New or Improved Treatment of Hydrocarbons (or of analogous Substances Composed Mainly of Hydrogen and Carbon) to Decompose them and Obtain Various Products.
Year: 1892

page_text: Date of Application, 23rd Nov., 1892
Complete Specification Left, 25th Sept., 1893-Accepted, 23rd Dec., 1893
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
New or Improved Treatment of Hydrocarbons (or of analogous
Substances Composed Mainly of Hydrogen and Carbon) to
Decompose them and Obtain Various Products.
We, WILLIAM JOHN WISSE, of 25 Zwarteweg, The Hague, in the Kingdom of
Holland Engineer, and AUGUST SCHNELLER, of No. 1^ Amsterdamer Veerkade,
The Hague, aforesaid Chemist and Electrical Engineer, do hereby declare the
nature of this invention to be as follows:-
According to this invention hydrocarbons are decomposed or split up electrically,
that is, by subjecting them to the action of electric currents or discharges. For
this purpose electric currents or discharges of very high tension or potential are
employed. Satisfactory results have been obtained with currents or discharges of
about 40000 volts, but currents or discharges of lower tension or potential might be
employed. Nevertheless although useful results have been obtained with currents
or discharges having a tension or potential of about 10000 volts, a much higher
potential such as above indicated is at present considered far more advantageous. The
hydrocarbons to be decomposed (whether gaseous liquid or solid) may be placed
within a suitable vessel provided with two electrodes or conductors that are
connected with the terminals of any suitable electric generator or apparatus; for
example a transformer adapted to produce electric currents of very high tension or
potential, and so arranged that an electric discharge or discharges will take place
through the mass of the hydrocarbon, air or other supporter of combustion being
excluded. The two electrodes or conductors may advantageously be adjustable in
relation to each other.
The products of decomposition are primarily dependent on the chemical
composition of the substances treated, and also on the tension or potential of the
current employed. By treating solid substances such for example as wood, resin,
etc., there may be produced, besides gases, solid carbon and liquid products of
decomposition. By treating products containing hydrocarbons that are liquid at
ordinary temperatures, such as vegetable and mineral oils, fats, etc., there may be
produced, besides extremely finely divided carbon and gases liquid products having
a different composition to that of the hydrocarbon treated. By treating gaseous
hydrocarbons there may be produced, besides finely divided carbon, liquid and new.
gaseous compounds. By further treatment, the several products of decomposition
can be separated one from the other, or from the remainder of the original substance
that may not have been decomposed. Amongst the applications of this invention
may be mentioned the production of lamp black from hydrocarbons. The invention
may also be adopted in the treatment of substances which though not strictly
hydrocarbons are composed mainly of hydrogen and carbon.
Dated this 23rd day of November 1892.
W. LLOYD WISE,
Per F. J. Brougham,
46, Lincoln's Inn Fields, London, W.C., Agent for the Applicants.

page_text: COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
New or Improved Treatment of Hydrocarbons (or of analogous
Substances Composed Mainly of Hydrogen and Carbon) to
Decompose them and Obtain Various Products.
We, WILLIAM JOHN WISSE, formerly of 25 Zwartewag, The Hague, but now
of Houtrust 30 Haarlem, in the Kingdom of Holland, Electrical Engineer, and
AUGUST SCHNELLER, of No. 14 Amsterdamer, Veerkade, The Hague, aforesaid,
Chemist and Electrical Engineer, 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:
According to this invention, hydrocarbons are decomposed or split up electrically,
that is, by subjecting them to the action of electric currents or discharges. For
this purpose electric currents or discharges of very high tension or potential are
employed.
The products of decomposition are primarily dependent on the chemical
composition of the substances treated, and also on the tension or potential of the
current employed. Thus by treating substances containing hydrocarbons that are
liquid at ordinary temperatures, such as mineral oils, there can be produced,"
besides extremely finely divided carbon and gases, a liquid product having a
different composition to that of the hydrocarbon treated. By further treatment, the
several products of decomposition can be separated one from the other, or from the
remainder of the original substance that may not have been decomposed.
The decomposition of petroleum, kerosine oil or its residue by électricity, and
the production of a fine grade of carbon or lamp black therefrom can be carried
out according to this invention as follows:-
The oil is placed within a vessel of suitable material for example iron, of say
five to six feet in height and one to two fect in diameter, and through opposite sides
of this vessel, at a height of say nine to twelve inches above its bottom, are passed.
in a horizontal direction, adjustable electrodes formed of suitable conducting
material such as carbon brass or copper, or the electrodes may be arranged
vertically, or one of them may be horizontal and the other vertical so that a space
is formed between their adjacent ends. The said vessel is charged with the oil to a
height of say two to three feet above the space between the adjacent ends of the
electrodes, and is provided with a cover and with an outlet tube in connection with
a suitable tank or cooler in order to utilise the escaping gases and carbon formed
by the decomposition of the oil. The electrodes which are thus located in the
mass of oil are arranged to be placed in connection with the terminals of a high
tension alternating current transformer capable of developing a suitably high
electro-motive force or potential, say of about 30,000 volts. The inner ends of
the electrodes are placed and kept at a suitable distance apart, depending upon
and proportional to the electric current or potential employed, so that when these
electrodes are connected with the terminals of the transformer, the electric current
will pass across the space between their adjacent ends and thus form a closed.
circuit. In this way the oil between the ends of the electrodes will be gradually
decomposed into finely divided carbon, which will fall to the bottom of the vessel
and may be removed at intervals, or be run off continuously through a suitable
outlet. In the first case the carbon is washed with benzine and afterwards dried
and crushed. In the latter case the carbon is filtered off by means of a suitable
filter press from the undecomposed oil or liquid with which it is mixed and
which may if desired be returned to the decomposing vessel to undergo further
treatment, this operation being repeated if desired until the whole of the oil is
decomposed. Afterwards the carbon is dried and crushed to an impalpable powder
which may be considered as a chemical pure substance. It will be obvious that
during the decomposition there will be a continuous and nearly silent closing of the

