AN IMPROVED PROCESS OF, AND APPARATUS FOR, PURIFYING GLYCERINE AND OTHER SUBSTANCES
Year: 1884

page_text: I, ALEXANDER MELVILLE CLARK, of the firm of A. M. and Wm. Clark, of
53, Chancery Lane, in the County of Middlesex, Fellow of the Institute of Patent
Agents, do hereby declare the nature of the said Invention for "AN IMPROVED
PROCESS OF, AND APPARATUS FOR, PURIFYING GLYCERINE AND OTHER SUBSTANCES,"
and in what manner the same is to be performed, to be particularly described
and ascertained in and by the following statement :-
This Invention relates to a new apparatus for purifying glycerine and other
substances with the aid of a vacuum. The Invention consists, principally, in
combining a still which receives the impure glycerine, or other substance, with
apparatus for supplying steam to such still, with a system of condensers in which
are collected condensed vapours that have escaped from the still, and with an
evaporator in which all the products of condensation are finally freed from aqueous
or other objectionable constituents.
The Invention also consists in other details of improvement which are hereinafter
fully specified.
Figure 1 represents a side elevation, partly in section, of the improved.apparatus.
Figure 2 is an enlarged sectional view of the float which is used in the still.
Figure 3 is a top view of said float, and
Figure 4 is a detailed sectional view, on a still larger scale, of the swivel for the
jet-wheel.
In the accompanying drawing the letter A represents a still which discharges
by a pipe B into condensors C, D, E, that are united near the upper ends by
pipes a b, and finally discharge from the last of their series, by pipe d and
standpipe e, into a vessel F which communicates by the pipe f with a suitable
vacuum pump.
This vacuum pump is not represented in the drawing, but may be
of suitable construction. There are three condensers C, D, E, represented in the
drawing, but any suitable greater or less number of such condensers may be
employed. The condensers may be of the construction indicated in Figure 1; that
is to say, each provided with a central, upright partition g, that reaches from the
top downwards, near but not quite to contact with the bottom, so that the vapors
escaping from the still will have to pass around: the lower end of such partition
.....מ
1

page_text: before they can reach the discharge pipe near the upper end of the condenser; but
any other construction of condenser may be substituted for that shown. The
lower end of each condenser connects by pipe h with a pipe G, one end of which
leads into the still A, while its other end leads into a vessel H which I style the
evaporator, and from the upper end of which the standpipe e, heretofore referred
to, projects. The still A has a double bottom i, which communicates with a steam
supply pipe I for the purpose of heating the contents of such still. A branch j of
the pipe I, having a cock k, leads into the body of the still, and communicates by
jointed sections of pipe l, m, (see figures 2 and 3) with the hub of a jet-wheel J,
which jet-wheel is suspended from the vertical portion of the pipe m. The said
jet-wheel has four, more or less, radially projecting tubular wings, which are
indicated in figure 3, and serve to discharge through the said wings, jets of steam
into the still, it being revolved by the centrifugal force of the steam that passes
through said wings. The pipe section m also carries a float L, for purposes herein-
after described.
The stand-pipe e contains a downwardly extending partition n which reaches to
the upper portion of the evaporator H, as is indicated in figure 1, and which
has for its object to carry the vapors that escape from the last condenser E
downwardly into the evaporator, allowing them finally to travel upwards to the
vessel F. The evaporator H contains in its lower portion a steam coil M, by
means of which its contents are heated. The vessel F communicates at its upper
portion by a neck o with a suitable water supply, through which water is sprinkled
into said vessel. The said vessel F also has a downwardly extending pipe p
which, in case the air pump is attached to the pipe f, should be a barometrical
tube of about 35 feet length; but which may also have the air pump directly
attached to it, in which case it need not be so long.
The apparatus described operates as follows:-
The glycerine or other substance to be purified is put into the still A. The
float L will be supported on the level of the contents of said still, so that the
jet-wheel J will just dip into such contents. Steam is now introduced through
the pipe I, and branch j, so as to heat the contents of the still, and also introduce
steam directly into the still through the wings of the jet-wheel. At the same time
the vacuum pump is put into operation. The vapors arising from the contents of
the still will pass through the neck B into the condensers C, D, E, and whatever is
condensed in the latter flows either through the pipes into the pipe G, and
thence into the evaporator H (the cock r, which is placed in the pipe G near the
still A, being closed) or such condensed matter may be retained for the time being
in the condensers. The jet-wheel J, in the still, revolves in the upper stratum
of the liquid contents of such still, and agitates its upper. stratum, assisting
materially in evaporating the same; and, confining its labor to the upper stratuin,
prevents the lower strata of the contents from being agitated, and from disturbing
the proper operation of the still. In other words, by the arrangement of the
jet-wheel, I confine the evaporating action of the still to the upper stratum of
the contents of the still, leaving the lower, strata to be first heated by the steam
jacket, so that they will be prepared for distillation by the time they become the
upper stratum. The float L being supported on the liquid contents of the still,
follows the surface thereof as they become reduced or enhanced within the body of
the still. The proper temperature for the contents of the still to be produced by
the action of the steam is about 350° Fahr: If, however, from some cause the
temperature should be greater, and the contents of the still should be flashed out
through the neck B into the condensers without having been properly distilled at
first, then in that case the cock r is opened, and another cock 8 in the pipe G near
the evaporator H closed, so as to allow the contents of the condensers to flow back
into the body of the still.
Whenever the still operates normally, the cock is closed. The vapors, after
having left the products of condensation in the condensers, pass out through the
pipes d, e, into the upper part of the evaporator, and finally through the pipe e

