Improvements in or relating to the Manufacture of Salt.
Year: 1898

page_text: PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in or relating to the Manufacture of Salt.
I, THOMAS CEATON LOWDEN, of 7, South Hill Park, Hampstead, in the County
of Middlesex, Woollen Warehouseman, do hereby declare the nature of this
invention to be as follows:-
This invention relates to the manufacture of salt, its object being to effect
the evaporation of brine by the utilization of waste heat from other operations
such as the manufacture of gas in gas retorts of say the common construction
or in a producer-gas" chamber.
<
According to this invention I arrange an evaporating pan or pans so that the
waste heat from one or more retorts in which gas is being formed is utilised to
raise the temperature of and effect the evaporation of the brine, the operation
being further assisted if desired by the employment of a producer-gas
chamber or chambers, the waste heat from which also serves to heat the evaporat-
ing pan.
""
One arrangement according to this invention will now be described by way of
example.
"
A battery of coal gas retorts of wellknown construction is so arranged that
the waste heat therefrom passes through flues underneath an evaporating pan
containing brine, and underneath the end of the pan remote from the coal gas
retorts a number of " producer-gas chambers are placed. The number and
disposition of gas retorts or of "producer-gas" chambers may be varied as desired
or convenient, and " producer-gas "chambers may if preferred be entirely dis-
pensed with, or may be alone relied upon to heat the brine.
Some of the gas generated in the retorts or in the producer-gas" chambers
may conveniently be employed to aid in heating the pan or it may be employed
to heat other pans or for any convenient purpose.
The bye-products incidental to the manufacture of gas are recovered as usual.
Dated this 29th day of April 1898.

page_text: invention and in what manner the same is to be performed, to be particularly
described and ascertained in and by the following statement:-
This invention relates to the manufacture of salt, its object being to effect
the evaporation of brine by the utilisation of waste heat from other operations
such as the manufacture of gas in gas retorts of, say, the common construction
or in a "producer-gas" chamber.
According to this invention I arrange an evaporating pan or pans so that the
waste heat from one or more retorts in which gas is being formed is utilised to
raise the temperature of and effect the evaporation of the brine, the operation
being further assisted if desired by the employment of a producer-gas
chamber or chambers the waste heat from which also serves to heat the evaporat-
ing pan.
"
"
One arrangement according to this invention will now be described by way of
example.
A battery of coal gas retorts of well known construction is so arranged that
the waste heat therefrom passes through flues underneath an evaporating pan
containing brine, and underneath the end of the pan remote from the coal gas
retorts a number of "producer-gas" chambers are placed. The number and
disposition of the gas retorts or of "producer-gas" chambers may be varied as desired
or convenient, and " producer-gas chambers may if preferred be entirely dis-
pensed with, or may be alone relied upon to heat the brine.
"
Some of the gas generated in the retorts or in the " producer-gas" chambers
may conveniently be employed to aid in heating the pan or it may be employed
to heat other pans or for any convenient purpose.
The bye-products incidental to the manufacture of gas are recovered as usual.
The accompanying drawings illustrate by way of example one arrangement of
evaporating pans according to this invention.
Figure 1 showing in plan the general arrangement of the pans, furnaces and
recovery plant:
Figure 2 being a section on the line 2-2 of Figure 1 showing one construction
of furnace, pan and appurtenances:
Figure 3 a transverse section of the furnace and pan on the line 3-3 of
Figure 2.
Like letters refer to like parts throughout the drawings.
With reference first to Figure 1 A are two producer-gas furnaces which serve
to heat a pan B of relatively large dimensions and a smaller tank C. The smaller
tank is placed above the producers and serves to utilise the waste heat which would
otherwise be radiated from their top surfaces. The small tank C is attached to
the pan B preferably in such a manner as to be readily detachable therefrom: or
the tank may be attached to the pan B by means of a hinge or equivalent
device, so that it may readily be raised when required so as to afford access to the
producers for repairs or other purposes.
Access to the producer or producers covered by the tank C is also afforded either
by a suitable aperture C² through the bottom of the tank or by a bay or indenta-
tion such as is indicated in chain lines at C for the purpose of allowing of the
introduction of fuel into the producer without disturbing the tank.
The interior of the tank C communicates with the interior of the pan B in any
convenient manner such as by a syphon C³ and the former is preferably made
somewhat shallower than the latter for purposes hereinafter to be explained.
A portion of that end of the pan B which is adjacent to the tank C is preferably
made shallow to correspond approximately with the depth of the latter.
One advantage accruing to the construction by which one end of the pan B is
thus made shallow is that when it is desired to detach the tank C the level of the
liquid contained in the pan B need only be lowered sufficiently to fall below the
level of the floor of the tank C with which the floor level of the shallow end of
the pan B approximately .corresponds. If preferred the floor level of the shallow
part of the pan B may be left a trifle lower than that of the tank C

