US1378229A - Process of distilling petroleum - Google Patents

Description

E. 0. HICKS. PROCESS OF DI STII.LING PETROLEUM. APPLICATIIQN FILED APR. 3'' I920.

Patented May 17, 1921.

g I INYE'NTORI UNITED. STATES PATENT OFFICE.

EIl'OCH O. HICKS, OF ST. JOSEPH, KISSOURI.

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Be it known that I ENOGH 0. Hroxsgia citizen of the United States, residing at Joseph, in the county of Buchanan and State of Missouri, have invented certain new and useful Im rovements in Processes of Distilling Petro sum, of which the folcombine steam with the highly heated vapors of petroleum, primarl y for preventmg ignition of said vapors and. secondarily. for assisting their movement through the vapor conducting devices used 1n the process. I r

Apparatus for the practice of my improved process is illustrated in the accom panying drawings, in whlchf Figure 1 is a side vlew-of my preferred form of apparatus, certain parts bein broken away. Fig. 2 is a front view 0 the vaporizing apparatus, shown 1n. F1g.. certain parts being broken away. Fig. 8 1d a side new of one of the other various forms in'which the revaporizer may be constructed certain parts being broken away.

lieferring to Fig. 1, the vaporizer, or boiler, 1 surmounts the fire chamber 2 and is provided with the closable liquid inlet hydrocarbon liquid, for treatment is forced into said boiler, from a source of liquid supply not shown, after which said pipe is closed.

The pipes 4 are connected with the upper side of said boiler, for conducting vapor therefrom. and for returning by gravity such'parts of said vapor as are condensed in the air cooled condenser 5, the bottom of which condenser is connected with the upper ends of said pigies.

The reva orizer 6 is o tro h shape and is detachab y suspended in 'sai boiler above the surface of.the body of fluid 7, which is Specification of an." Patent.

is preferably for-med o pipe 3, through which pipe a quantity of rnocnss or msrmnmo rnraonnun.

9 Patented Mayl'i', 1921.

lppllcation flled April 17, m Serial No. 314,743.

' to be treated. Said revaporizer 1s balsam? the lower ends of the pi es 4, for catching, what is commonly called crackin and re-.' vaporiz ng therein, all of the con ensed vaper, which gravitates from the condenser 5, through said pipes 4. Said condenser may be of any well known form for radiating heat therefrom, for coolin its contents, but

the upper and 55 lower headers 8 and 9, respectively, which headers are connected by the radiating plges 5.

o ler 1 is provided with a man-hole opening through its front end, which open- 1n 1s closed by the man-hole cover 10, with w lch the oil, pocket 11 is formed. Said pocket 1s filled. with oil 11', for conductngheat to the thermometer tube 12, which indicates the temperature of the fluid 7.

'I he header 8,.of the air cooled condenser 5', 1s connected with the liquid cooled condenser coil 13, by the pipe 14.

The low boiling point liquid product 14 gravltates as a distillate, from the coil 13, through the pipe 15, into the tank 16.

Said pipe s provided with the automatical]; operated pressure retaining valve 17, which 1s adjusted. for maintaining about from 4 to 5 atmospheres of pressure of va- 35 par 1n said condensers and the boiler 1.

he .ad uStment of said valve is accomglished by rotating the valve wheel 18.

ince the structural details of said valve are old, they are neither shown nor def scribed.

The relief valve 19 (provided with the hand wheel 20,) is,connected with the upa per end-of thevertical pipe 21, the lower end of which pipe is connected with the lower 95. end portion of the condenser coil 13, and is extended thereabove, through the cooling liquid 22, to a point above the top ofthe condensertank 23, in which tank said liquid and coil are placed.

Said i-elief valve is manually" opened from time to time for relieving the gas pressure, which is liable to accumulate in the 0011 1 and obstruct the action of the apparatns.

Inv the process steam ma .be injected into the revaporizer 6, throng the spray pipe 24, from an'unshown source of steam under pressurathe flow of said steam being controlled by the valve 25. y The header 8 of the air cooled condenser is equipped, with a pressure safety valve 26 vaporizer 6, seen in -trough shape, suspende and a vacuum safety valve 27 both of which are well. known both in construction and operation, and are therefore neither shown nor described in detail. F

In all of the conventional converting processes of this class, of which I am aware, a quantity of the previously described residual portions of petroleum is heated to a temperature of from about 650 to about 850 F., under a pressure of from about 4 to about 5 atmospheres, thereby vaporizin the volatile portion of said petroleum. his vapor passes into an air cooled condenser, in which practically all of it is condensed and gravitates from said condenser into said heated petroleum, by the heat of which said condensed va or is revaporized, or what is commonly ca led cracked, and is thereby converted into the vapor of a low boiling point product. The last mentioned vapor passes through said air cooled condenser after which it is condensed (under sai pressure) in a liquid cooled condenser, into the low boiling point liquid product, which product is directed into a tank. The mixing of the condensed vapor with the heated petroleum, as above described, destroys the viscous nature of the latter, rendering the unevaporated ortion of said petroleum unfit for use in ubricants, while my separate revaporizer 6 catches all of the li uid which gravitates from the air cooled con enser and revaporizes and cracks all of said liquid separately from said heated petroleum; an herein lies my improvement in the previously described conventional processes. In my improved lprocess the heated is not cooled contact therewit of said retuned liquid, but is thus kept at its high heat and is thereby distilled in the minimum period of time, without destroying any of its viscous nature. This maintained heat also vaporizes a greater volume of said 'pe-- troleum, thereby reducing a greater volume of the low boi ing point pro uct, than is produced by said conventional rocesses.

While I have shown and described the re- Fi 1, as being of in the boiler 1, above the heated petroleum 7, it is evident that revaporization could be done in variously formed devices, which perform their functions in the same manner, without in any way changing my improved process.

One of such various forms of revaporizers is shown at 28, in Fig. 3. Said revaporizer etroleum tions of whic the apertures 32 are formed for passage therethrough into said pipes, o vapor arising from said heated petroleum, which is heated in the boiler 33, of which bleiler and said radiator but portions are s own.

closed What I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent is 1. The process of treating the li uid portions of the parafiin-series of petroleum distillation having a boiling point upward of 500 F. for obtaining therefrom low boiling point products of the same series, which consists of vaporizing in a still the volatile constituents of said liquid portions of petroleum at a temperature of from about 650 to about 850 F. condensing said vapor, revaporizing said condensed va or in condensate receptacles in said still or continually maintaining separation of said condensates from said liquid portions of petroleum throughout the entire process, thereby maintaining the viscous nature of the latter, re-

tillation having a boiling point u ward of O0 for obtaining therefrom 6w boiling point products of the same series, which consists of vaporizing the volatile constituent of said liquid portions of petroleum at a temperature of from about 650 to about 850 F. condensing said vapor, revaporizi said condensed vapor separately from sai liquid .portions of petroleum, injecting steam into said revaporized vapor, recon-v densing said revaporized va r, and maintaining a pressure of from a cut 4 to 5 atmospheres on the liquids of said Vapors throughout their course to and while undergoing condensation.

In testimony whereof I ailix my signature.

moon 0. HICKS.

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