IMPROVE- MENTS IN THE PRODUCTION OF MATERIAL FOR AND METHOD OF PURIFYING COAL GAS, AND IN APPARATUS USED FOR THAT PURPOSE
Year: 1877

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Thomas Atkinson Collinge and Thomas Ormiston Paterson,
both of Rochdale, in the County of Lancaster, for the Invention of "IMPROVE-
MENTS IN THE PRODUCTION OF MATERIAL FOR AND METHOD OF PURIFYING
COAL GAS, AND IN APPARATUS USED FOR THAT PURPOSE."
Sealed the 6th March 1877, and dated the 9th January 1877.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Thomas Atkinson Collinge
and Thomas Ormiston Paterson at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents
on the 9th January 1877.
THOMAS ATKINSON COLLINGE and THOMAS ORMISTON PATERSON, both of Rochdale,
in the County of Lancaster. "IMPROVEMENTS IN THE PRODUCTION OF MATERIAL
FOR AND METHOD OF PURIFYING COAL GAS, AND IN APPARATUS USED FOR THAT
PURPOSE."
This Invention has for its objects the production of an improved liquid material
for purifying coal gas, an improved method in so far as the gas is subjected to a less
quantity of liquid, thereby preventing the liability to lose some of the hydrocarbons.
upon which the illuminating power of the gas depends, and an improved apparatus
for the manufacture of the said material.
The Invention has reference in the first place to what is known as desulphuretting
gas liquor, that is to say, the driving off or expulsion of the sulphuretted hydrogen
and carbonic acid from the gas liquor as it ordinarily comes from the hydraulic
main, condensers, or other apparatus used in the manufacture of gas.
This driving off or expulsion is effected by the use of the following process and appa-
ratus:-Gas liquor is allowed to flow into the top of a scrubber partially filled with
coke, wooden boards, or other suitable material. The liquor falls down and runs away
by means of a pipe furnished with a stop-cock, and attached near the bottom of the
scrubber into a boiler set over a furnace. To the top of the scrubber is attached a
pipe which leads to a purifier charged with oxide of iron or other suitable purifying
material, or to a furnace. The liquor in the boiler is heated to about one hundred
Price 6d1

page_text: and eighty degrees Fahrenheit. This causes the separation of the sulphuretted
hydrogen and carbonic acid together with a portion of ammonia from the liquor.
The gases so disengaged pass up either the same pipe by which the liquor flows
into the boiler or by a separate one, in either case however the gases are introduced
near the bottom of the scrubber and ascend against the current of liquor falling
from above, and find an exit from the top of the scrubber by the pipe which leads
the gases to the purifier or furnace before mentioned. The ammonia is however
'arrested by the falling liquor in the scrubber, and is returned to the boiler.
The process of desulphuretting the liquor, as just described, is not new, and is not
therefore claimed as part of this Invention, although the apparatus by which it is
effected is somewhat simplified. Instead however of using the liquor so desul-
phuretted for the purification of gas the following is adopted :-The boiler is made
of the still shape, that is to say with a still head or its equivalent, and is furnished
with a descending pipe which is continued in the form of a coil or zig-zag arranged
within a tank into which cold water is admitted and continues to flow. From the
end of the pipe in the tank is another which leads to a concentrated liquor store,
vat, or tank. At or near where the pipe joins the still head a valve is inserted, and
at or near the bottom of the boiler is a pipe for conveying away weak liquor.
The liquor having been admitted to the boiler until nearly full, and desulphuretted
as before described, is treated as follows:-The flow of liquor from the scrubber is
stopped by shutting off the cock attached to the pipe leading from the scrubber to
the boiler, and the valve in the neck of the still head is opened; the temperature is
then raised to boiling and continued until the whole or nearly the whole of the
ammonia contained in the liquor is driven off together with some vapour of water
and condensed by the cooler before mentioned, the result being a highly caustic
solution of ammonia which is run off into the store vat before alluded to. The
refuse or weak liquor remaining in the boiler may now be run off and used to wash
the gas which has been previously subjected to the caustic ammonia, so as to wash
out any ammonia that the gas may have absorbed from the caustic liquor, and for
this purpose it is preferable to water since it is less liable to affect the hydrocarbons;
or the weak liquor may be otherwise disposed of as discretion may dictate. The
still head valve being shut and the liquor supply cock opened the desulphuretting
process may again be proceeded with.
