US1601777A - Method and apparatus eos - Google Patents

Description

Oct. 5 1926.

l C. A. SPOTZ METHOD AND APPARATUS FOR DISTILLING CRUDE OILS FROM SHALE Filed'June 8, 1925 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 C. A. SPOTZ LUNG CRUDE OILS FROM SHALE METHOD AND APPARATUS FOR DISTI 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed June C/M NK PADDL ES Patented Get. 5, 1926.

rarest METHOD AND APPARATUS FOR DISTILLING CRUDE OILS FROM SHALE.

Application filed June 8, 1925.

Serial No. 35,648.

My present invention relates to an im- 6 designates a hopper for the shale, which proved method of, and apparatus for distilling volatile matter from shale and like material, and aims to provide a method and means whereby the shale will be quickly heated, all the volatile matter elfectively driven therefrom, and. the spent material ejected, in a continuous manner and without loss of volatile material.

The invention further aims to accomplish these objects in such a manner that the sh ale may be operated upon at a relatively low temperature, and for a relatively short period of time, whereby a better petroleum yield is secured in a rapid and economical With these and other objects in view,

which will hereinafter appear, the invention includes the novel method and apparatus F hereinafter described and particularly defined by the appended claims.

In the accompanying drawings Figure 1 is a longitudinal vertical section through a retort constructed in accordance with my invention and adapted for carrying out my improved method, and I Fig. 2 is a transverse section.

Figs. 3, 4- and 5 are detail views.

Referring by reference characters to this drawing, the numeral 1 designates a retort, closed except for the openings hereinafter specified, preferably of elongated form, and adapted to contain molten metal, indicated at 2, and adapted to be heated to maintain the metal at the desired temperature by a flue 3 for heated gases, this being merely representative of any desired form of heating means. j

The retort is provided adjacent its initial or feed end, with a partition wall 4 which forms, with the end wall 1*, a guideway within which works a vertically reciprocating pusher 5 having its lower face inclined upwardly and rearwardly, or away from the feed end. The wall et terminates a short distance below the level of the molten metal and above the bottom of the retort, whereby the lower end of the guideway is in .communication with the main portion of the etort, the 'uideway being filled with the molten meta to the same levelr' communicates at its lower end with the guideway above the surface ofthemetal. It will thus be seen that when the plunger is raised above the hopper opening, the shale or other material will flow into the guideway onto the surface of the metal therein, and that when the plunger descends the ma terial will be forced down into the bath until it is in position to ride off the inclined face of the plunger into the bath in the main or volatilization portion of the retort.

Preferably the plunger is provided with a gate 5 having a limited sliding movement relative to the face of the plunger, whereby as the plunger descends, the gate 5 will move down with it until the feed opening is closed which will prevent the shale from entering the space above the plunger when the latter continues its movement to the position indicated in dotted lines Fig. 1. This will prevent interference with the full upward movement of the plunger. The gate is provided near its upper end with a projection a resting in an open topped recess in the juxtaposed face of the plunger, so that as the plunger rises the gate will open the feed opening.

' l have found that if lumps of shale are kept submerged in a bath of molten metal by a reticulated member and are agitated vhile so submerged, as the heat of the bath reduces the shale and frees the volatile matter, this action takes place on each lump from the surface inward and the reduced particles on the surface will be removed by the agitation and will pass upward through the openings in the reticulated men'ibcr, leaving fresh unreduced surfaces on the lumps 5 which are more quickly acted upon by the bath. By taking advantage of this fact, I find that I can drive off all the volatile matter at a relatively low temperature (800 F. or less), which produces the best petroleum yield, and at the same time the volatile material will all be driven from the shale in a relatively short period. By agitating the material in such a manner that it is caused to progressively move through the retort, the process is made continuous, the lumps or pieces of shale being progressively freed from the reduced particles and being in a condition to be more quickly acted on by the relatively low temperature molten bath.

By operating on the shale in this manner If. End that the material may be fed to the retort in relatively large pieces without detracting from the speed or efficiency of the process. To this end I provide a reticulated member 7 which may conveniently be made in the form of a perforated metal plate of stepped formation with the rises of the steps facing the delivery end, said member 7 be1ng preferably inclined upwardly slightly towards the rear or delivery end, as shown.

