Improvements in or relating to the Maintenance and Regulation of Heat in Distillation, Refining, Chemical Manufacturing Processes, and the like.
Year: 1897

page_text: Date of Application, 7th Oct., 1897
Complete Specification Left, 7th July, 1898-Accepted, 1st Oct., 1898
Improvements in or relating to the Maintenance and Regulation of
Heat in Distillation, Refining, Chemical Manufacturing Processes,
and the like.
I, HUBERT HIGGINS, of 4, Trinity Street, Cambridge, in the County of Cambridge,
Demonstrator of Anatomy to Cambridge University, do hereby declare the nature
of this invention to be as follows:-
It is desirable in certain chemical manufacturing processes, such as the refin-
ing of mineral oils, the extraction of the coal-tar products and certain destructive
processes of distillation of organic materials that high temperature should be
produced, regulated, and maintained.
To attain this end I make use of those fluids, such as toluene or xylene certain
fluids of the aniline series for example which have a higher boiling point than
water. In the choice of such fluids I should prefer to use such that though having
a high boiling point the vapour would not attack the material of the apparatus
within which it is contained, or that does not readily dissociate when its vapour
is heated to a high degree, or if it does dissociate it should not produce any
undesirable or untoward effect such as an explosion for instance...
In the employment of these fluids I make use of a convenient apparatus in
which I can convert them by means of heat into vapour.
.
In the case of a fluid a convenient form of generator is one described in my
Application No. 22019 dated 25th September 1897, in which water from a reservoir
is led through a pipe to the end of which heat is applied so that steady evaporation
proceeds at the end of the pipe at which the water level is maintained by gravitation
from the tank or reservoir: however it will be understood that any other convenient
form of generator may be employed.
The vapour that is thus generated is preferably passed through the superheater
described in my Patent No. 7663 dated 24th March 1897, which consists of a zig-
zag coil that gives a travel of the desired extent to the vapour and which is pro-
vided with openings controlled by valves at various portions of its length, so that
the vapour can be withdrawn at will after a greater or less exposure to the heating
medium, and the temperature thus regulated. The superheater or coil is heated
from any convenient source which may be the same as has been used to generate
the vapour or may be distinct from it.
The vapour is then passed into an air-jacketted chamber containing a retort to
which access can be obtained by suitable means, or the vapour may be introduced
into a chamber in which it is desired to subject certain substances to heat.
After having been introduced into such chambers it can either pass through
others in which it is desired to obtain less heat for any desired purposes or else
it is condensed in a suitable manner and returned to the feed of the generator
herein before described.
I may employ certain solid or semi-solid substances, having similar properties

page_text: to the fluids mentioned herein before, that are automatically delivered into the
vapour-generator, where, after the vapour is generated, it is passed on to the
superheater as herein before described.
Dated this 7th day of October 1897
BOULT & WADE,
Agents for the Applicant.
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
1
Improvements in or relating to the Maintenance and Regulation of
Heat in Distillation, Refining; Chemical Manufacturing Processes,
and the like.
-
I, HUBERT HIGGINS, of 4, Trinity Street, Cambridge, in the County of Cambridge,
Demonstrator of Anatomy 'to Cambridge University, do hereby declares the nature
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:-
*
"It is desirable in certain chemical manufacturing processes, such as refin-
ing of mineral oils, the extraction of the coal-tar products and certain destructive
processes of distillation of organic materials, that high temperature should be
produced, regulated, and maintained.
"
To attain this end I make use of those fluids, such as toluene or xylene certain
fluids of the aniline series for example which have a higher boiling point than
water. In the choice of such fluids I should prefer to use such that, though having
a high boiling point, the vapour would not attack the material of the apparatus
within which it is contained, or that does not readily dissociate when its vapour
is heated to a high degree, or if it does dissociate it should not be liable to produce
any undesirable or untoward effect such as an explosion for instance.
"
In the employment of these fluids I make use of a convenient apparatus in
which I can convert them by means of heat into vapour.
In the case of a flúid a convenient form of generator is one described in my
Application No. 22019 dated 25th September 1897, in which water from a reser-
voir is led through a pipe to the end of which heat is applied so that steady evapor-
ation proceeds at the end of the pipe in which the water level is maintained by
gravitation from the tank or reservoir; however it will be understood that any
ether convenient form of generator may be employed.
The boiling point of the liquid employed may conveniently be such that the
vapour thus generated is of the temperature required for evaporating the material
to be distilled or concentrated, but if necessary the vapour may be superheated,
in which case the superheater employed is preferably that described in my Patent
No. 7663 dated 24th March 1897, which consists of a zigzag coil that gives a travel
of the desired extent to the vapour, and which is provided with openings controlled
by valves at various portions of its length, so that the vapour can be withdrawn
at will after a greater or less exposure to the heating medium, and the temperature
thus regulated. The superheater or coil is heated from any convenient source
which may be the same as has been used to generate the vapour or may be distinct
from it."
The vapour is then passed into an air-jacketted chamber containing a retort to
which access can be obtained by suitable means, or the vapour may be passed
through coils or other arrangement of pipes placed in the chamber within which
it is desired to subject certain substances to heat.
After having been passed through such a chamber the vapour can either be
utilized in a similar manner in others in which it is desired to obtain less hea

