Improvements in or relating to the Preparation of Carbonic Acid Gas Mineral Water Baths.
Year: 1894

page_text: Date of Application, 20th Apr., 1894-Accepted, 25th May, 1894.
Improvements in or relating to the Preparation of Carbonic Acid Gas
Mineral Water Baths.
A communication from FRIEDRICH AUGUST JOSEPH KAISER, known as
KELLER, of Kaulbachstrasse 15, Old Town, Dresden, Empire of Germany,
Merchant.
I, ALFRED JULIUS BOULT of 323 High Holborn in the County of Middlesex,
Chartered Patent Agent, 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 :—
With the processes hitherto practised for making bath water charged with
carbonic acid gas, it has been the invariable custom to mix with the water to be
used all the required minerals, such as salts, metals or earths, before impregnation
with carbonic acid gas; then, after the impregnation, the water is used for
the bath.
Despite all experiments, and the utmost care in carrying them out, in relation to
the process of impregnating the water with carbonic acid gas, which exclusively
took place in a so-called "saturator," serious difficulties never failed to arise, and
bar the way to the universal employment of the process, as well as to make the
baths, when obtained very expensive.
For instance, exactly in proportion as the said minerals were dissolved by the
water, so did its capacity for absorbing carbonic acid gas decrease, and-as the
inventor has never failed to experience-its power of retaining the carbonic acid
gas. It was therefore impossible either to obtain mineral-water baths strongly
impregnated with carbonic acid gas, or to avoid serious waste of gas.
To overcome these difficulties and defects is the object of this invention.
According to this process the carbonic acid gas mineral water bath is formed by
mingling together two different waters. A neutral water, impregnated when cold
with carbonic acid gas, as well as a hot water in which the desired minerals are
dissolved, are separately prepared, and separately conveyed to the bath, and therein
for the first time commingled.
In this connection, it remains to point out that the most essential advantage of
this system, that baths variously compounded may be prepared before-hand and
kept ready for use, and also that they can be specially compounded according to
medical prescription, by preparing beforehand the water holding carbonic acid gas,
on the one hand, and, on the other, the mineral water, with different ingredients and
This great
in varying proportions, and keeping them stored ready for use.
advantage is unattainable under the old processes, the rather that the operator
was strictly limited, by natural conditions, to the use of water of one character
only, unless they could, for each specially-supplied bath, empty the entire apparatus,
and for that particular case prepare a special water.
A further difference, in favour of this invention, as compared with the existing
processes, consists in the use of a sprinkling device, for impregnating the water
with carbonic acid gas, instead of the saturator hitherto used; by this device also
most material advantages are obtained. All special motor appliances for the
working of the saturator are entirely dispensed with; and, moreover, a much richer
For instance, the
absorption of carbonic acid gas by the water is attained.
absorption of carbonic acid gas by water only takes place where the gas and water
are in contact; hence it becomes necessary to distribute the water in the thinnest
possible layers, and promote to the utmost the commingling of the gas and
water; and this is effected by a sprinkling device far better than by the saturator.

