Improvements in Means or Processes for Producing Carbonic Acid Gas.
Year: 1891

page_text: Date of Application, 23rd Oct., 1891
Complete Specification Left, 23rd July, 1892-Accepted, 24th Sept., 1892
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Means or Processes for Producing Carbonic
Acid Gas.
I, DAN RYLANDS of Shepcote, Stairfoot, near Barnsley, in the County of York
Glass Bottle Manufacturer, do hereby declare the nature of this invention to be as
follows:-
My present invention has for its object the more economical production of
carbonic acid gas. According to my present invention I place coal of a suitable
kind in a retort or producer of any suitable shape. After subjecting this retort or
producer to the necessary heat for getting off the illuminating or heating gas, I
arrange by any suitable means to so lower or alter the temperature of the retort as
to set up the most favourable conditions for making carbonic acid gas immediately
a supply of atmospheric air is allowed to enter the retort or producer.
I fit up the retort or producer with two sets of gas pipes or flues; the one set of
pipes to take off the coal gas for illuminating or burning; the other set of pipes to
take off the carbonic acid gas. Each set of pipes is fit with suitable valves. The
retorts may have a mouthpiece at each end, and either of these mouthpieces may
be so arranged as to allow of a supply of atmospheric air which can be regulated to
the greatest nicety for securing the best results.
An important advantage of my present invention is that carbon collected from
smoke and also fine coke or coke dust from open coke ovens may be treated in these
retorts for securing carbonic acid gas.
After the carbonic acid gas has been passed from the retorts or producers, it is
thoroughly washed and cleansed from all its impurities, and it is then ready for
being compressed into tubes or otherwise dealt with.
For some purposes it may be advisable to put in the retort or in the producer a
quantity of limestone, and in some cases even to allow the limestone to preponderate
in quantity. Where this plan is adopted it would be found best to use coke with
the limestone and not coal.
To each retort or producer an exhaust arrangement is applied or connected so as
to draw off the gases as made.
Dated this 92nd day of October 1991
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Means or Processes for Producing Carbonio
Aoid Gas.
I, DAN RYLANDS, of Shepcote, Stairfoot, near Barnsley, in the County of York,
Glass Bottle Manufacturer 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 :-
My present invention has for its object the more economical production of
carbonic acid gas. According to my present invention I place coal of a suitable
kind in a retort or producer of any suitable shape. After subjecting this retort or
producer to the necessary heat for getting off the illuminating or heating gas, I
arrange by any suitable means to so lower or alter the temperature of the retort as
to set up the most favourable conditions for making carbonic acid gas immediately
a supply of atmospheric air is allowed to enter the retort or producer.
I fit up the retort or producer with two sets of gas pipes or flues; the one set of

