An Improved Material for Packing Reaction-towers, Condensing- towers, and the like.
Year: 1896

page_text: Date of Application, 22nd Feb., 1896-Accepted, 28th Mar., 1896
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
An Improved Material for Packing Reaction-towers, Condensing-
towers, and the like.
A communication by THE THONWAARENFABRIK BETTENHAUSEN DR. DR.
PLATH, STAUB & PIEPMEYER, of Bettenhausen-Cassel, in the Empire of
Germany, Earthenware Manufacturers.
I, WILLIAM PHILLIPS THOMPSON F.C.S., M.I.M.E. of The Agency for
Foreign Patent Solicitors, 6, Lord Street, Liverpool and 6 Bank Street,
Manchester both in the County of Lancaster, 118, New Street, Birmingham in
the County of Warwick and 31, High Holborn in the County of Middlesex, Civil
Engineer, do hereby declare the nature of this invention and in what manner the
same is to be performed, to be particularly described and ascertained in and by
the following statement:-
In chemical reactions of all kinds in towers, it is of great importance that.
the gases rising upwards and the liquids flowing down in an opposite direction
shall come into contact with one another as thoroughly as possible, and that
therefore the substances which mutually act on one another shall be as finely
distributed, and as thoroughly intermingled as possible.
This is attained, in the invention which forms the object of the present-
application, by employing, for filling or packing the towers, a material in which
partitions are formed which prevent the gases from rising directly upwards, and
also form hollows or recesses in which a checking of the gas takes place.
The gases are in this manner very finely distributed.
Further by this arrangement the gases which have been naturally separated on
rising between the separate parts of the packing material, are caused to again
immediately upite in such a way as to produce simultaneously an increased reaction
by contact, and a thorough mixing is thereby attained.
This was not the case with the sections of tubes hitherto employed.
The forms and dimensions of the packing or filling material, and the surface
thereof may be varied as desired, the essential feature of this invention being the
cross piece or partition with the hollow chamber beneath.
The arrangement therefore which is intended to produce the checking of the
gases consists of a simple closing plate or dish which covers or closes the packing
or filling material at any suitable point, filling or packing substances being
employed which do not consist of tubes open above and below, but of such as
are closed at some suitable point either in the middle, above or at any other
suitable parts. The gases on rising impinge against this closing piece, and are
consequently forced to undergo greater reaction. Some examples of such packing
or filling material are shown in the accompanying drawings.
Figure 1, for instance, shows an ordinary tube a on which a dish b is simply
placed. In Figure 2, the dish b is provided with a shoulder c in order to give it a
better hold on the tube a.
Figure 3 shows the combination of two dishes b which are placed back to back,
that is, with their two bottoms touching one another in a reversed position.
Figure 4 is simply a dish reversed.
Figure 5 is of a conical form with a central opening e in order to admit of an
internal passage of the gas, whilst causing a checking of the same simultaneously.
Figure 6 shows a conical shaped body with an upper dish or recess.

page_text: Figures 7 and 8 are forms of construction of the packing 'or filling body with
dishes or partitions, the outer surfaces being corrugated.
Figure 9 shows a packing body with a dripping arrangement in the dish.
Figure 10 shows a body such as may be preferably employed in the corners of
the tower.
Figures 11 to 14 show as an example some cross sections of filling or packing
bodies.
In all, the letter is the closing piece or partition against which the gases
impinge on rising.
The packing bodies may be made of any suitable acid resisting substances, or
otherwise, such as earthenware, porcelain, vulcanite or the like, and also of metal
such as iron, zinc, lead, copper and the like.
As shown in the above mentioned examples, the above described checking or
impinging of the gases may be obtained in the most varied ways with the simplest
forms.
The essential feature of the invention lies precisely in the arrangement of
projections, covers, dishes or the like, which obstruct the passage of the rising gas
and against which the gases on rising impinge, whereby their molecules are
brought closer together and thus produce greater reactions.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of the said inven-
tion and in what manner the same is to be performed, as communicated to me by
my foreign correspondents, I declare that what I claim is :-
1. A filling or packing material for chemical reaction towers and the like,
characterised by projections, covers, dishes, cross partitions or similar arrange-
ments provided thereon, in order to thus obtain a checking and division of the
gases so as to prevent the latter rising upwards in a straight line, and to create and
increase reaction by pressure in the hollow spaces formed below the cross partitions
or covers substantially as described.
2. The improved forms of filling or packing materials or substances for reaction
towers, substantially as hereinbefore described and illustrated in the accompanying
drawings..
3. The providing of the outside surfaces of the tubes or packing material or
substances of chemical reaction towers with corrugations, ridges, points, projections
or the like in order to increase the surface substantially as described.
Dated this 21st day of February 1896.
WM. P. THOMPSON & Co.,
Agents.