page_text: into the vessel F. In this latter named vessel they are sprinkled with water
through the neck o of the vessel F, and are finally condensed into water, which
escapes through the pipe p. But if the air pump should be attached to the pipe p,
all these vapors are simply drawn through the air pump, and finally discharged by
the same.
Whenever the condensers have accumulated sufficient liquid matter in the lower
parts, the pipes are opened so as to allow the liquid contents of the condensers
to flow through the pipe G, past the now opened cock s, into the evaporator H.
This evaporator is, by the steam coil M, or by analogous other means, heated to
about 175° Fahr: and serves to evaporate the water or other objectionable impurity
which may have remained with the condensed glycerine or other substance in the
lower parts of the condensers, leaving the pure glycerine free from all objectionable
impurities. The temperature in the evaporator will, of course, vary according to
the substance to be treated. Glycerine will not evaporate at 175° Fahr: water
will; hence the degree of temperature mentioned is well adapted to the treatment
of glycerine; but for other substances, which may also be treated with equal
advantage in this apparatus, the degree of temperature may of course be varied
both in the evaporator and in the still.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of the said
Invention, and in what manner the same is to be performed, I declare that what
I claim is
1 In an apparatus for purifying glycerine and other substances, the combination
of the still A, and means for heating its contents, with the condensers C, D, E, the
evaporator H, and with an air pump, substantially as described.
2nd The combination of the still A with means substantially as described for
heating its contents, with the condensers C, D, E, evaporator H, air-pump, and
pipe G which connects the condensers with the evaporator, substantially as herein
shown and described.
3rd The still A, combined with the condensers C, D, E, and with the pipe G,
which communicates with said condensers, and which leads back into the still
substantially as described.
4th The combination of the still A with the condensers C, D, E, pipes d, e,
vessel F, evaporator H, and pipe G, said pipe G communicating with the still, the
condensers and the evaporator, as specified.
5th In a still, the combination of the float L with the jointed steam pipes l, m,
and rotary jet-wheel J, as described.
6th The process herein described of purifying glycerine and other substances,
which process consists in first evaporating the impure substance in a still, then
passing the vapours through condensers, and finally evaporating the water or other
objectionable product of condensation from the products of condensation in an
evaporator, all in the presence of a vacuum, substantially as herein specified.
Dated this 14th dow of Ontahan 1001