IMPROVE- MENTS IN THE MANUFACTURE OF OILS
Year: 1853

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to John Perkins, of the City of Manchester,
Mechanical Draughtsman, for the Invention of "IMPROVE-
MENTS IN THE MANUFACTURE OF OILS."
Sealed the 16th November 1853, and dated the 13th August 1853.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said John Perkins
at the Office of the Cominissioners of Patents, with his Peti-
tion, on the 13th August 1853.
Sp
I, JOHN PERKINS, of the City of Manchester, Mechanical Pr
Draughtsman, do hereby declare the nature of the said Inven-
tion for "IMPROVEMENTS IN THE MANUFACTURE OF OILS" to be as
follows:-
My Invention consists in distilling at a moderate temperature
bituminous coals, coal shales, asphaltes, and bitumens, and in ob-
taining therefrom oils containing eupione, which I call eupione
oils, suitable for lubricating, burning, and other useful purposes.
ADDITION TO PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
I, JOHN PERKINS, of the City of Manchester, Mechanical
Draughtsman, do hereby declare the nature of the said Inven-
tion for "IMPROVEMENTS IN THE MANUFACTURE OF OILS" to be as
follows:-

page_text: I use two or three common gas retorts connected together and
built up in the same manner as retorts are for coal gas purposes, and
all heated by the one fire. It will be necessary in describing them
that I should number them 1, 2, and 3, if there are three of them,
the number used depending altogether upon their length and the
heat they are brought to. The three I will now describe arc ten
feet long by one foot in diameter, heated to the lowest tempera-
ture necessary to decompose the coaly matters used; as they are all
built up in the one oven, and heated by the one fire, they must
necessarily be all of about the same temperature.
Number 1 (into which the coals are put) is connected by a cast
iron pipe at one end with number 2 retort; the opposite end of
number 2 is connected also by a cast iron pipe-with-number
retort; to the opposite end of number 3 is attached the worn or
condensing apparatus. Into number 1 retort I put the coal, coal
shale, or
other bituminous coaly matter to be operated upon;. the
fire is then lighted and the heat gradually brought up to the
temperature necessary to effect the decomposition of the coaly
mattor, at which heat it is kept as long as oil products run from the
condensing apparatus or worm. pipe. From the arrangement of
this apparatus it will be seen that the oil products given off' from
the coaly matter in number 1 retort have to travel along the
whole.length of numbers 2 and 3 retort, also heated to the sanic
temperature as number 1 by which all the hydro-carbons, which
would solidify on the oil being cooled, are converted into perma-
nent oils which will not solidify on cooling; that is to say, this.oil
will contain no paraffine. When the oil ceases to run from the
condensing apparatus a fresh charge of coal is put into number. 1
retort, and so on the process is continued. The same principle of
passing the products of distillation through a heated pipe or other
heated apparatus so as to convert the solidifying products into
non-solidifying or oil products may be attained by many other
arrangements. Or I obtain the same results thus:-The first part
of the apparatus is a common gas retort, into which the coals are
put; this retort is connected with a worm pipe immersed in cold

page_text: water or other condensing apparatus. The second part. of this
apparatus is a cast iron still or pan, to which is. also attached 'a
condensing worn pipe placed higher thaithic still or pain, so that
condensed products may run back into it; the retort is filled with
the bituminous coaly matter to be operated upon, and the heat is
then raised high enough to decompose it, at which temperature it
is maintained until no more oily products run from the condensing
apparatus, after which a fresh charge is put in. The oil products
arc.run direct into the cast iron still, and a fire put to it. The
heat of this still is raised high enough to have a constant stream
of oil running from its cooling pipe, which oil runs back into the
still itself, and this process is kept going until it is found that the
solidifying products are all converted into cupion oil products.
:
When this is effected the oil is run from the worm pipe of the
still into a vessel prepared to receive it; or the same end may be
gained by simply distilling the crude oil over and over again, until
it is found that all the paraffine is destroyed, and converted into
eupion oils.
My improvement in all of these operations is to heat at a low
temperature the crude products of distillation of coal obtained at
a low temperature so as to convert the solidifying (paraffine) pro-
ducts into oily eupion products; and as many other arrangements
and methods may be used, I do.not claim any apparatus or
arrangements of apparatus, but simply the principle of heating the
crude products so as to convert them into cupion products, and
of thus getting quit entirely of. solidifying products. These crude
products, after being converted into eupion oils, I purify by
repeated distillations and treatment with oil of vitriol and caustic
alkali until they have attained the necessary purity.
This oil has a specific gravity ranging from 800 to 900, taking
water as 1000, and is therefore different from coal tar oils ob-
tained at gas works; the boiling point ranges from 300 to 600
degrees Fahrenheit, and it has the composition in 7 lbs. of 1lb. of
hydrogen to 6 lbs. of carbon nearly; or, in chemical language, its
composition is CH, or some near multiple of this.

