IMPROVEMENTS IN PURIFYING OR TREATING ALCOHOLIC LIQUIDS, AND IN APPARATUS THEREFOR."
Year: 1877

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Daniel McFarlane, of Glasgow, in the County of Lanark,
North Britain, for the Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN PURIFYING OR TREATING
ALCOHOLIC LIQUIDS, AND IN APPARATUS THEREFOR."
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Daniel McFarlane at the Office
of the Commissioners of Patents on the 19th February 1877.
DANIEL MCFARLANE, of Glasgow, in the County of Lanark, North Britain. "IM-
PROVEMENTS IN PURIFYING OR TREATING ALCOHOLIC LIQUIDS, AND IN APPARATUS
THEREFOR."
This Invention has for its object the purifying of alcoholic liquids or the treating
of such liquids in such a manner as to remove the volatile ethers, essences, oils, or
impurities which impart harsh and unpleasant flavors and odours to new alcoholic
liquids as hitherto commonly manufactured, and on account of which it is ordinarily
necessary for such liquids to be aged or stored for a long time before being used,
in order that they may become mellowed and be spontaneously freed from the
objectionable flavors and odours.
One part of the present Invention consists in passing air through the alcoholic
liquid by means of a revolving distributor immersed in the liquid, and which
consists of two or more tubular arms projecting in straight or curved directions
from, a central vertical tubular shaft which is connected to a pump or other suitable
air forcing apparatus. The orifices for the issue of the air from the tubular arms of
the distributor are placed so that the reaction of the issuing air jets causes the
distributor to rotate, and the motion thus produced not only causes the air bubbles
to rise through different parts of the liquid in succession, but also stirrs the liquid,
and altogether insures a complete and uniform distribution of the air throughout the
liquid.
This apparatus may be used to treat an alcoholic liquid taken at any stage of its
manufacture subsequent to the commencement of the distillation, a liquid taken at
any early stage being subjected to distillation or rectification after the treatment
with air, and being treated with air a second time or oftener if found necessary or

page_text: desirable. Alcoholic liquids may also be treated by the Invention at any time after
their manufacture.
The distributor is arranged to work in a closed vessel, and the air after it has
passed through the liquid is led through refrigerating or condensing apparatus so as
to retain any alcohol that may be carried up by it; or the air may be further
utilised, as herein-after described, before reaching the refrigerating or condensing
apparatus.
In carrying out the Invention it is preferred to combine the process and apparatus
(herein-before described with the process and apparatus) described in a Provisional
Specification relative to an earlier application for Letters Patent made by the
present applicant on 27 January 1877 (No. 357). It will in general be convenient
to employ two vessels, each having a rotating air distributor in combination with
one dripping column, so that the distributor may be in action in one vessel whilst
the other vessel is being filled. The air after passing through the liquid in one
or other of the vessels is led to the bottom of the dripping column, and operates
therein as described in the earlier Provisional Specification herein-before referred to.
Quite distinct quantities of liquid may be operated on in the dripping column and
air distributor vessels, or the liquid dripping down the column may pass thence to
one of the air distributor vessels, or vice versa.
According to another part of the present Invention steam is to be employed in
combination with or instead of air for acting on alcoholic liquids, such steam being
used either in apparatus of the kind described in the earlier Provisional Specification
herein-before referred to, or in apparatus described herein-before. Or the steam
may be blown from stationary perforated pipes (instead of from a revolving dis-
tributor) through the alcoholic liquid contained in a closed vessel fitted with pipes
or passages to lead the vapors disengaged by the steam to a refrigerator or con-
denser. Or the alcoholic liquid may be made to fall in a shower through a vessel
or chamber through which the steam is passed.
When the steam is made to act on alcoholic-liquids of the maximum strength
obtained as the final product of the ordinary distilling processes, any part of the
steam that is condensed will simply contribute to the reduction usually required to
make the alcoholic liquid of the proper commercial strength.
In some cases it will be advantageous to reduce the alcoholic liquid by the
addition of water previously to treating it with air or steam.
Another improvement consists in introducing alkalies or alkaline earths for the
purpose of effecting the separation of oils, or glycerides, or fatty or other acids at a
suitable part of the commonly used Coffey distilling column. The introduction is
effected by means of a siphon, and at a point near the middle height of the column,
where it is found that the impurities referred to are most easily attacked.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent filed
by the said Daniel McFarlane in the Great Seal Patent Office on the 15th
August 1877.
DANIEL MCFARLANE, of Glasgow, in the County of Lanark, North Britain. "IM-
PROVEMENTS IN PURIFYING OR TREATING ALCOHOLIC LIQUIDS; AND IN APPARATUS
THEREFOR."
"
My said Invention has for its object the purifying of alcoholic liquids, or the
treating of such liquids in such a manner as to remove the volatile ethers, essences,
oils, or impurities which impart harsh and unpleasant flavors and odours to new
alcoholic liquids as hitherto commonly manufactured, and on account of which it is
ordinarily necessary for such liquids to be aged or stored for a long time before
being used, in order that they may become mellowed and be spontaneously freed.
from the objectionable flavors and odours..

