Improvements in the Dehydration of Ammonia and other Volatile Liquids, Vapours, or Gases, and in Apparatus therefor.
Year: 1892

page_text: Date of Application, 6th Oct., 1892
Complete Specification Left, 28th June, 1893-Accepted, 29th July, 1893
L
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in the Dehydration of Ammonia and other Volatile
Liquids, Vapours, or Gases, and in Apparatus therefor.
I, WILLIAM MATHER, of Salford Iron Works, Manchester, in the County of
Lancaster, Engineer, do hereby declare the nature of this invention to be as
follows:-
My invention relates to the dehydration of ammonia and other volatile liquids,
vapours or gases by distillation, and it consists mainly in effecting the dehydration
in such manner that the aqueous ammonia that is to be subject to distillation is
caused on its way to the distilling vessel firstly to reduce the temperature of the
anhydrous ammonia vapours passing away from the still and secondly to come into
intimate contact in a divided state with such vapours so as to condense and take up
therefrom a portion of the residual water remaining in the vapour. Furthermore,
the exhausted liquor in the distilling apparatus, which still contains some ammonia,
instead of being discharged and wasted, is caused, in passing away, to be subjected
to a reduction of pressure while its temperature is maintained, whereby a portion
of the ammonia still contained therein becomes disengaged, this being then utilised
for increasing the strength of the ammonia liquor to be treated, or in any other
manner.
For these purposes I employ apparatus arranged as follows:
A closed distilling vessel charged with aqueous ammonia, which is by preference
heated by internal pipes through which steam or hot air or gases are made to
circulate, has an ascending pipe through which the disengaged anhydrous ammonia
vapour passes away to a condensing apparatus. In the upper part of this pipe is
formed a chamber having tubes passing through it, through which the ammonia
vapour rises, into the upper end of which chamber the aqueous ammonia supply
for the distilling vessel is made to flow, so as to more or less fill it, and thus to take
up heat from the ammonia vapour passing through the before mentioned tubes.
The aqueous ammonia overflows near the top of the chamber into a central tube
leading down through the chamber and terminating below it in a rose, from which
the ammoniacal liquor consequently descends in a fine shower through the vertical
pipe, and in thus coming into intimate contact with the rising anhydrous ammonia
vapour, condenses and separates therefrom a portion of the water still contained
therein, so that the ammonia vapour passes away in a practically anhydrous
condition.
The charge of aqueous ammonia liquor contained in the distilling vessel when
sufficiently exhausted, but still containing a certain quantity of ammonia, is made
to pass away through a pipe into a chamber where it is subjected to a decrease of
pressure while at the same time it is heated by suitable means (such as by internal
pipes through which steam hot air or gases are made to pass) so as to maintain its
temperature.
By this decrease of pressure a portion of the ammonia still contained in the
liquor will become disengaged and is led off through a pipe at the upper end of
the chamber to the aqueous ammonia supply tank, so as to enrich the ammonia
liquor.
The spent liquor is discharged from the lower end of the vessel to wherever
required, the amount of ammonia still contained in the same being very small, such
as 2 per cent., or even less; this spent liquor is utilised as absorbing liquor for
the exhaust gas from the motor engine where ammonia gas is used as a
motive power.
Although I have referred more particularly to ammonia liquor, it will be

