IMPROVEMENTS IN THE MANUFACTURE OF SULPHATES, AND IN PREPARING
Year: 1871

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to James Hargreaves, of Appleton-within-Widnes,
in the County of Lancaster, Chemist, and Thomas Robinson, of
Widnes, in the same County, Ironfounder, for the Invention of
"IMPROVEMENTS IN THE MANUFACTURE OF SULPHATES, AND IN PREPARING
"
Sealed the 17th November 1871, and dated the 22nd July 1871.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said James Hargreaves and
Thomas Robinson at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents,
with their Petition, on the 22nd July 1871.
We, JAMES HARGREAVES, of Appleton-within-Widnes, in the County
of Lancaster, Chemist, and THOMAS ROBINSON, of Widnes, in the same
County, Ironfounder, do hereby declare the nature of the said Invention
for "IMPROVEMENTS IN THE MANUFACTURE OF SULPHATES, AND IN PREPARING
MATERIALS, AND IN APPARATUS TO BE EMPLOYED THEREIN," to be as follows:-
First. When making sulphates of soda and potassa or either of them
by the direct action of sulphurous acid on chloride of sodium or chloride

page_text: of potassium or either of them (hereafter for brevity referred to as
chloride), as set forth in several Specifications of Inventions for which
we have obtained Letters Patent, amongst others No. 3045 of the year
1870, and when making sulphates by the direct action of sulphuric
acid vapour under Patent No. of the year 1871, we proceed as
follows: As means for altering the crystalline structure of the chloride,
for rendering it porous, and for reducing it into such form or condition
as shall expose a large surface, we fuse and cast it into hollow rings,
cylinders, corrugated plates, spheres, or other such forms as expose a
large surface and allow free passage of gases through or amongst a mass
of the said forms. Or, instead of making the chlorides into the forms
aforesaid, we mix the fused chloride with crystalised, powdered, or
granulated chloride so as to form a conglomerate of chlorides sufficiently
open and porous to admit of ready action of the said sulphurous or
sulphuric acid vapour upon the interior of the chlorides. The said
chloride conglomerate, if conglomerate is used, is then broken into
pieces of suitable size.
Second. We fuse the chlorides aforesaid in a furnace having a bed
somewhat like that of an ordinary reverberatory furnace and convey the
products of combustion, after passing over the bed of the said furnace,
into a tower or chimney, preferably upright or slanting. The chloride
is placed in the said tower or chimney, where it is fused and whence
it flows into the bed of the furnace to be withdrawn and cast as
aforesaid.
Third. When fusing the chloride as described in the above first and
second parts of our said Invention we use as fuel pyritous coal or shales
and also the pyrites and other substances at present rejected when
washing coal to free it from pyrites, so as to produce sulphurous acid,
which reacts upon the chloride when fused and converts a portion of the
said chloride into sulphate.
Fourth. When fusing chloride as described in the above first, second,
and third parts of our Invention, we allow steam to pass either into,
the furnace direct, or we allow the said steam to pass through the
fire-bars into the furnace, and thence through the tower or slanting.
chimney in which the chloride is fused, so as to afford water and admit ;
of the evolution of hydrochloric acid from the chloride.

page_text: Fifth. To prevent condensation of hydrochloric acid in the newly
set chambers containing chlorides, and also to reduce the liability of the
chambers to crack where iron or other metal chambers are used, we
heat the chloride before putting it into the chambers.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent,
filed by the said James Hargreaves and Thomas Robinson in the
Great Seal Patent Office on the 22nd January 1872.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, we, JAMES
HARGREAVES, of Appleton-within-Widnes, in the County of Lancaster,
Chemist, and THOMAS ROBINSON, of Widnes, in the same County,
Ironfounder, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her
Letters Patent, bearing date the Twenty-second day of July, in the year
of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and seventy-one, in the thirty-
fifth year of Her reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors,
give and grant unto us, the said James Hargreaves and Thomas
Robinson, Her special licence that we, the said James Hargreaves and
Thomas Robinson, our executors, administrators, and assigns, or such
others as we, the said James Hargreaves and Thomas Robinson, our
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 THE MANUFACTURE OF SULPHATES, AND IN PREPARING MATERIALS, AND IN
APPARATUS TO BE EMPLOYED THEREIN," upon the condition (amongst others)
that we, the said James Hargreaves and Thomas Robinson, our
executors or administrators, by an instrument in writing under our, 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.

