Improvements in Disinfecting, and Apparatus for that Purpose.
Year: 1893

page_text: Date of Application, 21st Nov., 1893-Accepted, 27th Jan., 1894
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Disinfecting, and Apparatus for that Purpose.
We, EUGENE HERMITE, CHARLES FRIEND COOPER and EDWARD JAMES
PATERSON, all of Pownall Road, Dalston, in the County of London, Electrical
Engineers, 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:—
Our invention relates to means of disinfecting water closets, urinals, holds of
vessels, sewers drains and other places where there are noxious matters by supplying
those places with disinfecting liquid produced by electrolysing chloride solutions.
For this purpose, in a convenient situation in or near a town or in an institution,
factory or other establishment or it may be on board a vessel we provide a plant or
set of apparatus consisting of engines or other motors working dynamo electric
machines and electrolysing apparatus; we provide also suitable reservoirs at a high
We charge
level with such pumps as may be necessary for raising a forcing water.
some of the reservoirs with water in which we dissolve chlorides, such as magnesium
calcium or sodium chloride, or when sea water is available we employ it without
additional chlorides. We electrolyse the liquid which is thus rendered a
disinfecting agent and we conduct it by suitable pipes as a water service to the
places requiring disinfection supplying it to the cisterns of water closets or urinals,
from time to time discharging portions of it into sewers or open drains or gutters,
distributing it over streets or passing it through holds of vessels. As the quantity
of free chlorine present in the electrolysed liquid is small, generally less than one
gramme in each litre of liquid the use of this as a disinfectant is not attended with
any unpleasant chlorine smell while it destroys the unpleasant and noxious odour
and effluvia of the impure matters to which it is applied.
The accompanying drawings shew the general arrangement and certain details of
electrolysing and disinfecting apparatus suitable for carrying our invention into
practical operation.
Fig. 1 is an elevation and Fig. 2 is a plan shewing a dynamo machine pump,
electrolyser, cisterns and pipes as arranged at a station for supplying a district with
disinfecting liquid.
Fig. 3 is a diagrammatic section shewing a convenient arrangement for diluting
the electrolysed liquid.
Fig. 4 is a part longitudinal section of a vessel shewing electrolysing apparatus
and service for disinfecting liquid in the vessel.
Fig. 5 is an end view and Fig. 6 a longitudinal section of the electrolyser.
Figs. 7, 8 and 9 are sections shewing several modified constructions of the
negative electrodes, Figs. 7^, 8A, and 94 being corresponding end views.
Fig. 10 is a front view and Fig. 11 is an edge view showing one form of positive
electrode.
Fig. 12 is a front view and Fig. 13 is a section shewing another form of positive
electrode:
Fig. 14 being a plan of scraper used with this form.
Figs. 15, 16 and 17 are sections shewing several modified constructions of the
rods which constitute the positive electrode shewn in Fig. 12.
Referring to Figs. 1 and 2 A represents a dynamo electro machine from which
suitable conductors lead to the electrolyser D situated over cisterns C and B is a
pump having suitable pipes furnished with cocks or valves for communicating with
Prine 71

