IMPROVEMENTS IN THE MANUFACTURE OF OIL AND OTHER PRODUCTS FROM BITUMINOUS SUBSTANCES AND IN THE MACHINERY OR APPARATUS EMPLOYED THEREIN, WHICH IMPROVE- MENTS, OR PARTS THEREOF, ARE ALSO APPLICABLE TO THE MANUFACTURE OF WHITE LEAD OR OTHER PIGMENTS.
Year: 1866

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Hugh Robertson, of Motherwell, in the County of
Lanark, North Britain, for the Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN THE
MANUFACTURE OF OIL AND OTHER PRODUCTS FROM BITUMINOUS SUBSTANCES
AND IN THE MACHINERY OR APPARATUS EMPLOYED THEREIN, WHICH IMPROVE-
MENTS, OR PARTS THEREOF, ARE ALSO APPLICABLE TO THE MANUFACTURE OF
WHITE LEAD OR OTHER PIGMENTS.
33
Sealed the 21st August 1866, and dated the 27th February 1866.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Hugh Robertson at the
Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on the
27th February 1866.
I, HUGH ROBERTSON, of Motherwell, in the County of Lanark, North
Britain, do hereby declare the nature of the said Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS
IN THE MANUFACTURE OF OIL AND OTHER PRODUCTS FROM BITUMINOUS SUBSTANCES,
AND IN THE MACHINERY OR APPARATUS EMPLOYED THEREIN, WHICH IMPROVEMENTS,
OR PARTS THEREOF, ARE ALSO APPLICABLE TO THE MANUFACTURE OF WHITE LEAD OR
:..
OTHER PIGMENTS," to be as follows, that is to say :-
This Invention relates to the manufacture or obtainment of oil and other
products from shales and other bituminous substances, and is also applicable
to the conversion of lead into what is commonly known as white lead.
The improved apparatus employed for effecting the above purposes consists

page_text: mainly of a bollow cylindrical vessel with closed ends, and which is carried on
a central hollow tubular axle or shaft. There are perforations or other
openings connecting the interior of the cylindrical vessel and tubular
space of
the shaft. Through one end of the tubular shaft heated air is admitted,
whilst at the other superheated steam is let in, a stop or division being placed
in the centre of the tubular shaft to prevent contact therein of the air and
steam. The material to be acted upon by the air and steam is first pulverized,
and a quantity is placed in the cylindrical vessel, after which the vessel is
caused to rotate slowly. As the steam and air act upon the materials therein
the heat (in the case of shales, for example,) causes a complete and very
rapid extraction of the oils and other like products, which may afterwards be
separated from the carbonaceous residue by any well-known means, and
sodium in one of its commercial forms may be added in the course of the
process of extraction in order to facilitate the separation and improve the
result.
In the case of manufacturing white lead or other pigments the routine of
the process is similar to that herein-before described, the lead or other
substance being substituted for shale, and a portion of carbon added in order
to improve the purity and colour of the product.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent, filed
by the said Hugh Robertson in the Great Seal Patent Office on the
25th August 1860.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, HUGH
ROBERTSON, of Motherwell, in the County of Lanark, North Britain, send
greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her Letters
Patent, bearing date the Twenty-seventh day of February, in the year of our
Lord One thousand eight hundred and sixty-six, in the twenty-eighth year
of Her reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant unto
me, the said Hugh Robertson, Her special license that I, the said Hugh
Robertson, my executors, administrators, and assigns, or such others as I, the
said Hugh Robertson, my executors, administrators, or assigns; should at
any time agree with, and no others, from time to time and at all times
thereafter during the term therein expressed, should and lawfully might
make, use, exercise, and vend, within the United Kingdom of Great Britain
and Ireland, the Channel Islands, and Isle of Man, an Invention for

