IMPROVEMENTS IN ÛETAINING ÛXYGEN.
Year: 1873

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Charles Weightman Harrison, of High Holborn,
in the County of Middlesex, Gentleman, for the Invention of
"
IMPROVEMENTS IN ÛETAINING ÛXYGEN.'
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Charles Weightman
Harrison at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his
Petition, on the 12th February 1873.
I, CHARLES WEIGHTMAN HARRISON, of High Holborn, in the County
of Middlesex, Gentleman, do hereby declare the nature of the said
Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN OBTAINING OXYGEN," to be as follows:-
:-
This Invention relates to improvements in obtaining oxygen from
atmospheric air by separating the oxygen from the nitrogen thereof, and
is (in a simple form) as follows:-
-
The first part of this Invention consists in precipitating or separating
the oxygen from the nitrogen of atmospheric air by means of magnetism
or electro-magnetism, for which purpose any suitable magnetic substance
or body may be employed, within the influence of which compressed air
can be brought, as herein-after described. I force air into an air-tight

page_text: vessel, containing or surrounded with the magnetic or electro-magnetic
substance (such, for example, as magnetic iron sand, or an electro-
magnetic core), either alone or immersed in water or other suitable
liquid. The air on being thus introduced becomes resolved into its
different constituent gases (or nearly so), the nitrogen or nitrogenised air
being afterwards allowed to escape, whilst the oxygen or oxygenised air
retained within the said vessel by the influence of the magnetic or
electro-magnetic substance is afterwards recovered by an air pump or by
well known means of collecting gases.
The second part of this Invention consists in separating the oxygen
from the nitrogen by passing the air into or through porous solid
substances either with or without the aid of magnetism or electro-
magnetism. For this purpose I force air into a vessel containing any
suitable porous solid substance (such as charcoal, pumice stone, or burnt
clay), either alone or saturated with or immersed in water or other suitable
liquid. Under these circumstances the porous substances will absorb a
large proportion of the oxygen of the air than of the nitrogen, or nitro-
genised air thus liberated being afterwards allowed to pass away, whilst the
oxygen or oxygenised air thus retained within or by the said porous solid
substances is afterwards recovered in the manner herein-before described.
When magnetism or electro-magnetism is employed in connection with
this method it may be conveniently applied by means of a coil made to
surround the said vessel.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent,
filed by the said Charles Weightman Harrison in the Great Seal 2
Patent Office on the 12th August 1873.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, CHARLES
WEIGHTMAN HARRISON, of High Holborn, in the County of Middlesex,
Gentleman, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her 3
Letters Patent, bearing date the Twelfth day of February, in the year
of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and seventy-three, in the
thirty-sixth year of Her reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors,
give and grant unto me, the said Charles Weightman Harrison, Her

page_text: special license that I, the said Charles Weightman Harrison, my exe-
cutors, administrators, and assigns, or such others as I, the said Charles
Weightman Harrison, my executors, administrators, and assigns, should
at any time agree with, and no others, from time to time and at all times
thereafter during the term therein expressed, should and lawfully might
make, use, exercise, and vend, within the United Kingdom of Great
Britain and Ireland, the Channel Islands, and Isle of Man, an Invention
for "IMPROVEMENTS IN OBTAINING OXYGEN," upon the condition (amongst
others) that I, the said Charles Weightman Harrison, my executors or
administrators, by an instrument in writing under my, or their, or one
of their hands and scals, should particularly describe and ascertain the
nature of the said Invention, and in what manner the same was to be
performed, and cause the same to be filed in the Great Seal Patent
Office within six calendar months next and immediately after the date
of the said Letters Patent.
NOW KNOW YE, that I, the said Charles Weightman Harrison,
do hereby declare the nature of the said Invention, and in what manner
the same is to be performed, to be particularly described and ascertained
in and by the following statement thereof (that is to say):-
This Invention relates to or consists in improvements in obtaining
oxygen from atmospheric air.
The first part of this Invention consists in precipitating or separating
the oxygen from the nitrogen of atmospheric air by means of magnetism
in electro-magnetism. For this purpose the air is compressed into a
cylinder of convenient size and shape, and the magnetism or electro-
magnetism is then caused to act upon it, when the oxygen will be
attracted by the magnetism and thus separated from the nitrogen. The
nitrogen or nitrogenised air may then be allowed to escape by any
suitable aperture provided in the cylinder for that purpose, whilst the
oxygen or oxygenised air may afterwards be recovered or collected by an
air pump or other suitable known means of collecting gases.
The magnetism or electro-magnetism may be applied by means of a
coil made to surround the cylinder into which the air is compressed, or
the cylinder may be wholly or partially filled with some magnetic sub-
stance, such as magnetic iron sand, into or amongst which the air is
forced. For greater effect such magnetic substance may be used in
conjunction with the coil; or other suitable means of applying the

page_text: magnetism or electro-magnetism may be employed; sometimes also
the vessel into which the air is compressed is wholly or partially filled
with water or other suitable liquid.
It may be as well to observe that the greater the intensity of the
magnetism and the compression of the air, the more effectual will be the
results obtained.
The second part of this Invention consists in separating the oxygen
from the nitrogen of atmospheric air by passing the air under pressure
into or through porous solid substances contained within a vessel either
with or without the aid of magnetism or electro-magnetism. For this
purpose I force air into a vessel of convenient size and shape wholly or
partially filled with any suitable porous solid substance (such, for
example, as charcoal, pumice stone, or burnt clay), either alone or
saturated with or immersed in water or other suitable liquid. Under
these circumstances the porous substances will absorb a larger proportion
of the oxygen of the air than of the nitrogen. The nitrogen or nitro-
genised air thus liberated is allowed to escape by any suitable aperture
provided in the vessel for that purpose, whilst the oxygen or oxygenised
air thus retained within or by the said porous solid substances is
afterwards recovered in the manner herein-before described. When
magnetism or electro-magnetism is employed in connection with this
method, it may be conveniently applied by means of a coil made to
surround the said vessel.
In witness whereof, I, the said Charles Weightman Harrison, have
hereunto set my hand and seal, this Twelfth day of August, in
the year of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and seventy-
CHAS. W. HARRISON. (L.S.)
Witness,
JOHN W. GRAY, C.E,
Offices for Patenting & Introducing Inventions,
16, Southampton Buildings,
London.