AN APPARATUS SERVING TO THE DECOMPOSING NEUTRAL FATTY SUBSTANCES INTO FATTY OR OILY ACID AND GLYCERINE
Year: 1858

page_text: rotection, oil
application for Letters Patent was not given within the time prescribed
by the Act.)
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by Jolin Boullenger and Lewis James
Martin at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with their Petition,
on the 7th June 1858.
We, JOHN BOULLENGER; Advocate, and LEWIS JAMES MARTIN, both of
Paris, in the Empire of France, do hereby declare the nature of the said
Invention for "AN APPARATUS SERVING TO THE DECOMPOSING NEUTRAL FATTY
SUBSTANCES INTO FATTY OR OILY ACID AND GLYCERINE," to be as follows:-
We decompose fatty substances in closed vessels by the sole agency of heat,
and in certain cases we add acidulated water in order to facilitate reaction,
the said substance or substances being applicable to the manufacturo of
candles or similar purposes.
The materials after being thus prepared, undergo a twofold: operation.
Firstly, they are submitted to pressure in a hot or cold state, as circumstances
may require, and then to distillation at a low temperature, which we accomplish
by forming a partial vacuum within the distilling apparatus, and which we
call pneumatic distillation, applicable to the ordinary purposes of distilling fatty
acids, palmitiue, &c., as well as our improved method.
We use a cylindrical vessel made of cast iron or other suitable metal, and
in shape similar to a kitchen copper or boiler with an air-tight cover.
The said vessel is placed within another vessel of larger dimensions and

page_text: capacity so as to leave a space between them both at the bottom and sides,
which intermediate space we fill with mercury, and apply heat to the outer
vessel, the mercury serving as the conducting medium for the caloric, which
will raise the temperature of the materials in the inner vessel to the required
degree to effect decomposition.
The second vessel, together with the intervening mercury, may be dispensed
with, and the heat applied direct to the vessel containing the fatty substances,
but in that case the fire or heating medium will requiro superior skill and
caro on the part of the stoker.
The lid or cover by which the inner vessel is hermetically closed is per-
forated with three holes furnished with small adjustments; one of the said
holes is placed in the centre of the lid or cover, and is intended to allow a
mercury thermometer to be introduced into the interior of the mass in fusion,
to ascertain its temperature. Another of the said holes communicates through
a connecting pipe with an open air or other kind of manometer placed at the
side of the vessel for the purpose of indicating the interior pressure. The
third hole being furnished with an escape tap to diminish the pressure in case
it should exceed the desired degree of intensity. A safety valve completes this
species of digest or in order to prevent any unforseen accidents.
When the materials under treatment have been maintained a sufficient
length of time at a temperature required to cause reaction to take place, the
mass must be allowed to cool without however opening the apparatus. Tho
cooling operation must be effected very slowly and very carefully, as the success
of the operation will materially depend upon this essential condition.
The degree of temperature at which the materials are to be maintained to
cause decomposition will vary according to the quantity and quality of the
substances to be treated. For common tallow the average degree of heat is
from 205 to 210, and the time during which they ought to be maintained at
the required temperature must also be subject to variations depending in a
great measure upon the quantity of matter submitted to the process.
When the substances have become sufficiently cool they undergo a simple
process of drainage, by which part of the liquid matter is separated from the
solid portion at the ordinary temperature, which separation is rendered more
complete by subsequently submitting the substance to heavy pressure, which
in summer may be successfully performed in a cold state.
In order to purify the solid matters thus obtained we further submit
them to the process of pneumatic distillation, which allows them to become
volatile without causing them to undergo any considerable decomposition.
The process of this distillation is as follows:-The materials are introduced

page_text: into a retort having a large proportion of heating surface with a comparatively
small height, wherein they are very slowly heated, whilst at the same time a
partial vacuum is formed by the action of a powerful air-pump. The matters
are thus distilled and collected as in the usual process of distillation.
Two double-valved pump barrels impelled by the same prime mover will
easily produce the required vacuum. The diameter of the pumps, which are in
every respect perfectly similar to one another, is to be proportioned to the
capacity of the retort, or, more properly speaking, proportioned to the heating
surface of the retort wherein the distillation is carried on.
The prime mover of the pumps ought to be independent of any other
machinery, so as to enable the operator to accelerate or to slacken the action
of the pumps at will and with case.