IMPROVEMENTS IN PURIFYING OR TREATING ALCOHOLIC LIQUIDS, AND IN Apparatus thereFOR
Year: 1877

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Daniel McFarlano, of Glasgow, in the County of Lanark,
North Britain, for the Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN PURIFYING OR TREATING
ALCOHOLIC LIQUIDS, AND IN Apparatus thereFOR '
"
Scaled the 24th July 1877, and dated the 27th January 1877
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Daniel M°Failane at the Office
of the Commissioners of Patents on the 27th January 1877
DANIEL MCFARLANE, of Glasgow, in the County of Lanark, North Britain
"IMPROVEMENTS IN PURIFYING OR TREATING ALCOHOLIC LIQUIDS, AND IN APPA-
RATUS THEREFOR
"
This Invention relates to a process for purifying or treating alcoholic liquids, tho
main object of which is, in a rapid, convenient, and economical manner, and in
immediate connection with any distilling or rectifying apparatus to remove the
volatile ethers, essences, or impurities which impart haish and unpleasant flavois
and odours to new alcoholic liquids as hitherto commonly manufactured, and on
account of which it is ordinarily necessary for such liquids to be aged or stored for
a long time before being used in order that they may become mellowed and be
spontaneously deprived of the objectionable flavois and odours
The Invention consists essentially in submitting the alcohole liquid in the heated
state as it leaves the stills or rectifying columns to the action of a curient of air or
any suitable inert gas or gaseous mixture, the liquid being made to dup down a
tower or column and over the extensive aggregate surface of a number of bais,
tubes, plates, or pieces of any suitable material placed in the column, whilst the
current of air or gas or the main portion of it passes up the column so as to traverse
over the surface of the thin films of liquid in the opposite direction to the motion
of that liquid
The au or gas takes up from the alcoholic liquid the objectionable volatile flavoring
substances and is first led from the top of the column through condensing or refri-
gerating apparatus to retain any alcohol and is then discharged into the outer
atmosphere The liquid after being subjected to the air current is led from the
bottom of the column into coolers, or if sufhciently cooled by the action of the air
curent directly into store vessels
In carrying out the Invention according to one modification, a column or tower

page_text: of about 25 feet in height is employed and is filled or partly filled with tubes or
tube-like pieces of copper arranged horizontally or nearly so
The alcoholic liquid is introduced into the top of the column by a pump which
may be arranged so as to also draw in some air for the purpose of breaking up the
liquid on entering If the available space is convenient for placing the column at
-a-lower level than the still the liquid may be let into the column by gravitation
When air is employed for the gaseous current to act on the liquid, it is if neces-
sary first passed through a suitable purifying medium, it is forced into the lower
end of the column by a fan oi blower, one having a positive action being prefered,
the pressure being by preference not more than is found necessary for passing the
air at a moderate rate through the apparatus
The an or gascous curient may be availed of as a means of imparting such
desirable flavors to the alcoholic liquid as it is capablo of absorbing under the
cucumstances, the flavoring substance being combined with the an before it is
introduced into the apparatus
The process and apparatus may be applied to alcoholic liquids after they have
been cooled, and it facilitates the action to heat such liquids before introducing
them into the column, the liquid may however be introduced in a cold condition
provided that it be subjected to the action of the au or gas current through a long
enough course
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent filed by the
said Daniel M Failane in the Great Seal Patent Office on the 26th July
1877
DANIEL MCFARLANE, of Glasgow, in the County of Lanark, North Britain,
"IMPROVEMENTS IN PURIFYING OR TREATING ALCOHOLIC LIQUIDS, AND IN APPA-
RATUS THEREFOR
"
My said Invention relates to a process for purifying or treating alcoholic liquids,
the main object of which is, in a lapid, convenient, and economical manner, and in
immediate connection with any distilling or rectifying apparatus to remove the
volatile ethers, essences, or impurities which impart harsh and unpleasant flavors
and odours to new alcoholic liquids as hitherto commonly manufactured, and on
