Improvements in Apparatus for Treating Heavy Hydrocarbons by Means of Heat, especially applicable for Distillation and the Manufacture of Oil Gas.
Year: 1895

page_text: Date of Application, 4th Dec., 1895-Accepted. 7th Mar., 1896
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Apparatus for Treating Heavy Hydrocarbons by
Means of Heat, especially applicable for Distillation and the
Manufacture of Oil Gas.
I, SYDNEY PITT, of Sutton, in the County of Surrey, Gentleman, do hereby
declare the nature of this invention (which has been communicated to me from
abroad by La Société Internationale des Procédés Adolphe Seigle of Levallois
Perret, Seine, France,) and in what manner the same is to be performed to be
particularly described and ascertained in and by the following statement :-
This invention has for its object the transforming or cracking of heavy
hydrocarbons such as the heavy oils and coal tars schist oils, petroleums and the
like by means of heat.
By means of this apparatus the molecules of the different hydrocarbons which
constitute the heavy oils, petroleum oil and schist oil may be dissociated in such a
manner as to transform them into lighter hydrocarbons which are of much greater
value.
This apparatus is characterized :-
1. By the use of a bath of lead heated in any suitable manner, but preferably
by means of the combustion flue described in the Specification of the Patent
No. 18518 of 1895.
This bath of lead has for its object to maintain the apparatus at as constant a
temperature as possible.
2. By the separation of the said apparatus into elements of two kinds namely
elements vapourising by circulation and elements for treating by means of heat
the vapours generated by the first.
3. By a specially constructed apparatus called a classifying condenser or heat
exchanger which has for its object both to permit the unequally liquefiable vapours
to be collected at different levels, to separate by condensation the vapours not yet
sufficiently heated and to progressively heat the heavy hydrocarbon to be treated
which does not go into the vapourising elements and the apparatus for treatment
with heat until it has fallen in thin streams in a contrary direction to the ascending
vapours and has been charged with those vapours which should be returned to the
heating apparatus.
4. By an automatic arrangement for regulating the temperature of the metallic
bath by means of a pyrometer acting upon the delivery mechanism of the gasifier
or sprayer of the heavy hydrocarbons serving as fuel.
The apparatus is shown in the annexed drawings in which
Figure 1 is a longitudinal section of the apparatus on the line 1-1 of
Figure 3.
Figure 2 is a partial longitudinal section on the line 2-2 of Figure 3.
Figure 3 is a transverse section on the line 3-3 of Figure 2.
A is a reservoir containing the heavy bydrocarbon to be treated.
B is the classifying condenser or temperature exchanger between the cold liquid
hydrocarbon and the vapours to be condensed after their exit from the apparatus
for treating by means of heat.
C is the inlet for the heavy hydrocarbons.
E is obstructing inert material such as coke wood charcoal or pumice stone for
dividing up the liquid hydrocarbon and multiplying its points of contact with the
ascending vapours.

page_text: F is a valve, opening downwards at the entrance of the pipe G.
G is a pipe leading the already heated heavy hydrocarbon to the vapourising
clements.
H is the apparatus for regulating the flow of the heated hydrocarbon.
III are the vapourising elements for progressively vapourising the heavy
hydrocarbon.
JJ J are the elements for treating the vapours generated in the vapourizing
elements by means of heat.
K is the inlet for the hydrocarbon vapour to be treated by means of heat.
L is a pipe for purging the heating elements J.
M is a receptacle for the hydrocarbon coming from the purge.
N is an outlet pipe for the hydrocarbons treated by means of heat.
O is a valve, opening downwards, at the end of the pipe N.
P P P P are nozzles provided with thermometers and cocks for classifying
and collecting the vapours which have been treated by heat.
Qare outlet pipes for the collected vapours from one only or simultaneously
from several of the pipes P according to the object in view.
R is a condenser liquefying these vapours.
S is the inlet for cold water into the condenser R.
T is the outlet for the water.
U is the pipe leading away the products whether condensed or not.
V is a boiler in which is a combustion flue serving as a heater.
This boiler contains a bath of lead or of any other suitable metal in which the
elements for the vapourisation and treatment by heat are immersed.
X is the combustion flue as described in the Specification of the Patent
No. 18518 of 1895, for heating the metallic bath.
Y is the gasifier or sprayer of heavy hydrocarbons for heating the combustion
flue.
Z is a flue leading the hot gases to the chimney.
a is a metallic pyrometer plunged in the bath of lead and serving to automatically
regulate the beating temperature, by means of a bent lever b which regulates
the delivery of the jet of combustible liquid vapourized or gasified by the
apparatus Y.
It may be remarked that the heating elements J are grouped in batteries, that
is to say that the vapours are led out separately from them into a single collector,
whilst the vapourising elements I are grouped in series that is to say the heavy
hydrocarbon is obliged to successively traverse the said vapourisers before entering
the apparatus for treatment by heat each of which is fed separately.
Moreover the heating elements are filled with obstructive matters such as iron
chips, pumice stone or other analogous products whilst the vapourising elements
do not contain them.
In its traverse the hydrocarbon deposits tar in the heating elements which must
be removed from time to time to prevent any being carried over into the
condenser.
This residue is treated afterwards but at a higher temperature.
As has been described the elements for vapourising and treating by heat are
immersed in a bath of lead, but in practice two metallic baths are preferably
employed in order to heat the two classes of elements to different temperatures.
The metallic bath is indispensable for the treatment with heat but may in certain
cases be dispensed with in vapourising.

