Improvements in Machinery applicable for Filtering, Condensing, and Absorbing Air, Smoke, Fumes, and other Gases, or for ○ Cooling or Heating Water or other Liquids.
Year: 1895

page_text: Date of Application, 30th July, 1895
Complete Specification Left, 30th Apr., 1896-Accepted, 13th June, 1896
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Machinery applicable for Filtering, Condensing,
and Absorbing Air, Smoke, Fumes, and other Gases, or for
○ Cooling or Heating Water or other Liquids.
1. HARRY RICHMOND CHUBB, of 16 South Street, Greenwich, in the County
of Kent, Engineer, do hereby declare the nature of this invention to be as
follows:-
°
This invention has for its object the construction of an apparatus or machine.
which shall be applicable for purposes of filtering, washing, condensing, cooling or
heating air, steam, and smoke or other gases produced by steam engines and
boilers, furnaces, kilus or chemical apparatus; or for cooling or heating water or
other liquids or for the impregnating of alkaline, acid or neutral solutions with
waste or other gases and vapours, or for the impregnating of air or vapours with
gases contained in solutions for purposes of disinfecting buildings, drains, sewers or
noxious vapours proceeding therefrom, or for producing cooled or heated air for
supplying public or other buildings, either for purposes of ventilation or
otherwise.
The machine as I prefer to construct it consists of a drum with a hollow centre,
the circumferences of which are made of wire work, perforated plate or other
suitable open work, which is partly filled with charcoal, coke, shells, cork, small
pieces of wood, fire brick, asbestos, or any convenient material, suitable for
resisting the action of heat, acids, or strong alkaline solutions when desired, and
revolves on bearings or friction rollers in a tank containing water, or an alkaline or
acid solution according to what particular purpose the apparatus may be applied;
this tank has a casing or cover fixed over the top of it and provided with a chimney
or tube to convey away the filtered air, fumes, or gases; the joint between the
casing and the tank may be made by means of a water, or water and sand loot, or
by any of the ordinary methods; the tank may be made with a vertical partition
forming a separate chamber to serve as a depositing chamber, and may be fitted
with baffle plates, perforated or otherwise, to assist in separating impurities or
moisture contained in fumes or vapours treated, such as oil contained in exhaust
steam, and particles of carbon or ash in the case of smoke; or a separate tank may
be used for the purpose of this depositing chamber; in either case communication
is provided between the depositing chamber and the hollow centre. The depositing
may be assisted by the gases on entering the depositing chamber being caused to
impinge, by a suitably shaped mouth piece or nozzle, on curved fan blades fixed
between two discs keyed on a shaft, the revolving motion of which throws the
impurities referred to against the sides of the tank and so on to the bottom,
provision being made for the drainage of the moisture and removal of solid matter.
These fan blades revolve preferably in a horizontal plane and may be rotated by
means of a pulley, fixed on its shaft, and belt or other convenient means, or, in the
case of strong blasts or escaping or exhaust steam, it may derive its motion from
the impact of the blast, and the power thus imparted be utilized for assisting to
drive the drum by means of a woim and pinion or other suitable means, with or
without intermediate friction gearing. The outside of the drum is fitted with
a number of troughs, similar to the buckets of a water wheel, which, becoming
filled as the drum revolves, discharge their contents in a shower over the filtering

page_text: material as each bucket is travelling through the upper half of the drum's circuit;
similar buckets may be fixed on the inside of the drum if desired; or, instead of
the buckets being fixed to the drum, they may be attached to an endless chain as
in a chain pump, and may thus be made to reach to the bottom of a tank of any
depth, and revolve around the drum; or the same object may be effected by
a continuous spray of water or solution of any kind delivered over the top of
the drum.
The gases or fumes to be dealt with, are extracted from the boiler or furnace
flues, or lower portion of the chimney, or chemical, or other apparatus, by means
of a fan, blower, a jet of steam or compressed air or other suitable means, and
delivered into the depositing chamber, from whence they are led to the hollow
centre of the drum, to escape from which to the exit shaft, they are obliged to pasз
through the filtering material and the continuous shower of water or other liquid:
the intercepted solid matter and the water, or solution impregnated with the
absorbed gases, finding their exit from the perforations of the drum at the bottom
and the spent gases or vapours from the perforations at the top. The filtered
fumes may be returned to the boiler or furnace chimney at a point higher up than
from where they were extracted by.connecting the exit pipe of the apparatus with
the chimney. The draught of the chimney may be assisted by introducing a second
fan or jet between the exit of the machine and the chimney, if desirable. The
said exit pipe and chimney and the flue from chimney to the depositing chambers
are fitted with a system of valves or dampers to regulate the direction of the
fumes to and from the machine, or to permit of the machine being put out of use
and the chimney put in direct communication with the furnace flues, as in the
ordinary method.
