IMPROVEMENTS IN APPARATUS FOR PURIFYING AND MATURING LIQUORS OR DISTILLED SPIRITS
Year: 1884

page_text: CUMLELE
I, WILLIAM ROBERT LAKE of the firm of Haseltine Lake & Co, Patent Agents,
Southampton Buildings, in the County of Middlesex do hereby declare the nature
of my Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN APPARATUS FOR PURIFYING AND
MATURING LIQUORS OR DISTILLED SPIRITS" and in what manner the same is to
be performed, to be particularly described and ascertained in and by the following
statement:-
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This Invention relates to condensers for use in apparatus for purifying and
maturing liquors and has for its object to accelerate the process of condensation
and diminish the number of pipes within, or leading to, the condenser, thus
reducing the number of joints to a minimum and simplifying the construction of
the apparatus.
In that class of apparatus in which the liquor is purified and matured by forcing
through it, with a suitable pump, air previously purified and heatod, the alcoholic
vapours, owing to the pressure of the air behind them, are caused to pass upward
very rapidly into the condenser, through and out of which a large portion is
frequently carried by the force of the current of air before having time to become
condensed, considerable loss thereby resulting. It therefore becomes desirable to
effect the condensation of these alcoholic vapours as rapidly and perfectly as
possible and also to effect the quick return of the condensed liquid to the main
tank containing the spirits being treated, and thus avoid the choking or obstruction
of the condenser by the accumulation of an excess of liquid therein. To this end
the present Invention comprises a condenser of novel construction in which the
alcoholic vapors from the spirit tank are brought immediately into contact with the
interior surface of the condenser at the periphery, which presents the largest
surface area, and is coolest on account of its proximity with the refrigerating
liquid, the vapours thence passing toward the centre of the condenser to the
eduction pipe; the main pipe through which the alcoholic vapours enter the
condenser, being provided within the same with apertures for the passage of
the condensed liquid thereto, which thus flows directly back to the spirit tank by

page_text: the same pipe through which the vapours are conducted to the condenser, whereby
the necessity is avoided of providing separate pipes for the return of the condensed
liquid as is customary with the ordinary construction, which pipes are liable,
owing to their small size, to become clogged or obstructed by the liquid produced
by the rapid condensation of the vapours.
In the accompanying Drawing
Figuro 1 is a vertical central section of a condenser constructed according to this
Invention and applied to the spirit tank of an apparatus for purifying and maturing
liquors.
Figure 2 is a horizontal section on the line xx Figure 1.
A indicates a closed vessel, preferably of cylindrical form, which is provided near
its bottom with an induct a, and near its top with an educt b, through which cold
water or other suitable refrigerating liquid is respectively admitted to, and
discharged from, the vessel A.
Within this vessel A is secured, by means of braces 5, a tightly closed vessel or
cylinder B which constitutes the main portion of the condenser and is connected
by a pipe C with the closed tank or retort D which contains the spirits to be
treated, and through which is disseminated, by means of a pipe d, provided at its
lower end with a perforated enlargement or spreader e, a supply of air previously
purified and heated by being forced, by means of a suitablo air pump, through &
series of closed tanks provided with suitable well known means for accomplishing
this result.
Centrally within the cylinder B is secured, by means of braces for otherwise, a
vessel or cylinder G open at its bottom and closed at the top, the upper extremity
of the main pipe C through which the alcoholic vapors are forced from the spirit
tank D, projecting just through the closed top, of this cylinder G, between which
and the top of the cylinder B is a space 15. Within the cylinder G is placed a
third vessel or cylinder H which is provided with a closed bottom i and a top k
closed except at the centre, at which point it has secured to it a tube m which
encircles the pipe C and extends nearly to the bottom of the cylinder H into which
it opens at 10, as seen in Figure 1.
The pipe C passes through the bottoms of the cylinders A, B and H with perfectly
tight joints and between the pipe C and the tube m is an annular space n through
which the alcoholic vapours pass from the cylinder G to the cylinder H, which
latter cylinder communicates at its top with an eduction pipe p through which the
non-condensible portion of the vapours containing the volatile oils and other
impurities passes off out of the condenser. Immediately above, or on a level with,
the bottom of the cylinder B the main pipe C is provided with a series of
apertures q, and just above, or on a level with, the bottom of the cylinder H it is
also provided with a similar series of apertures ; these apertures q, r, thus
affording a direct outlet for the condensed liquid into the main pipe C through
which they flow back to the spirit tank D beneath.
The operation of this apparatus is as follows. The alcoholic vapours and air, as
they are forced by the pressure in the spirit tank D up through the pipe C, enter
the cylinder B at 8, and thence pass immediately through the space 15 between the
upper ends of the cylinders B, G, from the centre to the periphery of this
cylinder B, and down, as indicated by the arrows Figure 1, through the annular
space t between the cylinders B and G, up under the lower edge u of the cylinder G
through the annular space between the interior of the cylinder G and the
cylinder H and thence toward the centre of the apparatus, passing down through
the tube m and between it and the pipe C into the cylinder H at 10, thenco up
into said cylinder H and out of the condeuser through the eduction pipe p.
It will be apparent that as the alcoholic vapours pass through the space t they
are brought almost immediately after leaving the pipe C into contact with a large
surface area which constitutes the coldest portion of the condenser owing to its
close proximity to the refrigerating liquid in the vessel A, which is an important
advantage as it ensures the rapid condensation of the vapours at the outset and

