IMPROVE- MENTS IN DESICCATING SUBSTANCES, AND IN NEUTRALIZING OR RETAINING ANY FŒTID GASES WHICH MAY BE EVOLVED IN THE PROCESS
Year: 1860

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Richard Archibald Brooman, of 166, Fleet Street,
in the City of London, Patent Agent, for the Invention of "IMPROVE-
MENTS IN DESICCATING SUBSTANCES, AND IN NEUTRALIZING OR RETAINING ANY
FŒTID GASES WHICH MAY BE EVOLVED IN THE PROCESS."-A communication
from abroad by Messieurs Légé and Danguy, of Paris.
Sealed the 11th December 1860, and dated the 15th June 1860.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Richard Archibald
Brooman at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his
Petition, on the 15th June 1860.
I, RICHARD ARCHIBALD BROOMAN, of 166, Fleet Street, in the City of
London, Patent Agent, do hereby declare the nature of the said Invention
for "IMPROVEMENTS IN DESICCATING SUBSTANCES, AND IN NEUTRALIZING OR
RETAINING ANY FETID GASES WHICH MAY BE EVOLVED IN THE PROCESS," (com-
municated to me from abroad by Messieurs Légé and Danguy, of Paris,)
to be as follows:-
This Invention applies chiefly to the desiccation of fecal matters, and to pre-
venting the putrid exhalations therefrom from escaping into the atmosphere.
The Invention is also applicable to the drying of sugar, chemical products,
and other substances more or less solid.
The Invention consists in forcing currents of hot air, or in some seasons dry
air through passages closed, except to the admission of the air in the bottom

page_text: of a closed vessel, opening only into a shaft, in which vessel the matters to be
desiccated are agitated, tossed about, and divided by means of screws or shafts
with arms caused to revolve rapidly. In the desiccation of substances giving
off foetid or poisonous gases the shaft is closed by the raising of a valve, which
opens communication with a pipe leading into a vessel containing some agent
which will absorb, neutralize, or throw down the particular gases to be treated.
The vessel contains a pump, which is caused to throw the agent from a rose
spreader from the top of the vessel. After the neutralization, absorption, or
deposit of the foetid and poisonous gases, the air and. non-injurious gases pass
through the only outlet at the upper part of the vessel into a tube, and back
into the first-named shaft above the point at which the valve is placed.
When the gases are not required to be purified the valve is lowered, when it
closes the communication with the purifying vessel, and opens free passage
through the shaft. When the air is to be employed hot, a furnace is placed
under the desiccating vessel with pipes through which air is driven by a fan
with sufficient force to drive in the heated air through the valves in the bottom
of the vessel.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent, filed
by the said Richard Archibald Brooman in the Great Seal Patent Office
on the 15th December 1860.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, RICHARD
ARCHIBALD BROOMAN, of 166, Fleet Street, in the City of London, Patent
Agent, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her Letters
Patent, bearing date the Fifteenth day of June, in the year of our Lord
One thousand eight hundred and sixty, in the twenty-third year of Her
reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant unto me, the
said Richard Archibald Brooman, Her special licence that I, the said Richard
Archibald Brooman, my executors, administrators, and assigns, or such others
as I, the said Richard Archibald Brooman, 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, within the United Kingdom of Great
Britain and Ireland, the Channel Islands, and Isle of Man, an Invention for
"IMPROVEMENTS IN DESICCATING SUBSTANCES, AND IN NEUTRALIZING OR RETAINING
ANY FETID GASES. WHICH MAY BE EVOLVED IN THE PROCESS," (a communication

