IMPROVEMENTS IN APPARATUS FOR TESTING ALCOHOLIC LIQUIDS
Year: 1882

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Herbert John Haddan, of Kensington, Middlesex, for an
Invention of " IMPROVEMENTS IN APPARATUS FOR TESTING ALCOHOLIC
LIQUIDS." A communication from abroad by Jules Antoine Jean Baptiste
Devèze, of Bordeaux, France.
.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Herbert John Haddan at
the Office of the Commissioners of Patents on the 18th January 1882.
HERBERT JOHN HADDAN of Kensington, Middlesex. "IMPROVEMENTS IN
APPARATUS FOR TESTING ALCOHOLIC LIQUIDS." A communication from abroad
by Jules Antoine Jean Baptiste Devèze, of Bordeaux, France.
This Invention relates to instruments for testing alcoholic liquids, that is to say,
for ascertaining the proportion of pure alcohol contained therein. It consists
essentially in distilling a certain quantity of the liquid, and weighing a given
volume of the distilled liquid by a sensitive balance. The retort and the refrigerator
are mounted on a movable stand consisting of a base plate and two diverging arms,
one of which forms at its upper end a loop for the reception of the retort, while the
other carries a vertical rod fitting into a corresponding groove at the side of the
refrigerator. A lamp is placed under the retort while the coil, in which the vapors
are condensed ends in a pipe passing through the side of the cooling vessel and
discharging the liquid into a receiver suspended from one end of the scale beam.
The other arm of the scale beam has a longitudinal groove in which a roller or
wheel can be moved in or out by turning an endless screw, thereby diminishing or
increasing the momemtum of the respective arm of the scale beam. The latter is
marked with divisions and figures indicating the per centage of alcohol corre-
sponding to various positions of the movable wheel on the scale beam.

page_text: SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent and.
IN
of an Order of the Lord Chancellor filed by the said Herbert John Haddan
in the Great Seal Patent Office on the 26th July 1882.
HERBERT JOHN HADDAN, of Kensington, Middlesex. "IMPROVEMENTS
APPARATUS FOR TESTING ALCOHOLIC LIQUORS." A communication from abroad
by Jules Antoine Jean Baptiste Devèze, of Bordeaux, France.
The apparatus embodying this Invention has been called a baroscope on account
of its property to determine the strength of wine by means of its weight. It is
based on the difference of density or specific weight existing between water and
pure alcohol, which densities are as 10 to 8. Consequently an alcoholic liquid is
the lighter the more alcohol it contains and vice-versd. The difficulty hitherto
experienced in utilizing this principle consists in the fact that differences of weight
between two nearly similar qualities of liquid, say one of 15° and the other of 16°,
are hardly appreciable without using either very large quantities of liquid. for
testing or instruments of extraordinary sensitiveness. This latter expedient is
adopted in the present Invention which does not require more than half a decilitre
of the distilled liquid for detecting. differences of one degree and even one
tenth of a degree. As the difference of weight between half a decilitre of alcoholic
liquid of 19° and another of 20 degrees is only a centigramme I distil two decilitres
and obtain from this quantity only half a decilitre, that is to say:-I multiply this
difference of weight by 4, and instead of half a centigramme of difference between
the weight of two liquids varying only one degree, I obtain 4, which is much more
appreciable. For carrying this Invention into effect two operations are necessary,
which require the same care in order to furnish accurate results. The first operation
is the distillation and the second the weighing in consequence of which the
apparatus consists of a still and a balance which are illustrated by the accom-
panying Drawing. The still is composed of a base plate or foot, two branches or
arms, a retort, a refrigerator and a lamp. The foot may be completely isolated
from the apparatus, in order to facilitate packing. It consists of a base plate a-b
with a boss in the centre which has two orifices or sockets for the reception of the
two branches c and e. The said sockets are semi-circular to prevent the dis-
location of the branches after they have been introduced. The branch or arm c
extends upwards to the left and carries at the top a horizontal ring in which the
retort is placed. The arm e extends on the right to a smaller height than the
branch c and ends in a horizontal bar f the two extremities of which have two
vertical flanges or projections to prevent the movable vertical bar g from exceeding
its limit of motion. The purpose of this bar g which slides on the piece ƒ will be
explained further on. The retort is constructed to prevent any escape of steam, it
consists chiefly of a boiler h which receives the liquid and the steam conducting
tube these parts are welded or brazed together. The boiler has a circular flange
for holding it in the ring d and an opening at the top for introducing the liquid
which is to be distilled. The plug k screwed into the top opening serves to close
the same.
