CERTAIN IMPROVEMENT OR IMPROVEMENTS IN DISTILLATION
Year: 1829

page_text: TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, WILLIAM
SHAND, of the Burn, in Kincardineshire, in that part of the United King-
dom called Scotland, Esquire, send greeting.
WHEREAS His present most Excellent Majesty King George the Fourth
did, by His Letters Patent under the Great Seal of Great Britain, bearing date
at Westminster, the Tenth day of August, One thousand eight hundred and
twenty-nine, in the tenth year of His reign, give and grant unto me, the
said William Shand, His especial licence, sole privilege and authority, that
I, the said William Shand, my executors, administrators, and assigns, and
such others as I, the said William Shand, my executors, admors, or assigns,
should at any time agree with, and no others, from time to time and at
all times during the term of years therein expressed, should and lawfully
might make, use, exercise, and vend, within England, Wales, and the Town
of Berwick-upon-Tweed, and also in all His said Majesty's Colonies and
Plantations abroad, my Invention of "CERTAIN IMPROVEMENT OR IMPROVEMENTS
IN DISTILLATION;" in which said Letters Patent is contained a proviso that -1,
the said William Shand, shall cause a particular description of the nature
of my said Invention, and in what manner the same is to be performed, to
be inrolled in His Majesty's High Court of Chancery within six calendar
months next and immediately after the date of the said in part recited Letters
Patent, as in and by the same, reference being thereunto had, will more fully.
and at large appear.

page_text: NOW KNOW YE, that in compliance with the said proviso, I, the said
William Shand, do hereby declare that the nature of my said Invention, and
the manner in which the same is to be performed, are particularly described
.and ascertained in and by the Drawing hereunto annexed, and the following
description thereof (that is to say) :-
In the said Drawing, Figure 1 is a vertical section of a distilling apparatus,
omitting, however, for the sake of distinctness, the water pipes, spouts, and gut-
ters, and the gutter for discharging the deposits, all of which are shewn in Fig. 2,
which is a plan thereof, and in Fig. 3, which is a cross elevation, in all of which
said Figures the same letters of reference indicate the similar parts. A, in Figures
1 and 2, represents the body of a still, which is to be mounted over a fireplace
constructed in brickwork in the usual manner. B, the head of the still, the beak
of which, C, is connected by the joint D with an intermediate vessel E, which
I call a rectifying vessel, placed between the copper and the worm tub. The
aqueous and alcoholic vapours from the still A are conveyed to the bottom of
the vessel E through the metal pipe F, which is widened at its lower part,
and delivers the said vapours into a cavity G, formed in the bottom of the
vessel E, or by shortening the said pipe F it may be made to deliver the
vapours in the vessel E above the cavity G, the preference of either mode
depending upon the nature of the product desired in distillation, (that is to say),
whether a spirit of superior strength or superior purity is the object desired.
If the strength of the spirit be the chief object desired, the vapours may be
discharged in the rectifying vessel E above the cavity G, without passing
them through water or any other fluid; but if the purity of the spirit be the
chief object desired, the alcoholic vapour may be deprived of a portion of its
empyreuma by passing the vapours through water or other proper fluid, which
for that purpose is placed in the said cavity G, into which the vapours are in
that case discharged. The said vessel E is constructed of wood or other con-
venient material of a slow conducting power with respect to heat, and I prefer
wood to any other; but it has a head, H, of copper or other material of a quick
conducting power, but I prefer metal, and especially copper, affixed within its.
upper part a few inches below its top. There is a metal plate, I, affixed under-
neath the bottom of the vessel Ę, which closes the bottom of the cavity G.
J is a hemispherical cap or dome formed in the metal head H, having another
metal pipe, F, connected with it, which conveys the aqueous and the alcoholic
vapours from the vessel Ẹ into a second rectifying vessel K, which is also con-
structed of wood and metal in a similar manner, and operates in a similar
manner to the vessel E, and the aqueous and the alcoholic vapours from the
vessel K are thence conveyed into a third rectifying vessel, L, which is also

page_text: constructed in a similar manner, and operates in a similar manner to the
vessels E and K. From the metal dome in the head of the said vessel L, the
vapours are finally conducted by a metal pipe, F, to the worm in a worm tub,
to be condensed as usual. M, M, M, in Figures 1 and 2, are three metal
funnels united to as many pipes furnished with stop cocks, and which pipes
are connected with and pass through the metal heads H, H, H, into the
rectifying vessels E, K, L. Before commencing a distillation in this apparatus,
if the nature of the required product renders it desirable to pass the vapours
through water or other proper fluid, I introduce as much water or other
proper fluid into the three rectifying vessels E, K, L, through the funnels
M, M, M, as will be sufficient to fill the cavities G, G, G, in the bottoms of
each, so that the spreading mouths of the pipes F, F, F, shall be immersed in
the said water or other proper fluid; but in other cases I omit the introduction
of the water or other fluid into the cavities G, G, G. I then close the
cocks N, N, N, and commence the distillation. The bottoms and sides of the
rectifying vessels E, K, L, being, as before said, constructed of wood, which is
a slow conductor of heat or cold, so the caloric of the distilled vapours is pre-
served until they ascend to the metal tops or upper parts of the said vessels,
where a partial condensation of the aqueous vapour is effected, either by simple
contact of the atmospheric air with the metal, or, when the cooling power of
the air is not sufficient, I can bring on water in aid thereof, by means of the
metal pipe 0, 0, shewn in Figure 2, and in section in Figure 3, and the
branch pipes p, p, p, Figure 2, and which water is carried off by the
gutters Q, Q, Q, into the main gutter R, R, by which it is conveyed away. I
can, however, retain it, if thought necessary, or govern its flow, by means of
the stop cocks S, S, S, which are affixed to the pipes P, P, P, for that purpose.
Or, instead of water, I can occasionally employ wash on the metal tops for a
similar purpose, with certain modifications. The design and effect of this
disposition of the several parts of the distilling apparatus are to condense the
aqueous vapour as much as possible, and to preserve the alcoholic vapour un-
condensed, and to carry it forwards until the arrives at the worm in the
condensing tub. The distillation being thus effected, and the fire underneath
the body of the still A being withdrawn, in order to draw off the aqueous
deposit from the rectifying vessels E, K, L, the cocks N, N, N, must be opened,
in order to admit the air, and the cocks T, T, T, upon the connecting
pipes U, U, U, must also be opened, which will convey the said deposit into
the body of the still A, and from which it may be discharged at the cock V
along with the spent wash. The aqueous deposit which will still remain in
the cavities G, G, G, formed in the bottoms of the rectifying vessels E, K, L;

