Year: 1887

page_text: Date of Application, 19th Nov., 1887
Complete Specification Left, 30th July, 1888
Complete Specification Accepted, 14th Sept., 1888
I, WILLIAM WEBSTER, Junr., of 50 Lee Park, Blackheath, in the County of
Kent, Electrician and Chemist do hereby declare the nature of this invention to be as
follows:-
My invention relates to the electrolytic treatment of sewage and other impure
liquids for the precipitation of the solid matter therefrom and for the decomposition of
impurities held in solution therein, such as was described in the Specification to my
application for a patent No. 1333 of 1887.
According to my present invention, instead of subjecting the sewage to the action
of iron electrodes arranged in reservoirs or tanks as described in the specification, I
construct the positive and negative electrodes in such manner as to form closed
conduits serving in lieu of the ordinary pipes or culverts, so that the sewage is subject
to the electrolytic action while flowing through the conduits from one locality to
another.
For this purpose, I construct such iron conduits, whether cylindrical or of any
other desired sectional form, of separate segments or parts secured together in a
watertight manner, with the interposition of layers of a non conductor of electricity,
such as asbestos paper, between the connecting flanges, the bolt holes in which are
also lined with nonconducting material, while washers of such material are interposed
between the heads and nuts of the bolts and the flanges so as to effectually insulate the
sections in a longitudinal direction from each other. Each insulated section may be
made up of separate lengths of convenient size, such lengths being by preference
fixed together without the interposition of insulating material, so that they form
together a continuous conductor, or these lengths may be also insulated from each
other and electrically connected by separate conductors.
The insulated sections being connected by conductors to the opposite poles of a
dynamo-electric machine or other generator of electric currents, are thus made to

page_text: constitute extended positive and negative iron electrodes, so that the sewage flowing
through the conduit is subjected to the action of nascent ainmonia evolved at the
negative electrode, producing an alkaline reaction whereby the precipitation of the
solid matter is effected, while at the positive electrode nascent oxygen and chlorine are
evolved which effect the decomposition and disinfection of the albumenoids and other
impurities held in solution in the liquid. At intervals in the length of the conduit
may be provided depositing chambers in which the solid deposits are collected, and
from which they may be removed from time to time through lateral openings. Or
the conduit may be provided at intervals of its length with branch pipes at bottom,
leading to a pump or exhaust apparatus by means of which the deposited sludge may
be drawn off from time to time.
As the iron surfaces constituting the electrodes will be subject to wear through the
chemical action, the conduits may either be made of considerable thickness to allow
for this, or they may be provided with a detachable iron lining which may be renewed
from time to time. In this case the said linings may be made to alone constitute the
electrodes, being secured to the walls of the conduit with the interposition of non-
conducting material.
Dated this 19th day of November 1887

page_text: Improved Apparatus for the Electrolytic Treatment of sewage ana
other Impure Liquids.
I, WILLIAM WEBSTER Junr., of 50 Lee Park Blackheath in the County of Kent,
Electrician and Chemist 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 :-
My invention relates to the electrolytic treatment of sewage and other impure
liquids for the precipitation of the solid matter therefrom and for the decomposition
of impurities held in solution therein, such as was described in the Specification to my
application for a patent No. 1333 of 1887.
According to my present invention, instead of subjecting the sewage to the action
of iron electrodes arranged in reservoirs or tanks as described in the specification, I
construct the positive and negative electrodes in such manner as to form closed
conduits serving in lieu of the ordinary pipes or culverts, so that the sewage is subject
to the electrolytic action while flowing through the conduits from one locality to
another.
For this purpose I construct such iron conduits, whether cylindrical or of any other
desired sectional form, of separate segments or parts secured together in a watertight
manner, with the interposition of layers of a non-conductor of electricity such as
asbestos paper, between the connecting flanges, the bolt holes in which are also lined
with nonconducting material, while washers of such material are interposed between
the heads and nuts of the bolts and the flanges so as to effectually insulate the sections
in a longitudinal direction from each other. Each insulated section may be made up
of separate lengths of convenient size, such lengths being by preference fixed
together without the interposition of insulating material, so that they form together a
continuous conductor or these lengths may also be insulated from each other and
electrically connected by separate conductors.
The insulated sections being connected by conductors to the opposite poles of a
dynamo-electric machine or other generator of electric currents, are thus made to
constitute extended positive and negative iron electrodes, so that the sewage flowing
through the conduit is subjected to the action of nascent ammonia evolved at the
negative electrode, producing an alkaline reaction whereby the precipitation of the
solid matter is effected, while at the positive electrode nascent oxygen and chlorine are
evolved which effect the decomposition and disinfection of the albumenoids and other
impurities held in solution in the liquid. At intervals in the length of the conduit
may be provided depositing chambers in which the solid deposits are collected, and
from which they may be removed from time to time through lateral openings. Or the
conduit may be provided at intervals of its length with branch pipes at bottom leading
to a pump or exhaust apparatus by means of which the deposited sludge may be
drawn off from time to time. As the iron surfaces constituting the electrodes will be
subject to wear through the chemical action, the conduits may either be made of

page_text: considerable thickness to allow for this, or they may be provided with a detachable
iron lining which may be renewed from time to time. In this case the said linings
may be made to alone constitute the electrodes, being secured to the walls of the
conduit with the interposition of non-conducting material. When the said conduits
are employed for conveying more or less impure potable water, alternating electric 5
currents may be employed instead of continuous currents, in which case, as the
separate sections of the conduits forming the electrodes will become alternately
positive and negative, any unequal action and consequent wear thereof will be
prevented.
Fig. 1 of the accompanying drawings shews a part side view and Fig. 2 a cross 1
section of an electrolytical conduit constructed according to my above described
invention. The conduit which is here shewn cylindrical but which may be of any
other desired form, is constructed of separate sections a abb formed with Hanges a¹ b¹
by which they are bolted together by means by means of bolts c, layers d of a suit-
able non conductor of electricity such as asbestos being interposed between the flanges
so as to insulate the sections from each other, for which purpose also the bolts e are
insulated by means of asbestos linings and washers e. The sections may each be made
up of separate lengths bolted together, with their meeting surfaces turned so as to fit
accurately together and form a continuous conductor; or the separate lengths night
also be insulated from each other and connected to a separate external or internal 2
conductor.
The sections a a being connected to the positive pole of an electric generator, and
the sections being connected to the negative pole, or beth being subjected to
alternating currents they constitute positive and negative electrodes which act upon
When the
the sewage flowing through in the same manner as above described.
conduits are of comparatively small diameter they may be constructed of only
two insulated sections instead of four or there may be a greater number than four
employed.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of this inven-
tion and in what manner the same is to be performed I declare that what I
claim is :-
Arranging conduits for sewage or impure liquids so as to act as electrolytic apparatus
for precipitating and disinfecting the sewage or other liquid flowing through, by con-
structing the said conduits of separate insulated sections constituting positive and
negative electrodes through which continuous or alternating currents from a generator
of electricity are passed, substantially as herein described.
Dated this 30th day of July 1888.
ABEL & IMRAY,
Agents for the Applicant.