IMDDAWEMENTS TY ADRADAMI SED IN THE MANITHA COUPE OF GAR
Year: 1873

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Robert Paulson Spice, of 21, Parliament Street,
in the City of Westminster, Civil Engineer, for the Invention of
IMDDAWEMENTS TY ADRADAMI SED IN THE MANITHA COUPE OF GAR"
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Robert Paulson Spice
at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition,
on the 19th December 1873.
I, ROBERT PAULSON SPICE, of 21, Parliament Street, in the City of
Westminster, Civil Engineer, do hereby declare the nature of the said
Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN APPARATUS USED IN THE MANUFACTURE OF
GAS," to be as follows:-
$
This Invention has reference to the construction of apparatus specially
adapted for the manufacture of gas when the decomposition of water is
effected for the purpose of supplying hydrogen and other gases, which
are subsequently enriched by their admixture with ordinary coal or
cannel gas, or the vapour of petroleum, or other suitable spirit or

page_text: material, and consists in arranging within an oven heated by a suitable
furnace any convenient number of retorts set vertically and made by
preference somewhat taper, the largest part being near the bottom. To
the upper part of the retort a funnel-shaped nouth-piece or hopper is
attached by a spigot and socket arrangement or by means of a flange to
the retort.
Within the hopper, and at any convenient distance from the top
thereof, a disc is suspended by means of a rod or chain attached to a
lever, which is furnished with a counterbalance weight, and which, when
at rest, keeps the disc in close contact with the lower end of the hopper,
and the retort is thus closed, but upon the said disc being depressed the
retort will be opened for the admission of coke or other material.
Between the flanges of the retort and the mouth-piece or otherwise is
inserted a collar or ring furnished with lugs which project inwards, and
from which pieces of chain or other suitable iron may be suspended or
supported.
The upper part of the oven is formed by two arches, one beneath the
other, so as to leave an intervening space, and within this space one, two,
or more steam superheaters, consisting of blocks of iron with a number
of channels, conduits, or passages are fixed. These superheaters are
provided with suitablo pipes, which communicate with and extend to
nearly the bottom of the interior of the vertical retorts. The super-
heaters have also pipes which are connected therewith and to a steam
chest or chamber placed at the top of and exterior to the retort bench.
At one side or end, or in any convenient position is erected an ordinary
steam boiler for the supply of steam to the steam chest before alluded to.
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The action or use of the apparatus is as follows:-Steam is conveyed
by a suitable pipe from the boiler to the steam chest, which is placed in
such a position as to attain a high heat. From thence the steam which
has been partially dried is conducted to the superheaters, through the
passages of which it travels and acquires a still higher temperature.
The steam so treated is then led by pipes to the vertical retorts which
have been previously charged with coke, peat, lignite, or other suitable
carbonaceous material and iron, and highly heated. The steam thus
introduced is carried down by a pipe to near the bottom of each retort,
where it escapes and is diffused amongst the incandescent carbonaceous
matter and iron. Here the steam in its course through the substances

page_text: just mentioned is decomposed and converted into hydrogen and other
gases, which, as they are formed, pass off through an outlet in the upper
part of the retort, and from thence to the condenser, washer, and other
suitable apparatus for purification.
The vertical retorts are made open at the bottom and sealed by water
contained in a trough, into which the lower ends of the retorts dip.
The ash resulting from the consumption of the coke therefore falls into
the trough, from whence it may be removed at either side of the
bench.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent,
filed by the said Robert Paulson Spice in the Great Seal Patent
Office on the 19th June 1874.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, ROBERT
PAULSON SPICE, of 21, Parliament Street, in the City of Westminster,
send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her
Letters Patent, bearing date the Nineteenth day of December, in the year
of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and seventy-three, in the thirty-
seventh year of Her reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors,
give and grant unto me, the said Robert Paulson Spice, Her special
licence that I, the said Robert Paulson Spice, my executors, adminis-
trators, and assigns, or such others as I, the said Robert Paulson Spice,
my executors, administrators, and assigns, should at any time agree with,
and no others, from time to time and at all times thereafter during the
term therein expressed, should and lawfully might make, use, exercise,
and vend, within the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland,
the Channel Islands, and Isle of Man, an Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS
IN APPARATUS USED IN THE MANUFACTURE OF GAS," upon the condition
(amongst others), that I, the said Robert Paulson Spice, my executors
or administrators, by an instrument in writing under my, or their, or
one of their hands and seals, should particularly describe and ascertain
the nature of the said Invention, and in what manner the same was
to be performed, and cause the same to be filed in the Great Seal
Patent Office within six calendar months next and immediately after
the date of the said Letters Patent.

