Nitrogen Gases from Atmospheric Air.
Year: 1887

page_text: Date of Application, 9th Dec., 1887
Complete Specification Left, 10th Sept., 1888
Complete Specification Accepted, 19th Oct., 1888
Nitrogen Gases from Atmospheric Air.
We, EDWARD BAUDOUIN ELLICE-CLARK of Connaught Mansions, Victoria Street,
in the City of Westminster, Civil Engineer, and LEONARD CHAPMAN, of Connaught
Mansions aforesaid, Civil Engineer, do hereby declare the nature of this Invention
to be as follows:-
This Invention has for its object to effect economy in cost and time in the production
of oxygen and nitrogen gases from atmospheric air and has reference to such a process
as is described in the Specification of Letters Patent No. 157 granted to Arthur Brin
and Léon Quentin Brin and dated the 5th day of January 1885.
According to the present improvements the retorts in which the anhydrous oxide of
barium is contained are made of but small sectional area so as to each contain but
a relatively small quantity or depth of the anhydrous oxide of barium and to present
a large surface to the furnace or heating medium and all or a number of the said
retorts are at their respective ends caused to open into one common chamber covered
by a door or cover thus reducing the cost of fittings and facilitating the working and
the making of tight joints.
In order to prevent the settlement of the baryta in the retorts so as to leave a
passage for the air above it without contact with the baryta I prefer to place the
retorts in an inclined position (say at 15 or 25 degrees to the horizontal) so that the
baryta leaves no such clear air space and all the air consequently passes through or in
contact with the baryta.
It is desirable that the change of temperature requisite for effecting peroxidation
of the Baryta and the deoxidation thereof should be effected as rapidly as possible
and I have found that this can be facilitated by making the walls of the furnace in
which the retorts are placed of a water casing which may be a steam boiler or part
of a steam-boiler for generating steam for driving the pump which is used in the
process. The following description of a construction according to this Invention
will serve to explain more fully its nature but it is premised that the Invention is

page_text: not limited to the precise details which are hereinafter described. Through the
side walls constituting water spaces of the fire box of a boiler of the locomotive type
are made openings for receiving the ends of retorts traversing the fire box, and
having their ends projecting to some little distance from sides of the fire box where
the said ends are inserted and fixed in tube plates situated at a short distance from
the said sides. To these tube plates are applied covers including a space at each
end of the retorts with which spaces the pump is in communication. The said pump
may conveniently be mounted with its engine above the fire-box and boiler to be
worked by steam supplied from the boiler. The pump may be of any suitable type
but it is preferred to use a construction of pump wherein the inlet passages are
opened by means of a liner or inner cylinder in which the piston works, the said
liner being less in diameter and in length than the main or outer cylinder. Thus
when the pump is at work the piston at the commencement of its stroke takes the
liner with it for a short distance until the opposite end of the said liner comes
against the cylinder end whereby there is a space left between the opposite (now
the inlet) end of the liner and the cylinder and thus a quick opening of the inlet
takes place the incoming air or gas entering the main cylinder and passing (during
the continued movement of the piston in the liner) between it and the liner through
the annular or circumferential opening opened by the movement of the liner as
aforesaid and into the liner. The outlet valve or valves is or are made in the cylinder
covers so that the said valves are enclosed by the liner when it bears against the
cylinder end and consequently the contents of the liner at the outlet side of the piston
are expelled through these valves-A double acting pump being made the same at both
ends the same action occurs at the reverse ends when the piston makes its back stroke.
To prevent any possibility of leakage of water from the boiler into the retorts the
said retorts are preferably surrounded at the parts where they traverse the water space
by tubular distance pieces secured to the walls of the water space. An apparatus
made as described may be mounted on wheels to be transportable or it may be
stationary. The boiler or furnaces containing the retorts as aforesaid may be of a
type other than that mentioned for example it may be of saddle shape and in order to
provide for continuous working there may be a set of retorts at each end of a flue or
passage connecting them and each set of retorts having a furnace and a chimney and
an arrangement of dampers so that when the furnace at one end is in operation the
products of combustion heat the set of retorts next it to the high temperaturo
necessary for deoxidation of the contents of its set of retorts and the products of com-
bustion then pass by the connecting flue to and through the furnace at the other end
to heat the set of retorts therein to the lower temperature necessary for peroxidation
of their contents and the said products then escape by the chimney at the end of this
last named furnace. By reversing the dampers and extinguishing the furnace which
was previously alight and lighting that which was previously extinguished the products
of combustion pass similarly but in the reverse direction and the set of retorts which
was previously at a lower heat for peroxidation are now raised to a high heat suitable
for deoxidation and the set of retorts which was previously at a high heat for
deoxidation is at a low heat for peroxidation and so on alternately. The sets of
retorts may be arranged in any suitable number after the manner herein before
described and there may be a pump for each set or a pump common to any number
of or all the sets.
In apparatus of the class to which this Invention relates the air is caused on its
way to the retorts to be drawn by a pump through a chamber containing a material
to remove moisture.
Instead of placing the pump so as to draw the air through this chamber it is
proposed to place it so that it forces the air into and through the chamber as by this
means the air instead of being in an attenuated condition in the chamber is in a
compressed state and in that state more readily parts with moisture.
Where I work two or more furnaces alternately as hereinbefore described 1 may
arrange the passages for the products of combustion backwards and forwards from one
furnace to the other through a water space by tubes or otherwise so that the liot