page_text: from abroad by Messrs. Légé and Danguy, of Paris,) upon the condition
(amongst others) that I, the said Richard Archibald Brooman, 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 I, the said Richard Archibald Brooman, 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, reference being had to the Drawings hereunto
annexed, that is to say:-
This Invention applies chiefly to the desiccation of fecal matters, and to
preventing the putrid exhalations therefrom from escaping into the atmosphere.
The Invention is also applicable to the drying of sugar, chemical products,
and other substances more or less solid.
The Invention consists in forcing currents of hot air, or in some seasons
dry air, through passages closed except to the admission of the air in the
bottom of a closed vessel opening only into a shaft, in which vessel the matters
to be desiccated are agitated, tossed about, and divided by means of screws or
shafts with arms caused to devolve rapidly. In the desiccation of substances
giving off foetid or poisonous gases the shaft is closed by the raising of a
valve, which opens communication with a pipe leading into a vessel con-
taining some agent which will absorb, neutralize, or throw down the particular
gases to be treated. The vessel contains a pump, which is caused to throw
the agent from a rose spreader from the top of the vessel. After the neutra-
lization, absorption, or deposit of the foetid and poisonous gases, the air and
non-injurious gases pass through the only outlet at the upper part of the
vessel into a tube, and back into the first-named shaft above the point at
which the valve is placed. When the gases are not required to be purified.
the valve is lowered, when it closes the communication with the purifying
vessel, and opens free passage through the shaft. When the air is to be
employed hot, a furnace is placed under the desiccating vessel, with pipes,
through which air is driven by a fan with sufficient force to drive in the
heated air through the valves in the bottom of the vessel.
The accompanying Drawings show the Invention applied to the desiccation.
of materials containing fecal matters.
Figure 1 is a sectional elevation of an apparatus constructed in the manner

page_text: before described; Figure 2 is a longitudinal section. of an apparatus similar
in principle to the other, but somewhat modified in detail; Figure 3 is a plan
of the furnace, containing the ventilating pipes; Figure 4 is a transverse
section of the vessel shewn at Figure 1;. Figure 5 shows in front view, on a
larger scale, one of the vanes or arms detached; Figures 6 and 7 show, in
end and face view respectively, the vanes or screws used in connection with
the apparatus shown at Figure 2; Figure 8 is a vertical section, and Figure 9
a plan of a valve for the admission of air. The basin or closed vessel a,
Figures 1 and 4, is provided with a series of horizontal shafts 6, on which the
vanes or screws c, Figure 5, are adjusted. d, d¹, d", d, are toothed wheels
mounted on the shafts b, one, d, of which is furnished with a driving pulley e.
The vanes or screws c are adjusted in tiers on the shafts b. The vessel a is
covered with a case f, having a chimney g, and provided with a register h.
This register is used for a double purpose; first, when the chimney is open
the register his lowered, and closes the communication between the chimney
and a pipe.i, which is in communication with a receiver A, shown in blue lines
at Figure 1; second, when the register h is open the chimney is closed, and
the gases which escape from the vessel a pass by the pipe i to the receiver A.
This receiver A contains certain acids, which are pumped up by the pump B,
and issue through the rose or spreader E. This arrangement is intended to
decompose the gases coming from the vessel a into the receiver A. The closed
vessel a is placed on a furnace D, Figures 1, 2, and 3, which is fitted with
pipes k, leading to a chamber j, which, through the pipe m, receives air from
a revolving fan or ventilator n. The pipes are fitted with ball valves. p, p,
(Figures 1, 3, 8, and 9,) at the opposite end to that of the chamber j. These
valves consist of a threaded nut q, carrying the pipe k, screwing into a valve
seat or bucket r, bolted to the smoke box D. A grating is fixed to the
valve opening to prevent the admission of solid bodies into the valve seat or
bucket r.
The arrangement shown at Figure 2 is somewhat different from the pre-
ceding, in that the horizontal shafts are replaced by vertical shafts, also
marked b in this Figure. A vertical shaft, resting in a socket F carries any
number of naves or centres G, on each of which the vanes H (Figures 6 and 7)
are fixed, having their outer upper angles bent towards the centre.
The naves
are movable, so as to be brought nearer to or farther from one another. The
vanes H are arranged in such manner as to be more or less inclined, in order
to facilitate their operation according to the nature of the material. under
treatment. Thus there is a broken screw, or a succession of inclined blades
H placed one below the other in such manner as to form a double spiral.

