IMPROVEMENTS IN THE TREATMENT OF MINERAL OILS
Year: 1870

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Robert Scott, of Addiewell, in the County of
Mid Lothian, North Britain, Manager to Young's Paraffin Light
and Mineral Oil Company (Limited), and William Mac Ivor, of the
same Place, Chemist, for the Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN THE
TREATMENT OF MINERAL OILS."
Scaled the 15th September 1870, and dated the 31st March 1870.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Robert Scott and
William Mac Ivor at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents,
with their Petition, on the 31st March 1870.
We, ROBERT SCOTT, of Addiewell, in the County of Mid Lothian,
North Britain, Manager to Young's Paraffin Light and Mineral Oil
Company (Limited), and WILLIAM MAC IVOR, of the same Place,
Chemist, do hereby declare the nature of the said Invention of "Iм-
PROVEMENTS IN THE TREATMENT OF MINERAL OILS," to be as follows, that is
to say :-
This Invention relates to improvements in the treatment of mineral
oils, whereby their colour is improved and their odours rendered less
offensive.

page_text: The term "oil" as employed in this Specification includes paraffin oils,
and any oils, spirits, or naphthas produced by the distillation of coal,
shale, peat, schist, lignite, or other bituminous substances, natural oils
and naphthas, petroleums or rock oils, and includes generally the whole
of those known as "mineral oils," and the term "caustic alkalies" as
hercin-after employed includes any mixture, combination, or solution of
alkalics or alkalino carths in a solid or fluid form.
The Invention is carried out in practice in the following manner :-
First. The oil is heated with caustic alkalies, and kept at or near to
the distilling temperature of the oil for a sufficient length of time to
allow the oil to "cohobate" or commingle with the alkalies; it (the oil)
is then drawn off and distilled in another vessel in any convenient
manner, or the oil after being "cohobated" or commingled for a sufficient
time with the caustic alkalies may be distilled off in the same still or
other form of vessel in which they havo been heated together.
Second. The oil may be heated with caustic alkalics under pressuro
and subsequently distilled either with or without pressure in the same
or in a separate vessel, or the distillation may be effected in any suitable
form of still, and the heated oil vapour may be made to pass over or
through alkalies in solution or through or over fused oaustio alkalies, or
through caustic alkalies suspended in the vapour, or the distillation may
be effected wholly or partly by superheated steam either blown into the
still or passed through a worm or other suitable appliance for that
purpose.
Third. For the removal of the noxious odour from the burning oils
which are produced from the heavier oils by the "
pressure distillation
process," and which has hitherto proved a disadvantage to that process
it is proposed to submit the distillate of the pressure boiler or still to
redistillation under the action of caustic alkalies, in any of the modes
herein before mentioned, or by introducing caustic alkalics into the
pressure boiler or still, thus transforming the heavier into the lighter
oils in the presence of the caustic alkalies.
Fourth. In treating mineral oils under existing processes large
quantities of solution of caustic soda are employed, and the resulting
tar (termed soda tar) after the treatment of oil with caustic soda is
usually distilled in separate stills, the oil being obtained from the tar
and the residual soda afterwards recovered. This soda tar may be

page_text: advantageously employed under this Invention by being distilled with
the oil instead of employing fresh caustic soda, thus effecting an
improvement on the oil in an economical manner.
The improved treatment herein-before described when applied to the
heavier portions of mineral oils produces a superior coloured oil and
diminishes the odour; the oil also retains its colour for a greater
length of time, whilst the process generally effects a considerable
improvement on any description of mineral oil, the product containing
few or no impurities (these being eliminated by the alkalies) as compared
with oils of the same class prepared by the ordinary methods.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent,
filed by the said Robert Scott and William Mac Ivor in the
Great Seal Patent Office on the 28th September 1870.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, wc, ROBERT
SCOTT, of Addiewell, in the County of Mid Lothian, North Britain,
Manager to Young's Paraffin Light and Mineral Oil Company (Limited),
and WILLIAM MAC Ivon, of the same Place, Chemist, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her
Letters Patent, bearing date the Thirty-first day of March, in the year
of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and seventy, in the 33rd
year of Her reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and
grant unto us, the said Robert Scott and William Mac Ivor, cr
special license that we, the said Robert Scott and William Mac Ivor,
our executors, administrators, and assigns, or such others as we, the
said Robert Scott and William Mac Ivor, our exccutors, 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 "IMPROVEMENTS IN THE TREATMENT OF
MINERAL OILS," upon the condition (amongst others) that we, the said
Robert Scott and William Mac Ivor, by an instrument in writing under
our hand and seal, should particularly describe and ascertain the nature
of the said Invention, and in what manner the same was to be per-
formed, and cause the same to be filed in the Great Seal Patent Office