page_text: products as they pass therealong heat water and themselves become cooled down to
any extent which may be required.
I may arrange passages and dampers in connection with an air heating chamber so
that the hot products of combustion can be caused to pass from either both or all of
the furnaces through the said heating chamber on their way to the chimney instead of
passing through the other furnace or furnaces. This is useful for the purpose of
enabling a furnace or furnaces to be more rapidly cooled down when required than it
would be if the products of combustion were passed through it. The heating chamber
may be utilized to heat the air used in the furnaces or to heat feed water for the
boiler or for both purposes.
Dated this Ninth day of December 1887

page_text: Improvements in Apparatus for the Production of Oxygen and
Nitrogen Gases from Atmospheric Air.
We EDWARD BAUDOUIN ELLICE-CLARK of Connaught Mansions Victoria Street
in the City of Westminster Civil Engineer and LEONARD CHAPMAN of Connaught
Mansions aforesaid Engineer do hereby declare the nature of this invention and in
what manner the same is to be performed to be particularly described and ascertained
in and by the following statement:-
This Invention has for its object to effect economy in cost and time in the
production of oxygen and nitrogen gases from atmospheric air and has reference to
such a process as is described in the Specification of Letters Patent No. 157
granted to Arthur Brin and Léon Quentin Brin and dated the 5th day of
January 1885.
According to the present improvements the retorts in which the anhydrous barium
oxide is contained are preferably made of but small sectional area so as to each contain
but a relatively small quantity or depth of the anhydrous barium oxide and to present
a large surface to the furnace or heating medium and all or a number of the said
retorts are at their respective ends caused to open into one common chamber covered
by a door or cover thus reducing the cost of fittings and facilitating the working and
the making of tight joints.
In order to prevent such a settlement of the barium oxide in the retorts as would
leave a passage for the air above the said barium oxide without contact with it we
prefer to place the retorts in position inclined to the horizon so that the barium oxide
leaves no such clear air space and all the air consequently passes through or in contact
with the barium oxide.
It is desirable that the change of temperature requisite for effecting the peroxidation
of the barium oxide and the deoxidation thereof should be effected as rapidly as
possible and it has been found that this can be facilitated by making the walls of the
furnace in which the retorts are placed of a water casing which may be a steam
boiler or part of a steam boiler for generating steam for driving the pump which is
used in the process or for other purpose. The following description with reference
to the accompanying drawings of a construction according to this Invention will
serve to explain more fully its nature but it is premised that the Invention is not
limited to the precise details which are hereinafter described and illustrated.
Figure 1 is a transverse section and Figure 2 is a longitudinal section of an
apparatus constructed according to this invention with retorts arranged horizontally
in the water jacketted fire box of a boiler of the locomotive type. Figures 3 and 4
shew a modified arrangement wherein the retorts are in an inclined position Figure 3
being a longitudinal section and Figure 4 an end view.
This arrangement is supposed to be in a connected pair of which one only is
shown the other being a duplication of it on the other side of the dot and pick line in
Figure 4.

