IMPROVEMENTS IN THE MANUFACTURE OF SULPHURIC ACID
Year: 1842

page_text: TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, CHARLES
MAURICE ELIZEE SAUTTER, of Austin Friars, in the City of London, Gentleman,
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 Fifteenth day of December, in the sixth year of Her reign,
did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant unto me, the
said Charles Maurice Elizee Sautter, Her especial licence, full power, sole
privilege and authority, that I, the said Charles Maurice Elizee Sautter, my
exors, admiors, and assigns, or such others as I, the said Charles Maurice
Elizee Sautter, 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, the Invention
of "IMPROVEMENTS IN THE MANUFACTURE OF SULPHURIC ACID," communicated to
me by a certain Foreigner residing abroad; in which said Letters Patent
is contained a proviso that I, the said Charles Maurice Elizee Sautter, shall
cause a particular description of the nature of the 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

page_text: in and by the same, reference being thereunto had, will more fully and at
large appear.
NOW KNOW YE, that in compliance with the said proviso, I, the said
Charles Maurice Elizee Sautter, do hereby declare that the nature of the said
Invention, 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 Drawing hereunto annexed, and to the figures and letters
marked thereon, that is to say :-
In the manufacture of sulphuric acid, as heretofore practised, it is well
known that the nitrous vapours employed pass from the leaden chamber into
the atmosphere and are lost. Now the object of the Invention is so to
arrange apparatus that the nitrous vapours may be retained and used over again
in the manufacture of sulphuric acid, and thus render the quantity of nitrate
of soda or potash employed for manufacturing a quantity of sulphuric acid
much less than has hitherto been required, in consequence of the waste caused
by the nitrous vapours passing into the atmosphere. And in order that
the Invention may be most fully understood, I will proceed to explain the
Drawing hereunto annexed, and the process of working as pursued by me.
DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWING.
Figure 1 represents an elevation of part of a sulphuric acid chamber, with
apparatus applied thereto for re-using the nitrous vapours in place of their
passing into the atmosphere; Figure. 2 is an end view of a sulphuric acid
chamber and apparatus applied thereto; and Figure 3 is a plan thereof. In
each of these Figures the same letters are used to indicate the same parts,
wherever they occur. The air which escapes from the lead chambers being
charged with a quantity of humidity, it is first necessary that the greater part
of this humidity should be got rid of, and this is accomplished by bringing it in
contact with sulphuric acid of about fifty-six degress of the hydrometer of
Beaumé. After this operation, it is brought in contact with concentrated
sulphuric acid, as herein-after described. It should be stated, that although
sulphuric acid concentrated to sixty-six degrees of Beaumé has the greatest
absorbing power, yet when at sixty-two degrees it will be found to answer
very well. The air, by. its contact with the concentrated sulphuric acid, is
deprived of the nitrous vapours combined with it, and when so deprived of the.
nitrous vapours, the air escapes into the atmosphere. The nitrous vapours are
then combined with the concentrated sulphuric acid employed in separating
them from the air. It is now necessary to separate them from the acid, and
this is accomplished by bringing the acid into the tube which first receives the
products of the combustion of the sulphur, when the acid gives up a great

page_text: portion of its nitrous vapours, but in order to carry off the whole of it, a
current of steam is brought at the same time into the tube.
Having thus stated generally the nature of the process, I will now proceed
to describe the apparatus more in detail. A is the furnace in which the com-
bustion of the sulphur takes place, the nature of which is well understood;
B, C, D, is the tube into which the products of such combustion pass; C, D,
is the vertical part of the tube B, C, D, in which are placed four diaphragms
d, d, d, d, of lead, in which the sulphuric acid (combined with the nitrous
vapours) falls, and is thereby divided into fine showers or streams; E is the
tube through which steam is introduced into the tube B, C, D; F is the
tube which conveys the sulphuric acid into the receiver G, after it has been
deprived of the nitrous vapour; G, the leaden reservoir from which the acid
is poured into the leaden chamber, if it be not free from nitrious products,
otherwise it will not be necessary to place the sulphuric acid from the vessel
G into the chamber; H is the leaden sulphuric acid chamber; I is the tube
through which the air escapes from the chamber H; J is a cylinder filled
with pebbles or stones, or other matters, on which falls a continuous flow of
sulphuric acid of about fifty-six degrees, in order to dry the air as it passes
from the sulphuric acid chamber; K is the tube through which the air passes
from the cylinder J into the absorbing apparatus M, N; L is the tube which
conveys the acid which has dried the air in the parts B, C, of the tube B, C, D.
This acid in conveying off the humidity of the air, carries off also with it a
certain quantity of nitrous vapour, which it gives off by its contact with the
gas in the tube B, C, arising from the combustion of sulphur. M is the top
or upper part of what is called the absorbing apparatus; N is the absorbing
apparatus, which consists of a shallow covered trough of lead, through which
the air from the cylinder J flows, meeting in its passage a stream of sulphuric
acid at sixty-two degrees, which absorbs the nitrous products from the air,
the object being to separate the nitrous vapours from the air before the air
passes into the atmosphere; and although the apparatus here shewn is very
effective, I do not confine myself thereto, so long as the object of the Invention
of separating the nitrous vapours from the air in its passage to the atmo-
sphere be accomplished. O, P, Q, shew the arrangements for supplying
concentrated sulphuric acid at about sixty-two degrees to the absorbing
apparatus; Qis a reservoir, from whence there is a constant flowing into the
apparatus N; O is a large reservoir which contains the sulphuric acid which
supplies the reservoir Q; P is another reservoir to keep up the supply to the
reservoir Q, at the time when the reservoir O requires filling; R is a tube
through which the air passes from the absorbing apparatus into a flue placed