page_text: circuit owing to decomposing action that is taking place, and which converts oils
and other liquid hydrocarbons from being insulating materials into conducting
materials. When the space between the electrodes thus becomes more or less filled
up with the finely divided carbon, the position of the electrodes relatively to each
other should be altered to prevent short circuiting.
The accompanying drawing shows diagrammatically the general arrangement of
apparatus suitable for the manufacture of lamp black in the manner hereinbefore
described. A is a vessel to contain the oil A¹ to be decomposed, and B and C are
electrodes arranged horizontally therein so as to be immersed in the oil and carried
by adjustable rods B₁, C₁ the upper outer ends of which are connected with a
suitable electric transformer. D is a gas or vapour outlet pipe and E is a water
cooler through which it passes. F is a vessel connected with the lower end of the
vessel A by a pipe G and into which the finely divided carbon produced by the
process and mixed with oil, flows. H is a pump by means of which the mixture of
carbon and oil is raised from the vessel F and forced through one or other of the
filter presses I, I, wherein the carbon is removed whilst the oil separated therefrom
is returned through the pipe J, vessel K and pipe L to the vessel A to undergo
decomposition therein.
By the decomposition of oil in the manner described there are produced in
addition to the carbon, some other products. Thus in the treatment of petroleum,
kerosine oil or the like in the manner hereinbefore described, the liquid product
obtained after separating the carbon, consists of an oil of much better quality for
lubricating purposes than the original oil and which contains amongst other
substances anthracene. Anthracene will also be found in the vapours escaping
from the vessel. The anthracene can be separated in each instance by any suitable
means such as by distillation.
The invention may be adopted in the treatment of substances, which, though not
strictly hydrocarbons, are composed mainly of hydrogen and carbon, as for example
resiu, tar, bitumen, vegetable oils, fats, alcohols etc. to obtain lamp black and
by-products analogous to those obtained in the treatment of mineral oil described
above.
.
Although it will usually be more convenient to employ high tension alternating
currents on account of the facility with which such currents can be produced, high
tension continuous currents may be employed if desired.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature or this inven-
tion and in what manner the same is to be performed we declare that what we
claim is :-
1. The manufacture or production of lamp black from a hydrocarbon or analogous
substance by passing electric currents or discharges of very high tension or potential
between the ends of electrodes or conductors arranged at a short distance apart and
located within the mass of the said hydrocarbon or analogous substance and
separating the resulting lamp black or finely divided carbon from the undecomposed
hydrocarbon or analogous substance with which it is mixed, substantially as herein
described.
2. The hereinabove described treatment of hydrocarbons, or of analogous
substances composed mainly of hydrogen and carbon, which consists in subjecting
such substances to the decomposing action of electrical discharges of very high
tension or potential whilst located between electrodes or conductors between which
the said electric currents or discharges pass, as set forth for the purposes specified.
Dated this 25th day of September 1893.
W. LLOYD WISE,
Per F. J. Brougham,
46, Lincoln's Inn Fields, London, W.C., Agent for the Applicants.