page_text: NOW KNOW YE, that we, the said James Hargreaves and Thomas
Robinson, do hereby declare the nature of our said Invention, and in
what manner the same is to be performed, to be particularly described
and ascertained in and by the following statement, reference being had
to the accompanying Sheet of illustrative Drawings, and to the figures
and letters marked thereon, that is to say:-
First. When making sulphates of soda and potassa or cither of them
by the direct action of sulphurous acid on chloride of sodium or chloride
of potassium or either of them (hereafter for brevity referred to as
chloride), as set forth in several Specifications of Inventions, for which
we have obtained Letters Patent, amongst others No. 3045 of the year
1870, and when making sulphates by the direct action of sulphuric
acid vapour under Patent No. 1920 of the year 1871, we proceed as
follows: As means for altering the crystalline structure of the chloride,
for rendering it porous, and for reducing it into such form or condition
as shall expose a large surface, we fuse and cast it into hollow rings,
cylinders, corrugated plates, spheres, or other such forms as expose a
large surface and allow free passage of gases through or amongst a mass
of the said forms. Or, instead of making the chloride into the forms
aforesaid, we mix the fused chloride with crystallized, powdered, or
granulated chloride, so as to form a conglomerate of chloride sufficiently
open and porous to admit of ready action of the said sulphurous or
sulphuric acid upon the interior of the chloride. The said chloride
conglomerate, if conglomerate is used, is then broken into pieces of
suitable size.
Second. We fuse the chloride aforesaid in a furnace having a bed
somewhat like that of an ordinary reverberatory furnace, and convey
the products of combustion, after passing over the bed of the said
furnace, into a tower or chimney, preferably upright or slanting, or an
upright tower may be formed with a series of slanting surfaces. The
chloride is placed in the said tower or chimney, where it is fused and
whence it flows into the bed of the furnace to be withdrawn and cast
as aforesaid.
Fig. 1 of the Drawings is a longitudinal section of one modification

page_text: chloride; e, feed door; f, working opening; g, flue to chimney;
h, flue to admit sulphurous gas, if desired.
Fig. 2 is a longitudinal section of another modification of a furnace.
Here is the fire-grate; j, bed; k, withdrawing door and tap hole;
51, flue to admit sulphurous gas, if desired; m³, passage leading from
the furnace into an upright chimney or tower m containing broken
bricks or other fire-resisting material; n, feed door through which the
chloride is fed; o, passage leading to concentrating pan p and water
tower q, filled with coke or other broken pieces; r, waste gas outlet;
8, water tank. Chloride fed through n is fused and flows through the
passages m into the bed j. During fusing sulphurous acid admitted
through, or given off from the fuel on i is absorbed by the fused
chloride during its descent through the chimney or tower m, and in
this way the chloride is partially converted into sulphate. To prevent
5 loss any chloride or sulphate carried over in suspension is intercepted
in the tower q and washed back into the concentrating pan p, from
which the water is evaporated by the waste heat. t are doors for with-
drawing solid material from p. The said solid material may be fed to
the tower or chimney m so as to be again fused.
Fig. 3 shows in vertical section a modification of the chimney or
tower m which we prefer to use when fusing rock salt or other chloride
containing clay and other infusible impurities.
Third. When fusing the chloride as described in the above first and
second parts of our said Invention, we use as fuel pyritous coal or shales
and also the pyrites and other substances at present rejected when
washing coal to free it from pyrites, so as to produce sulphurous acid,
which reacts upon the chloride when fused and converts a portion of the
said chloride into sulphate.
Although we prefer pyritous coal and waste pyrites in consequence
of being at once fuel and a source of sulphur, we would have it under-
stood that any ordinary fuel may be used, and that, if desired, pyrites
or any other suitable substance may be used as a source of sulphur to
form sulphates as mentioned. The waste gases and products of com-
bustion from copper roasting and smelting furnaces may also be used
for melting the chlorides and providing sulphur.

page_text: It will be evident that under this part of our Invention it is possible
to convert almost, if not the whole of the chloride into sulphate, but
we do not consider it economical to do so.
Fourth. When fusing chloride as described in the above first, second,
and third parts of our Invention, we allow steam to pass either into the
furnace direct, or we allow the said steam to pass through the fire-bars
into the furnace, and thence through the tower or slanting chimney in
which the chloride is fused, so as to afford water and admit of the
evolution of hydrochloric acid from the chloride.
Fifth. To prevent condensation of hydrochloric acid in the newly
set chambers containing chlorides to be converted into sulphates when
a series of chambers is used, and also to reduce the liability of the
chambers to crack when iron or other metal chambers are used, we heat
the chloride before putting it into the chamber; a temperature of 250°
Fahrenheit is sufficient.
Having now described the nature of our said Invention, and par-
ticularized the same in such manner that others will be enabled to
carry our improvements into effect, we claim,-
Under the first head.-(1.) Fusing chloride and casting the same into
hollow rings, cylinders, corrugated plates, spheres, or such other forms
as expose a large surface for the action of sulphurous acid gas or sul-
phuric acid vapour, as described. (2.) Fusing chloride and mixing
therewith crystallized, powdered, or granulated chloride, so as to form
a conglomerate, which is afterwards broken up and serves to expose a
large surface to the action of sulphurous acid gas or sulphuric acid
vapour, as described.
Under the second head.-The furnace, constructed substantially as
described and shown on the Drawings for the purposes set forth.
Under the third head.-Converting chloride into sulphate by reacting
upon fused chloride with sulphurous acid gas, substantially as described.
Under the fourth head.-When fusing chlorides in the manner and
for the purposes above set forth, admitting steam into the furnace to
promote the decomposition of the chlorides, substantially as set forth.

page_text: for the purposes set forth.
In witness whereof, I, the said James Hargreaves, have hereunto
set my hand and seal, the Nineteenth day of January, in the year
of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and seventy-two.
In the presence of,
J. T. KING,
Patent Agent,
Liverpool.
JAMES HARGREAVES. (L.S.)