Improvements in Apparatus for Distilling and Rectifying.
Year: 1891

page_text: Date of Application, 11th Dec., 1891-Accepted, 16th Jan., 1892
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Apparatus for Distilling and Rectifying.
I, SYDNEY PITT, of Sutton, in the County of Surrey, Gentleman, (a com-
munication to me from abroad by Messrs. A. Savalle, Sons & Co., of
1 Place Pereire, Paris, in the Republic of France,) 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 :-
Ordinary column distilling apparatus with trays and covers have the double
inconvenience of requiring structures of great height and they are not suitable for
the treatment of thick matters which rapidly choke them. In apparatus without
covers constructed for this special treatment, the second inconvenience is avoided,
but the first remains, and moreover the expenditure of steam is very considerable.
The new type which forms the object of the present invention, avoids all these
inconveniences, and may be used for the treatment of any material. It is shown in
longitudinal and transverse section in its simplest form in Figures 1, 2 and 3 of the
annexed drawings.
The apparatus consists in a horizontal or very slightly inclined cylinder, in two
pieces united by a horizontal joint. This cylinder is divided into a great number
of compartments by transverse partitions a and b, the partitions a are rivetted to
the lower half cylinder, the partitions 6 to the upper half cylinder.
A shaft passes through the cylinder and receives a slow rotating motion. Upon
this shaft and in each compartment discs D in two pieces are fixed, nearly occupying
the whole section of the cylinder and provided with paddles c and scrapers d. The
condition of the surface of these discs may be modified according to the nature of
the matters to be treated in such a manner that capillary action may always
maintain on it a thin film of liquid.
The matters are continuously introduced by the feeding pipe A, and being
agitated by the discs they cannot deposit matters in suspension. At each half
revolution the paddles c cause a portion of matter to pass into the next compart-
ment by the channel e. A regular sequence is therefore established, and the mass
circulates continuously from one end of the apparatus to the other, moistening the
discs, but without the products of one compartment being able to mix with the
matters contained in the compartments either before or behind. The spent matters
escape by the outlet f and the pipe 9 which may be provided with any closing
mechanism.
g
Steam is generated in the last compartment, or comes from a generator by the
pipe seen in Figure 1. It can only pass through the apparatus by travelling
round the discs, passing from one compartment to the other by the channels e and
the open space k arranged round the shaft. It adjusts itself to equilibrium of
tension with the liquid which moistens the surface of the discs and causes progressive
drying. Finally the enriched vapours escape by the pipe l.
The whole series of phenomena therefore which take place in vertical columns is
imitated whilst avoiding the inconveniences entailed by these latter.
Rectification takes place quite as easily if the apparatus be fed with the returns
from a condenser on the one side and with the vapours to be rectified on the other
side.
Figures 4, 5 and 6 show the apparatus working with two parallel shafts mounted
in the same cylinder. The number of shafts may be increased at will according
to the needs of manufacture, all working under the same conditions as above
described

page_text: Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said inven-
tion and in what manner the same is to be performed I declare that what I
claim is :-
Apparatus for distilling and rectifying any sort of matter, formed of a horizontal
cylindrical casing divided in the interior into compartments in each of which discs
provided with paddles and moveable round the longitudinal axis, cause the
circulation of the liquid and its intimate contact with the current of steam.
Dated this 11th day of December 1891.
CARPMAEL & Co.,
Agents for the Applicant.