IMPROVEMENTS IN THE PROCESSES OF AND APPARATUS FOR TREATING MINERAL, ANIMAL, AND VEGETABLE MATTERS FOR OBTAINING OILS, ESSENCES
Year: 1855

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Etienne Jules Lafond; Engineer, and Count Louis
Alfred de Chatauvillard, of Belleville, near Paris, France, for the Inven-
tion of "IMPROVEMENTS IN THE PROCESSES OF AND APPARATUS FOR TREATING
MINERAL, ANIMAL, AND VEGETABLE MATTERS FOR OBTAINING OILS, ESSENCES,
Sealed the 7th August 1855, and dated the 29th May 1855.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Etienne Jules Lafond
and Count Louis Alfred de Chatauvillard at the Office of the Commis-
sioners of Patents, with their Petition, on the 29th May 1855.
We, ETIENNE JULES LAFOND, Engineer, and Count LOUIS ALFRED DE
CHATAUVILLARD, of Belleville, near Paris, France, do hereby declare the nature
of our said Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN THE PROCESSES OF AND APPARATUS
FOR TREATING MINERAL, ANIMAL, AND VEGETABLE MATTERS FOR OBTAINING OILS,
ESSENCES, PARAFFINE, AND OTHER SIMILAR PRODUCTS," to be as follows, that is
to say:
Our Invention relates to improved apparatus for carbonising and distilling
animal, vegetable, and mineral substances for obtaining oils, essences, paraffine,
and other similar products.
The apparatus consists, first, of a retort of a suitable shape, provided with a
cover, secured to the body of the retort by screws and other means. The
materials to be treated are placed in a tank containing within the retort, & is

page_text: pierced with holes at the bottom and sides, to allow liquid matters to escape.
This retort is fixed in a furnace having fire bars, ash pit, & flues of the usual
construction; it is also provided with two pipes, to which are attached stop-
cocks. One pipe is placed at the bottom, to convey the liquid matters to a
proper reservoir; the other upon the top, for the purpose of conducting the
gases that arise from the carbonization of the substances operated upon to
suitable washing apparatus, which consist of tubs or any vessel of suitable
shape, half filled with water, into which the latter pipe dips. The gas as it is
generated passes through the water, and becomes purified, and escapes by a
pipe fixed in the cover (furnished with a funnel to admit water to the
receiver) to another vessel of similar construction, where the gas or other vapors
are subjected to another washing. This second tub or vessel is provided with a
cock at the bottom, like the other before mentioned, for drawing off the water
when required. To the cover of the latter vessel is attached another pipe,
which conveys the purified gas to a moveable gasometer (provided with suit-
able pipes), in which works a piston, for the purpose of compressing the gas
previous to its being consumed, & for other purposes. On the cover of the
gasometer is fixed a stuffing box, through which works the piston rod. Attached
to the top of the latter is a reservoir of water, the quantity of which can be
regulated, and answers the purpose of compressing the gas by its weight.
There are also counterweights connected to the piston rod by a chain passing
over pullies fixed to a suitable standard, by which the pressure of the gas
further regulated and controlled.
is
Secondly, in improved methods & apparatus for distilling, separating, and
rectifying the various products obtained by the aforesaid process, and which
consists of a circular or other shaped retort, provided at one end with a man-
hole, a pipe to admit the matters to be operated upon, another pipe leading
upwards for conveying away the gases and other products, and one at the
It
bottom to carry the liquid and the denser matters into proper reservoirs.
is also provided with a level tube. This retort is set in brickwork flues of
suitable construction, so that it may be equally heated. The heat from the
furnaces through openings made in a brick or other base upon
which the retort rests. Under the turnuce is at of water intended to
increase the draught. The chimney or shaft is furnished with a damper to
regulate the heat. The gases or essential vapours as they are generated press
by the upper pipe to suitable condensers. This pipe has a glass vessel attached
to it, by which the color of the vapors or liquids drawn over may be examined.
There are two condensers or coolers, one being placed in a reservoir of water
of suitable construction, in which a constant supply of cold water is main-

