Improvements in the Method of and Apparatus for Brightening and Clarifying Crude Oils.
Year: 1896

page_text: This Print is in accordance with the Original Specification as it stands after
Amendment (under Section 11 of the Patents, &c. Act, 1883) as required by
the decision of the Chief Examiner of the 2nd day of April 1898.
Date of Application, 18th Nov., 1896
Complete Specification Left, 18th Aug., 1897-Accepted, 9th Oct., 1897
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in the Method of and Apparatus for Brightening and
Clarifying Crude Oils.
We, WILLIAM ROBERT HARRISON, of Paragon Chambers, Paragon Street,
Consulting Engineer, and EnwIN STEPHENSON, of 3, Withernsea Street, Oil
Refiner, both in Hull, in the County of Yorkshire, do hereby declare the nature
of this invention to be as follows:-
The object of our invention is to provide improved apparatus and means for
brightening and clarifying crude oils, whereby a great saving of time and expense
is effected, and at the same time a larger percentage of brightened oil is obtained.
For the purpose of our invention, we employ, preferably two cylindrical or
other suitably shaped tanks, of the desired capacity, the one being placed above
the other in such a position that the base of the upper one is conveniently above
the top of the lower one.
Each of these tanks is open at the top, and within each is placed, upon a
vertical spindle, a cone made of metal or any suitable material, and having
preferably, a roughened, fluted, or corrugated face.
The spindles upon which these cones turn, are each supported by suitably
placed bearings, and can he made to revolve at a high rate of speed, by means
of belting, bevel wheels, or other suitable driving gear. Above each cone, we
place a suitable perforated coil or rose, preferably circular, with the perforations
so arranged, that the oil as it is forced through them is squirted in drops upon
the face of the cone, which revolving at a great speed, throws it off again in fine
spray, by this means, as the oil falls into the tank it becomes aerated, and is freed
from the moisture it previously contained, and hence is brightened and clarified.
We connect the aforesaid coil or rose, by means of piping, with a centrifugal
or other form of oil pump, the coil or rose of the lower tank, being connected
with the upper tank, by means of piping, having a stop cock on it, which is
actuated by a lever connected by any suitable means to a float in the lower tank,
the action of such stop cock is rendered automatic should the pump fail.
We also connect the lower tank by means of piping with the said oil pump.
Near the bottom of each tank, we place any suitable number of coils, heated by
dry steam, with suitable inlet, and outlet connections, for the purpose of heating
the oil contained in the tanks, up to the required temperature.
Upon the delivery piping from the pump to the rose or coil in the top tank,
we fix a branch pipe, having on it a stop cock, and just above the branch, we
place another stop cock, so that the oil when sufficiently clarified and brightened,
by being passed continuously over the revolving cones in the upper and lower

page_text: tanks, can then be conducted away through the branch pipe, into the service
tanks, ready for immediate use. In place of employing the cones in the tanks,
we may mount a shallow screen over each tank, having its bottom covered with
fiue gauze, and over such screen, we place a perforated pipe or coil, which
discharges the oil in drops upon the bottom of the screen, and the gauge of which
the screen bottom is composed, breaks up the drops into fine particles, as these
fall some distance before reaching the tank, the moisture previously contained
in the oil is thus removed, and the oil becomes brightened and clarified.
In each of the above methods, we use preferably two tanks, but the same
principal can be employed with one, two, three, or more tanks, the arrangement
of piping, pumps, cocks, and the like, being similar in each plant.
Dated this Seventeenth day of November 1896.
JOHN E. WALSH,
Savile Street, Hull, aud Crossley Street, Halifax,
Patent Agent for the Applicants.
Improvements in the Method of and Apparatus for Brightening and
Clarifying Crude Oils.
We, WILLIAM ROBERT HARRISON, of Paragon Chambers, Paragon Street,
Consulting Engineer, and EDWIN STEPHENSON, of 3, Withernsea Street, Oil
Refiner, both in Hull, in the County of Yorkshire, do hereby declare the naturo
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:-
The object of our invention, is to provide improved apparatus and means for
brightening and clarifying crude oils, whereby a great saving of time and expense
is effected, and at the same time a larger percentage of brightened oil is obtained.
DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS.
Fig. 1 is a view of our improved apparatus, partly in section, showing cones
for breaking up the oil into particles and aerating it, by this means brightening
or clarifying crude or the like oils.
For the purpose of our invention, we employ preferably two tanks of suitable
capacity A, A, the one being placed above the other in such relative positions
that the base of the upper one is conveniently above the top of the lower one.
Each of these tanks is open at the top, and within each is placed, upon a vortical
spindle B B', a cone C C, made of metal or any other suitable material, and
having preferably a roughened, fluted, or corrugated face.
The vertical spindles B B, upon which these cones are fixed are each supported
by suitably placed bearings D D, and are made to revolve at a high rate of speed
by means of preferably a halfturn driving helt E E, or by means of bevel wheels,
or any other suitable driving gear.
Just above euch cone is placed a perforated coil or rose F, but preferably
a circular coil, with the perforations so arranged, that the oil as it is forced
through them is squirted in drops upon the roughened, fluted, or corrugated face
of the cone, which revolving at a very high rate of speed, throws it off again in
fine spray, by this means, the oil as it falls into the tank is nerated, and also freed
from the moisture it previously contained, and hence is brightened and clarified.
Near the bottom of each tank, we place one, two, or more coils G G G, heated

