and Nitrogen from Atmospheric Air.
Year: 1885

page_text: and Nitrogen from Atmospheric Air.
We LEON QUENTIN BRIN and ARTHUR BRIN both of 7 Rue Gavarni Paris in
the Republic of France Civil Engineers do hereby declare the nature of said
Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN THE SEPARATION AND OBTAINMENT OF OXYGEN
AND NITROGEN FROM ATMOSPHERIC AIR to be as follows:-
"
Our Invention has for its object to provide means whereby oxygen and nitrogen
may be separated and obtained from atmospheric air separately from each other in
a commercially available manner.
According to our Invention we first separate from atmospheric air the moisture
and the carbonic acid gas contained therein which may conveniently be effected
by drawing the air through a substance or substances which will absorb moisture
and carbonic acid gas. Quick lime and caustic soda are suitable substances for the
purposes of our Invention and they may be contained in any suitable vessel or
chamber or vessels or chambers provided with an inlet for the ordinary air and an
outlet for the mixed oxygen and nitrogen after the said substance or substances have
caused the separation therefrom of both the moisture and the carbonic acid gas-
The mixed oxygen and nitrogen are then drawn by a vacuum by pipes or passages
into a retort or retorts containing heated anhydrous oxide of barium which may
be prepared as described in the Provisional Specification of our Application for a
Patent of even date with this. The said heated anhydrous oxide of barium will
absorb the oxygen, and the nitrogen will pass off into a suitable receiver-When
the said heated anhydrous oxide of barium has absorbed all the oxygen it can take
up, the supply of mixed oxygen and nitrogen is stopped, the outlet for the nitrogen
is closed, and the inlet to a holder for the oxygen is opened and the oxygen is
withdrawn from the anhydrous oxide of barium by creating a vacuum or a partial
vacuum in the retort or retorts. During this time the heat may be increased with
advantage. The process is then repeated, the peculiar nature of the anhydrous
oxide of barium and the previous treatment of the air allowing of the process
being carried on in a continuous and commercially successful manner.
The apparatus and retorts used in the process may be arranged in any suitable
way, but the pump for creating the requisite vacua should be situated between the
outlet of the retorts and the gasometers where the produced gases are stored-The
heating of the retorts may be regulated by making the movement of the retorts
themselves under the action of heat act as pyrometers to operate the air admission
valve to control combustion in the furnaces.

page_text: improvements in the separation and Obtainment of oxygen
and Nitrogen from Atmospheric Air.
We LEON QUENTIN BRIN and ARTHUR BRIN both of Paris in the Republic of
France Civil Engineers 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:-
Our Invention has for its object to provide means whereby oxygen and
nitrogen may be separated from air and obtained separately from each other in a
commercially available manner.
According to our Invention we first separate from atmospheric air the moisture
and the carbonic acid gas contained therein which may conveniently be effected by
drawing or forcing the air through a substance or substances which will absorb
moisture and carbonic acid gas. Quick lime and caustic soda are suitable
substances for the purposes of our Invention and they may be contained in any
suitable vessel or chamber or vessels or chambers provided with an inlet for the
ordinary air and an outlet for the mixed oxygen and nitrogen after the said
substance or substances have caused the separation therefrom of both the moisture
and the carbonic acid gas. The mixed oxygen and nitrogen are then drawn or
forced by pumps or any suitable forcing or suction apparatus through pipes or
passages into a retort or retorts containing heated baryta free from carbonic acid
nitric acid and moisture such as is the anhydrous oxide of barium prepared as
described in the Specification of our application for a patent numbered 151 of even
date with this The said heated anhydrous oxide of barium will absorb the oxygen.
the nitrogen being drawn off and passed into a suitable receiver When the said
heated anhydrous oxide of barium has absorbed all the oxygen it can take up the
inlet for the drawing or forcing in of the air is closed and consequently the supply
of mixed Oxygen and nitrogen to the retorts is stopped the outlet for the nitrogen
is closed and the inlet to a holder for the oxygen is opened and the oxygen is
withdrawn from the anhydrous oxide of barium which may be effected by the
pumps or suction apparatus creating a vacuum or a partial vacuum in the retort or
retorts and the said oxygen is passed into its receiver During this time the heat
may be increased with advantage. The process may then be repeated the peculiar
nature of the anhydrous oxide of barium and the previous treatment of the air to
withdraw carbonic acid and moisture allowing of the process being carried on in a
continuous and commercially successful manner.
The apparatus and retorts used in the process may be arranged in any suitable
way but the pump for drawing in the air and for creating the vacua are preferably
situated between the outlet of the retorts and the gasometers where the produced
gases are stored The proper heating of the retorts during the withdrawal of the
Oxygen therefrom may be regulated by making the movement of one or more of
the retorts themselves under the action of heat act as a pyrometer to operate the
adınission valve for air, to control the combustion for heating the retorts.
And in order that our said Invention may be fully understood we shall now
proceed more particularly to describe the same and a convenient apparatus in

