US1453037A - Apparatus for the treatment of naturally-occurring hydrocarboncontaining materials - Google Patents

Description

Apr. 24, 1923. 1,453,037

6. P. BOWIE ET AL APPARATUS FOR THE TREATMENT OF NATURALLY OCCURRING HYDROCARBON CONTAINING MATERIALS Filed June 1, 1922 //w/v 70/75 06512.4 f. em,

Patented Apr. 2%, 123.

I rattan oiro STATES PATENT orrice.

CLIFFORD P. BOWIE, Of BERKELEY, CALIFORNIA, AND MARTIN J. GAVIN, OF

- BOULDER, COLORADO.

APPARATUS non THE TREATMENT or NATURALLY-OCCURRING HYDROGARBON- con'rnmme MATERIALS.

0riginal application filed Rovember 17, i919, Serial No. 338,637. Divided and this application fil ed June 1, 1922. Serial No. 565,180.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that we, CLIFFORD P. Bowrn and MARTIN J. GAVIN, citizens of the United States, residing, the said Bowie at Berkeley, in the county of Alameda and State of California, and the said GAVIN at Boulder, county of Boulder, State of Colorado, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Apparatus for the Treatment of Naturally-Occurring Hydrocarbon-Containing Materials, of which the following is a specification.

This application is a division of our pending application, Serial Number 338637 filed November .17, 1919, for a patent for treatment of naturally occurring hydrocarbon containing materials.

Our invention relates to apparatus for the treatment of hydrocarbon containing material, and is especially adapted for carrying out the process described in the application, above identified, of which, as stated, this application is a division.

Our invention consists in the novel apparatus which we shall hereinafter fully describe, it being understood that various changes in the details of construction and arrangement may be made without departing from the principles of the invention as defined by the appended claims. Referring to the accompanying drawlugs- Fig. 1 is an elevation, partly in section, of our apparatus.

Fig. 2 1s a plan, partly broken of the same.

5 is a shell or retort, preferably conical, to the bottom of which are secured a plurality of outwardly projecting lugs 24, by means of which, through the bolts 20, the base of the retort is vertically spaced from an. underlying hearth plate 8, thereby leaving an annular peripheral opening between the retort and hearth plate, as seenin Fig. 1. Washers 27 around the bolts 20, serve to regulate the Width of this opening.

Mounted in the axis of the retort 5 is a shaft 10, the foot of which is stepped at 23 in the hearth plate 8. The upper end of the shaft protrudes from the apex of the retort in a stufling box 21, and carriesa bevelgear 11, meshing with a bevel gear 12 by which rotation is imparted to the shaft 10.

Radial arms 26 are carried by the lower portion of the shaft 10, said arms having rabbles or scrapers 22 which operate over. the hearth plate 8. At the ends of the arms are discharge blades or gophers 9 in registry with the annular discharge opening between the base of the retort and the hearth plate.

' Secured to the periphery of the hearth plate by the screws 25, F ig. 1, is an annular plate 19, which rises above the level of the discharge opening between the retort and hearth plate and is spaced from and surrounds the base of the retort, forming a sealin chamber, as Will presently be described. nderlying the hearth plate is a suitable heating element, here indicated as furnace flues 28, so disposed, as shown in Fig. 1, with relation to the hearth plate that by means of the connecting fiues 29 and escape flue 30, which leads to a stack, not shown, said hearth is heated in zones or regions. of gradually increasing temperature from center to periphery, that is to say, the temperature imparted to the hearth is least at its middle portion and greatest at its outer portion.

1 is a hopper for the divided-solid material which forms one of the ingredients of the mixture to be treated in the special process for which the apparatus is adapted.

The contents of the hopper 1 are fed through a pipe 3 by means of a screw eonveyer 2, Fig. 2, driven from a sprocket 4, into the upper portion of the retort 5. 6 is a pipe having a distributor 7 for delivering the hydrocarbon ingredient of the mixture to the retort 5.

16, 17 and 18 are vapor lines leading from the retort at difierent elevations. Troughs 13, 14. and 15 are secured to the inner wall of the retort and slope towards the vapor ofi'takes to convey any liquid condensations fromthe retort wall to the respective 011:- takes.

Before describing the operation of the apparatus we deem it best to briefly state the nature and objects of the process for which the apparatus is especially designed.

