IMPROVEMENTS IN APPARATUS FOR VANDLEACTURING AND CONVEYING SULPHURIC ACID
Year: 1857

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to John Oliver, of 28, Bow Lane, Poplar, in the County
of Middlesex, for the Invention of IMPROVEMENTS IN APPARATUS FOR
VANDLEACTURING AND CONVEYING SULPHURIC ACID "
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said John Oliver at the
Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on the
1st April 1857.
I, JOHN OLIVER, of 28, Bow Lane, Poplar, in the County of Middlesex, do
hereby declare the nature of the Invention for "IMPROVEMENTSI N APPARATUS
FOR MANUFACTURING AND CONVEYING SULPHURIC ACID," to be as follows:-
This Invention has for its object improvements in apparatus for manu-
facturing and conveying sulphuric acid. For the purpose of making sulphuric
acid, the apparatus or chambers used, in place of being connected together so
as to cause the sulphurous acid to be introduced into the first chamber only,
and to flow with the nitrous fumes into the other chambers in succession as
heretofore, the sulphurous acid is introduced into the succeeding chambers as
well as into the first chamber, by which the nitrous fumes passing from the
first chamber to the succeeding ones will be caused to meet with fresh quan-
tities of sulphurous acid in the succeeding chambers, by which waste of the
[Price 8d1

page_text: nitrous fumes will be prevented, and a larger product of sulphuric acid
obtained in the chambers. In order to convey sulphuric acid with more con-
venience and safety from place to place, iron vessels or chambers lined with
lead, of any convenient sizes and shapes, are used, and each chamber or vessel
is provided with a descending or syphon pipe, and also with means of con-
necting an apparatus for forcing in atmospheric under pressure, in order to
displace the sulphuric acid, and to force it through the descending or syphon
pipe.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent, filed
by the said John Oliver in the Great Seal Patent Office on the
1st October 1857.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, JOHN
OLIVER, of 28, Bow Lane, Poplar, in the County of Middlesex, send
greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her Letters
Patent, bearing date the First day of April, in the year of our Lord One
thousand eight hundred and fifty-seven, in the twentieth year of Her reign,
did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant unto me, the
said John Oliver, Her special licence that I, the said John Oliver, my exe-
cutors, administrators, and assigns, or such others as I, the said John Oliver,
my executors, administrators, and assigns, should at any
time agree with
and no others, from time to time and at all times thereafter during the term,
therein expressed, should and lawfully might make, use, exercise, and vend,
within the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland, the Channel
Islands, and Isle of Man, an Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN APPARATUS
FOR MANUFACTURING AND CONVEYING SULPHURIC ACID," upon the condition
(amongst others) that I, the said John Oliver, my executors or administrators,
by an instrument in writing under my, or their, or one of their hands
and seals, should particularly describe and ascertain the nature of the said
Invention, and in what manner the same was to be performed, and cause
the same to be filed in the Great Seal Patent Office within six calendar
months next and immediately after the date of the said Letters Patent.
NOW KNOW YE, that I, the said John Oliver, do hereby declare
the nature of the said Invention, and in what manner the same is to be
performed, to be particularly described and ascertained in and by the following
statement thereof, that is to say :-

page_text: :
My Invention has for its object improvements in apparatus for manu-
facturing and conveying sulphuric acid firstly, by an improved method of
generating and dealing with the component elements of sulphuric acid, I am
enabled to maintain a more equable diffusion of these elements in close.
approximation to their equivalent proportions throughout the entire range of
sulphuric acid chambers connected, by supplying the quantity of sulphurous
acid and atmospheric air equivalent to the nitrous compounds that may exist
in any of the chambers connected, without that supply of sulphurous acid and
atmospherical air having passed through the first of the set of chambers so
connected. By this means I reduce the velocity of the gaseous current by
supplying those essential materials at points where they are requisite, and
therebyeffect a considerable increase upon the effectiveworking of the cubical
capacity of the set of chambers so arranged.
Secondly, my Invention consists in improvements in packing, conveying,
delivering or discharging sulphuric acid.
In order that my Invention may be fully understood and readily carried
into effect, I will proceed to describe the meaus pursued by me; but, previous
to explaining the nature of my Invention, it will be convenient here to explain
the physical character of a class of ores, to which the first part of my Invention
has special reference.
The class of ores referred to are chiefly that part of copperpyrites containing
arsenic, zinc and other impurities; the low per-centage of copper and silver
they contain will not remunerate the operation of smelting, when that expense
is incurred, for the recovery of the metals only. And before the sulphur
present in this class of ores cau be rendered available for the manufacture of
sulphuric acid, the practicalinconveniences arising from these impurities must
be so far overcome as to render the manufacture of a merchantable article
compatible with the physical character of the ores operated upon.
Now, the principal difficulties experienced in manufacturing pure sulphuric
acid, when recourse is had to the said class of ores as a source of sulphur,
arises from the fact that the temperature necessary to expel the sulphur in the
form of sulphurous acid is also competent to dissipate the arsenic and zinc,
the fumes of which are carried forward into the chambers, and contaminate
the acid. The increments of temperature, comprised in the range sufficient to
effect the expulsion of both the sulphur and the volatile metale, are so cir-
cumscribed as to afford no practical means of appropriating the former without
incurring the inconvenience of the latter. But the physical properties of these
bodies, consequent upon their expulsion from the ores, are characterized byso
marked a dissimilarity in their respective relationships to caloric as to render

