İmprovements in Bodies which are used in Reaction and the like Apparatus for Facilitating the Contact between Liquids and Gases.
Year: 1899

page_text: Date of Application, 14th Dec., 1899-Accepted, 20th Jan., 1900
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
İmprovements in Bodies which are used in Reaction and the like
Apparatus for Facilitating the Contact between Liquids and Gases.
I, OSCAR GUTTMANN, Consulting Engineer and Chemical Adviser, of 12, Mark
Lane, in the City of London, 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:-
In the Specification of the Patent granted to me No. 14,774 of 1896 I described
for use in apparatus for mixing or obtaining reactions between liquids and gases
certain improved bodies of a conveniently hollow form but perforated in the
manner therein described and shown and made from glass, earthenware, artificial
stone, metal or other suitable substance such as will not itself be injured by nor
will injure the gases and liquids used in or passed through the apparatus afore-
said.
I have now found that although the hollow bodies described in the said specifica-
tion are highly efficient for the purposes therein mentioned, under certain cir-
cumstances their efficiency is liable to become impared. I have ascertained that
where a liquid used in the apparatus in which the said improved bodies are
employed, contains solid matter in suspension, the perforations in and the interior
surfaces of the said bodies are liable to become filled with or coated by successive
layers of the suspended matter deposited from the liquid thereby materially
reducing the efficiency of the said apparatus I have found this to be the case e.y.
when the said improved bodies have been used as the filling of the Glover
Tower" so largely used in the manufacture of sulphuric acid.
Now the object of this my invention is to so improve the shape and form of
the bodies to be used for the purposes and in the class of apparatus described in
the Specification of my former Patent No. 14,774 of 1896 that the defects I
have hereinbefore mentioned shall be avoided and also that such improvements
shall result in the production of the said bodies more cheaply than the bodies
I before described and in a stronger and more durable form but so that they shall
be and continue to be efficient in performing the functions which I mentioned in
my former specification aforesaid.
With this object I make the bodies solid fundamentally of a spheroidal or
other appropriate form having a regularly curved surface and from any suitable
substance such as will not be injured by nor will itself injure the gas or liquid
brought in contact therewith. On the spherical or other curved surface of such
body I form depressions or concave cup like cavities more or less shallow and I
arrange and dispose the said depressions or cavities geometrically over the said
surface of the body. I prefer to make the depressions or cavities aforesaid of some
regular curvilinear form free from angles wherein any solid substance
suspended in the liquid coming in contact with them would readily lodge
but it is obvious that they may be made of any convenient or desired shape so
long as a cup like cavity is produced. For most liquids depressions of a spheri-
cally shaped lenticular character I find to be as convenient to produce and as

page_text: efficient as any other shape. A body made in the manner described gives a large
surface area for effecting or facilitating the reactions before mentioned and the
depressions or cup like cavities either directly or by means of the force of surface
tension retain layers or films of the liquid brought in contact with them so that
the efficiency of the apparatus is largely increased by the impingement of the gas
or gases upon the liquid surfaces constantly held in the said depressions or
cavities. It is also manifest that the shape of the operating surface of the body
is such that the defect I before described in the case of a hollow body is almost
wholly if not altogether absent for the deposition of solid matter is not facilitated
thereby and even if such deposition did occur it cannot materially if at all reduce
the operative surface and can at any time be readily removed by cleansing the
surface in any convenient way. It should also be noticed that by arranging the
depressions or cavities geometrically on the surface of a body when a number of
them so made are packed in an apparatus in which they are used and rest one
upon or against the other the passages thereby formed are regular in size and
disposition so that the free passage of gas or gases through the apparatus is
thereby secured together with evenness of distribution and equality of rate of flow.
Figure in the accompanying drawing is a general view of a fundamentally
spherical body such as I have described having twelve cup shaped cavities or
depressions spherical in character and geometrically or evenly distributed upon
the surface thereof.
Figure 2 is a section upon the line A, B, and clearly shows the character and
form of such cavities and also enables it to be seen that by such a geometric
distribution as is shown a body can be easily and cheaply produced in moulds or
by such like mechanical means the nature and character of which are well known
and understood.
I am aware that balls or spheres of porcelain glass or other suitable material
have been used in certain kinds of reaction apparatus but I make no claim to the
use of such balls or spheres or to the use of any solid body ball sphere or the like
which has not formed or disposed upon its exterior surface depressions or cup
like cavities of the kind and in the manner herein before described.
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:―
For use in apparatus for mixing or obtaining reactions between liquids and
gases solid bodies of a spherical or other regularly curved form having curved
depressions or cup like cavities geometrically disposed upon the outer surface
thereof substantially as hereinbefore described and as illustrated by the example
shown in the drawing hereto annexed.
Tatal thin 14th day of Doomhan 1200