IMPROVEMENTS IN DISTILLING APPA- BATUS
Year: 1875

page_text: COMPLETE SPECIFICATION filed by Joseph William Reford at the
Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition and
Declaration, on the 20th November 1875, pursuant to the 9th
Section of the Patent Law Amendment Act, 1852.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, JOSEPH
WILLIAM REFORD, of the City, County, of State of New York, in the
United States of America, send greeting.
WHEREAS I am in possession of "IMPROVEMENTS IN DISTILLING APPA-
BATUS," and have petitioned Her Majesty to grant unto me, my
executors, administrators, and assigns, Her Royal Letters Patent for
the same, and have made solemn Declaration that I am the true and
first Inventor thereof.
NOW KNOW YE, that I, the said Joseph William' Reford, do hereby
declare that the following Complete Specification, under my hand.
and seal, fully describes and ascertains the nature of the said Invention,
and in what manner the same is to be performed, reference being
had to the accompanying Sheet of Drawings forming a part of this
Specification, and to the following statement :—
The object of my Invention is the production of the highest grade of

page_text: fine Cologne spirits from fermented mash at one operation, thereby
economizing time, labor, expense, and material.
High-proof spirits have heretofore ordinarily been produced by first
producing high wines from the mash, 36 to 50 per cent. above proof,
then reducing same to proof by addition of water, and subsequently
filtering through clarifying substances. This process requires two or
more operations, and is attended with great expense and loss.

page_text: The steam pipe T is constructed with two branches communicating
with each still A, one of which opens into the still proper beneath the
perforated bottom, and the other T' communicates with the interior of
the steam jacket B; suitable cocks are provided in all the steam pipes,
so that the flow of steam can be regulated or shut off at will. The
steam pipe T is also constructed with a branch L, which passes through
the superheater G and again unites with the main pipe T at a point
near its junction with T. This pipe L is also provided with cocks, so
that the superheated steam may be shut off when deemed advisable by
the operator. C is the charger located above the stills, and com-
municates with the upper one by means of the pipe V; which extends
to the lower still A, and has branches V¹ provided with suitable cocks
leading into each of the upper stills. By means of this pipe either or
all of the stills may be charged. D is the wort or beer heater or large
barrel-shaped reservoir located above the charger and communicates
with it by the beer pipe Q. This heater D is provided with a vacuum
valve and liquid gauge, connects with the safety condenser N by pipe S.
The doubler E is an upright cylinder, having a convex disc top, and its
interior is divided by a perforated horizontal metallic screen e into two
compartments, see Figure 3; the upper compartment above the screen
is packed with purifying material; it is provided with a thermometer,
liquid gauge, and vacuum valve.
The drum or cylinder chest H is a vertical metallic chest located on
the same plane with the heater D, and contains a frame supporting a
number of cylinders or drums h packed with purifying material and
made to revolve by proper mechanical means. These cylinders / are
arranged horizontally, and the ends or axles of each are hollow and fit
into pipes communicating with the adjacent cylinders, whereby a con-
tinuous connection is formed from one to another. They are readily
detached and made portable so as to be readily removed for the purpose
of cleaning and repacking.
The vapor pipe K extends from the upper still, where it commences
with an inverted funnel or bell-shaped mouth, upwards into the
charger C, where it is divided into a number of smaller pipes K,
extending around the entire circumference of the interior, and again
converges and unites into one pipe at top. It then passes up into the
heater D, where it is coiled once, and again made to pass out at bottom

page_text: and enters the doubler E near its bottom, where it terminates with its
opening or mouth downwards. It again commences at top of doubler E,
and after describing a curve the pipe K passes into the lower cylinder h
at the bottom of the drum chest H, and converges from the upper
cylinder at top of said chest H, thence the pipe K after describing a
curve passes down into and through the main condenser I. An opening
is made in pipe K near the point of its entrance into the bottom of the
drum chest H for the purpose of allowing the weak spirit collected there
to flow back through the pipe O into the return chamber F. This
chamber F is a reservoir located near the doubler for the purpose of col-
lecting such spirits as have not reached the proper degree of strength or
volatility to enable them to pass with the vapors into the condenser I.
The return chamber F is also provided with a vacuum valve, liquid
gauge, hydrometer, and thermometer, and communicates with the
doubler E by a pipe C. A pipe O2 is also provided, leading from the
doubler E to the upper still A for the purpose of returning the weak
liquors to said still to be revaporized.
A jet is
By means
When it is desired to commence the distilling process steam is applied
to the pump J through the pipe R, and the wort or beer is drawn from
the fermented mash in through the pipe P and forced into the heater D,
where it is heated by steam introduced through the pipe R. When
sufficiently heated it is conveyed into the charger C by the pipe Q, and
thence into the stills A, A, by the pipe V and its branches V'. Steam
is then introduced at the bottom of each still through the pipe T after
having first passed through the superheater G by the pipe L.
also introduced inside the steam jacket B by the branch T.
of this steam the wort is thoroughly and rapidly boiled, and the vapor
generated in the lower stills is conveyed to the upper by the pipes X, X,
and thence into the charger C, where it serves to more effectually heat
the wort therein, the vapor pipes being constructed to present the
greatest amount of radiating surface. It then passes up into and
through the coil in the heater D, where it assists and accelerates the
heating process, and is then conveyed to the bottom of the doubler E,
where it is discharged and forced through the purifying material with
which the upper compartment is filled. The weaker and less volatile
portion is allowed to flow back into the still A through the pipe O³ to be
redistilled. The vapor is then conducted by pipe K from top of doubler
to lower revolving drum h in drum chest H, and is forced successively