A rectilinear reciprocating motion being imparted to this agitating and conveying member 7, it will be seen that the material is gradually, progressively, or continuously worked along through the molten bath, whereby it is agitated and thoroughly subjected to the heating action thereof, the volatilized gases rising through the perforations to the surface of the liquid and the interior of the retort, whence they are delivered through the outlet 1", which may be con nected with any suitable treating apparatus, such for example as a condenser (not shown). Due to this agitation and the action of the molten bath, the reduced particles on. the exterior of the lumps or pieces of shale, are rubbed off or dislodged from the lumps, and these are of suflicient fineness to pass through the openings in the member 7, which are flared to prevent clogging. These particles will rise to and collect on the surface, though due to their fineness, all contained volatile matter will have been eliminated. The fresh surfaces exposed to the bath by the removal'of the reduced coatings will be at once acted on by the heat resulting in a further reducing and removal of particles in a progressive and continuous manner, until by the time the delivery end of the retort has been reached, the lumps will have been disintegrated to a large extent. I

For urging the collected particles towards the delivery end of the retort, I provide agitating and conveying means in the shape of blades 8 mounted on shafts 8 journaled in end bearing caps 8 in one of the walls of the retort, which caps may be suitably packed, as shown, such shafts extending through openings in the other wall and through suitable stuffing boxes, and. being adapted to be driven through suitable chain and sprocket connections. This method of mounting forms a very convenient manner of assembly, as the blades are preferably carried formed integral with sleeves 8, vhich may be inserted between the walls in align ment with the bearing. openings and the shaft slipped through and thereafter pinned or otherwise secured to the sleeve. At the delivery end the retortis provided with two transverse partitions 9 and 10 respectively, forming therebetween a guideway in which works a plunger 11 having an inclined lower face corresponding to the lower face of the plunger 5. The rear end of the retort is provided with a delivery opening 1 located above the level of the molten bath, through which the spent material is delivered to a suitable conveyor shown conventionally in Fig. 1. The partition 10 extends below the level of the bath, thoughterminating short of the bottom of the retort, thereby forming a liquid seal to the. interior of the retort at the delivery end, in the same manner that I the conve or durin its reci rocatin' move-1 y D C! ment. Any particles or lumps of shale not completely disintegrated in their passage beneath the screen, will collect beneath the shelf 14 and be discharged by the plunger 11.

It will be obvious that variousmeans might be used for operating the respective elements, but the preferred means, and that shown in the drawings, will w bedescribed.

The shafts 8 are connected to rotate in unison by a sprocket chain passing over or around aligned sprockets on the shafts (see dotted lines Fig. 1). The reciprocating agitator and conveyor is suspended by swinging arms 7 and 7", the formerbeing fast at their upper ends onrock shafts journaled in suitable bearings in the retort walls, which rock shafts carry fast on their outerends, actuator arms 7, the lower ends of which cooperate with cams 15 fast on shaft 16, which cams force the links 7 towards the delivery end with a relatively slow or grad ual movement, the reverse movement being accomplished by the action of a spring or springs 17 when the abrupt or stepped portion of the cam is aligned with, or passes by, the corresponding contact portion of its cooperating arm. Shaft 16 carries a sprocket 18 driven by a sprocket chain from a sprocln et 8 on one ofthe shafts 8 A convenient manner of effecting the drive is to provide a motor on the top of or abovethe retort, the shaft of which is connected by a sprocket chain indicated in dotted lines, Fig. 1, with a sprocket wheel on, shaft 19, which shaft carries a sprocket 19 which in turn drives the said shaft 8 (left Fig. 1) through sprocket chain 19" and sprocket 8".

The crank 19 is connected by link 20 with a walking beam 21, the opposite ends of which are connected by links 22 and 23 plungers 5 and 11 respectively.

to the :1

I have found that a moving reticulated member, such for example as disclosed, serves both as a screen to keep the lumps submerged in the bath, and as an agitator, but it is obvious that if desired the screen might be made stationar and separate agitating and conveying means employed, or a tubular rotary inclined reticulated member or members could be used, the material being fed into the lower end and the spent material discharged at the opposite higher end,

- The material of the bath may be lead, tin, Zinc or other suitable metal or a combination of metals.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim is 1. The herein described method of treating shale and like material to drive off volatile mattertherefrom, which consists in moving said material substantially horizontally below the surface of a bath of heated fluid metal of higher specific gravity than the said material, allowing the finer particles of the material to rise to the surface of the bath, moving said particles along the surface of the bath to be discharged with the spent submerged material, and carrying off the volatile pro-ducts arising from the surface of the bath under constant exclusion of air, substantially as described.

2. A retort comprising a bath of molten metal means for feeding material of less specific gravity than the metal into the bath at one side thereof, reticulated means for moving the larger particles of the material through the bath beneath the surface thereof, means for moving the finer particles of the material whichpasses through the reticulated means along the surface of the bath in the same direction, and means for removing spent material from beneath the bath and from the surface thereof.

3. A retort comprising a chamber containing a heated fluid metal bath, means for feeding material of less specific gravity than the metal into the bath at one part thereof, means for moving the larger particles of the material through the bath beneath the surface thereof, means for moving the finer particles of the material along the sur face of the bath, and means for removing spent material from beneath the surface of the bath and from the said surface, substantially as described.