page_text: for any desired purposes or else it is condensed in a suitable manner and returned
to the feed tank of the generator.
<
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24117
... j
Instead of fluids I may employ certain solid or semi-solid substances having
similar properties: These are automatically delivered' into the generator, where,
after the vapour is generated, it is employed as hereinbefore described.
A convenient form of apparatus for carrying out this invention is shown
diagrammatically in the accompanying drawings,
Figure 1 showing a complete apparatus, and
Figure an alternative arrangement of the heating chamber.
The vapour generator is of the type described in the Complete Specification of
my Application for a Patent No. 22019 dated 25th September 1897, A being
the feed tank and B the generator which is connected with the chamber C by the
pipe B, the valve B and pipe B³. The pipe B1 is branched to connect with the
superheater D which is of the type described in the Complete Specification of
my Patent 7663 dated 24th March 1897, the exit pipes, controlled by the
valves D¹ Da, being connected with the pipe B. The superheater is shown placed
in the generator flue but may be independently heated if desired.
The body of a retort E is placed within the chamber C in such a manner that
the chamber forms an air-tight jacket to the same. A pipe C leads from the
bottom of the chamber C to the feed-tank A. The feed tank A may be open to the
pressure of the atmosphere, preferably the feed tank A generator E and chamber C
with their connections form a closed circuit.
The method of operation is as follows:-The feed tank A and generator B are
filled with a liquid having a high boiling point up to about the level of the
lines ab. The material to be treated is placed in the retort E which may be
connected with a condenser wash-bottles or other apparatus according to the pro-
cess desired to be carried out. On the application of heat to the generator the
vapour formed passes within the chamber through the pipe B either directly,
the valve B2 being opened and the valves D¹ D² closed, or after a more or less pro-
longed travel in the superheater, the valve B2 being closed and either D or D
being open.
Within the chamber C the vapour parts with heat to the material in the retort E
and is preferably condensed and then returns, through the pipe C¹, to the feed tank A.
Instead of being condensed and passing directly from the chamber C back to the
feed tank certain vapours may be caused to circulate through one or more auxiliary
chambers (arranged in series) in which a slightly lower degree of heat is required,
before it is returned through the pipe C¹.
Preferably the chamber C is so placed that the condensed vapours return to
the feed tank by gravity, but it may be arranged in any position relatively to the
rest of the apparatus, a pump or other suitable means being used to return the
condensed vapours.
The chamber C may be of any suitable shape and material and fitted with
gauges, thermometers etc. Preferably it is provided with an air jacket C2 and
means may be provided for readily removing and fixing the retort in position.
An alternative arrangement of the chamber C is shown in Figure 2 in which
instead of the vapour circulating within the chamber, as shown in Figure 1, the
pipes B and C are connected by a coil C³, or a zigzag or other arrangement of
pipes, placed around the sides of the chamber, through which the vapour circulates,
the retort E being dispensed with and the materials which it is desired to subject
to the action of heat being placed directly within the chamber.
It will be obvious that any convenient receptacle other than a retort, but fulfill-
ing the same objects may be used instead of a retort.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of this
invention and in what manner the same is to be performed, I declare that what
I claim is:-
1. In distilling or refining processes or the like the employment of the vapours

page_text: generated from liquids semi-liquids or solids which vapourize at a temperature
above the boiling point of water as a medium for the transference of regulated heat
substantially as described.
2. The distilling or refining apparatus substantially as described and illus-
trated in Figure 1 or in Figure 2 of the accompanying drawings.
HUBERT HIGGINS,
Boult & Wade,
Agents for the Applicant.