Improvements in Apparatus for Manufacturing and Carburetting Hydrogen Gas, and Producing Metal Sulphates as Bye Products.
Year: 1894

page_text: Date of Application, 9th May, 1894
Complete Specification Left. 11tn Feb., 1895-4ccepted, 9th May, 1895
Improvements in Apparatus for Manufacturing and Carburetting
Hydrogen Gas, and Producing Metal Sulphates as Bye
Products.
We, HENRY HAWKINS, and SAMUEL HENRY HAWKINS, both of 28, Balliol
Road, Portsmouth, Hampshire, Mechanicians, do hereby declare the nature of this
invention to be as follows:-
A hydrocarbon gas according to this invention is made by vaporising spirit or oil
in a hydrogen gas producing chamber during the production of the hydrogen gas,
by the action of dilute sulphuric acid acting on scrap metal, the spirit being slowly
introduced into or upon the metal or liquid, and so mixing with the metal and
dilute acid is at once vaporised by the heat generated by the acid, the two gases
then mixing together. To further enrich the gases they are carburetted by passing
them over spirit.
The apparatus consists of three or four chambers, the lower one is the gas
generating chamber, having a grid or perforated bottom on which rests the scrap
metal preferably borings or turnings.
Above this generating chamber is the chamber which holds the diluted acid.
This liquid is conveyed by outside pipe under the grid bottom of the generating
chamber rising up through the metal at once setting up the generation of hydrogen
gas. Pendant into this acid chamber a tubular or other shaped chamber to hold
the spirit, this is drawn off through an outside curved tube and conducted into the
generating chamber, the outlet of the tube being fitted with a drip nozzle to enable
the spirit to drip on to the metal or diluted acid.
A fourth spirit chamber may be provided near the other spirit chamber, to hold
an additional supply, to re-charge the other chamber. The spirit in this chamber
can be used for carburetting the gases by passing them into this chamber before
being drawn off for use. By using the liquids until completely spent by acting
upon the iron, and by regulating the quantity of diluted acid to a given quantity
of metal, the spent liquid when drawn off into suitable receptacles crystallizes into
sulphate of iron. When it is desired to stop the generation of gas the liquid in
the generating chamber is lifted back to the diluted acid chamber as follows:-
Communicating with the bottom of the generator is an outside tube which is
carried up and bent round at top and enters the acid chamber passing nearly down
to the bottom, the liquid rises up this tube by the pressure of the gas in the
generator. The tube is fitted with a cock to stop this action when not desired.
Attached to this tube below the cock is a spout tube to allow the liquid in the
generator chamber to be blown off by the pressure of gas when desired, this spout
tube being also fitted with a tap. The metal is introduced into the generator
through an opening closed by a screwed on cover, having a lead washer. The
generating chamber is fitted with suitable safety valve, and the different pipes with
necessary cocks and valves.
When zinc is employed in place of scrap iron or steel sulphate of zinc is obtained
in place of sulphate of iron.
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1
1004

page_text: Improvements in Apparatus for Manufacturing and Carburetting
Hydrogen Gas, and Producing Metal Sulphates as Bye
Products.
We, HENRY HAWKINS, and SAMUEL HENRY HAWKINS, late of 28 Balliol
Road, Portsmouth, and now of Lonsdale Villa, Upton Park, Essex, Mechanicians,
do hereby declare the nature of this invention and in what manner the same is
is to be performed to be particularly described and ascertained in and by the
following statement :-
The arrangement of apparatus according to this invention will be best understood
by describing the same with aid of the accompanying drawings.
Figure 1 illustrating a front elevation.
Figure 2 a plan.
Figure 3 sectional side elevation of the rear part of the apparatus.
The apparatus consists of a tank or chest A, preferably made of sheet copper
though any metal may be employed that will withstand the action of sulphuric
acid and water. The tank is divided across the middle with a partition bottom B,
forming an upper and a lower chamber. The lower chamber has a false bottom C,
made of perforated copper plate. At the front and end of tank A, is a hand hole
closed by screwed on cap D, to enable iron metal shavings or zinc to be introduced
into the lower chamber; this metal rests upon the perforated false bottom C.
This false bottom may be hinged in the middle or other part to enable a portion
to be turned up to wash out the lower chamber. The upper chamber is divided by
a partition E, into two chambers, a large and a small one: The larger one is
intended to hold sulphuric acid and water, which is put in through a hand hole on
top, which is closed by screwed on cap F. The outside of the chamber is fitted
with a gauge glass G, to enable the height of the liquid within to be shown.
The smaller chamber is intended to hold a carburetting material, such as benzoline.
This chamber has a portion divided off as at H, to enable the larger chamber to
be fed with oil while the apparatus is working, the oil being first introduced
through a hole in top, closed by screwed on cap H₁ or from a tank supply. The
oil passes from the small feeder to the larger container through the outside
pipe H. To enable this feeding to go on while there is a pressure of gas in the
apparatus, an extra outside pipe H³, is fitted to pass the pressure from the larger
oil holder to the top of the oil in the small one. In the front of these chambers
gauge glasses J and J' are provided, to show the height of the spirit within.
Connected to the outside of the acid and water chamber on a level with the
bottom, is a pipe K, which passes down to bottom and is connected to an inlet
below the false bottom; so that the acid and water passing down from the top
chamber will enter the bottom one under the false bottom C, and rise up in the
bottom through the metal shavings. This pipe K, is fitted with a tap L, to control
the outflow of acid and water. A second pipe M, is connected to an outlet at
bottom of tank, and passes up the outside, being turned at top and passes through
the top of tank and is carried down the inside of the acid and water chamber to
near the bottom. This pipe may be termed the safety valve arrangement of the
apparatus. When acid and water run into the lower chamber and rise through
the perforated bottom, they at once act upon the metal producing hydrogen gas in
the usual known way. If the gas is not at once drawn off to keep down the
pressure, the latter will force the liquid back to the upper chamber through the
pipes K and M, when the generation of hydrogen ceases until the liquid comes
down again. It will thus be understood that if the tap L, is turned off when the
acid and water has run down into the lower chamber, the pressure of gas will

