Improvements relating to Distillation and Apparatus therefor.
Year: 1889

page_text: Date of Application, 26th Feb., 1889
Complete Specification Left, 26th Nov., 1889-Accepted, 28th Dec., 1889
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
Improvements relating to Distillation and Apparatus therefor.
I, BOGDAN HOFF, of Jaroslau, Galicia, Austria, Professor, do hereby declare the
nature of my invention to be as follows:-
This invention relates to the distilling of liquids and more especially to the refining
of such as contain fluids of various boiling points, the object of the invention being
to obtain the purified product or products as a result of one distillation only, without
use of cooling water or other wasted condensing medium, and in comparatively
inexpensive apparatus whereby the cost of refining may be greatly diminished.
The principle of the improvements consists in exposing the mixed vapours or gases
from the liquid to condensing surfaces of certain areas whereby certain of the gases
are condensed and the eventual remainder is a pure product.
To this end the gases vaporized from the liquid to be refined, are passed through
one or more chambers or vessels into which certain amounts of silicious matter, such
as pebbles, shingle, etc., have been placed. The gases of the liquids of higher boiling
point are condensed, and those from liquids of lower boiling point pass through into
the next chamber and so on through the series, a fractional condensation taking
place in each chamber according to the amount of condensing surface therein, until
an eventually pure product is left which may then he condensed, or until all the gases
are condensed.
The amount of silicious matter to be inserted in each chamber, and also the
number of chambers will depend upon the nature of the liquid to be treated.
Thus, as an example, to obtain ethyle-ether in a pure state from the other gases
and vapours formed in the apparatus by which it is made, the mixed gases may be
passed through the improved apparatus, these gases are those of liquids the different
boiling points as 35° 5 C., that of ether 78° 4 C. of Alcohol and 100° C. that of water,
the three principal ingredients.
For a volume of 100 cubic metres of the mixed gases, a condensing surface of
900 square metres is necessary to separate the water and alcohol.
To separate pure wood spirit from water and the empyreumatic oils 1200 square
metres of condensing surface are required, the same amount for chloroform; to
separate benzole from toluole and its other attendants requires 3000 square metres
condensing surface for each 100 cubic metres of gases; whilst for the distilling of
aqueous sulphuric acid only 400 square metres of condensing surface are necessary
the difference in the boiling points of the two liquids being great. To separate
petroleum vapour from steam 14 square metres of condensing surface are necessary
to obtain a distillate having a boiling point at 150 to 170° C. and 82 specific
gravity.
The apparatus may consist of any suitable number of vessels conveniently grouped
together, each vessel is divided horizontally by a perforated floor on which the
condensing material before mentioned is placed, pipes connect the vessels com-
municating from the lower part of the one to the upper part of the succeeding
vessel, suitable valves etc., are made for drawing off the condensed liquid in each
vessel.
Dated this 26th day of February 1889
HERBERT & Co.,
Agents to Applicant.

