Process and apparatus for the recovery of oils, bituminous matter, tar, and resin from bituminous shale, oil-bearing sands, bleaching earths, peat, brown coal, coal and wood

摘要

198,705. Plauson's (Parent Co.), Ltd., (Plauson, H.). Dec. 2, 1921. Mineral oils, extracting and purifying.- Oils, bitumens and resins are obtained from shale, oil-bearing sands, bleaching earths, peat, lignite, coal, or wood, by effecting distillation of the materials in a current of steam or inert gas, such as carbon dioxide, moving at a high velocity of the order of 100 meters per second and upwards. The temperature is below the ordinary temperature of decomposition of the materials. A small quantity of solvent such as benzine, benzol &c. may be added to the steam or inert gas. The material, for example oil shale, may be passed down a vertical cylinder H, Fig. 1, from a feed device C to a discharge-worm G. Steam, which may be superheated to about 350‹ C. and under a pressure of 3-5 atmospheres, is fed through a ring-shaped device having nozzles F such as are used in steam turbines, and expands to form a stream moving at about 500 metres per second. Steam and entrained matters pass away through slits K protected by wire netting. The lower part of the cylinder H is surrounded by a cooling- jacket in which water is preheated for use as boiler feed. A horizontal cylinder through which the material is fed by a worm, may be used. Steam is supplied through a single nozzle near the outlet, and passes with the material from the outlet. In a complete installation shown in Fig. 3, steam, generated in a boiler 1 under a pressure of 15-20 atmospheres, is passed through a superheater 3 to an engine A from which it passes by a pipe 9 at a pressure of about 10 atmospheres. The steam is heated in a superheater 10 to 400- 500‹ C. and is expanded in a nozzle 11 to form a stream of high velocity which passes downwards through the shale &c. in a cylinder 13. Part of the oil separates in a space 14 and passes through a cooling-coil 16 to a collecting vessel 18. The steam and remaining vapours pass to a separator 21 through a nozzle 20 which causes a rotary motion of the gases, and to which reagents, for example a solution of a lead salt to remove sulphuretted hydrogen, may be supplied by a pipe 31. The oil &c. passes through a cooling-coil 16a to a vessel 18a. The steam passes by a pipe 23 and superheater 24 to a compressor B and thence again to the engine A. Bituminous coal yields a product containing montan wax and a petroleum jelly. In treating peat at 375-400‹ C., tar, oils, wax, methyl alcohol, acetic acid and acetone are obtained. In treating roots and resinous woods under vacuum at about 220‹ C. turpentine, resin, and a small amount of resin oil are obtained. The wood may be afterwards treated with steam at about 300-380‹ C. to yield methyl alcohol, acetic acid, acetone and tar oils.