Process and Apparatus for Providing the Inside of Casks or Barrels with Fresh Pitch, and for Removing the Old Pitch.
Year: 1893

page_text: Date of Application, 17th Mar., 1893-Accepted, 2nd June, 1893
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Process and Apparatus for Providing the Inside of Casks or Barrels
with Fresh Pitch, and for Removing the Old Pitch.
We, CARL BERNREUTHER, Brewer of 26 Urban Strasse and Pr. EELEACH,
Merchant, of 94 Goisony Strasse, both in Berlin, Germany, 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:-
The lining of casks or barrels with pitch has hitherto been carried out by
pouring with a scoop or ladle the hot pitch through a funnel inserted in the bung
hole of the barrel when after closing the bung hole, and the vent hole, the barrel
was rolled and shaken to and fro in all directions for some considerable time in
order that the pitch should evenly become distributed all over the inner walls of
the cask or barrel.
The casks or barrels which had once been thus pitched were freed from their
old pitch by introducing superheated air, steam into the same, or by holding the
cask directly over a fire in order to melt the pitch. The frequent removal of the
pitch caused the bung and vent holes, as well as the inner walls of the vessel to
be injured by the pitch, or to be readily burnt, which soon caused the same to
become useless; moreover the method of operating with pitch hitherto sorted
to, necessitated the handling of this substance at a temperature of from 200
to 200° C, whereby a number of accidents occurred constantly as testified by the
statistics of the fire insurance companies. The above defects are entirely remedied
by this invention, according to which hot pitch is used for pitching, as well as for
removing the old pitch, and is injected into the cask or barrel by means of an
injector, a pump, or other suitable pressure apparatus through a pipe terminated
by a nozzle and inserted in the bung hole of the said cask or barrel.
For the purpose of removing the old pitch, the injected hot pitch acts as a
solvent for the old dirty pitch still adhering to the inner walls of the vessel, both
kinds of pitches thus associated are transferred to a boiler to be reheated, and
again injected, this mode of proceeding being repeated as often as necessary.
The apparatus used to carry this process into practice is represented in the
accompanying drawings under various forms.
Figure 1 is a cross section,
Figure 2 a longitudinal section, and Figure 3 another cross section of three
different modifications of the apparatus.
Figures 4 and show in longitudinal and cross section the arrangement of our
transportable boiler.
Figures 6 and 7 are details showing a safety contrivance according to which
pitch is only injected in the vessel when the latter is supported in position over the
nozzle.
a (Figure 1) is a built up boiler heated from below. In this boiler is placed the
pitch requiring to be heated, as well as a pump, or other pressure apparatus, from
which issues a pipe extending along the bottom of the boiler and bent upwardly
at right angles in order to terminate with a nozzle c. The upright part of the
tube is surrounded by a casing e perforated at its lower part, and carrying at ka
movable pipe terminating with a funnel shaped end d for supporting the cask or
barrel.
For an even distribution of the pitch, the cask or barrel can be turned on and
with the pipe d' while it is over the upper part of the pipe c'. The heated pitch
placed in the boiler passes through the perforations of the casing c and through a

