An Improved Process of Refining Oil.
Year: 1897

page_text: An Improved Process of Refining Oil.
I, WILLIAM APPLEBY SMITH, of 705, Genesee Avenue, Cleveland, Ohio, United
States of America, Manufacturer, do hereby declare the nature of this invention
to be as follows:
The following description set forth in detail, one mode of carrying out the
invention; such disclosed means constituting but one of various ways in which
the principle of the invention may be used.
My invention has for its object refining crude petroleum, or distillates thereof,
and consists in a process or method of treatment hereinafter described.
The process may be applied to the refinement of any of the numerous petroleum
distillates, but is especially adapted for refining oils containing sulphurous com-
pounds, such as are found in the Lima district in Ohio, Canada, and other places.
The sulphurous compounds and other refractory substances contained in said oils, if
not eliminated or subdued, cause, during combustion, disagreeable odours and
deposit deleterious matter on the wick, thereby reducing the candle power of the
lamp and the value of the oil.
The oil or distillate to be treated is introduced into an ordinary oil still or
retort, such as is used in the usual process of refining oil, and there is then added
to it spirits of turpentine in the proportion of one gallon of spirits of turpentine,
to every five hundred gallons of the product to be treated.
When neutral or heavier distillates are used, rosin may be substituted with
advantage for spirits of turpentine, in the proportions of three pounds of rosin
to every eleven hundred gallons of distillate.
The turpentine or rosin having been added to the distillate, the mixture is
heated until the temperature reaches a point, immediately beyond which, dis-
tillation of said mixture begins, that is, to a temperature just below the point
where distillation begins.
The turpentine or other substance may be introduced into the distillate either
before or after it is heated, or while it is being heated, but I prefer to introduce
it before the temperature is raised to a considerable degree.
The liquid is then allowed to cool so that it can be handled with safety, and
is then pumped into agitators and treated in the same manner as is employed
in the treatment of ordinary Pennsylvania oil, that is, as follows:-
After removing the distillate from the still it is introduced into an agitator
and subjected to a bath of sulphuric acid, the mixture being agitated by blowing
air therethrough. The acid is then drawn off and the above operation repeated
until no further effect of the acid on the distillate is noted. The distillate is
then washed with water blown through it in the same manner as was used to
agitate the mixture of acid and distillate. This substantially removes the excess
turpentine, rosin or other vegetable substances heretofore introduced into the
mixture. After drawing off the water a small quantity of sodium hydrate in
solution is introduced into the distillate and neutralizes any small amount of
D017

page_text: acid that might remain behind after the acid treatment. Liquid ammonia may
be substituted for the sodium hydrates.
Terpenes and their oxygen derivatives other than above stated, may be used
with more or less satisfactory results.
It should be understood that I can use the fair equivalent of the substance
terpene, and I include as an equivalent for said substance any oxygen derivative
thereof; and hence whenever terpene appears in any claim, I hereby include
as an equivalent thereof any hydrocarbon having the common formula (C, Hg)n'
or any oxygen derivative thereof.
In this specification I use the word turpentine in its broad signification to
include not only the turpentine of commerce, but also to include broadly the
exudations obtained from all trees of the order of coniferae. This term then
includes not only resins but also liquid hydrocarbons, mixtures of both of which
exude as oleo-resinous juice from the bark of the trees belonging to the order
of coniferae.
The proportions above stated may be varied; and other modes of applying the
invention may be employed, instead of the one explained.
Dated this 28th day of December 1897.
HASELTINE, LAKE & Co.,
45, Southampton Buildings, London, W.C., Agents for the Applicant.
I,. WILLIAM APPLEBY SMITH, of 705, Genesee Avenue, Cleveland, Ohio, United
States of America, Manufacturer, do hereby declare 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:―
This invention relates to an improved process of refining oil.
The following description sets forth in detail, one mode of carrying out the said
invention; such disclosed means constituting but one of various ways in which
the principle of the invention may be used.
My invention has for its object the refining of crude petroleum, or distillates
thereof, and consists in a process or method of treatment hereinafter described.
The process may be applied to the refinement of any of the numerous petroleum
distillates, but is especially adapted for refining oils containing sulphurous com-
pounds, such as are found in the Lima district in Ohio, Canada and other places.
The sulphurous compounds and other refractory substances contained in said oils, if
not eliminated or subdued, cause, during combustion, disagreeable odours and
deposit deleterious matter on the wick, thereby reducing the candle power of the
lamp and the value of the oil.
The oil or distillate to be treated is introduced into an ordinary oil still or
retort, such as is used in the usual process of refining oil, and there is then added
to it, spirits of turpentine in the proportion of one gallon of spirits of turpentine
to every five hundred gallons of the product to be treated.
When neutral or heavier distillates are used, rosin may be substituted with
advantage for spirits of turpentine, in the proportion of three pounds of rosin
to every eleven hundred gallons of distillate.
The turpentine or rosin having been added to the distillate, the mixture is
heated until the temperature reaches a point, immediately beyond which, dis-
tillation of said mixture begins, that is, to a temperaturo just below the point
where distillation begins.