page_text: the cisterns C and the electrolyser D. From a shaft E driven by any convenient
motor motion is communicated by pulleys and belts to the dynamo machine A the
pump B and the gear which works the revolving negative electrodes of the
electrolyser D. Water supplied to either of the cisterns C and having added to it.
a suitable proportion of chlorides is pumped through the electrolyser into the other
cistern C, and the circulation is reversed several times until the electrolysing is
carried sufficiently far when the contents of the cisterns are run off to supply the
distributing service and a fresh quantity of solution is operated on. We find
a good proportion of solution is to 1000 litres of water 40 kilos. sodium chloride
(common salt) and 5 kilos. commercial magnesium chloride and we generally
electrolyse this solution so that it has about 2 grammes of free chlorine to the litre
of liquid.
We
As practically we find that gramme per litre is sufficient, we might add a
smaller proportion of chloride but this would be objectionable because such a weak
solution would offer too great resistance to passage of the electric current.
therefore employ the stronger solution and after the liquid is electrolysed we dilute
it by adding 6 or 7 times its volume of water. This is conveniently effected by
apparatus arranged as shewn diagrammatically in Fig. 3. From a cistern C¹
supplied with electrolysed liquid a rotary or other pump P' maintains a flow to an
upper cistern C whence part of the liquid passes away by a valve and pipe V¹ the
rest overflowing back into C'. In like manner from C³ supplied with water a
pump P2 maintains a flow up to C₁ whence part passes by the valve and pipe V' the
rest overflowing back to C³. From C, into which both pipes discharge the diluted
electrolysed liquid passes by the valve and pipe V³ to the distributing mains.
By adjusting the valves V1 V so that they allow the desired proportions of liquid
to pass, the degree of dilution is kept uniform. When sea water is available no
chlorides are added, and when sea salt is available for solution in water no
magnesium chloride need be added.
Referring to Fig. 4; A is an engine working a dynamo B supplying electric
current to an electrolyser C; a pump D communicates by pipes with the bilge, the
electrolyser and suitable cisterns. When the hold is to be disinfected, water after
being passed through the electrolyser is discharged into the hold and pumped out
until disinfection of the bilge is complete.
When a supply of disinfectant for closets & urinals is required, the pump draws
sea water from a cistern F which is kept supplied and passes it repeatedly through
the electrolyser to a cistern G whence pipes lead the disinfectant liquid to closets I
or urinals H or to a service cock g. For disinfecting linen or clothes a trellis
truck K charged with them can be lowered into a well J in the hold, and electrolysed
water from the cistern F can be made to circulate through the well and back to the
pump and electrolyser.
The electrolyser shewn in Figs. 5 and 6 consists of a tank A having in its lower
part a laterally perforated pipe B by which liquid to be electrolysed enters the
tank and having at its upper part on each side a trough c into which liquid over-
flows and from which it passes away by a pipe C. Two shafts caused slowly to
revolve by worm gear D, carry the negative electrodes in the form of zinc discs N,
and between each pair of the zinc discs are suspended the positive electrodes P
which are all connected to one insulated conductor Q leading to the positive
terminal of the dynamo. From a bar extending along the tank are suspended
scrapers S which keep the surfaces of the zinc discs clean. The tank being
connected to the negative terminal of the dynamo, the zinc discs act as the negative
electrodes. According to one construction as shewn in Figs. 7 and 7 the zinc
discs N may all be cast in one with their shaft the ends of which are jacketted with
harder metal n. to work in the bearings. As shewn in Figs. 8 and 8ª the discs N
may be strung on their shaft with interposed distanced pieces n' all being clamped
by a nut n². According to the construction shewn in Figs. 9 and 94 grooves are
turned in the shaft and each disc N being passed on to the shaft and moved a little
laterally so that the edge of one side of its hole becomes engaged in the groove, is

page_text: secured in position by a wedge n³ driven in between the shaft and the other side of
the hole.
The positive electrode shewn in Figs. 10 and 11 consists of a sheet of platinum
or platinum gauze P clamped between two frames P¹ of non conducting material
such as ebonite, these frames being made with large openings so as to expose as
much as possible of the platinum. The upper edge of the platinum sheet is cast
into the lower end of a lead arm P' which is bolted to the main conducting bar P³.
In this case the scrapers S are inclined blades projecting on each side of the
frame Pl Instead of using platinum sheets we employ as positive electrodes as
shewn in Figs. 12 and 13 a number of rods R having their lower parts covered with
platinum gauze, these are suspended from a conducting bar R₁ which is bolted to
the main conductor P. The scrapers S are in this case bolted to a longitudinal
bar S. There are several ways of constructing the rods R. As shewn in Fig. 15
a rod of copper r. has its lower part covered with platinum gauze and its upper
part which is immersed in liquid covered by a tube of caoutchouc wired at
over the upper part of the gauze. A washer g¹ of non-conducting material prevents
the platinum from touching the zinc disc on either side. As shewn in Fig. 16, a
glass rod q. on which is the platinum gauze is held in a copper tube c the lower
end of which is split to admit the covered glass rod. Over the junction of the
copper tube with the gauze is sprung a caoutchouc ring and the whole is enclosed
in a caoutchouc tube wired at . The glass rod is made with a projecting disc
shaped end which like g' in Fig. 15 prevents the platinum gauze from coming in
contact with the zinc discs N on each side. As shewn in Fig. 17 the copper tube c
is enclosed within a glass tube g³ the lower end of which is sealed at g³ to the
platinum and glass rod within it.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of this invention
and in what manner the same is to be performed, we declare that what we
claim is:-
1. The herein described method of disinfecting by conducting electrolysed
chloride solution by pipes from an electrolysing station to closets, urinals, drains
and other places where there are noxious or impure matters.
2. In an electrolysing station such as is above referred to, the combination of a
dynamo electric machine, electrolyser and conductors with suitable pumps, cisterns,
pipes, cocks or valves arranged and operating substantially as and for the purpose
set forth.
3. An electrolysing apparatus substantially as described with reference to Figs. 5
and 6, having as negative electrodes, zinc discs, and as positive electrodes, platinum
sheets or rods covered with platinum gauze.
4. Negative electrodes for the electrolyser constructed as described with reference
to Figs. 7 and 7 or modification thereof as described with reference to Figs. 8
and 8 or Figs. 9 and 9*.
5. Positive electrodes for the electrolyser constructed as described with reference
to Figs. 10 and 11.
6. The modified constructions of positive electrodes described with reference to
Figs. 12 & 13 15, 16 and 17.
Dated this 21st day of November 1893.
ABEL & IMKAT
Agents for the Applicants.