IMPROVEMENTS IN PURIFICATION AND HARDENING OF PARAFFIN WAX
Year: 1866

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to William Bryer Nation, of London Works, Hatcham,
, ין
in the County of Surrey, for the Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN
PURIFICATION AND HARDENING OF PARAFFIN WAX."
Sealed the 31st July 1866, and dated the 1st February 1866.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said William Bryer Nation
at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on the
1st February 1866.
..:...
I, WILLIAM BRYER NATION, of London Works, Hatcham, in the County
of.
f. Surrey, do hereby declare the nature of the said Invention for "Ix-
PROVEMENTS IN THE PURIFICATION AND HARDENING OF PARAFFIN WAX," to be as
follows
This Invention has for its object improvements in the purification and
hardening of paraffin wax. The substance known commercially as paraffin
wax is the hard wax-like substance obtained usually by, distillation from
petroleum or earth oil, or from the oily matters obtained from cannel coal
or schist, and a similar-material has also been obtained from peat and from
other sources. The paraffin wax when first obtained is impure and colored,
and it is usual to purify it by mixing it with spirit, then submitting it to

page_text: hydraulic pressure, and afterwards to heat to expel any remaining spirit;
this, however, is an expensive process. According to my Invention I melt
the impure paraffin wax, and then stir it up with cold water until I bring
the mixture to a temperature at which the paraffin wax becomes solid, whilst
the coloring matter with some oily or softer matters which the crude wax
contains remain liquid. A suitable temperature is about two degrees under
the melting point of the material under treatment, and care should be taken
to avoid much further cooling. I then run off through a strainer or other-
wise, separate the water and liquid impurities from the paraffin wax, which
then will be more or less purified. To obtain a complete purification and
hardening the process should be frequently repeated. The process may be
conducted without water, although not so advantageously, the melted paraffin
wax being cooled whilst it is constantly stirred, and then when the tem-
perature is reduced to the point at which the paraffin wax is solid whilst the
coloring matter and softer or oily matters remain liquid as above explained
the oily and coloring matters are drained off the wax.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent, filed
by the said William Bryer Nation in the Great Seal Patent Office on
the 1st August 1866.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, WILLIAM
BRYER NATION, of London Works, Hatcham, in the County of Surrey, send
greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her Letters
Patent, bearing date the First day of February, 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 Bryer Nation, Her special licence that I, the said William
Bryer Nation, my executors, administrators, and assigns, or such others
as I, the said William Bryer Nation, 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 THE PURIFICATION AND HARDENING OF PARAFFIN
Wax," upon the condition (amongst others) that I, the said William Bryer
Nation, my executors or administrators, by an instrument in writing under

page_text: 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 Bryer Nation, 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:-
My Invention has for its object improvements in the purification and
hardening of paraffin wax. The substance known in commerce as paraffin
wax is the hard and wax-like substance which is separated from the heavy:
oils obtained during the distillation of the various native petroleums, and also
from the heavy oils which result from the distillation at low temperatures of
cannel coals, schist, peat, and other like matters. The paraffin when first
obtained from these sources is very impure and colored, being mixed with
tarry and oily matters, and these are usually separated from it by mixing the
crude paraffin with spirit or other like dissolving agent, then submitting it
to hydraulic pressure, and afterwards to heat to expel any remaining solvent ;
this, however, is an expensive process and attended with much risk and
danger by reason of the inflammable nature of the spirit usually employed.
Now according to my Invention I am able to dispenso entirely with the use
any kind of spirit or other like dissolving agent, and by. means of. very
simple and comparatively inexpensive processes I am enabled to separate the
softer and colored portions of the crude or scale paraffin from the harder
wax which it contains: In order to effect this object I subject the crude or
scale paraffin to processes of melting, stirring, and cooling, and also of
drawing off the more liquid parts until the paraffin wax is brought to the
desired degree of purity, the cooling and separation of the more liquid parts
being facilitated by the introduction of cold water when stirring the melted
paraffin. The wax obtained by my process can if desired be subsequently
further bleached and filtered in the manner usually practised.
of
In carrying my Invention into practice I proceed as follows:-Having
provided a suitable open vessel, say of 1 ton capacity, in which a slow rotary
agitation can be maintained, I introduce into it about 15 cwt. of crude or
scale paraffin and proceed to melt it by means of a jet of free steam.... When
the mass has become perfectly fluid I turn off the steam and cause the
agitators to revolve slowly, and at the same time I run into the liquified
paraffin a stream of cold water through a perforated rose head or distributor,

