IMPROVEMENTS IN HEATING AND IN GENERATING HYDROGEN FOR THAT PURPOSE " PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION
Year: 1872

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Vincent Caratti, of Belle Vue, Pubross Road,
Brixton, in the County of Surrey, Professor of Chemistry, and
Samuel King Church, of Fenchurch Street, in the City of London,
for the Invention of " IMPROVEMENTS IN HEATING AND IN GENERATING
HYDROGEN FOR THAT PURPOSE "
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Vincent Caratti and
Samuel King Church at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents,
with their Petition, on the 30th March 1872.
We, VINCENT CARATTI, of Belle Vue, Pubross Road, Brixton, in the
County of Surrey, Professor of Chemistry, and SAMUEL KING CHUrch,
of Fenchurch Street, in the City of London, do. hereby declare the
nature of the said Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN HEATING AND IN
GENERATING HYDROGEN FOR THAT PURPOSE," to be as follows:-
This Invention relates to the generation of hydrogen for the purpose
of heating with a view to the production of steam, and for other purposes
where intense heat is required; and consists in the application to such
purposes as a fuel of hydrogen obtained from either fresh or salt water
acidulated with an acid, such for example, as sulphuric or hydrochloric
acid by the employment of a metal, such for example, as iron or zinc,

page_text: such materials being contained in an apparatus consisting of a vessel
of any cylindrical form, made of iron or other metal lined inside with
lead to protect it from the action of the acid. This vessel should have
three or more apertures in the upper part thereof, two of which are
for the purposes of introducing or extracting the chemical and metallic
substances employed in the manufacture of the hydrogen gas, and the
other or others for tubes or pipes to convey the gas generated into a
reservoir or gasometer or direct to the boiler or place of consumption.
The reservoir or gasometer should be of iron or other suitable metal,
and furnished with a safety valve and a pressure indicator. From this
reservoir or gasometer any number of pipes may be extended to different
parts of the heating surface of the steam generator, whether situate
internally or externally.
If desired the acid may be manufactured at the time it is required
for use, for example, chloridric acid may be made in the generator
itself by the decomposition of the salt in the salt water, from which
the hydrogen is to be generated, or the sulphuric acid may be made in
the water itself by introducing the fumes of burning sulphur into the
water in the gas generator. By thus making the acid at the time of
or just before it is required for use the danger of having large quantities
of acid in store is entirely obviated.
The proportions of metal and acid employed relative to the water, are
about ten per cent. each of metal and acid to eighty per cent. of water.
The advantages obtained by this Invention are the production of a
powerful heating medium at a great reduction of cost as compared with
the cost of coal or other combustible, great economy of space as com-
pared with that required when using other materials for heating purposes,
also (more especially with regard to steam ships) that the principal
ingredient required viz., water (fresh or salt) can always be obtained
in unlimited quantities at little or no expense; and further, that
almost in every locality a cheap unlimited and ready supply of the
other substances can be obtained. Also that in its use and application
it produces little or no smoke, whilst with slight and inexpensive altera-
tions it may be applied to almost all existing stationary, locomotive, or
marine engine boilers.

