Improvements in the Preparation and Production of Paraffin or Petroleum Oils for Illuminating Purposes by Means of Ozone or Ozonized Air.
Year: 1899

page_text: Date of Application, 20th Aug., 1899
Complete Specification Left, 19th Apr., 1900-Accepted, 19th May. 1900
rvation, 1000
Complete Specification Left, 19th Apr., 1900-Accepted, 19th May. 1900
Improvements in the Preparation and Production of Paraffin or
Petroleum Oils for Illuminating Purposes by Means of Ozone
or Ozonized Air.
:-
JAMES WRIGHT GATEHOUSE, 36, Broad Street, Bath, County of Somerset,
Public Analyst, do hereby declare the nature of this invention to be as follows:-
Ordinary air having been deprived of dust and finely suspended solid particles
by being forced through tubes containing cotton wool or finely divided metal
screens next passes through quick lime or other drying agent so as to absorb
the greater portion of its natural moisture. The air thus purified is forced
through an ozonizer whereby from ten to twenty per cent. of its natural oxygen
is converted into ozone, or if preferred ozonized oxygen may be used in place of
ozonized air. The ozonized gas is next passed by means of a tube unacted ou
by ozone into the bottom of a tank or receptacle containing the paraffin or
petroleum to be acted on through which it is distributed in a constant stream
in a series of fine jets by means of pipes pierced with fine holes arranged in
any convenient manner over the bottom of the oil tank.
The ozone in its passage so alters the nature of the oil or hydrocarbon as to
raise both its specific gravity and its flash point several degrees, thus couverting
an unsafe and dangerous oil into a perfectly safe one for use either as an
illuminating or heating agent, in any ordinary lamp or burner.
The passage of a constant current of ozonized air containing at least 21 per cent.
of real ozone for six hours through an oil of 793 specific gravity with a flash point
of 80° F. as taken by the Board of Trade apparatus raises its gravity to 809 and
its flash point to 140° F.
The amount of alteration thus produced depends (1) on the nature of the oil
(2) on the amount of ozone passed through it.
For the above purposes any form of ozone generator is applicable, a battery
of Siemens ozone tubes worked either in series or parallel gives excellent results
but in this application of ozone I do not confine myself to any special form of
ozonizer. The petroleum or paraffin treated may be either the crude or partially
purified commercial article, and after being ozonized may be again subjected
to any of the usual methods of purification.
Dated this 26th day of August 1899.

page_text: COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in the Preparation and Production of Paraffin or
Petroleum Oils for Illuminating Purposes by Means of Ozone
or Ozonized Air.
I, JAMES WRIGHT GATEHOUSE, of 36, Broad Street, Bath, in the County of
Somerset, Public Analyst, do hereby declare the nature of this invention and
in what manner the same is to be performed, to be particularly described and
ascertained in and by the following statement:-
This invention relates to a process for acting on petroleum or paraffin oils
by means of ozone or ozonized air, so that an oil having a low and dangerous
flash point may be so altered and improved as to raise its flash point to such
a degree that it may be used with perfect safety in ordinary lamps or stoves
its use in which before this treatment would have been attended with serious
danger of explosion.
My invention is especially applicable to those samples of petroleum or paraffin
oils whose flash point as determined by the English Board of Trade official
testing apparatus is below 80 degrees Fahrenheit.
An oil flashing at 69 degrees F. and having a gravity of 794 can by the process
about to be described have its flash point increased to 103 degrees F. and its
gravity raised to 804.
The process by which I accomplish this is as follows.
Ordinary air or oxygen having been deprived of dust by being forced through
tubes containing cotton wool, asbestos, metallic screens or other finely divided
material, next passes through quick lime or other similar agent capable of
absorbing carbonic acid and moisture. The air or oxygen thus purified is passed
through an ozonizer, that is an apparatus capable of converting the oxygen
present into ozone.
A convenient method of producing the ozone is by means of an electrical
current passed into a transformer or "induction coil" whereby its electrical
"
pressure is raised to at least 10000 volts.
The terminals of the transformer or induction coil being connected to the
ozone tube, the oxygen or air passing through it is at once ozonized.
The ozone or ozonized air is next forced through the oil by means of a tube
composed of glass, porcelain, tin or other material on which neither ozone nor
paraffin has any action. For this purpose I place the oil in any suitable tank
or receptacle and by means of the aforesaid tube the ozone is forced through
the petroleum oil in a number of fine jets by means of pipes pierced with fine
holes distributed over the bottom of the tank.
The ozone in its passage through the oil or hydrocarbon, raises both its flash
points and specific gravity several degrees, without impairing either its illuminat-
ing or heating power.
For the above purposes any form of ozone generator is applicable, a battery
of Siemen's ozone tubes worked either in " series or "parallel" gives excellent
results but in this application of ozone I do not confine myself to any special form
of ozonizer.
The petroleum or paraffin treated may be either the crude or partially purified
commercial article, and after being ozonized may again be subjected to any of
the usual methods of purification.
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: :-
The process of refining petroleum or paraffin oils by subjecting them to the

page_text: action of ozone so as to raise their flash point and specific gravity and thus
render them safe for use when burnt in ordinary lamps or stoves for illuminat-
ing and heating purposes substantially as herein described.
Dated this 17th day of April 1900.
JAMES WRIGHT GATEHOUSE.