An Improved Apparatus for Distillation of Acids and other Corrosive Substances.
Year: 1898

page_text: Date of Application, 3rd May, 1898-Accepted, 18th June, 1898
[Communicated from abroad by THE BAKER & ADAMSON CHEMICAL COMPANY, a
Corporation organized and existing under the Laws of the State of Pennsyl-
vania, United States of America, and having its Office at Easton, in the State
of Pennsylvania aforesaid.]
An Improved Apparatus for Distillation of Acids and other Corrosive
Substances.
I, PHILIP ARTHUR NEWTON, of the Office for Patents, 6, Bream's Buildings,
Chancery Lane, in the County of London, Patent Agent, 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:-
-
.
The object of the present invention is to provide an efficient apparatus for the
continuous distillation of acids and other corrosive substances, either to make acids
or other substances by condensing the vapors thus distilled over, or to concentrate
the undistilled portion by distilling over the more volatile constituents. For this
purpose, it is necessary that a large heating surface should be provided, and the
danger of breakage of any material that can be used, and expense of repair, have
heretofore been found prohibitory of the commercial use of distillation apparatus
for such acids.
The present invention provides a simple, efficient, and economical apparatus for
this purpose, employing for the exposure of the acid to the furnace heat com-
paratively small tubes, preferably of glass, and similar to the common test tubes,
so that a large heating surface is secured; the small amount of acid contained in
each of the said tubes reduces to a minimum the danger of fracture; and, in case of
breakage of any one of the tubes, it may readily be removed and replaced by
another without the great cost incident to the reconstruction of the apparatus, if
a continuous holder for the acid be employed. A further important feature of the
present invention, as applied to making acids by condensing the vapors distilled
over from impure materials, consists in constructing the apparatus so that the
acid is only partially evaporated or distilled, and the undistilled residue is drawn
off, the result being that the impurities collected in this residue will not distil
over or form incrustations in the apparatus.
For a full understanding of the invention, a detailed description of a construc-
tion, embodying all the features of the same in their preferred form, will now be
given in connection with the accompanying drawings, forming a part of this
specification, and the features forming the invention then specifically pointed out
in the claims.
In the drawings:-
Fig. 1 is a longitudinal section of an apparatus employing two rows of acid
tubes on opposite sides of the furnace, the section, being taken through one of the
receivers with which the tubes connect.
Fig. 2 is a cross section of the same.
A, A, are the main boiler tubes or acid receivers, which are preferably made of

page_text: stoneware, or may be of any other suitable material, provided with convenient
means for attachment of the acid tubes, such means preferably consisting in pack-
ing the acid tubes tightly within the openings in the receivers by asbestos or
equivalent material. Two of these receivers are shown, but only one, or more than
two, may be used. The acid tubes B are preferably of glass or similar fragile
material, and for this purpose the common glass test tubes are admirably adapted.
A row of these acid tubes B is set into the openings in the bottom of each of the
receivers A, so as to depend therefrom, receiving acid through their open ends
from the receivers A, and being supported by the latter within a furnace C above
and on opposite sides of the grate D, which furnace may be of any suitable con-
struction. Acid is delivered to each of the tubes A in a continuous stream
through the inlet funnel pipe E, and at the opposite ends of the tubes A are the
vertical exit pipes F for the vapor. As above stated, the acid is preferably only
partially distilled or evaporated, and the undistilled residue with the impurities
pass off from each of the receivers A through small pipes G, which may deliver
this residue, as desired.
It will be seen that this construction provides a very simple distillation apparatus
for acid and similar corrosive substances, in which a very large heating surface is
secured, while breakage of one of the acid tubes B necessitates only the removal
of the broken tube and substitution of another, which may readily be done- by
removing from the furnace the receiver A with its attached row of tubes B, and
the impurities are removed in the operation of the apparatus, so as to avoid
distilling them over, or forming incrustations within the apparatus.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of the said inven-
tion and in what manner the same is to be performed, as communicated to me
from abroad, I declare that what I claim is :-
1. A distillation apparatus for acids and other corrosive substances, having a
receiver, and a series of small distillation tubes of glass or similar-fragile material,
closed at the bottom, and depending from, and having their open ends removably
connected to, said receiver, substantially as described.
2. A distillation apparatus for acids and other corrosive substances, having a
receiver, a series of small distillation tubes of glass or similar fragile material,
closed at the bottom, and depending from, and having their open ends removably
connected to, said receiver, a vapor outlet at the top of the receiver, and an outlet
from the receiver for the undistilled liquid, substantially as described.
3. A distillation apparatus having a main boiler tube or receiver, A, the small
tubes Barranged along said receiver, and depending therefrom, an inlet at one end
of the receiver for the liquid to be distilled, an outlet G for the undistilled liquid
at the opposite end of the receiver from the inlet, and a vapor outlet F, substan-
tially as described.
4. A distillation apparatus substantially as described in connection with the
accompanying drawings.