IMPROVED APPARATUS FOR COOLING OIL IN ORDER TO CONGEAL PARAFFIN DISSOLVED THEREIN AND APPLICABLE FOR COOLING OTHER LIQUIDS FOR ANALOGOUS PURPOSES
Year: 1884

page_text: I, NORMAN MOFARLANE HENDERSON, Oil Works Manager, of Broxburn, in the
County of Linlithgow, North Britain, do hereby declare the nature of my said
Invention for "IMPROVED APPARATUS FOR COOLING OIL IN ORDER TO CONGEAL
PARAFFIN DISSOLVED THEREIN AND APPLICABLE FOR COOLING OTHER LIQUIDS
FOR ANALOGOUS PURPOSES" and in what manner the same is to be performed,
to be particularly described and ascertained in and by the following statement :-
My said Invention has principally for its object to improve expedite and
cheapen that part of the manufacturing or refining processes applied to shale oil
which consists in separating paraffin of a kind solid at ordinary temperatures from
oil containing it in solution; at the same time the improved apparatus which [
have devised may be advantageously used for cooling various liquids for the
purpose of separating congealable matters from them.
My improved apparatus comprises a trough or vat formed with a jacket space
through which refrigerated brine or other suitable cooling fluid circulates; and in
order to obtain extensive and efficient cooling surfaces in a compact form thero are
placed within the trough a number of transverse vertical disk casings with thin
spaces for the circulation of the cooling fluid. A horizontal rotating shaft passes
through the centres of the disk casings and carries scrapers which detach the
paraffin as it congeals on the cooled surfaces; whilst a lower shaft with agitating
arms breaks up and mixes the congealed paraffin so as to facilitate its discharge
along with the oil.
On the accompanying Sheet of explanatory Drawings Figures, 1 and 2, are
transverse and longitudinal vertical sections; and the other Figures are enlarged
views of details.
The outer shell of the trough is represented as constructed with vertical wrought-
iron end plates, 11, and with flanged cast-iron side plates, 12, 13, and bottom
plates, 14, 15. An inner shell, 16, of sheet iron is fixed by means of angle iron to
the end plates, 11. Within the inner shell there are placed a number of thin
transverse vertical casings each consisting of two disks, 17, of thin metal riveted
upon a frame, 18, made of bar iron in the shape of the letter D but with the
straight side horizontal, and with the lower part semicircular. At the centres of
be semicircular parts holes are formed through the disks, 17, for the passage of a

page_text: shaft, 20, and a ring is riveted between each pair of disks, 17, at the holes, to
prevent communication there with the space between the disks. A bar, 21,
indicated by dotted lines in Figure, 1, extends from the ring up to the top bar of
the frame, 18, to divide the upper part of the space between the disks and thereby
cause a proper circulation of the cooling fluid which enters the space by a pipe, 22,
at one upper corner and leaves it by a pipe, 23, at the other upper corner. The
latter pipe, 23, discharges into the jacket space between the inner shell, 10, and the
outer shell of the trough, the cooling fluid passing through this jacket space after
passing through the disk spaces. The disk casings, 17, 18, are held in position by
means of projections, 24, at the top corners of the frames such projections being
bolted to angle irons fixed to the sides of the trough. The frames, 18, are also
provided with bottom projections, 25, which enter sockets formed for them in a
cast-iron frame, 26, which is bolted to the end plates, 11, of the trough, and extends
from one to the other.
The shaft, 20, passes through a stuffing box, 27, at one end of the trough and is
driven by external gearing at a slow speed. The end plates, 11, are formed with
slots extending up from the openings for the shaft, 20, and the stuffing-box
piece, 27, is cast with a plate, 28, which-covers and is bolted over the slot at one-
end, whilst at the other end a bearing piece, 29, is cast with a similar plate, 28, to
cover and be bolted over the slot at that end. With this arrangement on unbolting
the plates, 28, and pieces, 27, 29, and the projections, 24, of the disk frames, 18,
the-shaft, 20, can be lifted out with the disk casings upon it. In each interval
between the disk casings, 17, 18, the shaft, 20; has fixed on it one or more arms
carrying scrapers for detaching the paraffin which congeals upon and adheres to
the disks, 17. One of these scraper arms, 30, is shown detached in Figure, 3; its
inner end is made with a half-round socket to fit the shaft, and a cap, 31, with a
half-round socket is applied to the other side of the shaft and is bolted to the arm,
thereby fixing it on the shaft. In the case of every arm, 30, which is between
two disk casings, 17, 18, there aro jointed to it two scrapers, 32, as best seen in
Figuro, 4, which shows an arm, 30, in end view. Each scraper, 32, is formed with
a number of bored lugs, 33, which are jointed to similar lugs, 34, on the arm, 30,
by means of a rod; and the two scrapers, 32, on one arm, 30, are pressed apart by
means of one or more helical springs, 35, placed between them on pins formed on
them for the purpose so as to press the outer scraping edges against the disks, 17.
The arms, 30 between the end plates, 11, and the nearest disks, 17, may be fitted
each with two scrapers, one to act on the disk, 17, and the other to act on the end
plate, 11; or there may in each case be a single scraper to act on the disk, 17.
Below the disk casings, 17, 18, the inner shell, 16, of the trough is shaped to
form a comparatively narrow channel, 36, into which the congealed paraftin
descends. In this channel there is a lower longitudinal shaft, 37, passing out
through a stuffing box, 38, at one end, and having on it a number of blades or
arms, 39, which with the rotation of the shaft stir and mix up the paraffin so as to
form with the oil a semifluid mass which will flow through the discharge pipe, 40.
The shaft, 37, may have on it fast and loose pulleys for a driving belt, and a
pinion gearing with a spurwhoel on the upper shaft, 20, for driving the latter.
The oil or liquid to be treated is simply poured into the open top of the trougli
either intermittently or continuously, and the mixture of oil and congealed
paraffin is drawn off by the pipe, 40, in a similar way, but so as to give time for
the efficient operation of the cooling action.
I do not restrict myself to the preciso details herein described or shown in the
accompanying Drawings provided the distinctive features of my improved
apparatus are substantially retained; these features being-the general com-
bination of parts constituting the complete apparatus; the combination and
arrangement of the disk casings having cooling fluid circulating within them with
the shaft passing through them and moving scrapers over their outer surfaces; the
construction and arrangement of the disk casings; and the construction and
arrangement of the spring scrapers.

page_text: Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said
Invention and in what manner the same is to be performed I declare that
what I claim is (the said distinctive features, namely)
་
1. The general combination of parts constituting the complete apparatus
substantially as herein before described.
2. The combination and arrangement of the disk casings having cooling fluid
circulating within them with the shaft passing through them and moving scrapers
over their outer surfaces, substantially as herein before described.
3. The construction and arrangement of the disk casings substantially as
hereinbefore described.
4. The construction and arrangement of the spring scrapers substantially as
herein before described.