Improvements in the Production of Hydrogen Gas and in Apparatus therefor
Year: 1896

page_text: Date of Application, 15th Dec., 1896
Complete Specification Left, 13th May, 1897-Accepted, 11th Dec., 1897
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
'Improvements in the Production of Hydrogen Gas and in Apparatus
therefor."
I, REGINALD, GEORGE LEVENTHORPE, of No. 9 Gloucester Terrace, Hyde Park,
in the County of Middlesex, Gentleman, do hereby declare the nature of this
invention to be as follows:-
The hydrogen gas is produced in the well known manner by passing steam
through one or more heated retorts charged with iron borings.
According to my invention I arrange the retorts in a brickwork setting or
structure that comprises a so-called producer, and by gases produced therein and
proceeding therefrom. I heat the retorts externally and I employ the surplus
heat of the said gases on their way from the retort chamber to the chimney for
the heating of a boiler which supplies the steam required for passing through
the retorts.
The retorts have by preference end covers fastened by hinged bolts and the
joints are made with a thin copper strip which is pressed by a bead on the retort
into a corresponding groove turned in the cover. The pipes connected to the
retorts are of weldless steel swelled out conically at the end, the conical part
making joint with the rounded male end of a fitting screwed into the retort a
union nut screwed on the fitting holding the parts together. The retorts are
provided with safety valves.
The steam in passing through the heated retorts separates more or less into
oxygen and hydrogen, the former being taken up by the iron borings, while the
hydrogen under a pressure derived from that of the steam in the boiler (though
usually much lowered) is passed into a gasholder to be stored and utilized as
required I may use an ordinary gas holder or gas holders but on the score of
economy I prefer to use two storing cylinders placed horizontally side by side
and in connection therewith one two or more water tanks placed at such an
elevation as to represent a suitable head or pressure under which the gas is to be
supplied to the place of application. A governor may be used allow the water
in the cylinders to run away at the atmospheric pressure if desired.
These
cylinders each with its tank are intermittently or alternately either in use or
beng charged. I would here note that an arrangement as herein before described
is particularly suitable for supplying the liquor in tan pits with hydrogen gas
according to the rapid tanning process described in the Specification of Bake
Leverett's Patent No. 13195 dated 7th July 1894.
I shall now describe one suitable form of apparatus for carrying out the process
described. The producer furnace and the retort chamber are arranged side by
side in the same brick structure. The producer furnace narrows towards the
bottom and is arched at the top. It is charged with coke and supplied with a
restricted quantity of air from flues laterally entering the ashpit below the grate
so as to produce carbonic oxide which gas passes off through openings in the

page_text: arched top into a combustion chamber where it is converted partially or as desired
into carbon dioxide by a secondary and similarly restricted supply of air which is
conveyed to the combustion chamber as described hereafter.
These gases are then admitted to the retort chamber and being deficient in
oxygen will have no injurious action on the retorts. The retorts are cylindrical
and arranged in two or three tiers. The hot gases then pass through flues in
the brickwork below the retort chamber and in so doing heat the secondary air
supply flues which latter are arranged to pass up between or near the hot gas
flues.
The hot gases are then conveyed in flues direct to the chimney or to the fire-
place of a boiler for generating the steam that is to be passed through the
retorts. A small further supply of air may be provided at the boiler if required
to complete the combustion of the producer gas and the waste gases are finally
conveyed.to a chimney.
. The steam produced in the boiler, which latter may be of any suitable form or
construction is by an automatic reducing valve or otherwise admitted through a
stop valve to the upper retorts and will then after traversing them enter the next
lower retorts and so on if more than two tiers are used, and having been mean-
while deprived wholly or nearly of its oxygen (the latter combining with the iron
borings) finally passes off from the bottom retorts in the form of steam saturated
hydrogen. The steam may be condensed by passing this saturated gas through
a coil of pipe surrounded by air or water. The hydrogen then through a stop
valve enters one or more horizontal cylindrical storing vessels. Each vessel by
a pipe at the bottom communicates with its water tank placed so high as to give
the lowest required pressure of gas when the cylindrical vessel is nearly empty of
As the hydrogen gas enters a cylinder the water is driven up into its tank
and as the gas is consumed by passing off to the tanning pits the water gradually
fills the cylinder again. An automatic pressure regulating valve is used to
maintain a uniform pressure of gas. The quantity of gas inside the cylinders
is indicated by level of water as shown by water gauge glasses fitted to the
cylinders. Pressure gauges are provided in connection with the hydrogen supply
pipe to the cylinders.
JENSEN & SON
77 Chancery Lane London W.C. Patent Agents.
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
"Improvements in the Production of Hydrogen Gas and in Apparatus
therefor."
L, REGINALD GEORGE LEVENTHORPE of No. 9 Gloucester Terrace, Hyde Park,
in the County of Middlesex, Gentleman, 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:-
The hydrogen gas is produced in the well known manner by passing steam
through one or more heated retorts charged with iron borings.
According to my invention I arrange the retorts in a brickwork setting or
structure that also comprises a so-called producer. I head the retorts externally
by gases produced therein and proceeding therefrom, and I employ the surplus
heat of the said gases on their way from the retort chamber to the chimney for

