US1963259A - Apparatus for refining mineral oil by aluminum chloride - Google Patents

Description

June 19, 1934. CARL 1,963,259

APPARATUS FOR REFINING MINERAL OIL BY ALUMINUM CHLORIDE Filed April 3. 1931 4 Sheets-Sheet l ll l June 19, 1934. CARL 1,963,259

APPARATUS FOR REFINING MINERAL OIL BY ALUMINUM CHLORIDE Filed April 3, 1931 4 Sheets-Sheet 2 1 1934- B. E. CARL 1,963,259

APPARATUS FOR REFINING MINERAL OIL BY ALUMINUM CHLORIDE Filed April 3, 1931 4 Sheets-Sheet 3 B. E. CARL June 19, 1934.

APPARATUS FOR REFINING MINERAL OIL BY ALUMINUM CHLORIDE Filed April I5, 1931 4 Sheets-Sheet 4 Patented June 19, 1934 UNITED STATES PATENT? OFFICE APPARATUS FOR REFINING MINERAL OIL BY CHLORIDE Byron E. Carl, New York, N. Y., assignor of onethird to Clarence G. Campbell, Pelham Manor,

Application April 3, 1931, Serial No. 527,486

8 Claims.

and the means for carrying out said steps as will be more fully hereinafter pointed out.

As the use of crude petroleum oil has increased annually about ten percent during the past twenty years or more and the demand for gasoline and other low boiling products have increased at a much greater rate it has become more and more essential to secure the largest amount of high grade low boiling products from petroleum oil.

Aluminum chloride has been found to be the best chemical agent or catalyst for effecting the conversion of the largest proportion of petroleum oils into such low boiling products and insuring uniform products.

In the prior methods involving the use of aluminum chloride the vaporization of the aluminum chloride has proven to be a handicap in restricting the operations as to temperatures.

This process while simple has solved these difiiculties and permits of Wider variations in tem perature and substantially prevents the passing off from the refining chamber of the vapors of aluminum chloride thereby insuring its complete utilization in the process. 4

Referring to the drawings Figure 1 is a perspective of my complete device in the vertical form.

Figure 2 is a top plan view of the same showing the broken connection to the condenser for convenience in illustration.

Figure 3 is a perspective of the condenser.

Figure 4 is a vertical section of Figure 1 with certain portions being broken away and for convenience in illustration.

Figure 5 is a top plan view of the interior of Figure 4.

Figure 6 is a cross-sectional view of one of the cutting beating elements.

Figure '7 is a perspective of a horizontal embodiment of my invention with portions broken away for convenience and to show the interior construction.

Figure 8 is a top plan View of a pair of the cutting beating elements.

Figure 9 is an end view of Figure 7 looking in from the left hand end with the cover removed.

In the drawings 10 is a still or reaction chamber adapted to be set in suitable masonry not shown but in which shoulder members 11 are adapted to be set in the usual manner so as to secure said still 10 rigidly in position. A feed pipe connection 12 in which is mounted a hopper 13 is adapted to supply the necessary fresh dry petroleum oil and dry aluminum chloride to the still 10 as may be desired. The still 10 also has a drain pipe 14 and control valve 15 of usual con- 6 source of power not shown. The outer end of the shaft carrying the pulleys 22, cut gear 20 worm gear 18 is supported by bracket 23.

A spider 24 having a hollow shaft 25 rigidly secured to the head of the same at its upper end and has a worm gear 26 at its upper end adapted to mesh with the worm shaft 19 whereby said spider 24 is driven through said shaft 25 and worm gear 26 by the worm shaft 19 and the lower end or said spider 24 is supported on a suitable pivotal bearing 24 which is rigidly secured to the bottom of the still 10. A shaft 2'7 is mounted in the hollow shaft 25 there being a spacer or bearing member 28 between and said shaft 27 has a worm gear 29 at its upper end which meshes with the worm shaft 18 and a cut gear 30 is rigidly secured to the lower end of said shaft 2'7 and cut gears 31 mesh with said gear 30 and cut gears 32 mesh with said out gears 31 whereby shaft 33 being also rigidly secured to the gear 30 is driven therewith and shafts 34, being rigidly secured to the secured to the upper portions of shafts 33, 34 and V 35 so as to rotate therewith and throw back into the mixture in 10 the heavier oil vapors and aluminum chloride vapors. A series of cutting, squeezing and tearing beater members 37 having flanges or cutting edges 38 are rigidly mounted on the lower portions of the shafts 33, 34 and 35 in such a manner that they are adapted to rotate with said shafts in opposite directions in such a way as to almost contact at their cutting edges so as to squeeze and cut and tear apart the heavier petroleum portions that wrap themselves about the aluminum chloride and continuously thereby expose new surfaces of the oil to the aluminum chloride during the entire refining process.

