IMPROVEMENTS IN THE CONSTRUCTION OF APPARATUS FOR REFINING A commu- PETROLEUM AND ITS PRODUCTS, AND FOR SIMILAR PURPOSES
Year: 1879

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to William Robert Lake, of the Firm of Haseltine, Lake,
& Co., Patent Agents, Southampton Buildings, London, for the Invention of
" IMPROVEMENTS IN THE CONSTRUCTION OF APPARATUS FOR REFINING
A commu-
PETROLEUM AND ITS PRODUCTS, AND FOR SIMILAR PURPOSES."
nication from abroad by Watson Ryder, Oil Refiner, and Charles Frederick
Thomas, Restaurant Keeper, both of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States
of America
Sealed the 12th September 1879, and dated the 16th April 1879.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said William Robert Lake at the
Office of the Commissioners of Patents on the 16th April 1879.
WILLIAM ROBERT LAKE, of the Firm of Haseltine, Lake, & Co., Patent Agents,
Southampton Buildings, London. "IMPROVEMENTS IN THE CONSTRUCTION OF
APPARATUS FOR REFINING PETROLEUM AND ITS PRODUCTS, AND FOR SIMILAR
PURPOSES." [A communication from abroad by Watson Ryder, Oil Refiner, and
Charles Frederick Thomas, Restaurant Keeper, both of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania,
United States of America.]
This Invention has for its object to provide a still or apparatus whereby the
process of refining petroleum or its products may be carried on continuously and
with greater rapidity and at a much less expense than heretofore.
The said Invention comprises a peculiar construction and combination of parts,
hereinafter referred to, having relation principally to the construction of the furnace
top and sides, which consist of an arch with curved sides, and to its combination
with internal and external air flues; also to the combination and arrangement with
the furnace of the oil supply pipe which is located immediately above the ridge of
said furnace and formed with exit orifices on its under side. The said Invention
has relation further to certain details of construction and combination hereinafter
mentioned.
In carrying the said Invention into practice I provide two supply tanks, into
which the crude oil is first introduced. From a steam boiler extends a pipe con-
necting with coils in the said tanks for the purpose of evaporating the lighter pro-
ducts from the contents of said tanks and also for precipitating the water and

page_text: impurities found in crude oil. Said lighter products pass off through a pipe, and
are drawn therefrom through branches according to their respective gravities into
separate receptacles. The oil remaining in the said tanks is then pumped by a
pump into the still through pipes, said pump being so arrauged as to draw from
said tanks alternately in order to keep the flow into the still continuous. The still
has a fire-place with arched crown or ceiling composed of curved sides which meet
at the ridge and extend down to the grate on either side thereof. There are flues
formed within the said arch, and similar flues are formed in the legs or walls. Said
flues are air-flues leading to the back of the still and receiving their supply of air at
the front, the arch flues leading to the chimney and the other flues opening outside
the walls of the still. I also provide tubular heat flues which receive the products
of combustion from the furnace, which products take their passage under and over
a diaphragm and pass out through the chimney.
The oil is pumped from the aforesaid tanks through a pipe which is located just
above a ridge and has openings into the still, filling the latter and submerging the
flues therein. The furnace fire being started and the necessary heat obtained the
pure portions of the oil are volatilized by the heat radiated from the arch and last
named flues and pass off through pipes to a condenser. The tar in the still settles
and flows down the curved sides of the arch on either side of the grate and passes
through a pipe terminating in a coil in a vessel where it is cooled and then trans-
ferred to a receiver. The oil evaporated in or from the still passes through the
pipes into the condenser, as already stated, and may be subsequently treated
according to the usual or any suitable process. The tar from the receiver if not
reduced already to a sufficient gravity may be transferred to another still having a
dome and treated to extract such portions of oil as may be found in it, which
portions after passing through another condenser may be received, according to the
variations in gravity, in separate vessels. The lighter products ascend into the
dome and find their exit in one coil, and the heavier products emerge from the
lower portion of the still through a separate coil.
By means of this apparatus it will be seen that the operation of the still is con-
tinuous. The construction of the furnace arch gives the greatest strength and
largest heating surface attainable, while by reason of the curved sides of said arch
the tar will flow down without collecting on or adhering to the same and settle on
either side of the grate, being cooled by the air-flues and prevented from burning.
By preventing the adherence of tar to the flues in the first named still the still can
be kept full, covering the tubes, thus avoiding danger of burning and permitting
continuous .use. The principle of construction herein described may be applied
with great advantage to steam boilers, as such come within the scope of the said
Invention.

