C. W.

STRATFORD,
METHOD OF PRE PARING CLAY FOR BLEACHING PETROLEUM PRODUCTS,
APPLICATION FLED MAR. 21, 1921,
1,408,655, Patented Mar. 7, 1922.

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ATTORNEYS
 UNITED STATES OFPATENT OFFICE.
SAN FRANCISCO, CALIFORNIA.
CHARLES WALCOTT STRATFORD,
METHOD OF PREPARTNG CLAY FOR BLEACHING PETROLEUM PRoDucts.
1,408,655. Specification of Letters Patent. Patented Mar. 7, 1922.
Application filed March 21, 1921. Serial No. 454,210.
To all whom it may concern:
Be it known that I, CHARLEs WALCOTT
Referring to the drawing-1 is a storage
STRATFORD, a citizen of the United States,
bin to which the crude clay is supplied by a
residing at the city and county of San Fran conveyer 2. 3 indicates a plurality or series
cisco and State of California, have invented
of agitators, in which 4 is the agitating ele 60
certain new and useful Improvements in
ment. These agitators are relatively succes
Methods of Preparing Clay for Bleaching sively disposed to enable a flow of their
Petroleum Products, of which the following
contents, by gravity, from one to the next,
through the lines 5.
is a specification. The clay bin 1 discharges its contents 65
0. My invention relates in general to the through a line 6, to the first of the series
art of bleaching or decolorizing petroleum of agitators 3.
products, and particularly to those methods 7 is a tank containing an acid reagent
and processes which involve the use of
argillaceous material or “bleaching” earths,
in practice concentrated sulfuric acid into
this tank enters an air pressure line 8, and 70
15 serving as a filtering agent for removing E. it emerges an acid-feed line 9 which
from said products the color bearing com ischarges into the first agitator 3. 10 is
pounds, to the degree demanded by the trade. a series of vessels which constitute wash
Fullers' earth, either a variety imported ing and thickening effects and which for
from England, or a domestic variety from convenience I shall herein call “thickeners' 75
20 Florida, known as Floridin fullers' earth in that they serve to condense their contents
is usually employed. But comparatively by thorough incorporation into what may
recently a deposit of good bleaching, earth be termed a slime. In each of these thick
has been found in Death Valley, California. eners, is indicated the mixing elements 11
While the chemical analysis of this Death in the lower portion and the distributing 80
25 Valley clay is practically equivalent to that element 12 in the upper portion. The thick
of Floridin fullers' earth, its physical charac eners are relatively arranged at different
teristics are quite different, in that it com levels, the first being the lowest and the
pletely disintegrates when brought into con. last the highest. A line 13 leads from the
tact with water, and, therefore, can be used bottom of the first thickener to a pump 14, 85
30 only in an extremely finely divided condi which discharges the slime taken from said
tion; and also it contains water-soluble and thickener onto a cascade chute 15 which
acid-soluble compounds which interfere with delivers the slime into the distributor 12
the bleaching effect and which must be of the second thickener. A similar line 13
removed by treatment with sulfuric or other and pump 14 deliver the slime from the sec 90
35 acid. ond thickener to the cascade chute 15 of
My present invention concerns the prep the third thickener, and a similar line, pump
aration of clay for its use in bleaching and cascade chute connect the third and
petroleum products, and while not confined fourth thickeners.
to any particular decolorizing earth, is es 16 is a line by which the last agitator 3 95
40 pecially adapted for Death Valley clay, in delivers its contents to the first thickener.
that by my method I am able to properly slime 17 is a rotary filter and 18 is its tank. A
prepare it under economic conditions, due line 19 leads from the last thickener
to a pump 20 which delivers through a line
chiefly to the continuous feature of my pro 21
cess in contrast to the more expensive and to the tank 18 of the rotary filter 17. 100
45 practically prohibitive “batch methods The clay cake formed on the rotary filter
heretofore tentatively practiced, and in 17 is passed by a conveyer line 22, down into
which the high expense involved in equip a dryer 23, the furnace element of which is
ment, labor operating charges, excessive indicated by 24. The dryer delivers to a
quantities of well water for washing and crushing mill 25 which, through a conduit 05
50 waste of treating acid, are quite marked. 26, delivers to a bin 27 for the prepared
The nature of my invention will be fully clay. From the rotary filler 17 lead lines 28
described in and ascertained by the follow to convey the neutral-filtrate separated from
ing specification, in connection with the ac the clay to a receiver 29. A moisture trap 30
companying drawing in which the figure is connected with the receiver 29 by a line 10
55 is a diagrammatic view of an apparatus 31, and said trap has a line 32 leading to a
suitable for carrying out my method. vacuum pump, not shown. From the re
 1,408, 855
ceiver 29 issues a line 33 to a pump 34, which through the line 35 to the cascade chute of
by a line 35 delivers the neutral filtrate to the last thickener 10. Fresh hot water is
the cascade chute 15 of the last thickener 10. also delivered to the cascade chute of said
36 is a line of water supply. This leads last thickener by the line 40 from the heat
into a heat interchanger 37, having an inlet interchanger 37. This stream of mixed neu 70
line 38 for the live steam and an outlet line tral filtrate and fresh hot water flows coun
:39 for the steam condensate. The heat inter ter-current to the slime stream from the last
changer 37 discharges its hot water for thickener through the lines 48 of each thick
washing through a line 40 leading down to
0. the cascade chute 15 of the last thickener 10. ener successively to the first thickener, in
creasing in acidity as it washes the slime.