When the drum is constructed without the buckets fixed to its circumference
and has instead the buckets attached to an endless chain, the water or solution
with the intercepted solid matter coming away at the bottom of the drum may be
delivered into a trough, fixed close up underneath the drum, which may deliver
into a tank fitted with a filter, (by means of which all solids are separated), instead
of falling into the tank direct; this trough may have communication with both the
filter and drum tank by means of a tap or taps; the filtered liquor returning to the
drum tank to be used over and over again. Both the drum and filter tanks are
fitted with overflow standpipes and run off valves. The drum is provided with
a manhole for purposes of cleaning or recharging it with fresh filtering material.
It may, when necessary, be lined with firebrick or other suitable material.
In treating gases from boilers or other sources where the exhaust steam from the
engine goes up the chimney, such as those of the locomotive or portable or semi-
portable type, two or more machines may be used, one for the sunoke, or smoke
and part of the steam, and another for condensing the remainder of the steam; the
second machine being fed by a branch pipe from the exhaust, so that a supply of
nearly boiling and softened water may be produced for boiler feeding or other
purposes; or an independent machine may be used for purposes of steam condensing
and water heating only, when the fan blades in the depositing chamber may be
dispensed with, if desirable.
When treating gases or vapours, with which no solid matters are mixed, the
intermediate depositing chamber with fan blades may be dispensed with.
When used for impregnating alkaline, acid, or neutral solutions with gases
produced in any chemical or manufacturing operation, the said gases being, either
a waste product or produced for the purpose of being absorbed by the said
solution, the depositing chamber may here also be dispensed with. Should the
solution to be treated contain matter in suspension that has a tendency to settle
on the bottom of the tank, the tank may be provided with an agitator to prevent
such settlement.
If desirable, a series of these machines may be arranged in such a manner that
the escaping gases from the first machine deliver into the hollow centre of the
second, and the second into the third, and so on..
"

page_text: A supply of filtered and cooled. air may be obtained for ventilating and other
purposes by blowing air through the machine, the tank being supplied with water
cooled artificially, or direct from a well, or water main, or other supply.
A supply of washed and warmed air may be obtained for similar purposes. by
substituting warm or hot water (which may be treated with a disinfectant) for
cold.
Sewers and drains may be ventilated and the escaping gases disinfected or
rendered harmless by passing them through the machine, the tanks being supplied
with a disinfectant solution which may be heated or otherwise.
For whatever purpose the machine be used, the air, or gases to be treated, are
delivered into the machine under pressure, as described when dealing with fumes
from boilers and other sources, or may be drawn through instead of forced, or
both may be used in conjunction.
It is obvious that the direction of the current of gases dealt with may be reversed
by making the gases enter the drum by the perforations in its circumference and
allowing them to escape by way of the hollow centre.
Dated this 30th day of July 1895.
HARRY RICHMOND CHUBB.
Improvements in Machinery applicable for Filtering, Condensing,
and Absorbing Air, Smoke, Fumes, and other Gases, or for
Cooling or Heating Water or other Liquids.
I, HARRY RICHMOND CHUBB, of 16, South Street, Greenwich, in the County
of Kent, Engineer, 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:-
This invention relates to apparatus or machines for filtering, washing, condensing,
cooling or heating air, steam and smoke, or other gases produced by steam engines
and boilers, furnaces, kilns or chemical apparatus; for cooling, or heating water or
other liquids; for impregnating alkaline, acid or neutral solutions with waste or
other gases and vapours for impregnating air, or vapours, with gases contained in
solutions for purposes of disinfecting buildings, drains, or sewers or rendering
innocuous vapours proceeding therefrom, or for producing cooled or heated air
for supplying public or other buildings, either for purposes of ventilation or
otherwise.
The machine, as I prefer to construct it, is provided with a drum the cylindrical
portion of which is made of wirework, perforated plate or other suitable open-work,
and has within it a smaller cylinder or hollow body made of similar open-work.
The space between these two cylinders is wholly or partly filled with charcoal,
coke, shells, cork, small pieces of wood, firebrick, asbestos or any convenient
material suitable for resisting the action of heat, acids, or strong alkaline solutions,
as desired.