page_text: "IMPROVEMENTS IN THE MANUFACTURE OF OIL AND OTHER PRODUCTS FROM
BITUMINOUS SUBSTANCES, AND IN THE MACHINERY OR APPARATUS EMPLOYED
THEREIN, WHICH IMPROVEMENTS, OR PARTS THEREOF, ARE ALSO APPLICABLE TO THE
MANUFACTURE OF WHITE LEAD OR OTHER PIGMENTS," upon the condition
(amongst others) that I, the said Hugh Robertson, by an instrument in
writing under my hand and seal, should particularly describe and ascertain
the nature of the said Invention, and in what manner the same was to be
performed, and cause the same to be filed in the Great Seal Patent Office
within six calendar months next and immediately after the date of the said
Letters Patent.
NOW KNOW YE, that I, the said Hugh Robertson, do hereby declare
the nature of my said Invention, and in what manner the same is to be
performed, to be particularly described and ascertained in and by the following
statement, reference being had to the accompanying Drawings, and to the
letters and figures marked thereon, that is to say :—
My said Invention relates to the manufacture or obtainment of oil and
other bituminous substances from shale, and is also applicable tothe conversion
of lead into what is commonly known as "white lead." The improved
apparatus employed for effecting the above purposes consists mainly of a
hollow cylindrical or other shaped vessel with closed or partially closed ends,
and which is carried on a revolving central axle or shaft. The material (to
be acted upon by the air and steam) is first pulverized, and a quantity is
placed in the vessel, after which the vessel is caused to rotate slowly. As the
steam and air act upon the material therein, the heat (in the case of shales,
for example) causes a complete and very rapid extraction of the oils and
other products which may afterwards be separated from the carbonaceous
residue by any well known means, and sodium in one of its commercial forms
may be added in the course of the process of extraction in order to facilitate
the separation and improve the result. In the case of manufacturing "white
lead" the routine of the process is somewhat similar to that herein-before
described, lead being substituted for shale, and a portion of carbon added iu
order to improve the purity and colour of the product.
And in order that my said Invention may be properly understood I now
proceed more particularly to describe the system, mode, or manner in or
under which the same is or may be used, or practically carried into effect,
reference being had to the Figures upon the explanatory Sheet of Drawings
which I have hereunto appended, and in the corresponding Figures on which
similar parts are indicated by the same letters of reference, that is to say:-
Figure 1 is a part section and elevation of one form of apparatus, which

page_text: I prefer to employ for the manufacture or extraction of the fluid hydrocarbon
from shale, coal, and other bituminous substances. In the Figure the vessel
A is that in which the pulverized material from which the hydrocarbon is to
be extracted is placed; it is set in brickwork and maintained in position by
its flanch B resting on the upper side of the bricks, whilst its lower central
part is supported by resting on the partition C. The upper part of the vessel
A is made of a convex conical form, and at the top of it a stuffing box D is
formed for securing an air or gas-tight joint around the central shaft E for
actuating the agitator F. In the furnace G the heaters H are placed, which
are of the same kind as those employed for heating the blast for blast furnaces,
and the heated air passes therefrom through the pipe or passage I to the
extracting vessel A, and the products thereafter remaining escape into the
chimney K; thus the whole or as much as possible of the heat of the fire on
the grate is utilized, thereby avoiding the necessity of another or second fire
for heating the vessel A. The agitator F is put in motion by means of the
bevil wheel L on the shaft E-being rotated by the bevil pinion M.
Steam
is introduced by means of the pipe N, the use of which is herein-after more
fully referred to, and the volatile products resulting from the operation pass
off to a condenser or condensers through a pipe attached to the socket O.
Having now described the apparatus for conducting the processconstituting
the first part of my Invention, I now proceed to specify the mode of operating
with the same, as follows:-Tomake the process as explicit as possible I will
suppose that a ton of shale or coal is used. The material to be distilled is
first ground in a riddle bottomed pan mill or reduced to powder in any other
convenient manner, after which it is sifted; the finer portions are then mixed
with some sawdust or dry mould (the mixture being performed dry). To the
foregoing there is now to be added a small quantity of a solution of carbonate
of sodium, together with two or three gallons of crude shale or coal oil, the
whole of the ingredients being now thoroughly commingled by any convenient
means, after which the portion of the shale or coal which did not pass through
the sieve is to be added. The vessel A is now charged with the mixture, care
being taken that the layer is not more than 6 inches deep or thereabouts.
The heaters H are now raised to a temperature of from 700° to 800° Fahren-
heit, and this temperature acting upon the air passing in through the heaters
expands it sufficiently to produce a sufficiently rapid and heated current
through the vessel A without requiring any kind of blowing apparatus; the
passing in of the heated air is also facilitated by the egress of steam from the
pipe N. The vessel being thus charged, the agitator F is now set in motion
in the manner and by the means herein-before referred to at a rate of from

