IMPROVEMENTS IN SEPARATING SOLID PARAFFIN FROM OILS
Year: 1884

page_text: I, GEORGE THOMAS BEILBY, of Midcalder, in the County of Midlothian, North
Britain, Chemical Engineer do hereby declare the nature of my said invention for
"IMPROVEMENTS IN SEPARATING SOLID PARAFFIN FROM OILS" to be as follows:-
This Invention relates to apparatus for cooling and crystallizing Paraffin Oils in
a state of repose, and has reference also to the breaking up of the solidified mass
and feeding the same to the Filter presses or other apparatus used for separating
the solid portions of Paraffin from the liquid portions.
The apparatus constituting the Invention in its simplest or unit form, consists
of a narrow vertical cell whose outer walls are exposed to the cooling influence of
the air or other medium.-In the lower part of such cell there is arranged
horizontally and longitudinally a rotating screw or its equivalent, which, by its
rotation, so acts upon the solidified mass in the cell that it breaks it up and
discharges it continuously into pipes or other receptacles leading to the Filter
press or other separating apparatus. For the purposes of Manufacture, any required
number of such units are put together in blocks or batteries, sufficient free space
being left between each pair of them to allow of the free circulation or passage of
the cooling medium,
J. H, JOHNSON, DAY & JOHNSON,
Agents for the Applicant,
115, St. Vincent Street, Glasgow,

page_text: COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
1, GEORGE THOMAS BEILBY, of Midcalder, in the County of Midlothian, North
Britain, Chemical Engineer do hereby declare the nature of my said invention for
IMPROVEMENTS IN SEPARATING SOLID PARAFFIN FROM OIL and in what manner
the same is to be performed, to be particularly described and ascertained in and by
the following statement:-
My Invention relates to apparatus for cooling and crystallizing paraffin oils in a
state of repose, and has reference also to the breaking up of the solidified mass and
feeding the same to the filter presses or other appliances used for separating the
solid portions of paraffin from the liquid portions.
The apparatus constituting the Invention in its simplest or unit form consists of
a narrow vertical cell whose outer walls are exposed to the cooling influence of the
air or other medium. In the lower part of such cell there is arranged horizontally
and longitudinally a rotating screw or its equivalent which, by its rotation so acts
upon the solidified mass of paraffin in the cell that it breaks it up and discharges
it continuously into pipes or other receptacles leading to the filter press or other
separating apparatus. For the purposes of manufacture, any required number of
such units are put together in blocks or batteries, sufficient free space being left
between each pair of them to allow of the free circulation or passage of the cooling
medium.
In order that my said Invention may be properly understood and readily carried
into effect, I will now proceed to describe the drawings hereunto annexed.
Figure 1 is an end elevation of the apparatus constituting my Invention, and
wherein one of the cooling cells or units is shewn in section.
Figure 2 is a front elevation with parts shown in section and corresponding to
Figure 1.
The apparatus as shewn by these Figures is supported on girders b, carried upon
the columns a, or it may be otherwise suitably supported.
The unit of apparatus consists of a cell c, having other cells d, on the sides
thereof for the purpose of absorbing the heat from the liquid paraffin undergoing
cooling in repose in the cell c. Upon the annexed drawings I have represented,
and hereinafter I bave described a battery consisting of a series of such cells each
corresponding to such unit cell. The paraffin containing cells c, are each provided
at their lower ends with a rotating screw or helical cutter d', the shaft of which is
supported at one end in a liquid-tight bearing f, the other end being carried in the
discharge orifice. The pitch of each such rotating screw or helical cutter d', is
varied in sections extending in the direction of its length, that is to say, that
section thereof nearest to the outlet valve g, (Figure 1) is quickest, and that section
thereof farthest from the said valve g, is of least pitch or slowest in progression,
while the sections of the said rotating screw or helical cutter intervening between
these extremes are graduated accordingly. This variation of the pitch of the
rotating screws or helical cutters d', is the means of avoiding any jamming of the
solid portions of the paraffin in their discharge from the cells c, as each graduated
section thereof has to discharge the matter passed forward to it from the preceding