page_text: The turpentine or other substance may be introduced into the distillate either
before or after it is heated, or while it is being heated, but I prefer to introduce
it before the temperature is raised to a considerable degree.
The liquid is then allowed to cool so that it can be handled with safety, and
is then pumped into agitators and treated in the same manner as is employed
in the treatment of ordinary Pennsylvania oil, that is, as follows:-
After removing the distillate from the still it is introduced into an agitator
and subjected to a bath of sulphuric acid, the mixture being agitated by blowing
air therethrough. The acid is then drawn off and the above operation repeated
until no further effect of the acid on the distillate is noted. The distillate is
then washed with water blown through it in the same manner as was used to
agitate the mixture of acid and distillate. This substantially removes the excess
of turpentine, rosin or other vegetable substances heretofore introduced into the
mixture. After drawing off the water a small quantity of sodium hydrate in
solution is introduced into the distillate and neutralizes any small amount of
acid that might remain behind after the acid treatment. Liquid ammonia may
be substituted for the sodium hydrates.
Terpenes and their oxygen derivatives other than above stated, may be used
with more or less satisfactory results.
It should be understood that I can use the fair equivalent of the substance
terpene, and I include as an equivalent for said substance any oxygen derivative
thereof; and hence whenever terpene is referred to I hereby include
as an equivalent thereof any hydrocarbon having the common formula (C, H,)n¹
or any oxygen derivative thereof.
In this specification I use the word turpentine in its broad signification to
include not only the turpentine of commerce, but also to include broadly the
exudations obtained from all trees of the order of coniferae. This term then
includes not only resins but also liquid hydrocarbons, mixtures of both of which
exude as oleo-resinous juice from the bark of the trees belonging to the order
of coniferae.
The proportions above stated may be varied; and other modes of applying the
invention may be employed, instead of the one explained, provided the step or
steps covered by any one of the following claims be employed.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said
invention and in what manner the same is to be performed, I declare that what
I claim is: :―
1. In a process of refining refractory oils the following steps: -Introducing
terpene into the oil or distillate to be refined, subjecting the mixture to heat,
removing terpene, whereby the oil or distillate is rendered amenable to further
treatment, substantially as set forth.
2. In a process of refining refractory oils the following steps: Introducing
terpene into the oil or distillate to be refined, subjecting the mixture to a tem-
perature below the point of distillation, removing terpene, whereby the oil or
distillate is rendered amenable to further treatment, substantially as set forth.
3. In an oil refining process the following steps:-Introducing into the oil
or distillate to be refined, spirits of turpentine or any one of the herein before
mentioned equivalents, thereof, subjecting the mixture to heat, removing tur-
pentine or equivalent substances, whereby the oil or distillate is rendered amen-
able to further treatment, substantially as set forth.
4. The process of treating oils for the elimination of sulphurous compounds,
which consists in the application to the oil or distillate to be refined, of heat,
and of a substance characterised by the formula (C5 Ha)n' or any oxygen derivative
of said substance, removing (C₂ Hg)n or said derivative, whereby the oil or dis-
tillate is rendered amenable to further treatment, substantially as set forth.
5. The process of refining refractory oils, consisting in the introduction into
the oil or distillate to be refined, of a terpene, subjecting the mixture to a tem-

page_text: perature immediately beyond which distillation begins, permitting it to cool to
a point of safety, subjecting it to a bath of sulphuric acid, after removal of the
acid washing with water, neutralizing any residue of acid therein, substantially
as set forth.
6. A series of steps in refining refractory oils, consisting in introducing into
the oil or distillate to be refined, a terebinthinate substance, subjecting the
mixture to heat, removing the terebinthinate substance, whereby the oil or dis-
tillate is rendered amenable to further treatment, substantially as set forth.
7. In a process of refining oils containing sulphurous compounds, the follow-
ing steps Introducing into the oil or distillate from which it is desired to remove
or in which it is desired to subdue the sulphurous compounds, an oleo-resinous
substance or its product, subjecting the resultant mixture to a temperature approxi-
mating the point of distillation, removing oleo-resinous substance or its product,
whereby the oil or distillate is rendered amenable to further treatment, substan-
tially as set forth.
:
8. A step in a process of refining oils containing sulphurous compounds, con-
sisting in introducing into the oil or distillate to be refined, exudations of the
coniferae or products thereof, heating the resultant mixture, allowing it to cool
to the point of safety, removing therefrom said coniferous exudations, whereby
the oil or distillate is rendered amenable to further treatment, substantially as
set forth.
HASELTINE, LAKE & Co.,
45, Southampton Buildings, London, W.C., Agents for the Applicant.