A New or Improved Method of and Apparatus or Machinery for Continuous Mechanical Distilling.
Year: 1891

page_text: Date of Application, 20th Feb., 1891-Accepted, 18th Apr., 1891
A New or Improved Method of and Apparatus or Machinery for
Continuous Mechanical Distilling.
I, SAMUEL BARBER, of 8, John Street, Adelphi, in the County of London,
Engineer, 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 :-
My invention has reference to improvements in the method of and in apparatus
or machinery for conducting the operations necessary for and incident to the con-
tinuous distillation of substances such as carbons, stones, shells, sand, cork, pulps,
vegetable materials and other substances and in such manner as to preserve during
the operations such products as may be generated all as hereafter described and
explained with reference to the accompanying drawings.
In order that my said invention and the manner of performing or carrying the
same into effect may be properly understood 1. have hereunto appended two sheets
of drawings in which the same reference letters and figures are used to indicate
corresponding parts in the figures there shown.
Figure 1 is a longitudinal section showing an arrangement of apparatus or
machinery constructed according to my invention for treating materials subsequent
to their delivery from screens, washers or other appliances or where such preliminary
process may be necessary.
Figure 2 is a sectional end elevation of the same.
A is a worm or other suitable regular feed arrangement for delivering the
materials to be distilled into a fixed mixer B suitable in dimensions to the materials
to be treated.
The fixed mixer B is composed of a chamber or casing 6 through which pass two
axles or shafts S S to which are fixed arms which are made to revolve by belt or
toothed gearing. The arms are so keyed or fixed to the shafts S S and are so
bevelled or shaped as to mix the materials introduced into the casing and at the
same time to carry them forward to the delivery end for further treatment in the
stills as hereafter described. At the receiving end of the mixer B there is a
device consisting of a jet, jets, or injectors in direct communication with a
pressure chamber, pump, or force injector, but under control as to the quantity of
material admitted into the mixer B whether that be tars, oils, acids or other
The admittance
substances according to the nature of the material to be treated.
of these materials takes place in the immediate proximity to the inward feed of the
other materials, and by the contrivance such as by an air force pump indicated,
such distribution of the added material is made more certain by injecting there-
with water, oil, air or other liquids or gases so as to form a. spray over the materials
as they are forced into the mixer by the feed A. C is a shoot or hopper into
which the materials fall after mixing. which has at its base a shutter or slide C¹ by
which means the materials may be intercepted or blocked from entering the trough
carrier D until of proper consistency. The trough carrier D consists of a casing
which may be horizontal or at a convenient angle, inside which plates or blades
traverse upon endless link chains dd, passing over drums d², d², d², d², and
driven by gearing.
The casing of the trough carrier D has at convenient positions, slides or doors d³, d³
connecting with the shoots or hoppers E through which the materials are allowed
to fall as may be required into one or other of the hoppers E, which are connected
with graduating Archimedian worm chambers F whence the materials are forced
forward into the ends of any one of a series of what may be termed, for the
purposes of this Specification, cylinders or stills G G¹ in the drawings these
cylinders or stills GG are only shown in duplicate, but there may be a series of

