An Improved Method of Heating and Process of Manufacturing a Suitable Preparation therefor.
Year: 1899

page_text: Date of Application, 22nd Feb., 1899
Complete Specification Left, 15th Nov., 1899-Accepted, 16th Dec., 1899
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
An Improved Method of Heating and Process of Manufacturing a
Suitable Preparation therefor.
I, GUSTAV DETSINYI, of Becsi utca 8, Budapesth, in the Kingdom of Hungary,
Professor, do hereby declare the nature of this invention to be as follows:
This invention relates to an improved method of gas heating in which the
energy of the fuel is inclusively directed to the formation of heat, and in which
the production of light rays which for heating purposes means a considerable
loss is entirely avoided, without its being necessary to mix the gas with an excess
of air for the purpose of depriving the former of the light rays.
At the same time the medium for effecting the complete oxidising of the gas,
serves as a heat accumulator and gives off heat even after the gas has been shut
off similarly to the tiles of a tile stove, or coke column of a Meidinger stove,
and prevents the rapid cooling down of the chamber or room heated.
This improved method of heating requires a peculiar material and the scope
of this invention embraces a process for making the said material or preparation.
It is well known that platinum strongly occludes on its surface gases and
vapours coming in contact with it which renders explicable the so-called
catalytic actions of the same. A previously heated platinum wire or a sheet of
platinum is for instance in a condition to ignite lighting gas, but finely sub-
divided platinum (platinum dust, platinum mud) does this even without pre-
vious heating.
Under certain circumstances however, the platinum becomes incandescent
without its being liable to ignite the combustible gas or vapour.
By the present invention the heat developed by the oxidation produced, with-
out flame by means of the platinum from illuminating gas or other combustible
gases or vapours, such as hydrocarbons, alcohol, and the like, is utilised for
heating purposes, a thorough combustion being produced and no carbonic oxide
or other unconsumed gases or only a very slight quantity of the same being
visible in the products of combustion.
For oxidising combustible gases or vapours I have found any porous, absor
bent, and under certain circumstances, heat-resisting material suitable when
combined or treated or coated with finely sub-divided platinum or other
catalytic substances.
If an earthenware potsherd be saturated with a solution of platinum chloride,
and then dried and rendered incandescent, the platinum is deposited on the
surfaces of the sherd, and also in the pores of the same. The reduction of the
platinum may be assisted by the addition of substances having a reducing action,
such for instance as organic compounds. If such sherd be introduced when
highly heated into a mixture of illuminating gas and air it becomes incan-
descent, and remains so as long as the mixture of gas has access to it.
In place of a potsherd any suitable porous, absorbent and to a certain extent