page_text: that agent competent to effect a perfect separation of the sulphurousacid from
the metallic oxides.
The first part of my Invention has for its object an improved mode of
generating and disposing of the constituent elements of sulphuric acid from
whatever source obtained. And as preceding remarks refer to an abundant
source of sulphur,not generallyavailable for the manufacture of sulphuric acid
under ordinary treatment, yet equally applicable in illustrating my mode of
manipulating, if recourse was had to that source for sulphur.
And in order to carry my improvements into effect, I would proceed as
follows:-
Figure represents a longitudinal vertical section of a set of pyrites burners
h, h, with evaporating pans L, L, L; precipitating chamber F, F; cooling
flue Q, Q; and sulphuric acid chamber No. 1, upon the line A, A, Figure 2,
and also a vertical section of the ascending flue P upon the line B, B, Figure
2. The burners are constructed of the ordinary materials, and the ground
plan forms a parallelogram about thirty feet by fifteen, but these dimensions
may be modified as circumstances may require. The building is divided into
two ranges of burners by a centre wall D, D, Figure 2, extending the entire
length, and of the same level as the front walls, and upon which the crown
arch of each duction flue J, J, rests as represented by the line D, D, Figure 2.
Each range of burners are divided into six compartments by five blocks of
brick work extending from the centre to front walls, as shown, C, C, C, C, C,
Figures 1 and 2, and terminating about two feet six inches below the crown
arch E, forming the flue communicating with the precipitating chamber F, F.
About one foot six inches from the bottom of each burner, I introduce a fire
grate and slab with luted door, the area of the burner at that level being
about two feet by one foot six inches, and scaling outwards to the top of the
brickwork represented by c, c, c, c, c, where the area will be about four feet by
three feet. The burners a re charged through the crown arch by withdrawing
the sliding bottom attached to each of the hoppers H, H, &c. which contains
the charge of pyrites in a dry state, and to facilitate the descent of the pyrites
as the process of calcination advances each burner is provided with luted
openings in the front. In front of the recess forming the ash-pit of each
burner I, I, I, I, I, 1, Figure 1, I introduce an air register by which I can
regulate the quantity of air required to permeate the superincumbent mass of
incandescent ores in the respective compartments. Or, I can, if necessary,
exclude the external air, and supply the requisite quantity to the.burners by
mechanical means, either by means of au air pump cr fan blast, but I prefer
the former. The gases and metallic fumés generated are carried along the