A line 41 leads from line 40 to the first From the launder of the first thickener, this 75
agitator 3, in order to convey hot water weak acid liquor is discharged by the pump
thereto to be used in starting the process or 45 through the line 46 into the first agitator
for the purpose of fluid make up. as before mentioned.
5 42 is a lime-feed bin, which through a line In order to complete the neutralization of 80
43 discharges into the cascade chute 15 of the all remaining acid in the washed slime enter
last thickener 10. A line 44 leads from the ing the cascade chute of the last thickener,
upper portion of the first thickener 10 to a lime hydrate or lime oxide or other neutral
pump 45, which by a line 46 delivers weak izing agent is delivered from lime-feed bin
20 acid to the first agitator 3. - 42 through conveyer line 43 into the cascade 85
At 47 is indicated a void for the weak acid chute of said last thickener. All flows in the
line 46. A line 48 leads from the upper por
tion or launder of the last thickener to the method are continuous.
I claim:-
cascade of the preceding thickener and like 1. The method of preparing clay for
25 lines lead back from the launder of each
thickener to the first one. bleaching petroleum products which consists 90
in
My method or process carried out in this reagentpassing a stream of crude clay and an acid
through a series of agitating means
apparatus is as follows. The crude clay to mix them; passing a "stream of said mix
from the bin 1 is fed in a continuous stream
30 through line 6 into the first agitator 3, to ture through a series of thickening and
gether with a stream of concentrated sul washinging a
means to reduce it to a slime; pass-95
stream of said slime to a filtering
furic or other acid from the acid tank 7, means to separate
through line 9. Also during the process of filtrate; passing a the clay from the liquid
operation as will presently appear, weak trate so separated, throughofthe
stream the liquid-fil
thickening
35 acid liquor from the first thickener 10 is and washing means counter-current to the 100
pumped through line 46 into the first agi flow of the slime therethrough; drying the
tator 3; and at the start or as operations feed clay and, finally crushing the dried
may require hot water is supplied to said CaW.
agitator through line 41. The stream of
40 crude clay, concentrated acid, weak acid liq The method of preparing clay for
uor and hot water flows successively through in passingpetroleum
bleaching products which consists 105
the agitators 3 in which necessary chemical acid reagent through ofa crude
a stream
series
clay and an
of agitating
reactions occur and in each of which the in means to mix them; passing a stream of said
gredients are thoroughly mixed; thence the
4. mixture flows through line 16 to the first mixture through a series of thickening and
thickener 10. From the bottom of this thick Washing
ing a
means to reduce it to a slime; pass- 110
stream of said slime to a filtering
ener the slime is pumped through line 13 means to separate
into the cascade chute 15, which delivers it filtrate; passing a the clay from the liquid
stream of the liquid fil
into the cascade chute of the second thick
50 ener and so on, the slime being pumped. trate so separated, through the thickening
throtigh successive thickeners into the cas flow and Washing means counter-current to the 115 -
cade chute of the last thickener. From this the acid of the slime therethrough to wash out
last thickener, the slime is taken through the Weak acidtherefrom;
so washed
passing a stream of the
out back and adding
line 19, by the pump 20, and delivered
55 through the line 21 to the tank 18 of the ro it to the mixture of crude clay and acid re
agent at the head of the stream passing 20
tary filter 17. By the filter a large propor through the agitating means; drying the
tion of the moisture is separated as a neutral filtered clay;
filtrate from the wet clay cake, and the Clay. and finally crushing the dried
latter is delivered by the conveyer line 22 to 8. The method of preparing clay for
60 the drying furnace 23, from which it passes
to the pulverizing mill 25 and thence to the bleaching petroleum products which consists 25
Red clay storage bin. 27. The neutral acid reagenta through
in passing stream of crude clay and an
a series of agitating
iltrate water from the filter 17 passes means to mix them; passing
through lines 28 to the receiver 29, and mixture through a series of athickening
stream of said
and
65 thence by the pump 34 is passed back Washing means to reduce it to a slime; pass- 130
 1408,655

ing a stream of said slime to a filterin and washing means to reduce it to a slime; 20
means to separate the clay from the liqui passing a stream of said slime to a filtering
filtrate; passing a stream of the liquid fil means to separate the clay from the liquid
trate so separated, together with fresh hot filtrate; passing a stream of the liquid fil
water, through the thickening and washing trate so separated, together with fresh hot
means counter-current to the flow of the water and a neutralizing agent, through the 25
slime therethrough to wash out the acid thickening and washing means counter-cur
therefrom; passing a stream of the weak rent to the flow of the slime therethrough
acid so washed out back and adding it to to wash out the acid therefrom; passing a
0. the mixture of crude clay and acid reagent stream of the weak acid so washed out back 30
at the head of the stream passing through and adding it to the mixture of crude clay
the agitating means; drying the filtered and acid reagent at the head of the stream
clay; and finally crushing the dried clay. passing through the agitating means; dry
4. The method of preparing clay for ing the filtered clay; and finally crushing
15 bleaching petroleum products which consists the dried clay.
in passing a stream of crude clay and an In testimony whereof I have signed my 35
acid reagent through a series of agitating name to this specification.
means to mix them; passing a stream of CHARLES WALCOTT STRATFORD.
said mixture through a series of thickening