page_text: fire resistant material, may be employed, such for instance as unburnt or burnt
clay, calcined gypsum, meerschaumi, calcined bones, pumice-stone, or the like.
Other suitable salts of other metals of the platinum group or its compounds
may be employed in place of platinum chloride.
The platinum salts may be wholly or partially replaced by other catalytic
substances, such for instance as superoxide of manganese, peroxide of iron and
the like.
It has been found preferable to impregnate the porous material, before its
impregnation with the salts of the platinum metals, with certain other salts in
common with the salts of platinum metals and to impregnate the porous sub-
stances with this mixture.
For such a preliminary impregnation or for the common use with the salts
of the platinum metals, the soluble salts of the metals of the iron group have been
found to be particularly suitable, also the chromates, manganates and hyper-
manganates, as well as the salts of the earth metals, the rare-earths, and the
earth alkali metals.
The manufacture of the incandescent material may be carried out preferably
in the following way:-
A porous material such for instance as burnt potsherds are saturated with
about a 2 per cent. dilute solution of platinum chloride, by allowing them to
remain in the solution of platinum chloride until they are saturated. The pot-
sherds are then dried and rendered incandescent.
When the potsherds are also to be impregnated with a manganese compound,
they are previously saturated with a one per cent. solution of potash hyper-
manganate in a similar manner as herein before described and then dried and
incandesced.
The incandesced material is then impregnated with platinum clitoride, dried,
and again heated to incandescence.
The material may however be impregnated simultaneously with a mixture of
¯the platinum salts-and-the-manganese salts.
The process can be carried out in a similar manner if it be desired-to-employ
an iron salt in addition to the platinum salts. In this case a two per cent.
solution of perchloride of iron or copperas is preferably employed.
The material prepared in this or other similar manner is in a position not only
to oxidise illuminating gas but also any other hydrogen, hydrocarbon, or
alcohol vapour or other gases or vapours containing combustible hydrocarbon
compounds, whilst developing heat, so long as they are mixed with only a
sufficient quantity of air to prevent them burning with a flame. All these
materials are thus applicable with advantage in my improved method of heating.
The material prepared in this manner is however also suitable for oxidising
any kind of gases or vapours containing carbon, this oxidation being capable of
being regulated by regulating the quantity of air admitted.
The incandescent substance serving for heating purposes may be employed
in various ways; for instance the pieces themselves may be heaped up or piled
up on top of one another in the stove or arranged in chambers. In the latter
case the incandescent substance produces the illusion that pieces of wood or coke
are burning in the stove.
A gas stove is set in operation by opening the gas tap and igniting the gas.
When the incandescent material is sufficiently preliminarily heated the gas tap
is closed for a short time and then again opened. The gas will not then ignite
in the flame, but will burn with a moderate glow. The incandescent material
may be utilised for a suitable length of time without its effect essentially
diminishing. The gases of combustion may be conveyed to the outside in the
ordinary manner. When the gas tap is closed the incandescent material
gradually cools whilst it still gives off some heat, the quantity of which depends
on the quantity of incandescent material employed.
The incandescent material may be placed in tubes, or tubes may be made of

page_text: the incandescent material itself, or the inner surface of the tubes, or the tubes
may be impregnated in the manner hereinbefore described, in which case the
walls of the tubes themselves effect the oxidation of the gases or vapours.
As is evident from the foregoing examples, the material impregnated in the
manner and method described is applicable in very varied ways, without de-
parting from the scope of this invention or essentially modifying it.
It would be impossible to include within the compass of this specification all
these different methods of use.
TL 41 016 law of Wal1800
WM. P. THOMPSON & Co.,
Of 6, Lord Street, Liverpool; "Agents for the Applicant.
An Improved Method of Heating and Process of Manufacturing a
Suitable Preparation therefor.
I, GUSTAV DETSINYI, of Becsi utca 8, Budapesth, in the Kingdom of Hungary,
Professor, 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 relates to an improved method of gas heating in which the
energy of the fuel is exclusively directed to the formation of heat, and in which
the production of light rays which for heating purposes means a considerable
loss is entirely avoided, without its being necessary to mix the gas with an excess
of air for the purpose of depriving the former of the light rays.
At the same time the medium for effecting the complete oxidising of the gas,
serves as a heat accumulator and gives off heat even after the gas has been shut
off similarly to the tiles of a tile stove, or coke column of a Meidinger stove,
and prevents the rapid cooling down of the chamber or room heated.
This improved method of heating requires a peculiar material and the scope
of this invention embraces a process for making the said material or preparation.
It is well known that platinum strongly occludes on its surface gases and
vapours coming in contact with it which renders explicable the so-called
catalytic actions of the same. A previously heated platinum wire or a sheet of
platinum is for instance in a condition to ignite lighting gas, but finely sub-
divided platinum (platinum dust, spongy platinum) does this even without pre-
vious heating.
Under certain circumstances however, the platinum becomes incandescent
without its being liable to ignite the combustible gas or vapour.
By the present invention the heat developed by the oxidation produced, with-
out Hame by means of the platinum from illuminating gas or other combustible
gases or vapours, such as hydrocarbons, alcohol, and the like, is utilised for
heating purposes, a thorough combustion being produced and no carbonic oxide
or other unconsumed gases or only a very slight quantity of the same being
visible in the products of combustion.
For oxidising combustible gases or vapours I have found any porous, absor-
bent, and under certain circumstances, heat-resisting material suitable when
combined or treated or coated with finely sub-divided platinum or other
catalytic substances.
If an earthenware potsherd be saturated with a solution of platinum chloride,
and then dried and rendered incandescent, the platinum is deposited on the
surfaces of the sherd, and also in the pores of the same. The reduction of the

