IMPROVE- WAYMO TV MUTE MANUFACTURE OF SULPHATE OF COPPER"
Year: 1875

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to James Hawke Dennis, of Liverpool, in the
County of Lancaster, Merchant, for the Invention of "IMPROVE-
WAYMO TV MUTE MANUFACTURE OF SULPHATE OF COPPER"
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said James Hawko Dennis
at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition,
on the 17th July 1875.
I, JAMES HAWKE DENNIS, of Liverpool, in the County of Lancaster,
Merchant, do hereby declare the nature of the said Invention for
** IMPROVEMENTS IN THE MANUFACTURE OF SULPHATE OF COPPER," to be as
follows:-
The object of my Invention is to produce sulphate of copper of good
quality, at less price than has been possible by the processes of manu-
facture heretoforc in use. For that purpose I take metallic copper,
preferably in a granulated condition, and place it in a chamber.
Through, amongst, or in contact with the mass I pass a current of mixed

page_text: sulphurous acid gas, air, and water vapour The reaction and con-
densation which take place in the converting chamber yield a liquid of
sufficient strength for crystallization as sulphate of copper
Where the chambers are large the speed of the current of sulphurons
acid gas, air, and water vapour may be increased by fans or other
mechanical contrivances, and in these cases special condensers are pro-
vided to "condense out" the sulphate of copper.
For economical working a series of converting chambers inay be
employed with connections from one to another, so that any one may be
the first, intermediate, or last of the series.
t
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent,
filed by the said James Hawke Dennis in the Great Seal Patent
⚫ Office on the 17th January 1876.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, JAMES
HAWKE DENNIS, of Liverpool, in the County of Lancaster, Merchant, :
send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Пcr
Letters Patent, bearing date the Seventeenth day of July, in the year
of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and seventy-five, in the
thirty-ninth year of Her reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and
successors, give and grant unto me, the said James Hawke Dennis,
Her special licence that I, the said James Hawke Dennis, my
executors, administrators, and assigns, or such others as I, the said
James Hawke Dennis, my executors, administrators, and assigns,
'should at any time agree with, and no others, from time to timo
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 THE MANUFACTURE OF SULPHATE
OF COPPER," upon the condition (amongst others) that I, the said James
Hawke Dennis, my executors or administrators, by an instrument in
.writing under my, or their, or one of their hands and seals, should
- particularly describe and ascertam the nature of the said Invention,

page_text: 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 I, the said James Hawke Dennis, do hereby
declare the nature of my 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 :-
The object of my Invention is to produce sulphato of copper of good
quality at less price than has been possible by the processes of manu-
facture heretofore in usc. For that purpose I take metallic copper,
preferably in a granulated condition, and place it in a chamber.
Through, amongst, or in contact with the mass I pass a current of
mixed sulphurous acid gas, air, and water vapour. The reaction and
condensation which take place in the converting chamber yields a liquid
of sufficient strength for crystallization as sulphate of copper
When the chambers are large the speed of the current of sulphurous
acid gas, air, and water vapour may be increased by fans or other
mechanical contrivances, and in these cases special condensers are
provided to "condense out" the sulphate of copper.
For economical working a series of converting chambers may be
employed with connections from one to another, so that any one may
be the first, intermediate, or last of the series.
In carrying my Invention into practice I use one or more leaden
towers, or towers lined with lead (preferably three) of about fourteen
feet in height, closed at the top and bottom, and connected together by
lead or lead lined tunnels leading from the top of one tower to the
bottom of the next To form a floor I arrange on the bottom of each
tower bricks or other blocks covered with lead, and place between such
bricks or blocks large pieces of granulated copper so as to keep a free
passage for the converting gases Instead of granulated copper granulated
lead may be used with advantage, not being attacked by the gases. The
towers are filled with about ten feet each of granulated copper, say
light feathershots, making in all about thirty feet in height through
which the gases have to pass. I preferably pass one or two beams
covered with lead through the chambers at different heights to relieve

page_text: the bottom of part of the weight of the granulated copper. When in
action sulphurous acid gas, air, and water vapour are caused to pass by
means of a fan, steam jet, or like appliance up through one tower, then
by one of the connecting tunnels above mentioned to the bottom of the
next tower, and in like manner to the third. Any of the towers can be
disconnected for charging or other purposes Before entering the towers
the converting gases are preferably passed through a small quantity of
large shot copper to clean out any impurities, or an ordinary acid
chamber may be used to form some sulphuric acid without nitre; but in
all cases some steam should be added before or when the gases enter the
tower.
It is important to observe that the quantity of air accompanying the
gases must be sufficient to oxidize-both-the copper and the sulphurous
acid.
When the copper in the towers or chambers is sufficiently converted
anto sulphate I run hot water down through the towers, by preference
in the form of rain, and wash out the sulphate at the bottom into vats.
Sulphate of copper liquor may be used for washing instead of water.
The sulphate of copper in the vats and the sulphate of copper liquor
when used for washing, until it becomes of sufficient strength, are used
to afford crystals of sulphate of copper, or are otherwise used. The
impuritics which may be valuable, such as silver, will be deposited in
the vats which first receive the liquor. The water or mother liquors
used for dissolving should be boiling hot, otherwise some sulphurous
acid gas will dissolve and smell when it leaves the dissolvers.
It will be obvious that the above apparatus may be varied and
modified without departing from my Invention.
Theoretically one ton of pyrites containing fifty per cent. of sulphur,
five per cent remaining unburnt would require 85,179 cubic feet of air
to form sulphuric acid, or 113,572 cubic feet to form sulphate of copper,
the nitrogen or four-fifths of the whole passing off unused. In practice
however I find that not less than 150,000 cubic feet of air should be
used for one ton of pyrites in an ordinary burner, 200,000 feet being
preferable; but as before mentioned the quantity of air entering must
be sufficient to oxidize both the copper and the sulphurous acid.
Having now described and ascertained the nature of my said Inven-
tion, so that others will be enabled to carry my said manufacture into

page_text: effect, I claim, passing through, amongst, or in contact with metallic
copper mixed sulphurous acid gas, air, and water vapour in the manu-
facture or production of sulphate of copper, substantially as set forth.
In witness whereof, I, the said James Hawke Dennis, have here-
unto set my hand and scal, the Seventh day of January, in
the year of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and seventy-
SIX