page_text: within six calendar months next and immediately after the date of the
said Letters Patent.
NOW KNOW YE, that we, the said Robert Scott and William
Mac Ivor, do hereby declare the nature of our said Invention, and in
what manner the same is to be performed, to be particularly described i
and ascertained in and by the following statement, that is to say:
:-
Our said Invention relates to improvements in the treatment of
mineral oils whereby their colour is improved and their odours rendered
less offensive.
The term "oil" as employed in this Specification includes paraffin 1
oils, and any oils, spirits, or naphthas produced by the distillation of coal,
shale, peat, schist, lignite, or other bituminous substances, natural oils
and naphthas, petroleums or rock oils, and includes generally the whole
of those known as "mineral oils," and the term "caustic alkalics" as
herein-after employed includes any mixture, combination, or solution of
alkalies or alkaline earths in a solid or fluid form.
The Invention is carried out in practice in the following manner :-
First. The oil is heated with caustic alkalies and kept at or near to
the distilling temperature of the oil for a sufficient length of time to
allow the oil to "cohobate" or commingle with the alkalies; it, the oil,
is then drawn off and distilled in another vessel in any convenient
manner, or the oil after being "cohobated " or commingled for a
sufficient time with the caustic alkalies may be distilled off in the same
still or other form of vessel in which they, that is the oil and alkalies,
have been heated together.
Second. The oil may be heated with caustic alkalies under pressure
and subsequently distilled either with or without pressure in the same
or in a separate vessel, or the distillation may be effected in any suitablo
form of still, and the heated oil vapour may be made to pass over or
through alkalies in solution, or through or over fused caustic alkalies
suspended in the vapour, or the distillation may be effected wholly or
partly by superheated steam either blown into the still or passed through
a worm or other suitable appliance for that purpose.
"
Third. For the improvement of the odour of the burning oils which
are produced from the heavier oils by the "pressure distillation process
as set forth in the Specification of Letters Patent granted to James
Young, the younger, No. 1697, A.D. 1866, the distillate of the pressure
5

page_text: boiler or still is redistilled under the action of caustic alkalies in any
of the modes herein-before mentioned, or by introducing caustic alkalies
into the pressure boiler or still, thus transforming the heavier into the
lighter oils in the presence of the caustic alkalics.
Fourth. In treating mineral oils under existing processes large
quantities of solution of caustic soda are employed, and the resulting
tar (termed soda tar) after the treatment of oil with caustic soda is
usually distilled in separate stills, the oil being obtained from the tar
and the residual soda afterwards recovered. This soda tar may be
advantageously employed under this Invention by being distilled with
the oil instead of employing fresh caustic soda, thus effecting an
improvement on the oil in an economical manner.
The improved treatment herein-before described when applied to the
heavier portions of mineral oils produces an oil of superior colour and of
diminished odour, the oil also retains a bright and clear colour for a
greater length of time, whilst the process generally effects a considerable
improvement on any description of mineral oil, the product containing
few or no impurities (these being eliminated by the alkalies) as compared
with oils of the same class prepared by the ordinary methods.
In carrying out the Invention in practice it has been found that the
process herein-before described may be advantageously conducted in
horizontal cylindrical cast-iron stills, the oil under treatment being
cohobated or heated with fifteen to twenty per cent. by volume of caustic
soda of a strength of 68° of Twaddell's hydrometer or thereabouts for a
period of 48 hours, and then distilled off. But the quantity of soda
required and the time of cohobation varies with the nature of the oil
under treatment.
It has also been found in practice that the qualities of mineral oils
have been materially improved by the oils under treatment being sub-
jected to agitation in a close vessel with solution of caustic soda at a
comparatively high temperature. We have found that if the agitation
is conducted under a temperature of 350° Fahrenheit good results are
produced, but we do not limit ourselves to employ that temperature.
After this agitation and separation of the soda and tar has been effected
the distillation of the oil in a separate vessel may be proceeded with,
thereby avoiding the deterioration of the apparatus wherein distillation
is effected.

page_text: Having now described the nature of our said Invention, and the
manner in which the same is or may be used or practically carried
into effect, we would observe in conclusion that what we consider novel
and original, and therefore claim as the Invention secured to us by the
herein-before in part recited Letters Patent is, the improving of the
odour and colour of mineral oils by treating them with caustic alkalies
under heat, and which may be advantageously effected in any of the
modes herein-before set forth.
In witness whereof, we, the said Robert Scott and William Mac
Ivor, have hereunto set our hands and scals, this Twenty-third ]
day of September One thousand eight hundred and seventy.