The solution of caustic ammonia, made as described, being comparatively pure
may be used with great advantage in the purification of gas from both sulphuretted
hydrogen, sulphur compounds, and carbonic acid by submitting the gas to its action
either in scrubbers, washers, or other suitable vessels, and from its being used in a
concentrated form the gas is not so likely to have its hydrocarbons absorbed as
when a greater quantity of weaker liquid is employed for the same purpose. By
the use of such concentrated liquor also smaller purifiers. may be used, thereby
effecting an economy in expenditure on plant, together with a reduction in the
quantity of purifying material subsequently employed.
It is not absolutely necessary that the boiler used for desulphuretting should also
be used as the still for concentrating the liquor, as the liquor may be run off from
the boiler to a separate still, but on the ground of economy it is preferable to use
the same apparatus for both purposes.
The vessel used for desulphuretting the liquor may be so arranged that the tem-
perature may be kept up by the exhaust steam produced on the works being made
to travel through a series of pipes immersed in the liquor, while steam from a
special boiler may be injected into the liquor whenever the boiling or distillation
is necessary.

page_text: SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent filed by
the said Thomas Atkinson Collinge and Thomas Ormiston Paterson in the
Great Seal Patent Office on the 7th July 1877.
THOMAS ATKINSON COLLINGE and THOMAS ORMISTON PATERSON, both of Rochdale,
in the County of Lancaster. "IMPROVEMENTS IN THE PRODUCTION OF MATERIAL
FOR AND METHOD OF PURIFYING COAL GAS, AND IN APPARATUS USED FOR THAT
PURPOSE."
This Invention has for its objects the production of an improved liquid material
for purifying coal gas, an improved method in so far as the gas is subjected to a less
quantity of liquid, thereby preventing the liability to lose some of the hydrocarbons
upon which the illuminating power of the gas depends, and an improved apparatus
for the manufacture of the said material.
The Invention has reference in the first place to what is known as desulphuretting
gas liquor, that is to say, the driving off or expulsion of the sulphuretted hydrogen
and carbonic acid from the gas liquor as it ordinarily comes from the hydraulic
main, condensers, or other apparatus used in the manufacture of gas.
This driving off or expulsion is effected by the use of the following process and
apparatus-Gas liquor is allowed to flow by a pipe A, Fig. 1, into the top of a
scrubber B partially filled with coke, wooden boards, or other suitable material.
The liquor falls down and runs away by means of a pipe C furnished with a stop-
cock D, and attached near the bottom of the scrubber into a boiler E set over a
furnace. To the top of the scrubber is attached a pipe F which leads to a purifier H
charged with oxide of iron or other suitable purifying material, or to a furnace.
The liquor in the boiler is heated to about one hundred and eighty degrees
Fahrenheit, this causes the separation of the sulphuretted hydrogen and carbonic
acid together with a portion of ammonia from the liquor. The gases so disengaged
pass up either the same pipe C by which the liquor flows into the boiler, or by a
separate one, in either case however the gases are introduced near the bottom of the
scrubber and ascend against the current of liquor falling from above, and find an
exit from the top of the scrubber by the pipe which leads the gases to the purifier H
or furnace before mentioned. The ammonia is however arrested by the falling
liquor in the scrubber, and is returned to the boiler.
The process of desulphuretting the liquor, as just described, is not new, and is not
therefore claimed as part of this Invention, although the apparatus by which it is
effected is somewhat simplified. Instead however of using the liquor so desul-
phuretted for the purification of gas the following is adopted :-The boiler E is
made of the still shape, that is to say, with a still head or its equivalent, and is
furnished with a descending pipe I which is continued in the form of a coil or zig-
zag arranged within a tank J into which cold water is admitted and continues to
flow. From the end of the pipe in the tank is another pipe K which leads to a
concentrated liquor store, vat, or tank L. At or near where the pipe joins the still
head a valve M is inserted, and at or near the bottom of the boiler is a pipe N for
conveying away weak liquor.