page_text: then be limited to the height of the column of liquid in the pipe M and by
carrying the end of the pipe within the acid and water chamber down to near the
bottom of it, the outlet of this pipe is sealed until the chamber is emptied of its
contents; by this means a uniform pressure of gas is secured within the bottom
chamber. To enable the acid and water to be withdrawn while working, the
pipe M, is fitted with taps N and O. In working, the tap N, is always closed and
the other always open, being only closed when the other tap is opened to draw off.
The bottom B, has an opening in the centre over which is attached one end of a
pipe P, Fig. 3, to carry off the hydrogen gas. This pipe passes vertically through
the acid and water chamber and is bent over the top of the carburetting chamber
to which it is fixed over a suitable opening for the purpose of enabling the
hydrogen gas to pass into the carburetting chamber, and so become carburetted by
passing over the spirit. When the apparatus is working the acid and water
become hot, and as the chamber holding the benzoline dips into this hot liquid,
the heat will to a certain extent liberate the spirit from the benzoline, and so
assist the carburetting of the hydrogen gas passing over the surface of the
benzoline. The carburetted gas is then drawn off by the pipe Q, for use as may
be required. When it is desired to give an additional amount of carburetting to
the hydrogen gas, the carburetting material is introduced in small quantities to
drip upon the iron by means of the pipe R, fitted with a tap: A spout of the pipe
extends some distance within the bottom chamber to enable the carburetting
material to be carried towards the centre. A gas pipe S, fitted with tap on top,
connects the carburetting chamber with the acid and water chainber to enable any
gas in same to be let into the acid and water chamber. The top of the latter is
fitted with an outlet or blow-off pipe T, to enable any gas that may find its way
into the top chamber to blow off. Previous to working, the tap U, is opened to
allow any air that may be in the bottom chamber to pass into the top chamber to
be carried off by the vent pipe T. The proportions of acid water and iron that
have been found to give good results are:- -One pound and a half of acid to four
pounds of water and one pound of iron. When the acid is exhausted, that and
the water are drawn off by the cock V, into a suitable tank and allowed to
crystallise in the usual way to form proto sulphate of iron, which is found to be of
a far superior quality to any made by the present known apparatus and process.
Gas made as above is suitable for gas engines and illuminating purposes.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of our inven-
tion and in what manner the same is to be performed, we declare that what we
claim is :-
1. An apparatus for producing carburetted hydrogen gas constructed and
operated substantially as herein before described and illustrated by the accom-
panying drawings.
2. In an apparatus for producing carburetted hydrogen gas, arranging the
chamber holding the carburetting material to dip into the acid and water, so
that the carburetting material may be heated, as described.
3. In an apparatus for producing carburetted hydrogen gas, dividing the oil
chamber into two chambers to enable oil to be fed into the larger chamber
while the engine is working.
4. In an apparatus for producing carburetted hydrogen gas, the pipe M,
arranged as and for the purposes described.
5. An apparatus constructed as described for the production of metal sulphates.
Dated this 11th day of February 1895.
FREDERIC PRINCE,
37, Cursitor Street, London, E.C., Agent for Applicants.