page_text: 'sections, that is to say, the sections behind it. Upon the end h, of the shaft of each
such screw or helical cutter, there is secured a worm-wheel i, which engages with a
worm or tangent screw j, each of which is carried upon the shaft k, common to the
whole of them, the said shaft being driven from any convenient motor. The lower
end of each cell c, is closed by a plate of such a contour as enables the rotating
screw or helical cutter d', to practically scrape off all the particles of solid paraffin
from its inner surface, and the upper end of each of such cells is left open and is
situated beneath one of the inlets 1, formed through the lower plate m, of the
reservoir n. The upper end of each cell c, is made slightly narrower than the
lower end so that the slab of cooled paraffin may more certainly slip downwards
as its base is sheared away and discharged by the action upon it of the screw or
helical cutter d. The reservoir n, is supported upon the upper end of the battery
of cells c, and d, and the holes therein which constitute the inlets to the vessels c,
are normally closed by plugs attached to the lower ends of the rods o, upon the
drawing up of one of which a quantity of paraffin oil which is contained in the said
reservoir, is discharged down into that particular cell c, over which the said plug
has been removed, and upon the requisite amount of oil being so discharged the
plug is replaced in its normal position; or, in place of thus intermittently charging
the paraffin oil into the cells c, the area of the inlets 7, being of the required
dimension or adjustably-so by a valve, the paraffin oil may be continuously,
charged thereinto in an unbroken stream. The reservoir n, is provided with one,
two or more auxiliary rods o¹, and their connected plugs at one end thereof, which
provide for the flushing or cleaning out of the said reservoir, or for the application
of additional cells c, to an existing battery.
The several spaces d, between the cells c, being hermetically closed in, constituto
vessels d, wherein is contained the water or other medium employed for the cooling
and crystallization of the paraffin oils contained in the adjacent or interposed
cells c.
In the example represented upon the annexed drawings, water is repre
Bented as being the medium so employed. For the most advantageous circulation
of the water, it is continuously introduced cold into the vessels d, at the lowest
part thereof, and the said water is run off, warmed by the heat given up by tho
surrounding cooling oils, at the highest part of the said vessels d. These provisions
are represented upon the annexed drawings, the cold water inlets at q, (Figure 1)
and the outlets at p, which are arranged at the two ends of each such vessel d.
The inlets q, are all connected to the cold water main t, and the outlets p, which
are each provided with a valve or cock 8, are connected to the pipes r, by which
the discharged water may be conducted to any required outlets.
The solidified portions together with any minute quantity of liquid or semi-fluid
portions of paraffin after being forced out from the cells c, by the rotating screws
or helical cutters d¹, as hereinbefore described are, by the conjoined action of the
said cutters d', and pump u, passed down the pipe v, and forced through the
pipes w, into the filter presses x, wherein the solid and the said minute liquid
portions thereof are separated in the manner commonly practised with Filter
presses.
The pump u, and filter presses z, being well known and therefore constituting no
separate part of my present Invention, I have deemed it unnecessary to enter into
any description of these parts, as any mechanism performing functions similar to
those of the said apparatus shewn upon the annexed drawings, may be used in
combination with the parts of the apparatus constituting my present Invention.
As the greater part of the heat of the oil and paraffin is abstracted under the
foregoing arrangement of apparatus, through the large vertical sides of the cells c,
the length of time taken to reduce the mean temperature of the mass to a given
point will depend principally on two factors, first, the difference of temperature of
the oil and of the cooling medium, and second, the width of the cells c, or the
thickness of the mass to be cooled. I have found that a mean thickness of such
mass of about twelve inches, gives good results with certain oils, but variations

page_text: above and below this dimension are employed when it is desired to cool more or
less slowly.
}
I desire it to be understood, although I have herein before described and shewn
upon the annexed drawings a particular form of apparatus for effecting the
separation of solid paraffin from oil, that, without departing from the essential
features of my Invention, I may vary the same in many ways, for example in place
of the outlets from the cells c, being in the position in which they are represented
at Figure 1, I may form them in the bottom plates of such cells close to the
discharge ends of the rotating screws or helical cuttere ; in this case a ground
plug may be substituted for the sluice valve g. In place of using the rotating
screws or helical cutters d¹, fluted rollers or their equivalents may be arranged to
effect the discharge of the solidified paraffin.
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
First The cooling in cells of oils containing paraffin while in a state of repose
and the breaking up and discharging the crystallized mass therefrom all substan-
tially as hereinbefore set forth with reference to the annexed drawings.
Second-The cooling and breaking up apparatus consisting of a cell c, having a
rotating screw or helical cutter d¹, or fluted rollers or equivalent breaking up and
discharging apparatus in the lower part thereof and provided with arrangements
for absorbing heat from the paraffin undergoing cooling therein substantially as
hereinbefore described and shewn upon the annexed drawings.
Third The combination of a series of such cells with the apparatus claimed in
the preceding claiming clause so as to form a battery of cells substantially as
herein before described and shewn upon the annexed sheets of drawing.
:
Fourth-The combination of a filter press or the equivalent thereof with a pump
or pumps or the equivalent thereof with a cell or battery of cells constructed
and fitted substantially as hereinbefore described with reference to the annexed
drawings.