page_text: T
them according to the materials to be treated and the time necessary for such
treatment so that as regards the stills Gone drum may be being filled whilst the
other or others may be continuing the process or being emptied as may be found
requisite. The feed chambers and worms F F are of such size, shape and
graduation as may be found necessary to force the materials into the cylinders or
stills G G against any pressure that may be required to be maintained in them and
the feed is driven either direct or by gearing from the main shafts of the stills G G¹.
These stills GG are cylindrical chambers of dimensions suitable to the materials and
the amounts to be treated and are formed of iron or other suitable material carried on
supports g and covered and protected by any suitable non-conducting or other
covering or steam jacket. At suitable positions and connected to pipes or con-
ductors are. nozzles g²; g² for introducing gases, steam or vapour at such
temperatures and pressures as may be required and through the axes of the stills
are carried the shafts g³ upon which are fixed the helical or bevelled arms g
which are rotated by shafts g³ and keep the materials in a state of motion towards
the delivery end whilst continually exposing them to the action of the gases or
vapours introduced through the nozzles g².
At suitable positions exhaust pipes are connected with the stills G whence the
gases or vapours after passing through the live mass of materials in the stills carry
off with them the carlier or lighter products of distillation to condensers, connected
with tanks and other apparatus as may be required. The exhaust pipes g³ are
fitted with pressure valves at convenient points and thus allow only such gases to
be withdrawn as may be given off at certain known pressures and temperatures
while the denser volatile matters are, or may be, retained for further treatment as
may be required.
The materials on being forced to the delivery end of the stills G are received
into the shoots H H, through which the materials fall, and are carried into one or
other of a second series of stills G' which are in construction and arrangement sub-
stantially the same as those marked G with feed F and pipes nozzles and other
necessary valves and injectors for the introduction of steam or vapor or gases
superheated or otherwise by which treatment the materials are prepared in a proper
state of temperature and consistency. These stills G are also fitted with exhaust
pipes, connected with separate condensing or extraction plant, and the exhaust
pipes are provided with pressure or other valves as for the stills G whereby means
are provided for absolutely regulating the giving off of volatile matters and of their
collection at different pressures and temperatures and of carrying them to separate
condensers, or to such apparatus as may be used for their further separation
deposition or crystallization by electrolytic evaporation, or other processes whilst
affording a means of retaining, if desired, in the fuel or other materials treated such
matters as may be required.
The residue of the material treated is delivered into and through the hopper J
(or instead of the hopper into a cooling pan) in a completely agglomerated form so
that if treating carbons such as coals, cokes or sawdust, such materials are delivered
in a form suitable for being immediately and rapidly compressed into blocks for
fuel. When stones, shells, sand, cork, or other like materials have been treated the
waste products are delivered in a condition to be used as asphalt or plaster or such
products may be formed into flooring blocks.
When pulps or vegetable materials containing volatile products are treated the
trough or its equivalent receives the fibrous or woody matter.
When minerals such as are capable of being dissolved or acted upon or evaporated
or partially so, say by the combination of acids and heat or heat alone the hopper J
receives the ash and residue.
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 :-
1. The method of mechanical and continuous distillation consisting in subjecting

page_text: the materials to a spray or sprays of tars, oils, and acids or equivalents while
entering and being mixed in a mixer and thereby providing or coating as it were
such materials with a thin film of the material, the major part of which is to be
distilled subsequently forcing the material thus treated into a still or series of
stills under steam pressure and there subjecting them to the injection of gases or
vapours, as well as a mechanical stirring action, the lighter volatile products being
there withdrawn and the material mechanically passed to a second series of similar
stills, and there subjected to superheated steam pressure as well as to the injection
of gases or vapours the heavier volatile products being withdrawn and the residue
finally delivered into a shoot or other receiver as set forth.
2. In mechanical continuous distilling apparatus or machines, the mixer B with
arms and feeding device A, in combination with a jet, jets or injectors & whereby
the material to be treated is incorporated with tars, oils, acids, or other materials
injected therein in the form of spray substantially as and for the purposes set forth.
3. In mechanical continuous distilling apparatus or machines, the stills G G
with feeding devices for forcing the material into the still against the internal
pressure, the beaters and carrying arms, exhausting device, together with the
arrangement for introducing gases or vapors and substantially as described and
illustrated with reference to the accompanying drawings.
4. In mechanical distilling apparatus, such as claimed under the claiming
clauses 1 and 2, the combination therewith of the carrying trough D provided with
plates on endless chains and shutters as set forth.
5. In mechanical continuous distilling apparatus or machines, the mixer B in
combination with a series of stills G G. connected by travelling troughs shoots
feeding and extracting devices and parts connected therewith whereby the operations
of feeding, mixing and distilling are effected mechanically, and in a continuous
manner, as and for the purposes set forth.
Dated this 20th day of February 1891.