page_text: by dry steam, and provided with suitable inlet and outlet connections, for the
purpose of heating the oil contained in the tanks up to the required temperature.
The aforesaid inlet connections are run to the boiler, or a supply pipe from
whence the steam is supplied to the coils.
We connect the upper coil or rose for supplying the oil, that is the coil F in
the top tank, by means of piping H H H, with a centrifugal or other form of oil
pump J, and we connect the lower coil, that is the coil in the bottom tank,
with the upper tank A, by means of piping K, having a stop-cock M in it; this
stop-cock being actuated by a lever L connected to a float N, in the lower tank,
by means of a vertical rod or spear O, this renders the action of the stop cock
automatic and regulates the height of the oil in the lower tank A¹.
We also connect the lower tank by means of piping P, with the suction
opening of the oil pump J.
Upon the delivery piping from the pump to the upper coil, we fix a branch
pipe Q, having on it a stop cock S, so that the oil when sufficiently clarified and
brightoned by being continuously passed over the revolving cones in the upper
and lower tanks, can then be conducted away through the branch pipe Q into
the service tanks, ready for immediate use.
In the above method, we use preferably two tanks, the drawings showing a
double plant, but the same principle can be employed with one, two, three or
more tanks, the arrangement of piping, pumps, cocks and the like, being similar
in each plant.
In each plant the oil is pumped up from the supply tanks by means of the
centrifugal or other pump J, the tanks A and A' being so arranged that oil from
the upper one can gravitate into the lower one if desired, and by means of the
said pump and the arrangement of piping K, P and H, the oil can be passed over
the revolving cones CC, in the upper and lower tanks A A' as often as desired,
until such oil is thoroughly brightened and clarified.
In Fig. 1, one method of obtaining the oil from the supply tanks is shown;
a pipe T being connected to the pipe P, running from the bottom tank A¹ to the
pump J.
This pipe T is provided with cocks V, and W, the cock V being for preventing
the oil passing from the tank A¹ to the pump; when this cock is turned off, the
cock W can be turned on allowing of oil from the supply tanks fitted in the ground
or other suitable position, being led to the pump J for supplying the tank A, and
as the operation proceeds, to the tank A' also, which it enters through pipe K.
By turning off the cock W, and turning on the cock V, the oil passes out of the
bottom tauk A to the pump J, and can be passed up pipe H for treatment again,
or if sufficiently treated it may be passed away to the service tanks through the
pipe Q, by turning off the cock S, and turning on the cock R, which controlls the
passage of the oil to the said pipe Q and service tanks.
A single plant would consist of one tank A provided with a cone or screen B,
rose F', connecting pipe K running direct to pump, J with supply pipe T, connected
thereto, and pipes H and Q also with or without the respective cocks or taps.
We are aware that the method of and means for purifying, brightening, and
clarifying oil by raising it to a height and then letting it drop by the force of
gravitation through one or more sieves of wire gauze, felt, or similar material,
described as a modification in our Provisional Specification, is old, and we make
no general claim thereto.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of this invention
and in what manner the same is to be performed we declare that what we
claim is:-
1. Brightening and clarifying crude oil by passing it on to a revolving cone or
cones such as B B (shown at Fig. 1), which throw or throws such oil off in
particles, thus aerating it and brightening and clarifying it, in the manner and
for the purposes substantially as shown and described.

page_text: 2. The combination of the perforated pipe or pipes, coil or coils, and the
revolving cone or cones, the oil being passed through the pipe or coil on to the
coue or cones which throws it off in particles, in the manner and for the purposes
substantially as shown and described.
3. In a plaut or apparatus for brightening or clarifying crude oil, the com-
bination of a tank or tanks A A', with revolving cone or cones B B', (driven by
any suitable means), perforated pipe or pipes FF, centrifugal or other pump J,
and the arrangement of connecting pipes, cocks, or the like, with or without the
float N, in the manner and for the purposés substantially as shown and described.
Dated thie Sixtoonth done of 100%
JOHN E. WALSH,
Savile Street, Hull, and Crossley Street, Halifax,
Patent Agent for the Applicants.
JOHN E. WALSH,
Savile Street, Hull, and Crossley Street, Halifax,
Patent Agent for the Applicants.