IMPROVEMENTS IN THE MANU- FACTURE OF AMMONIA, AND IN APPARATUS FOR THAT PURPOSE
Year: 1878

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to James Pellatt Rickman, of No. 17, St. Bride's Street, in
the City of London, for the Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN THE MANU-
FACTURE OF AMMONIA, AND IN APPARATUS FOR THAT PURPOSE."
Sealed the 19th November 1878, and dated the 24th August 1878.
"
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said James Pellatt Rickman
at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents on the 24th August 1878.
JAMES PELLATT RICKMAN, of No. 17, St. Bride's Street, in the City of London.
IMPROVEMENTS IN THE MANUFACTURE OF AMMONIA, AND IN APPARATUS FOR
THAT PURPOSE."
This Invention relates to a process and apparatus for producing ammonia in
gaseous form or in aqueous solution. For this purpose, I provide retorts of metal
or refractory material, such as fire-clay, and when they are of metal, it is advanta-
geous to protect their surfaces by fire-clay or other refractory substances.
These retorts may be of any convenient form provided with gas-tight removeable
doors at each end; an oval section is convenient, the retort being placed with its
smaller diameter horizontal, and preferably in an inclined attitude, and a number
of them side by side in one furnace. These retorts I charge with matter that is
readily oxidisable at high temperatures, such as carbonaceous materials, iron, sponge,
or other readily oxidisable metal. I heat the contents to a temperature of 900° to
1000° Fahr., and blow in air and steam through apertures provided at the end of
each retort, and thereupon ammonia in gaseous form or associated with a portion
of the steam is evolved by apertures at the other end of the retort.
The process may be varied by first heating up the retort charged with car-
bonaceous material, and a proportion of base, preferably alkaline, to about 1,800°
Fahr., and blowing in air, and then after allowing the temperature to sink to about
900° or 1000°, blowing in steam along with a proportion of air.
The product may be collected as gas in an acid solution, or drawn over direct in
solution in condensed steam, or both means of condensation may be used at the
same time.

page_text: SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent filed by
the said James Pellatt Rickman in the Great Seal Patent Office on the
24th February 1879.
JAMES PELLATT RICKMAN, of No. 17, St. Bride's Street, in the City of London.
"IMPROVEMENTS IN THE MANUFACTURE OF AMMONIA, AND IN APPARATUS FOR
THAT PURPOSE."
My Invention relates to a process and apparatus for the manufacture of ammonia
by the chemical combination of nitrogen and nascent hydrogen. The hydrogen is
obtained from steam or vapour of water, and the nitrogen from atmospheric air.
A retort is employed wherein the re-actions are effected, and in order that the
air, vapour, and the solid material employed may conveniently re-act on each other,
whilst the operation is conducted continuously, the retort is placed in an inclined
position, so that the solid matter descends by gravity, and there is no vacant space
for the passage of air and vapour, except through the interstices of the solid
material.
A number of these retorts may be arranged together in the flue of a furnace in
which the range of temperature is regulated so that the vapour of water is decom-
posed, forming an oxide and liberating hydrogen, but that the less stable com-
pounds of nitrogen and hydrogen may not be decomposed.
The inclined position of the retort has the advantage of presenting an upper side
which is somewhat cooler than the under side, and gives facilities for the supply of
the solid material at the top, and for the removal of the spent material at the
bottom from time to time, whereby the operation is rendered practically continuous;
although the inclined position affords the advantages mentioned, it is to be noted
that the retorts would work and give good results if placed in a vertical position.
I will describe one form of the apparatus which I employ, referring to the
accompanying Drawings.
Fig 1-is a vertical-section, and Fig. 2, a plan.
It consists of a number of retorts A, A, placed in an inclined position within the
flues B, B, of a furnace which may be of any convenient form or arrangement
capable of heating the retorts and their contents to temperatures ranging between
900° and 1800° Fahr..
The retorts which are preferably of elliptical form in section, may be made of
refractory material, such as fire-clay, or of iron, or of iron coated with refractory
material; generally, I find iron a suitable material for them. At its lower end,
each retort is provided with a partition and removeable grating B', to retain the
solid materials C with which it is charged, and with an air-tight door D which can
be opened when required for removing the grating B₁, and clearing out the
contents of the retort. The top of each retort is also provided with a door E
which can be opened for charging the retort, and closed air-tight while it is in
operation. A pipe F communicates by a branch f, governed by a valve with the
lower end of each retort; and a pipe G communicates by a branch g provided with
a valve with the upper end of each retort.
The retorts are charged with materials C that are readily oxidisable at high
temperatures, such as coke, charcoal, or other carbonaceous substances, spongy iron,
or other oxidisable metals, or a mixture of such materials. The retorts and their
contents being heated to a temperature of about 1000° Fahr., the valves f are
opened, and a mixture of air and steam is blown in from the pipe F.
In order to obtain this mixture at sufficient pressure, I introduce a steam pipe H
leading from a boiler into the end of the pipe F, and make lateral openings in the
pipe F, so that as the stream of steam rushes into the pipe, air is drawn in through
the lateral openings, and mingles with the steain. The proportion of air thus
drawn in may be regulated by a sliding collar h, which can be moved along the
pipe F, so as to close more or less the lateral apertures. The mixed air and steam

page_text: entering each retort passes through the grating B₁, and through the heated matter
C; and the branch valves g being opened, there issues into the pipe G ammonia,
carbonate of ammonia, or a mixture thereof with a portion of the steam, the
ammonia resulting from the re-actions which take place within the retort, and
which are of the following kind-The oxygen of the air and steam unites with the
hot solid material in the retort, and the nitrogen of the air unites with the nascent
hydrogen of the decomposed steam to form ammonia.
The process may be somewhat varied as follows:-The retorts are charged with
carbonaceous matter mixed with an alkali or alkaline earth, and are heated up to
about 1800° Fahr., air alone being blown in from the pipe F. The contents are
then allowed to cool down to about 1000° Fahr., when a mixture of steam and air
or steam alone is blown in, the ammoniacal product being thereby obtained. By
the first stage of this modified process is produced a cyanide of the alkaline base.
The process might be stopped at this stage, and the cyanide could be dissolved
out of the contents of the retort after cooling.
In order to control the speed at which the air and steam flow through the
incandescent material, a pump or fan may be employed to exhaust the gaseous
products from the retort; and it will be found advantageous so to adjust the pro-
portions of the air and steam supply, that there is about five volumes of air to
twelve volumes of steam.
The ammonia or its mixture with steam may be condensed directly from the
pipe G as a watery solution, or it may be collected as an acid solution, as sulphate
of ammonia, chloride of ammonium, or the like.
Having thus described the nature of my Invention, and in what manner the
same is to be performed, I claim, the manufacture of ammonia by blowing air and
steam through heated oxidisable matter contained in retorts, constructed and
operated substantially as herein described.
In witness whereof, I, the said James Pellatt Rickman, have hereunto set
my hand and seal, this Eighteenth day of February, in the year of our
Lord One thousand eight hundred and seventy-nine.
J. P. KICKMAN. (L.S.)