Year: 1889

page_text: This Specification was, upon the 8th day of April, 1890, amended
under Sections 18 to 21 of the Patents, Designs, and Trade Marks Act, 1883,
by the addition of the name of a Third Applicant, viz. :—

page_text: Date of Application, 2nd Mar., 1889
Complete Specification Left, 27th Nov., 1889-Accepted, 1st Mar., 1890
TRUVIDIONAL DUTIVATION
Method of and Appliances for the Collection and Utilization of the
Carbonic Acid and other Products given off during the process
of all Fermentations.
CHARLES ROBERT CLARKE TICHBORNE Ph.D., F.I.C. 15 North Great Georges Street
Dublin, ALFRED EDWARD DARLEY Ardee Street Brewery Dublin Brewer MARMADUKE
FRANCIS PURCELL, B.L., F.C.S., Assoc. Inst. C.E.I. 71 Harcourt Street, Dublin, do
hereby declare the nature of this invention to be as follows:-
The products of fermentation, such as the carbonic acid and other gases given off by
the liquors when working, have hitherto been looked upon as waste and deleterious by
brewers distillers and other persons using fermentable liquors or worts.
Furthermore in brewing and distilling, and during the process of fermentation for
the production of beer, porter, malt or any spirituous liquor many bye products are
disengaged from the liquor undergoing fermentation and are carried off mechanically
or chemically suspended in the carbonic acid or other evolved gases, these bye products
we propose to seperate from these said gases, and for that purpose we propose to
pass the gases as collected, in or by means of pipes conduits or other conducting
apparata through a refrigerating medium, said gases being either at the normal
pressure of the atmosphere or under such pressure as we may deem most suitable for
procuring the deposition or condensation of the bye products contained in the said
gaseous products of fermentation and furthermore upon freeing said gases from such
bye products as we may deem convenient or necessary we propose to compress said
carbonic acid or other gases, by such means as we may consider most suitable, to such
a degree as we may deem requisite for the various purposes said gas or gases may be
employed for in the arts and manufactures.
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Method of and Appliances for the Collection and Utilization of the
Carbonic Acid and other Products given off during the process
of all Fermentations.
We, CHARLES ROBERT CLARKE TICHBORNE, Ph.D., F.I.C., of 15 North Great
Georges Street, Dublin, ALFRED EDWARD DARLEY, of Ardee Street Brewery, Dublin,
Brewer, MARMADUKE FRANCIS PURCELL B.L., F.C.S., Assoc. Inst. C.E.L. of 71 Harcourt
Street, Dublin, do hereby declare the nature of our invention and in what manner the
same is to be performed to be particularly described and ascertained in and by the
following statement :-
Our invention relates to a method and appliances used therein whereby we collect
and utilize the carbonic acid gas, and other gaseous products, that are generated during
the process of all fermentations. These products of fermentation have hitherto
generally been allowed to go to waste by brewers and distillers and other persons
producing fermentable liquors or worts.
During the process of fermentation of worts, the sugar in the malt is split up into
alcohol and carbonic acid gas (CO2) in pretty nearly equal proportions the CO, being
given off in large volumes and with great rapidity during the greater period of the
fermentation. Hitherto this gas has been allowed to go to waste; indeed many
devices have been used to get rid of it as quickly and as safely as possible and

page_text: unutilised. Furthermore, in brewing and distilling, during the process of fermentation
for the production of beer, porter, malt, or any spirituous liquor many bye products
such as the aforesaid alcohol and various etherial compounds are carried off in
conjunction with the carbonic acid gas. The quantity of the alcohol varies with the
temperature of the worts, being greatest at high heats; this also holds good for the
ethers. In distilleries where the worts are fermented at a much higher temperature
than in breweries the yield of alcohol and ethers given off with the carbonic acid gas
is greater in proportion to the said carbonic acid gas than in the said breweries.
By our improved method and appliances for the collection of these gases we separate
the alcohol and ethers from the carbonic acid gas in a "scrubber
or in equivalent
alternate refrigerating and condensing apparatus. A spray of water, or suitable
chemicals in the scrubber will absorb the said alcohol, ethers, and other evolved gases,
allowing the carbonic acid gas to pass through in a purified condition.
We may either carry out this separation and deposition at the normal pressure of
the atmosphere, or by stage condensers under such pressure or successive pressures as
may be deemed most suitable for the deposition and condensation of the bye products,
in succession and in their various orders. We have, then, as collected products from
such fermentation, the carbonic acid passed over in a purified gaseous condition, and
the alcohol and ethers absorbed by the water or chemicals, and taken into solution
therein or the alcoholic and etherial compounds condensed and liquefied at inter-
mediate stages. We then utilize Ench products in the following way :-
We may compress the said carbonic acid gas until it is either liquefied or com-
pressed to any desired pressure, ready to be stored in suitable receptacles.
The alcohol and ethers held in solution by the spray of water or other chemicals
from the scrubber, or condensed by condensing and refrigerating appliance, may be
collected and treated in any desired way for the production of pure alcohol or ethers,
or as may be required for their return to the beers or spirits, from whence they came,
for the purpose of strengthening and improving them.
In order that our invention may be the better understood, we now proceed to describe.
the same in relation to the drawing hereunto annexed which represents a general
elevation in part section of certain suitable appliances for carrying our method of
collection into effect.
This we do by hermetically closing the fermenting chamber or tun A with a cover a
and applying to this chamber gas collecting appliances such as a coned dish B
supported on a tube passing through a packing gland of a larger telescope pipe.
This dish B may be capable of adjustment at any height in the chamber above the
surface of the liquid in order to enable the collection of the gases either close down
upon the surface of the liquid or at any intermediate distance between the surface of
the liquid and the top of the tun or chamber.
The gas in this dish may be collected through the tube 62, either by gravity, by
suction, or by its own internal pressure in the closed chamber, and a diaphragm or.
cover may be suspended or fixed above the said dish to prevent a vortex in the
atmosphere of the tun.
Instead of the collecting dish B as described passing through the bottom of the
fermenting chamber, a parachute or inverted dish C may be suspended in the fermenting
chamber above the liquid either by a jointed or flexible arm c which forms a hollow
tube allowing the exit of the gas through the upper point of the coned dish; or the
said inverted dish C may be suspended from the closed cover of the chamber by
sliding tube arrangement as in the case of the lower sliding dish B, and counter-
balanced by suitable external weights to admit of ready adjustment.
a
Or in place of the said movable dishes and pipes, a number of holes may be made
in the said fermenting vessel at different levels and all connected by branches to one
suction pipe, so that the gases and vapours may be drawn off at any required level.
A compressing or force pump may be directly introduced in the fermenting vessel
to collect and eject the gas.
Having thus provided the means for drawing off gases and vapours from the
fermenting chamber, should the bye products other than carbonic acid be of

