CERTAIN IMPROVEMENTS IN THE PROCESS: OF DISTILLATION
Year: 1821

page_text: TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, RICHARD
WRIGHT, of Mount Row, Kent Road, in the County of Surry, Engineer, send
greeting.
i
WHEREAS His most Excellent Majesty King George the Fourth did; by
His Letters Patent under the Great Seal of that part of the United Kingdom.
of Great Britain and Ireland called England, bearing date at Westminster,
the Ninth "day of November, in the second year of His reign, give and grant
unto me, the said Richard Wright, my exors, adññors, and assigns, His
especial licence; full power, sole privilege and authority, that I, the said
Richard Wright my exors, adñiors,' and assigns, during the term of years
therein mentioned; should and lawfully might make, use, exercise, and vend,
within England; 'Wales, and the Town of Berwick-upon-Tweed, and also in
all His Majesty's Colonies and Plantations abroad, my Invention of "CERTAIN
IMPROVEMENTS IN THE PROCESS: OF DISTILLATION;" in which said Letters Patent
there is contained a proviso, that if I, the said Richard Wright, shall not
particularly describe and ascertain the nature of my said: Invention, and in
what manner the same is to be performed, by an instrument in writing
under my hand and seal; and 'cause the same to be inrolled in His Majesty's
High Court of Chancery within six calendar months next and immediately
after the date of the 'said Letters -Patent, that then the said Letters Patent,
and all liberties and advantages whatsoever thereby granted, shall utterly
cease, détermine, and become void; as in and by the same, relation being
thereunto had, will more fully and at large appear.

page_text: NOW KNOW YE, that in compliance with the said proviso, I, the said
Richard Wright, do hereby declare that the nature of my said Invention, and
the manner in which the same is to be performed, are particularly described
and ascertained in and by the Drawings hereunto annexed, and the following
description thereof (that is to say):—
Fig. 1 is a still, made of metal or other material, with a division a, a,
forming two compartments A and B, each part being charged with wash or
other liquid for distilling. The still being heated, the vapour from a will be
driven through the pipe b, and other pipe or pipes into the contents of the
upper compartments, or from 6 under a plate or plates to dispurse the vapour
above the surface of the liquor in the compartment B; furthermore, I some
times continue the tube up to or near D, passing it through the side of G
into the fluid contained therein, descending either perpendicularly or inclined
to about E, for the purpose of producing a slight condensation of the grosser
vapours that may arise through the tube b in the compartment A. The tube b
passes out of G, and is continued to the top of the compartment B, with which
it freely communicates, thereby allowing the condensed vapour which may be
passed through the tube 6 to escape into the tube f, by which passage it goes
to the condensing apparatus at o, and finally passes off in the form of spirit at
the extremity thereof. By continuing the heat, the vapour from B will be
passed through the pipe f to the condenser. Attached to the division plate d, d,
or tube b, is the tube c (having a stop-cock), continued to a tube or small
worm in the cistern G, at the lower end of which outside of the cistern is an
indicative, Fig. 8, to ascertain occasionally the quality of the vapour in A, when
the spirit is out of that compartment of the still, and the spirit in B reduced to
the gravity the upper compartment of the still is intended to be wrought to; the
spent liquor in A is run off through the pipe e; the cock or valve d being open,
the content of the upper compartiment B containing the faints is then let into
A, the succeeding charge from the cistern F is passed through the pipe g to B.
h, a stuffing box to cock or valve rod d. The parts above described, which I
do not claim the Invention of, are the cocks or valve, the tube c, the small
worm, the discharging tube e, the emerging tube or tubes O, likewise the
passing of vapour into liquor; neither do I claim any particular method of
heating the still, which may be done by steam, by water bath, or, as represented
in the Drawing, Fig. 1, by a fire under the still, and the flame pass once or
twice round it to large stills; I prefer the latter.
That which I claim in the first article is a still capable of discharging wash
or other liquor entirely exhausted of spirit, and at the same time retain the

