IMPROVEMENTS IN PRODUCING LUBRICATING OILS FROM MINERAL AND EARTH OILS
Year: 1871

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Joseph Townsend, of Glasgow, in the County
of Lanark, North Britain, Manufacturing Chemist, for the Inven-
tion of "IMPROVEMENTS IN PRODUCING LUBRICATING OILS FROM MINERAL
AND EARTH OILS."
Sealed the 7th October 1871, and dated the 14th July 1871.
1
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Joseph Townsend at
the Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on
the 14th July 1871.
I, JOSEPH TOWNSEND, of Glasgow, in the County of Lanark, North
Britain, Manufacturing Chemist, do hereby declare the nature of the
said Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN PRODUCING LUBRICATING OILS FROM
MINERAL AND EARTH OILS," to be as follows, that is to say:―
This Invention consists of a process whereby mineral and earth oils
of various kinds are rendered much more suitable for lubricating
purposes.
In carrying out the Invention in the case, for example, of what is
known as "blue" or "heavy" oil after paraffin has been separated from

page_text: it, atmospheric air or other suitable oxidising body is mixed with the oil
by preference in conjunction with steam and has the desired effect.
Where, however, a lubricating oil of extra quality is wanted it is
desirable, before oxidising the oil, to treat it with an alkali or alkaline
earth with the view of first separating acid ingredients. From one to
two per centum of soda will ordinarily be sufficient for this purpose.
And after it is added the mixture is allowed to settle and the supernatant
purified oil is separated by well-known means.
The treatment with alkali or alkaline earth may be applied before
separating paraffin from the oil, as may also the oxidising process.
In using some oxidising bodies without steam it may be desirable to
aid the action by heat applied by a fire to the vessel containing the oil,
or in any other convenient way. When air alone or with steam is used
it carries off volatile constituents having empyreumatic odours, which is
an advantage, and also other volatile constituents which may be con-
densed and utilised.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent,
filed by the said Joseph Townsend in the Great Seal Patent Office
on the 12th January 1872.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, JOSEPH
TOWNSEND, of Glasgow, in the County of Lanark, North Britain,
Manufacturing Chemist, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her
Letters Patent, bearing date the Fourteenth day of July, in the year of
our Lord One thousand eight hundred and seventy-one, in the thirty-fifth
year of Her reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and
grant unto me, the said Joseph Townsend, Her special licence, that I,
the said Joseph Townsend, my executors, administrators, and assigns, or
such others as I, the said Joseph Townsend, my executors, administrators,
and assigns, should at any time agree with, and no others, from time to
time, and at all times thereafter during the term therein expressed,
should and lawfully might make, use, exercise, and vend, within the
United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland, the Channel Islands, and
Isle of Man, an Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN PRODUCING LUBRICATING
OILS FROM MINERAL AND EARTH OILS," upon the condition (amongst others)
that I, the said Joseph Townsend, my exécutors or administrators, by

page_text: Тлуспеон, а т WING
me same was to De performed, and
cause the same to be filed in the Great Seal Patent Office within six
calendar months next and immediately after the date of the said Letters
Patent.
NOW KNOW YE, that I, the said Joseph Townsend, do hereby declare
the nature of my said Invention, and in what manner the same is to be
performed, to be particularly described and ascertained in and by the
following statement in writing, that is to say:
My said Invention relates to a process whereby mineral and earth oils
of various kinds can be rendered much more suitable for lubricating
purposes.
In carrying out my Invention in the case, for example, of what is
known as "blue" or "heavy" oil, after paraffin has been separated
from it, atmospheric air or other suitable oxidising body is mixed with
the oil by preference in conjunction with steam and has the desired
effect. Where, however, a lubricating oil of extra quality is wanted it
is desirable, before oxidising the oil, to treat it with an alkali or alkaline
earth with the view of first separating acid ingredients. From one to
two per centum of soda will ordinarily be sufficient for this purpose, and
after it is added the mixture is allowed to settle, and the supernatant
purified oil is separated by well-known means.
The oxidising process may be applied either whilst the soda is mixed
with the oil or after the soda and acid ingredients have been removed.
The admixture of the air may be effected in various ways, but the
plan which I prefer to adopt and which is simple and convenient
consists in directing a steam jet from a pipe nozzle into the open conical
end of a pipe leading down into the oil to be acted upon, when a current
of air is made to enter the pipe by the inductive action of the steam jet
and mixed with the steam enters amongst and is violently dispersed
through the oil.
In using some oxidising bodies without steam it may be desirable to
aid the action by heat applied by a fire to the vessel containing the oil,
or in any other convenient way.
The treatment with alkali or alkaline earth may be applied before
separating paraffin from the oil as may also the oxidising process. When

page_text: air alone or with steam is used it carries off volatile constituents having
empyreumatic odours which is an advantage, and also other volatile
constituents which may be condensed and utilised. Of course when it
is intended to condense and utilise volatile constituents in this way the
oxidising process must be conducted in distillatory apparatus. Thus my
process may be applied to crude or to "run" mineral oil, when the air
and steam will not only effect the desired oxidisation, but will also carry
off and separate the light oils.
Ordinary or known purifying processes may be applied to the oil after
it has been subjected to my oxidising process.
When applying the process to the oil previously to separating the
paraffin the paraffin afterwards obtained is of a higher melting point than
usual, which is an advantage.
Having thus particularly described my said Invention, and the manner
in which the same is to be performed, I have to state that what I
believe to be novel and original and claim as the Invention secured to
me by the herein-before in part recited Letters Patent is, the oxidising of
mineral and earth oils, substantially as and for the purposes herein-
before described.
In witness whereof, I, the said Joseph Townsend, have hereunto
set my hand and seal, this Eleventh day of January, in the year
of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and seventy-two.