IMPROVEMENTS IN PURIFYING ALCOHOL, AND IN THE APPA- RATUS EMPLOYED THEREIN.
Year: 1874

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Ludovic Reine Raoul, Comte de Beaurepaire
de Louvagny, of Boulevard de Strasbourg, 23, at Paris, for the
Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN PURIFYING ALCOHOL, AND IN THE APPA-
RATUS EMPLOYED THEREIN.
"3
Sealed the 12th May 1874, and dated the 17th February 1874.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Ludovic Reine Raoul,
Comte de Beaurepaire de Louvagny, at the Office of the Com-
missioners of Patents, with his Petition, on the 17th February
1874.
I, LUDOVIC REINE RAOUL, COMTE DE BEAUREPAIRE DE LOUVAGNY,
of Boulevard de Strasbourg, 23, at Paris, do hereby declare the nature
of the said Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN PURIFYING ALCOHOL, AND IN THE
APPARATUS EMPLOYED THEREIN," to be as follows:-
Hitherto alcohol has only been purified by the removal of the oils
contained therein, while the elimination of the ethers presented great
difficulties in consequence of their great affinity for alcohol. Never-

page_text: theless ethers volatilize more readily than alcohol, and separate at a
less elevated temperature than the latter. By maintaining therefore
the mass of phlegms or wash in preparation at a higher temperature
than that of the vaporization of ether, but lower than that of the
vapourization of alcohol, I obtain a constant ascent throughout the 5
mass of all the ethers without producing the vapourization of the
alcohol since the temperature is too low for that. I effect this action
in an economical manner by utilizing the caloric of the alcoholic
vapour itself before its entrance into the refrigerator. Besides, in
order to increase the ascensional force of the ethers I arrange, in 1
combination with the distilling apparatus, an air pump which blows
air into the mass of phlegms so as to produce a bubbling. The air
thus blown in agitates the liquid laterally, and the air bubbles in
their ascensional movement effect a sort of vertical drainage from the
bottom to the top of the ethers held in the mass, and then open to them ]
the road which leads them to the surface of the liquid. It is at the
moment when the phlegms or wash under preparation are at their
greatest heat that I introduce the alkaline or other agent necessary for
the saponification.
The general construction of the distilling apparatus is the same as a
usual, and my process only necessitates the adoption of a supplementary
boiler with its accessories, and of a pump to blow in air.
The rectifying boiler, the partitioned column, the water condensers,
and the analyser are arranged as usual. From the analyser proceeds
a tube which passes into a supplementary boiler, and after making
two or three turns therein passes out into the refrigerator where the
alcohol condenses. From the refrigerator a tube passes, which after
being broken by a gauge passes into a receiver for the rectified alcohol.
The supplementary boiler is that which receives the mass of phlegms
or wash in preparation, and it is within its interior that the ventilating
operation which I have already explained takes place. For this purpose
I arrange an air pump which is actuated by an excentric or otherwise,
and which throws the air through a tube into the lower part of the
supplementary boiler. The action already described of the air in
ascending bubbles across the mass of phlegms, or wash is effected,
and since the boiler is not full the air remains at the top or empty
part charged with all the ether which it was able to carry off. The

page_text: by aspiration. It would be necessary to arrange an air hole at the
upper part of the preparing boiler, and a syphon would lead this air
into the bottom in ander to obtain the noe citation
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent,
filed by the said Ludovic Reine Raoul, Comte de Beaurepaire
de Louvagny in the Great Seal Patent Office on the 13th August
1874.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, LUDOVIc
REINE RAOUL, COMTE DE BEAUREPAIRE DE LOUVAGNY, of Boulevard de
Strasbourg, 23, at Paris, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her
Letters Patent, bearing date the Seventeenth day of February, in the
year of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and seventy-four, in the
thirty-seventh year of Her reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and suc-
cessors, give and grant unto me, the said Ludovic Reine Raoul, Comte
de Beaurepaire de Louvagny, Her special licence, that I, the said
Ludovic Reine Raoul, Comte de Beaurepaire de Louvagny, my executors,
administrators, and assigns, or such others as I, the said Ludovic Reine
Raoul, Comte de Beaurepaire de Louvagny, 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 PURIFYING ALCOHOL,
AND IN THE APPARATUS EMPLOYED THEREIN," upon the condition (amongst
others) that I, the said Ludovic Reine Raoul, Comte de Beaurepaire
de Louvagny, my executors or administrators, by an instrument in
writing under my, or their, or one of their hands and seals, should a
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.

page_text: NOW KNOW YE, that I, the said Ludovic Reine Raoul, Comte de
Beaurepaire de Louvagny, 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, reference being had to the Drawings hereunto annexed, that is
to say :-
Hitherto alcohol has only been purified by the removal of the oils
contained therein, while the elimination of the ethers presented great
difficulties in consequence of their great affinity for alcohol. Never-
theless ethers volatilize more readily than alcohol, and separate at a
less elevated temperature than the latter. By maintaining therefore
the mass of phlegms or wash in preparation at a higher temperature
than that of the vaporization of ether, but lower than that of the
vaporization of alcohol, I obtain a constant ascent throughout the
mass of all the ethers without producing the vapourization of the
alcohol since the temperature is too low for that result. I effect this
action in an economical manner by utilizing the caloric of the alcoholic
vapour itself before its entrance into the refrigerator. Besides, in order
to increase the ascensional force of the ethers I arrange, in combin-
ation with the distilling apparatus, an air pump which blows air into
the mass of phlegms so as to produce a bubbling. The air thus blown
in agitates the liquid laterally, and the air bubbles in their movement
upwards effect a sort of vertical drainage from the bottom to the top
of the ethers held in the mass, and then opens a road as it were by
which they can reach the surface of the liquid. It is at the moment
when the phlegms or wash under preparation arc at their greatest
heat that I introduce alkaline or other agent necessary for the saponi-
fication.
The general construction of the distilling apparatus is the same as
usual, and my process only necessitates the addition of a supplementary
boiler with its accessories, and of a pump to blow in air.
In the annexed Drawing I have shown in Figure 1 the whole of a
distilling apparatus arranged for my process.
The rectifying boiler A, the partitioned column C, the water con-
densers B, B, and the analyser H are arranged as usual. From the
analyser H proceeds a tube a which passes into a supplementary
boiler D, and after making two or three turns therein passes out