The liquor having been admitted to the boiler until nearly full and desulphuretted,
as before described, is treated as follows:-The flow of liquor from the scrubber is
stopped by shutting off the cock attached to the pipe leading from the scrubber to
the boiler, and the valve in the neck of the still head is opened; the temperature is
then raised to boiling and continued until the whole or nearly the whole of the
ammonia contained in the liquor is driven off together with some vapour of water
and condensed by the cooler J before mentioned, the result being a highly caustic
solution of ammonia which is run off into the store vat L before alluded to. The
refuse or weak liquor remaining in the boiler may now be run off and used to wash
the gas which has been previously subjected to the caustic ammonia, so as to wash
out any ammonia that the gas may have absorbed from the caustic liquor, and for

page_text: this purpose it is preferable to water since it is less liable to affect the hydrocarbons;
or the weak liquor may be otherwise disposed of as discretion may dictate. The
still head valve M being shut and the liquor supply cock opened, the desulphuretting
process may again be proceded with.
The solution of caustic ammonia, made as described, being comparatively pure
may be used with great advantage in the purification of gas from both sulphuretted
hydrogen, sulphur compounds, and carbonic acid, by submitting the gas to its action
either in scrubbers, washers, or other suitable vessels, and from its being used in
a concentrated form the gas is not so likely to have its hydrocarbons absorbed as
when a greater quantity of weaker liquid is employed for the same purpose. By
the use of such concentrated liquor also smaller purifiers may be used, thereby
effecting an economy in expenditure on plant together with a reduction in the
quantity of purifying material subsequently employed.
It is not absolutely necessary that the boiler used for desulphuretting should also
be used as the still for concentrating the liquor, as the liquor may be run off from
the boiler to a separate still, but on the ground of economy where the expenditure
on plant is a consideration the same apparatus may be used for both purposes. If
however the process is conducted upon a large scale it becomes desirable that it
should be a continuous one, and in that case an arrangement is shown at Fig. 3,
whereby this may be effected. In this Figure, O is the boiler, and P the separate
still. It will be seen that by adopting this arrangement as fast as the liquor is
purified in the boiler O it will run into the still P, and the flow may be regulated
so that the still never becomes too full, the pipe U being left partially open, or the
weak liquor being drawn off occasionally till the still is nearly empty.
The vessel used for desulphuretting the liquor may be so arranged that the tem-
perature may be kept up by the exhaust steam produced on the works, being
admitted by a pipe Q, Fig. 2, and made to travel through a series of pipes immersed
in the liquor contained in the vessel R, while steam from a special boiler may be
injected by a pipe S into the liquor whenever the boiling or distillation is necessary.
Attached to the vessel R there is a pipe T for the exit of the exhaust steam, and a
pipe U for running off the weak liquor. Each of the boilers should be furnished
with a gauge to show the height of the liquor.
In each of the Figures similar letters refer to the same parts.
Having now described and particularly set forth the nature of this Invention,
and the manner in which the same is or may be used or carried into effect, we
would observe in conclusion that we do not confine or restrict ourselves to the
precise details or arrangements which we have described or referred to, as variations
may be made therefrom without deviating from the principles or main features of
this Invention, but what we consider to be novel and original, and therefore
claim as the Invention secured to us by the herein-before in part recited Letters
Patent is, the production of material for and method of purifying coal gas, and in
the combination and arrangement of apparatus used for that purpose, as herein
described and shown on the Drawings.
In witness whereof, we, the said Thomas Atkinson Collinge and Thomas
Ormiston Paterson, have hereunto set our hands and seals, this Sixth day of
July, in the year of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and seventy-
T. A. COLLINGE. (L.S.)
T. O. PATERSON. (L.S.)