page_text: two to three revolutions per minute. The action of the agitator as it revolves
is, that it heaps up and constantly turns over the material under treatment,
thus continually exposing fresh portions of the charge to the action of hot air
and steam, and,the charge being so finely divided beforehand the products
pass over from it with much more freedom than when distillation is effected
with the material in the solid state, at the same time the sawdust or mould
being mixed with it prevent congealation of the compound taking place. On
the opposite side of the shaft E the bar Q is fixed, and is fitted with theeth R,
so that whilst rotating along with the agitator F it causes a further exposure
of the charge, and at the same time keeps the layer of a uniform thickness on
the vessel's bottom as the process is continued. The herein-before mentioned
temperature is to be maintained constant during the whole time thedistillation
is being conducted, and the carbonaceous residue may be ground and used by
ironfounders for blacking their moulds.
Figure 2 represents
I now proceed to the second part of my Invention.
an end elevation, and Figure 3 a side elevation of the apparatus, which I
prefer to employ for the manufacture of what is commercially known as
"white lead." The drum A is carried upon a central shaft B, the shaft
passing through the box held in the centre of the arms which are connected to
the rings C, and thence bolted to the annular ends of the vessel in the manner
showu. The annular ends D are by preference made of wood, as shown; they
may, however, be constructed of any other suitable material. The journals
ofthe shaft B are fitted into bearings in the standards E, and rotatory motion
is imparted thereto by a belt passing over the pulley F. The mode of con-
ducting the process of making white lead by the apparatus now described is
as follows; it being first premised that the process is conducted solely in a
humid way or manner :-
First, the lead to be converted is inelted, and a quantity of carbonate of
sodium is dissolved in an adjacent vessel, the melted lead is now slowly dropped
into the solution of carbonate of sodium, and the vessel from which the lead
is dropped should be so situated that the lead may fall about three feet before
meeting the solution; by this means the lead is divided into small flakes or
granules, and is now ready for the further process.
Second, the contents of the vessel containing the solution of carbonate of
sodium and the granulated lead are now poured into the annular space of the
revolving vessel, Figures 2 and 3, in such quantities as the vessel will con-
veniently hold; the vessel is now caused to revolve, and during the periodof its
rotation the interaction of the contents takes place, the solution in the vessel
having in a short time the whiteness of milk. At this point the rotation is

page_text: stopped, and the milk-white solution is drawn off through the stop plug a;
this is repeated as often as may be required. During its agitation the lead
being exposed to the action of the atmosphere, and having a great affinity for
carbonic acid, takes up so great a quatity as more than compensates for any
loss in weight caused by the oxidation of the lead during the melting.
Thirdly, after the herein-before mentioned milky-white solution has been
drawn off it isfiltered, and to the filtrate a little more carbonate of sodium is
added, when it is returned to the vessel and submitted to the same agitation
as before.
In lieu of using the apparatus now [last described for manufacturing
the carbonate of lead, a part of that herein-before mentioned for the extrac-
tion of the products from coal, shales, and other bituminous substances may
be used, that is to say, a vessel fitted with an agitator similar to the vessel A,
Figure 1, may be employed and situated at an angle of 20° or thereabouts;
the mixture of lead and solution of carbonate of sodium being placed therein
in lieu of the vessels shown at Figures 1 and 2, the action of the agitator F
causing it to be elevated a short distance, when it falls over to the bottom of
the vessel. And, in place of using the apparatus shown at Figure 1 for con-
ducting the extraction of the products from bituminous substances, a vessel
with completely closed ends and having a hollow axle or shaft passing through
it may be employed, the tubular passage being divided in the centre so that
the hot air and steam may be conducted into the vessel through preforations
in the hollow axle, and the products arising from the distillation passing off
through similar perforations in the other half of the shaft. It is to be under-
stood that zinc may be manufactured into a white carbonate in the manner
herein-before described in reference to lead, zinc being substituted for lead
in conducting the process. After the carbonates are manufactured all that
remains to render them fit for use is to wash and dress them in the usual
manner for the market. A great advantage resulting from the manufacture
of the carbonates as herein-before described is that the process is much less
expensive than the present mode, a great saving of time being effected, and
the operations are in no way injurious to the health of the operator as in the
methods at present practised.
Having now described the nature of my said Invention, and the manner
in which the same is or may be used or practically carried into effect, I would
observe in conclusion that some of the details of the apparatus may be
variously arranged without departing from the chief objects or main features
of my Invention, and what I claim as the Invention secured to me by the
herein-before in part recited Letters Patent is,-

page_text: First, the general arrangement and combination of machinery or apparatus
to be employed for the manufacture or extraction of mineral hydrocarbons,
substantially as herein-before described.
Second, the combined chemical and mechanical processes employed in con-
nection with the apparatus herein-before specified for theextraction of mineral
hydrocarbons, substantially as herein-before described.
Third, the arrangement of machinery or apparatus to be employed for the
manufacture in a humid way of what are commercially known as "white
lead" and "zinc," substantially as herein-before described.
Fourth, the manufacture of white lead or zinc in a humid way, and the
process employed therefor, substantially as herein-before described.
In witness whereof, I, the said Hugh Robertson, have hereunto set
my hand and seal, this Twenty-third day of August, One thousand
eight hundred and sixty-six.
Witness,
ST. JOHN VINCENT DAY, C.E.,
Patent Office,
166, Buchanan St.,
Glasgow
HUGH ROBERTSON. (L.S.)