page_text: tained. By this means the vapors are condensed, & the height of the liquid
so obtained in the condenser can be seen, by a pipe placed externally on its
side. They are both provided with proper inlet and escape pipes for removing
the products. The former is provided with a pipe which leads upwards to a
gas apparatus, for condensing the lighter vapours and essences.
Thirdly, in improved apparatus or means for distilling essential, mineral, and
other oils. It is composed of a cylindrical retort of copper or other substance,
set in brickwork, and surrounded by a flue, so that the heat may be equally
distributed to the retort. In one modification of my apparatus I surround the
flue leading to the shaft or chimney with a reservoir containing the matter to
be distilled, which becomes heated previously to being introduced in the
retort, & thus economising the heat from the furnace. These upright cylin-
drical retorts have each two or more tubes or pipes attached to them, placed at
such positions that as the density of the distilled vapours vary, they may all be
conducted to the condenser, the lighter passing by the upper pipe, & so on,
according to their specific gravity. The condensing vessel is surrounded with
water contained in another vessel, provided with stop-cocks, & set on brick-
work. The condensed essences, oils, & other compounds are drawn from the
condenser by turning a stop-cock.
It will be seen from the above arrangements, which may be modified
according to circumstances, that owing to the animal, vegetable, and other
matters being exposed to the action of an equable degree of heat, the essential
oils, spirits, vapors, &c. are drawn over purer than by the usual process, and
empyreuma prevented.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent, filed
by the said Etienne Jules Lafond and Count Louis Alfred de Chatau-
villard, in the Great Seal Patent Office on the 28th November 1855.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, we, ETIENNE
JULES LAFOND, Engineer, and Count LOUIS ALFRED DE CHATAUVILLARD, of
Belleville, near Paris, France, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her Letters
Patent, bearing date the Twenty-ninth day of May, in the year of our Lord
One thousand eight hundred and fifty-five, in the eighteenth year of Her
reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant unto us,
the said Etienue Jules Lafond and Count Louis Alfred de Chatauvillard,
Her special license, that we, the said Etienne Jules Lafond and Count Louis

page_text: Alfred de Chatauvillard, our executors, administrators, and assigns, or such
others as we, the said Etienne Jules Lafond and Count Louis Alfred de
Chatauvillard, our executors, administrators, and assigns, should at any time
agree with, and no others, from time to time and at all times thereafter
during the term therein expressed, should and lawfully might make, use,
exercise, and vend, within the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland,
the Channel Islands, and Isle of Man, an Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN
THE PROCESSES OP AND APPARATUS FOR TREATING MINERAL, ANIMAL, AND VEGETABLE
MATTERS FOR OBTAINING OILS, ESSENCES, PARAPPINE, AND OTHER SIMILAR PRODUCTS,"
upon the condition (aniongst others) that we, the said Etienne Jules Lafond
and Count Louis Alfred de Chatauvillard, by an instrument in writing under
our hands and seals, or under the hand and seal of one of us, should particu-
larly describe and ascertain the nature of the said Invention, and in what
manner the same was to be performed, and cause the same to be filed in the
Great Seal Patent Office within six calendar months next and immediately
after the date of the said Letters Patent.
NOW KNOW YE, that we, the said Etienne Jules Lafond and Count
Louis Alfred de Chatauvillard, do hereby declare the nature of our said
Invention, and in what manner the same is to be performed, to be particularly
described and ascertained in and by the following statement thereof, reference
being had to the Drawings hereto annexed, and to the figures and letters
marked thereon, that is to say:-
Our Invention relates to improved apparatus for carbonising and distilling
animal, vegetable, and mineral substances for obtaining oils, essences, paraffine,
and other similar products. And in order that the Invention may be fully
understood, we will proceed to describe the Drawings hereto annexed.
CARBONISATION.
Figure 1, Sheet 1, apparatus for carbonising in partial section. A, A, A,
furnace; B, base of the furnace; C, ash-pit; D, fire bars; E, fire-place; F,
smoke flues; G, arched flue over the retort; II, H, H, chimney; I, register;
J, J, J, J, J, retort; K, cover of the retort; L, cross bar, by means of which
and the two pressure screws the cover K of the retort is adjusted; M, M, M, M,
tank or internal retort to receive the substances to be calcined, and which is
perforated with small holes for the passage of liquid substances; N, N, N, pipe
to convey the liquid substances from the tank M to the receiver O, which
receives the liquids from the retort and tank; Q, Q, Q, Q, elbow pipe fastened
to the retort with a bent tube, which dips into the first washing or purifying
vessel, and gives passage to the gas which is disengaged during the calcination;

