CERTAIN NEW AND IMPROVED APPARATUS'S TO BE EMPLOYED IN THE DISTILLATION OF ANIMAL, VEGE- TABLE, AND MINERAL SUBSTANCES, AND IN VARIOUS OTHER PROCESSES
Year: 1816

page_text: TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, DANIEL
WILSON, of Usher Street, in the City of Dublin, Chemist, send greeting.
WHEREAS His most Excellent Majesty King George the Third did, by
His Letters Patent under the Great Seal of the United Kingdom of Great
Britain and Ireland, bearing date at Westminster, the Fourteenth day of
May, in the fifty-sixth year of His reign, give and grant unto me, the said
Daniel Wilson, my exors, adññors, and assigns, His especial licence, full
power, sole privilege and authority, that I, the said Daniel Wilson, my exors,
admors, and assigns, should and lawfully might, during the term of years
therein mentioned, make, use, exercise, and vend, within England, Wales, and
the Town of Berwick-upon-Tweed, my Invention of "CERTAIN NEW AND
IMPROVED APPARATUS'S TO BE EMPLOYED IN THE DISTILLATION OF ANIMAL, VEGE-
TABLE, AND MINERAL SUBSTANCES, AND IN VARIOUS OTHER PROCESSES;" in which
said Letters Patent there is contained a proviso, that if I, the said Daniel
Wilson, shall not particularly describe and ascertain the nature of my said
Invention, and in what manner the same is to be performed, by writing
under my hand and seal, to be inrolled in His Majesty's High Court of
Chancery within six calendar months next and immediately after the date
of these our Letters Patent, that then these our Letters Patent, and all
liberties and advantages whatsoever thereby granted, shall utterly cease, deter-
mine, and become void, as in and by the same (relation being thereunto had)
may more fully and at large appear.

page_text: NOW KNOW YE, that in compliance with the said proviso, I, the said
Daniel Wilson, do hereby declare that the nature of my said Invention,
and manner in which the same is to be performed, are particularly described
and ascertained in and by the Drawings hereunto annexed, and the following
references and description thereof, that is to say :--
Firstly, my apparatus for performing the distillation of dry animal, vegetable,
and mineral substances consists in placing tubes, cylinders, crucibles, or retorts,
made of cast iron, wrought iron, copper, or fire clay, through the centre of a
limekiln fire, in such a manner as to be entirely surrounded with the ignited
fuel except at their extremities, which are fitted with moveable covers of the
same or other materials, in order that they may be charged with and emptied
of the matter to be distilled.
The above is a general description of my apparatus for dry distillation; but,
in order that it may be more easily and fully understood, the following is a
detailed account of the manner in which it is constructed and worked:-Two
parallel eighteen-inch brick or stone walls are. built, eleven feet long each, and
five feet asunder. When raised to the height of two feet six inches they are
levelled, and five bars or bearers thrown across from wall to wall, so as to
divide the centre space equally, commencing nine inches from each end of the
building. These bearers are made of malleable iron, six inches broad and one
inch thick, and are all placed on edge, being intended for resting the moveable
bars of the limekiln upon. The walls are then continued, until they are built
four inches higher than the top of these bearers, when other six bars or bearers
are thrown across, three at each of the extremities of the two walls, and at
a distance of six inches from one another, so as to form a convenient foundation
for raising a fourteen-inch wall upon them at each end of the kiln. The build-
ing will have now assumed a square form, and, when it is all raised one foot
higher, other six bearers are thrown across on edge, at equal distances from
each other and from the end walls of the building, so as to divide the interior
into seven equal parts. These bearers are for supporting the retorts, and must
be sufficiently strong for that purpose. Six of the tubes, cylinders, crucibles, or
retorts, hereafter to be described, are now placed, two between each, and
resting by their flanches upon each of these pair of bearers, and so as that the
vertical parts of all the retorts have and equal space between each other and
the walls of the building; and the sloping or lower parts are made to project a
few inches through the side walls of the kiln, three on one side and three
on the other. The building is then raised to within eighteen inches of the
under part of the branch that projects from the cylinders, and six iron doors
are fastened in the brickwork, one in the centre of each end wall, and two in

