AN IMPROVED PROCESS OF AND TUT OF AND APPARATUS FOR MAKING CAUSTIC LIQUOR OR CAUSTIC LEES
Year: 1865

page_text: LETTERS, PATENT. to Thomas Nicholson, of Gateshead, in the County of
Durham, Engineer, for the Invention of "AN IMPROVED PROCESS OF AND
TUT
"
Sealed 'the 7th November 1865, and dated the 6th September 1865.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Thomas Nicholson
at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on
the 6th September 1865.
I, THOMAS NICHOLSON, of Gateshead, in the County of Durham, Engineer,
do hereby declare the nature of the said Invention for "AN IMPROVED
PROCESS OF AND APPARATUS FOR MAKING CAUSTIC LIQUOR OR CAUSTIC LEES," to be
as follows:-
My improved apparatus for making caustic liquor consists of a number of
vats arranged in a consecutive series of, say, six vats; these vats I prefer to
make cylindrical, and I surround them with a steam jacket, which extends
below the bottom of the vats. The steam jackets of the several vats I
connect by supply and discharge steam pipes, which a e provided with cocks
for admitting and-discharging steam to and from any or all of the steam
jackets at pleasure. I also connect the interior of the several vats with each

page_text: other by means of pipes (governed. by cocks), which permit of the liquor
being run from the first vat of the series to every vat in succession. And I
also connect the first and last vat directly with each other by a pipe that may
be opened or closed at pleasure.
.
The mode of carrying on the improved process of making caustic liquor is
as follows: The first vat, No. 1, being charged with the usual ingredients,
such as carbonate of soda and lime, hot water is run in from an elevated
cistern and steam from an adjacent boiler is admitted through the steam
supply pipe before mentioned to the steam jacket of the vat for the purpose
of heating the contents thereof. When the liquor has been boiled to bring it
to a given caustic strength the steam is cut off, and the liquor is allowed to
settle. A quantity of carbonate of soda and lime having in the meantime
been put into No. 2 vat water is now run into No. 1 vat, and caused to
overflow into vat No. 2. By continuing to run on water into No. 1 vat, vat
No. 2 will be supplied with sufficient water for boiling its contents; the
supply is then stopped, and steam is admitted to the jacket of vat No. 2 until
the liquor has become as caustic as in No. 1. In like manner vat No. 3 is
charged, and its contents operated upon, and so on with all the váts of the
series. If now the liquor is considered to be sufficiently strong, or as strong
as practicable; it may be syphoned off. By this time the liquor will be, say,
40 degrees strong, but if it is required to have it stronger the sludge in-No. 1
vat may be dried off, and the solid matters removed. Fresh carbonate of soda
and lime may then be put into vat No. 1, and the liquor from vat No. 6
'returned to vat No. 1. In the next course vat No. 2 will be the first of the
series, and in the following course, vat No. 3, and so on, each vat in its turn
being the starting point in the process, and being fed directly from the supply
cistern.
+4
If
By means of this improved apparatus the ingredients or carbonate of soda
and lime may be washed until there is no caustic property left to extract.
6 vats are not sufficient more vats may be employed; but after 6 different
waters are run into each vat the carbonate will be all gone.
By my improved apparatus a more perfect washing of the ingredients is
secured, and the sludge can be easily disposed of, and moreover the liquor can
be brought up to a far greater strength than in the ordinary apparatus, and
can be drawn off at one uniform strength.

page_text: SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent; filed
by the said Thomas Nicholson in the Great Seal Patent Office on. the
6th March 1866:
TO ALL TO. WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL. COME,. I, THOMAS
NICHOLSON, of. Gateshead;. in. the County of Durham, Engineer,. send
greeting..
WHEREAS Her most. Excellent Majesty. Queen-Victoria, by. Her. Letters
Patent, bearing date the Sixth. day of September, in the year of our Lord One
thousand.eight hundred and sixty-five, in the twenty-ninth year of Her reign,
did for Herself; Her heirs and successors,, give and grant. unto me, the said
Thomas Nicholson,. Her special licence that I,,the said Thomas Nicholson,.
my executors, administrators, and assigns,, or such others as I,. the said
Thomas Nicholson; my. 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. "AN IMPROVED.
PROCESS OF AND APPARATUS FOR MAKING CAUSTIC LIQUOR OR CAUSTIC LEES," upon.
the condition (amongst others) that I,.the said Thomas Nicholson, my executors
or administrators,. by an instrument in writing under my, 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...
NOW KNOW YE, that I, the said Thomas Nicholson, do hereby declare
the nature of my said Invention, and in what manner. the same is to be per-
formed,. to be particularly described and ascertained in and by the following.
statement, reference being had to the Drawing hereunto annexed, and to the
letters and figures marked thereon (that is to say):-
My. Invention of "An Improved Process of and Apparatus for Making
Caustic Liquor or Caustic Lees is shewn in the accompanying Drawing,. in
which are several views of the improved apparatus for making caustic liquor
or caustic lees..
Fig. 1 is a longitudinal elevation of the apparatus,, two of the vats being
shewn in section; Fig. 2 is an end elevation. of the same; and Fig. 3 is a
plan view.
The apparatus consists of a number of vats arranged in a consecutive