This double drum hercinafter referred to as the filter drum revolves on bearings,
or antifriction rollers, in a tank or chamber for containing water, or an alkaline,
acid or neutral solution, according to the particular purpose for which the apparatus
may be applied, whereby the material in the said filter drum is constantly
maintained in a wet condition so that as the gases are forced through the said
material they will come into intimato contact with the wetted surface thereof.
The said tank or chamber has a movable cover and is provided with a chimney or
tube to convey away the filtered air, fumes, or gases. The joint between the cover
and the walls of the chamber may be made by means of water, or water and sand,
or by any of the ordinary methods.

page_text: As applied for the treatment of smoke from boiler or other chimneys, or kilns or
other apparatus producing fumes or gases containing particles of carbon, or ash,
oil or other impurities of a nature capable of being partially separated by means of
a depositing chamber, a convenient construction and arrangement of apparatus is
as follows, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, in which:
Figure 1 is a plan of a general arrangement of the apparatus, the cover being
removed:
Figure 2 is a section on the line A B of Figure 1:
Figure 3 is a section on the line C D, Figure 1, looking in the direction of the
arrow:
Figure 4 is a section on the line E F, Figure 1.
a indicates a casing divided by a partition a¹ to form two chambers b, c each of
which is provided with a removable cover chaving a flange c² dipping into a
channel containing water, sand or the like, the chamber serving to receive the
smoke before passing through the filter and the chamber e to receive it after
passing through the filter and being hereinafter referred to as the "receiving" and
filtering" chambers respectively. The chamber c contains the liquid for wetting
the material in the filter drum.
d is the filter drum, and do, d' are the inner and outer open-work cylinders
thereof. This filter, which is provided on one side with a hollow casting d³ forming
a passage between the receiving chamber band the interior of the filter, is carried
at one end by a spindle in a bearing and at the other end by antifriction
rollers d³, d upon which the casting runs. If desired, rullers may be arranged
to carry the drum. at its periphery.
e is a tube or passage through which the gases to be treated are introduced into
the apparatus, and is a tube for conducting the filtered gases from the depositing
chamber to a chimney or elsewhere.
The gases or fumes to be dealt with are delivered into the chamber by means
of a fan o or a blower or by a jet of steam, or compressed air through a nozzle g
(indicated by dotted lines in Figure 1) or by other suitable means, from whence
they pass to the hollow centre of the filter, thence through the filtering material
into the chamber e and thence through the tube f.
The draught of the chimney may be assisted, if desirable,, by introducing a
second fan or jet between the chamber and the chimney: if a fan be used one
of the low pressure class, such as indicated, is preferable.
Rotary motion can be communicated to the filter d and the fans g and h by any
suitable means, as shewn in the drawings, a shaft i is provided with two pulleys g,
connected by belts with pulleys on the spindles g, h² of the fans g, h respectively.
Motion is imparted to the filter from the spindle 2 of the fan through the
medium of the bevel wheels j, the shaft j', the worm and the worm wheel³.
To assist in separating particles of impurities or moisture contained in the fumes
or vapours treated, I sometimes arrauge opposite to the inlet tube or nozzle e a
centrifugal device consisting of a series of curved fan blades k, fixed between
two dises, keyed on a shaft 2 to which a rotary motion is imparted, and on
the walls of the receiving chamber I fit a series of battle plates 1, perforated or
not as desired. With this arrangement as the centrifugal device rotates the
impurities referred to are thrown against the battle plates and run down the same,
a trapped pipe m or other suitable means being provided for draining off any liquid
matter; any solid matter which collects may be removed from the bottom of the
receiving chamber through soot doors m³, ml provided for the purpose.
The centrifugal device may be rotated by means of a belt a running upon a
pulley on the shaft and upon another pulley n³ upon the shaft 2 of the centri-
fugal device. In practice the shaft 2 is made in two parts, as shewn, connected by
friction cones for a purpose which is well understood in connection with centrifugal
apparatus.
In cases where the gases to be purified or treated enter the receiving chamber
with great velocity, the driving mechanism just described may be dispensed with,

page_text: the centrifugal device being driven by the force of the blast, and in this case the
motion thus imparted to the centrifugal device may be utilized through the medium
of suitable gearing for assisting in driving the filter drum..
