A Furnace and other Apparatus for Deodorizing and Consuming Excrement.
Year: 1892

page_text: Date of Application, 27th July, 1892
Complete Specification Left, 26th Apr., 1893-Accepted, 27th May, 1893
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
A Furnace and other Apparatus for Deodorizing and Consuming
Excrement.
I ALEXANDRE KOZLOFF of Perlow House 731, 2° Meslchanskaia Moscow,
Russia, Gentleman, do hereby declare the nature of this invention to be as
follows:-
The furnace and other apparatus which form the subject of the present
invention are intended for deodorizing and destroying excrement received from
closets; they burn the excrement, absorb by water the unburnt gases which are
formed, and subsequently filter the water.
The furnace consists of two fire places; an upper one for drying and burning
the excrement and a portion of the gases and a lower one which consumes the
remaining gases. Around the fire places are compartments in which the air
necessary for combustion becomes heated. At the lower part of the furnace or
apparatus is a cooler in which circulates water which is led from a reservoir; this
water surrounds a canal or passage in the cooler in which the gases of the furnace
cool to the desired temperature before entering the cooler chamber in which they
are absorbed by the water.
The furnace is placed in the basement of an inhabited house, the excrement from
the different closets passes into a soil pipe by which it descends into a reservoir
whence it passes as it accumulates into the upper compartment of the furnace.
This operation is so arranged as never to allow the accumulated excrement to stop
up a pipe through which air passes uninterruptedly from the air compartments to
the upper compartment of the furnace. The reservoir in which the excrement
collects is of wood lined internally with sheet lead and has a cast iron bottom
provided with an opening which is fitted with a cast iron hermetic plug or stopper
operated from the outside by means of a chain and lever. The upper part of the
reservoir communicates by a pipe with the lower air compartiment. The dimensions
of the reservoir should be calculated so as to contain the excrement received in the
closets during 24 hours or a longer period. When the prescribed time has elapsed
the plug is opened so as to cause the excrement to fall from the reservoir upon a
After the
cast iron drying plate above the upper fire place where it dries.
expiration of the same interval of time a trap in the drying plate is opened by a
chain or otherwise; the dried excrement then falls into the fire place (in which a
fire has previously been lighted) and is replaced upon the drying plate by a fresh
The air
quantity of excrement which is caused to fall from the reservoir.
necessary for combustion enters the fire place by a channel or passage, this air
having been previously warmed by circulating in the compartments which surround
the fire places; the combustion of the gases which are formed whilst the excrement
is submitted to the action of heat and is burned, is thus assured.
The upper and lower air compartments communicate with each other by means
of pipes.
The fire places are provided with hermetically closed doors which prevent
smells escaping from the furnace. The gases from the upper fire place are
conducted to a flue immediately below the drying plate, and thence to a vertical
flue which leads them down to the cooler, that is to say to the canal or passage in
which they cool; thence they are conducted to the chamber of the cooler, the
water in which absorbs them. Any remaining gases enter the lower fire place,
which tends to increase the draught. The smoke from this fire place is conducted
by a chimney into the atmosphere. The furnace is of cylindrical form so as to
facilitate the rapid evaporation of the excrement. As the excrement falls from the
reservoir upon the drying plate it does not spread itself equally over its surface

page_text: but tends to accumulate in the centre and to gradually diminish in depth towards
the edges of the plate. The flame of the upper fire place acts first upon the
centre part of the plate, that is to say the part which carries the greatest depth of
excrement.
The air necessary for combustion is led from the closets through the collecting
reservoir and a pipe into the compartments which surround the two fire places, and
it passes therefrom sufficiently warmed into the space above the drying plate and
then enters the upper fire place. Thus the warmed air which feeds this fire place
passes above the drying plate and facilitates the evaporation of the excrement
which is upon it. The more the air is renewed in the evaporating space the more
quickly does the evaporation of the excrement take place, this depending chiefly
on the temperature of the air.
The water contained in the cooler chamber becomes saturated with gases and
descends successively into several filters where it is purified. These filters can
also receive the urine from urinals. The filters will generally be placed below the
furnace in such a manner that the foul water from the cooler chamber will run
into the filters under a certain pressure. But if the local conditions interfere with
such an arrangement the filters can be placed above the cooler chamber and it
will then be necessary to employ pumps to force the water from this chamber up
to the filters.
