IMPROVEMENTS IN THE MANU. "FACTURE OF SULPHURIC ACID, AND IN APPLYING THE HEAT GENERATED IN THE PROCESS
Year: 1859

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Thomas Richardson, of New Bridge Street, New-
castle-upon-Tyne, for the Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN THE MANU.
"FACTURE OF SULPHURIC ACID, AND IN APPLYING THE HEAT GENERATED IN
THE PROCESS:"
Sealed the 13th March 1860, and dated the 16th September 1859.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Thomas Richardson at the
Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on the
16th September 1859.
I, THOMAS RICHARDSON, of New Bridge Street, Newcastle-upon-Tyne, do
hereby declare the nature of the Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN THE
MANUFACTURE OF SULPHURIC ACID, AND IN APPLYING THE HEAT GENERATED IN THE
PROCESS," to be as follows:-
This Invention has for its object improvements in the manufacture of
sulphuric acid, and consists in employing the heat evolved when burning
métallic sulphurets; such as pyrites, or blende, in lumps or large pieces,
in this manufacture, to promote and assist the combustion of similar sul-
phurets in a state of powder more or less fine; also for concentrating
sulphuric acid by surface evaporation, raising steam in ordinary boilers, and
evaporating liquors or digesting solid substances in suitable vessels placed on
the top of the furnaces.

page_text: SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent, filed
by the said Thomas Richardson in the Great Seal Patent Office on the
16th March 1860.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, THOMAS
RICHARDSON, of New Bridge Street, Newcastle-upon-Tyne, send greeting.
me
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her Letters
Patent, bearing date the Sixteenth day of September, in the year of our Lord
One thousand eight hundred and fifty-nine, in the twenty-third year of
Her reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant unto
the said Thomas Richardson, Her special licence that I, the said Thomas
Richardson, my executors, administrators, and assigns, or such others as I.
the said Thomas Richardson, my executors, administrators, and 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; with the United Kingdom of Great
Britain and Ireland, the Channel Islands, and Isle of Man, an Invention
for "IMPROVEMENTS IN THE MANUFACTURE OF SULPHURIC ACID, AND IN APPLYING
THE HEAT GENERATED IN THE PROCESS," upon the condition (amongst others)
that I, the said Thomas Richardson, my executors or administrators, by an
instrument in writing under my, or their, or one of their hands and seals.
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 1, the said Thomas Richardson, do hereby declare
the nature of the said Invention, and in what manner the same is to be
performed, to be particularly described and ascertained in and by the following.
statement thereof, that is to say:-
This Invention has for its object improvements in the manufacture of
sulphuric acid, and consists in employing the heat evolved when burning
metallic sulphurets, such as pyrites or blende, in lumps or large pieces in this
manufacture, to promote and assist the combustion of similar sulphurets in a
state of powder more or less fine; also for concentrating sulphuric acid by
surface evaporation, raising steam in ordinary boilers, and evaporating liquors
or digesting solid substances in suitable vessels placed on the top of the
furnaces. I find that two tons of ordinary lump sulphur ore, such as iron or
copper pyrites, or zinc blende, when burnt in chemical works, will produce
nearly as much available heat as one ton of common factory coal; and the

page_text: object of these improvements is to render this heat of service primarily in
promoting and assisting the combustion of similar sulphurets in a state of
powder, or in raising steam, and incidentally in concentrating the common
chamber sulphuric acid, evaporating liquids, or digesting solid materials.
The furnaces which I will now describe for burning the small sulphur ores
by means of the waste heat of the lump pyrites or blende, are built with a
fire-brick lining inside, with stone or common brick on the outside, cased with
metal plates, and bound with iron binders.
The furnace A (Figure 1) Sheet I.. is charged with the lump sulphur ore
through the doors B, B, and as the sulphur is burnt off the ore is pushed
forward on the grates, and a fresh charge is thrown in at the same time.
This operation is repeated from time to time, the ore being moved forward by
the workmen through the side doors C, C, C, until by the time it reaches the
other end all or nearly all of the sulphur is burnt off, when it is pushed over
the grates into the kiln D. The last portions of the available sulphur are
here burnt off, and the exhausted ore is withdrawn through the door E,
Figure 2. The small sulphur ore is burnt in the furnace F. Figure 1, which
is similarly constructed, but with a solid bottom or sole. The small ore is
charged at the farther end of this furnace through the door G Figure 2, and
moved backward from time to time by means of rakes through the doors
H, H, H, until the sulphur is burnt off, when the exhausted. ore is pushed
into the cave I, through an opening in its arch, which is closed by a damper
during the working process. The heated sulphurous acid passes from the
furnace A through the flue K over the small ore in the furnace F, whose com-
bustion is thereby assisted, and the united gases then pass away through the
flue L to the sulphuric acid chamber.
The grates used in furnace A are shewn at N, Figure 3, which lay across
the furnace resting on hollow bearing bars or pipes O, O. O, Figure 1, which
are supported in the middle by a brick wall P, P. The dust and small ore
which fall through these grates are collected in the ash-pit Q, Q. Figure 1,
and are removed as often as necessary through the ash-pit doors R, R,
Figures and 2. The weight of the charge, and the time required for its
perfect combustion varies according to the nature of the sulphur ore from
10. cwt. every 4 hours upward. I also render the heat, in burning lump
sulphur ore available for the same purpose by another arrangement, shewn in
Sheet II. construct the furnace A. Figure 4, with one or more chambers
or flats built above the lower one, which is destined for the combustion of only
lump ore, as already described. One flat only is shewn in Figure 5,
marked T, and the arch of the furnace A is covered with fire-clay flags or

