IMPROVEMENTS IN APPARATUS FOR BURNING SULPHUR IN THE MANUFACTURE OF SULPHURIC ACID
Year: 1844

page_text: TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, WILLIAM
ISAAC COOKSON, of the Borough and County of Newcastle-upon-Tyne, Esquire;
send greeting.
WHEREAS Her present most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her
Letters Patent under the Great Seal of Great Britain, bearing date at West-
minster, the Twentieth day of March, in the seventh year of Her reign,
did,, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant unto me, the said
William Isaac Cookson, Her especial licence, full power, sole privilege and
authority, that I, the said William Isaac Cookson, my exors, adññors, and
assigns, or such others as I, the said William Isaac Cookson, my exors,
admors, or assigns, should at any time agree with, and no others, from time
to time and at all times during the term of years therein expressed, should
and lawfully might make, use, exercise, and vend, within England, Wales,
and the Town of Berwick-upon-Tweed, my Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN
APPARATUS FOR BURNING SULPHUR IN THE MANUFACTURE OF SULPHURIC ACID;"
in which said Letters Patent is contained a proviso, that I, the said William
Isaac Cookson, shall cause a particular description of the nature of my said
Invention, and in what manner the same is to be performed, to be inrolled in
Her said Majesty's High Court of Chancery within six calendar months next
and immediately after the date of the said in part recited Letters Patent,
as in and by the same, reference being thereunto had, will more fully and at
large appear.

page_text: NOW KNOW YE, that in compliance with the said proviso, I, the said
William Isaac Cookson, do hereby declare that the nature of my said Inven
tion, and the manner in which the same is to be performed are fully described
and ascertained in and by the following statement thereof, reference being had
to the Drawings hereunto annexed, and to the figures and letters marked
thereon, that is to say:-
In burning sulphur for making sulphuric acid it is usual to employ arches
composed of fire brick and clay, securely bound with iron, one end of each arch
having a door for feeding the burner plate with sulphur, there being holes
through the door to admit air to the sulphur on the burner plate, such burner
plate in each arch being set above the floor so as to allow atmospheric air to
pass under the same to keep it cool, but the air is not allowed to pass beyond
the burner plate, all which is well understood; and such is the case with
respect to the process of making sulphuric acid by the use of the description
of apparatus above mentioned for burning sulphur for making sulphuric acid.
And I mention these matters in order to state, that in the apparatus constructed
according to my Invention there are burner plates, and the doors of the flues
in which they are placed are similarly constructed to those heretofore employed,
and the process of sulphuric acid making is carried on in the ordinary manner:
My Invention has for its object the so arranging apparatus for burning
sulphur when manufacturing sulphuric acid that the heat obtained thereby
may be employed in obtaining the steam requisite for the process of making
sulphuric acid and for other purposes, for I have found that the heat resulting,
when burning sulphur for such manufacture, is more than is required for
generating steam sufficient for the manufacture of sulphuric acid from the
sulphur burned, and therefore such steam may be usefully employed for other
purposes. Or, the heat obtained by burning sulphur in the manufacture of
sulphuric acid may be employed in evaporating and concentrating other fluids
in which case the boilers or vessels used will be constructed suitably for the
particular purpose to which they are to be applied; and the arrangement of
flues hereafter described for a steam boiler may in such cases be used, or
variations may be made to suit the particular vessel to which the heat of the
burning sulphur is to be applied,
DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWING.
Figure 1 represents an end view of a steam boiler with safety valve, steam

page_text: Figure 2 is a longitudinal section of the boiler, taken through the dotted
lines (1), (1), in Figure 1. a, a, a, are three flues made through the boiler;
b, b, b, being the doors, which are similar to those ordinarily used, having
regulators to regulate the passage of atmospheric air to the burning sulphur ;
c, c, c, are burner plates, placed within the flues a, a, a, a, they being formed
flat, with projecting edges on the upper surface to prevent the melted sulphur
overflowing, and there is an open space below each burner plate c for the air to
pass in; but such air cannot pass beyond the ends of the burner plates. It will be
found, in using this apparatus, that in addition to the cooling effect of the air
below the burner plates c, c, c, that, owing to those plates c, c, being in contact
with the metal of the flues a, a, the heat is quickly conducted off to the water
in the boiler, and the heat of the plates c cannot rise prejudicially above the
heat of the water in the boiler, which is very important; as it is well known
that owing to the great heat to which the burner plates sometimes rise in the
ordinary brick flues, part of the sulphur is sublimed, the sulphur is also
irregularly burned, and the well working of the sulphuric acid chamber is thereby.
materially interfered with. If the workman does not find that sufficient heat is
maintained in the flues a, a, for burning off the sulphur he may apply more or
less sand over the bottom of the flues a, a, which will enable him to regulate
and ensure the maintaining the requisite heat. d, d, are mitre pans, which are
introduced through an opening in the side of the chamber or "stalk" e, and
they are supported on suitable shelves therein, or they may be introduced into
the flues a, a, a. The gases pass from the flues a, a, a, into the chamber or
stalk e, and from thence by a pipe f the gases are conveyed into the sulphuric
acid chamber g, part of which is shown. Steam from the boiler is conducted by
a pipe from to the sulphuric acid chamber g in the ordinary way, and as there
will be more steam generated then will be required for the gases from the
quantity of sulphur burned, I employ the remainder of the steam (which 1
conduct off by a pipe applied at i) for any useful purpose; amongst others I
have used it for obtaining a draft to the sulphuric acid chamber. In order to
economise the heat as much as possible, I prefer that the boiler should be
clothed in brickword or other non-conducting materials.
I have not thought it necessary to show other arrangements of boilers or
vessels for boiling, evaporating, or concentrating fluids, as the same will vary
according to the purpose to which they are to be applied; and a workman from
the above description will readily construct the apparatus for burning sulphur
so as to apply heat thereto, either by using similar flues a, a, a, passing through
such vessels or otherwise, as the particular case may require. In starting to
use this apparatus, I apply charcoal or fuel in a suitable holder under the boiler

page_text: to heat the water thereon so as to get sufficient heat for the sulphur, and when
the apparatus is at work the space under the boiler and flue thereto may be
kept closed.
Having thus described the nature of my Invention, and the best means I
am acquainted with for performing the same, I would have it understood that
I do not confine myself to the details herein described so long as the peculiar
character of my Invention be retained. But what I claim is, the mode of
arranging apparatus for burning sulphur in the manufacture of sulphuric acid,
whereby the heat obtained therefrom may be applied to a steam or other
boiler or vessel for generating steam, or for boiling, evaporating, or concen-
trating fluids.
In witness whereof, I, the said William Isaac Cookson, have hereunto
set my hand and seal, this Eighteenth day of September, in the year
of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and forty-four.
WILLIAM I. (..) COOKSON.
Signed, sealed, and delivered by the within-
named William Isaac Cookson, in the
presence of (being first duly stamped)
WILLIAM DUNN,
Newcastle-on-Tyne.