IMPROVEMENTS IN APPARATUS FOR MANUFACTURING HYDROCARBON GAS
Year: 1884

page_text: I WILLIAM HENRY BECK, Consulting Engineer and Patent Agent of 115 Cannon
Street, London E.C. in the County of Middlesex do hereby declare the nature of my
Invention for IMPROVEMENTS IN APPARATUS FOR MANUFACTURING HYDROCARBON
GAS, and in what manner the same is to be performed, to be particularly described
and ascertained in and by the following statement :-
My invention relates to improvements in apparatus for manufacturing hydro-
carbon gas, more especially hydrocarbon gas produced by the process described in
the complete specification filed with the application for a Patent No 6455 dated
17th April 1844, such apparatus being shown in the accompanying drawings, in
which
Figure 1 is a view partly in section and partly in elevation.
Figure 2 is a sectional elevation of the apparatus shown in Figure 1.
Figure 3 is a central sectional view through the furnace B and combustion
flue B' of Figure 1, and
Figure 4 is a detailed sectional view of the injecting device by means of which
the hydrogen gas and liquid hydrocarbon are introduced to the mixing chamber I
of Figure 1.
BD and E are furnaces containing muffles C, F and G, the construction of these
three furnaces is similar, and may be understood by reference to Figure 3 in
which B represents the masonry of the furnace; C, a muffle of boiler iron which is
provided with shelves a b c and with induction and eduction pipes d and e.
is the grate bar, and B' the combustion flue. The combustion flues B₁ Di
and E' are respectively provided with dampers B DO". A is a steam boiler or
superheater of any suitable construction, provided with an eduction pipe d opening
into the muffle 0. e is a pipe leading from the top of the muffle O to the bottom
of the muffle F, and is a pipe leading from the top of the muffle F to the bottom
of the muffle G.
I is a pipe leading from the top of the muffle G and opening into a mixing
chamber I. The pipe at its discharge end m is enlarged and within this.
enlargement is introduced the discharge end of the pipe n which leads from the
hydrocarbon. The construction is such that the passage of the hydrocarbon gas
through a pipe and around the discharge end of the pipe n causes the ejection of
the fluid hydrocarbon supplied from the tank or vessel H into the mixing chamber I
in a spray or finely divided condition.
D. Ը.

page_text: K is a coil leading from the mixing chamber I upwardly through a stack or flue
of masonry and thence by a pipo K' downwardly into a second fluo or stack having
as a continuation of said pipe K' a second coil. K-The latter coil by means of the
pipe K is caused to discharge into the bottom of a washer L set in proper
brickwork und provided with a grato or fire box M.
The washer L is provided with two circulating pipes N and N the lower
open extremities of each of which reach nearly but not quite to the bottom of
said vessel, the upper extremities being bent over and provided with rose ends or
openings.
M and M are perforated diaphragms or sieves.
o is a gas discharge opening, and Q is an opening for the discharge of the products
of combustion from the fire box M.
P Paro pipes extending into the washer L and having their open ends therein
nearly but not quite in contact with the lower interior end of the said chamber
the outer ends of said pipes being provided with suitable valves for closing the
same..
'
The shelves a b c are provided with calcium protoxide (lime) and the muflle Fis
upon its shelves provided with iron copper or other easily oxidizable metal, in a
finely divided condition, while the inuflle G is upon its shelves provided with beds
of charcoal. The materials are fed to said muffles by removing the plutes from the
front ends thereof and the luting by which they are held in place, after which the
plates are replaced and luted in position.
Tho mufiles O and F with their contents are heated by means of fire upon the
grate bars and g in the combustion chambers B and D respectively.
I may here remark that the muffle of the furnace 13 may be charged with finely
divided iron or copper and the muille in the furnace D with limo without changing
the nature of the process.
Steam is fed from the superheater or boiler A through the piped to the bottom
of the muffle O and passes backward and forward over and through the lime
contained upon the shelves of said muffle whereby oxygen, and such carbonic acid
as may be present in the said stean, aro to a large extent absorbed and removed
therefrom.
The hydrogen resulting with such impurities as it may contain, is then conveyed
by the pipe a to the bottom of the muflle F where it is discharged and passes over
and through the heated finely divided iron or copper or equivalent matoriul
contained, upon the shelves thereof, by which said gas is further purified from
oxygen and carbonic acid.
This purified gas is then, by means of the pipe / conveyed to the lower part of
the muflie G, at which point it is discharged in said muille and passes over and
through the bed of charcoal contained upon the shelves thereof, whereby its
complete purification from oxygen and carbonic acid is insured. The purified and
highly heated hydrogen so obtained is then conveyed by the pipo to the mixing
chamber I and in its escape through the enlarged orifice m of the pipo 7 into said
chamber causes the stream of liquid hydrocarbon fed by the pipen from the
holder II to be forced into said mixing chambers I in a finely divided condition
of spray.
This mixture of hydrocarbon and hydrogen gases then passes through the coil K
which has been highly heated by fire upon the grate bars J, whereby suid gases
become more or less fixed. From the coil K through the pipe K this gas may be.
conveyed to a second coil. K" heated by fire from the grate whereby a perfect
fixing of the gas may bo insured.
The fixed gas so obtained is then conveyed through the pipo K to the washer L
and discharged into said chamber at the bottom thereof, said chamber having
previously been supplied with hydrato of lime, ammonia and water, or other
suitable cleansing solution, the passage through which said gas purifies the same
and fits it for use, the purified gas being removed from said washer to a suitable
storage reservoir through the orifice o.
I