A reflux column 39 which is here treated as a part of still 10 is mounted on a gas outlet 47 and is adapted to be secured to the still 10 so as to draw off the vapors of the low boiling elements from the upper portion of the chamber of the still 10 and said column 39' is equipped with the usual bafiie elements 40 common to the practice in this art to catch and return the heavier portions of oil and aluminum chloride. By means of pipe 41 a drop out box 42 of usual construction having horizontal elements 43 therein is adapted to catch. any of the high boiling oils or aluminum chloride which may pass over and by means of a series of. pipe connections 44 drain such high boiling oils and aluminum chloride back into the still 10 at the point required, each bymeans of the usual pipe connections 45. The low boiling oils passing. through the drop out box 42 will then pass into condenser 46 of usual and well'known construction.

The preceding description refers primarily to thevertical type of apparatus as is shown in Figures 1 to 6 inclusive, andFigures '7 and 9. show the adaptations of this same construction to a horizontal still;

V The essential difference in the horizontal still as-shown in Figures 7 and 9 lies in the spider 24 being of. a four arm construction instead of a three as inthe vertical-still and the fan propeller members 36 are eliminated and the squeezing and cutting and tearing beater members 37 are extended throughout the entire length of the shafts -1.

,,In= carrying out my process dry. petroleum oil suitably heated to the desired temperature is fed through the pipe 12 under the usual control to the still 10 and thoroughly dry. aluminum chloride is;added tothe'oilfed through the'pipe 12 by meansof hopper 13 in a ratio of- 2' to 10% of the; weight of the oil treated depending upon its character so that the oil and aluminum chloride preferably enter the still 10 at or near the base and the heat is. applied to the still 10 in the usualmanner at the-base to the necessary vaporizing temperature. Through the driving of pulleys 22, gear 20, worm shaft- 18, worm 29, shaft 27 andgear 30 will bethereby. driven and gears31. will be driven'in the opposite direction fromgear 30. and gears 32 will be driven in the same direction with gear 30 meshing with gears 31 whereby shafts 33., 34 and 35-will be rotated asdescribed with their. adjacent gearssothat the fan propeller members 36, are rotated therewith andthrow down the high boiling oils and aluminum. chloridevapors and the squeezing and cutting andbearingbeater members 37 are also rotated therewithand in the directions: of their particular. shafts. Atthe same timeagear 21 is driveninthe opposite direction from 20 whereby Wormshaft 19 1s driven inthe opposite direction from. worm shaft 18 so that worm gear26 and the, shaft 25carrying the spider. 24v are driven in the opposite direction'from the shaft 27 and gear 3Q and. shaft 33with its members carried thereby. This results in the squeezing and cutting. and tearing beater members 37 squeezing and cutting and tearing the high boiling oil, which becomes in certain portions a sticky sludge enveloping the aluminum chloride, so as to expose and re-expose the high boiling oils to the actionof the aluminum chloride and the aluminum. chloride through its catalytic actionand alsothrough the beating, squeezing and cutting and tearing action of cutting and tearing beaters 37 will be thoroughly vaporized and freed for action. The fan propeller members 36 being in the upper portion of the still 10 will catch and throw down into the mass being thus treated the aluminum chloride vapors and the vapors of" high. boiling oils so that substantially only the vapors of the low boiling oils will pass off through-the reflux column 39 and most of the high boiling oils which may be carried into said column 39 will be baffled out by the baffles 40 and the remaining high boiling oils which pass into the drop out box 42 will all be baffled out by, bailies43 so that such high boiling oils will either run down column 39 back into still 10 or from the drop out box 42 will run back through pipe connections 44 into the still 10 and be resubject'ed to the continuing operation until all of the, low boiling oils are removed from the material in the still 10 and the remaining high boiling oils are drained off while hot in the sludges or residue with the unused aluminum chloride to settling tanks for further recovery treatment.