page_text: One part of my present Invention consists in passing air through the alcoholic
liquid by means of a revolving distributor of the kind shown upon the appended
Sheet of explanatory Drawings. This revolving distributor, which when in
operation is immersed in the alcoholic liquid, consists of two or more tubular arms 41
projecting in straight or curved directions from the lower part of a central vertical
tubular shaft 42 which is connected to a pump or other suitable air-forcing apparatus.
This vertical shaft is supported on a footstep bearing 43 fixed on the bottom of a
cylindrical vessel 44 containing the liquid, and which vessel is closed, the cover
being provided with a collar bearing 45 for the upper end of the shaft 42, to the
top of which bearing 43 the pipe 40 for leading the air into the vertical shaft is
fixed. The tubular arms 41 are forined with orifices for the issue of the air, which
orifices are placed on one side of each arm and on the saine sides of all the arms
relatively to the same direction of rotation, so that the reaction of the issuing air
jets causes the distributor to rotate, and the motion thus produced not only causes
the air bubbles to rise through different parts of the liquid in succession, but also
stirs the liquid, and altogether insures a complete and uniform distribution of the
air throughout the liquid.
This apparatus may be used to treat an alcoholic liquid taken at any stage of its
manufacture subsequent to the commencement of the distillation, a liquid taken at
any early stage being subjected to distillation or rectification after the treatment
with air a second time, or oftener if found necessary or desirable. Alcoholic liquids
may also be treated in accordance with my present Invention at any time after their
manufacture.
The distributor 41, 42, is, as already mentioned, arranged to work in a closed
vessel 44, and the air after it has passed through the liquid is led off by a pipe 47
and through refrigerating or condensing apparatus (23) so as to retain any alcohol
that may be carried up by it. Or the air after passing through the liquid inthe
vessel 44 may be further utilised, as herein-after described, before reaching. the
refrigerating or condensing apparatus (23).
In carrying out my present Invention I prefer to combine the process and
apparatus herein-before described with the process and apparatus described and
delineated in the Specification of Letters Patent granted to me, and dated 27 January
1877 (No. 357). It will in general be convenient to employ two vessels 44, 48, as
shown in the accompanying Drawing, each having a rotating air distributor 41, 42,
(although the second one is not seen in the Drawing), the second vessel 48 being
shown in elevation, whilst the other vessel 44 is shown in vertical section), these
two vessels being in combination with one dripping column 13, 14, so that the dis-
tributor may be in action in one vessel 44 for example, whilst the other vessels 48
is being filled with liquid, and vice versa. The air after passing through the liquid
in one or other of the vessels 44, 48, is led by the pipe 47 to the bottom part 14 of
the dripping column, and operates therein, as described in my earlier Specification
herein-before referred to. Quite distinct quantities of liquid may be operated on in
the dripping column, and in the air distributor vessels 44, 48; or the liquid dripping
down the column may pass thence to one of the vessels 44, 48, or vice versa. In
the Drawing the pipe 6 leading the liquid from the dripping column is shown as
connected to a double branch pipe 49 connected to the two vessels 44, 48, and fitted
with a stop-cock for each vessel. A double branch pipe 50 fitted with stop-cocks is
also shown for leading the liquid away from the vessels, and is connected to a single
pipe 51. The pipe 47 for leading the air from the air distributor vessels to the
dripping column is double branched, and fitted with a stop-cock for each vessel, and
in a similar way the air for operating in the apparatus and proceeding from a Root's
blower or other suitable air forcing apparatus by a pipe 18 has access by a double
branch pipe 46 fitted with two stop-cocks to the vertical shafts 42 of the air
distributors.
According to another part of my present Invention I employ steam in combi-
nation with or instead of air for acting on alcoholic liquids, such steam being used
either in apparatus of the kind described in my earlier Specification herein-before

page_text: referred to, or in apparatus described herein-before. Or the steam may be blown
from stationary perforated pipes (instead of from a revolving distributor) through
the alcoholic liquid contained in a closed vessel fitted with pipes or passages to lead
the vapors disengaged by the steam or steam and air to a refrigerator or condenser;
or the alcoholic liquid may be made to fall in a shower through a vessel or chamber
through which the steam or mixture of steam and air is passed.
When the steam is made to act on alcoholic liquids of the maximum strength
obtained as the final product of the ordinary distilling processes, any part of the
steam that is condensed will simply contribute to the reduction usually required to
make the alcoholic liquid of the proper commercial strength.
In some cases it will be advantageous to reduce the alcoholic liquid by the
addition of water previously to treating with air or steam.
Another improvement consists in introducing alkalies or alkaline earths for the
purpose of effecting the separation of oils, or glycerides, or fatty or other acids at a
suitable part of the commonly used Coffey distilling column. The introduction is
effected by means of a siphon, and at a point near the middle height of the column,
where it is found that the impurities referred to are most easily attacked.
Having thus particularly described my said Invention and the manner of per-
forming the same, I have to state that I do not restrict myself to the precise details
herein described or delineated; but that what I believe to be novel and original,
and claim as the Invention secured to me by the herein-before in part recited
Letters Patent is,-
1. The passing of air through alcoholic liquid by means of a revolving distributor,
arranged substantially in the manner and for the purposes herein-before described.
2. The passing of steam or steam and air combined through or in contact with
alcoholic liquid, substantially in the manner and for the purposes herein-before
described.
3. The introducing of alkalies or alkaline earths into a still or distilling column,
substantially in the manner and for the purposes herein-before described.
In witness whereof, I, the said Daniel McFarlane, have hereunto set my hand
and seal, this Seventh day of August, in the year of our Lord One thousand
eight hundred and seventy-seven.
Witness,
EDMUND HUNT,
Patent Agent,
Glasgow.
DANL. MCFARLANE. (L.S.)