IMPROVEMENTS IN THE PROCESS OF MAKING GAS FROM COAL OR OTHER SUBSTANCES
Year: 1833

page_text: TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, we, JONATHAN
DICKSON and JAMES IKIN, both of Holland Street, Blackfriars Road, in the
County of Surrey, Engineers, send greeting.
WHEREAS His present most Excellent Majesty King William the Fourth,
by His Letters Patent under the Great Seal of Great Britain, bearing date
at Westminster, the Sixth day of February, in the third year of His reign,
did, for Himself, His heirs and successors, give and grant unto us, the said
Jonahan Dickson and James Ikin, our exors, admors, and assigns, or such
others as we, the said Jonathan Dickson and James Ikin, our exors, admors;
and 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, exercise, and vend, within England, Wales, and the Town of
Berwick-upon-Tweed, our Inventions of "IMPROVEMENTS IN THE PROCESS OF
MAKING GAS FROM COAL OR OTHER SUBSTANCES;" in which said Letters Patent.
is contained a proviso that we, the said Jonathan Dickson and James' Ikin, or
one of us, shall cause a particular description of the nature of our said Inven-.
tion, and in what manner the same is to be performed, to be inrolled in His.
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.
NOW KNOW YE, that in compliance with the said proviso, we, the said
Jonathan Dickson and James Ikin, do hereby declare the nature of our said
Invention, and the manner in which the same is to be performed, is particu

page_text: larly described and ascertained in and by the following description thereof,
(reference being had to the Drawing hereunto annexed, and to the figures and
letters marked thereon (that is to say):-.
Our first improvement is a mode of heating retorts by contact, and without
a chimney, (that is to say,) we place the fuel combustible body so as to touch,
lay against, or surround the retorts, vessels, or generators, which contain the
coals or other. substances from which the gas is intended to be extracted.
The common way of heating retorts is to have and keep a small quantity of
fuel in a high degree of combustion, and by the assistance of a high chimney
or other contrivances to produce a strong draught, a current of heated air and
flame is caused to pass in various directions amongst the retorts, which are
placed in what is commonly called an oven or furnace. In this oven or
furnace brickwork or other guards are generally placed between the fire and
retorts to save them from the intense destructive heat, and to disperse the
flame and current of heated air which have hitherto been employed a a
medium to heat retorts or generators.
Now our Invention is to have and keep a large quantity of fuel in a low
degree of combustion, and closely shut up in a chamber of brickwork or other
materials, which chamber we call a kiln. In this kiln the retort or retorts
of any shape or size, and made of any material, are placed in any position in
immediate contact with the fuel which heats them; consequently these will
generally have the same degree of heat as the ignited fuel that touches them,
and this is regulated by the admission of atmospheric air through holes or
openings with doors or stoppers fitted to them for that purpose. By this our
Invention this part of the process of gas making may be carried on without
the use of a chimney by burning coke, charcoal, breeze, cinders, or any other
combustible body not containing much glutinous matter.
DRAWING A.
Fig. 1 represents a sectional end view of a kiln for heating retorts by

page_text: quantity of fuel used. c, c, are air flues with branches to convey air to
different parts of the ignited fuel in the upper parts, while the openings or
doors at bottom are partly shut. d, d, &c., retorts lying in and amongst
the fuel which is thrown in amongst the retorts from the top parts or upper
parts of the sides of the kiln. e, e, are tubes to see the heat of the kiln,
and also to convey air through holes in their sides to the ignited fuel in.the
centre parts of the kiln, the top of which may be left open or covered with a
boiler, as represented by the dotted lines, for generating steam for another
part of this process, or for any other purpose.
Fig. 2 represents another arrangement or combination of the same means
of heating retorts by contact showing a cover over the retorts to reflect the
heat, which cover we make of iron, bricks, tiles, or other materials, leaving
only small openings to supply the kiln with fuel, and a boiler may
be placed
over this kiln similar to the other; or the openings, grooves, or slits at top
may be left open, or covered with plates or tiles at pleasure. 9, g, &c., brick
work. h, h, h, ash pit and bars. i, i, air flues. k, k, k, &c., retorts. 1, 1,
sight and air tubes. m, m, reflecting covers. n, n, openings or grooves, and
the spotted parts represent the fuel in both Figures.
Our second improvement is a mode of cooling, condensing, and purifying
the gas by absorption in a vacuum, which we apply after the gas has passed
the hydraulic main, and deposited its tar and ammonia liquor in the common
way, then, and not till then, do we admit it into a compound vessel or separate
vessels to be purified before it enters the gasometer or gas holder. The
common mode of cooling and condensing the gas is by forcing it to traverse
a succession of vessels or pipes varying in length to upwards of one thousand
five hundred feet, sometimes exposed to the open air or buryed in the ground.
but more frequently surrounded with water, which water is carefully kept from
touching the gas, until at last the same gas is forced in a large body tlirough a
column of water and beds of lime' in the common lime vessels or purifyers,
which throws a great strain on the retorts and other vessels used.
Now our Invention destroys this resistance by opening a clear passage
for the gas from the hydraulic main to the gasometer even by working without
the use of a vacuum, and the gas is brought into immediate contact with the
water in the form of showers, streams, sheets, or jets; and as aminonia and
water have a great affinity for each other, these anti-illuminative parts
brought over in a state of gas, particularly into a vacuum, will be absorbed
and detained, and the sulphur will also be absorbed, if it is detained long
enough therein, and when it may be found necessary to use lime or any
other thing having a particular affinity for sulphur, it may be advantageously

