IMPROVEMENTS IN CERTAIN PROCESSES IN THE MANUFACTURE OF ALKALI
Year: 1845

page_text: TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, THOMAS
BELL, of Don Alkali Works, South Shields, in the County of Durham, send
greeting.
WHEREAS Her present most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her
Royal Letters Patent under the Great Seal of Great Britain, bearing date at
Westminster, the Third day of November, in the ninth year of Her reign,
did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant unto me, the
said Thomas Bell, my exors, admors, and assigns, Her especial licence, full
power, sole privilege and authority, that I, the said Thomas Bell, my
exors, adors, and assigns, or such others as I, the said Thomas Bell,
my exors, admors, or assigns, should at any time agree with, and no others,
from time to time and at all times during the term of years therein expressed,
should and lawfully might make, use, exercise, and vend, within England,
Wales, and the Town of Berwick-upon-Tweed, my Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS
IN CERTAIN PROCESSES IN THE MANUFACTURE OF ALKALI," which improvements
are applicable to the purposes of condensation; in which said Letters Patent
is contained a proviso that I, the said Thomas Bell, shall cause a particular
description of the nature of my said Invention, and in what manner the
same is to be performed, to be inrolled in Her said Majesty's High Court of
Chancery within six calendar months next and immediately after the date of the

page_text: thereunto had, will more fully and at large appear.
NOW KNOW YE, that in compliance with the said proviso, I, the said
Thomas Bell, do hereby declare that the nature of my said Invention, and
the manner in which the same is to be performed, are fully described and
ascertained in and by the following statement thereof, reference being had
to the Drawings hereunto annexed, and to the figures and letters marked
thereon, that is to say:-
My Invention consists,―
First, of improvements in condensing muriatic acid evolved in that part of
the process of the manufacture of alkali which consists of converting common
salt into sulphate of soda. And,
Secondly, my Invention consists in applying similar means of condensation
to the acid vapours or gases in the manufacture of sulphuric acid. And in
order that my Invention may be most fully understood and readily carried
into effect, I will proceed to describe the means pursued by me.
In condensing the acid vapours proceeding from the manufacture of sulphate
of soda I employ several columns such as have heretofore been used for
condensing. (I use four such columns, about twenty feet high and six feet
diameter, but this may be varied); these are filled with coke broken into
pieces of the size of large walnuts, down amongst which water is caused to
flow from above in small streams, and the columns are so connected that the
acid fumes or vapours are caused to ascend one, descend in the next, ascend in
the next, and descend in the next, by connecting the columns together; and to
this arrangement of condensing columns I make no claim separately, nor do
1 confine myself to the details of the condensing apparatus, as described; and
lumps of other material than coke may be used.
My Invention consisting of combining with the use of such or other similar
condensers peculiar means of obtaining a draft through the condensers, . in
carrying out the first part of my Invention I obtain an exhaustion or
draft through such condensers by a jet of steam acting through a cone, or
a tube might be used, but not so effectually, or steam might be employed
to obtain vacuum by condensing it in vessels, as is well understood, and
en bringing such vacuum to act on the draft; or I apply a fan or other
mechanical means for obtaining a draft through such apparatus. When a
fan is used it is in connection with the last column, the fan withdrawing
any, uncondensable vapours from a flue or passage in connection with the last
column; or other mechanical means may be used in place of having, as
beretofore, recourse to the ordinary draft of a chimney. Or in place of such