page_text: SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent,
filed by the said Vincent Caratti and Samuel King Church in
the Great Seal Patent Office on the 28th September 1872.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, we, VINCENT
5 CARATTI, of Belle Vue, Pubross Road, Brixton, in the County of
Surrey, Professor of Chemistry, and SAMUEL KING CHURCH, of Fen-
church Street, in the City of London, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her:
Letters Patent, bearing date the Thirtieth day of March, in the year
of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and seventy-two, in the
thirty-fifth year of Her reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors,
give and grant unto us, the said Vincent Caratti and Samuel King.
Church, Her special license that we, the said Vincent Caratti and
Samuel King Church, our executors, administrators, and assigns, or
such others as we, the said Vincent Caratti and Samuel King Church,
our executors, administrators, or assigns, should at any time agree
with, and no others, from time to time and at all times thereafter
during the term therein expressed, should and lawfully might make,:
use, exercise, and vend, within the United Kingdom of Great Britain
and Ireland, the Channel Islands, and Isle of Man, an Invention for
"IMPROVEMENTS IN HEATING AND IN GENERATING HYDROGEN FOR THAT PURPOSE,"
upon the condition (amongst others) that we, the said Vincent Caratti.
and Samuel King Church, our executors or administrators, by an in-,
strument in writing under our hands and seals, or under the hand
and seal of one of us, should particularly describe and ascertain the
nature of the said Invention, and in what manner the same was to be
performed, and cause the same to be filed in the Great Seal Patent **
Office within six calendar months next and immediately after the date
of the said Letters Patent.
NOW KNOW YE, that we, the said Vincent Caratti and Samuel
King Church, do hereby declare the nature of our said Invention, and
in what manner the same is to be performed, to be particularly described
and ascertained in and by the following statement, that is to say :-
,
.,
Our said Invention relates to the generation of hydrogen for the
purpose of heating with a view to the production of steam, and for >

page_text: other purposes where intense heat is required; and consists in the
application to such purposes as a fuel of hydrogen obtained from either
fresh or salt water acidulated with an acid, such for example, as sul-
phuric or hydrochloric acid by the employment of a metal, such for
example, as iron or zinc, such materials being contained in an apparatus
consisting of a vessel of a cylindrical form, made of iron or other
suitable metal lined inside with lead to protect it from the action
of the acid. This vessel should have three or more apertures in the
upper part thereof, two of which are for the purpose of introducing or
extracting the chemical and metallic substances employed in the manu-
facture of the hydrogen gas, and the other or others for tubes or pipes
to convey the gas generated into a reservoir or gasometer or direct to
the steam generator or place of consumption.
The reservoir or gasometer should be of iron or other suitable metal,
by preference coated outside with copper and furnished with a safety
valve and a pressure indicator. From this reservoir or gasometer any
number of pipes may be extended to different parts of the heating
surface of the steam generator, whether situate internally or externally.
If desired, the acid may be manufactured at the time it is required
for use, for example, chloridric acid may be made in the generator
itself by the decomposition of the salt in the salt water from which
the hydrogen is to be generated, or the sulphuric acid may be made in
the water itself by introducing the fumes of burning sulphur into the
water in the gas generator. By thus making the acid at the time of
or just before it is required for use the danger of having large quantities
of acid in store is entirely obviated.
The proportions of metal and acid employed relative to the water,are
about ten per cent. each of metal and acid to eighty per cent. of water.
The advantages obtained by our Invention are the production of a
powerful heating medium at a great reduction of cost as compared with
the cost of coal or other combustible, and great economy of space as
compared with that required when using other materials for heating
purposes, also (more especially with regard to steam ships) that the
principal ingredient required, videlicet, water (fresh or salt) can always be
obtained in unlimited quantities at little or no expense; and further,
that almost in every locality a cheap unlimited and ready supply of the
other substances can be obtained. Also that in its use and application

page_text: it produces little or no smoke, whilst with slight and inexpensive alter-
ations it may be applied to almost all existing stationary, locomotive, or
marine engine boilers.
Having now described and particularly ascertained the nature of our
said Invention, and the manner in which the same is or may be used or
carried into effect, we would observe in conclusion that what we con-
sider to be novel and original, and therefore claim as the Invention
secured to us by the herein-before in part recited Letters Patent is,
-
First. The application and use of hydrogen gas manufactured in the
manner herein-before described to the generation of steam and other
heating purposes where intense heat is required.
Second. The manufacture of the acid employed in the production
of hydrogen gas at the time it is required for use, as herein-before
described.
In witness whereof, I, the said Vincent Caratti, have to this our
Specification, on behalf of myself and the said Samuel King
Church, set my hand and seal, the Twenty-sixth day of Septem-
ber, One thousand eight hundred and seventy-two.
VINCENT CARATTI. (L.S.)