page_text: each of the sides opposite one another, and in two centre spaces between
the cylinders. The doors are used in charging the kiln with fuel and lime-
stone. On the top of these iron doors, and the projecting branches of the
retorts, cast-iron plates, which fit the spaces between the cylinders, are thrown
across from wall to wall, so as entirely to close in the top of the furnace,
leaving out the mouths of the cylinders and the branches for conveying away
the volatile products. The walls are now braced with iron hoops and supports
in order to secure them from the outward pressure of the fuel. The apparatus
is now completed, and in order to commence working it moveable bars of iron,
such as there are in ordinary limekilns, are placed on the lower bearers, so as
to form a floor for the fuel to rest upon. A quantity of straw, wood, turf, coal,
or other combustible matter is now laid on them, and the kiln is about
one quarter filled with pieces of limestone and coke, cinders, coal;
culm, or other kind of fuel, varying the proportion of it and limestone
according to its strength. The fuel is then lighted from beneath, and
in a few hours the fire will burst through inside; when this takes place
more fuel and limestone are gradually added until the kiln is filled.
In a
short time the retorts will be at a strong red heat, and they are then fit to be
worked. In order to perform this the lower stopper is secured by the wedge
or screw, and the cylinder is filled from above with the matter to be distilled.
When full, the cover is put on and secured. In this manner all the retorts
must be charged, and in one, two, or three hours afterwards, according to the
nature of the substance which is in the process, all the volitile parts will be
expelled and the residuum at a red heat, when it may be drawn out by the
lower stopper, which is again fixed, and the whole operation repeated as before.
The tubes, cylinders, crucibles, or retorts may be made of cast iron, wrought iron,
copper, or fire clay, but I prefer cast iron; and it is not strictly necessary that
they should be of particular form and dimensions now to be described, which
may be varied according to the extent of work to be done. Neither is any.
particular form or dimensions of the furnace strictly insisted upon, which may
be made round, oblong, or square, according to the shape of the place in which
it is built; this part of my Invention consisting in passing the retorts through
the body of a limekiln so as to be surrounded and in contact with the ignited
fuel and limestone. And the direction in which the retorts are placed within
it may also be varied; but I herein describe and give Drawings of the two
most convenient forms of the apparatus,-that is to say, when a circular retort
is placed perpendicularly in the limekiln, and when a square or flat retort is
placed horizontally through it.
Figure 1 of the Drawing annexed represents a cross section of the limekilu,.

page_text: with the retorts in their position. A, A, the body of the retort, is of a cylin-
drical shape, encased with the metal rings a, a, a, in order to protect it from
the fire. B, the discharging pipe, is at an angle of 135° to the body of the
retort; it is jointed to it by the flanch C, with iron cement and screws. The
retort. is supported in its station in the kiln by the flanch C resting on the
bearers already mentioned, one of which is D. E is a branch, connected
with the body of the retort by a flanch and screws; it is for carrying away the
products of distillation. F, the mouthpiece, the cover of which is secured by a
wedge or screw in the usual manner; the mouthpiece fits into the internal
diameter of the retort, and is cemented in with iron mixture, in order that it
might not abstract the rings from being put on the body of the retort. G, the
under mouthpiece, is connected to the pipe by a flanch and screws, and its
cover is secured by a wedge or screw. H, H, the end view of the moveable
bars upon which the limestone and fuel rest. I, the space unto which the
burned lime is let down by shaking the bars. K, K,K, the spaces between the
retorts; which are filled with ignited fuel and limestone. L, L, side views of
the doors for charging the kiln with fuel and limestone. M, M, section
of the plate which covers the mouth of the kiln. N, a tube, which passes
through the roof of the building, or communicates with a chimney, in order to
carry away the smoke.
Figure 2.is an elevation of the whole apparatus.
Figure 3 is an elevation of a limekiln, with flat retorts placed horizontally
through it. The retort is six feet long, 12 inches wide, and eight inches deep.
It has a flanch, three inches broad, along the under and upper parts of its
sides. On the flanch a wall of fire brick is built, to protect the retort from the
action of the fire. The mouths of the retorts are seen in this view as they are
placed one above another, at a distance of three inches between each. Retorts
on this construction have only one mouthpiece, by which they are filled and
emptied, and the burned lime is drawn out on the opposite side of the kiln.
Secondly, my apparatus for the distillation or evaporation of liquid animal,
vegetable, and mineral substances consists in having two metallic vessels, one
inside of the other, with a small space between each. The liquid to be dis-
tilled or evaporated is put into the interior vessel, and the space between the
inner and outer vessels is half filled with an oil, tallow, resinous, or fatty
matter. The fire being applied to the outer vessel in the usual manner,
it is transmitted through the oil, tallow, resinous, or fatty matter to
the liquid in the interior vessel, which is thereby heated and distilled or
evaporated. But it is limited in the degree of heat to which it can be
raised, from the well-known property of unconfined fluids.not transmitting beat