page_text: The whole of the furnace may be constructed of metal but to prevent the retorts
nearest the sides and top of the furnace being objectionably cooled down owing to
their radiant heat being absorbed by the comparatively cool surface forming the sides
and top of the furnace we prefer to line the inside of the furnace with fire-brick or
other refractory material.
Referring first to the arrangement illustrated in Figures 1 and 2.
The retorts A which contain the barium oxide pass through sleeves N extending
from the sides of the fire-box through the water space to the outside or skin of the
said space. The ends of the said retorts are secured into the inner plates or sides of
chambers C situated at a short distance from the skin of the water space and common
on each side to all the retorts, each chamber C being provided with a door D by which
access can be had to all the retorts. If the number of retorts be large two or more
such chambers C each provided with a door may be employed at both ends of
the retorts instead of one only, each chamber and door being common to any
convenient number of retorts.
To prevent settlement of the barium oxide in the retorts in such a way that the
air, pumped in to peroxidize the barium oxide, passes along the space left between
the surface of the barium oxide and the upper part of the retort instead of passing
through and in contact with the whole of the barium oxide, the retorts may be placed
at an incline to the horizon and in order the more rapidly to withdraw such inclined
retorts from the furnace we prefer to secure their upper ends into one or more
chambers each provided with a door as above described and to provide the
lower end of each retort with a cover of the same external diameter as the
retort.
This is the arrangement shewn in Figures 3 and 4 in which but one chamber C and
cover Dare shown and parts which correspond with those shewn in Figures 1 and 2
are marked with the same letters of reference.
Both the above described arrangements of horizontal and inclined retorts can most
conveniently be employed in boilers of the locomotive type, and the pumping engine
for peroxidizing and deoxidizing the barium oxide can be mounted on the top of such
a boiler as is done in portable engines. This is illustrated in Figures 1 and 2
where the pump is marked H and the motor engine thereof is marked I.
To economise fuel when boilers of the locomotive type are employed we prefer to
arrange two such boilers side by side (as mentioned with regard to Figure 4) with
their smoke boxes connected in such a way (as by the pipe P Figure 4) that communica-
tion between them can be readily closed by a damper p.
The furnace of each boiler is provided with the necessary heating apparatus (both
here and in Figures 1 and 2 this is shewn as consisting of burners B for burning
gaseous fuel and air) and leading out of each furnace there is a flue, provided with
damper, to convey products of combustion to a heating chamber R common to
il
both furnaces.
As before stated barium oxide gives up the oxygen it has absorbed most readily at
a temperature considerably higher than that at which it best takes it up, we therefore
heat only that of the furnaces in which are the retorts containing the barium oxide
being deoxidised, and we pass the products of combustion from this furnace, after
having deprived them of a certain amount of their heat in the first boiler through the
tubes or flues of the other boiler by opening the damper p in the passage P so as to
maintain the retorts, in the furnace being per-oxidized, at the proper lower temperature.
After having done this they pass from this furnace by the flue Q to the heating
chamber R in which they circulate around and heat a coil or pipes (Figures 3 and 4)
through which air is drawn or forced for supporting combustion of the gaseous fuel
in the furnaces, and around pipes or a coil 2 for heating the feed water for the
boiler. Either or both of these pipes or coils may be used. From this chamber R
the products cf combustion pass up the chimney shewn at T-Figures 3 and 4. S are
pipes (provided with dampers s) which lead from each smoke box to the heating
chamber R beneath.
7"