page_text: -
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5
hich arrangement has the advantage of slightly increasing the rapidity of flow
f the brine over the floor of the tank C, and enables the tank C to be com-
letely emptied by the syphon C³.
The pan B is carried upon suitable supports which are arranged so as to form
ues or heating chambers underneath the pan.
Two other pans D are shown in Figure 1 placed upon suitable furnaces
which are fed with the gas generated in the producers A: the gas generated
being, after recovery of the bye-products in the usual manner, burnt in these
furnaces. The recovery plant is indicated at E in Figure 1.
Figures 2 and 3 illustrate a convenient construction of support for the evapo-
cating pan according to this invention. The pan B is shown supported upon
four brick walls G, each of which extends practically along the whole length of
the pan. The pan is shown shallowed at the end next to the producer and the
tank C is shown with a floor level slightly above that of the shallow end of the
pan B. A chamber B is formed between the producer or retort A and the
adjacent end of the pan B, the ends and sides of the chamber preferably con-
sisting of fire-brick walls which also may serve to support the shallow end of
the pan B. The chamber floor is also made of fire-brick and is substantially
" into the
producer-gas
supported. A short tube or outlet A' conducts the
chamber B from which the gases pass under the pan B along the flues F. The
floor of these flues F may be conveniently formed upon brick arches G¹ or upon
the ground beneath, and the pan B is supported by the flue walls or at intervals
along the flue as by brick piers G. The flues are preferably formed so that
there is a slight incline from the base of the chamber B', along the floor of the
flues, to the remote end of the pan B: this facilitates the removal of any residue
or deposit from the flues.
6+
The liquid in the pan and tank is lettered H.
The operation of the apparatus is as follows:-
The pans B, C and D having been supplied with brine to be evaporated or other
liquid to be heated, and the producer furnaces A put into operation, the hot
producer-gas" given off is led through the flues or heat chambers underneath
the pan B the contents of which are thereby heated, the gas being incidentally
at the same time cooled. The heat from the casing of the producer furnaces
at the same time heats the contents of the smaller pan C. The liquid in the
pan C thus receives a preliminary heating and may then be passed into the pans B
and D for final evaporation or the contents of the pan B may receive therein only
a preliminary heating and be passed from these to other pans for final
evaporation.
Access to the chamber B¹ and to the flues is provided for by suitably placed
doors or openings.
-The gas produced in the producers A after having been treated in the usual
way for the recovery of bye-products such as in the case of ammonia by exposure
to sulphuric acid in suitable acid towers as E or by other approved methods,
may be utilized in any convenient manner, for example part or whole of it may
be burnt beneath evaporating pans such as those indicated at D for the recovery
of salt from brine.
The number of furnaces placed beneath the pans 1) for the combustion of the
producer gas may be varied according to the volume of the contents of the pan
or pans and the temperature at which it is desired to maintain them.
If preferred the hot gases proceeding from the producers or retorts instead of,
or in addition to, passing through flues beneath the pan B may be led through
tubes immediately above, or immersed in, the brine or other liquid in a pan,
the tubes being arranged, either in coils, or like the tubes of a tubular boiler,
or in any other convenient manner.
The flow of gas through the pipes is assisted if required by means of a suitable
exhausting blower placed preferably at the cooler end of the pipes.
This invention is not confined to the precise arrangement of apparatus herein-

page_text: .
before described and illustrated in the accompanying drawings, but various
modifications may obviously be made without departing from the spirit of the
invention.
For instance if preferred, the pan C in which the liquid receives a preliminary
heating may be of any desired dimensions and will be suitably proportioned with
reference to the size and number of producers or retorts placed beneath it and
also to the rate at which the brine can be most conveniently caused to flow into
the pan.
Again, the pan B will be suitably proportioned to the temperature and velocity
of the heated gases passing beneath it and to the rate at which it is desired to
evaporate the brine.
Further, the pans B and C may in some instances be employed to give a pre-
liminary heating to a larger volume of liquid than can be "dealt with at the
required rate by only two other pans such as 1 three or more of which may if
desired be. employed of any convenient dimensions, or the heating produced in
the pans C and B may be supplemented in other similar pans before the brine is
passed to the vessels in which it is finally evaporated.
The vessels for the final evaporation may, as is usual, be heated to a higher
or lower temperature in order to produce finer or coarser salt as may be required.
The evaporating pans B and D may if desired be placed directly on the earth,
the flues in such a case would be formed in the earth and an excavation if neces-
sary formed to receive the producers.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said in-
vention and in what manner the same is to be performed, I declare that what I
claim is:-
1. The combination with gas-making plant of an evaporating pan heated by
the waste heat therefrom.
2. The combination with a gas "producer" or a gas retort of an evaporating
pan placed above the chamber in which the gas producer or the retort is placed.
3. The combination with gas-making plant of an evaporating pan placed
above the chamber in which the gas producer or retort is placed, and an evaporating
pan provided with flues through which the hot gases are passed so as to heat the
contents of the pan.
4. The combination and arrangement of parts forming the gas-making and
brine-evaporating plant substantially as described or illustrated in Figure 1 or
Figures 2 and 3 of the accompanying drawings..
Dated this 28th day of January 1899.
BOULT & WADE,
Agents for the 'Applicant.