page_text: underground, which is in connection with a shaft or chimney; S is the under-
ground flue; T is a tube which receives the acid combined with the nitrous
vapour from the absorbing apparatus N, and conveys it to the tube
B, C, D. By this arrangement a very considerable quantity of the nitrate
of soda or potash usually employed in the manufacture of sulphuric acid
will be saved.
I would remark, that in place of having the shallow absorbing apparatus N,
as above described, the object of the Invention may be accomplished by
'causing the vapours to pass up through a cylinder or other vessel filled with
well-burned coke, or with broken glass or stones, and the concentrated
sulphuric acid divided into small streams caused to meet the nitrous vapours,
and absorb the same.. At first commencing working with a sulphuric acid
chamber with apparatus applied thereto for re-using the nitrous vapours, it will
be necessary that the same quantity of nitrate of soda or potash should be
employed as heretofore, but so soon as the operation is in full work, the
proportion of the nitrate is to be gradually diminished until the workman
observes that only sufficient quantity is supplied to keep up the working with
the most favorable product.
I would remark, that although I do not confine myself to the use of
sulphuric acid for obtaining the nitrous vapours for use, yet I prefer to use
sulphuric acid for the purpose, because it offers the double advantage of
absorbing the nitrous vapours, and parting with them readily; and in place of
acid, alkaline solutions may be used for absorbing the nitrous vapours.
The
I will now describe a mode of working with alkaline solutions.
absorbing apparatus described is to have placed therein an alkaline solution,
say of soda, instead of the sulphuric acid. It absorbs the nitrous vapours, thus
forming a salt which, after evaporation, and then decomposed by sulphuric
acid, gives off nitrous vapours for the manufacture of sulphuric acid. The
process of decomposition is the same as that heretofore practised when nitrates
are decomposed by the use of sulphuric acid; but the absorbing properties of
the alkaline solutions being considerably less than sulphuric acid of a high
degree of specific gravity, the absorbing apparatus before described may with
advantage be varied, in order to keep the nitrous vapour introduced with the
air from the lead chambers into a small cylinder constantly acted on by the
alkaline solution. In the small cylinder is placed an axis, having boards
affixed in a spiral direction, which dip into a solution of soda which is in the
cylinder. This axis, by means of the spiral boards beating the air with fresh
alkaline solution, rapidly deprives the air of the nitrous vapour.
The Figure U in the Drawing shews the nature of this apparatus. Or in

page_text: place of this apparatus a cylinder J, such as above described, might be used,
or any suitable means may be used capable of bringing an extensive surface
moistened with caustic solution into action on the air passing off from a sul-
phuric acid chamber, in order to absorb the nitrous products heretofore carried
off with the air into the atmosphere.
Having thus described the nature of the Invention, and the best means I
am acquainted with for performing the same, I would wish it to be under-
stood that I do not confine myself to the exact details of process and
apparatus herein described, provided the peculiar character of the Invention
be retained.
And I wish it to be understood that what I claim are, the improvements in
the manufacturing sulphuric acid, herein-before described, whereby the vapours
passing from a sulphuric acid chamber are caused to be acted on by sulphuric
acid or other matter, so as to absorb the nitrous vapours therefrom in order to
their being again used.
In witness whereof, I, the said Charles Maurice Elizee Sautter, have
hereunto set my hand and seal, this Fourteenth day of June, in the
year of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and forty-three.
MAURICE (L.S.) SAUTTER.
AND BE IT REMEMBERED, that on the Fourteenth day of June, in
the year of our Lord 1843, the aforesaid Charles Maurice Elizee Sautter
came before our said Lady the Queen in Her Chancery, and acknowledged
the Specification aforesaid, and all and every thing therein contained and speci-
fied, in form above written. And also the Specification aforesaid was stamped
according to the tenor of the Statute made for that purpose.