page_text: -
After deoxidizing the barium oxide in the retorts in a furnace it is required to cool
it down as quickly as possible, therefore the supply of gaseous fuel to its burners is
shut off and as the waste gases therefrom are consequently no longer available to
continue the heating of the companion furnace, the burners belonging to the latter
are lighted, but as such cooling down of the first named furnace would be retarded if
the products of combustion from the other furnace being heated up were allowed to
pass into the first named furnace which is to be cooled down, we deal with these waste
gases in the manner hereinafter described.
Upon opening the dampers in the pipe S from the smoke box of the furnace to be
heated up, and closing communication between the smoke boxes by shutting the
damper p, the products of combustion from the furnace being heated up go direct to
the heating chamber, and after heating the air supply to the burners and the feed
water, any or all of them pass up the chimney and the first named furnace is left to
cool as quickly as the water surrounding it will absorb the heat stored in its fire brick
lining (if such be used) and in the retorts and barium oxide therein contained.
As soon as this furnace has been cooled to a suitable temperature for commencing
peroxidation it is maintained at that temperature by means of the waste gases which
will be obtainable from the companion furnace (the barium oxide in which is by that
time ready to be or is being deoxidized) the said waste gases being diverted from
passing directly into the heating chamber and being caused to travel by way of the
pipe P into the smoke box and through the tubes of the boiler giving up heat to the
water surrounding them and after circulating around the retorts in the fire box
arriving at the heating chamber by the flue Q.
Instead of filling the jacket surrounding either of the types of furnaces above
described with water air may be drawn or forced through such jackets and the heat
absorbed thereby during its passage over the heated surfaces can then be economically
employed in heating the air for supporting the combustion of the gaseous fuel while
the passage of the cold air would also offer a ready means of rapidly cooling down a
highly heated furnace. In an air jacketted furnace the sides of the inner or furnace
walls exposed to the contact of air might be advantageously provided with a number
of projecting wings or their equivalents to offer a greatly increased heated surface to
contact with the air.
An apparatus made as described may be mounted on wheels to be transportable or
it may be stationary. The boiler or furnaces containing the retorts as aforesaid may
be of a type other than that mentioned for example it may be of saddle shape.
The sets of retorts may be arranged in any suitable number after the manner
herein before described and there may be a pump for each set or a pump common to
any number of, or to all the sets. The spaces in the chambers Care of course pro-
vided with air inlets and outlets and communications with the pump which may be
like or analogous to those ordinarily used in the aforesaid process. In Figures 3 and 4
at the end of the retorts where there is no chamber C the air is admitted by the pipe a
and branches a².
In apparatus of the class to which this Invention relates the air is caused on its
way to the retorts to be drawn by a pump through a chamber containing a material
to remove moisture. Instead of placing the pump so as to draw the air through
this chamber it is proposed to place it so that it forces the air into and through the
chamber as by this means the air instead of being in an attenuated condition in the
chamber is in a compressed state and in that state more readily parts with moisture.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of our said Inven-
tion and in what manner the same is to be performed, we declare that what we
claim is :-
1. In apparatus for the production of oxygen and nitrogen gases from atmospheric
air the combination with the furnace in which the retorts containing the barium oxide
are heated of a water space or jacket substantially as and for the purpose hereinbefore
described.
2. In apparatus for the production of oxygen and nitrogen gases from atmospheric

page_text: air the combination of a furnace, and of retorts heated thereby and of a boiler the
fire box of which is constituted by the said furnace substantially as hereinbefore
described.
3. In apparatus for the production of oxygen and nitrogen gases from atmospheric
air the combination of retorts having either of or both their ends mounted in plates
and with a cover or covers each covering all or several of the retort ends substantially
as hereinbefore described.
4. In apparatus for the production of oxygen or nitrogen gases from atmospheric
air retorts mounted in a fire box or furnace and with their ends or one end of each
expanded or fixed into a plate or plates situated at a short distance from the sides of
the fire box or furnace or jacket surrounding it and covered by a cover or covers
common to all or to several of them substantially as hereinbefore described.
5. In apparatus for the production of oxygen and nitrogen gases from atmospheric
air retorts inclined to the horizon in such a way as to compel the contact of the air
with the barium oxide in the retorts substantially as hereinbefore described.
6. In apparatus for the production of oxygen and nitrogen gases from atmospheric
air means for conducting the products of combustion from a furnace during de-oxida-
tion in the retorts of that furnace through channels or an appliance by which they are
cooled and their heat utilised and passing them to a furnace during per-oxidation in
the retorts thereof substantially as and for the purposes hereinbefore described.
7. The arrangement and combination of parts constituting the apparatus as and for
the purpose hereinbefore described and illustrated in Figures 1 and 2 of the accom-
panying drawings.
8. The arrangement and combination of parts constituting the apparatus as and for
the purpose hereinbefore described and illustrated in Figures 3 and 4 of the accom-
panying drawings.