page_text: through drums h', h², h³, h*, and emerges into vapor pipe at top, and is
conveyed down into and through main condenser I.
All weak spirits are again drawn from vapor pipe K before it enters
drum chest H by pipe O, and conveyed into return liquor chamber F,
from which they are at intervals discharged through the pipe O¹ into the
bottom of the doubler E, and thence into the stills through the pipe O³,
suitable cocks being provided in these pipes for that purpose. Here they
are again vaporized, and all waste prevented.
During the passage of the vapors through the revolving drums the
drum chest H is tightly closed, and a determinate degree of heat is
maintained by means of the pipe M, extending from the superheater G
and communicating with the interior of the drum chest H, whereby the
drums h, , h², and C¹, are constantly surrounded by hot air.
It will be observed that by the arrangement of the vapor pipes, the
vapor is constantly carried up to the greatest elevation, whereby only
the most volatile spirit reaches the top, and the weaker and less volatile
is allowed to flow back to be revaporized. By this means the proof is
constantly raised.
In order to avoid the danger of accident occasioned by too great a
pressure upon the heater D, the surplus vapor is allowed to escape into the
safety condenser N, where it is condensed and conveyed by the pipe W into
the return liquor chamber F, and thence to the stills to be revaporized.
The stills, heater, doubler, and return liquor chamber are each pro-
vided with a vacuum valve a', in order to avoid the danger of a collapse
from the too sudden condensation of the vapor contained in each. A
gravimeter c is attached to each still in order that the condition of its
contents may at any time be determined; and a hydrometer is attached
to the return liquor chamber, by which the operator is enabled to at any
time test the specific gravity of the spirits therein.
When it is desired at any time to free the still, after the operation of
distilling is suspended, from sediment and other refuse matter collected
therein the gate e at the bottom of the still is opened, and all sediment
and refuse is forced out by means of steam introduced through the
pipe T, T, leading into steam jackets being first closed. Although I have
represented the pipe V for charging the stills as outside I do not confine
myself to that construction; it may if deemed advisable pass down on

page_text: the inside of the stills, having suitable cocks and openings in each still
for regulating the flow of the liquor.
Having thus described my Invention I would have it understood that
I do not wish to confine myself to the exact details shown and described,
`as the same may be varied without departing from the peculiar nature of
Invention; but what I do claim is,―
my
First. The mechanism for effecting the continuous distillation of
spirits, substantially as herein described, and consisting essentially in the
combination of the still, the superheater, the heater, and the doubler for
making the first separation, the return liquor chamber and pipes O, 0¹;
for making second separation, the safety condenser, the main condenser,
and the connecting pipe, substantially as described and for the purpose
specified.
Second. In a liquor distilling apparatus a copper or other metallic still
having a perforated boiling bottom or diaphragm, and surrounded with a
steam jacket for the application of superhcated steam, substantially as
and for the purposes set forth.
Third. In a liquor distilling apparatus the combination of two or more
stills having a perforated boiling bottom, and surrounded with a steam
jacket arranged so that each may be operated independently, or all or
any number in conjunction, substantially as described.
Fourth. The combination of a jacketed still with the steam super-
heater and connecting pipes, substantially as and for the purposes
specified.
Fifth. The combination of the still, the steam superheater, the
chamber H and mechanism therein, and the pipes K, M, substantially
as set forth.
Sixth. The combination of steam superheater, the jacketed still,
the heater D, with the pipes K, Q, R, operating substantially as
described.
Seventh. The combination of steam superheater, the still, the
heater D, and the doubler E for effecting the first separation of the
low proof liquors, and then return to the still, substantially as
specified.
Eighth. The combination of the steam superheater, the still, the
heater D, the doubler, and the return liquor chamber F and its pipes for

page_text: JOSEPH WILLIAM REFORD. (L.S.)