page_text: prevents the alcohol from being carried out of the condenser by the force of the
upward current of air, and thus becoming lost, while as that portion of the vapours
not condensed in the space t, pass onward toward the centre of the apparatus as
above described they are brought into contact with a large area of cooling surface,
and are thus so perfectly condensed that only the non-condensible portion which
contains the volatile oils and other impurities, will pass off through the eduction
pipe p.
Furthermore by providing the main pipe c at its junction with the lowest
portions of the cylinders B, H in which the condensed liquid is collected, with
apertures q, r, this is caused to flow back to the spirit tank D by the same largo
pipe through which the air and vapours are conducted to the condenser, thus
simplifying the apparatus and rendering it unnecessary to provide separate pipes
for this purpose, while the clogging or obstruction of the condenser by the
accumulation of condensed liquid is entirely avoided.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said
Invention, and in what manner the same is to be performed I declare that what
I claim is
First. In an apparatus for purifying and maturing liquors or distilled spirits, a
condenser composed of an outer vessel A, a closed vessel or cylinder B containing
an open bottom vessel or cylinder G in communication with the eduction pipe and
arranged with an annular space t between them, in combination with the central
induction pipe C opening into the space 15 between the upper ends of the
cylinders B, G, whereby the air and alcoholic vapours are caused to pass at first
from the centre of the condenser to its periphery and thence return from the
periphery to the centre before escaping into the eduction pipe, substantially as, and
for the purpose, set forth.
Second. In an apparatus for purifying and maturing liquors or distilled spirits,
the combination with the closed vessel or cylinder B, and the open bottomed
vessel or cylinder G in communication with the eduction pipe and arranged with
an annular space t between them, of the central induction pipe C opening into the
space 15 between the upper ends of the cylinders B, G, and provided with apertures
for the return of the condensed liquid to the spirit tank by means of the pipe C,
all constructed to operate substantially in the manner and for the purpose
described.
Third. In an apparatus for purifying and maturing liquors or distilled spirits,
the combination of the outer vessel A, the closed vessel or cylinder B and the open
bottomed vessel or cylinder G arranged with an annular space t between them, the
vessel or cylinder H arranged within the cylinder G and having a central open
bottomed tube m extending down from its top, the central induction pipe C
extending from the spirit tank D up through the cylinders A, B, G, H and tube m,
and opening into the space 15, and having apertures q, r, at or near the level of the
bottoms of the cylinders B H, whereby the condensed liquid in both of the
cylinders B, H, is returned to the spirit tank through the samo pipe by which the
vapours pass to the condenser, and the eduction pipo p leading from the cylinder
H through the cylinders G, B, A, all constructed and arranged to operato
substantially in the manner, and for the purposo, set forth.
HASELTINE, LAKE & Co.,
For the Applicant.