page_text: '
NOW KNOW YE, that I, the said Robert Paulson Spice, do hereby
declare the nature of my said Invention, and in what manner the same
is to be performed, to be particularly described and ascertained in and
by the following statement, reference being had to the accompany-
ing Drawings and to the letters and figures marked thereon, that is
to say:
This Invention has reference to the construction of apparatus specially
adapted for the manufacture of gas when the decomposition of water is
effected for the purpose of supplying hydrogen and other gases, which
are subsequently enriched by their admixture with ordinary coal or
cannel gas, or the vapour of petroleum or other suitable spirit or
material, and consists in arranging within an oven heated by a suitable
furnace any convenient number of retorts set vertically and made by
preference somewhat taper, the largest part being near the bottom. To
the upper part of the retort a funnel-shaped mouth-piece or hopper is
attached by a spigot and socket arrangement or by means of a flange to
the retort.
Within the hopper, and at any convenient distance from the top
thereof, a disc is suspended by means of a rod or chain attached to a
lever which is furnished with a counterbalance weight, and which when
at rest keeps the disc in close contact with the lower end of the hopper,
and the retort is thus closed, but upon the said disc being depressed the
retort will be opened for the admission of coke or other material.
Between the flanges of the retort and the mouth-piece, or otherwise,
is inserted a collar or ring furnished with lugs which project inwards,
and from which pieces of chain or other suitable iron may be suspended
or supported.
The upper part of the oven is formed by two arches, one beneath the
other, so as to leave an intervening space, and within this space one,
two, or more steam superheaters, consisting of a block or blocks of iron
with a number of channels, conduits, or passages are fixed. These
superheaters are provided with suitable pipes which communicate with
and extend to nearly the bottom of the interior of the vertical retorts.
The superheaters have also pipes, which are connected therewith, and to
a steam chest or chamber placed at the top of and exterior to the retort
bench. At one side or end, or in any convenient position is erected an
ordinary steam boiler for the supply of steam to the steam chest before
alluded to.

page_text: In order that the foregoing may be more easily understood, Drawings
are attached hereto, of which the following is a description:-Fig. 1
represents a sectional front elevation; Fig. 2, a plan; and Fig. 3, a
longitudinal section through A, B, Fig. 2. In Fig. 1 C is the furnace;
D, D, the retorts, with their mouth-pieces E, E, one of which is exhibited
more completely in section in order to show the arrangement for the
supply of coke and means for closing the retort. It will be observed
that the upper part F of the mouth-piece E is funnel or hopper shaped,
and that it is provided with a disc G suspended by the rod H to the
weighted lever I, which is supported by a standard J to the side of the
mouth-piece. By pulling upon a chain or rod attached to one end of the
lever I the disc G is depressed, and allows the coke or other matter to
fall into the retort. On the release of the rod or chain the disc G is
raised by the preponderance of the weight at the opposite end of the
lever, and thus closes the communication between the hopper and the
retort. K is the ring or collar with lugs and hooks or other suitable
appendage from which the chains L, L, L, or other iron is suspended.
M, M, are the troughs or vessels supplied with water into which the
open end of the retorts D, D, dip, and are thus sealed. N, N, is the
space between the two arches O and P before spoken of, and in it are
placed the two steam superheaters Q, Q. R is the steam boiler (seen.
only in Fig. 2) and from which a pipe S rises and conveys the steam to
the steam chest T. From the upper part of this chest pipes U, U,
descend to near the bottom of the steam superheaters Q, Q, and at or.
near the top of the steam superheaters one end of each of the pipes
W, W, are attached, the other end being introduced into the upper part
of the retorts D, D. In the retort on the right hand of the Drawing the
chains are omitted (to save confusion) and the descent of the pipe W is..
shown, the superheated steam being emitted from the bottom of the
pipe at the point marked X. The decomposed steam or resultant gases
are taken off near the top of each retort by the pipes Y, Y, Fig. 2, and
are conveyed by them to the condensers Z, Z, which consist of a coil of
pipes arranged as shown immersed in troughs of water. From the outlet
of the condenser pipes a, a, proceed to the washer b.
The action or method of using the apparatus is as follows:-Steam is.
conveyed from the boiler R by the pipe S to the steam chest T, which is
placed in such a position as to attain a high heat. From thence the
steam which has been partially dried is conducted by the pipes U, U, to.

page_text: the superheaters Q, Q, through the passages of which it travels and
acquires a still higher temperature. The steam so treated is then led by
pipes W, W, to the vertical retorts D, D, which have been previously
charged through the hoppers F, F, with coke, peat, lignite, or other
suitable carbonaceous material and iron and highly heated. The steam
thus introduced is carried down by the pipes W to near the bottom of
each retort, where it escapes at the point X, and is diffused amongst the
incandescent carbonaceous matter and iron. Here the steam in its
course through the substances just mentioned is decomposed and con-
verted into hydrogen and other gases, which as they are formed pass
off through an outlet in the upper part of the retort, and are conveyed
away by the pipes Y, Y, to the condenser Z, washer b, and other suitable
apparatus for purification.
The vertical retorts being made open at the bottom and dipping into
the troughs M, M, it follows that the ash resulting from the partial
consumption of the coke will fall into these troughs, from whence it
may be removed at either side of the bench at pleasure or whenever
necessity may dictate.
Having now described and particularly set forth the nature of this
Invention, and the manner in which the same is or may be used or
carried into effect, I would observe in conclusion that I do not confine
or restrict myself to the precise details or arrangements which I have
described or referred to, as variations may be made therefrom without
deviating from the principles or main features of this Invention, but
what I consider to be novel and original, and therefore claim as the
Invention secured to me by the herein-before in part recited Letters
Patent is,
Firstly. The construction of vertical and taper retorts open at the
bottom, as described and shown on the Drawings.
Secondly. The construction of the mouth-pieces with its hopper and
appliances for charging the retorts and supporting the chains or iron as
described and shown on the Drawings.
Thirdly. The troughs for sealing the bottoms of the retorts, as herein-
described and shown on the Drawings.
Fourthly. The construction and application of the steam superheaters, 3
as described and shown on the Drawings.

page_text: Fifthly. The construction and arrangement of the condensers, as
described and shown on the Drawings.
And, Sixthly. The general arrangement in the setting of the retorts
and apparatus.
+
In witness whereof I, the said Robert Paulson Spice, have here-
unto set my hand and seal, this Nineteenth day of June, in
the year of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and seventy-
four