page_text: which to carry on the process and for that purpose shall refer to the several
figures on the annexed sheets of drawings the said letters of reference indicating
corresponding parts in all the figures, but we premise that we do not limit ourselves
to the precise form or arrangement of apparatus illustrated.
Figure 1 of the drawing is a general view of a suitable plant for carrying on the
manufacture according to our Invention.
Figure 2 represents separately partly in section the apparatus for separating
moisture and carbonic acid from the atmospheric air.
Figure 3 shews a detail of the head of one of the retorts for containing the
anhydrous oxide of barium and Figure 4 represents a longitudinal section of the
bench of retorts shewing a detail of the arrangement whereby a retort is caused
to act as a regulating pyrometer. Figure 5 illustrates the lamp hereinafter
described A is an inlet for the air through layers of caustic soda and lime placed
on trays or supports b in the vessel B-D is the outlet from the vessel B for the
mixture of oxygen and nitrogen after the moisture and carbonic acid have been
separated therefrom and C is a hygrometric balance for indicating the degrees of
dryness of the mixture of oxygen and nitrogen drawn therethrough, d is a cock for
closing the said outlet and E E are cocks for admitting the said mixture of oxygen
and nitrogen to the retorts F F as required. The said retorts F F are preferably
provided with ends and joints at each extremity like that shewn at Figure 3 and
contain anhydrous oxide of barium and communicate the one with the other by
pipes or passages ff the last of the series being provided with a pipe or passage G
for the drawing off of the oxygen or the nitrogen from the retorts H is a vacuum
chamber for the reception of nitrogen during the peroxidation of the anhydrous
oxide of barium in the retorts F and subsequently of oxygen during the deoxidation
of the said oxide of barium-This chamber H is in communication with a vacuum
indicator surmounted by the electric bell h which rings when the deoxidation ought
to be arrested a column of mercury in the instrument being lengthened to make
contact for sounding the bell owing to alteration in pressure when there is no more
oxygen coming from the retorts I. I are pipes leading from the said chamber H
to the pumps J J acting to draw air into the apparatus at A-K is an outlet pipe
for the gases and L is a three way cock through which the nitrogen is directed into
a gasometer during the peroxidation of the anhydrous oxide of barium in the
retorts F and through which the oxygen is directed into the gasometer M during
the deoxidation of the said oxide of barium the passages or pipes from K being
arranged so that they can be opened to and closed by the said cock from either
the gasometer for the oxygen or the gasometer for the nitrogen as required-N is
a gas producer or furnace producing carbonic oxide and O is a conduit conducting
the carbonic oxide to the distribution flues leading to the chamber P in which the
carbonic oxide meets with air and becomes ignited and burns to heat the retorts F
The said air is admitted by the conduit Q which is provided with a damper T² and
with a regulator valve R operated upon by one of the retorts acting as a pyrometer
as aforesaid and as illustrated more particularly in figure 4. S is the furnace
containing the retorts F around which circulates the heat from the gas producer.
T is a chamber and U is a chimney for the escape of the gases after passing through
the furnace Su² is a lamp (shewn in detail in Figure 5) in communication with
the discharge pipe of the pump so that the part of the gases passing through the
said pipe are conducted to the burner of the lamp and being ignited thereby cause
the lamp to act as an indicator chewing the progress of the operations.
The air drawn in by the pumps J J enters the apparatus through the inlet A.
It is drawn through the compartments of the apparatus B containing caustic
soda and lime and is by this means deprived of its carbonic acid and moisture
these being taken up by the multiple surfaces of the said materials with
which the air is brought into contact The apparatus C indicates the degrees
of dryness of the mixture of oxygen and nitrogen thus produced which is
drawn through the pipe D and cock d and through the two cocks E E and
thence into the retorts F F and through or over the anhydrous oxide of barium

