AN IMPROVE MENT IN STILLS FOR THE DISTILLATION OF PETROLEUM AND OTHER OILY SUBSTANCES
Year: 1865

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Adolph Millochau, of the City and State of New
York, United States of America, for the Invention of "AN IMPROVE
MENT IN STILLS FOR THE DISTILLATION OF PETROLEUM AND OTHER OILY
SUBSTANCES."
Sealed the 2nd January 1866, and dated the 5th August 1865.-
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Adolph Millochau at
the Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on the
5th August 1865. -
"
I, ADOLPH MILLOCHAU, of the City and State of New York, United States
of America, do hereby declare the nature of the said Invention for
IMPROVEMENT IN STILLS FOR THE DISTILLATION OF PETROLEUM AND OTHER OILY
SUBSTANCES," to be as follows:-
7.
I make use of two stills one within the other, the inner one being heated
by the heat of the outer still. I prefer that these stills be formed of vertical
cylinders, and the outer one set in brickwork over a suitable fire, there being
a flue between the sides of the outer still and the brickwork, so that the heat
will circulate around the still, but the stills, however, might be one inside the
other, and of any desired shape. The stills are provided with covers, the
cover of the larger still having an opening for receiving the smaller still
which passes down into and is heated by the contents of the outer still. From
each still a pipe leads away to a condenser, and the products of condensation
can be returned from the condenser by other pipes into either still.
FD 811

page_text: The crude oil is placed in the outer still and heat applied; the vapours
passing over are condensed, and after the gaseous and watery portions of the
oil are removed the naphtha, benzine, or other casily evaporated oils are con-
densed and returned to the still. The returned product of distillation should
be passed into the outer still until the oil passing from the condenser is of a
specific gravity of about 60° Baume, after which the product of the outer
still is returned to the inner still, and the vapours therefrom when condensed
produce a clear oil adapted to ordinary burning purposes. The operation is
proceeded with until but little oil escapes, the fire being increased towards
the last of the operation; and it will be found that this double distillation
converts almost all the crude oil into burning oil, there remaining only a
small amount of coke residuum in the outer still, and the dark cil remaining
in the inner still from one distillation can be used and re-distilled with the
next charge.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent, filed
by the said Adolph Millochau in the Great Seal Patent Office on the
31st January 1866.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, ADOLPH
MILLOCHAU, of the City and State of New York, United States of America,
send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her Letters
Patent, bearing date the Fifth day of August, in the year of our Lord One
thousand eight hundred and sixty-five, in the twenty-ninth year of Her reign,
did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant unto me, the said
Adolph Millochau, Her special license that I, the said Adolph Millochau, my
executors, administrators, and assigns, or such others as I, the said Adolph
Millochau, 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 "AN IMPROVEMENT IN STILLS FOR
THE DISTILLATION OF PETROLEUM AND OTHER OILY SUBSTANCES," upon the con-
dition (amongst others) that I, the said Adolph Millochau, by an instrument
in writing under my hand and seal, 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

page_text: Letters Patent.
NOW KNOW YE, that I. the said Adolph Millochau, do hereby declare
the nature of my said Invention, and in what manner the same is to be per-
formed, to be particularly described and ascertained in and by the following
statement, reference being had to the Drawing hereunto annexed, and to the
letters and figures marked thereon (that is to say):-
I have represented a vertical section of the apparatus employed by me.
My Invention relates to a double distillation in a double still for combining
and utilizing the heavy and light products of the distillation of petroleum or
similar oils, and. producing an oil of a medium gravity adapted to burning.
In the Drawing, a is a still heated by fire in a furnace b; c is a second
still introduced within and heated by the still a. I have represented these
stills in the form of concentric cylinders, the inner one passing through the
cover of the outer one, as they are easily made in this form; they may, how-
ever, be fitted in any other convenient manner so that the inner still shall be
heated by the outer one and the vapors be conveyed away, and the products
of condensation returned, as hereafter specified; d is a pipe conveying the
vapors from the still a through the condenser e, and f is a pipe from the still c,
also passing through the condenser e.
The mode of using my apparatus and performing the distilling operation is
as follows: I introduce in a still a a suitable amount of crude petroleum,
and proceed to its distillation, having first introduced in the still c the heavy
oil remaining from a previous or ordinary distillation. I find that about two
per cent. (2%) of gas and water will be driven off which I allow to escape
from the end of the still worm d. When the light oil, benzine, or naphtha
comes over I receive the same from the spout g into the vessel h, and pass it
through the pipe i into the small still c, and this I continue until a burning-
oil of about 65° Baume passes over from the still c, and this burning oil I
convey from the end of f into any suitable receptacle until the whole of the
oil adapted to burning purposes is distilled from a as the oil which may come
over of a gravity of 40° and less is not adapted to burning. The oil that is
distilled after the burning oil ceases to flow is returned by the spout g and
vessel h to the smaller still c through the pipe i for a second charge to the
still c.
While the distillation, before named, is progressing from the still a, the
heat thereof causes evaporation in the still c. The benzine and other light
oils that have been evaporated from the still a and supplied to the still c
combine with the heavy oils with which the still was charged, and pass