page_text: V, V, two purifying vessels half filled with water to wash the gas; they are pro-
vided with bent tubes R and S, for the circulation of the gas from the first
tube Q, and which, after being washed three times, is introduced into the gaso-
meter B', placed at the end; T, T, funnels for introducing water into the
interior, the ends of which are closed by means of a stop-cock.; the covers of
the receivers are secured to the sides by means of screws; U, U, stop-cocks
for drawing off the purifying waters; B', moveable gasometer, with a piston for
containing the gas. This gasometer serves to compress the gas, and reduce its
volume to one half. Its contents are exhausted by the pressure of a piston C,
in order to make the gas ascend as high as necessary for feeding the burners.
A, cock; B', gasometer; C, sliding piston, moving up and down according to
the quantity of gas contained in the gasometer; D, cover of the gasometer;
E, E, pipe to allow of the escape of the gas, which may introduce itself above
the piston, and prevent its rising to its place, so that the gas which may find its
way above is driven into the pipe E by the piston itself when it rises, and
re-introduces itself into the inside of the gasometer by the opening made under-
neath, to which is joined the pipe E, E; G, G, support & stuffing box for the
piston rod; H', reservoir of water, sand, &c., with funnel and cock, to regulate
the pressure of the piston; I', I', I', chain pullies; J, plate; and K, weights to
regulate the movement of the piston, and the charge placed in the reservoir
H' is also counterbalanced; L, standard for supporting the piston, &c.
Figure 2, horizontal section of the above piston.
Figure S, transverse section of one of the moveable tanks M, M, to receive
the substances to be carbonized.
Figure 4, end view in section of the tank M. To take the carbonised
matters from the retort, the cover K of the retort is removed by means of a
handle X, and afterwards the tank M, M, M, is drawn out. The retort and
its contents are immediately put in a vessel hermetically closed.
Figure 5, a and b, representing one of the horizontal sections of the cross
bar L of the retort, and one of the ears J, in which is fixed the cross bar which
forms the fastening of the cover of the boiler.
DISTILLATION.
DESCRIPTION OF THE APPARATUS AND FURNACE INTENDED TO SEPARATE AND
RECTIFY THE VARIOUS PRODUCTS OBTAINED BY THE ABOVE DESCRIBED
PROCESS.
Figure 6, Sheet 2, vertical section of the furnace. A, A, A, A, part of the

page_text: porting the retort; H, H, H, passages conducting the heat and smoke round
the retort, which afterwards ascends into the space above, and escape by the
chimney; I, I, brick arch above the retort; J, J, smoke flue; L. reserved space
above the retort to concentrate the heat before it introduces itself into the
flues J, J; M, M, register; N, water trough, to be constantly full of water, in
order to promote the draught of the fire-place; O, body of the retort, with
three openings, one man-hole in the centre, one to indicate the level of the
liquids, and the third for their introduction; P, elbow pipe, with flanges;
Q, cock serving to discharge the retort of the sediments contained therein
after distillation; Q.pipe, being a passage for leading the substances into the
brick reservoir R; S, S, S, S, S, curved tubes fixed on the retort O, by means
of a flange and bolts; T, T, pipe to introduce the substances into the retort;
U, level tube provided with a cock, and fastened to the retort O by bolts;
V, cover of the man-hole; X, end-of a moveable tube, provided with several
elbow pipes and cocks, intended for the passage of the liquids which aro
disengaged from the retort O, and which afterwards ascend into the curved
tube S, S, S, S, S, and then run into coolers arranged for that purpose; this
part of the pipe X is screwed to the pipes S by a connecting pipe Y,
which gives a passage to the essences and light oils; Z, Z, tube provided with
a cock, giving passage to the thick oils and soft substances which disengage
themselves at the end of the distillation; a, cooler with two pipes b and c, c;
the pipe b with a glass tube d, in which is fixed the cock D' of the pipes X
and Y, allowing the colour of the essential liquids which run through the glass
tube d to be seen; e, e, cover of the cooler, closed in the middle in order to
allow a sufficient quantity of water to remain on it for cooling; f.f.f.f, reservoir
composed of sheet iron, into which the cooler a is introduced; this reservoir is
intended to cool the substances which run into this cooler; g, cock to draw off
the heated water, and replace it by the pipe h, h, with fresh water coming from
reservoir s; i, tube to indicate the level of the liquid contained in the reservoir;
j.j. cock which gives a passage to the liquid contained in the reservoir a;
1, cock to draw off entirely the liquids contained in the cooler a, and which
afterwards fall into the basin m; n, n, brickwork; O, cooler receiving the
thick oils and soft substances which run off after the distillation of the essential
oils by the pipe X and the cock Z, provided with a pipe fixed in the elbow pipe
of the cover of the cooler O; p, elbow pipe and part of the bent pipe fixed to
the cover of the cooler, and giving passage to the air and to the vapours which
become disengaged from the said cooler; q. cock serving to draw off the
liquids contained in the cooler; r, r, solid brickwork; S, reservoir of cold
water, to cool the water in the reservoir f.f.f.f, of Figure 2; S', gasometer

