Improvements in Apparatus for Washing and Scrubbing Gas
Year: 1895

page_text: Date of Application, 14th May, 1895-Accepted 29th June, 1895
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Apparatus for Washing and Scrubbing Gas
I CHARLES CLEMENT WALKER of Midland Lion Works, Donnington near
New port in the County of Salop Engineer do hereby declare the nature of this
invention and in what maune the same is to be performed to be particularly
described and ascertained in and by the following statement.-
This invention has for its object to provide apparatus for washing and scrubbing
gas which will remove the whole of the ammonia and some portion of the
cai bonic acid and sulphuretted hydrogen from crude gas. The apparatus consist3
of a series of superposed trays which are mounted upon each other so as to form
with or without the tar extinctor beneath, a tower, the said trays being secured
together by means of bolts extending from top to bottom of the tower these bolts
being secured for example by nuts with or without springs beneath, which nuts
and the bolts can be casily removed so that the apparatus can be taken down and
cleaned very readily. Each tray is provided with an opening through its lower
part surrounded by upward extending sides and from these sides and from the
outer sides of the tray baffle ribs extend so as to alternate with each other and
leave a space alternately between the end of a rib and the sides round the said
opening and the outer sides of the tray. Ribs are also formed at the ends of the
sides round the said opening these bs leaving a space between their ends and the
outer sides of the tay
In each tray is placed a hood with sideway projecting portions which drop over
the aforesaid bs and so form a zigzag or serpentine passage for liquid between the
said sideway projecting portions of the hood and the outer sides of the trays and tho
ribs which project inwards therefrom at each side of the aforesaid opening in the
bottom of the tiny. The said projecting portions of the hood nie perforated or
slitted for the passage of the gas which enters at the lower part of the tower and
thence uses through the openings in the bottom of each tray and passes out by the
perforations or shits in the hood and though the liquid and thence into the next
Water or gas
tray and so on till it finally escapes by the gas outlet at the top
liquor is admitted at the upper part of the apparatus and descends from tray to
tray by trapped overflow pipes so arranged alternately at opposite sules of the trays
that the liquid passes 1ound the zigzag oi serpentino passages formed by the hood
where the said liquid absorbs the ammoma and other impurities from the gas so
Issuing from the slits in the hood All the hoods are secured to one cential rod
which extends through the top of the apparatus where it can be operated by a
screw wheel for example so as to raise ci lower it, and any desired seal can thus
be given which can be taken off immediately in case of a breakdown in the works,
thus relieving the works of back pressure. At the bottom of the series of trays
there is preferably provided a tai extractor into which the gas passes before
entering the trave. It is prefcited that this tar extractor be like that described
in the Specificntion of Letters Patent No. 3619 of 19th August 1881.
And in order that my invention may be fully understood I shall now proceed
more particularly to describe the same, with reference to the accompanying
drawings.
Figure 1 of the drawings represents in vertical section a gas washing and
scrubbing apparatus constructed according to my invention.
Figure 2 is a vertical section, at night angles to Figure 1 of one division or
tray of the apparatus and Figure 3 18 a plan thereof.

