IMPROVEMENTS IN THE PURIFICATION OF COAL GAS
Year: 1852

page_text: SEPTIMUS LOSH, of Wreay Syke, near Carlisle, Gentleman, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her present most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her
Royal Letters Patent under the Great Seal of the United Kingdom of Great
Britain and Ireland, bearing date at Westminster, the Twenty-ninth day of
May, One thousand eight hundred and fifty-two, in the fifteenth year of
Her reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant unto
me, the said William Septimus Losh, my exors, adñors, and assigns, Her
especial licence, full power, sole privilege and authority, that I, the said
William Septimus Losh, my exors, admors, and assigns, or such others as I, the
said William Septimus Losh, my exors, adñiors, or assigns, should at any time
agree with, and no others, from time to time and at all times during the
term of years therein expressed, should and lawfully might make, use, exer-
cise, and vend, within England, Wales, and the Town of Berwick-upon-Tweed,
my Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN THE PURIFICATION OF COAL GAS;" in which
said Letters Patent is contained a proviso that I, the said Septimus Losh,
should cause a particular description of the nature of my said Invention,
and in what manner the same is to be performed, by an instrument in writing
under my
hand and seal, to be inrolled in Her said Majesty's High Court
of Chancery within six calendar months next and immediately after the date
of the said in part recited Letters Patent, as in and by the same, reference
being thereunto had, will more fully and at large appear.

page_text: NOW KNOW YE, that in compliance with the said proviso, I, the said
William Septimus Losh, do hereby declare that the nature of my said Inven-
tion, and the manner in which the same is to be performed, are fully
described and ascertained in and by the following statement thereof, that is
to say:-
My Invention consists principally in the application of chloride of lead to
the purification of coal gas, and my mode of proceeding in the use of this sub-
stance is as follows:-I take chloride of lead in powder and mix it with about
an equal bulk of coke in the state of coarse powder, with the very fine dust
removed by a quarter-inch sieve; or I mix the chloride of lead with its bulk of 10
sawdust; these substances being merely employed to allow the gas to pass
more easily through the chloride of lead. I place one or other of these mix;
tures in a damp state upon the shelves of an ordinary gas dry lime purifyer;
and when the vessel is thus charged, the gas to be purified is turned into it in
the ordinary way, and made to pass through the chloride of lead and coke or
sawdust, and in so doing the ammonia and sulphurous compounds existing in
the coal gas are entirely, or in a great measure decomposed, and remain in
combination with the chloride of lead; the purified gas passing on to where it
may be required.
When the chloride of lead ceases to act upon the gas (which is easily g
known by testing the gas from time to time), the gas is to be passed through
another dry lime purifier, charged with chloride of lead and coke or sawdust,
as already described, and the chloride is now to be removed from the first
vessel, or dry lime purifier, and treated in a way herein-after described, in order
that such vessel may be again charged wi h chloride of lead, and ready to
receive the gas when the second charge of chloride of lead ceases to act upon
gas; by this means, with two vessels formed like dry lime purifiers, the gas
to be purified is always kept passing through chloride of lead and parting
with its impurities.
the
In order to obtain the lead in such a state as to enable me to use it again,
I proceed as follows:-
means of
The saturated chloride of lead is put into a lead vessel, and, by
water, all the soluble compounds of ammonia, sulphur, &c., obtained in the
process of purification already described, are washed out and afterwards evapo
rated to dryness, or otherwise made use of; the lead compound and coke or
sawdust remaining in the vessel are now separated by means of a brake siera
such as is used in washing lead ore, and which process and apparatus being
well known, I shall not describe.
The lead compound having passed through the sieve, and being thus sepa

page_text: rated from the coke or sawdust, which do not pass through the sieve, is
treated with hydrochloric acid, and is again converted into chloride of lead,
and ready to be employed as before.
Now, I claim as my Invention principally, the application of chloride of
lead to the purpose of purifying coal gas, but I also claim the obtaining the
soluble salts or compounds formed by the action of chloride of lead upon coal
gas.
And I claim the reconverting the lead into chloride of lead, so as again to
be employed in the purification of coal gas.
In witness whereof, I, the said William Septimus Losh, have hereunto
set my hand and seal, this Twenty-fourth day of November, in the
year of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and fifty-two.