Improvements in Oil Purifiers.
Year: 1893

page_text: Date of Application, 2nd June, 1893-Accepted, 8th July, 1893
CUTLEIE
Improvements in Oil Purifiers.
We, DAVID HARRISON MCCLELLAND of 1105 New Hampshire Avenue and
SAMUEL WESLEY CURRIDEN of 419 9th Street, in the City and County of
Washington, District of Columbia, United States of America, Gentlemen, do
hereby declare the nature of our invention for IMPROVEMENTS IN OIL
PURIFIERS and in what manner the same is to be performed, to be particularly
described and ascertained in and by the following statement :-
Our invention relates to oil purifiers by which refuse or other impure lubricating
oil is cleansed and made available for further use by being caused to pass through a
liquid purifying medium, and has for its object to cheapen the construction of such
apparatus and particularly to provide an efficient means of cleansing it when it
becomes foul after continued use.
With this object in view, we provide an apparatus having an inverted conical
bottom with a tap at the lowest point of the cone; whereby all refuse matter
taken up by the oil is precipitated into the immediate vicinity of the tap.
Furthermore, we introduce the ordinary steam pipe used in cleansing in such
manner as to cause a rotation of the liquid purifying medium whereby the matter
which it is desired to separate from the oil is collected near the center of the
rotating mass and thus is more easily removed by the tap.
In our improved apparatus the steam jet pipe introduced in this manner has
several functions, namely, to cause the circulation of the purifying medium while
the oil to be purified is passing through it thereby facilitating the separation of the
sediment or other impurity from the oil; to heat the said medium and render the
oil more fluid and more easily separated from its impurities; by condensation to
increase the bulk of the liquid purifying medium and permit a part of the latter to
be drawn off periodically or as may be desired, carrying with it the sediment; and
by the particular motion given to the purifying medium to collect at the center of
the base of the vessel or tank and immediately over the draw-off pipe the sediment
to be discharged.
The manner of constructing and using our invention is pointed out fully in
the accompanying Specification, while the elements of novelty are set forth in the
claims.
In the accompanying drawings hereby referred to and made part of this
Specification, which show an embodiment of our invention, the same letters refer
to like parts in the different views; and therein
Fig. 1 is a vertical section of an oil purifier.
Fig. 2 is a sectional plan upon the line 3-3 of Fig. 2.
Referring by letter, A represents the body of the receptacle used to contain the
oil to be purified, which is of such capacity as may be desired; in the one
represented, it is of sufficient size to hold about a barrel of oil and the same
quantity of purifying inedium, such as water or a mixture of water with milk of
lime, or any similar well known purifying medium, of which a sufficient quantity to
fill the receptacle to the water line B should be employed. C is the hopper into
which the oil to be purified is poured, and from which it runs into the purifying
medium through the pipe D, which is provided at its upper end with a proper
strainer U. E is a chamber into which the oil is discharged from the pipe D;
e, e are perforations in the upper end of this chamber through which the oil again
passes into an outer bell F, having a slanting top V, which allows any sediment to
descend to the bottom; after passing down through which, it is discharged
upward through the pipe G, and passes into the upper part of the receptacle, from
which it may be drawn off through the oil-tap K. The walls of said chamber E

page_text: and bell F constitute means whereby the passage of the oil through the purifying
medium is directed or retarded so as to facilitate and perfect the separation of the
oil from the sediment.
In the bottom portion of the chamber E, is a heating coil of steam pipe H,
passing through the side walls of the apparatus, and provided with the valve I, by
means of which the temperature of the purifying medium may be regulated.
The apparatus is also provided with a second steam-pipe P, having a valve Q,
and terminating in a nozzle S turned to one side or the other of the pipe; there is
also a second outlet or nozzle R, turned in the same direction as the nozzle S. It
is manifest that the pipe may enter the side of the vessel on a line at an angle to
its radius with equal effect, the object to be obtained being to discharge the steam
tangentially into the receptacle and cause its contents to rotate. The bottom N of
the receptacle is shaped like an inverted cone and is provided with a large valve O;
the office of the steam pipe B is principally to cause a circulation of the purifying
medium to facilitate the separation of the oil from its sediment, and to collect the
sediment at the center of the base of the apparatus directly over the draw-off pipe
and ready for removal as described.
The tap W is provided at a trifle above the water line B, so that all of the oil
may be drawn off when the receptacle is to be cleansed. Two gauges L and M
are arranged so as to show the height of the oil and of the water respectively.
The whole apparatus is mounted upon legs T, T.
The operation of the device is as follows:-
The oil poured into the hopper C descends through the pipe D, passing three
times, by means of the chamber E, the bell F and the pipes G, G, through the
purifying medium, upon the top of which it collects and is ordinarily drawn off
through the tap K.
In the mean time the purifying medium is constantly or periodically circulated
by the entrance of steam through the nozzles R and S, aiding in the separation of
the oil and impurities and collecting the latter in the form of sediment at the
center of the base of the tank and over the draw-off pipe. When it is desired to
clean the purifier the valve O is opened and all accumulated sediment is discharged
together with a portion of the purifying medium. The latter is replaced by
condensation of the steam from the pipe P or by liquid poured into the top of the
tank, or by both, and the operation proceeds as before. In cleaning the apparatus
the greater part of the oil and of the purifying medium, or the entire contents of
the machine, may of course be removed if desired, but the method first above
described is more convenient and preferable and that which in practice we
follow.
We are aware that it is not broadly new to introduce a liquid or to introduce
steam tangentially into a vessel for the purpose of causing a rotary motion therein,
and we do not wish our claims to be understood as extending broadly to a
combination of devices for effecting such purpose, our invention having relation
only to an oil purifier in which the oil is purified by being caused to pass through
a liquid cleansing medium.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of our said inven-
tion, and in what manner the same is to be performed, we declare that what we
claim is :-
1. In an oil purifier, the combination with the tank or vessel having an inverted
conical or depressed bottom and adapted to hold a liquid purifying medium in its
lower part, of means for delivering the oil into the lower portion of said medium,
a steam pipe situated in the lower part of said vessel, and a draw-off pipe at the
apex or lowest point of the bottom of said vessel, substantially as set forth.
2. In an oil purifier, the combination with the tank or vessel having an inverted
conical and depressed bottom and adapted to hold a liquid purifying medium in its
lower part, of means for delivering the oil into the lower portion of said medium,
the pipe P adapted to deliver steam tangentially into said medium, and a draw-off

page_text: pipe at the apex or lowest point of the bottom of said vessel, substantially as set
forth.
3. In an oil purifier, the combination with the vessel or tank adapted to hold a
liquid purifying medium in its lower part, of me ins for delivering the oil into the
lower portion of said medium, and for directing its passage therethrough, the
pipe P adapted to deliver steam tangentially into said liquid medium, the bottom
of said vessel being formed in the shape of an inverted cone, and a draw-off pipe
leading from the apex of the conical bottom, substantially as set forth.
Dated this 2nd day of June 1892
D. H. MCCLELLAND,
S. W. CURRIDEN,
Per W. H. Beck,
115, Cannon Street, London, E.C., Agent.