The filters may conveniently be of cylindrical form; they are provided with a
hollow bottom and grids or gratings; on each grating is a thick piece of felt upon
which is a layer of sand, and then a layer of charcoal. The foul water from the
cooler chamber enters the lower part of the first filter, passes successively through
the layers of felt, sand and charcoal, then enters the lower part of the second
filter and so on to the third. The water is very clear when it leaves the last
filter.
In the lower air compartment are placed (at different heights) the grids or
gratings upon which the charcoal which has already been used in the filters is
dried. This charcoal when dry can be employed with wood in the upper fire place
to burn the excrement. The arrangement of the collecting reservoir for the
excrement only allows of the furnace being lighted once in the day.
I should remark that in consequence of the hermetic closing of the furnace
doors the air necessary for combustion is obtained from the closets through the
seats, reservoir and pipe, and enters the fire place; in this manner the furnace is in
itself a very good ventilating apparatus, which works not only during the heating
of the furnace, but also constantly, as the chimney is never closed and its upper
part is above the houses.
Dated this 27th day of July 1892.
J. C. MEW BURN,
55 & 56, Chancery Lane, London, Chartered Patent Agent.
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
A Furnace and other Apparatus for Deodorizing and Consuming
Excrement.
I, ALEXANDRE KOZLOFF of Perlow House 371, 2e Meslchanaskaia, Moscow
Russia, 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 furnace and other apparatus which forms the subject of the present invention
are intended for deodorizing and destroying excrement received from closets; they
burn the excrement, absorb by water the unburnt gases which are formed, and
subsequently filter the water.
Figures 1 and 2 of the annexed drawings represent respectively two vertical
sections of the furnace taken at right angles to each other. Figure 3 is a front

page_text: view; Figure 4 a horizontal section on the line 1-1 of Figure 1: Figure 5 a
horizontal section on the line 2-2; Figure 6 a horizontal section on the line 3-3
of Figure 1.
Figure 7 is a view partly in section of the filters which purify the water
saturated with the gases, and Figures 8 and 9 are detail views.
The furnace consists of two fire places E and O; the upper one E is for drying and
burning the excrement and a portion of the gases whilst the lower one O completely
consumes the remaining gises. Around the fire places are compartments in which
the air necessary for combustion becomes heated." At the lower part of the furnace
or apparatus is a cooler in which circulates water which comes from a reservoir Y
by the pipe y provided with cocks; this water surrounds the canal or passage X
situated in the cooler in which the gases from the furnace cool to the desired
temperature before entering the chamber in which they are absorbed by the water.
The furnace is placed in the basement of an inhabited house; the excrement
from the different closets passes into a soil pipe a' by which it descends into the
reservoir A from whence it passes as it accumulates into the upper compartment
of the furnace. This operation is so arranged as never to allow the accumulated
excrement to stop up the pipe through which air should pass uninterruptedly.
A A represent the closets, B B the seats thereof with basins B' B'; a' the common
soil pipe which conducts the excrement to the reservoir A. This reservoir is of
wood lined with sheet lead and has a cast iron bottom provided with an opening
which is fitted with a cast iron hermetic plug or stopper operated from the
outside by means of a chain and lever '. The upper part of the reservoir A¹
communicates by the pipe F with the lower air compartment N. The dimensions
of the reservoir 'A' should be calculated so as to contain the excrement received in
the closets during 24 hours or a longer period. When the prescribed time has
elapsed the plug is opened so as to cause the excrement to fall from the reservoir A'
upon the cast iron plate arranged above the fire place E, where it dries. After
the expiration of the same interval of time the trap situated in the plate is
opened by a chain or otherwise, the dried excrement then falls into the fire
place E (in which a fire has previously been lighted) and is replaced upon the
plate by a fresh quantity of excrement which is caused to fall from the reservoir A.'.
The air necessary for combustion enters the fire place E by the channel or passage D;
this air has been previously slightly warmed by circulating in the compartments N
which surround the fire places; the combustion of the gases which are formed
whilst the excrement is submitted to the action of heat and is burned, is thus
assured.