page_text: the effect of this is to solidify the harder portions of the crude paraffin., 1:
continue this agitation and flow of cold water until the mixed contents of the
vessel register on Fahrenheit's thermometer a mean temperature of from:
2 to 6 degrees, more or less, below. the point at which the material. under
treatment melted previously to undergoing this operation of agitation and
cooling, and I take care to avoid further cooling, as otherwise the whole mass
would become set. The agitation is then discontinued, the water is turned,
off, and the contents of the vessel allowed to repose for a few minutes. It
will then be found that the water and condensed steam have fallen to the
bottom of the vessel and the supernatant paraffin has become divided into
two portions, one tolerably firm and solid and of a light color, the other part.
remaining in the state of a dark oily liquid. A cock at the bottom of the
vessel is then opened and the water and condensed steam, are run off, after-
wards the dark oily liquid. (still containing some solid paraffin in solution).
follows, and this is preserved for future treatment. As soon as the liquid
portion ceases to flow through the cock it is, closed, free steam, is again
turned into the vessel, and when the paraffin is perfectly melted it is shut
off, the agitation is resumed, accompanied by the introduction of streams of
cold water, and again the harder portion of the paraffin solidifies and the
liquid part is again drawn off. These processes can be repeated as, long as.
the operator considers desirable, the effect of each being to further sweeten,
purify, and harden the originally impure or. crude, paraffin.. I commonly in
practice repeat the process at least ten times. This, process may be conducted.
without the intervention of water, although not. so. advantageously. In this.
case the impure melted paraffin is to be cooled, down whilst it is constantly
stirred, and when the temperature is reduced to the point. at, which the
harder portion of it becomes solidified, the agitation is, then arrested and the.
softer and oily portions are drawn off as previously described; but I prefer to.
effect the object by the use of cold water as above described. The colored
and softer matters liberated as above described are subjected to the same
treatment as the original crude paraffin, and hard paraffin, is separated from
them in like manner, leaving behind a dark, oily. fluid, and these processes.
may be repeated continuously. till, the cold, water, ceases to exercise, any
beneficial action on the melted mass. The harder, and purified, portions. of
the scale paraffin separated by either of the above systems, if not sufficiently
white for the market, can be remelted and further bleached by, any of the
methods usually practised, and be finally filtered in a hot filter, as is well
understood.
The apparatus in which the purification of paraffin on my.. system may

page_text: be conducted is capable of variation, but the arrangement I prefer is as
follows: A cylindrical vessel of iron is constructed of about 1 ton capacity,
this is provided with a false perforated bottom, below which is placed a
perforated pipe for the admission of free steam. In the centre is a shaft
supported in a step at or near the bottom of the vessel and provided with
arms above the false bottom, which when the shaft is made to revolve slowly
keep the mass in motion. Below the false bottom a cock is inserted in the
vessel for the purpose of drawing off the liquid matter, whilst the more solid
parts remain behind on the perforated false bottom.
Having thus fully described the nature of my said Invention, and in what
manner the same is to be performed, I would observe in conclusion that what
I consider to be novel and original, and therefore claim as the Invention
secured to me by the herein-before in part recited Letters Patent is, the
purification and hardening of paraffin wax by separating the more liquid and
softer portions from the harder portions contained therein by repeatedly
subjecting the melted paraffin to the process of agitation and cooling until
it commences to solidify, and then separating the portion which remains
fluid from that which has already solidified, substantially as above described,
also the use of cold water in the manner above described to facilitate the
process.
In witness whereof, I, the said William Bryer Nation, have hereunto
set my hand and seal, this First day of August, in the year of
our Lord One thousand eight hundred and sixty-six.
WILLIAM BRYER NATION. (L.S.)