page_text: means of obtaining draft I by preference employ a jet of steam passing through
a cone, as is shewn at Figure 1, where a section is shewn of the outer end of
a passage or flue from a condenser of the description above stated; a being
the passage or flue, 6 the cone, and c the steam pipe for obtaining a constant
draft through. And I would remark; that this mode of obtaining a draft is
not of itself my Invention, but has been secured by Letters Patent by
Mr. Watson; therefore this part of my Invention does not consist in the
means of obtaining a draft, but in combining the use of the description of
condensers above explained with the use of a fan or mechanical means, or by
employing steam for obtaining exhaustion in such condensers when carrying
on that process of alkali making which consists of converting common salt
into sulphate of soda; and it is by such means the acid vapours are drawn
from the furnace, and in their progress to the source of exhaustion they
meet with the impediment of the intricate condensers, and are thus forced in
repeated contact with water, and are thus condensed. And in order to prevent
any escape of deleterious vapours into the atmosphere I can employ a close
cistern, partly filled with water, having one or more partitions descending
from the upper part, and dipping a few inches into the water; and I place such
cistern between the exhaustion and the condensers above described, exhausting
the furthest end at the upper part, and connecting the other end of the cistern
with the condensers, by which any uncondensed vapours passing from the
condensers and rushing towards the exhaustion will have to pass once or
oftener under the water.
I will now describe the second part of my Invention, which consists in
applying similar condensers in combination with a jet of steam, or by con-
densing steam as above mentioned, or with a fan or other mechanical means
for obtaining an exhaustion for the purpose of condensing the acid fumes or
vapours in the manufacture of sulphuric acid. Figure 2 is a section of an
apparatus for making sulphuric acid. Figure 3 is a plan thereof. d, d, is an
ordinary sulphuric acid vessel or chamber. e is the entrance into the chamber
for sulphurous acid. The nitrous fumes are also introduced ate into the
chamber d; and f, f, are columns containing broken coke or lumps of other
materials, which will offer resistance to the direct passage of the acid vapours
or fumes, but not act or be acted on chemically by the acid fumes in their:
passage. In this case I do not use water to descend in streams as before
described, but, I admit a jet of steam at g, as well as into the sulphuric
acid chamber at h. The vapours not converted into sulphuric acid in the
chamber d will pass into the series of condensers through the pipe j, and the
:
C

page_text: fumes or vapours will pass through the same by their elastic force, in con-
sequence of the state of exhaustion in which the condensers are kept by the
jet of steam at 1, which passes through the cone m, as before described; or the
desired exhaustion might be obtained by a jet of steam passing through a tube,
or by the steam used being condensed in vessels, as is well understood; or the
exhaustion may be obtained by using a fan such as is employed to blow
furnaces; but in this case such fan would be in connection with a passage or
pipe k, so that it would cause a partial exhaustion of the condensers; or other
mechanical means may be used. The effect of this arrangement is, that the
molecules of acid fumes or vapours being brought into more intimate contact
by the action of the masses which from their nature present a greater surface,
I am enabled to obtain a much greater produce of acid than from the chamber
itself in the same time; hence I am enabled to add more burners to the same
sulphuric acid chamber. And I would state that I have made sulphuric acid
by using the condensers only; but I believe the most effective way of using my
- Invention is to combine the condensers with a sulphuric acid chamber, so
that the gases will first come together in the chamber, and those vapours not
converted into sulphuric acid therein will pass into the condensers, and be
there converted; hence a larger quantity of fumes or vapours may be caused
to pass into the chamber in a given time than heretofore, but such additional
quantity would be prejudicial if it were not for the exhausted condensers
operating to produce the desired condensation of all that may pass out of the
sulphuric acid chamber.
Having thus described the nature of my Invention, and the best means of
performing the same, I would have it understood that I do not confine myself
to the details herein described, so long as the peculiar character of either part
of my Invention be retained. But what I claim is,―
First, the mode of condensing muriatic acid evolved in that part of the
manufacture of alkali which consists of converting common salt into sulphate:
of soda. And,
Secondly, I claim the mode of condensing the acid fumes or vapours in the
manufacture of sulphuric acid by applying condensers of the description herein
described partially exhausted by steam, or by a fan, or other mechanical
means.
In witness whereof, I, the said Thomas Bell, have hereunto set my
hand and seal, this Second day of May, in the year of our Lord One
thousand eight hundred and forty-six.
THOMAS (L.S.)
(L.S.) BELL.

page_text: AND BE IT REMEMBERED, that on the Second day of May, in the
year of our Lord 1846, the aforesaid Thomas Bell came before our said Lady
the Queen in Her Chancery, and acknowledged the Specification aforesaid,
and all and everything therein contained and specified, in form above written.
And also the Specification aforesaid was stamped according to the tenor of the
Statute made for that purpose.