The upper and lower air compartments N N communicate with each other by
means of pipes t, see Figures 1 and 5.
P
The fire places E and O are provided with hermetically closed doors which
prevent smells escaping from the furnace. The gases from the fire place E are
conducted by the pipe p to the flue which is situated immediately below the
plate b, and thence to the vertical flue j (Figures 2, 4 and 6) which leads them
down to the cooler, that is to say to the canal or passage X in which they cool :
thence they pass by the pipe H (Figure 1) and enter the reservoir M, the water
in which absorbs them. Any remaining gases enter the fire place O which tends
to increase the draught. The smoke issues from this fire place by the chimney
into the atmosphere. The furnace is of cylindrical form so as to facilitate the
rapid evaporation of the excrement. In fact as the excrement falls from the
reservoir A upon the plate it does not spread itself equally over its surface but
tends to accumulate in the centre and to gradually diminish in depth towards the
edges of the plate. The flame of the fire place E acts first upon the central part
of the plate, that is to say the part which carries the greatest depth of excrement.
The air necessary for combustion is led from the closet A through the reservoir A¹
and pipe F into the compartments N N which surround the two fire places, and it
passes therefrom sufficiently warmed by the pipe finto the space above the plate
and enters the fire place E by the channels D. Thus the warmed air which feeds

page_text: to the fire place E passes above the plate b and facilitates the evaporation of the
excrement which is upon it. The more the air is renewed in the evaporating space
the more quickly does the evaporation of the excrement take place, this depending
chiefly on the temperature of the air.
The water contained in the chamber M which is saturated with gases descends
successively into the filters M° M¹ M² (Figure 7) where it is purified. These
filters can also receive the urine from the urinals P. The filters will generally be
placed below the furnace in such a manner that the foul water from the chamber M
(Figure 1) will run into the filters by the pipe & (Figure 7) under a certain pressure.
But if the local conditions interfere with such an arrangement the filters can be
placed above the chamber M and it will then be necessary to employ pumps to force
the water from this chamber up to the filters.
The filters shown in Figure 7 are of cylindrical form provided with a bottom QQ
and grids or gratings S one of which is seen in plan in Figure 9; on each grating S
is a thick piece of felt upon which is a layer of sand V and then a layer of
charcoal W. The foul water from the chamber M enters by the pipe & the lower
part of the first filter Mº, passes successively through the layers of felt, sand and
charcoal, then enters the lower part of the second filter and so on to the third.
The water is very clear when it leaves the last filter.
In the lower air compartment N are placed (at different heights) grids or
gratings R (one of which is seen in plan in Figure 8) upon which is dried the
charcoal which has already been used in the filters. This charcoal when dry can
The arrange-
be employed with wood in the fire place E to burn the excrement.
ment of the reservoir A' for the excrement only allows of the furnace being lighted
once a day.
I should remark that in consequence of the hermetic closing of the furnace doors
the air necessary for combustion is obtained from the closets A through the seats B,
reservoir A and pipe F, and enters the fire place; in this manner the furnace is
in itself a very good ventilating apparatus, which works not only during the heating
of the furnace, but constantly, as the chimney is never closed, and its upper part is
above the houses.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said inven-
tion and in what inanner the same is to be performed I declare that what I
claim is :-
1. Apparatus for deodorizing and burning or consuming excrement, comprising
two fire places E and O for burning the excrement and gases, a space above the
upper fire place for the evaporation of the excrement, air compartments N N for
assisting the rapid evaporation and burning of the excrement and for drying the
charcoal used in the filters, a cooler X X and a pipe or chamber filled with water
which condenses the unburnt gases, oxygen, ammonia &c., the said pipe or chamber
being in communication with the reservoir Y and with the filters M M M² for
purifying the foul gas-saturated water, all substantially as hereinbefore described
and represented in the annexed drawings.
2. The combination of parts substantially as herein before described and repre-
sented in the annexed drawings forming an apparatus for deodorizing and consuming
excrement.
Deted this 26th day of April 1802
J. C. MEWBURN,
55 & 56, Chancery Lane, London, Chartered Patent Agent.