page_text: done by mixing it with the water, used in any proportion that circumstances
may require.
Figure 3 represents a vessel made, of iron or other metals. a, a, a, the
outside. b, b, a partition in it, which forms both a condenser and purifyer,
and it may be made of any shape or size according to the quantity of gas
to be purified in any given time, and of any height for a small quantity of
water to produce the greatest effect. In this vessel there are a number
of plates or shelves, c, c, &c., so that the water being allowed to enter at the
top part, falls upon the first shelf, runs along and falls upon the second shelf,
along which it next runs, and so on to any extent. The water enters in a
jet or jets, then forms a stream, next a fall or sheet, and the whole forms a
shower from top to bottom, because these plates or shelves have holes in them
through which the water drops from shelf to shelf, so that the greatest possible
surface is exposed to the gas, at the same time not impeding its passage. dis
a cistern at top to hold common water, and e is a cistern to contain water
mixed with lime or any other ingredient necessary, and f and 9 are two cocks
to admit these waters in any proportion required. h and i are two holes
at bottom for the water to run off or to be pumped out or into the cisterns
at top to be used. again according to circumstances and situations; at k the
gas enters through a cock or valve, and ascends in the direction of the arrows
and dotted lines 1, 2, 3, passes over the top shelves at 4, and descends in the
direction of the same dotted line and arrows 5, 6, 7, and goes out at / to be
conducted to the gasometer agreeably to the next Figure and description
thereof..
Our next improvement is a mode of producing and maintaining a
vacuum by means of steam used only as an agent, in place of using it as a
power through the means of an engine and other machinery, which apparatus,
combination, or arrangement of things already known (applied to this purpose)
we call a steam conductor, trap, or decoyer of the gas from the purifyer into
the gasometer or gas holder.
Figure 4 represents two vessels, a and b, of nearly equal dimensions, made
of iron or other metals, and of any shape or size, and placed in any position,
but of sufficient strength to stand the pressure of the atmosphere, as must also
be the aforesaid condenser and purifyer, although a pure vacuum will not
always be maintained nor required. c is a pipe or main for the gas to pass
from the purifyer to the gasometer in the common way, but when working
with a vacuum, we place two valves d-and e in the main c, and admit steam of
the necessary force (generated as before described, or obtained in the common
way) through the valve into the vessel a, which is filled with water. This

page_text: steam will force the water through the pipe 9 up into the vessel 6, and con-
sequently will force all the gas with which it was filled through the valve e in
the pipe c leading to the gasometer, we then shut the valve f, when the water
will immediately begin to fall back into the vessel a as the steam becomes
weakened or condensed, at the same time the vessel b will become filled again
with gas through the valve d in the pipe c, which is one operation, and if the
valve f is again opened either by hand or by any mechanical contrivance, the
gas in 6 will again be forced through the valve e, and also the increase of
water that comes from the condensation of the steam, which water may run
off through a syphon placed at any convenient part of the main or pipe c; and
when it may be necessary to quicken the operation of this steam conductor or
apparatus, we admit a jet of water at h into the vessel a, or by applying
another pipe, and valve or cock, as represented by the dotted lines 1, 2, 3,
the jet of water may be admitted at 4 into the vessel b, all of which water
will be alternately discharged, as before described, or we apply a pump or
pumps for this purpose; and for regulating the action of this steam conductor
or apparatus or for assisting the same if required, the vessels a and b may
also have moveable plates or pistons in one or both of them, and be worked or
used without water, for, having a third vessel for the purpose of condensing the
steam, and by the application or use of two or more of this our steam conductor,
decoyer, or apparatus, a constant stream or current of gas may be conducted,
decoyed, or caused to pass from the purifyer into the gasometer or gasholder
fit for illuminations or any other purposes.
Having described, delineated, ascertained, and made known our Inventions
of improvements in the process of making gas from coal and other substances,
which descriptions are mixed with descriptions of modes hitherto in use, for
the purpose of exemplifying and distinguishing the new from the old. But we
claim, jointly or separately,-
First, our mode of heating retorts by contact, as before described.
Secondly, the purifying of gas in a vacuum by the aforesaid means, and with
the use of our steam conductor or apparatus applied to the aforesaid purpose,
and for the use of the aforesaid means of destroying the resistance to the gas
in the common way of gas making, which eases the pressure on the vessels
used, which, to the best of our knowledge and belief, are new and hath not
been used by any other person.
In witness whereof, I, the said Jonathan Dickson, have hereunto set my
hand and seal, this Second day of August, in the year of our Lord
One thousand eight hundred and thirty-three.
JONATHAN (L.S.) DICKSON.

page_text: AND BE IT REMEMBERED, that on the Second day of August, in the
year of our Lord 1833, the aforesaid Jonathan Dickson came before our said
Lord the King in His Chancery, and acknowledged the Specification aforesaid,
and all and every thing therein contained and specified, in form above written."
And also the Specification aforesaid was stamped according to the tenor of the
Statute made for that purpose.
Inrolled the Sixth day of August, in the year of our Lord One
thousand eight hundred and thirty-three.