page_text: The hydro-carbon gas introduced to the purifier L through the pipe K™ is caused
to come into more thorough contact with the cleansing solution in said chamber by
reason of the fact that the heat arising from the fire box M causes a circulation of
the bath in the washer L upwardly through the pipes N¹ N" and a discharge of said.
mixture through the rose discharges on the upper ends of said pipes respectively
and a consequent trickling of said solution downwardly through the perforated
diaphragms.M' and M" by which the upward current of gas comes intimately into
contact with said purifying mixture.
The pipes p and p may be used to free the purifier or washer L of its contents,
pressure applied to one of these pipes causing the contents of said purifier to be
ejected through the other.
B and D are flues connecting the combustion chambers of the furnaces B
and D and D and E respectively, said flues being provided with dampers. This
construction enables the retort of the combustion chamber E to be heated by
causing the currents of heat and the products of combustion from the furnaces B
and D to pass through the furnace E and be discharged through the smoke stack E
whereby the charcoal of the muffle G may be purified of its oxygen and carbonic
acid when such purification becomes necessary, instead of removing said charcoal
from said muffle and replacing it by fresh supplies thereof.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said
invention and in what manner the same is to be performed I declare that what
I claim is:-
1. In an apparatus for the manufacture of hydrocarbon gas, in combination,
three or more furnaces, the combustion chamber of each being provided with a
closed muffle containing, respectively, lime, iron, (or copper in a finely divided
state) and charcoal, a mixing chamber provided with a hydrocarbon-injector and a
heating or fixing coil or chamber the arrangement being such that superheated
steam introduced to the first named muffle may pass over or through the heated
lime therein, and thence over or through the heated iron or copper in the second
muffle and thence over or through the charcoal in the third muffle and thence into
the mixing chamber and become mixed with the hydrocarbon therein, and thenco
into or through the heating or fixing coil or chamber substantially as described in
the foregoing specification and shown in the accompanying drawings.
2. In an apparatus for the manufacture of hydrocarbon gas, in combination, a
steam boiler or superheater A, furnaces B, D and E, provided respectively, with
muffles C F and G, said superheater and muffles being connected by pipes de and k
respectively, a mixing chamber I, provided with a hydrocarbon supply tube n, and
with a hydrogen-gas supply tube, leading from the muffle G and a fixing chamber
or coil K substantially as described in the foregoing specification and shown in the
accompanying drawings.
3. In an apparatus for the manufacture of hydrocarbon gas, in combination, a
steam boiler or superheater A, furnaces B, D and E, provided respectively, with
muffles C, F and G, said superheater and muflles being connected by pipes de
and respectively, a mixing chamber I provided with a hydrocarbon supply
tube n, and with a hydrogen gas supply tube 4, leading from the muffle G, one or
more fixing chambers or coils K, and a washer L. substantially as described in the
foregoing specification and shown in the accompanying drawings.
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