Improvements in the Manufacture or Treatment of Gases Containing Carbonic Oxide, such as Water Gas and Producer Gas, to Render them Odorous.
Year: 1890

page_text: Date of Application, 13th Feb., 1890
Complete Specification Left, 24th July, 1890-Accepted, 30th Aug., 1890
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in the Manufacture or Treatment of Gases Containing
Carbonic Oxide, such as Water Gas and Producer Gas, to Render
them Odorous.
We, FRANK SCUDDER, of 73 Leathwaite Road, Clapham Common, in the County of
Surrey, F.C.S. and Technical Chemist, and HAROLD GOVETT COLMAN, of 12 St. John's
Terrace, Walham Green, in the County of London, Doctor of Philosophy and Master
of Science, do hereby declare the nature of this invention to be as follows:-
Great danger has heretofore usually attended the use for illuminating and other
purposes of gases such as water gas and producer gas these gases being of themselves
inodorous but containing carbonic oxide which as is well known is highly poisonous.
To render such gases odorous in order that any escape should be readily detected
mercaptan and other substances have been employed; but so far as we know all these
have been of a kind liable to condense and settle in the gas mains or apparatus thus
freeing the gas more or less from the odour essential to its use with safety.
Now our invention has for object the treatment of gases such as referred to in
such a manner as to impart to them an odour that shall be readily perceptible and
lasting and not liable to be lost or appreciably diminished by condensation, for which
purpose we employ as the odouring material a volatile organic sulphide produced by
acting on acetone with sulphuretted hydrogen in presence of a suitable dehydrating
agent or agents such as hydrochloric acid with or without zinc chloride, or sulphuric
acid with water. The volatile organic sulphide can be readily volatilized by the use
in moderate quantity of steam that serves to carry, the said sulphide to the gas to be
impregnated.
1000
W. LLOYD WISE,
Per J. G. S.,
46, Lincoln's Inn Fields, London, W.C., Agent for the Applicants.
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in the Manufacture or Treatment of Gases Containing
Carbonic Oxide, such as Water Gas and Producer Gas, to Render
them Odorous.
We, FRANK SCUDDER, of 73 Leathwaite Road, Clapham Common, in the County of
Surrey, F.C.S. and Technical Chemist, and HAROLD GOVETT COLMAN, of 12 St. John's
Terrace, Walham Green, in the County of London, Doctor of Philosophy and Master
of Science, 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 :-
Great danger bas heretofore usually attended the use for illuminating and other
purposes of gases such as water gas and ordinary producer gas these gases being of
themselves inodorous but containing carbonic oxide which as is well known is highly
poisonous. To render such gases odorous, in order that any escape should be readily
detected. mercaptan and other substances have been employed; but so far as we know
all these have been of a kind liable to condense and settle in the gas mains or apparatus,
thus freeing the gas, more or less, from the odour essential to its use with safety.
Now our invention has for object the treatment of gases such as referred to, in
such a manner as to impart to them an odour that shall be readily perceptible and
lasting, and not liable to be lost, or appreciably diminished by condensation, for

page_text: which purpose we employ as the odourizing material a volatile organic sulphide pro-
duced by acting on acetone with sulphuretted hydrogen in presence of a suitable
dehydrating agent or agents such as hydrochloric acid, with or without zinc chloride,
or sulphuric acid of a suitable strength as for example of a specific gravity of 1.4.
The volatile organic sulphide can be readily volatilized by the use in moderate quantity
of steam that serves to carry the said sulphide to the gas to be impregnated. The
volatile organic sulphide, (thio-acetone, or sulphurized-acetone) above referred to can
be conveniently prepared as follows:-Five parts by weight of acetone (having a
boiling point between 133° and 137° Fahrenheit) are mixed with four parts by weight
of hydrochloric acid of specific gravity 1.16; the mixture is cooled to say about
60° Fahr. and to it one part by weight of zinc chloride is added. This mixture, which
should always be freshly prepared, is then divided into four or more portions each of
which is placed in a suitable vessel, these being arranged in series so that a current
of sulphuretted hydrogen shall pass successively through each vessel. The mixture
can be treated with sulphuretted hydrogen, in a single vessel, but the sulphuretted
hydrogen can be used up to better advantage by employing a series of vessels. We
will assume four vessels to be used. After the sulphuretted hydrogen has been passed
successively through the four vessels for 8 to 10 hours, the first vessel of the series is
disconnected, and the second, third and fourth vessels are caused to become the first,
second, and third vessels respectively, and a freshly prepared mixture such as above
described is placed in another vessel which then constitutes the fourth vessel. This
procedure is repeated every 8 to 10 hours a first vessel being each time disconnected
and a new fourth vessel being added, by which means the mixture is thoroughly
exposed to the action of the sulphuretted hydrogen.
The resulting product contains an oil, and an aqueous solution, both of which con-
tain thio-acetone, the former containing the larger quantity. For the purpose of
odourizing the gas, the oil may be either separated off and passed directly into the
odourizing reservoir, or the raw mixture may be distilled in a current of steam at
atmospheric pressure, the distillate being allowed to flow directly into an odourizing
reservoir, forming part of any suitable form of apparatus for adding volatile substances
to gases. We consider it advantageous to employ for this purpose apparatus such as
described and shown in the specification of Letters Patent granted to S. Fox and
E. Blass dated 10th April 1889 No. 6130. Through such an apparatus a portion of
the gas to be treated is passed from the main pipe or conduit by means of a bye-pass.
After traversing the evaporating or odourizing chamber of the apparatus, the gas is
led through a purifier containing hydrated oxide of iron, for the purpose of removing
therefrom, in a manner well understood, any free sulphuretted hydrogen which may
have been introduced into it.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of the said inven-
tion and in what manner the same is to be performed. we declare that what
we claim is :-
1. The manufacture or treatment of gases containing carbonic oxide, such as water
gas and producer gas, with a volatile organic sulphide produced by acting upon
acetone with sulphuretted hydrogen in the presence of a suitable dehydrating agent or
agents substantially as hereinbefore described for the purpose specified.
2. The new manufacture, water gas, made odorous as hereinabove described and
referred to in the preceding claim.
3. The new manufacture, producer gas, made odorous as hereinabove described and
referred to in claim 1.
Dated this 24th day of Tule 1900
W. LLOYD WISE,
Per F. J. Brougham,
46, Lincoln's Inn Fields, London, W.C., Agent for the Applicants.