Revolving around and with the filter drum d is an endless band or chain o to
which are attached buckets o¹, o' after the manner of a chain pump. These
buckets, as the filter drum revolves, dip into the water, or solution, contained in
the chamber c, and discharge their contents in a shower over the filtering material
in the drum as each bucket is travelling through the upper half of the drum's
circuit. The band or chain is of a length suitable to reach to the bottom of the
chamber c. For certain purposes it is more convenient to dispense with the band
or chain and fix the buckets on the periphery of the drum itself, either on the
outside or the inside or on both. Or the same object may be effected, or be
supplemented, by a spray of water or solution delivered over the top of the drum
through a perforated pipe o connected to a supply pipe, the flow being continuous
or regulated by a ball-cock o³ fixed in. a small tank of communicating with the
filtering chamber and serving to maintain a uniform depth of water in the said
chamber c.
6
The solid matter intercepted by the filtering substances and the water or solution
impregnated with the absorbed gases, escape through the perforations at the bottom
of the cylinder drun whilst the spent or filtered gases or vapours from the
perforations at the top of the drum escape into the top of the chamber c and are
discharged through the tube f and if desired the said gases may be returned to the
chimney at a point higher up than that from which they were introduced into
the chamber b.
с
e
The said exit tube f is fitted with a valve or damper p and the pipe or tube,
through which the gases to be treated are introduced into the fan, is also
provided with a valve 7, Figure 1. A damper is also placed in the inlet pipe
near the base of the chimney. By means of this system of dampers and valves
the direction of the gases to and from the apparatus is regulated or the apparatus
is put entirely out of action.
In order to prevent the possibility of the casing of the fan g and its bearings
together with the bearings of the shaft from becoming heated, jackets r may be
formed through which water may be caused to circulate,, being the circulating
pipes.
Instead of the said fan being situated as shewn in the drawings, it may be
arranged to deliver into the flue or ash-pit of the furnace the products of com-
bustion from which are to be treated, in this case the chamber is connected
directly with the flue or chimney.
When the filter drum is constructed without the buckets fixed to its periphery
and has, instead, the buckets attached to an endless band or chain, as shewn in the
drawings, the water or solution with the intercepted solid matter coming away at
the bottom of the said filter drum may be delivered into a troughs which may
deliver through a pipe s¹ into settling tanks t, t fitted with filters 2, 3 (by means
of which all solids are separated) instead of falling from the drum into the filtering
chamber c direct. The tanks t, t with their filters 2, 3 are used alternately by
shifting the hose t' attached to the pipe s' from one tank to the other, so that one
tank and filter may be cleaned out whilst the other is working. The tanks t, t
may be fitted with scum shelves or boards to and t7, and the divisions and t
separating the filters from the settling portions of the tanks are made of such a
height that they form a weir over which the water or solution flows into the
filters. The filtered liquor returns to the filtering chamber e through the pipes u, u²
and is kept continually circulating; u², ³ are overflow stand pipes connected to
the pipes and u and come into use if the filters become dirty and clogged;
u, u are draw-off taps from the filters by which the liquor, when saturated with
the gases, may be drawn off; u, u are cocks shutting off communication between
the filters t, 3 and the filtering chamber. The trough s may have communication
with both the settling tanks t, t'as well as with the drum tank e by means of a

page_text: three-way tap, or taps, fixed in, or in connection with the pipes or by the simple
means of closing the end of the hose' and allowing the troughs to overflow into
the chamber c.
The filter drum d is provided with a man-hole or hand-hole ³ for purposes of
-cleaning or recharging it with fresh filtering material. The said filter drum may,
when necessary, be lined with firebrick or other suitable material.
In treating gases from boilers or other sources where the exhaust steam from
the engine goes up the chimney, such as those of the locomotive or portable or
semi-portable type, two or more machines may be used, one for the smoke, or
smoke and part of the steam, and a second, or more, if desirable, for treating the
remainder of the steam, a branch pipe from the exhaust feeding the second
machine, the drum of which may revolve in an alkaline or other solution for the
purpose of further purifying the steam of oil or other impurities, and then
delivering its uncondensed steam (for the solution would be maintained at or about
boiling point) into a third machine so that a supply of nearly boiling and softened
water may be produced for boiler feeding or other purposes.
When the machine is used for purposes of steam condensing or water heating
only and where it is not required to separate any of the impurities which the
steam or heated air or gases may contain, the receiving chamber and centrifugal
device may be dispensed with as also may the tanks t, t and filters t², t³.
When treating gases and vapours with which no solid matters are mixed.the
receiving chamber & with the centrifugal device may be dispensed with as also
may the tanks t, and filters t, 3 if desirable.