account of which it is ordinarily necessary for such liquids to be aged or stored for
a long time before being used in order that they may become mellowed and be
spontaneously deprived of the objectionable flavors and odours
My Invention consists essentially in submitting the alcoholic liquid in the heated
state as it leaves the stills or rectifying columns to the action of a current of air
or any suitable inert gas oi gaseous mixture, the liquid being made to dip down a
towel or column and over the extensive aggregate surface of a number of bais,
tubes, plates, or pieces of any suitable material placed in the column, whilst the
cument of an or gas or the main portion of it passes up the column so as to traverse
over the surface of the thin films of liquid in the opposite duection to the motion of
that liquid
The an on gas takes up from the alcoholic liquid the objectionable volatile flavoring
substances, and is first led from the top of the column through condensing or refil-
gerating apparatus to retain any alcohol and is then discharged into the outer
atmosphere The liquid after being subjected to the air current is led from the
bottom of the column into coolers, or if sufficiently cooled by the action of the au
cument, directly into store vessels
And in order that my said Invention and the manner of performing the same
may be properly understood, I hereunto append a sheet of explanatory Diawings
to be herein-after referred to and representing by way of example a modification of
improved apparatus for carrying out my Invention In these Diawings the same
reference numerals are used for making the same or like parts wherever they are
1epeated.

page_text: Figure 1 of the accompanying Drawings is a partially sectioned general view or
elevation of the apparatus showing the several parts as brought near to each other
but not showing any supports which may be arianged in any convenient way.
Figures 2 and 3 are a cross section and an inverted plan of a motal dripping tube
of the kind I prefer to use in the purifying column
The impurified alcoholic liquid or raw spuit enters the apparatus from the still
or rectifying column by a pipe 1 which first communicates with an overflow vessel 2
and is continued in a pipe 3 to a pump 4 The overflow vessel 2 is provided in
case the pump 4 should not take the liquid as fast as it comes from the still, and a
pipe 5 leads fioni its upper ond into the pipe 6 by which the liquid proceeds after
passing through the punifying column The pump 4 is fitted with an air inlet
stop-cock 7 (with an internal check valve) for diawing in some air to mix with
the raw liquid, this admixture of air is however not essential From a pump the
aw liquid proceeds by a pipe to an air vessel 9, and thence by a pipe 10 to the
upper part of the purifying column 12, 13, 14, which column is formed in a casing
of copper or other suitablo metal, and has a curved head 12, attached to which
are a series of cylindrical casings 13 and a bottom casing 14.
The air for acting on the raw liquid is forced though the apparatus by a blower 15
which is by preference of a positive kind like what is known as Root's blower, and
fiom which the air is led by a pipe 16 first into a closed tank 17 containing water
into which the pipe 16 dips so that the air may be purified from dust and the like
by passing through the water From the tank 17 the air proceeds by a pipe 18 to
the bottom section 14 of the purifying column, up which column the air passes in
the opposite direction to the downwardly dipping alcoholic liquid
The bottom section 14 of the purifying column is shown in section, and in it are
shown some of the pieces with which the column is furnished for the purpose of
forming a series of surfaces down over which the alcoholic liquid may dip in thin
films I prefer to make these surface pieces of copper and in the form of tubes 19
of the cross section, shown in Figure 2, Figure 3 being an inverted plan (which
Figures are full size representations on the Drawing filed with this Specification)
These tubes 19 may be formed by simply bending strips of sheet copper into the
form shown and without making the longitudinal Joint tight, they are placed
horizontally and in tiers, those of one tier being laid across those of the next
lower tier The intermediate casings 13 of the column are occupied with the
surface pieces or tubes 19 like the upper part of the bottom casing 14, shown in
section, and there is at the top a perforated plate for distributing the liquid entering
by a pipe 10 equally over the pieces 19
