IMPROVE- MENTS IN TREATING LIQUID OR OTHER MATERIALS TO CONCENTRATE AND DRY THE SAME AND APPARATUS THEREFOR
Year: 1884

page_text: I, JAMES BINGHAM ALLIOTT, of No 50 Queen Victoria Street, in the City of
London, Engineer, do hereby declare the nature of said invention for "IMPROVE-
MENTS IN TREATING LIQUID OR OTHER MATERIALS TO CONCENTRATE AND DRY
THE SAME AND APPARATUS THEREFOR "to be as follows:-
My improvements in treating liquid or semi-liquid materials to concentrate and
dry the same, have special reference to those cases in which the liquid or semi-liquid
material is concentrated or dried by means of a current or currents of heated gases
brought into direct contact with an extended surface of the material to be operated
on, and my improvements are more particularly applicable where as in treating liquid
sewage or pail contents the vapours odours or gases given off by the materials under
such treatment are injurious to health or productive of a nuisance.
Hitherto it has been usual to effect this concentration by bringing the products
of combustion of a furnace into direct contact with the material to be concentrated
or dried, and these products of combustion charged with the odour moisture and
gases taken up from the material under treatment, have either been turned directly
into the air, or have been led into a chimney in which they mingled with other
heated gases and were thus partially deodorised and disinfected or they have been
subjected to treatment in a condenser with the object of removing from them as
much as possible of the vapour and odour, and have then been either discharged
into the air or led into a chimney as before described, but in all these cases both
disinfection and deodorization are at the best very imperfectly performed.
Now according to my invention for the purpose of effecting the concentration or
drying of such materials I employ unburnt air previously heated in an air heater or
regenerative oven which is itself heated by the products resulting from combustion
of any suitable fuel burnt in a furnace or combustion chamber-The air having
been heated (without burning) in the air heater or regenerative stove to a suitable
temperature to effect the concentration or drying of the material to be treated is
brought into direct contact with the said material from which it takes up moisture.
Afterwards the air may be deprived of as much as possible of such moisture by
causing it to pass through a spray or other condenser or cooler: The air that has
been used to treat the pail refuse or other material as aforesaid is employed to

page_text: support or aid in supporting combustion of fuel in a furnace or combustion chamber
preferably that the products of combustion from which are used to heat the air
heater or regenerative stove, taking care to confine the air within close pipes
channels or chambers so that the whole of it must pass through the burning fuel
within the furnace or combustion chamber. The necessary draught may be obtained
by means of a high chimney but it will usually be advantageous to introduce a fan,
blower or other artificial means of producing a current of air so that the combustion
in the furnace or combustion chamber may be rendered more rapid by the keenness
of the draught and thus a high temperature may be obtained.
It is obvious that any infection or unpleasant odour the product of organic matter,
which may have been communicated to the heated air by contact with the material
under treatment, and which may not have been otherwise removed, will be effectually
destroyed as the air is burnt in supporting combustion in the furnace or combustion
chamber.
Heat generated in the furnace or combustion chamber may be used for heating a
steam boiler, or may be otherwise utilized before the products of combustion act
upon the air-heater or regenerative stove. After leaving the air heater or
regenerative stove their temperature will be much reduced though if an artificial
draught is being used they may still be employed for warming a drying stove.
This can be conveniently effected by passing the products of combustion on their
way from the air-heater or regenerative stove to the chimney or outlet through
suitable metal pipes within the drying stove.
Such a drying stove may usually advantageously be employed for completing the
drying of the material undergoing concentration or drying the material in that
case being withdrawn from the apparatus in which it is undergoing concentration
or drying by the blowing of hot air over it, before it has attained the desired degree
of dryness and placed in the drying stove wherein the moisture which it is still
desired to reinove is driven off.
Or the hot air may be used for the same purpose of heating a drying stove on its
way from the concentrator to the furnace or combustion chamber.
When the products of combustion are used for heating a regenerative stove similar
in principle to those employed for producing the hot blast for blast furnaces, it is
desirable that the stove should be so arranged that alternately while a portion
of it is being heated by the products of combustion, another portion of it may be
supplying the hot air used for concentrating or drying the material under treatment.
The furnace made use of may be of the type known as a "Destructor" Furnace
(as described in the specification of Letters patent granted to Alfred Fryer the
5th August 1876. N° 3125) specially designed for burning refuse material, or a
furnace or combustion chamber of any other suitable kind may be employed
provided it be so arranged as to ensure that the air supplied to it for combustion
shall not escape without passing through or mixing with the fuel, and being burnt
therewith.
When the products of combustion are used for heating a regenerative stove, it is
obvious that this may be kept at such a temperature that should a portion of the
impure air escape combustion, such air would nevertheless be raised in passing
through the regenerative stove to such a temperature as would effectually destroy
infection and offensive smell.
+
001
1
A TO
1007