Many hydrocarbon containing materials are so viscous that it is impracticable to transport them by ordinary ava1lable means. Butif their fluidity be increased, they may be so transported to an advantage. This result may be gained by subjecting such materials to destructive distillation in the presence of a non-reactive material. The

volatile portions of the material may be collected and condensed and thus put in shape for easy handling, while the non-volatile residuum will, due to the n0n-react1ve mgredient of the mixture undergoing treatment, be reduced to a dry, friable and noncaking consistency, rendering it easy to dis charge, without coking the apparatus.

The operation of the apparatus 15 as follows, assuming for the sake of example its use in connection with a mixture comprising a finely divided, non-reactive material say, for example, ordinary clay shale or diatomaceous earth and a petroleum compound. The non-reactive material is supplied to the retort from the hopper 1 and falls upon the heated plate 8 at or near its central portion. The oil is supplied to the retort through pipe .6 and distributor 7 and falling upon the plate 8 is mixed with the non-reactive material by the action of the revolving rabbles 22. Under the influence of the heat, the oil is destructively distilled and the volatile products, together with any water present, pass quietly ofi' through the vapor offtakes 16, 17 and 18. As the non-volatile residue 1s moved outwardly towards the periphery of the hearth plate 8, it continually reaches zones or regions of increasing temperature, in which destructive distillation is completed, and the operation is so regulated that by the time the non-volatile residue reaches the edge of the hearth plate it has assumed a dry, friable and non-caking consistency. This dry friable, non-caking residue is discharged by the' gophers 9, through the annular opening at the base of the retort and is forced out into the sealing chamber formed by the plate 19, and over said plate to its discharge. This residue while in the chamber of plate 19 forms an eh'icient seal against the escape of gas from the retort, other than through the vapor otftakes.

We claim l. An apparatus for the described purpose, comprising a retort to which the mate rial to be treated is supplied; an underlying heating hearth for receiving the material, said hearth being spaced from the base of the retort to leave a peripheral opening; means within the retort, operating over the hearth for moving the material to said opening; oft'takes in the wall of the retort above.

sa d opening for the vaporous material; and

retains? a sealed discharge associated with said opening for the residual material, consisting of a plate exterior to, spaced from, and rising above the level of the opening.

2. An apparatus for the described purpose, comprising a retort to which the material to be treated is supplied; an underlying heating hearth for receiving the material, said hearth being spaced from the base of the retort to leave a peripheral opening; means within the retort, operating over the hearth for moving the material to said opening; offtakes in the Wall of the retort above said opening for the vaporous material; a sealed discharge associated with said opening for the residual material; and troughs fitted to the inner wall of the retort to lead the condensation on said wall to the vapor ofl'takes.

An apparatus for the described purpose, comprising a retort to which the material is supplied; an underlying heating hearth for receiving the material, said hearth being spaced from the base of the retort to leave a peripheral opening; revoluble rabbles within the retort, operating over the hearth, to mix the material and move it to said opening; otftakes in the wall of the retort above said opening for the vaporous material; and a sealed discharge associated with said opening for the residual material.

4. An apparatus for the described purpose, comprising a retort to which the mate rial is supplied; an underlying heating hearth for receiving the material, said hearth being spaced from the base of the retort to leave a peripheral opening; revoluble rabbles within the retort, operating over the hearth, to mix the material and move it to said opening; revolving scrapers to force the residual material through said opening; ofi'takes in the wall of the retort above said opening for the vaporous material; and a sealed discharge associated with said opening for the residual material.

5. An apparatus for the described purpose, comprising a retort; means for supplying thereto the material to be treated in the region about its axis; an underlying hearth, upon the central region of which the material falls, said hearth being spaced from the base of the retort to leave a peripheral opening; means for heating said hearth to a temperature increasing from the central region thereof outwardly; means within the retort operating over the hearth to move the material outwardly to and through the peripheral opening; ofltakes in the wall of the retort above said opening for the vaporous material; and a sealed discharge associated with said opening for the residual material.

6. An apparatus for the described purpose, comprising a retort; means for supplying thereto the material to be treated in the region about its axis; an underlying hearth upon the central region of which the mateessee? rial falls, said hearth being spaced from the base of the retort to leave a peripheral opening; means for heating said hearth to a temperature increasing from the central region thereof outwardly;'means Within the retort operating over the hearth to move the material outwardly to and through the peripheral opening; ofitakes in the Wall of the retort above said opening for the veporous material; a sealed discharge associated with said 10 openin for the residual material; and troughs fitted to the inner Wall of the retort, to lead the condensations on said wall to the vapor ofi'takes.

In testimony whereof we have signed our 15 names to this specification.

- CLIFFORD P. BOWKE.

MARTIN J. GAVIN.

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