The liquid which reaches the bottom of the column in a purified condition
passes off from the bottom section 14 of that column by a pipe 6 having a siphon
bend and leading to a refrigerator 20, and after being cooled therein in the ordinary
way finally passes to the stole vats by a pipe 21
The an in passing up the purifying column 14, 13, 12, necessarily takes up
alcoholic vapors as well as volatilised impurities, and in order to recover the alcohol
so taken up by it, it is led from the top of the purifying column by a pipe 22 into
a condenser or refrigerator 23 This refrigerator 23 may be of any suitable kind,
but is represented as consisting of a long vertical cylinder fitted with top and bottom
end casings 24, 25 These end casings 24, 25, are connected by tubes which pass
thiough the cylinder 23, and whilst the vapor charged air passes down outside of
the tubes cold water passes up inside of them, entering the bottom casing 25 by a
pipe 26 and leaving the top one 24 by a pipe 27 The air deprived in the con-
denser 23 of all or nearly all the alcohol it took up passes thence by a pipe 28
either directly to the outer atmosphere or first through a tank 29 in which it is
made by means of dipping pipes 30, 31, 32, to pass two or three times through
water which will absorb from it any still remaining alcohol, the air being finally
discharged at a hooded outlet 33 The alcoholic liquid recovered in the condenser 23
passes thence by a pipe 34 to separate refrigerating and storing apparatus, being of

page_text: a different quality from that passing from the bottom of the purifying column 12,
13, 14
The inlet pipe 1 has connected to it a small pipe 35 for admitting au fiom an
upper level in the event of the raw liquid from the still not being as much in
quantity as the pump 4 can pass, and to prevent any loss of alcoholic vapor by this
pipe 35 the lower part of it is passed in the form of a coil through the refrigerator 20
Pipes 36, 37, with stop-cocks connect different paits of the apparatus with the out-
let pipe 21 to allow of the apparatus being completely drained at any time when
desued A pipe 38 with stop-cock is shown as leading from a tank 39 to the top
of the bottoin section 14 of the punifying column, and is for the purpose of admitting
the proportion of water required for reducing the alcoholic liquid to the desired
commercial strength The water enters the casing 14 above a perforated plate 40,
the plate having short tubes fitted in the holes to maintam a depth of liquid and
thus insure a uniform mixing of the water with the alcoholic liquid
If the available space is convenient for placing the purifying column 12, 13, 14,
at a lower level than the still, the alcoholic liquid may be led into it by gravitation
instead of a pump 4 being employed The air or gaseous current may be availed
of as a means of imparting to the alcoholic liquid such desirable flavors as it is
capable of absorbing under the cucumstances, the flavoring substance being com-
bined with the an before it is introduced into the apparatus
My improved processes and apparatus may be applied to alcoholic liquids after
they have been cooled, and in that case it facilitates the action to licat the liquids
before introducing them into the column, the liquid may however be operated on
in a cold condition, provided that it be subjected to the action of the an or gas
current through a long enough course
Having thus particularly described my said Invention, and the manner of per-
forming the same, I have to state that I do not restrict myself to the precise details
herein described or delineated, but that what I believe to be novel and onginal
and clann as the Invention secured to me by the herein-before in part recited Letters
Patent 18,-
1 The purifying or tacating of alcoholic liquids by submitting them in a heated
state as they leave the stills or rectifying column to the action of an upward current
of an or any suitable inert gas oi gaseous mixture, the liquids being made to dip
down a towel or column and over the surfaces of a number of bais, tubes, plates, oi
pieces, substantially as herein-before described
2 The application of a tower or column occupied by dipping pieces and con-
sti ucted or arranged, substantially as her ein-before described, for purifying or treating
alcoholic liquids in a heated or unheated condition
In witness wher cof, I, the said Daniel McFarlane, have her cunto set my hand
and seal, this Twenty-fifth day of July, in the year of our Lord One
thousand eight hundied and seventy-seven
Witness,
EDMUND HUNT,
Patent Agent,
Glasgow.
DAN MCFARLANE. (LS)