Improvements in Means for Purifying Casks, Milk Churns, and other like Receptacles.
Year: 1898

page_text: Improvements in Means for Purifying Casks, Milk Churns, and other
like Receptacles.
We, HERBERT CHARLES WILLIAMS, Analyst, of 29, Highbury Quadrant,
London, N., and THE DOVER ELECTRICITY SUPPLY COMPANY LIMITED, of Park
Street, Dover, in the County of Kent, do hereby declare the nature of this invention
to be as follows:-
This invention for improvements in means for purifying casks, milk churns
and other like receptacles relates to an electrical or electro-chemical process for
sterilising, deodorising and generally for purifying beer, cider and other casks,
vats or containers, also milk churns and barrels or other receptacles of wood,
leather or composition material such as papier mache and the like for the manu-
facture, storage or transport of all alimentary products, together with the
destruction of microscopic, animal or vegetable organisms, living or otherwise,
and consists essentially in passing an electric current through a cask either in the
presence of water alone or water combined with sulphuric acid or other electrolyte,
chemical substance, liquid or gas, or of such substances, liquids or gases without
water.
The cask or container to be treated, after being filled with water containing
sulphuric acid or otherwise, may be immersed in a tank, and is then subjected to
the passage of a current of electricity.
The tank in which the cask or container may be immersed contains water or
other liquid, or water containing sulphuric acid or other suitable chemical. Such
tank may form one of the poles, and an electrode suitably insulated, may be
introduced within the cask or container to form the other pole. Or one pole may
be formed by bands or contacts contiguous to the inside or outside surface of the
cask or container. The pole formed by the tank may be replaced by metal bands
or clamps and in this case the tank containing liquid may be used or be dispensed
with.
The presence of the acid in the water surrounding or within the cask or con-
tainer renders such liquid conductive so that the current will pass through the
wood of the cask whereby all organic impurities are decomposed or destroyed and
the cask or container is deodorised.
Such destructive action may be attained by the passage of the current alone
or by the electrolytic action of the current on the acid or other chemical addition
to the liquid surrounding or within the cask, and may also be attained without
the presence of liquid outside' or inside the cask.
Dotad this 19th dox of Anril 1898
WHEATLEY & MACKENZIE,
40, Chancery Lane, London, W.C., Agents.

page_text: COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Means for Purifying Casks, Milk Churns and other
like Receptacles.
We, HERBERT CHARLES WILLIAMS, Analyst, of 29, Highbury Quadrant,
in the County of London, and THE DOVER ELECTRICITY SUPPLY COMPANY LIMITED,
of Park Street, Dover, in the County of Kent, 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 for improvements in means for purifying casks, milk churns
and other like receptacles relates to an electro-chemical process for sterilising,
deodorising and generally for purifying by the destruction of all germ life or
animal or vegetable organisms, beer, cider, and other casks, vats or containers,
also milk churns and barrels or other receptacles of wood, leather or similar
material used for the manufacture, storage or transport of all alimentary products
and which may be liable to bacterial infection. It consists essentially in passing
an electric current through the substance of the cask or container either in the
presence of water alone or water combined with oxidizing or chlorinizing agents
or other suitable electrolyte chemical substance liquid or gas.
The electric current is used in a dual capacity; first to convert into a highly
operative condition the elements of the chemicals employed; and secondly to drive
these destructive products through the substance of the cask or container thereby
not only obtaining a surface action but the annihilation of all life in the cask
together with an expulsion of effete matter.
The current is passed through the cask or container by means of an electrode
introduced therein and suitably insulated except at its extremity which is prefer-
ably about the centre of the cask. This electrode may form the anode or the
cathode but preferably the former. The other pole is constituted by a metal tank
containing a conductive liquid into which the cask or container is plunged, or
metal bands or a network may be arranged around the cask for the same purpose.
We find that a voltage of about 100 is the most effective.
The following are the details of the process which we have found most efficient,
but we reserve the right to introduce slight modifications therein.
We thoroughly cleanse with hot water or steam the cask to be treated and leave
it to soak for a few hours in water to which may be added a small quantity of soda.
The cask is then emptied and again filled with water preferably hot, in which
is dissolved suitable oxidizing or chlorinizing agents, such as sodium chloride,
potassium permanganate and chlorate salts. We prefer however to use either
a combination of sodium chloride, potassium chlorate and a small quantity of
ferric chloride, or a combination of potassium permanganate, ferric sulphate and
boracic acid. Other salts of iron such as ferrous salts may be equally beneficial
by themselves or with other chemicals such as'cresol.
The cask is now closed by a suitable funnel inserted in the bung hole and
permitting the introduction of the positive electrode and preferably so made as
to obviate the necessity of removing the metal bush. The filled cask is then
submerged in a metal tank containing liquor rendered more conductive by the
addition of sodium chloride or any substance having a similar effect. Direct
contact between the solutions inside and outside the cask is prevented by the
funnel above mentioned which projects above the surface of the outside liquor,
or it may be hermetically sealed so that the passage of the current must necessarily
be through the substance of the cask.

page_text: We apply a current at a pressure of somewhat under 100 volts for a period of
about 4 hours varying according to the condition or foulness of the cask.
This principal treatment for the destruction of organic life being terminated
we empty out the cask and cleanse it. In order to ensure that no bye-product of
this treatment remains in the cask we may adopt a precautionary process consisting
in filling the cask with water, preferably hot, in which is dissolved a reducing
or oxidizing agent such as sodium sulphite, sulphurous acid, potassium perman-
ganate and the like to counteract such bye products.
This secondary process not only effects the removal of any traces of the products
formed in the first process by rendering such products extremely soluble; but its
effect would be to destroy any form of life which might possibly not have been
acted upon by the agents previously employed.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of our said
invention and in what manner the same is to be performed we declare that what
we claim is:
1. The use for beer barrels and the like of oxidizing, chlorinizing or reducing
agents in solution therein, which are rendered highly operative by the employment
of an electric current passing therethrough as herein described.
2. The use as herein described of the electric current caused to pass through
the chemical liquids and then through the substance of the wood, thus making
use of osmotic effects or the conveyance of the destructive gases or liquids through
the wood.
mah 19th day of January 1899
WHEATLEY & MACKENZIE,
40, Chancery Lane, London, W.C., Agents.