If the screw thread is worn out in course of time a leather washer
applied under the head of the screw plug and pressed against the flange of the
opening serves to keep the latter hermetically closed. The conducting tube com-
mences at the side of the said top opening. It rises upward, afterwards turning
to the right and slightly downward while its extremity has a horizontal direction.
The horizontal part is provided with a screw thread about a centimetre long, the
object of which will be described hereafter. The refrigerator comprises a vessel
which holds the condensing liquid, and a pipe coil in which the steam is condensed.
Through the centre of the vessel passes a vertical pipe serving to renew the water
of the refrigerator; this tube projects downward through the bottom of the vessel
On the left of the vessel is a lug or projection provided with a groove into
which enters the vertical rod of the branch f. The pipe-coil projects on the right
at m.

page_text: through the refrigerator and ends in a mouth piece n turned downward. The pipe
commences at the top on the left side of the vessel from which it projects about.
i centimetre, and where it has a circular flange (o) over which passes a movable
coupling ring p. The left portion of this coupling has an internal thread screwed
over the extremity of the pipe i. For fixing the retort to the refrigerator the end
of the connecting tube is introduced into the coupling ring at the end of the pipe
coil and the said ring or nut turned so as to tighten it on the threaded extremity
of the tube i. As during this operation the pipe-coil approaches the tube i and
takes the refrigerating vessel with it, the bar g slides on the horizontal part of
the arm e.
In this way the steam passes from the retort to the refrigerator
without any loss which is an essential condition for obtaining accurate results.
The lamp q may be an ordinary spirit lamp placed sufficiently high for the rapid
heating of the liquid in the boiler h. A water gauge is also used to insure, that
always the same quantity of liquid is put into the retort. The balance or weighing
apparatus comprises a foot or stand, a beam and a scale. The stand has no peculiar
feature up to the spherical part r which contains two lateral apertures for the
reception of two branches r¹ and 11 situated vertically under the beam and serving
to limit the oscillations of the latter. The branch is made longer than li
From the top of r project two parallel plates 8, between. which moves the scale
beam. In the centre of these plates is cut an approximately rectangular opening
so that the opening in the first plate is situated in the prolongation of the second.
The side 8¹ 8¹¹ of the central opening forms a very obtuse angle downward serving
as a bearing for the knife edges. In the front plate (that turned towards the
operator) the rectangular aperture is continued upward so as to be open at the top
and allow the beam to be removed from its bearings when not used.