It is important-in thisprocess and shouldbe noted at this point that because of the squeezing and cutting and tearing and beating elements 37 combined with the fan propeller elements 36 and the functions performed by these, that the aluminum chloride even in its vapor formasdescribed in the carrying out of the process, will not pass from the still in any substantial. quantity but will-be held busily engaged in its catalyticwork so long as there is petroleumoil in the still 10 for it to operate upon in the processes described and the temperature of the drop out box 42. can safely run above 350 F. without the loss of aluminum chloride.

The low'boiling oilproducts produced by this processwillnot only be sweet and free from all uncombinedchemical elements but will be of as large a proportion of the petroleumoil treated as can be obtained therefrom in the. use of aluminum chloride, running as highas eighty per cent. of the petroleum oil treated.

I claim:

1. Incombination means for continuously exposing new surfaces of higher-boiling petroleum oils. to the action-of aluminum chloride without substantial loss by vaporization of aluminum chloride from the still comprising a still having a rotating spider, mounted therein and aplurality'of series of squeezingand cutting and tearing apart beaters mounted in said spider in a manner suchthat adjacent pairs interrotate in oppositedirections, means for driving down high boiling oil and aluminum chloride vapors into the mixture, heating means and means for condensingthevapors of lower boiling oils formed.

2. In combination means for continuously'exposing, new surfaces of higher boiling petroleum oils to the action of aluminum chloride comprising cutting and squeezing and tearing apart 'beaters amounted so as to interrotate in pairs in opposite directions in a still, means for driving back into the mixture high boiling oil and aluminum chloride vapors, heating means and means for condensing the vapors of lower boiling oils formed.

3-. In combination means for continuously holding aluminum chloride in operative contact with high boiling petroleum oils, comprising a still having a rotating spider mounted therein and a plurality of series of cutting apart and squeezing beaters mounted in said spider in. a

manner such that adjacent pairs interrotate in opposite directions, means for returning high boiling oil and aluminum chloride vapors to the mixture, heating means and means for condensing the low boiling oils formed thereby.

4. In combination means for continuously holding aluminum chloride in operative contact with high boiling petroleum oils, comprising squeezing, tearing apart and cutting heaters mounted so as to interrotate through interlocking gears in opposite directions in a still, fans mounted on the shafts with said tearing heaters and driving the heavier vapors downward, heating means and means for condensing the low boiling oils formed thereby.

5. In combination means for continuously exposing new surfaces of higher boiling petroleum oils to the action of aluminum chloride comprising a still having a rotating spider mounted therein and a plurality of series of queezing and tearing apart heaters mounted in said spider in a manner such that adjacent pairs interrotate in opposite directions, a plurality of a series of downward driving fan propeller members mounted on the same shafts above said squeezing and cutting heaters, heating means and means for condensing the vapors of lower boiling oils formed.

6. In combination means for continuously exposing new surfaces of higher boiling petroleum oils to the action of aluminum chloride comprising squeezing and cutting apart heaters mounted so as to interrotate through interlocking gears in opposite directions in a still, a plurality of a series of downward driving fan propeller members mounted on the same shafts above said squeezing and cutting heaters, heating means and means for condensing the vapors of lower boiling oils formed.

'7. In combination means for continuously holding aluminum chloride in operative contact with high boiling petroluem oils, comprising a still having a rotating spider mounted therein and a plurality of series of squeezing and tearing apart heaters mounted in said spider in a manner such that adjacent pairs interrotate in opposite directions, a plurality of a series of downward driving fan propeller members mounted on the same shafts above said squeezing and cutting heaters, heating means and means for condensing the low boiling oils formed thereby.

8. In combination means for continuously holding aluminum chloride in operative contact with high boiling petroleum oils, comprising squeezing and tearing apart heaters mounted so as to interrotate through interlocking gears in opposite directions in a still, a plurality of a series of downward driving fan propeller members mounted on the same shafts above said squeezing and tearing heaters, heating means and means for condensing the low boiling oils formed thereby.

BYRON E. CARL.

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