page_text: :
.
In the accompanying drawing
Figure 1 is an elevation of an apparatus for the preparation of the bath-water,
including the bath itself..
Figures 2 and 3 are vertical sections of the specially arranged sprinkling and
distributing device for the saturation of the water with carbonic acid gas.
The following is the description of the preparation of the cold water charged
with carbonic acid gas.
A indicates the sprinkling or distributing device. The cold water is supplied to
the upper part of A through the pipe a under pressure, either by means of a
force-pump or a suitable head of water, in order to be intimately commingled
with the carbonic acid gas, supplied by the pipe b from the bottle or cylinder B,
also forced in under pressure. The water impregnated with carbonic acid gas
is conveyed to the bath by the pipe c, the inflow being regulated and stopped by
the cock c¹.
The preparation of the second portion of the bath. the hot water, holding mineral
substances in solution is effected as follows:-The water, either in a cold state or
heated, has the mineral ingredients added to it (salts, metals, or earths) in the
receiving vessel E. In order the better to be enabled to regulate the heat at will,
it is preferable that the mixture in E should be made with cold water; and it is
then admitted, through the pipe e, to the heater F, which may be of any convenient
and suitable kind, whereby it is heated, and conveyed finally, through the pipe f
fitted with the cock f¹ to the bath D. By duly regulating the supply from the two
cocks cand any desired admixture of the prepared waters can be obtained in
the bath D. In this manner the water charged with carbonic acid gas is for
the first time heated, so that no antecedent development or giving off of the gas
possible.
For the impregnation of the water the inventor proposes preferably to employ
the sprinkling device shown in Figures 2 and 3. This device is so arranged that
the weight of the water to be impregnated is utilized inside the apparatus in
order to generate movement which will effect the greatest possible subdivision of
the water itself.
The vessel A as already explained, is filled with compressed carbonic acid gas
by the pipe b. The absorption of the gas is promoted by increase of pressure and
decrease of temperature.
The water to be impregnated is introduced under
correspondingly increased pressure through the pipe a which inside the vessel is
worm-shaped, as shown by S. The horizontal sections of this worm are finely
perforated on their underside, from which the water streams forth in the form of
a fine rain, and so fails through the vessel filled with carbonic acid gas, whereby
the water becomes saturated with the gas. In order to prolong to the utmost
possible degree the flow of the water in contact with the gas as well as to
subdivide and agitate it as much as possible, a series of swinging or oscillating
plates pp is added to the apparatus. These plates are either suspended from the
said horizontal pipe-sections, by means of hooks p₁ as shown in the drawing
Figures 2 and 3, or arranged to swing on special axes. These plates not only break
the free fall of the water-particles, but also act as splash-boards, to scatter and
sprinkle the falling water, with the result of keeping it in rapid and continuous
motion. As will be seen in Figure 3, the water falling from the uppermost plate
is cast on one side of the next plate in succession, with a certain shock, from the
weight of the water which sets the plate swinging; the same with all the plates
in succession, so that the whole series is kept in constant oscillation. Consequently
the water, in its descent through the vessel, is continually splashed about, and finely
subdivided, so that all its particles are brought into intimate contact with the
carbonic acid gas.
As already explained, the water saturated with gas is drawn off for use by the
pipe c; g is a safety-valve. By means of the cock and pipe i, which latter is 5
carried up to the top of the apparatus, the air, which, owing to its lighter specific
gravity, rises above the carbonic acid gas, may from time to time be drawn off.

page_text: Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of this said inven-
tion as communicated to me by my foreign correspondent, and in what manner the
same is to be performed, I declare that what I claim is:
1. The formation of a carbonic acid gas mineral-water bath from two waters one
a cold water impregnated with carbonic acid gas in a sprinkling apparatus and
the other a hot water in which are dissolved the required mineral ingredients in the
form of salts minerals or earths which two waters after having been each separately
prepared are for the first time mingled in the bath substantially as described.
2. In apparatus for preparing carbonic acid gas mineral water baths a sprinkling
device for the saturation of the water with carbonic acid gas wherein the water
from the orifices of a perforated worm such as S is sprinkled inside a vessel filled
with carbonic acid gas and in which are suspended underneath the perforations of
the worm plates such as p which are caused to oscillate by the falling water so
that a fine subdivision and an intimate admixture of the gas and water is obtained
substantially as described and illustrated in the accompanying drawings.
3. The complete apparatus for preparing carbonic acid gas mineral water baths
substantially as described and illustrated in the accompanying drawings.
W. P. THOMPSON & BOULT,
London, Manchester, Liverpool, and Nottingham,
Agents for the Applicant.
W. P. THOMPSON & BOULT,
London, Manchester, Liverpool, and Nottingham,
Agents for the Applicant.