page_text: the heating of a boiler which supplies the steam required for passing through
the retorts.
The steam in passing through the heated retorts separates more or less into
oxygen and hydrogen, the former being taken up by the iron borings, while the
hydrogen under a pressure derived from that of the steam in the boiler (though
usually much wire drawn or lowered) is passed into a gas holder to be stored
therein and utilized as required. I may use an ordinary gas holder or gasholders
but on the score of economy I prefer to use two storing cylinders placed hori-
zontally side by side. In connection with the gasholder or gasholders I provide
one, two, or more water tanks placed at such an elevation as to represent a suitable
head or pressure under which the gas is to be supplied to the place of application.
A governor may be used to allow the water in the cylinder to run away at the
atmospheric pressure if desired. These cylinders each with its tank are inter-
mittently or alternately either in use or being charged. I would here note that
an arrangement as herein described is particularly suitable for supplying the
liquor in tan pits with hydrogen gas according to the rapid tanning process
described in the specification of Bake & Leverett's patent No. 13195 dated 7th.
July 1894.
I shall now describe a suitable form of apparatus for carrying out the process
described Fig 1 of the drawings is an elevation and Fig. 2 a plan view of the
whole plant, Fig. 3 is a vertical cross section through the producer and the retort
chamber arranged side by side in one brickwork setting, fig. 4 a vertical longi-
tudinal section through the producer, fig 5 a similar section through the retort
chamber and fig. 6 a plan. Fig. 7 shows the front end of the retorts, fig. 8 the
back end of same. Fig. 9 is a section shewing the joint between a retort and its
pipe, fig. 10 section showing the joint between the end of a retort and its cover
and fig 11 an end view of the retort. Fig. 12 is a side view of an alternative
governing device.
The producer furnace A and the retort chamber H are arranged side by side in
the same brick structure. The producer furnace narrows towards the bottom
see fig. 3, and is arched at the top. It is charged with coke and supplied with a
restricted quantity of air from flues through the intakes ce laterally entering
the ash pit C below the grate in such restricted quantity as to produce mainly
carbonic oxide, which gas passes off through openings of 000 in the arched
top into a combustion chamber E where it is converted partially or as desired into
carbon dioxide by a secondary and similarly restricted supply of air which is
conveyed to the combustion chamber by the flues h. These gases from the
combustion chamber E are then admitted through the opening e to the retort
chamber H and being deficient in oxygen will have no injurious action on the
retorts R; these are cylindrical and arranged in two tiers (or more). The hot
gases then pass through flues in the brickwork below the retort chamber H
and in so doing heat the secondary air supply flues h which latter are arranged to
pass up between (or near) the hot gas flues d. The hot gases are then conveyed in a
Hue M direct to the fire place of the boiler B (figs. 1 and 2) for generating the steam
that is to be passed through the retorts R. A small further air supply may be
provided at the boiler if required to complete the combustion of the producer gas,
and the waste gases are finally conveyed to the chimney. The said further or
final air supply may be heated by the waste gases from the retort furnace or the
waste gases from the boiler.
The steam produced in the boiler which latter may be of any suitable form or
construction is by an ordinary or by an automatically working reducing valve K
and pipe o fig. 1 admitted through stop valves I fig. 7 to the upper retorts R
and will then after traversing them enter the next lower retorts and so on if more
than two tiers are used and having been meanwhile. deprived wholly or nearly
of its oxygen (the latter combining with the iron borings) finally passes off from
the bottom retorts by the pipe in the form of hydrogen saturated with steam.
The latter may be condensed by passing the saturated gas through a coil of pipe W