page_text: sufficient value or quantity for separation the gases are carried into a "scrubber "
or wash tower D into which a washing or chemical liquid is introduced through the
pipe d terminating in a spray rose d'. The interior of the "scrubber "
or tower may
be filled with coke or other porous inert material. The falling shower of liquid meets
the ascending volume of gas or the gases and liquid may pass over the inert material
together in the same direction as may be deemed fit, the etherial and alcoholic
compounds and other products are thereby separated from the carbonic acid gas, and
they can be drawn off by the pipe d² for the collection and realization of these
products. Where the carbonic acid gas is required pure we may use sulphuric acid,
or the gases may be compressed to any desired degree by the compressor pumps
and then washed under pressure by means of jets of water under high pressure in a
suitable chamber. The carbonic acid gas may be then withdrawn by the pipe d³ by
suction pumps for after compressing and cooling in suitable chambers to prepare it
as a commercial product bottled in suitable vessels and at suitable pressures.
As a further method of separation we may divide the compressing and cooling
action into a series of stages by the apparatus as shown in which F F are successive
compressing pumps and EE successive refrigerating or cooling worms with outlet
pipes ee for the withdrawal of liquefied products at successive stages of compression.
As each gas which may form part of the collected products has its distinct pressure
and temperature for liquefaction, the bye products evolved with the carbonic acid will
be deposited, liquefied, and thus collected in the intermediate stages of compression
whilst the carbonic acid still remains in a gaseous form. By repeating the successive
stages of compression and condensation to any required extent the whole of the
valuable gases and vapours, which it is desired io recover, may be liquefied and
collected at one or other of the various stages of compression and condensation. Or,
again, the soparation to some extent of the various gases may be effected by with-
drawing the gases from the fermenting chamber particularly at various levels in the
said chamber.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of our said invention
and in what manner the same is to be performed we declare that what we claim is :—
1st. A method for the collection and utilization of the carbonic acid and other
gaseous products given off during the process of all fermentations, consisting of the
withdrawal of the said gases by orifices and conduits through the walls, or by pipes
and expanded dishes within the gaseous area, of a closed fermenting tun or vessel :-
the separation from the carbonic acid and distinct collection of alcoholic, or etherial
or other compounds by washing or chemical treatment in a scrubber or wash tower,
and by an alternate compressing and refrigerating treatment, and final collection of
the carbonic acid gas alone in a compressed or liquefied form in suitable vessels for
commercial sale, substantially as described.
"
2nd. In such a method of collection of gaseous products of fermentation the
combination of a hermetically closed fermentation tun or vessel provided with orifices
and conduits or other internal collecting appliances and discharging accumulating
gaseous products by its own internal pressure, with a "scrubber or wash tower, fed
with a water or liquid chemical and through which the ejected gases of fermentation
are passed to effect the separation of the carbonic acid gas from the alcoholic,
etherial, and other compounds, substantially as described.
3rd. In such a method of collection of gaseous products of fermentation, the
combination of a closed fermentation tun or vessel provided with orifices and conduits
or other internal gas collecting appliances, with a series of suction and condensing
pump and refrigerators to effect the withdrawal and gradual condensation and
refrigeration of the gaseous products in order to separate and collect the same at
distinct stages of condensation and refrigeration, substantially as described.
4th. In such a method of collection of gaseous products of fermentation, the
closure of the fermentation vessel provided with special orifices and conduits from
the gaseous area to enable all gaseous products to be securely retained and collected
for treatment, substantially as described.
===

page_text: 5th. The combination in any part or in whole of the various appliances herein
described with a fermentation tun or vessel for the collection and utilisation of the
gases of fermentation therein developed, substantially as described.
Datadribis 96th day of November 1889
FELL & WILDING,
1, Queen Victoria Street, E:C., Agents for the Applicant.