IMPROVEMENTS IN THE DISTILLATION OF SPIRITUOUS AND OTHER LIQUORS, AND IN APPARATUS TO BE EMPLOYED THEREFOB.
Year: 1875

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Arthur Dudgeon, of No. 22, Great George Street,
Westminster, London, S.W., and No. 163, Great Brunswick Street,
Dublin, Engineer, for the Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN THE
DISTILLATION OF SPIRITUOUS AND OTHER LIQUORS, AND IN APPARATUS TO BE
EMPLOYED THEREFOB.
"
Sealed the 18th June 1875, and dated the 4th January 1875.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Arthur Dudgeon at
the Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on
the 4th January 1875.
I, ARTHUR DUDGEON, of No. 22, Great George Street, Westminster,
London, S.W., and No. 163, Great Brunswick Street, Dublin, Engineer,
do hereby declare the nature of the said Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN
THE DISTILLATION OF SPIRITUOUS AND OTHER LIQUORS, AND IN APPARATUS TO BE
EMPLOYED THEREFOR," to be as follows:-
The Invention consists of improvements upon the Invention of George

page_text: Johnston, which said Invention of the said George Johnston forms the
subject of the Patent No. 1568, dated 20th May 1869.
Whereas an exhaustive series of experiments have been made on the
subject by me, and the nature of the various poisonous ingredients
necessary to be removed have been ascertained, and during the course of
the said experiments certain improvements have been made by mo in
the said Invention of the said George Johnston, and which said improve-
ments I have petitioned to secure by Letters Patent.
1. The first improvement consists in introducing a thermometer and
an independent cold water coil into cach chamber of the still or column
including the bottom chamber or retort, each coil being separately and
independently regulated by an inlet or outlet cock, or both, for cach
separate chamber; theso separate coils with separate and independent
cocks and thermometers being substituted for one series of coils all
regulated by one inlet or outlet cock as described in Patent No. 1568,
dated May 20th 1869. By this improvement the temperature of one or
all of the chambers of the still or column can be regulated independently
of each other. They can be all kept at the one temperature or the
lowest may be of a higher or a lower temperature than the highest, and if
it is desired to regulate the temperature so that it gradually decreases in
each of the chambers from the bottom up, then the water coils may bo
arranged in the manner described in Patent No. 1568, dated 20th
May 1869, the separate coils in the retort or two bottom chambers only
being worked independently according to the requirements of the
operation.
2. The second improvement consists in arranging the chambers of the
still side by side in the same manner as a series of Wolff's bottles,
whenever owing to the nature of the liquor or material to be distilled,
or for any other cause, it may be deemed advisable to do so, and the
separate chambers may be on the one level or they may be stepped ono
above the other, each on a higher level than the other, though side by
side, in order that the liquor condensed at the bottom of the chambers
may be returned by means of connecting pipes or cocks to the adjoining
chambers below.
3. The third improvement consists in making and arranging the
chambers of the still whether they be erected as a column, or side by side,
in such a manner that the first chamber or retort of the still or column

page_text: next the first or wash still shall be much larger in proportion than the
remaining chambers, and the second chamber of the still or column over
or next to the retort shall also be larger than the remaining chamber,
although smaller than the bottom chamber, and the remaining chambers
I may also vary in size according to circumstances, but I prefer, although
I do not bind myself to the following proportions:-Wash still taken at
100, No. 1 chamber or retort 50, No. 2 chamber 25, remaining chambers
1% to 2, although these latter may vary as herein-before described.
4. The fourth improvement consists in the insertion of a guage to cach
chamber to shew the height of the liquor accumulated therein, in order
that under certain circumstances the liquor accumulated on the
diaphragm or bottom of any of the chambers, may, before it reaches
the level of the overflow pipe, be discharged into the chamber or chambers
below.
5. The fifth improvement consists in the insertion into each chamber
of a cock or other apparatus, whereby a sample of the liquor or vapour
of the liquor, or both, which may have accumulated in the bottom of the
chamber or diaphragm, or the contents of each chamber may be with-
drawn at will.
6. The sixth improvement consists in arranging the column or series of
chambers whether they be vertical or side by side, in such a manner
between two or more pot stills that the pot stills may be worked
alternately through the one column or series of chambers. This arrange-
ment is found to be especially valuable in the distillation of whiskey or
corn spirit, as by running the last portion of the charge containing the
fats and heavy oils direct into a separate condenser and receiver, the
chambers of the column are kept in a clean and sweet condition for the
passage of the spirituous vapours.
7. The seventh improvement consists of a new form of condensing
apparatus consisting of a vertical cylinder with a large number of
vertical pipes therein. The vapours are led into the chamber of the
cylinder at the top, and issues condensed at the bottom, the condensing
water being led into the pipes at the bottom of the cylinder, and flowing
through the pipes issues from them at the top of the cylinder.
8. The eighth improvement consists in the insertion of a pipe leading
from the top of the condenser described in last clause, or from the hot.

page_text: portion of any other condensing arrangement that may be used to tho
top chamber of the still or column. Through this pipe the hot
condensing water is led into the top chamber instead of in the manner
shewn by pipe m in Drawing attached to Specification of Patent No.
1568, dated 20th May 1869.
9. The ninth improvement consists in providing two sets of condensing
apparatus, so that at the close of the distillation, whether one or more
pot stills are being worked through the one column, the heavy and
impure vapours charged with fats and oils which arise at the close of
the distillation may be conveyed to a separate receiver for subsequent 1
treatment without being forced to pass through, and so contaminate tho
chambers of the column. This improvement, when more than one still
is used, is of great advantage inasmuch as it renders the distillation
almost a continuous one, economises fuel and improves the quality of the
spirit by keeping the apparatus clean and free from oils and fats. The 1
collection of the heavy feints so separated are then at the close of the
period diluted with hot water and return to the pot still in one charge,
when by working off the charge slowly the whole of the spirit can be
separated with ease.
10. The tenth improvement consists in attaching to the pot still a steam 2
jacket, a close steam coil, an open steam coil or a steam ball, any or all
of which may be combined in the one apparatus with or without a
furnace, but the steam heating is preferred without a furnace, as thereby
any empyrenmatic flavor is altogether avoided.
11. The eleventh improvement consists of an arrangement of the 2
column or chambers of the still, so that the bottom chamber or retort of
the column may be at a higher level than the pot stills, in order that the
contents of the retort and chambers above may be returned to the pot
still below when necessary.
12. I claim the whole of the improvements herein-before specified in 3
whole or in part as well as the combination of the said improvements
with the Invention of the said George Johnston, in whole or in part, and
the combination of the Invention of the said George Johnston, and all
or any of the above improvements with any and all other distilling
apparatus, in whole or in part, whether for spirituous liquors, aromatic 8
liquors, mineral oils, tars, or any other liquids, vapours, or gases
proceeding from the wet or dry distillation of any substance whatever.

page_text: 13. I do not bind myself to any precise mode of carrying out the
foregoing Invention and improvements, the size of the chambers, their
number, their relative position, and the nature of the material used in
their construction varying necessarily with the nature of the material
submitted to distillation, but I claim the Inventions, improvements, and
combinations in whole or in part, or any mere modification thereof,
substantially as herein-before described.