page_text: figs. 1 and 2 surrounded by air or water and rises in a pipe above the tanks T
for the purpose of preventing water from flowing back into retorts, in case the
steam pressure were at any time too low. The hydrogen then through a stop
valve enters one or or more horizontal storing vessels or gasholders G. Each
vessel by a pipe 9 at the bottom communicates with its water tank T placed so
high as to give the lowest required pressure of gas when the cylindrical vessel G
is nearly empty of gas. As the hydrogen gas enters a vessel G the water is driven
up into its tank T, and as the gas is consumed by passing away to the tanning
pits or other place of use the water gradually fills the cylinder G again. The
gas outlet pipe S from the gasholders G to the outlet main is carried up alive
the tanks T before passing off through the stop valve S', so that in case of valves
being left open no water shall be able to pass into the outlet mains. The quantity
of gas inside the cylinder is indicated by level of water as shewn by water gauge
glasses fitted to the cylinders G. Pressure gauges are provided in connection with
the hydrogen supply pipe to the cylinders. The steam from the boiler may be
superheated by passing through a pipe in the brickwork before entering the
retorts.
L fig. 11 is a small automatic pressure regulating gasholder contained in the
tank N which is charged with water. Gas under pressure is conveyed from the
gasholders to this regulating gasholder by the pipe 0. The same pressure is
thus maintained in the vessels G and L. When the gas pressure rises the bell L
lifts and its stem L¹ moves the lever P which by the rod Q and lever Q actuates
the water release valve S thus allowing the water to pass out of the vessel G
according to the pressure conained therein. L are small weights for adjusting
the pressure at which the regulator lifts. The road Q is adjustable as to length
by a right and left hand nut Q. The lever Q' has several holes for connecting
the rod Q to one of them as required. The water from the vessel G may be allowed
to run into the drain or be pumped back into the tank T..
Referring to figs. 7 and 8 the pipes connecting the retorts may suitably be thus
arranged respectively at the front and back of the retorts. Safety valves are
fitted to the upper retorts as shewn or to all the retorts. The joints for connec-
tion of the pipes with the retorts should be as shewn in fig. 9 that is to say the
end of the. weldless steel pipe 7 is as shewn swelled out conically at the end the
conical part making joint with the rounded male end of a fitting y screwed into
the retort, a union nut r screwed on this fitting holding the parts together.
The retorts have by preference as shewn in figs 9 and 10 end covers.V fastened
by hinged bolts V and the joints are made by a thin copper strip V2 which is
pressed by a bead on the retort into a corresponding groove turned in the cover.
The safety valves and other fittings are on the body of the retort and not on the
covers, as the latter have to be frequently removed. The retorts are coated with
a thin layer of fire-resisting cenient such for instance as the so-called volcanic
cement, for protection against oxydation. I do not claim the construction of the
retorts nor the means for joining the pipes thereto.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said
invention and in what manner the same is to be performed I declare that what
I claim is :-
1. The manufacture of hydrogen by passing steem through successive tiers of
retorts containing iron borings and which are set in brickwork and adjoin a so-
called gas producer the gases from which heat the retorts and then pass off to
heat a boiler for producing the aforesaid steam substantially as set forth.
2. The combination of the furnace, the combustion chamber over it, the chamber
arranged by the side of the furnace, and containing the hydrogen generating
retorts, the exit flues from the retort chamber, and the secondary air supply flues
heated by tho, heat from the exit flues substantially as described with reference
to figs. 3 to 6.
3. The automatic gas pressure regulating gasholder for hydrogen generating,

page_text: and storing apparatus in combination with the water outlet from the main gas-
holder or gasholders, substantially as described with reference to fig. 12.
4. The combination of a hydrogen storing vessel, a water head therefor and
trapped gas inlet and outlet pipes substantially as described with reference to
figs. 1 and 2.
Dated this Thirteenth day of Var 1907
JENSEN & SON
77 Chancery Lane London W.C. Patent Agents.