Apparatus for the Disinfection of Excrement, Urine, and other Infected Matter.
Year: 1893

page_text: Date of Application, 20th Jan., 1893
Complete Specification Left, 25th Aug., 1893-Accepted, 21st Oct., 1893
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
Apparatus for the Disinfection of Excrement, Urine, and other
Infected Matter.
I WILLIAM WARNER Hope Drive The Park Nottingham Civil Engineer do
hereby declare the nature of this invention to be as follows:-
The excrement and urine from the bodies of persons infected with infectious
diseases are very dangerous, and liable to propagate disease.
The object of my invention is to disinfect excrement, urine and other infected
matter in a simple manner, and render then harmless, and thus prevent the
propagation of disease.
The apparatus consists of a metal vessel to hold excrement, and other infected
matter, and of a capacity suitable to the requirements of a hospital or public
disinfecting station. For convenience and strength, the vessel may be made
circular, with hemispherical bottom and top: the top secured by flanged joints,
and provided with a hinged cover, and opening of less diameter having a jointing
surface, which may be readily made steam-tight with-hand screws, or other suitable
means, and balanced by a weight to facilitate its movement in opening and closing.
The opening is arranged so that a wood ring may be placed round it, and provide
a form of closet seat. A steam pipe, with valve, is connected to the top of the
vessel, with dip pipe passing to the bottom, so that steam may enter into the
midst of the excrement etc. A steam valve, with pipe, is also connected at the top
of the vessel to cause a pressure on the surface of the contents when ready for
ejectment. A pressure gauge is attached to register the pressure, and heat, inside
the vessel, and a safety valve to allow the escape of steam when a certain pressure
is reached. A larger pipe is also passed through the top of the vessel, with the
end near the bottom; and outside, a valve is connected, with rising main, so that
the excrement, urine, and other matter may be ejected from the vessel after
treatment. The rising main is connected with pipes to convey the treated matter
into a cooling tank. The cooling tank may take treated matter ejected from a
number of these vessels, and the cooling is assisted by pipes containing water, and
water jacket. The foul gases are drawn off by an exhauster, and may be passed
into a furnace. When in use, the excrement and urine from persons infected with
infectious diseases are emptied from chamber utensils into the vessel, either in a
solid or liquid form, and other infected matter, such as particles of food and liquid
from hospital wards are also emptied into the vessel.
When patients are sufficiently strong, they may use the vessel as a closet, and
pass their excrement and urine direct into the vessel, in which case the wood ring
may be placed over the opening to form a more comfortable seat.
The contents of the vessel are sealed by the cover when ready for treatment,
and steam passed inside, down the steam dip pipe, until the pressure is raised
sufficiently to kill the germs of disease: the steam valve is then closed, and the
valve in connection with the rising main opened, when the contents are ejected out
of the vessel.
A
pipe, with valve, for supply of cold water is also provided, so that the vessel
may be washed out when needed, and a float or gauge may be attached to indicate
the level of the contents. To prevent accident, the steam valves may be arranged
so that they cannot be opened till the cover is closed.
Dated this 19th day of January 1893.

page_text: COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Apparatus for the Disinfection of Excrement, Urine, and other
Infected Matter.
WILLIAM WARNER Hope Drive The Park Nottingham Civil Engineer do
hereby declare the nature of this invention and in what mauner the same is to
be performed, to be particularly described and ascertained in and by the following
statement :-
I will describe my invention in detail, with the aid of the accompanying
drawings.
Figure 1 represents a complete plant in section.
Figure 2 represents front elevation of the apparatus.
The same letters represent like parts in all drawings.
a is the metal vessel to hold excrements or other matter during treatment, the.
opening in the top cover e for feeding the vessel; c represents a wood ring, which
is placed as shown when the vessel is required to be used as a closet, d the hinged
cover with balance weight i; e is a rubber ring to make a steam tight joint upon
the edge of the opening b.
The dip pipe fis connected to the valve g, and terminates nearly at the bottom
of the vessel a.
A pipe rising main h is also connected with the valve g. The flanges and k¹
are to bolt the bottom and top together, and m is a flange to support the vessel upon
the ground.
n represents a pressure gauge: o is the steam pipe with valve to convey steam into
the material under treatment: p is a steam pipe with valve to convey steam upon
the top of the material for ejecting, and Q is a water pipe to convey water for
washing out the vessel, represents wing nuts for tightening the cover upon the
joint.
The rising main is conducted to a cooling tank b', having a dip pipe a¹ to
convey the material treated near the bottom c¹ is a ball float and cock, d' is a
flushing syphon, el a wash out valve, f¹ the lever and handle, g¹ the outlet to sewer,
is the outlet for vapour.
The method of working may be performed as follows:-
All kinds of slops including excrements, washings from baths and sinks, also
· broken food, and the sweepings from the hospital floor, is fed into the vessel a
through the opening b, care being exercised in the size of the solid matters, as they
must be able to pass through the pipe rising main h.
When the vessel is charged the wood ring c is removed, and the cover d closed,
and made a steam tight joint by means of the side screws, and wing nuts r, which
are placed in a vertical position and pass between the side openings in cover d.
The valve g is closed and the steam valve on pipe o opened, so that steam is passed
into the matter under treatment.
Any pressure of steam will kill the germs of disease, but the higher the pressure
the more quickly is the work done.
The pressure gauge n will show the pressure of steam inside, and the pressure
may be regulated by the valve on pipe o.
When the whole of the contents have boiled and show a pressure of steam on
the gauge, the disinfecting or sterilizing steam passing through pipe o is shut off;
the valve on pipe p opened, and the large valve g opened.
The pressure of steam acting upon the surface of the material, inside the vessel,
will send it forward, up the dip pipe, through the valve g and rising main h into
the cooling tank, discharging at the bottom through dip pipe a'.
The ball cock into the cooling tank, is set to close a few inches before flushing
would take place, consequently, when the contents of a vessel is discharged into it,
the flushing action is at once performed, and the tank lowered to the underside of
1'

page_text: the flushing bell, but not sufficiently low to unseal the dip pipe a', this prevents the
escape of offensive vapour from the rising main.
Immediately the tank has discharged, the ball cock is open and a supply of cold
water again filling the tank ready for the next charge of disinfected material.
At times it is necessary to entirely empty the tank to clean the bottom, and then
the discharge valve e¹ is opened, and the bottom washed out through outlet p'.
Any vapours are taken off through outlet h', and may be drawn by an exhauster,
or other similar means, or pass into the atmosphere.
There is also provision for washing out the sterilizing or disinfecting vessel, by
passing water into it through pipe Q, and the water may be warmed or even
boiled by the steam from pipe o, and afterwards ejected in a similar manner to the
excrements etc. and thus also cleanse the rising main.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said inven-
tion, and in what manner the same is to be performed, I declare that what I
claim is :-
1. The arrangement and combination of parts constituting the apparatus for use in
disinfecting excrements, infected liquids, and solid matter substantially as herein
before described and illustrated.
1000
WILLIAM WARNER.