page_text: I JAMES BINGHAM ALLIOTT, of No 50 Queen Victoria street, in the city of
London, Engineer, do hereby declare the nature of said invention for "IMPROVE-
MENTS IN TREATING LIQUID OR OTHER MATERIALS TO CONCENTRATE AND DRY
THE SAME AND APPARATUS THEREFOR and in what manner the same is to be
performed, to be particularly described and ascertained in and by the following
statement:
"
My improvements in treating liquid or semi-liquid materials to concentrate and
dry the same, have special reference to those cases in which the liquid or semi-
liquid material is concentrated or dried by means of a current or currents of heated
gases brought into direct contact with an extended surface of the material to be
operated on, and my improvements are more particularly applicable where as in
treating liquid sewage or pail contents the vapours, odours or gases given off by
the materials under such treatment are injurious to health or productive of a
nuisance.
Hitherto it has been usual to effect this concentration by bringing the products
of combustion of a furnace into direct contact with the material to be concentrated
or dried, and these products of combustion charged with the odour, moisture and
gases taken up from the material under treatment, have either been turned directly
into the air, or have been led into a chimney in which they mingled with other
heated gases and were thus partially deodorised and disinfected or they have been
subjected to treatment in a condenser with the object of removing from them as
much as possible of the vapour and odour, and have then been either discharged
into the air or led into a chimney as before described, but in all these cases both
disinfection and deodorization are at the best very imperfectly performed.
Now according to my invention for the purpose of effecting the concentration or
drying of such material I employ unburnt air previously heated in an air heater or
regenerative oven which is itself heated by the products resulting from combustion
of any suitable fuel burnt in a furnace or combustion chamber.
The air having been heated (without burning) in the air heater or regenerative
stove to a suitable temperature to effect the concentration or drying of the material
to be treated is brought into direct contact with the said material from which it
takes up moisture.
Afterwards the air may be deprived of as much as possible of such moisture by
causing it to pass through a spray or other condenser or cooler; The air that has
been used to treat the pail refuse or other material as aforesaid is employed to
support or aid in supporting combustion of fuel in a furnace or combustion
chamber preferably that the products of combustion from which are used to
heat the air-heater or regenerative stove taking care to confine the air within
the close pipes channels or chambers so that the whole of it must pass through
the burning fuel within the furnace or combustion chamber.
The necessary
draught may be obtained by means of a high chimney but it will usually be
advantageous to introduce a fan, blower or other artificial means of producing
a current. of air so that the combustion in the furnace or combustion chamber
may be rendered more rapid by the keenness of the draught and thus a high
temperature may be obtained. It is obvious that any infectious or unpleasant
odour the product of decomposing organic matter, which may have been communi-
cated to the heated air by contact with the material under treatment and which
may not have been otherwise removed, will be effectually destroyed as the air is
burnt in supporting combustion in the furnace or combustion chamber.
i