page_text: series of, say, six vats, as shewn at 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6; these vats I prefer to
make cylindrical, and they are surrounded with a steam jacket, which extends
below the bottom of the vats, as shewn at A, B, in Fig. 1. The steam jackets
of the several vats are connected by means of branch pipes to supply and
discharge, steam pipes D and E; these pipes are provided with cocks and
valves for admitting or discharging the contents to and from any or all of the
steam jackets at pleasure. The interiors of the several vats are also connected
with each other by means of pipes C, governed by cocks which permit of the
liquor being run from the first vat of the series to every vat in succession.
The first and last vat are also connected directly with each other by a pipe
and cock G, Fig. 1, which may be opened or closed at pleasure.
The manner of carrying-on-the-improved-process-of-making caustic liquor-
or caustic lees is as follows:-The first vat, No. 1, being charged with the
usual ingredients, such as carbonate of soda and lime, hot water is run into it
from an elevated cistern, and steam from an adjacent boiler is admitted
through the steam supply pipe D before mentioned to the steam jacket of the
vat for the purpose of boiling the contents thereof. When the liquor has been'
boiled to bring it to a given caustic strength the steam is cut off, and the
liquor is allowed to settle. A quantity of carbonate of soda and lime has in
the meantime been put into No. 2 vat, water is run into vat No. I, and
caused to overflow into vat No. 2, and by continuing to run on water into
vat No. 1 vat No. 2 will be supplied with sufficient water for boiling its
contents; the supply is then to be stopped, and steam admitted to the jacket
of vat No. 2 until the liquor has become a caustic, as in No. 1' vat. In like
manner vat No. 3 is charged, and the contents operated upon, and so on with
all the vats of the series. When the liquor is considered, to be sufficiently
strong, or as strong as practicable, it may be syphoned off. By this time the
liquor will be, say, forty degrees strong, but if it be desired to have it stronger
the sludge in No. 1 vat may be dried off, and the solid matters removed, or
they may be run off at the plug shewn at F in Figures 1 and 2. Fresh
carbonate of soda and lime may then be put into vat No. 1, and the liquor
from vat No. 6 returned to vat No. 1 in the next course by means of the
pipe G; vat No. 2 will then be the first of the series, and in the following
course vat No. 3 will be first, and so on, each vat in its turn being the
starting point in the process, and being fed directly from the supply cistern.
By means of this improved apparatus the ingredients_or_carbonate of soda.
and lime may be washed until there is no caustic property left to be extracted.
If six vats are not sufficient for the purpose more vats may be employed, but
after six different waters are run into each vat the carbonate will be all gone.

page_text: By my improved apparatus a more perfect washing of the ingredients is
secured than in the ordinary apparatus, and the sludge can be easily disposed
of, and moreover the liquor can be brought up to a far greater strength than
in the ordinary apparatus, and can be drawn off at one uniform strength.
Having now described my Invention, and having explained the manner of
carrying the same into effect, I claim as the Invention secured to me by
Letters Patent as aforesaid, arranging the vats in a consecutive series so that
liquor may be run from one to the other throughout the series in the manner
and for the purpose herein set forth.
In witness whereof, I, the said Thomas Nicholson, have hereunto set my
hand and seal, the Third day of March, in the year of our Lord One
thousand eight hundred and sixty-six.
Witness,
J. W. SWINBURNE,
Of Gateshead,
Solicitor.
THOS. NICHOLSON. (L.S.)