page_text: A liquid level tube fixed on the classifying condenser or temperature exchanger B
allows the cock C to be opened as wide as is sufficient to deliver a quantity equal
to that of the regulator H.
The liquid to be treated by heat is divided up in traversing the obstructing
matters and after the operation has proceeded for a few moments it meets with
the ascending vapours which have already been treated by heat in the apparatus
and which are led into the classifying condenser by the pipe N.
The liquid to be treated by heat in descending is therefore progressively heated
at the same time that it condenses the more easily condensable vapours which
having only been subjected to an incomplete treatment by heat descend at the
same time as the liquid coming directly from the reservoir A to the bottom of the
classifying condenser B.
The already heated liquid descends by the pipe G, traverses the regulator H
and goes into the series of vapourising elements I Figure 2.
The hydrocarbon vapours escape by the pipe K which distributes them
separately into the three elements J for treatment by heat which are placed in
the bath of lead symmetrically with respect to the vapourisers I.
The vapours modified by the treatment with heat separately leave the three
heating elements and pass into the pipe N which leads them by the valve o to
the lower portion of the classifying condenser B.
When the cycle is established, there are different temperatures in the condenser
at different levels and the cocks of the several nozzles P P P P deliver the
vapours and liquids which are more volatile the nearer the open cock is to the top
of the apparatus. The vapours in the desired condition of temperature are then
led out by the pipe Q.
They pass from there into the liquefying condenser R and pass out by the
pipe U.
Of course the shape, size, materials and details of the apparatus may be altered
without modifying the principle of the invention.
The heating may take place in any manner and by means of any suitable
combustible.
Instead of the feed apparatus shown a pump or an injector apparatus or a
forcing apparatus of any suitable kind with periodic or continuous action, may be
used to introduce the cold hydrocarbon into the apparatus immersed in the metallic
bath.
The vapours which have been treated by heat may be condensed by the aid of
an apparatus of any sort; and this also applies to classifying the hydrocarbons
which have been treated by heat.
In certain cases in order to obtain a regular series of pressures between the
apparatus for treating with heat and the condenser, an exhauster or aspirator of
the heat treated vapours which are forced into the condenser may be inserted in
the tube N for example.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said inven-
tion and in what manner the same is to be performed and that without limiting
myself to the details of execution which may be varied I declare that what I
claim is :-
:―
1. An apparatus for transforming the heavy hydrocarbons such as heavy oils,
coal tars, schist oils, petroleum and the like by treatment with heat containing
elements for vapourizing and treating by means of heat, of suitable construction,
heated by means of any heater by the intermediation of metallic baths, the said
arrangement being combined on the one hand with a feed apparatus of any kind
and on the other hand with a condenser of any kind.
2. The special arrangement of classifying condenser or exchanger of temperature
for classifying and separately collecting the vapours of different volatility as well
as progressively heating the hydrocarbon to be transformed before its introduction
into the vapourising elements.

page_text: 3. The combination with an arrangement such as claimed in Claim the
classifying condenser claimed in Claim 2.
4. Regulating the flame of the gasefier or sprayer of combustible liquid by
means of a pyrometer in a constant equilibrium of temperature with the heating
metallic bath.
5. The apparatus substantially as described and claimed in the annexed
drawings.