It is obvious that the process of cooling or heating air, gases, or vapours also
effects at the same time the heating and cooling respectively of the liquid used as
the medium, and vice versa: similarly also would the impregnation, or auration of
a liquid with a gas likewise, in many cases, be at the same time effected;
conversely air, gas or vapours would be impregnated or mingled with a gas given
off by a solution under treatment, the liberation of which gas may be by heat
or other means. The temperature of a medium, whether a gas or a liquid,
may be controlled by means the most suitable of application in each particular
-case.
When used for impregnating alkaline, acid or neutral solutions with gases
produced in any chemical or manufacturing operation such as the production of
carbon dioxide by the fermentation of brewers' and distillers' wort, or from the
kilns of lime or cement works, the said gases being either a waste product or
produced for the purpose of being absorbed by the said solution the depositing
chamber may here also be dispensed with. In cases where a solution is used
which, on becoming saturated with the gas it is absorbing, will crystallize out, the
settling tanks, serve the purpose of crystallizing pans, each being used
alternately, or in turn where a number are used. Should the solution to
be treated contain matter in suspension that has a tendency to settle on the
bottom of the tank, the tank may be provided with an agitator to prevent such
settlement.
If desirable a series of these machines may be used, arranged in such a manner
that the escaping gases from the first machine deliver into the hollow centre of the
second, and the second into the third and so on; when purifying or absorbing
gases of a complex nature the various tanks will be supplied with solutions
of a kind suitable for absorbing the various constituents of the gas under
treatment.
A supply of filtered and cooled air may be obtained for ventilating public or
other buildings, or for other purposes, by blowing air through the machine, the
tank being supplied with water cooled artificially, or direct from a well, water
main, or other supply; or a supply of filtered and warmed air may be obtained for
similar purposes by substituting warm or hot water (which may be treated with a
disinfectant) for cold, the filtered air being delivered into the building through
suitable gratings in the floor or walls, or by funnel-mouthed pipes fixed at intervals

page_text: around the walls at suitable heights and carried up from the main pipe below or on:
the floor.
Sewers and drains may be ventilated and the escaping gases disinfected or
rendered harmless by passing them through the machine, the tank being supplied
with a disinfectant solution which may be heated or otherwise.
For whatever purpose the machine be used the air or gases to be treated are.
delivered into the machine under pressure as described when dealing with fumes
from boilers and other sources, or may be drawn through instead of forced, or both
may be used in conjunction.
It is obvious that the direction of the current of gases dealt with may be
reversed by making the gases enter the drun by the perforations in its circum-.
ference and allowing then to escape by way of the hollow centre, or, where more
than one drum is used the two arrangements may be combined so that the initial
inlet of the gases may be by the hollow centre of one drum and the final outlet by
the hollow centre of another.
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 I
claim is :-
1. Apparatus or machinery for filtering, condensing and absorbing air, smoke,.
fumes and other gases or for cooling or heating water or other liquids comprising
two chambers into one of which the gases to be treated are introduced by means of
a fan and wherein they are subjected to centrifugal action by means of a
centrifugal device and the other of which contains a filter drum comprising two.
perforated concentric cylinders in the space between which are placed pieces of
charcoal, coke, wood or other material through which the partially purified gases
from the first chamber are caused to pass before escaping into the second chamber
from which they are led to any desirable point, the said filter drum being provided
or having arranged in conjunction with it means whereby the filtering medium will
be constantly maintained in a wetted condition, substantially as described.
2. In apparatus or machinery for filtering, condensing and absorbing air, smoke,.
fumes and other gases or for cooling or heating water or other liquids wherein a
cylindrical filter drum rotates in a closed chamber into which the gases to be
treated are introduced through the medium of a fan the arrangement of a second.
fan or jet substantially as, and for the purposes, described.
3. In an apparatus or machine for filtering, condensing and absorbing air, smoke,.
fumes and other gases or for cooling or heating water or other liquids wherein a.
rotating drum of the kind described is employed, the combination with the said
drum of an endless chain of buckets arranged around it and a trough beneath the
said drum for collecting the liquid falling from the said drum and conducting it
away, substantially as described.
4. In apparatus or machinery for filtering, condensing and absorbing air, smoke,.
fumes and other gases or for cooling or heating water or other liquids, the combina-
tion with a filter drum arranged as described of one or more settling and filtering.
tanks, substantially as described.
G. F. REDFERN & Co.,
4, South Street, Finsbury, London, Agents for the Applicant..