page_text: contained therein which takes up the oxygen and thus leaves the Nitrogen free, the
said Nitrogen passing through the pipes G G into the vacuum chamber H whence
it is drawn by the pumps J J and is discharged or directed through the three way
cock L into the Gasometer provided for its reception.
When the contents of the retorts F have taken up as much Oxygen as they will
take up (which will be shewn by the lamp u indicating that oxygen is present in
the passing gas) the cock d is closed. The pumps J J continuing to work, extract
the oxygen which has combined with the Anhydrous Oxide, the vacuum created
in the retorts by the action of the pumps greatly facilitating the operation.
Before beginning to store the Oxygen it is necessary to purge the pipes and
the chamber H of the Nitrogen which they contain. For this purpose the lamp u²
is watched and as soon as pure oxygen is observed to be passing the cock Lis
shifted so as to cause the Oxygen to pass into the gasometer provided for its
reception.
The heating agent employed for the retorts F in the arrangement shewn is
Carbonic Oxide produced by a gas producer N. This carbonic Oxide passes
through the conduit O and is distributed in the flues and delivered into the
chamber P where when required it meets and mingles with the atmospheric air
entering by the passage Q. The heating agent circulates around the Retorts F in
the furnace S and thence passes to the chamber T from which it is discharged into
the chimney.
The temperature of the retorts whilst their contents are taking up the Oxygen
should be maintained between 500 and 600 degrees centigrade or thereabouts and
this heating is accomplished by the Carbonic Oxide alone, the valve T in the
passage Q-being closed but the temperature of the said retorts whilst the Oxygen
so taken up is being withdrawn should be raised to 800 degrees centigrade or
thereabouts, this raising of the temperature being accomplished by opening the
valve T² and admitting air by the passage Q.
In order to regulate with absolute precision this elevated temperature we
prefer to employ a pyrometer for the purpose of automatically regulating the
admission of air by the passage Q, and this pyrometer may be formed by one or
more of the retorts. Figure 4 shews a retort arranged for this purpose. The said
retort is prevented from expanding at one end by a support to which it is rigidly
attached and which forms part of the body of the furnace. The effects of expansion
are consequently concentrated on the other end which is left free. When expan-
sion takes place a stop or projection f2 on the head of the retort allows a bell
crank lever f³ to move to lower the disc or valve f^ for reducing the quantity of
air admitted at R to mix with the Carbonic Oxide from the furnace N.
During the withdrawal of the Oxygen from the retorts F, this valve or damper
at R and also the valve at T2 are fully open and the air enters freely and the 4
temperature rises to the required degree.
When a temperature of 800° centigrade or thereabouts is reached the retort by
expanding allows the disc or valve R to descend and thus the supply of air is
diminished and consequently the temperature is prevented from rising.
We thus obtain great regularity in the heating which tends to preserve the 4
apparatus and insures a perfectly regular automatic action independently of the
care of of the workmen.
It will be understood that when the Oxygen has been withdrawn from the
contents of the retorts the air is again admitted at A and the process already
described is repeated, as many times as desired.
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
First. In the process of separating and obtaining oxygen and Nitrogen from
Atmospheric Air first depriving the air of moisture and carbonic acid and then
drawing passing or forcing the mixed Oxygen and Nitrogen over or through heated
5

page_text: anhydrous oxide of barium or baryta free from carbonic acid nitric acid and
moisture substantially as herein before described.
Second. In the process of separating and obtaining Oxygen and Nitrogen from
atmospheric air, first depriving the air of moisture and carbonic acid, then drawing
passing or forcing the mixed Oxygen and Nitrogen over or through heated
Anhydrous oxide of Barium or baryta free from carbonic acid nitric acid and
moisture and drawing off the nitrogen and subsequently disengaging the Oxygen
from the said oxide of Barium or baryta substantially as herein before described.
Third. In the process of separating and obtaining oxygen and Nitrogen from
atmospheric air first depriving the air of moisture and carbonic acid then drawing
or forcing the mixed Oxygen and Nitrogen by aid of a drawing or exhausting or
forcing operation into a retort or retorts or vessel or vessels containing heated
Anhydrous Oxide of Barium or baryta free from carbonic acid Nitric acid and
moisture and drawing off the Nitrogen and then disengaging the Oxygen from
the said Oxide of Barium by means of a Vacuum or Exhaust and at an elevated
temperature substantially as herein before described.
Fourth. The separation and obtainment of Oxygen and Nitrogen from atmo-
spheric air by the process as a whole conducted substantially as hereinbefore
described in apparatus arranged and operating substantially as hereinbefore
described.