page_text: I employ this eupion oil for burning in lamps, or for lubri-
cating machinery, either by itself or mixed with a thick vegetable
or animal oil, or I thicken it with ros'n for woollen manufac-
turing purposes.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters
Patent, filed by the said John Perkins in the Great Seal
Patent Oflice on the 11th February 1854.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME,
I, JOHN PERKINS, of the City of Manchester, Mechanical Draughts-
man, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by
Her Letters Patent, bearing date, the Thirteenth day of August,
in the year of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and fifty-
three, in the seventeenth year of Her reign, did, for Herself;
Her heirs and successors, give and grant unto me, the said John
Perkins, Her special licence that I, the said John Perkins,
my executors, administrators, and assigns, or such others as I,
the said John Perkins, 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,

page_text: 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 MANUFACTURE OF OILS," upon the condition (amongst others)
that I, the said John Perkins, by an instrument in writing under
my hand and scal, 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 imme-
diately after the date of the said Letters Patent.
NOW KNOW YE, that I, the said John Perkins, 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 (that is to say):
My Invention consists in improvements in the manufacture of
certain oils; and in order that my Invention may be fully under-
stood, and readily carried into effect, I will proceed to describe the
means of performing the same.
I use two or three common gas retorts connected together and
built up in the same manner as retorts are for coal gas purposes,
and all heated by the one fire. It will be necessary in describing
them that I should number them 1, 2, and 3, if there are three of
them, the number used depending altogether upon their length
and the heat they are brought to. The three I will now describe
are each ten feet long by one foot in diameter, heated to the
lowest temperature necessary to decompose the coal, coal shale, or
other bituminous coaly matters used; as they are all built up in.
the one oven, and heated by the one fire, they must necessarily be
all of about the same temperature.
Number 1 (into which the before-mentioned coaly matters are
put) is connected by a cast iron pipe at one end with number 2
retort; the opposite end of number 2 is connected also by a cast
iron pipe with number 3 retort; to the opposite end of number 3
is attached the worm or condensing apparatus. Into number 1;
retort I put the coal, coal shale, or other bituminous coaly

page_text: matters (hereinafter called by mc coaly matters) to be operated
upon; the fire is then lighted, and the heat gradually brought up
to the temperature necessary to effect the decomposition of
the coaly matters, at which heat it is kept as long as oil pro-
ducts run from the condensing apparatus or worm pipe. From
the arrangement of this apparatus it will be seen that the oil
products given off from the coaly matters in number 1 retort have
to travel along the whole length of number 2 and 3. retorts,
also heated to the same temperature as number 1, by which all or
nearly all the hydro-carbons, which would solidify on the oil being
cooled, are converted into permanent oils which will not solidify on
cooling; that is to say, this oil will contain little or no paraffine.
When the oil ceases to run from the condensing apparatus a fresh
charge of coaly matters is put into number 1 retort, and so on the
process is continued. The same principle-of passing the products
of distillation through a heated pipe or otlier heated apparatus so
as to convert the solidifying products into non-solidifying or oil
products may be attained by many other arrangements, which need
not all be here specified; for instance, I obtain the same results
thus-The first part of the apparatus is a common gas retórt, into
which the coaly matters are put; this retort is connected with a
worm pipe immersed in cold water or other condensing apparatus.
The second part of this apparatus is a cast iron still or pan; to
which is also attached a condensing worm pipe placed higher that
the still or pan, so that condensed products may run back into it.
The retort is filled with the coaly-matters to be operated upon,
and the heat is then raised higli enough to decompose them, at which
temperature they are maintained until no more oily products run
from the condensing apparatus, after which a fresh charge is put
in. The oil products are run direct into the cast iron still, and a
fire put to it. The heat of this still is raised high enough to have
a constant stream of oil running from its cooling pipe, which oil
runs back into the still itself, and this process is kept going until
it is found that the solidifying products are all converted into eupion
oil products.

page_text: When this is effected the oil is run from the worm pipe of s
the still into a vessel prepared to receive it; or the same end may
be gained by simply distilling the crude oil over and over again,
until it is found that all the paraffine is destroyed and converted
into cupion oils.
My improvement in all of these operations is to heat at a low
temperature the crude products of the distillation of coaly matters
obtained at a low temperature so as to convert the solidifying
(paraffine) products into oily eupion products; and as many other
arrangements and methods may be used, I do not claim any appa-
ratus or arrangements of apparatus, but simply the production of
cupion oils by heating the products of the distillation of coaly
matters at a low temperature, and of thus getting quit of
solidifying products, as herein-before described. These products,
after being converted into cupion oils, I purify by repeated dis-
tillations and treatment with oil of vitriol and caustic alkali until
they have attained the necessary purity.
This oil has a specific gravity ranging from 800 to 900, taking
water as 1000, and is therefore different from coal tar oils obtained
at gas works; the boiling point ranges from 300 to 600 degrees
Fahrenheit, and it has the composition in 7lbs. of 1lb. of hydro-
gen to 6lbs. of carbon nearly; or, in chemical language, its com-
position is CH, or some near multiple of this.
I employ this cupion oil for burning in lamps, or for lubricating
machinery, either by itself or mixed with thick oils, and thickened
with common or other suitable resins I employ it for smearing and
salving sheep.
In witness whereof, I, the said John Perkins, have here-
unto set my hand and seal, this Twenty-third day of
December, One thousand eight hundred and fifty-three.
TOHIN DEDIZINS
JOHN PERKING. (L.C.)