page_text: into the refrigerator E where the alcohol condenses. From the rc-
frigerator E a tube 6 passes, which after being broken by a gauge m
passes into a receiver for the rectified alcohol n.
The supplementary boiler D is that which receives the mass of
phlegms or wash in preparation, and it is within its interior that the
ventilating operation which I have already explained takes place. For
this purpose I arrange an air pump P which is actuated by an eccentric
or otherwise, and which throws the air through a T formed tube c
into the lower part of the supplementary boiler D. The action already
described of the air in ascending bubbles across the mass of phlegms
or wash is effected, and since, as in the Drawing, the boiler D is not
full the air remains at the top or empty part charged with all the
ether which it was able to take up. The slight pressure which the
constant entrance of the air produces in the supplementary boiler D
compels the etherized air to proceed out through an opening at the upper
part which leads into a vertical condenser G provided with a series of
tubes surrounded by cold water. The small amount of alcohol carried
off with the ether condenses between these tubes and returns into the
boiler. From the top of this first condenser G the etherized air con-
tinues its course by a pipe d which leads into a bubbling condenser j.
The yet remaining alcohol which has escaped from the first vertical
condenser G condenses in the second condenser j; the etherized air
then proceeds into a closed box d¹ provided with a syphon tube f
which again collects the condensed alcohols; it then passes by a tube g
into a receptacle K open to the air wherein the last traces of alcohol
condense whilst the ether escapes.
As I have already mentioned it is at the moment when the phlegms
or wash in preparation in the boiler G are at their warmest possible
point that I introduce the alkaline or other agent before determining
the saponification of the oils. The charge lasting about 28 hours there are
therefore nearly 24 hours during which the phlegms or wash and saponi-
fiable matters are in each other presence in a state of semi-ebullition:
My ventilating system possesses this additional advantage, that if the
reaction producing the saponification gives rise to disagreeable gases
they are drawn off with the air blown in.
I would also remark that by the relation established between the
supplementary boiler D and the first boiler A by means of a pipe R

page_text: the purified phlegms or wash pass from D to A in a boiling condition
which much advances the work of the following charge :—On putting
the operation into action when the first charge of phlegms or wash
is commenced in the supplementary boiler D since there is nothing
to put in the first boiler A the heating for the first purification is
effected directly by steam. As soon as the first charge is effected
the first boiler A is charged with the first purified phlegms or wash
coming from D, and the purifying operation itself giving the necessary
heat there is no occasion for fresh steam.
If it be desired to act by aspiration instead of blowing the etherized
steam which the pump throws into the condensers can be withdrawn
by aspiration. It would then be necessary to arrange an air hole at the
upper part of the preparing boiler, and a syphon would lead this air
into the bottom in order to obtain the necessary agitation.
The air can be replaced by another gas possessing greater affinity for
ether.
I can also employ air or gas previously heated either by the waste
heat of the furnaces or by any other economical means. In this case
the pipe c will terminate by a broadened mouth-piece S, as shown at
Figure 2, beneath a perforated diaphragm M which divides the air or
the hot gas into an infinite number of globules which tend greatly to
the evaportion of the ethers. On the other hand an accelerated ven-
tilation or evaporation can be obtained by blowing in the phlegms or
wash in a finely divided state into a mass of air or gas.
The above-described process for the purification of the phlegms or
washes of alcohols is of course equally applicable for the purification of
the phlegms of new brandy, geneva or gin, whiskey, and other spirituous
liquors and beverages.
And having now described the nature of my said Invention, and
the manner in which the same is to be performed, I declare that I
claim,―-
First. The process, as herein-before described, for the purification of
alcohol.
Secondly. The apparatus, substantially as herein-before described
and shown in the accompanying Drawings, for the purification of
alcohol.

page_text: Thirdly. The arrangement of the supplementary boiler with its
vertical condenser in combination with an air pump in order to
produce in the body of phlegms or washes a passage of bubbles of
air or cold or heated gases which carry off with them the ether vapours,
substantially as described and shown.
And, Fourthly. The combination of the system of ventilation with
the saponification of the oils by means of alkaline or other agents
when the phlegms are at their greatest heat, substantially as described.
In witness whereof, I, the said Ludovic Reine Raoul, Comte de
Beaurepaire de Louvagny, have hereunto set my hand and seal,
this Twenty-second day of April One thousand eight hundred and
seventy-four.
CT. DE BEAUREPAIRE DE LOUVAGNY.
(L.S.)
Witness,
ALBERT CAHEN,
Civil Engineer,
Boulevard Magenta, 32,
at Paris.