page_text: small hole formed in the pipe c' in order to arrive below the piston of the pump
when it is injected by a sharp down stroke of the head g of the piston through the
nozzle into the cask or barrel. The pitch running back out of the cask is caught
by the funnel d, and is returned to the boiler. Any pitch remaining in the pipe el
runs off through the small hole
In Figure 2 a separate reservoir is arranged by the side of the boiler to receive
the pump and injector pipe and as pressure apparatus a circular pump actuated by
lever is made use of. For the purpose of maintaining uniformity of
heat in the receptacle, the same is traversed by the products of combustion of the
boiler furnace which have exit through the flue tube h. A small suction pipe e
conveys the pitch from the boiler to the pump in the receptacle m, while a
small pipe returns to the boiler, the pitch running out of the cask.
•
In the arrangement shown in Figure 3, the injection of the pitch results from the
depression of the cask or barrel. For this purpose, the pipe carrying the barrel,
and provided with the funnel d, is firmly connected with a piston, and nets thus
as a pressure apparatus. The piston slides in the pipe provided at the bottom
with openings for the admission of the pitch from the receptacle a.
1,1
A spring constantly presses against the piston and tends to move it up.
The injection pipe having the nozzle e, passes through the piston, and is tightly
fixed there. The pitch from the receptacle a enters the pipe, and ascends
along the latter through the injection pipe until it reaches the level of the pitch
placed in the receptacle a. When the cask is now suddenly pressed down, the
pitch is forced from the pipe, und injected through the nozzle into the barrel.
The superfluous pitch arrives through perforations of the pipe d' above the piston b,
and may be conveyed to the receptacle a when the piston is raised.
Figures 4 and 5 show a modification of the above described invention having the
form of a transportable boiler a provided with an outer casing m.
In the front of
the latter is placed the furnace a, and at the rear end, the chimney flue a into
which leads a branch pipe a leading the steam from the boiler to the said flue.
The hot gases pass below and along the sides of the boiler and heat the pitch
which is conveyed from the pump along the conduit pipe and injected into the
barrel through the nozzle e, the piped being fixed to or cast integrally with the
funnel d, while the nozzle c is screwed in the pipe
Figure 6 indicates a safety device which does not allow the pitch to enter
the barrel until the latter is tilted over the nozzle. For this purpose, the barrel
rests upon a ring 1 forming one end of a double armed lever 3 fulcrumed at 2, the
other end of which carries a counter weight 4. In the outlet of the pump is
arranged a valve 5 connected by a lever arrangement 6 with the lever 3.
When
the cask or barrel is tiled over the nozzle e and resting upon the funnel d, the
ring is pressed down, the counter weight is raised, and the valve 5 also from
its seat.
In this manner, the outlet opening of the pump is released, and the pitch can be
injected in the cask or barrel. As soon however as the cask or barrel is removed
the counter weight 4 sinks and closes by the aid of the valve 5, the outlet or
opening.
Instead of the valve 5, a three way cock may be likewise used.
Figure 7 shows an intermediate piece inserted in the conduit pipe and provided
with a valve, this arrangement having for its object to allow, when the apparatus
is not in use (and hence when the valve is closed) the pitch still remaining in the
pump to run off through the stay to the receptacle. The application and removal
of pitch to and from a series of casks or barrels, may be carried out with the same
pitch over a single, or a double boiler; in the latter case, the new material used
for pitching is separated from the old pitch which is being removed, by a suitable
partition. Likewise the pressure apparatus can be separated from the nozzle, that
is to say, the first may be arranged inside the boiler, the latter on the contrary
outside the latter or vice versa.

page_text: Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of this inven-
tion and in what manner the same is to be performed we declare that what we
claim is :-
1. A process for applying new pitch to the inside of casks or barrels, and for
removing the old pitch from the same, characterized by the injection in the vessel of
hot pitch under pressure through a pipe inserted in the cask and provided therein
with a nozzle, substantially as described and shown.
2. An apparatus for carrying out the process above claimed consisting of a
pressure apparatus b placed inside or outside the heating boiler a in combination
with an injector pipe having a nozzle c for the purpose set forth.
3. The modification of the apparatus above claimed, consisting in enclosing the
pressure apparatus in a separate receptacle arranged in close proximity to the pitch
heating boiler and heated by the gases proceeding from a furnace, substantially as
herein described.
4. In an apparatus of the kind specified in Claims 2 and 3, a safety contrivance
preventing the injection of the pitch from taking place before the cask is tilted
over the nozzle c, consisting of a two armed lever 3, one end of which bears on the
cask, while its other end closes by means of a set of levers 6, a valve, or three way
cock 5 in the outlet of the pump, substantially as herein described and for the
purpose set forth.
Dated this 17th day of March 1893.
Agr
H. GARDNER,
Patent Agent, 166, Fleet Street, London,
id Carl Bernreuther and Paul Esselbach.