page_text: through the condenser worm f, and are again returned to the still c through
h and i until the oil passing away becomes of the gravity (60° Baume) required
for commencing the distillation of burning oil; this product is then conveyed
away to a suitable receptacle, and this distillation of burning oil may be
continued while the heavy oil distilled from a passes back through hand i to
the small still c, the burning oil from the worm f being conveyed away by a
spout instead of passing into. the receptacle h.
I have shown a receptacle k and pipe by which the distillation from the
still can be returned into itself, and this pipe also allows me to introduce
benzine or naphtha in a liquid state into the still a to combine with the tar
residuum in said still near the end of the distillation, and form a heavy oil
that is passed back into the still c to be used with the next charge of petroleum
to the still a, or in some cases a burning oil will continue to pass away from
the still a if naphtha or benzine is introduced with the tar residuum in the
last portion of the process.
The still may be used in the following manner if desired:-Introduce crude
oil into the larger still, distil the same, and return the product into itself until
a quality of oil suitable for burning is produced; then turn the said product
of condensation from the large still into the smaller or inner still, and let the
operation proceed, drawing away the burning oil distilled from the smaller
still. There will be at the end of the operation but little residuum in the
large still, and the heavy oil that is left in the small still may be run into the
large still with the fresh charge of crude oil.
For convenience I provide a cock that can be turned by a key from the
outside of the still for allowing the contents of the still c to run into the
still a, and I find that the still c will be more effective when a conical bottom
is employed, because the apex can be brought nearer to the bottom of the
still than would be prudent with a flat bottom to said still c.
If desired the condensing vessel e may be employed to evaporate the
benzine and volatile. substances from crude petroleum. In this instance the
vessel e is to be closed and the vapors evolved from the crude petroleum con-
tained therein taken by a pipe m through the vessel n containing water, and
the benzine and naphtha condensed may be returned to the vessel e by the
pipe o, which re-distillation prevents the ultimate production of as much
benzine as would result from the first distillation.
The distillation from the still a is returned in this mode through the still c,
and the product of burning oil runs away from the end of the pipe f, and
when the oil in the still a is sufficiently reduced the crude or partially refined
oil (the benzine having been mostly evaporated) is allowed to run from the

page_text: cock into the still a by the pipe p in a gradual quantity, the oil being
taken from near the surface in the vessel e, and water being supplied by the
piper into the lowest part of said vessel c and displacing the oil. A glass
gauge is to be fitted at s. so as to observe the level of the crude oil and
prevent any water passing into the still a. By these various distillations but
little waste occurs, and the per centage of burning oil obtained is much larger
than heretofore.
What I claim and desire to secure by Letters Patent is,
First, the distillation of heavy and light oils jointly to produce a burning
oil by means of a second still within the main still for petroleum and similar
oils, substantially as specified.
Second, I claim the conical bottom to the still c and the cock 1, applied as
and for the purposes specified.
Third, I claim introducing into the still a crude or nearly crude oil
gradually to be re-distilled in the inner still c, substantially as specified.
In witness whereof, I, the said Adolph Millochau, have hereunto set my
hand and seal, this Fourth day of January, in the year of our Lord
One thousand eight hundred and sixty-six.
Witnesses,
LEMUEL W. SERRELL,
121, Nassau Street,
New York.
CHAS. H. SMITH,
121, Nassau Street,
New York.
A. MILLO HAU.
(L.S.)