page_text: manganate in a similar manner as herein before described and then dried and
incandesced.
The incandesced material is then impregnated with platinum chloride, dried,
and again heated to incandescence.
The material may however be impregnated simultaneously with a mixture of
the platinum salts and the manganese salts.
The process can be carried out in a similar manner if it be desired to employ
an iron salt in addition to the platinum salts. In this case a two per cent.
solution of perchloride of iron or copperas is preferably employed.
The material prepared in this or other similar manner is in a position not only
to oxidise illuminating gas but also any other hydrogen, hydrocarbon, or
alcohol vapour or other gases or vapours containing combustible hydrocarbon
compounds, whilst developing heat, so long as they are mixed with only a
sufficient quantity of air to prevent them burning with a flame. All these
materials are thus applicable with advantage in my improved method of heating.
The material prepared in this manner is however also suitable for oxidising
any kind of gases or vapours containing carbon, this oxidation being capable of
being regulated by regulating the quantity of air admitted.
This improved substance serving for heating purposes may be employed in
various ways; for instance the pieces themselves may be heaped up or
piled up
on top of one another in the stove or arranged in fire-places. In the latter case
the incandescent substance produces the illusion that pieces of wood or coke
are burning in the stove or fireplace.
A gas stove is set in operation by opening the gas tap and igniting the gas.
When the heating material is sufficiently preliminarily heated the gas tap is
closed for a short time and then again opened. The gas will not then ignite
in the flame, but will burn with a moderate glow. The heating material may
be utilised for any suitable length of time without its effect essentially diminish-
ing. The gases of combustion may be conveyed to the outside in the ordinary
manner. When the gas tap is closed the heating material gradually cools
whilst it still gives off some heat, the quantity of which depends on the quantity
of heating material employed.
The heating material may be placed in tubes, or tubes may be made of the
heating material itself, or the inner surface of the tubes, or the tubes may be
impregnated in the manner herein before described, in which case the walls of
the tubes themselves effect the oxidation of the gases or vapours.
As is evident from the foregoing examples, the material impregnated in the
manner and method described is applicable in very varied ways, without de-
parting from the scope of this invention or essentially modifying it.
It would be impossible to include within the compass of this specification all
these different methods of use.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said
invention and in what manner the same is to be performed, I declare that what
1 claim is:
1. An improved method of heating, characterized by gas or vapour of com-
bustible hydrocarbons or hydrogen or their compounds being conducted in the
presence of oxygen over an incandescent substance formed of fire resisting
absorbent porous material which contains such a small quantity (at most about
2%) of catalytic substances, that the incandescent material is brought to incan-
descence by the gas or gaseous mixture only after being first sufficiently heated
but without igniting said gas and yet automatically producing the oxidation of
the said gas or vapour and collecting in itself the heat thereby developed sub-
stantially as hereinbefore described.
2. A process of making the incandescent substance employed in the herein-
before described method of heating, characterized by porous, heating-resisting,
absorbent materials, such for instance as raw or burnt clay, bricks, baked porce

page_text: lain, calcined bones and like mixtures and compounds of the heavy metallic
oxides of the earths and earth alkalies, and the like, being impregnated with
dilute solutions of the salts of the platinum metals or their compounds, with
eventually the addition of the solutions of other metallic salts and organic com-
pounds, and then dried and incandesced substantially as hereinbefore described.
3. A modification of the process described in Claim 2, characterized by the
porous, heat, resisting absorbent materials, (before their impregnation with
the dilute solutions of the metallic salts of the platinum group) being impreg
nated with any two or more of the metallic salts of the iron group and also
with those of the earth metals, the rare earths or the earth alkalies or chromates,
manganates, or hypermanganates, or their compounds; and the impregnated
material being then dried and heated to incandescence, substantially as herein-
before described.
4. As a new industrial product, the incandescent substance made according to
the process herein before described.
WM. P. THOMPSON & Co.,
Of 6, Lord Street, Liverpool, Agents for the Applicant.