page_text: The screw is not continuous; for it is not intended to raise a sheet of water,
but on the contrary to break up as much as possible the liquids to be
evaporated. The external angle of the upper part of each blade is bent
round to counteract as much as possible centrifugal action, and to draw
centrally the materials in motion. The vanes of the screws may come flush
with the bottom of the vessel a. They have a direct quick rotary motion.
imparted to them by pulleys and straps, or through toothed wheels from any
prime mover. Motion can be imparted to the apparatus just described, as.
shewn in Figure 2, or by pinions and shafts for transmitting the motion, and
for this purpose it is only necessary to prolong one of the vertical shafts
outside the roof or cover f. As the number of closed vessels a is indefinite,
the furnace must be so built as to suitably supply them, and the fan or
ventilator must be made of such a size as to supply sufficient air to raise the
valves o, and cause it to enter and pass through the materials in the vessels à
as they are tossed about by the rapid rotation of the vanes or screws.
The operation of the apparatus is as follows:-Fecal or other materials
being introduced into the vessels a, a, the pipes k of the furnace are heated to
a red heat, and the screws and fans are caused to revolve. The materials being
seized by the vertical screws c, or by the double series of blades forming the
broken wings of the horizontal screws, are at first raised in sheets, but being
thrown back from one blade to the other are broken up on reaching the upper
part of the vessel, from whence they are thrown in a perfectly divided state,
at the same time the air which comes from the fan being heated in its passage
through the pipes enters through the valves o into the divided mass, there
spreads amongst it, and, depriving the materials under operation of the
moisture contained in them, issues through the opening formed in the upper
part of the vessel's cover. It is only in winter and wet weather that artificial
heat is necessary, for by prolonging the operation currents of dry air are quite
sufficient to effect a perfect desiccation. According to the ordinary plan of
desiccating materials at the beginning of the operation, the first currents
necessarily draw in foetid gases inherent to the nature of the material under
operation, and infect the environs, while by this arrangement this disadvantage
is overcome, for the deletereous gases produced during the operation ascend
into the part marked f, and thence to the chimney 9; as, however, the
register h is closed, these gases escape by the pipe i, and enter the receiver A,
which is lined with an unoxydable metal, and containing the reagent for
neutralizing and retaining the foetid gases. This reagent is pumped by the
pump B through the rose E. in the upper part of the cover, from whence it
falls in fine drops or showers to become mixed with the gas collected in the

page_text: upper part of the receptacle A, and it is there that the reaction takes place.
The air being thus purified passes into the pipe i, and re-enters. the chimney f,
there to pass off into the atmosphere, as well as the smoke from the furnace.
By these means the surrounding air is not impregnated by noxious odours
from the materials under treatment. When the register his lowered, and
consequently opens the chimney to the atmosphere; it closes the pipe i, and
thus prevents communication between the vessel a and the receiver A. Thus
the action of a valve placed in the chimney suffices to change or establish the
current of air impregnated with gas, or simply with moisture. If in order to
purify the air it were necessary it should pass through the liquid mass of the
reagent, there would be a pressure in the apparatus injurious to the operation,
but: the reagent in the receiver being pumped up to the level of the upper
tube, from whence it falls in rain or spray, it rapidly decomposes the gases,
and allows the air to escape. In this case two series of vanes at least are
necessary, the first to seize the materials to be operated upon at the bottom of
the vessel, and throw them on to the second series, which then hurls them in
a divided state into the upper part of the vessel. In this case it is as well to
enlarge that part of the vessel in which the third series of agitators is placed.
The rotary motion will drive the materials one against the other and head
them, and the division will be as much the more complete as the free space
s more considerable.
The number, shape, and size of the vessels, receivers, and other parts of the
apparatus herein-before described may all be varied and modified without
departing from the primary features of the Invention.
And having now described the nature of the said Invention, and in what
manner the same, is to be performed, I declare that I claim as the improve-
ments in desiccating substances, and in neutralizing or retaining any fœtid
gases which may be evolved in the process,―
. First, forcing currents of hot or cold dry air into a closed vessel having
revolving screws or other appliances in it, by which the materials are agitated,
and having a tube at its upper part for carrying off fætid or other poisonous
gases to a receiver, to be there neutralized or retained, substantially as
herein-before described and illustrated at Figure 1 of the accompanying
Drawings.
Second, the arrangement of apparatus for desiccating materials, as herein-
before described with reference to Figure 2 of the accompanying Drawings.
Third, the employment of a pump in combination with a rose spreader for
throwing the neutralizing agent from the top of the vessel, as herein-before
described with reference to the accompanying Drawings.

page_text: Fourth, the construction of a furnace composed of pipes, through which air
is driven and heated in its passage by the products of combustion playing
round them, as herein-before described and illustrated at Figures 1 and 3 of
the accompanying Drawings.
Fifth, the use of valves, screws, or vanes in apparatuses for disiccating, sub-
stantially in the manner and for the purposes herein-before described, and
illustrated at Figures 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, and 9 of the accompanying Drawings.
In witness whereof, I, the said Richard Archibald Brooman, have here-
unto set my hand and seal, this Fifteenth day of December, One
thousand eight hundred and sixty.