page_text: COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements. relating to Distillation and Apparatus, therefor.
I BOGDAN HOFF of Jaroslan, Galicia, in the Empire of Austria, Professor, 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 the distilling of liquids and more especially to the refining
of such as contain fluids of various boiling points, the object of the invention being
to obtain the purified product or products as a result of one distillation only,
without use of cooling water or other wasted condensing medium, and in comparatively
inexpensive apparatus whereby the cost of refining may be greatly diminished.
The principle of the improvements consists in exposing the mixed vapors or gases
from the liquid to condensing surfaces of certain areas, whereby certain of the gases
are condensed and the eventual remainder is a pure product.
To this end the gases vaporized from the liquid to be refined, are passed through
one or more chambers or vessels into which certain amounts of silicious matter, such
as pebbles, shingle etc. have been placed.
The gases of the liquids of higher boiling point are condensed, and those from
liquids of lower boiling point pass through into the next chamber and so on through
a series, a fractional condensation taking place in each chamber according to the
amount of condensing surface therein, until an eventually pure product is left, which
may then be condensed, or until all the gases are condensed.
The amount of silicious matter to be inserted in each chamber, and also the number
of chambers will depend upon the nature of the liquid to be treated.
Thus, as an example, to obtain ethyle-ether in a pure state from the other gases and
vapours formed in the apparatus by which it is made, the mixed gases may be passed
through the improved apparatus; these gases are those of liquids the different boiling
points as 35° 5. that of ether, 78° 4 C. of alcohol and 100° C. that of water, the
three principal ingredients. For a volume of 100 cubic meters of the mixed gases,
a condensing surface of 900 square meters is necessary to separate the water and
alcohol.
To separate pure wood spirit from water and the empyreumatic oils 1200 square
meters of condensing surface are required, the same amount for chloroform; to
separate benzole from toluole and its other attendants requires 3000 square meters
condensing surface for each 100 cubic meters of gases; whilst for the distilling of
aqueous sulphuric acid only 400 square meters of condensing surface are necessary the
difference in the boiling points of the two liquids being great. To separate petroleum
vapour from steam 14 square meters of condensing surface are necessary to obtain a
distillate having a boiling point at 150 to 170° C. and 82 specific gravity.
The apparatus may consist of any suitable number of vessels conveniently grouped
together, each vessel is divided horizontally by a perforated floor on which the
condensing material before mentioned is placed, pipes connect the vessels com-
municating from the lower part of the one to the upper part of the succeeding
vessel, suitable valves etc. are made for drawing off the condensed liquid in each
vessel.
The apparatus, which I construct to execute the above arrangement referring to
the annexed drawings in which fig. 1 is a side-view, fig. 2 a plan, fig. 3 an end view,
fig. 4. a plan, consists of one or more lollow vessels. A1, A2, A, A, which can be
placed next one another or above one another, and the number and dimensions of
which is as explained, according to the quantity and transitoriness of the chief-product
as well as of the subordinate ones.
The material, of which these apparatus are constructed, must of course be according
to the chemical nature of the liquids to be made.
The hollow vessels, the shape of which may be cylindrical, pear-shape, conical or
otherwise, are first of all joined together by tubes H for the purpose of transmitting

page_text: the vapors to be rectified. Care sieves, which can be arranged at one or more
places in the hollow-vessel, whereby a space B is made for the collection of the
separated waste-substances. These sieves form the bottom, upon which the condensing
material is placed in a quantity corresponding to the different products to be rectified.
E is the inlet pipe of the product to be rectified and F is the outlet pipe of the vapors
into the cooling apparatus. D are the outlet pipes for the waste-products. G is the
inlet for steam for cleaning the apparatus. J is a water gauge for determining the
quantity of the condensed waste-products collected in B.
The various apparatus are shut by a cover, through which the pipe connection H
and F is introduced into the apparatus.
The use of the apparatus is in this manner.
travels through the sieve C and then through the
same. At these latter those liquids separate, the
than those of the pure product.
The vapor. mixture entering at E
condensing bodies placed upon the
boiling points of which are higher
The vapors of the liquids of low boiling points enter the pipes H and go into the
next apparatus, where this rectification process repeats itself. At the last apparatus
the vapors are conducted through the pipe F in a thoroughly pure condition to the
cooler, within which they then condense. K is an electrical thermometer, which
indicates the degree of the purification of the transmitted product by the temperature
of the vapor.
This thermometer can be arranged at each separate apparatus, or
only at the last one as desired.
The arrangement of the various apparatus can be either as shown in figs. 1 and 2,
or as represented in figs. 3 and 4 or also one above the other, or can be made so,
that the collecting space B is done away with, in which case the shut-off-pipe B is
arranged immediately underneath the mouth of the inlet-pipe E.
By this joint arrangement, and by the enlargement of the condensing surface, I
have succeeding in constructing an apparatus by which the condensing of the
subordinate products can be done without adding cooling-water and whereby such a
distinct separation is attained in the condensing of the subordinate products in the
apparatus, that the whole quantity of the chief product contained in the vapor
mixture is obtained in pure condition.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of the said inven-
tion and in what manner the same is to be performed, I declare that what I
claim is :
1). The process, whereby gas from several liquids of unequal boiling point is
conducted through a vessel under one single distillation only without using cooling
water for condensing, said vessel containing silicic acid bodies or minerals in quantity
to be ascertained by trial, so that the gases of higher boiling point are condensed,
whilst the gases of lower boiling points escape in the shape of steam and are only
ultimately condensed in the cooler as a pure product.
2). The apparatus A₁, resp. A2, A3, A4, for fulfilling this process, with its con-
necting pipes H, inlet pipe E, outlet pipes D and F and the sieve-bottoms C for
holding the condensing silicious bodies, substantially as and for the purposes
described.
Naha 1000
HERBERT & Co.,
18, Buckingham Street, Strand, London, W.C., Agents to Applicant.