page_text: receiving the gas which escapes from the cooler a by the tube and the elbow
pipe c, c; the object of this gasometer is to collect the volatile essences mixed
with the gases; the tube c is fixed to the gasometer s¹, by means of flanges
and bolts; t, cock to draw off the essences of vapours which are condensed in
the gasometer; u, u, safety tube placed over the middle of the opening of the
gasometer, giving passage to the gas and vapour when in too great quantity.
Figure 7, Sheet 3, plan and section of the receivers G.
Figures 8 and 9, retort placed in the furnace of Figure 1, designated by
the letter O; p, elbow pipe for letting out the bitumen after distillation, and
receiving the cock and pipe q, q; 8, elbow pipe receiving the swan neck and
the pipes, giving passage to the essences, gas, and oils which are distilled.
Figure 10, vertical section, shewing the front of the retort on the back of
the furnace. 6 represents a reservoir; 7, a cock; 8, a pipe serving to
introduce in the retort the substances to be distilled; T, stop-cock raised to a
certain height when required.
Figure 11, Sheet 4, front view in partial section of the furnace.
DISTILLATION OF ESSENTIAL, MINERAL, AND OTHER OILS..
Figure 12, Sheet 4, vertical section of the furnace and apparatus to distil the
substances obtained by the first distillation of the retort of Figure 4. A, A, A,
A, A, A, generating retort placed vertically in the furnace; the heat of the
furnace first heats the lower part, then passes by a flue, which surrounds it
from top to bottom, and then goes out by the chimney; B, funnel on the
cock C, and the elbow pipe of the cover of the retort 1), serving to introduce
the liquids into the retort A; E, E, E, swan-neck pipes, from whence escape
the liquids in distillation, passing by the cock F, the glass tube G, the
elbow pipe H, and afterward falling into the cooler I, in the same way as
already described in Figure 4; J, J, J, J, pipe and cock. This pipe gives
passage to the liquids which are too heavy to ascend as far as the swan's
neck E, E, E; thus are obtained separately two kinds of essential liquids,
heavy and light; K, K, pipe and cock, serving to extract the solid residues
from the distillation; L, fire-place; M, grate; N, ash-pit; 0, water tank;
P, P, P, P, support of the furnace in brick; Q, Q, Q, Q, flues for the heat
surrounding the boiler; R, R, and S, S, S, S, bars to maintain the body of the
furnace together; T, base of the furnace; U, U, bolts uniting the cover to
the retort.
Figure 13, horizontal section of the furnace, allowing the retort A of the
heating flues to be seen. All the pieces are indicated by the same letters

page_text: the three pipes 1, 2, and 3 of this apparatus dip into three glass funnels
placed separately in the cover of a cooling reservoir indicated by letter H.
this cooler as well as the condensing reservoir is precisely the same as that
already described. I, cock to draw off from H the essence or spirits every
tine that the quality changes in distillation; three separate reservoirs receive
the essences which come out from the three escape pipes; J, elbow pipe with
cock K fixed to the bottom of the retort to draw off the residue which cannot
ascend as far as the first pipe G, G; L, L, pipe with cock K conveying the
substances to the basin or reservoir M; this reservoir must be covered when
the liquid escapes in a state of ebullition; N, N, reservoir, giving passage to
the chimney, the whole length of which it crosses. This reservoir is of the
same capacity as the retort A, A, A, which is filled with the liquid to be
distilled; this allows of the waste beat of the fire-place to be turned to account
for heating these liquids and producing constant supply, and consequently
little stoppage in the process of distillation; before beginning the distillation
the cock 0, 0, 0, is opened, to give passage to the liquids to fill the retort,
which, when heated, effects the first distillation of the light essences; after-
wards, after having allowed the residue to run off, the reservoir is to be filled
again by opening first the cock Q. giving passage to the liquid, which then
falls into the funnel R, and thence into the reservoir N; P, Q, R, pipe, cock,
and funnel to introduce the liquids into the reservoir N; S, air hole placed on
the cover of the reservoir N; T, T, body of the furnace; U, U, U, U, furnace
in brick; V, V, body of chimney and shaft; X, chinney composed of sheet
iron; Y, heating flue surrounding the retort A, A, A; Z, smoke flue; a,
register; b, fire-place; c, grating; d, ash-pit; e, water tank filled with water
to facilitate the draught of the fire-place.
And having now described the nature of our said Invention, we wish it to
be understood that we do not confine ourselves to the precise details herein
laid down; but what we claim is,―
Firstly, the combination of apparatus and processes for the extraction from
vegetable, mineral, or animal matters, and more particularly from turf, of
primary products applicable to various useful purposes, as herein-before
described, and referred to in the Figures of Drawing I.
Secondly, the apparatus and processes for treating the said products, and
obtaining therefrom rectified matters, applicable more particularly to lighting.
and heating, as herein-before described, and referred to in the Figures of
Drawing I. & II.
Thirdly, the apparatus and processes for the distillation of mineral, essential,

page_text: and other oils, as herein-before described, and referred to in the Figures of
Drawing II., IV., & V.
Fourthly, the apparatus for the rectification of light essences and spirits, as
herein-before described, and referred to in the Figures of Drawing VI.
In witness whereof, I, the said Etienne Jules Lafond, have hereunto set
my hand and seal, this Twenty-second day of November, in the year
of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and fifty-five.
ETIENNE JULES LAFOND. (L.S.)