page_text: evident that my invention is equally applicable to other aqueous solutions of volatile
liquids or gases from which it is desired to obtain the said liquids or gases in an
anhydrous state.
Dated this fith day of October 1809
ABEL & IMRAY,
Agents for the Applicant.
.
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in the Dehydration of Ammonia and other Volatile
Liquids, Vapours, or Gases, and in Apparatus therefor.
I, WILLIAM MATHER, of Salford Iron Works, Manchester, in the County of
Lancaster, 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 :-
My invention relates to the dehydration of ammonia and other volatile liquids,
vapours or gases, by distillation, and it consists mainly in effecting the dehydration
in such manner that the aqueous ammonia that is to be subject to distillation is
caused on its way to the distilling vessel, firstly, to reduce the temperature of the
anhydrous ammonia vapours passing away from the still, and, secondly, to come
into intimate contact in a divided state with such vapours, so as to condense and
take up therefrom a portion of the residual water remaining in the vapour.
Furthermore, the exhausted liquor in the distilling apparatus, which still contains
some ammonia, instead of being discharged and wasted, is caused, in passing away,
to be subjected to a reduction of pressure while its temperature is maintained,
whereby a portion of the ammonia still contained therein becomes disengaged, this
being then utilised for increasing the strength of the ammonia liquor to be treated,
or in any other manner.
For carrying out this method of operating, I employ apparatus by preference
constructed as I will proceed to describe with reference to the accompanying
drawing which shews a sectional diagrammatic view of the same.
A closed distilling vessel A charged with aqueous ammonia, which is by
preference heated by internal pipes a through which steam or hot air or gases are
made to circulate, has an ascending pipe B through which the disengaged
anhydrous ammonia vapour ascends and from which it passes away to a condensing
apparatus through a pipe D. In the upper part of the pipe B is formed a
chamber having a number of small tubes c passing through it, through which
the ammonia vapour rises.
Into the upper end of chamber C the aqueous ammonia supply for the distilling
vessel is made to flow from the pipe E so as to more or less fill it, and thus to
take up heat from the ammonia vapour passing through the tubes c.
The aqueous ammonia overflows near the top of the chamber C into a central
tube G leading down through the chamber and terminating below it in a rose H
from which the ammoniacal liquor consequently descends in a fine shower through the
vertical pipe B and in thus coming into intimate contact with the rising anhydrous
ammonia vapour, condenses and separates therefrom a portion of the water still
contained therein, so that the ammonia vapour passes away in a practically
anhydrous condition.
The charge of aqueous ammonia liquor contained in the distilling vessel A when
sufficiently exhausted, but still containing a certain quantity of ammonia, is made
to pass away through a pipe I into a chamber K where it is subjected to a
decrease of pressure while at the same time it is heated by suitable means (such as
by internal pipes R through which steam, hot air or gases are made to pass from
pipes M N) so as to maintain the temperature of the solution discharged from A
into K.
By this decrease of pressure a portion of the ammonia still contained in the

page_text: to
liquor from the vessel A and C becomes disengaged and is led off through the
pipe L at the upper end of the chamber to the aqueous ammonia supply tank so as
to enrich the ammonia liquor which is supplied to the tank A. The spent liquor
is discharged from the lower end of the vessel K by means of the pipe
wherever required, the amount of ammonia still contained in the same being very
small such as 2 per cent., or even less; this spent liquor is utilised as absorbing
liquor for the exhaust gas from the motor where ammonia gas is used as a motive
power.
Although I have referred more particularly to ammonia liquor, it will be
evident that my invention is equally applicable to other aqueous solutions of
volatile liquids or gases from which it is desired to obtain the said liquids or gases
in an anhydrous state.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of this inven-
tion and in what manner the same is to be performed, I declare that what 1
claim is :-
1. In the dehydration of ammonia and other volatile liquids vapours or gases
by distillation, causing the aqueous ammonia or other liquor before being subjected
to distillation to take up heat from the ammonia and other vapours passing away
from the still and then to come into intimate contact with such vapours so as to
take up therefrom a portion of the residual water remaining therein, substantially
as described.
2. The combination with a still for distilling volatile liquids, of apparatus through
which the liquid to be distilled is made to flow on its way to the still, while the
vapours rising up from the still are caused to flow through tubes or passages in
such apparatus so as to give up their heat to the liquid, which then descends from
the said apparatus in a fine shower in intimate contact with the rising vapours, so
as to take up the residual water therefrom before entering the still, substantially as
described.
3. The combination with a still for distilling volatile liquids of a vessel or
chamber into which the spent liquor discharged from the still is passed and where
it is subjected to a decrease of pressure under simultaneous heating, for the
purpose of disengaging a further quantity of volatile fluid therefrom, substantially
as described.
4. In apparatus for the dehydration of ammonia and other volatile liquids,
vapours or gases, the combination of a still A heated internally by coils and
having a vertical passage B for the escape of the disengaged vapour, a con-
denser C within such passage by means of which the liquid supplied to the still is
made first to take up heat from the ascending vapours, and then to come into
intimate contact with such vapours for taking up water therefrom, and a vessel or
chamber K for separating a further quantity of vapour from the spent liquor
coming from the still A, substantially as described.
Deted this 28th day of June 1893
ABEL & IMRAY,
Agents for the Applicant.