page_text: pipes to take off the coal gas for illuminating or burning; the other set of pipes to
take off the carbonic acid gas. Each set of pipes is fitted with suitable valves.
The retorts may have a mouthpiece at each end, and either of these mouthpieces
may be so arranged as to allow of a supply of atmospheric air which can be
regulated to the greatest nicety for securing the best results.
An important advantage of my present invention is that carbon collected from
smoke and also fine coke or coke dust from open coke ovens may be treated in these
retorts for securing carbonic acid gas.
After the carbonic acid gas has been passed from the retorts or producers, it is
thoroughly washed or separated from its impurities, and it is then ready for being
compressed into tubes or otherwise dealt with.
To each retort or producer an exhaust arrangement is applied or connected so as.
to draw off the gases as made.
The accompanying drawing shows an elevation partly in section of an arrange-
ment of "plant" suitably adapted for the production of illuminating gas, heating.
and carbonic acid gas, as contemplated by my invention.
gas,
In this drawing a a are double-ended gas retorts provided with the usual mouth-
picces bb, doors cc, ascension pipes dd, H pipes e e, and hydraulic main f; ¸g a pipe
leading the illuminating or heating gas to the gas holder, ha scrubber, i a water
tank; a cooling coil; m an exhausting pump, n the absorption tower provided
with perforated circular trays o o, pa syphon pipe, q a storage reservoir, r a boiler,
sa pipe leading from the boiler to the carbonic acid gas holder, ta drain pipe, u a
cooling reservoir, va pump taking its supply from reservoir and delivering into
boiler; a pump supplied from reservoir u and delivering through pipe line.
into the upper end of absorption tower y; z delivery pipes. In carrying my
invention into effect I proceed in the following manner :- -The retorts being
charged with coal and the products of distillation of the coal passed away in the
usual manner to the gas holder, time is now given for the lowering of the
temperature of the retorts and their contents till the temperature most suitable for
the evolution of carbonic acid gas is attained. The approximate temperature
required would be say 1100 deg. Faht. When the hitherto closed tap 1 is opened.
and the air inlet valve 2 also opened the requisite quantity of atmospheric air. is
admitted for combining with the carbon contained in the interior of the retorts.
By action of the exhauster m the hot gases are led by pipe 3 to the bottom of the
water scrubber h ascending which they come into cooling contact with the stones
with which the scrubber is filled. A descending shower of water entering the
scrubber through the perforated plate 4 serves to cool the gases and cleanse them.
from any mechanical impurity they may have brought over with them.
The partially cooled and now cleansed gases are next led through the water-
cooled coil entering at the upper extremity of the coil and being conveyed away
by the exhauster m from the lower extremity. The water tank containing the
coil being supplied with water by the inlet pipe 5 it follows that the gases as they
descend the coil will come into cooling contact with the coldest water as they leave
the coil. The gases are next forced by the exhauster through pipe 6 into the lower
chamber 7 of the absorption tower n ascending which they pass through the per-
forated circular trays oo and are met by a continuous descending shower of a
solution of carbonate of soda, which solution in its descent takes up and carries
with it the carbonic acid gas
The air nitrogen and carbonic oxide gases which are not absorbed by the
carbonate of soda, solution continue to ascend and pass away into the outer
atmosphere by pipe. 15. The now bi-carbonate of soda solution or mixed solutions
of carbonate of soda and bi-carbonate of soda pass away from the lower portion of
the absorbing tower by syphon pipe p into the storage reservoir q from whence. it is
pumped by pump into the evaporating boiler rebulition in this boiler causes the
bi-carbonated: solution to give up and part with a portion of the carbonic acid gas
which it had previously held in solution; and the now liberated and pure carbonic
acid gas passes from the boiler by pipe to the gas holder.provided.for its reception.

page_text: Any water or steam passing along pipes is intercepted and conveyed to the cooling
reservoir by drainage pipe t.
The boiler is provided at 10 with a blow-off valve through which a continuous
stream of the carbonate of soda solution passes into the cooling tank u from whence
it is pumped by pump wo through pipes distributing pipes zz to the upper
chamber of the absorption tower y.
It will be seen that the pumping process is a continuous one, that the bi-carbonate
of soda solution or mixed solutions of carbonate of soda and bi-carbonate of soda
leaving the absorption tower and entering the storage reservoir 9 by syphon pipe p
is passed from the storage reservoir q to the boiler by pump v; that leaving the
boiler by valve 10 and pipe 11 the solution enters the cooling reservoir u from
which it is passed by pump w to the upper portion of the absorbing tower. A
water tap is fixed at 12 to provide against any loss of water by evaporation or
other cause and to prevent the too great concentration of the solution of carbonate
of soda.
When the contents of the retorts nearly cease to give off carbonic acid gas the
tap 1 is closed and the retorts emptied of their spent or partially spent contents.
The retorts may then be re-charged with coal, and the before-described process
repeated of first obtaining illuminating gas and afterwards carbonic acid gas from
the contents of the retorts. I also prefer to arrange the retorts so that the contents
of one set of retorts are giving off illuminating gas at the same time as the contents
of another set of retorts are giving off carbonic acid gas thus working each set or
bench of retorts alternately. For some purposes it may be advisable to charge in
the retort a quantity of limestone, and in some cases even to allow the limestone to
preponderate in quantity. Where this plan is adopted it would be found best to
use coke with the limestone and not coal, dispensing with the ascension pipes d,
H pipes e and hydraulic main, the other portions of the plant and the method of
working being as previously described and illustrated.
I have described and illustrated my process of producing carbonic acid gas by
reference to the distillation of coal, and the subsequent evolution of carbonic acid
gas by means of retorts, but it will be obvious that the process may be equally as
well carried out by the application of gas producers either separately or conjointly
with the retorts.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said inven-
tion and in what manner the same is to be performed I declare that what 1
claim is :-
The process and apparatus wherein coal alone or with the addition of limestone
is first treated for the production of illuminating or heating gas and the resultant
coke afterwards treated for the production of carbonic acid gas substantially as
described and illustrated.