4. The combination with a retort containing a molten metal bath, of a reticulated agitator and conveyor means located beneath'the surface of the bath, means for feeding material into the bath at one end of said conveyor, means at the surface of the bath for urging floating material in the same direction as that submerged in the bath, and means for removing the material from the bath and the surface thereof.

5. The combination with a retort containing a molten metal bath, of a reticulated member mounted to reciprocate approximately horizontally beneath. the surface of the bath, means for feeding the material to be treated into the bath beneath one end of said member, and means for removing the spent material from the bath at the other end of the member.

6. The combination with a retort containing a molten metal bath, of a reticulated member mounted to reciprocate approximately horizontally beneath the surface of the bath, means for feeding the material to be treated into the bath beneath one end of said membe a series of rotary agitators adjacent the surface of the bath, and means for removing spent material from beneath and from the surface of the bath.

7. A retort comprising a chamber containing a molten metal bath, a partition in said retort having its lower end submerged in the metal, and Liorn'iing with the retort end a guide chamber, a. reciprocating pusher element in said guide chamber having an inclined lower face, means for feeding mato be treated to said guide chamber, means for maintaining the material beneath the su face of the bath, and means independent of the said maintaining means for removing spent material from the retort.

8. A retort comprising a chamber containing molten metal, a partition in said tcr i retort having its lower end submerged int-he metal and forming with the retort end a guide chamber, a reciprocating pusher element in said guide chamber having an inclined lower face, a hopper communicating with said guide chamber, a slidable gate between said guide chamber and hopper with means whereby it is operated by the pusher element, and means for removing spent material from the retort.

9. A retort comprising an elongated chamber containing a molten metal bath, partitions at the ends thereof forming guidways communicating with the retort beneatlrthe surface of the metal, laterally projecting shelves carried by said partitions, a reciprocating reticulated. conveyor element located beneath the surface of the bath and having its ends located beneath said shelves, means for feeding material to be treated into one guideway, and means for removing it from the other guideway.

10. A retort comprising a chamber containing a molten metal bath, means for feeding material into the metal below the surface thereof at one end means for caus ing a travel of said material towards the other end, and means for ejecting the spent material comprising a pair of partitions spaced from each other and from the end wall, said partitions forming a guidewa terminating beneath the surface of the mai ten metal, the delivery end ofthe retort 'chamber above the intermediate treating section of the bath for receiving gas from the material treated, said chamber being sealed by said bath from the inlet and outlets thereof, means for feeding the material into the bath at the inlet section, means for moving the material substantially horizontally beneath the surface of the intermediate section of the bath, and for separating the finer particles to rise to the surface while the coarser material remains sul'm'ierged, and means for moving the finer particles along the surface of the bath for their discharge, substantially as described.

12'. A retort comprising a chamber containing a bath of heated fluid metal, a gas receiving chamber above the bath continuously sealed against access of atmospheric air by the material of the bath, means for feeding material for treatment below the surface of the bath and means for moving I it below said surface substantiallyhorizontally, said latter means being Wholly submerged in said bath, substantially as de scribed. i

18. A retort comprising a chamber containing a bath of heated. fluid metal for treatment of oil bearing shale, a gas receiving chamber above the bath, means for submerging the material below the surface of the bath and for moving it horizontally while allowing the finer particles of the material to rise to the surface of the bath, means for moving the finer particles along the surface of the bath to be discharged, said gas chamber being continuously sealed by the metal of the bath against access of air for receiving the volatile products from said material arising from the bath, substantially as described. p

14. A retort comprising a chamber containing a bath of heated fluid metal for the treatment of oil bearing shale, with a gas receiving chamber above the bath, means for moving the material below the surface of the bath substantially horizontally and for separating the finer from the coarser parts of said material, whereby he finer particles will rise to the surface of the bath and the coarser parts remain submerged, and means for moving the finer material along the surface of the bath for its discharge from the bath, substantially as described. r

15. A retort comprising a, chamber containing .a bath of heated fluid metal for the treatment of oil bearing shale, a gas receiving chan'iber above the bath, a reticulated member submerged in the bath and through which finer particles of the material may rise to the surface of the bath together with volatile products passing into said gas receiving chamber, and means for moving the liner particles along the surface of the bath for their discharge therefrom, substantially as described.

16. The herein described process of treating oil bearing shale and the likecomprising initially introducing the material below the surface of a bath of heated fluid metal of higher specific gravity than the material be ing treated, moving the said material. horizontally below the surface of the bath, allowing the fine material to rise to the surface of the bath continuously from the strata of submerged material as it progresses through the bath and allowing the volatile products to rise from the submerged material through the bath and recovering said products under constant exclusion of air, and discharging the spent fine material from the surface of the bath and the spent coarser material from out of the bath, substantially as described.

In testimony whereof, I affix my signature.

CHESTER A. SPOTZ.

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