page_text: may be drawn off, when necessary, through the pipes and cocks W, W, W,
shewn endways in Figure 1, and by dotted lines in Figures 3 and 4, which are
affixed underneath the metal plates I, I, I, of Figure 1, for that purpose, and
by opening the cocks in which it is conveyed into another gutter X, X, shewn
in Figures 2 and 3. Figure 4 is a sectional plan taken below the dotted
line Y, Z, in Figure 3,,in order to shew the cavity G and the pipe W, and its
cock, which draws off the aqueous deposit from that cavity into the gutter ✗.
I do not, however, mean or intend hereby to limit myself to the employment
of any particular number of intermediate vessels called rectifying vessels,
between the copper and the worm tub, but to employ one, two, three, or
more of them, as may be thought necessary for the object to be effected.
I do not intend to limit myself to the particular form or proportions of
the several parts, but to modify them according to circumstances; and, in
place of constructing the intermediate vessels called rectifying vessels sepa-
rate, as represented in the Drawing, Figure 1, two, three, or more of them
may be constructed as one vessel, with proper divisions, as represented in the
Drawing, Figures 5 and 6, which are a plan and section thereof, and in which
said Figures the same letters of reference indicate those parts of the apparatus
which are similar to those already described in reference to Figs. 1, 2, 3, and 4.
But as wash is here shewn as being employed instead of water to cool the
metal tops of the rectifiers, and as is before mentioned, and as the alcohol
contained in the said wash would evaporate and be lost in the case of the said
metal tops being exposed to the open air, as before shewn and described, so I
have provided a close vessel, a, to enclose it, and thus to prevent such evapora-
tion from taking place; a metal pipe, b, is also provided to convey any alcohol
which may be evolved into the pipe c in the condensing tub. d is a metal
pipe furnished with a stop cock, to convey the heated wash into the body of the
still. e is a pipe and cock for the purpose of introducing the wash. I can, if
desirable, introduce a division in the closed vessel a, as is particularly shown
by dotted lines in Fig. 5, to separate the wash, and to cover one or both of the
metal tops, as may be thought necessary. Neither do I mean to limit myself
to the use of any particular kind of wood or metal in the construction of the
different parts of the apparatus, but shall avail myself of the employment of
any which are fit and proper for the purpose. Nor indeed do I intend to
limit myself to the use of wood only in forming the bottoms and sides of my
rectifying vessels, but to employ any other material or materials which may
possess the requisite qualities of being slow conductors of heat or cold; and
whether wood or any other slow conducting material is used in constructing
the sides and bottoms of the said rectifying vessels, they may, if thought

page_text: necessary, be lined with metal or any other fit and proper material, in order
to protect them from the action of the vapours. The distilling apparatus
described as aforesaid may be used in distillation in different modes by slight
variations as circumstances may require, according to the nature and quality
of the products desired; but I claim as my Invention of an improvement or
improvements in distillation the constructing of the sides and bottoms or a large
portion of the sides or bottoms of my rectifying vessels of wood or other
materials possessing the properties of being slow conductors of heat or cold,
and the constructing of the tops or upper portions of the rectifying vessels of
metal or other materials possessing the properties of being quick conductors of
heat and cold, and applying air or water or other cooling bodies to their said
tops or upper portions; and this combination of materials for the purpose of
separating the aqueous and alcoholic portions of the vapour I believe to be
new, and to be productive of the said effects herein-before stated, of preserving
the caloric of the distilled vapours 'until they ascend to the metal tops or upper
parts of the said rectifying vessels, where the aqueous vapour is either wholly
or partially condensed, whilst the alcoholic vapour passes towards the worm in
the condensing tub. I have herein all along assumed that the process.required
to be performed was distillation of ardent spirit; but it is obvious that my
said method and improvements are applicable to the distillation of any fluid
obtained by evaporating a compound gas or vapour consisting of gasses or
vapours condensible at different temperatures.
In witness whereof, I, the said William Shand, have hereunto set my hand
and seal, this Tenth day of February, in the year of our Lord Ono
thousand eight hundred and thirty