page_text: The apparatus consists of a tower composed of several divisions or trays A
placed one on top of another the said tower being built to any desired height.
Each division or tray is provided at its upper end with a socket a to receive the
loner end of the next division or tray above, the socket on the uppermost division
or tray receiving a rim formed on the cover B of the apparatus, and the lower
edge of the lowermost division or tray entering a socket formed on the upper edge
of a chamber A' containing a tan extractor C such as that described and illustrated
in the Specification to Letters Patent No 361981 The several divisions or trays A
are connected together and to the cover B and the chamber A', by means of ti
ruds or long bolts D the said rods or bolts passing though holes in the bottom
flange of the chamber A' and in a flange on the cover B and also through holes in
Hanges formed on some or all of the divisions or trays A the whole being tightene
up by nuts c screwed onto the nods or bolts preferably with springs interposed
hetween the nuts and the adjacent lugs or flanges to admit of expansion and
contraction without affecting the stability of the structure.
Each division or tray A is provided in the bottom with an elongated opening d
surrounded by upwardly extending sides e. Projecting upward from the bottom of
each tiny are ribs and 9 the nibs extending from the sides e of the opening d to
within a short distance of the sides or m of the tray whilst the ribs g which are
interposed between the ribs /extend from the sides or rim of the tray to within a
short distance from the sides e of the opening d thereby forming a circuitous
passage between the said ribs f and q. At a short distance from each end of the
elongated opening d 18 a 11b h projecting from the bottom of the tray, parallel to
the bsand g, and extending in both duections to within a short distance from
the sides or um of the tiny In the bottom of the tray on the outer side of one
of the ribs is an opening having upwardly extending sides (see Fig. 1)
through which opening liquid passes into the division of tray below, another
opening being provided at the diametrically opposite side of the trays into which
the liquid from the tray above passes, the said opening being situated between the
run or side of the tray and the rib at that end of the elongated opening d.
The openings are surrounded by upwardly projecting sides which extend
to a level with the top edge of the aim of the tray so as to form a continuation of
the opening in the tray above, the sules having passages at their lower ends
through which the liquid passes into the tray. In cach tiny is placed a bood E
hasing a depending thin metal rib m of an endless conugated or serpentine form
corresponding to the circuitous passage formed by the iibs and ginto which
passage the said rib m enters. The hoods E are carried on a vertical rod or
spindle which extends from outside the cover B through all of the trays A and
is supported at its lower end in a footstep n on top of the tur extractor C. The
upper end of this rod or spindle is screw threaded and passes through a stuffing
box p on the cover B into a hearing in a bracket R fixed on the said cover, a
wheel nut G being screwed on to the spindle and caused to bear on the bricket R
so that by turning this wheel nut in one direction or the other the spindle F
together with the hoods E may be raised and lowered as required. Neat the lower
edges of the ribs m of the honds E are perforations or slits though which the
liquid and gas can pass The liquid is admitted to the uppermost tray of the
series by a syphon or bent pipe I and flows downwards over and through each
tray in succession and out from the apparatus by an overflow outlet in the
chamber A containing the tar extractor.
The gas to be washed enters the apparatus by the inlet pipo I and passes upwards
into the tar extractor C from whence it passes into the lowermost tiny A through
the central elongated opening d therein, and thence over the upwardly projecting
sides of the said opening.
As this opening d is covered by the hood the gas
18 caused to pass down into and through the water contained in the tray and
through the perforations or slits in the depending ab m of the said hood to the
exterior of the said hood. The said gas then passes from this lower tray into the
next tray above and through the liquid contained therein and so on upwards

page_text: through all the trays of the series and finally passes from the apparatus through
the outlet 1. The gas is thus caused to pass through a continuously flowing
stream of liquid travelling in a cucuitous direction, the reverse to that of the gas,
whereby the ammonia and other impunities contained in or combined with the gas
are effectually absorbed by the liquid. By means of the wheel nut G the hoods E
may be raised more or less above the bottoms of the trays so as to admit of the
gas passing through a greater or less dopth of liquid on each tray before passзing
through the shits the depth of scal and back pressure being thus regulated as
required.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said inven-
tion and in what manner the same is to be performed 1 declare that what I
claim 18:-
1. The combination and arrangement of parts constituting the apparatus for
washing and scrubbing gas substantially as hereinbefore described and illustrated in
the accompanying drawings.
2. In apparatus for washing and scrubbing gas a tower consisting of the com-
bination of a series of superposed trays or divisions with or without a tar extractor
at bottom Each tray or division being provided with an opening at the bottom
(for the passage of gas) surrounded by upwardly extending sides; ribs or projections
extending upwards from the bottom of the tray or division and interposed or
arranged so as to form a circuitous passage for liquid passing through the tray; a
hood provided with a depending rib shaped to correspond to and caused to enter
the circuitous passage formed by the ubs, perforations or slots in the depending
rb of the hood through which gas is caused to pass; a rod or spindle to which
the hoods are attached and means whereby the spindle with the hoods may be raised
and lowered so as to vary as required the depth of seal and back pressure sub-
stantially as herein before described.
Dated the 14th day of May 1895
JOHNSONS & WILLCOX,
47 Lincoln's Inn Fields, London, W.C., Agents.