The other plate is surmounted by a graduated sector t, having its centre in the
axis of the standard. The pointer fixed vertically on the beam indicates by the
different positions which it takes relatively to the sector, whether the equilibrium
is perfect or not. The scale beam comprises the beam proper, a weight movable on
this beam and the knife edges. The beam is hollow and presents in cross section
a lozenge shape, the obtuse angles of which is rounded off. It is made of copper
and protected against corrosion by a thin coating of silver. The two copper blades
which form the beam are brazed together at their acute angles, and the tube thus
formed is closed right and left by two small plates of the same metal. From the
point of suspension (or near thereto) towards the right end of the beam run two
grooves t¹ in which moves the axle of a small tooth wheel u serving as an
adjusting weight. By running along the beam this wheel which is preferably
made of a very light metal alters the equilibrium of the system. The wheel is
set in motion by an endless screw situated inside the beam parallel with the
grooves and reaching towards the centre as far as the grooves. On the right it
passes through the wall which closes the beam and terminates in a large buttom
serving to set the screw in motion. According to the direction in which the
button is turned, the small wheel u will run forward or backward. In this way
the wheel may be moved a little without sensibly disturbing the equilibrium. In
order to prevent the wheel u from moving sideways and out of the control of the
endless screw, two rings or collars u are mounted on the axle right and left of the
walls of the beam, and thereby any displacement is avoided. As the width of the
grooves is measured by the diameter of the axle of the wheel, the latter cannot
rise or fall under the influence of the screw, but can only move forward or
backward. On the side turned towards the operator the axle terminates in a
pointer, which, indicates on the different divisions marked on the beam, the degrees
of strength of the liquids tested. On the continuation of the endless screw beyond
the large button already mentioned, is a small screw-spindle provided with a small
nut which may be moved forward or backward. The object of the different
parts will be shown in describing the working of the apparatus. At a convenient
part, for instance, one fifth of the length of the beam measured from the left end,
are knife edges formed by a triangular steel rod which passes rectangularly across

page_text: the beam and projects on both sides over the latter. Each bearing edge of this
rod rests on an agate plate and in the angle formed for this purpose. The scale is
formed by the receptacle x, into which falls the product of the distillation. This
receptacle is a glass vessel holding half a decilitre. The neck is at first contracted
and then suddenly enlarged into a wide funnel. On the narrowed part of the
neck is marked a circular line which the liquid should reach but never overstep.
The vessel is suspended from a knife bearing a resting with its obtuse, angle on a
knife edge situated at the left extremity of the beam. The suspending arms are
very light and articulated to the knife bearing, in order to render the system more
movable. At the lower end the suspending arms hold an open ring all so as to
allow the neck of the vessel to pass and keep it suspended in the air. In erecting
the apparatus the base plate of the still is placed as nearly horizontal as possible,
and the arms c and e are put in their proper places. The retort is then introduced
into the ring of the arm c and the refrigerator over the vertical rod of the arm e.
The refrigerator is now drawn to its extreme right hand position in allowing the
supporting rod g to slide. Afterwards the end of the retort pipe is then introduced
into the opening at the upper end of the pipe-coil, and the coupling nut turned
until the joint is tightly closed, after which the lamp is placed under the retort.
The base-plate of the beam is now placed horizontal, the two arms introduced into
their respective openings, the beam mounted as correctly as possible in utilizing
the slot of the front plate, the steel plate (or knife bearing) suspending the scale is
mounted on the knife-edge of the lever, the receptacle placed in the ring by
introducing its neck through the opening of the ring and letting it gently drop.
The apparatus is used in the following manner. The first operation consists in
setting the balance. For this purpose the liquid receptacle is filled with ordinary
water up to the circular mark, and the retort placed in the ring. By means of the
large button the adjusting weight is carried to its extreme right hand position. If
after this the liquid turns down the balance, the small nut is turned backward
without touching the endless screw, until the equilibrium is established. If on the
contrary the liquid is lighter and carried upwards by the beam, the nut is moved
forward until the equilibrium is perfect. This preliminary operation completed
the liquid vessel is filled up to the mark, care being taken that the mark is reached,
but not exceeded, which is an essential condition for obtaining accurate results.
For this purpose the liquid is poured into the retort and the cover carefully
screwed down in order to avoid the escape of steam, the refrigerator is filled with
water, and the balance placed near the still so as to cause the product of the
distillation to fall into the receptacle. When the liquid has arrived near the mark
on the neck of the vessel the apparatus is watched with the greatest attention, and
as soon as this point is reached, the still is withdrawn and the lamp extinguished.
By means of the button the small wheel is then moved forward or backward until
perfect equilibrium is established. After this it only remains to read the degree
of strength of the liquid from the graduated scale.
CLAIMS.