IMPROVEMENTS IN THE MANUFACTURE OF AMMONIA AND AMMONIACAL SALTS
Year: 1880

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to George Thomas Glover, of Belfast, in the County of
Antrim, in Ireland, for an Invention of " IMPROVEMENTS IN THE MANUFACTURE
OF AMMONIA AND AMMONIACAL SALTS."
"
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said George Thomas Glover at the
Office of the Commissioners of Patents on the 8th May 1880.
GEORGE THOMAS GLOVER, of Belfast, in the County of Antrim, in Ireland.
IMPROVEMENTS IN THE MANUFACTURE OF AMMONIA AND AMMONIACAL SALTS."
I take the exit gas from the furnaces of steam boilers, blast furnaces, or coke
ovens, or atmospheric air or other gas which contains nitrogen, and pass it along
and together with the vapours of water and hydrochloric acid through heated coke,
coal, carbonaceous shales, or other carbonaceous substances.
I place the carbonaceous matter in a tube, tunnel, or stack built of brick or
other suitable material, into which it is brought to about a red heat, and into which
the quantity of the mixed gas and vapours entering is regulated, so that the
carbonaceous matter is present in large excess at any one time of the oxygen in
the mixed gas and vapours.
Ammonium chloride is thus produced, and issues from the tube, tunnel, or stack
as a vapour mixed with impurities, from which it may be afterwards separated by
well-known methods.
This vapour may also be employed by well understood means for the production
of crude sulphate of ammonia, gaseous ammonia, and other ammoniacal salts.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent filed by
the said George Thomas Glover in the Great Seal Patent Office on the 8th
November 1880.
GEORGE THOMAS GLOVER, of Belfast, in the County of Antrim, in Ireland.
"IMPROVEMENTS IN THE MANUFACTURE OF AMMONIA AND AMMONIACAL SALTS."
My Invention relates to the manufacture of ammonia and its salts.
I place coke, coal, carbonaceous shales, or other carbonaceous matter in a tube,
tunnel, or stack built of brick, fire clay, or other suitable material, and bring it to a
[Price 2d1
•

page_text: red heat, and into one end of the tube, tunnel, or stack I admit small quantities
of a gas containing nitrogen (such as the exit gas from the furnaces of steam-boilers,
blast-furnaces, or coke-ovens, or atmospheric air) along and together with the
vapours of water and hydrochloric acid, also in small quantities.
The carbonaceous matter should be present in very large excess of the oxygen
contained in the gases and vapours brought into contact with it at any one
time.
The products of the action of the nitrogenous gas and the vapours of water and
hydrochloric acid on the heated carbonaceous matter (amongst which products is
ammonium-chloride) are conducted from the tube, tunnel, or stack by a pipe, and
may be condensed either in cooling flues or close flag tanks or other condensing
apparatus, or instead of being directly condensed may be caught in a flag tank
containing sulphuric acid, whereby crude sulphate of ammonia is produced and
also hydrochloric acid.
The ammonium chloride, which issues from the tube, tunnel, or stack as a
vapour, after being condensed as above indicated may be purified by well known
methods.
The hydrochloric acid may be distilled from the crude sulphate of ammonia and
used over again for the production of the ammonium chloride, as above described.
The ammonium chloride may also be employed by ordinary means in the
manufacture of other ammoniacal salts and of gaseous ammonia.
The method or process which I have described is capable of considerable
modification and variation, and I therefore do not limit myself to the details above
stated.
Having now described the nature of my said Invention and in what manner the
same is to be performed, I hereby declare that I do not claim the exclusive use
of the exit gases which I have referred to, nor of the vapours of water and hydro-
chloric acid, nor of coke, coal, shales, or other carbonaceous substances, except
when the same are employed substantially as herein described; nor do I claim the
production of ammonia by passing gases containing nitrogen and the vapours of
water over heated carbonaceous matter, except when the same are mixed with
hydrochloric acid; nor the production of sulphate of ammonia, nor the condensation
or purification of ammonium chloride, or other the products of the process which I
have described, nor the distillation of hydrochloric acid from sulphate of ammonia,
but what I do claim is,—
The production of ammonium chloride by passing hydrochloric acid, along with
the gases containing nitrogen and the vapours of water, over or through heated
carbonaceous matter, substantially in the manner hereinbefore described, and
The use of the ammonium chloride so produced in the manufacture of ammonia
and ammoniacal salts.
In witness whereof, I, the said George Thomas Glover, have hereunto set
my hand and seal, this Sixth day of November, in the year of our Lord
One thousand eight hundred and eighty.
GEORGE THOMAS GLOVER. (L.S.)