Improvements in and relating to Distilling Apparatus, chiefly. designed for the Manufacture of Pure Grape Spirit and of . Whiskies Free from Fusel-oil.
Year: 1894

page_text: Date of Application, 17th Nov., 1894-Accepted, 11th May, 1895
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in and relating to Distilling Apparatus, chiefly.
designed for the Manufacture of Pure Grape Spirit and of
. Whiskies Free from Fusel-oil.
I, PIERRE LOUIS FREDERIC EVARISTE VIGNIER, of Albyn House, Parson's
Green, Fulham, in the County of Middlesex, Distiller, 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 :-
My invention relates to distilling apparatus which is chiefly designed for the
manufacture of pure grape spirit and of whiskies free from fusel-oil; and my said
invention comprises improvements whereby I am enabled to increase the efficiency
of apparatus such as that described in the Specification of former Letters Patent
granted to me and dated 15th December 1890, No. 20,430.
The apparatus described in the said former Specification is adapted for the
manufacture of two special high-class spirits from the same charge, that is
to say:-
(a.) The centre of the distillation (cœur de distillation), that is to say, the
middle portions of the distillate obtained directly from the inner still, and
(b.) A high-class rectified spirit at a high strength.
This result is obtained, as described in the said former Specification, by the
employment of a rectifier or rectifying column arranged within the head of a still
and into which the distillate from such still is conducted for the purpose of
redistillation or rectification.
The centre of the distillation is produced from the vapours given off in the inner
still or body of the rectifying column, which are conducted through an ordinary
head and neck into a condenser.
When the centre of the distillation is not showing the delicacy desired, the
vapours are cut off from the said head or neck, and, rising into and through the
rectifying column, produce a clean high class spirit free from feints and
possessing the original flavour. In the apparatus described in the said former
Specification, however, there is no provision for completely preventing the rising
of the vapours into the rectifying column whilst the centre of the distillation is
being obtained.
According to one part of my present invention, I provide for the manufacture of
the two qualities or grades of spirit in a more convenient and efficient manner than
heretofore. For this purpose I divide the rectifier or rectifying column into two
parts and provide the same with suitable means whereby communication between
the said two parts can be established and cut off at will. I am thus enabled to
effectually prevent the rising of the vapours into the rectifying column until the
centre of the distillation has been obtained, after which the said vapours can be
allowed to rise freely into the said rectifying column.
According to another part of my said invention, I provide improved means for
condensing the vapours from the said rectifying column and from other parts of
the still. For this purpose 1 employ a series of vessels provided with condensing
tubes and so constructed and arranged that the vapour will pass from one to
another throughout the series, and the fusel-oil will be separated from the
condensed spirit, so that the spirit and the fusel-oil can be drawn off separately.
My said invention, moreover, comprises other improvements hereinafter
described.

page_text: In the accompanying drawing I have shown how my said invention may be
conveniently and advantageously carried into practice.
Figure 1 is a side elevation, partly in vertical central section, of one form of my
improved apparatus.
Figure 2 is a section on the line, x, Figure 1.
A is the head or dome of the still; B is the inner still or body of the rectifier
which is hereinafter referred to as the inner still; C is the upper part or head of
the rectifying column, which is hereinafter termed the rectifying column.
The said head or dome A is provided with necks D through which the vapours
from the liquor may be allowed to pass out of the said still, through suitable
filtering and condensing apparatus, substantially as described in the said former
Specification, and as shown in Sheets 4, 5 and 6 of the drawings accompanying
the said Specification the feints being conducted into receivers and the re-distilled
low wine, or other distillate which is to be subjected to further distillation or
rectification, being conducted into the inner still B.
The inner still B is provided with a neck E through which the vapours can be
allowed to pass from the said still in order to obtain the centre of the distillation.
The upper part of the inner still B is closed by a plate or cover B' provided
with a passage c communicating with the rectifying column C and controlled by
means of a cock or valve F. In the inner still B, the condensed liquor, such, for
example, as re-distilled low-wine, is again vaporized and the vapours, consisting of
fine or pure spirit, are carried away to a condenser by means of the pipe or neck E,
the cock F being closed; when, however, the said vapours become " soiled," that
is to say, are not of sufficiently high quality to be collected as pure spirit, the
passage through the pipe or neck E is closed by means of a suitable cock or
valve E', and the valve F is opened so that the "soiled" vapours may pass up
through the rectifying column Ċ and be further treated therein.
"
By the arrangement of the rectifier within the still A, the "fore shots" and the
"tails
can be taken from the charge in the still and conducted into special
receivers without contaminating the principal organs of the apparatus, that is to
sayThe still being charged, the first vapours are condensed and carried by pipes
into a special receiver without going into the inner still or rectifier, and, when the
rectifier is cut off, all the "tails' are removed in the same way into a special
receiver. It will be observed that, by the elimination of these low products,
viz. "fore shots" and "tails," without passing through the inner still and
rectifying column and the condensers attached to these parts, I am enabled to
produce a much larger proportion of "fin goût," i.e. clean spirit, than could be
made by ordinary distillation, and hence very little feints. And, by dividing the
rectifier into two parts as above described, I can very conveniently and efficiently
manufacture two pure or fine spirits, viz.:-the centre of distillation (cœur de
distillation), and another distillate produced by allowing the vapours to pass into
the rectifying column C for further rectification as required.
The vapours from the top of the rectifying column Care conducted through
a pipe C to a series of condensers G, G, G³, the said vapours being preferably
passed first through an ordinary condenser or refrigerator to cool them before they
enter the said condensers G, G³, G².
Each of these condensers comprises a vessel or chamber provided internally
with a series of tubes through which cold water or other liquid may be circulated,
this liquid preferably entering by the pipe H and branch-pipes H', H², H³ and
being discharged through the pipe J.
The space outside of the tubes in the chamber G is connected with the space
outside of the tubes in the chamber G₁ by a bent pipe K, and the chamber G¹ is
similarly connected with the chamber G2 by a bent pipe K', the chamber G² being
connected by a similar bent pipe K2 either with a discharge pipe L, or with
another condensing chamber if a larger series of condensers is required. Each
of the bent pipes K, K', K' has on the top of the bend a small vent hole to
regulate the level of the liquid in the corresponding chamber. The parts of the