page_text: faints in the compartment B, to embody in the succeeding charge from the
condensor.
Fig. 2 represents a section of the condensing apparatus. F and G are two
cisterns placed one within the other; the larger one may be made of wood or
other suitable material, and must be charged with water or other fluid; the
smaller one of copper or other convenient material, and is filled with wash or
other liquid intended for subsequent distillation, and should be of sufficient
capacity to contain at least two charges for the upper compartment B, in
Fig. 1. When the vessel F is attached to other stills, I entirely omit the
vessel G, and attach the tube p to other worm or condenser. K is a pipe open
at the top, which, passing through the cisterns F and G, should be continued
half way up the former, so as to draw off only the upper portion of fluid in F.
Near the lower extremity of k is 7, which is a pipe communicating with 'the
bottom of F, Fig. 2, and g, Fig. 1, by which passage the vessel F may be
entirely emptied of fluid when desired; m is a stop-cock for closing the pipe
when is to be used; n is a stop-cock, which must be opened when either
or k is used, but close during distillation; f, a pipe through which the vapour
passes from the compartment B, Fig. 1, into the spiral or other condenser at o,
Fig. 2, which is a section of it, and has finally collected at its extremity at p
in form of spirit. The form of the condenser f may be various, as shewn in
the section, wherein is represented three distinct or united plans, the upper a
being semicircular. The side of the vessel F forms the perpendicular of the
coils; the middle one y is circular, as in the common worm; the space between
its courses being filled up forms the sides of the vessel F; the lower part z,
may be formed by making the vessel F with double sides, having pieces of
metal fixed between them to disburse the vapour in the space between
the said two sides. I mention these several methods, but I prefer the middle
one y, or spiral worm, with the spaces filled up, as above described. i, the
supply pipe to the cistern F, which should be continue to near the bottom
of F; j, a head to the vessel F, containing a light valve to prevent the vapour
passing from the pipe for cavity round F into the liquid in F, but which will
allow the vapour that rises in F to pass down the said pipe v into the cavity
for condensation; q is a waste pipe to the cistern G, to carry off the surplus
water as is used in the common worm tub. Neither the cistern G, the waste
pipe q, cocks, valves, or other pipes do I claim as my Invention.
·
That which I claim as my Invention in the second article is a vessel to
contain wash or other liquor in progress for distilling, surrounded by cavity for
condensing the vapour from the still.

page_text: Third, all;. that I claim in this article is the use of a number, of graduated
bubbles of known gravity, which being put into a glass vessel in which a
portion of the spirit. passes from the still, according to the number of bubbles
afloat, their colour or shape, the levity of the spirit.is denoted: With the
assistance of a thermometer the strength is ascertained. The graduated, bubble
being well known: it is not necessary for me to, describe it; neither do-I-claim,
its. Invention, or the Invention of: the, thermometer, or of the parts of the
following arrangement, which it is necessary to insert and exhibit upon athe
plan to enable others to apply the bubbles, as above:described.
Fig. 3 represents an indicator ;r, the supply tube; s; the water, pipe;t,a
stop-cock with the supper passage at right angle with the other-two;; us the
delivery endua glass to contain the thermometer, waste pipe, and graduated
bubbles; the three passages of the cock, being open, the glass will be emptied;
by turning, the pluge of the cock at right angles closing the outlet u, the glass
will be filled.the spirit.pass: through; the waste pipe s; thereby keeping a
constant change of liquor, in the glass: By turning the cock another quarter
further the top passage will be shut, and the liquor,pass direct from' r out. at, u;
at such times the spirit in the glass will be free from agitation, when the levity
and strength. can be ascertained.
In witness whereof, I; the said Richard Wright, have-hereunto "set"my
⚫. hand and seal; this Ninth day of May, in the year of our Lord-One
woond sight hunddroid and twenty-two