page_text: Heat generated in the furnace or combustion chamber may be used for heating a
steam boiler, or may be otherwise utilized before the products of combustion act
upon the air heater or regenerative stove. After leaving the air heater or
regenerative stove their temperature will be much reduced, though if an artificial
draught is being used they may still be employed for warming a drying stove.
This can be conveniently effected by passing the products of combustion on their
way from the air-heater or regenerative stove to the chimney or outlet through
suitable metal pipes within the drying stove.
Such a drying stove may usually advantageously be employed for completing the
drying of the material undergoing concentration or drying the material in that case
being withdrawn from the apparatus in which it is undergoing concentration or
drying by the blowing of hot air over it, before it has attained the desired degree
of dryness and placed in the drying stove wherein the moisture which it is still
desired to remove is driven off:
Or the hot air may be used for the same purpose of heating a drying stove on its
way from the concentrator to the furnace or combustion chamber.
When the products of combustion are used for heating a regenerative stove
similar in principle to those employed for producing the hot blast for blast furnaces,
it is desirable that the stove should be so arranged that alternately while a portion
of it is being heated by the products of combustion, another portion of it may be
supplying the hot air used for concentrating or drying the material under
treatment.
The furnace made use of may be of the type known as "Destructor" furnace
(as described in the specification of Letters Patent granted to Alfred Fryer the
5th August 1876 N° 3125) specially designed for burning refuse material, or a
furnace or combustion chamber of any other suitable kind may be employed
provided it be so arranged as to ensure that the air supplied to it for combustion
shall not escape without passing through or mixing with the fuel, and being burnt
therewith.
When the products of combustion are used for heating a regenerative stove, it is
obvious that this may be kept at such a temperature, that should a portion of the
impure air escape combustion, such air would nevertheless be raised in passing
through the regenerative stove to such a temperature as would effectually destroy
infection and offensive smell.
In the accompanying sheet of illustrative drawings Fig 1 represents in side view
an arrangement of apparatus suitable for carrying my invention into practical
operation and Fig 2 is a plan or top view of the same.
a, a¹ are the air-heaters or regenerative stoves each having suitable outlets
provided with valves b, 61 and c. c respectively to a chimney flue d and to a hot
air flue 6.
a³ a are inlets controlled by valves for admitting cold air to the
stoves a, a¹. a5 a6 are valves for controlling the communication between the
regenerative stoves a, a¹ and the furnace or combustion chamber hereinafter
referred to. f. f. are the concentrators or dryers to contain the material to be
concentrated or dried. These may be of the kind known as Haresceugh's Dryers;
each of them communicates at one end with the hot air flue e and at the other end
with a tube or pipe g leading to the condenser h. ¿ is a fan of any suitable
construction for drawing air through one or other of the air heaters or regenative
stoves a, a', then over the surface of the material in the concentrators or dryers f,
and through the condenser h and afterwards forcing the contaminated air through
burning fuel in the furnace or combustion chamber j heat from which may be
employed to generate steam in a steam boiler k or for any other desired purpose.
By these means the air rendered impure by the drying or concentrating process is
burnt. The heated air and products of combustion from the combustion chamber j
pass through one or other of the air-heaters or regenerative stoves alternately to
the chimney or flue d cold air to be heated being meanwhile drawn through the
other air-heater or regenerative stove a¹ by the action of the fan i. When the
temperature of the one stove (say a) has become lowered sufficiently the air to be

page_text: heated is drawn through the other and hotter stove (a¹) whilst heated air and
products of combustion are caused to pass through the stove a the reversal being
effected in a manner well understood.
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 I claim is ;
1. The mode of using air for the purpose of effecting the concentration or drying
of material such as hereinabove referred to which consists in first heating such air
without burning it, then causing such unburnt heated air to enter into direct
contact with the said material so as to take up moisture therefrom and afterwards
utilizing such air to support or aid in supporting combustion of fuel in a furnace
or combustion chamber substantially as described.
2. The mode of using air for the purpose of effecting the concentration or drying
of material such as hereinabove referred to which consists in first heating without
burning such air in an air heater or regenerative stove then causing such unburnt
heated air to enter into direct contact with the said material so as to take up
moisture therefrom and afterwards utilizing such air to support or aid in supporting
combustion of fuel in a furnace or combustion chamber the products of combustion
from which are used to heat the air heater or regenerative stove substantially as
described.
3. The use for treating liquid or semi-liquid materials to concentrate and dry
the same of apparatus comprising a furnace or furnaces (with or without a boiler
or boilers) an air heater or regenerative stove heated by products of combustion
from the said furnace or furnaces, drying apparatus wherein unburnt heated air
from the air heater or regenerative stove is caused to act upon the material to be
concentrated or dried and condensing apparatus the arrangement being such that
the air after being used in a heated but unburnt state to act upon the material to
be concentrated or dried has moisture extracted from it by condensation and is
conducted to and utilized to support or aid in supporting combustion in the furnace
or furnaces by products of combustion from which it was previously heated in the
air heater or regenerative stove substantially as shewn in and described with
reference to the drawings.