page_text: pipes K, K', K within the chambers G, G¹, G² respectively, extend downward to
near the lower end of the said chambers. The spaces above the pipes K, K¹, K*
in the chambers G, G', G² are also connected one with another by bent pipes M, M¹,
and the upper part of the chamber G2 is connected by a pipe M² with the discharge
pipe L, in order to carry from one chamber to another any portion of the vapours
of the spirit not condensed; and, to bring out any uncondensable air, the discharge
pipe L should have an air-tube as shewn at L'. The chambers G, G', G' are,
moreover, connected at their lower end, by means of pipes N1, N2, N3 provided
with controlling valves or cocks, with a pipe N for draining off, when desired, the
condensed spirit remaining in the condensers, and the fusel-oil floating upon the
said spirit.
Each of the said chambers has a gauge-glass P attached to it, in order to
permit the distiller to observe the thickness of the layer of fusel-oil floating on
ihe top of the spirit, and thus enable him to run it off at the proper times into the
feint or other receivers.
The vapours to be condensed enter the first chamber G through the pipe C¹ (or
through a pipe connecting it with the aforesaid refrigerator), and the condensed
spirit collects in the bottom of the said chamber until it reaches a level corre-
sponding to the bend of the pipe K, which, as above stated, has a small hole in
the top, so that it cannot act as a siphon and thus draw all the liquid out of the
chamber.
The liquid overflowing through the pipe K passes over into the second
chamber G, the overflow from which passes through the pipe K' into the
chamber G2, whence the spirit overflows through the pipe K2 into the pipe L for
conducting away the condensed spirit. Any vapours not condensed in the
chamber G are conducted to the second chamber G' through the pipe M, and
from this chamber any uncondensed vapours pass through the pipe M' into the
chamber G2, any air or uncondensed vapours passing away from the chamber G²
through the pipe L¹.
It will be seen from the foregoing description, that, by reason of the construction
and arrangement of the condensing apparatus as above set forth, only the pure
spirit will be conducted away from the condensers through the pipes K, K', K²
and L, as the fusel-oil, which floats upon the spirit, is always above the level of
the lower end of the siphon-pipes within the condensers.
The said condensers may be completely emptied at the close of the distilling
operation, or at other times when required, through the drain-pipes N1, N2, N3.
The fusel-oil can thus be drawn off separately from the spirit and conducted into
the feint receiver or into a special receiver.
It is evident that the condenser above described can be used for condensing the
vapours from other parts of the apparatus.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said inven-
tion and in what manner the same is to be performed I declare that what I
claim is:
First. A rectifier divided into two parts and provided with suitable means
whereby communication between the said parts can be established and cut off as
required, substantially as hereinbefore described and for the purposes specified.
Second. The combination of an outer still, an inner still and rectifying column,
filtering and condensing apparatus connected with the said inner and outer stills,
and a cock or valve between the said inner still and the rectifying column,
substantially as, and for the purposes, herein before described.
Third. A condenser comprising a series of condensing chambers connected one
with another in such a manner that the spirit, as it is condensed, can be con-
tinuously conducted away, leaving the fusel-oil to be subsequently drawn off from
the said chambers, substantially as hereinbefore described.
Fourth. The improved condenser constructed substantially as described with

page_text: reference to the accompanying drawing and operating as and for the purposes
above specified.
Dated the 16th day of November 1894.
P. L. F. E. VIGNIER.
D. Young & Co.,
11 & 12, Southampton Buildings, London, W.C.,
Agents for the Applicant.