page_text: SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent filed by
the said William Robert Lake in the Great Seal Patent Office on the 14th
October 1879.
WILLIAM ROBERT LAKE, of the Firm of Haseltine, Lake, & Co., Patent Agents,
Southampton Buildings, London. "IMPROVEMENTS IN THE CONSTRUCTION OF
APPARATUS FOR REFINING PETROLEUM AND ITS PRODUCTS, AND FOR SIMILAR
PURPOSES." A communication from abroad by Watson Ryder, Oil Refiner, and
Charles Frederick Thomas, Restaurant Keeper, both of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania,
United States of America.
This Invention has for its object to provide a still or apparatus whereby the
process of refining petroleum or its products may be carried on continuously and
with greater rapidity and at a much less expense than heretofore. The said
Invention consists in the peculiar construction and combination of parts hereinafter
described, and illustrated in the accompanying Drawing, in which,
Figure 1 is a perspective view of an apparatus for treating petroleum and con-
structed according to the said Invention.
Figure 2 is a plan of the same.
Figure 3 is a vertical section on the line a, a, Figure 2, and
Figure 4 is a similar view on the line y, y, Figure 2, and drawn to an enlarged
scale.
A, A', represent two supply tanks into which the crude oil is first introduced.
B is a steam boiler from which extends a pipe a connecting with coils in the
tanks A, A', for the purpose of evaporating the lighter products from the contents
of said tanks and also for precipitating the water and impurities found in crude oil.
Said lighter products pass off through a pipe b, and are drawn therefrom through
branches 61, 63, and 63, according to their respective gravities into separate recep-
tacles C, C, C² The oil remaining in the tanks A, A¹, is then pumped by a
pump B' into the still D through pipes 6 and 7, this pump being so arranged as to
draw from said tanks A, A', alternately in order to keep the flow into the still con-
tinuous. The still D has a fire place e with an arched crown or ceiling G composed
of curved sides G1, G2, which meet at the ridge g and extend down to the grate e on
either side thereof. K indicates the ash-pit; n, n, are flues formed within the
arch G, and p, p, are similar flues formed in the legs or walls P, P. Said flues n
and p are air-flues leading to the back of the still and receiving their supply of air
at the front, the flues n leading to the chimney and the flues p opening outside the
walls of the still. k, l, are tubular heat-flues which receive the products of com-
bustion from the furnace. These products take their passage according to the
direction of the arrows under and over the diaphragm H and pass out of the
chimney I. The oil is pumped from the tanks A, A, through the pipe f (which is
located just above the ridge g and has openings f¹ into the still D) filling the latter
and submerging the flues k, . The furnace fire being started and the necessary
heat obtained the pure portions of the oil are volatilized by the heat radiated from
the arch G and flues k, l, and pass off through pipes n¹, n², to a condenser N. The
tar in the still settles and flows down the curved sides of the arch G on either side
of the grate and passes through a pipe h terminating in a coil g¹ in a vessel E
where it is cooled; it is then transferred to a receiver E'. The oil evaporated in or
from the still D passes through the pipes n', n¹, and n³ into the condenser N, as
already stated, and may be subsequently treated according to the usual or any suit-
able process. The tar from the receiver E' if not reduced already to the required
gravity may be transferred to a still F having a dome d and treated to extract such
portions of oil as may be found in it, which portions after passing through a con-
denser F may be received according to the variations in its gravity in separate
vessels O, O'. The lighter products ascend into the dome d and find their exit in

page_text: one coil, and the heavier products emerge from the lower portion of the still F
through a separate coil.
By means of this apparatus it will be seen that the operation of the still is con-
tinuous. The construction of the furnace arch gives the greatest strength and
largest heating surface obtainable, while owing to the curved sides of the said arch
the tar will flow down without collecting on or adhering to the same and settle on
either side of the grate, being cooled by the air flues n, p, and prevented from
burning. By preventing the adherence of tar to the flues k, l, the still can be kept
full enough to cover the tubes, thus avoiding danger of burning and permitting
continuous use. The principle of construction herein described may be applied
with great advantage to steam-boilers, as such come within the scope of this
Invention.
Having thus fully described the said Invention as communicated to me by my
foreign correspondents,, and the manner of performing the same, I wish it understood
that I claim,
First. In an oil-still an arch forming the top and sides of the furnace constructed
and designed for operation, substantially as shewn and described.
Second. In an oil-still, the arch having curved sides' in combination with internal
and external air-flues, substantially as shewn and described.
Third. In combination with the said arch and internal and external air-flues, the
supply-pipe located above the ridge and having exit openings, substantially as
shewn and described.
Fourth. The combination in an oil-still of a furnace having an arched crown and
curved sides, internal and external air-flues, a supply-pipe having openings and
heat flues, substantially as shewn and described.
Fifth. The combined apparatus herein described consisting of the supply-tanks,
the steam-boiler, the receiving vessels, the pump, the still D, the pipes, the con-
denser, the cooler, and the receiver E', the whole operating substantially as
described and for the purpose set forth.
Sixth. The still F having a dome and separate outlets for products of different
gravities, substantially as shewn and described.
In witness whereof, I, the said William Robert Lake, have hereunto set my
hand and seal, this Thirteenth day of October, in the year of our Lord
One thousand eight hundred and seventy nine.
M PORT TAKE