Improvements in the Treatment of Paraffin Scale and other Crude: Paraffins.
Year: 1892

page_text: Date of Application, 21st Oct., 1892
Complete Specification Left, 19th July, 1893-Accepted, 19th Aug., 1893
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in the Treatment of Paraffin Scale and other Crude:
Paraffins.
I, JOHN HODGES, of 15 Hafer Road, Battersea Rise, Battersea, in the County of
Surrey, Paraffin Refiner, do hereby declare the nature of this invention to be as
follows:-
The process relates to the application of distillation to paraffin scale, or to a
mixture of paraffins of different melting points, for the separation of the oil and the
softer material from the paraffin of higher melting point.
The paraffin scale or the mixture of paraffins is heated in a still provided with a.
condenser of any convenient form. The distillation might be effected by fire-heat
alone, but I prefer to use superheated steam, with or without the aid of fire-heat..
Ordinary steam, assisted by fire-heat may also be used.
The oil and soft paraffins distil over, the melting point of the distillate rising as
the distillation progresses. By keeping the different fractions separate, I thus obtain:
products of different melting-points, which may be utilized for different purposes;:
or the various fractions may be united, and the mixture treated by other well-known
methods for the further separation of the oil or softer material from the harder
paraffin.
The residue remaining in the still, consisting of the harder paraffin present in the
scale may be decolorized by treatment with charcoal, or purified in other ways, and
is then available for being made into candles, or for other purposes.
1000
CARPMAEL & Co.,
Agents.
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in the Treatment of Paraffin Scale and other Crude
Paraffins.
I, JOHN HODGES of 15 Hafer Road, Battersea Rise, Battersea in the County of
Surrey, Paraffin Refiner, 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 :-
My improvements in the treatment of paraffin, scale and other crude paraffins, or
mixture of paraffins of different melting points, consist in the treatment of the same
by a process of partial distillation for the separation of the oil and the softer
material from the paraffins of higher melting point. It is more direct, and requires
less labour than any of the processes in ordinary use.
The annexed drawing Figure 1 shews in elevation and partly in section the
apparatus which I employ. Figure 2 is a transverse section.
For the distillation, I employ a still of iron or copper of any convenient size and
form. The form of still which I prefer is shewn in the drawing. It is enclosed
within a brickwork furnace which is so constructed that only the bottom of the still
is exposed to direct fire heat.
The still is provided with a pipe a with stop valve a' for supplying steam which
દ
may either be " open" or superheated," but the latter is preferable. This pipe
terminates in a perforated coil a' so that the steam may be uniformly distributed
throughout the inaterial, and the distillation be regularly maintained.
The still is connected with a condenser b, it may be upright, circular, or of any
other convenient form.

page_text: The melted paraffin scale, or mixture of paraffins, having been introduced the
temperature is raised by means of fire heat, superheated steam passed in, and the
temperature kept as low as is consistent with successful distillation. The temperature
depends upon the nature of the paraffins under treatment, and may range from 300° F.
or under, to about 500° F. c is a perforated pipe by which the paraffin vapour and
steam passes to the condenser. is a trap from which any liquid passing with the
steam and vapour, is returned to the still. 2 is a stop valve; d is a pipe by which
the paraffin scale or other paraffin to be treated is introduced into the still and the
paraffin remaining in the still after treatment is removed. d¹ is a stop cock.. e is
a thermometer. is a manhole.
The first fraction of the distillate contains the more oily part of the scale and
as the distillation proceeds and the temperature rises, paraffins of higher melting
points are obtained. By keeping these different fractions separate, I am thus able
to obtain a series of products suitable for different purposes or for different methods
of subsequent treatment. The oil may be removed from them by pressing or by
the process known as "sweating or by distillation. The distillation is stopped
when about from 10 to 60 per cent. of the whole has passed over in the condenser,
but the quantity necessarily depends upon the quality of the material distilled.
33
The residue remaining in the still thus in great measure freed from the oil and
softer paraffins, is then removed, and will be found to be of sufficiently high melting
point to be available for candles or other purposes, or it may be submitted to gentle
sweating" so as to completely eliminate oil and soft paraffin. Should the color
of the residue not be sufficiently good, I treat it with animal charcoal, or apply to
it other methods of purification in common use.
Instead of carrying out the distillation as described above it may also be effected
by fire-heat alone, by superheated steam alone, or by open steam assisted by fire
heat.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said inven-
tion and in what manner the same is to be performed I declare that what I
claim is: :=
The process substantially as described consisting in the distillation of paraffin
scale or a mixture of paraffins of different melting points, in an apparatus of any
suitable description (but preferably the one shewn in the drawing) by means of
superheated steam, with or without fire heat, by fire-heat alone, or by fire-heat and
open steam, for the separation of the softer components leaving the harder
components undistilled.
Dated this 15th day of June 1893
JOHN HODGES.