or vessel b, the form of which may vary also at option, but the upper
part is open; a pipe c is inserted in the second or internal vessel b, and
serves to convey therein the oil to be distilled (such oi! having previously
passed through a small vessel and been heated so as to deposit any water it
might hold in suspension), and discharges it in the said internal vessel b of
the still, where it is acted upon by superheated steam or air conveyed by the
-pipe d, d, formed into a ring d¹¹ at the lower part, and perforated with holes
to distribute the air or steam; both the pipes c and d are provided with
stop-cocks to regulate the flow both of oil and steam or air; the super-
heated steam or air thus introduced should be of the necessary temperature
to produce ebullition and vaporize the oil. To prevent undistilled oil from
being thrown into the internal gutters or troughs by violent ebullition within
the vessel a number of holes are drilled through it a few inches from the
top, and to further aid in this object a guard may be placed around the top
to direct any such overflow downwards. Only the spirit and oils suitable for
burning are raised in vapour from the internal vessel or cup b, the lighter
the vapour the higher it rises within the body of the still, passing up through
the more elevated still head e into a worm, in which it is condensed; the oil
next in specific gravity passes through the still head f immediately beneath
the still head e into its condensing worm. The whole upper part of the still
acts more or less as a condenser, and in the stills at present in use the oil
contained therein is again returned to the general mass in process of
distillation, this operation being repeated constantly to the great injury of the
oil and loss of time and fuel. To prevent this loss of time, and waste of oil
and fuel I adapt to my improved still a trough or gutter g, passing completely
round the inside of the outer vessel, and having a slight inclination downwards.
The lowest point of this gutter, where the condensed vapour thus collected is
discharged, terminates in an outlet pipe i, which also receives such vapours as
have not risen above this point, and which passing through the exit pipe i
into another set of worms are condensed and discharged like the former into

page_text: an ordinary receiver. To regulate the quality of spirit and oil flowing
through the three still heads or outlet pipes e, f, and i, the inner vessel is
fitted with a pipe n passing to the outside of the outer part of the still a, to
which pipe are attached a guage h (shewn in dotted lines) to indicate the
height of the oil in the inner vessel or cup b, and a thermometer to indicate
its temperature; as it is the temperature which determines the character of
the oil discharged from this part of the still it may be raised or lowered
simply by increasing or diminishing the quantity of oil admitted. The heavy
oils not raised in vapour at the temperature applied in the inner vessel b
overflow into the lower part of the outer vessel or still a, where they are
again subjected to the action of superheated steam or air (introduced by the
pipe d', similar to and connected with the pipe d before described), and if
necessary aided by the application of fire heat; by these means this heavy
oil is vaporized and condensed partly on the lower sides of the still, where
it is collected in another gutter g', similar to the cne g before described, and
discharged along with any uncondensed vapours into another outlet pipe k,
thence it passes into another set of worms kept at such a temperature as
will retain the oil and solid matter therein in a liquid state. This part of
the still is also provided with a guage and thermometer h³, as in the former
case. The tailings which it may not be desirable to distil to coke are
drawn off through the pipe fitted to the bottom of the outer vessel a;
m, m, cross pieces for supporting inner vessel b.
By means of the alove-described apparatus I obtain a continuous dis-
tillation, and at the same time the separation of the products into a large
variety of oils and spirit, according to the number of still heads or outlet
pipes and internal troughs or gutters which the operator may find it con-
venient to employ.
Having thus described the nature of my said Invention, and the manner
of performing the same, I would have it understood that I do not confine
myself to the precise details of construction herein laid down, nor to the
number of the troughs or gutters and still heads or outlet pipes employed,
but what I claim is,―
First, the general arrangement and construction of still for distilling
petroleum and the oils obtained from coal shale and other like substances,
substantially in the manner and for the purposes herein-before described
and shewn in the accompanying Drawing.
Secondly, the introduction of a cup or vessel open at the top within an
ordinary still for the distillation first of the lighter oils, as herein-before
described and represented in the accompanying Drawing.

page_text: Thirdly, the application of gutters or troughs and outlet pipes for
separating the products of distillation, as herein-before described and
represented in the Drawing.
In witness whereof, I, the said William Aristides Vérel, have hereto
set my hand and seal, this Thirtieth day of August, in the year
of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and sixty-six.
WILLIAM A. VEREL. (L.S.)