page_text: beyond the boiling point; the substance, therefore, in the interior vessel, is
prevented from being burned or too much heated by the boiling of the oil,
tallow, resinous, or fatty matter contained in the space between the two
vessels.
This is a general description of my, apparatus for distilling or evaporating
liquids; but, in order that it may be more completely understood, it is repre-
sented in the Drawings hereto annexed.
Figure 4 is a section of the apparatus. A is the interior vessel, into which
the substance to be distilled or evaporated is .put. B, B, B, is the space between
the two vessels, where the oil, tallow, or resinous or fatty matter is contained.
The dotted lines represent the height, which such substance occupies.. The
space above the dotted line is empty. C, C, is a bent pipe, open at both ends,
communicating with the outer vessel; a floating guage of wood, graduated to
inches, is contained in it, which indicates the height of oil, tallow, rosinous
or fatty.matter between the two vessels, and by this pipe an additional quantity
of these substances may be added when necessary. D is a bent pipe for
carrying away any vapour which may be generated between the vessels. This
pipe is conveyed in an ascending position through a vessel containing cold
water, in order to condense the vapour, which may either be collected when
condensed, or allowed to flow back into the space between the vessels; the end
of this pipe is left open. E is a branch, terminated by a stopcock, in order to
allow of drawing off the oil, tallow, rosinous or fatty matter, when necessary.
F, F, the flanch by which the two vessels are rivetted together. This apparatus
is made of cast iron, wrought iron, copper, or lead, according to the nature of
the process in which it is to be used, When the degree of heat required
is great, iron or copper are most proper; but when it does not exceed
the boiling point of water, lead may be used. At this latter heat, little or no
vapour escapes by the pipe D, and the condensing apparatus may be dispensed
with, but when the heat required is greater, and approaches towards the boiling
point of the oil, tallow, rosinous or fatty matter employed, the condensing appa-
ratus is necessary. When it is required to condense the steam, vapor, or gas
which is expelled from the substance in the interior vessel, as in the process of
distillation the apparatus is fitted with a cover or head like a common still,
and the steam, vapor, or gas is condensed by a worm or refrigeratory, in the
usual manner. But when heating or evaporation only are required the mouth
of the apparatus is left uncovered. But my Invention herein only extends to the
employing of oil, tallow, rosinous or fatty matter, as the medium for conveying the
heat, and does not include the worm or such other apparatus as are commonly
made use of in distilling. This apparatus is set in brickwork, and the fire

page_text: applied to its bottom and sides, in the same manner as to a common still,
evaporating vessel, or boiler. The substances to be employed as the medium
for conveying the heat are, whale, spermaceti, cod, seal, herring, pilchard, or
any other fish oil, linseed, rape, hemp, olive, nut, palm, sunflower seed, poppy
seed, and castor oils, tallow, lard, butter, grease, animal fat, wax, tar, pitch,
resin.
This my apparatus for the distillation or evaporation of liquid animal,
vegetable, and mineral substances, may be employed with advantage to
the processes of sugar refining, brewing, distilling, dying, bleaching, and
calico printing and in the manufacture of bleaching salts, nitric acid,
muriatic acid, sulphure acid, alum, spirit of turpentine, soap, and in the
melting of tallow. And my apparatus for the distillation of dry animal,
vegetable, or mineral substances is particularly applicable to the distillation of
coal, wood, bones, woollen rags, horns, hooves, hair, or leather, in order to
procure coke, carburetted hydrogen gas, tar, ammoniacal liquor, pyroligneous
acid, or any other product of the distillation of such substances.
In witness whereof, I, the said Daniel Wilson, have hereunto set my
hand and seal, this Thirteenth day of November, in the year of our
Lord One thousand eight hundred and sixteen.