IMPROVED MEANS OF STORING AND TRANSPORTING MINERAL OILS AND THE AS PETROLEUM, KEREOSINE, BENZINE, NAPHTA, AND PRODUCTS THEREOF, OTHERS.
Year: 1875

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to William Grunc, Chemist, of Berlin, in the
Kingdom of Prussia, Empire of Germany, for the Invention of
"IMPROVED MEANS OF STORING AND TRANSPORTING MINERAL OILS AND THE
AS PETROLEUM, KEREOSINE, BENZINE, NAPHTA, AND
PRODUCTS THEREOF,
OTHERS.
"
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said William Grune at the
Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on the
20th November.1875.
for "
I, WILLIAM GRUNE, Chemist, of Berlin, in the Kingdom of Prussia,
Empire of Germany, do hereby declare the nature of the said Invention
IMPROVED MEANS OF STORING AND TRANSPORTING MINERAL OILS AND, THE
PRODUCTS THEREOF, AS PETROLEUM, KEREOSINE, BENZINE, NAPHTA, AND OTHERS,”
to be as follows:-
The dangers arising from the transport and the storing of mineral oils
and the products thereof, as petroleum, kerosine, benzine, naphtha, and.
others, find their origin in the volatile state of these oils through which.

page_text: they can spread in all directions, evaporate, and in contact with fire give
occasion to explosions and conflagrations when the vessels containing
the liquid leak or burst. To avoid this I deprive the above mentioned
substances of their liquid state, mixing them with infusoric silicic, that
is to say, the silicic acid consisting of the shells of animalculae or
imbibing the latter with them.
A quite insignificant increase of volume enables me to mix'two parts
of oil with one part of this material to transform the liquid into a solid
body, so that it becomes possible to transport the oils in the lightest
packing, and that a leakage never can take place. The evaporation of
the volatile-oils is thereby reduced to a minimum, so that any explosion
is out of the question even when ignited.
To turn the volatile oils into their original liquid state I simply pour
water on them, the affinity of the substance being greater for water than
to the oils, the latter now separate unchanged and gather on the surface,
as they are of lighter specific weight. By simply regulating the
quantity of water it is easy to have at any time a certain required
quantity of the volatile oil in liquid form, while the rest remains stored
without danger. The employed infosoric silicic after all oil is separated
from it is to be dried and can be used again.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent,
filed by the said William Grune in the Great Seal Patent Office
on the 20th May 1876.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, WILLIAM
GRUNE, Chemist, of Berlin, in the Kingdom of Prussia, Empire of
Germany, send greeting.
.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her
Letters Patent, bearing date the Twentieth day of November, in the
year of our. Lord One thousand eight hundred and seventy-five, in
the thirty-ninth year of Her reign, did, for Herself; Her heirs and
successors, give and grant unto me, the said William Grune, Her special
licence that I, the said William Grune, my executors, administrators,
and assigns, or such others as I; the said William Grune, my executors,
administrators, and assigns, should at any time agree with, and no

page_text: 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 for "IMPROVED MEANS OF
5 STORING AND TRANSPORTING MINERAL OILS AND THE PRODUCTS THEREOF, AS
PETROLEUM, KEREOSINE, BENZINE, Naphtha, and otHERS," upon the condition
(amongst others) that I, the said William Grune, my executors or
administrators, by an instrument in writing under my, or their, or one
of their hands and seals, should particularly describe and ascertain the
O 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 I, the said William Grunc, do hereby declare
the nature of my said Invention, and in what manner the same is to
be performed, to be particularly described and ascertained in and by the
following statement :—.
The dangers arising from the transport and the storing of mineral oils
and the products thereof, as petroleum, kerosene, benzine, naphtha, and
others, have their origin in the volatile state of these oils through which
they can spread in all directions, evaporate, and in contact with fire
cause explosions and conflagrations when the vessels containing the
liquid leak or burst. To avoid this danger I change the condition of the
above mentioned substances, so that they are no longer liquid, by mixing
them with infusoric silicic, that is to say, the silicic acid consisting of
the shells of animalculae, or containing the latter with them.
A very insignificant increase of volume enables me to mix two parts.
of oil with one part of this material to transform the liquid into a solid
body, so that, it will be possible to transport the oils in the lightest
packing, and in such a manner that leakage never can take place. The
evaporation of the volatile oils is thereby reduced to a minimum, so that
an explosion is impossible even when the material is ignited.
To restore the volatile oils to their original liquid state I simply pour
water on them, the affinity of the substance being greater for water
than for the oils, the latter now separate unchanged and gather on the
surface as they are of the least specific gravity or weight. By simply

page_text: regulating the quantity of water, it is easy to have at any time a certain
required quantity: of the volatile oil in a liquid form, while the
remainder is kept stored without danger. The infusoric silicic employed
after all oil is separated from it is to be dried and may be used again.
WILLIAM GRÜNE. (L.S.)