page_text: flues J, J, Figure 1, through the tunnels K, K, which are immersed in water
or other solution to cool the gases, and facilitate the precipitation of the
metallic fumes as they pass through the precipitating chamber F, F, Figure 1,
which I prefer having of much greater sectional area than any of the flues;
but under ordinary circumstances the ratio of the sectional areas,taken as one
to ten, I consider fair proportions so as to retard the celerity of the gases
as they pass underneath the second evaporating pan L, L, Figure 1; and
I further prefer the gases to be made to describe an undulating motion in
the precipitating chamber by the intervention of the cross walls m, m, &c.
Figure 1. The floor of the precipitating chamber n, n, forms the roof of the
subjacent flue Q, Q, which connects the precipitating chamber with the
sulphuric acid chamber No. 1 through the ascending flue P. Into the cooling
flue Q, Q, 1 introduce a stream of highly compressed air that has parted
with a considerable amount of its latent heat or caloric under treatment, to
which I shall presently advert. Introducing this air into the cooling flue,say,
at a pressure of two atmospheres, at a point near to the exit flue from the
precipitating chamber, on its assuming its original volume it abstracts large a
amount of caloric from the heated gases in the flue, and thereby causing the
precipitation of the metallic oxides present.
In describing this part of my Invention I prefer having the precipitating
chambers and subjacent flues divided by a centre wall, as shewn by the dotted
lines X, X, Figures 2 and 3, so that the communications between the pyrites
burners, and the precipitating chamber and cooling flue on either side of the
centre wall,may be intercepted by a damper situated at the end of the tunnels,
as shown by the dotted line Y, Figure 1, which enables the metallic oxides
deposited to be removed through lateral openings in the front walls, without
interrupting the working of either the pyrites burners, or the acid chambers.
I will further observe that in some cases it is advisable to erect a flue for
each range of buruers upon the crown arch parallel to the centre wall, as
shewn by the dotted line W, W, Figures 1 and 3, and communicating with
the several compartments by means of lateral flues, each provided with a
damper to intercept the connection with the general flue, as shown within the
dotted line, Figure 3.
In order to prevent any condensation or formation of sulphuric acid in the
precipitating chambers or flues, I prefer to decompose the nitrate of soda
or potash in a different apparatus from the burners, wherein the sulphurous
acid is generated, of any couveuient construction, as shown at Z, Figure 1.
The nitrous gas generated is conducted into the small mixing chambers
attached to Nos. 1 and 4 acid chambers, where it meets the sulphurous acid

page_text: ascending the upright flues, as represented by P, P, P, Figures 1, 2, and 3.
The gases pass underneath the leaden curtain represented by the letters a, a,
Figure 1, and Nos. 1 and 4 mixing chambers, and proceeds forward in the
direction of the arrows; and the gases passing through the working chambers
Nos. 1 and 4 are made to circulate through No. 2 and No. 3 in succession.
Here I may observe that it is the invariable practice pursued in the manu-
facture of sulphuric acid to admit the whole of the air through the sulphur or
pyrites burners according to the material they may be working upon. To
suffice the important operations that that element has to perform in the various
chambers, it may circulate in succession, for every tou of sulphur that
escapes condensation in the chamber to which it was introduced carries
seventy thousand cubic feet of unnecessary bulk through the same space,
assuming that a sufficient quantity of air to have been admitted through the
burners at first, and if it were not admitted a proper product from a given
quantity of material cannot be obtained.
But by myimprovement of combining atmospherical air and sulphurous acid.
in the cooling flues, it will appear, on referring to the letters b, b, and g, g
connecting the ascending flue to No. 1 mixing chamber with No. 2 sulphuric
acid chamber, aud the saine remarks apply to the same letters shewing
the connections between the ascending flue P, Figure 3, and No. 3 acid
chamber, that by this arrangement I have the means to restore, in apportioned
quantities or nealy so, the elementary gases consumed in the process of manu-
facture in the chambers through which the gases had circulated.
Again, adverting to the process pursued by me for abstracting a portion of
the latent heat orcaloric from atmospherical air,forthe purpose of reducingthe
temperature of heated air and gaseous matter by blending the two in solution
together, I recommend the application of a double-acting airpump,constructed
so as to carry a stratum of water upon the upper surface of the piston, and also
to admit of a similar stratum of water to rest upon the bottom of the working
barrel, the steam from which carries off a large amount of latent caloric
rendered sensible byexpression; and auysensible heat remaining,if necessary,
can be abstracted by allowing the air to remain under pressure in metallic
vessels immersed in water; but I prefer copper vessels in the form of tubes,
the construction of both air pumps and vessels being well understood.
The second part of my Invention has for its object increased facilities
for packing conveying and delivering sulphuric acid with greater despatch and
safety by means of iron vessels or chambers of any convenient size or shape
lined with lead, adapted to barges and railway trucks, such vessels fitted with
a pendent or syphon tube, securely fixed to the exterior and interior of the

page_text: vessels with the necessary fittings to effect a union and detachment to air
pump, by which they are to be discharged or charged.
In witness whereof, I, the said John Oliver, have hereunto set my hand
and seal, this First day of October, in the year of our Lord One
thousand eight hundred and fifty-seven.
Witness,
S. CARPMAEL.
JNO. OLIVER. (L.S.)