page_text: quarls, which form the bed or bottom on which the small sulphur ore is spread.
The small ore is charged through the doors U, Figure 5, and as the sulphur
burns off, the ore is gradnally pushed towards the other end of the flat by
means of rakes through the side doors V, V, V. Figure 4, and is either with-
drawn from the furnace at W, Figure 4, or allowed to fall down through the
opening X, Figure 5, into the kiln D, Figure 5, and finally removed with the
lump ore, as previously described. The heat of the burning lump sulphur ore
on the grates in the lower chamber raises the temperature of the flat T suf-
ficiently high to ignite the sulphur of the small ore in conjunction with the hot
sulphurous acid which passes up through the opening X, Figure 5. The gases
traverse the upper chamber to the far end of the furnace, whence they are
.carried through the horizontal flue Y, Figures 4 and 5, to the stalk or pipe
which communicates with the sulphuric acid chamber.. I have shewn, in
Figure 6, two furnaces built back to back, in which arrangement the gases
pass from the one upper chamber or flat through an opening Z in the partition
wall which divides the two furnaces, and the united streams of gas from both
furnaces pass away through the horizontal flue Y, as already explained.
The pots for the nitre may be placed at the end of the furnaces, or in the
horizontal flue Y.
I will now describe the arrangement I employ for raising steam by means
of the hitherto waste heat evolved in burning sulphur ores.
The Figures and 2. Sheet I., shew one plan for this purpose, where the
boiler M is set in the usual way, with a flash flue, which serves at the same
time as a furnace for burning the small sulphur ore, as previously explained.
The heated gases from the two furnaces A and F pass under the boiler M,
and thence to the sulphuric acid chamber. When the boiler requires cleaning,
the gas from the furnace A is made to pass off by a side or underground flue
in connexion with the stalk or pipe leading to the chamber, and during this
operation the furnace F is not charged with ore.
The other plan for accomplishing the same object is shewn in Figure 7,
Sheet III. A, A. are ordinary tubular boilers, about twelve feet long, filled
with grates similar in construction to those shewn at Sheet 1., N, through the
whole length of the tube. The charging doors are marked B, B, and the ash-
pit door C. At the other end of the boiler, a kiln D, Figures 8 and 9, is
constructed, similar to that already described: a flue E connects the various
boilers, and conveys the sulphurous acid to the chamber. It may also be
employed for placing the nitre cups through the doors F, F. That portion
of the boiler tube G. G. exposed to contact with the burning sulphur ore is
lined with half thicks of fire-clay. The sulphur ore is thrown on the grates,

page_text: through the charging doors B, B. and is pushed forward as the combustion of
the sulphur progresses, to the other end, where it is drawn into the kiln D, by
the workman, through the door 1, Figure 8, and is at last removed from the
kiln, through the door K. Figure 8.
The same object can be accomplished by placing the boiler in an upright
position and feeding the sulphur ore at the upper end and withdrawing it from
a kiln at the bottom, on which the boiler may be built. The tube must then
be lined throughout with the half thicks of fire-clay. Small openings in the
form of tubes through the sides of the boiler will enable the workman to stir
the burning -sulphur ore, as is now practised in the ordinary upright kilns.
This plan is adapted for burning mundic ores containing arsenic, in which case
the fumes are allowed to traverse the ordinary depositing flues or galleries
while the sulphurous acid gas, which now escapes into the air, may be con-
veyed to an ordinary leaden chamber for conversion into sulphuric acid in
the usual manner. The steam obtained from the boiler can be employed in
this process, as well as for the production of a steam jet to be thrown into the
depositing flues, to promote the separation of the arsenical fumes. As regards
the secondary application of the heat of burning sulphur ores. I am aware it
has already been proposed to employ it in concentrating chamber sulphuric
acid, and evaporating liquids, and I only claim its use in connection with the
peculiar arrangements I have already described. For evaporating liquids or
digesting solid materials, I have shewn how I accomplish either of these objects
in Figures 1 and 2, Sheet I., where the roof of the furnace A is covered with
one or more metal pans S, S, which serve for the reception of the liquids or
solids which it is intended to evaporate or digest by means of the heat of the
burning sulphur ore in the furnace below. To concentrate sulphuric acid, the
heated gases from any of the above furnaces, may be conveyed over one of the
ordinary leaden pans employed for this purpose, and the united. products
carried to the chamber in the usual way.
In witness whereof, I, the said Thomas Richardson, have hereunto set
my hand and seal, this Twenty-second day of February, in the year
of our Lord, One thousand eight hundred and sixty.
(cT)
THOMAS RICHARDSON. (L.S.)