Improvements in Separating Hydrogen Gas and the Light Carburets of Hydrogen, such as Methane, from Water Gas or Producer Gas, or from both of them when Mixed together.
Year: 1890

page_text: Date of Application, 3rd Mar., 1890
Complete Specification Left, 3rd Dec., 1890-Accepted, 24th Jan., 1891
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Separating Hydrogen Gas and the Light Carburets
of Hydrogen, such as Methane, from Water Gas or Producer
Gas, or from both of them when Mixed together.
We BENJAMIN CLIFFORD SYKES M.D. and GEORGE BLAMIRES Engineer both of
Cleckheaton in the County of York do hereby declare the nature of this invention
to be as follows:--
This invention relates to the separation of hydrogen gas, and the lighter carburets
of hydrogen, from the mixture of gases usually denominated water gas, and producer
gas.
These gases are a mixture of hydrogen, and the carburets of hydrogen, which
are light, & of carbonic oxide, and nitrogen gases, which are much heavier.
The lighter, the gases, and the greater is the tendency to diffuse themselves.
We have taken advantage of this principle, to filter out, and separate the hydrogen,
and the carburets of hydrogen, from the heavier gases, such as carbonic oxide,
and nitrogen, by passing the mixed gases through porous bodies; for the hydrogen
gases have a greater tendency to pass through porous plates, or the sides of porous
tubes, than the heavier gases.
When porous tubes are fixed in cylindrical or square tubes, with perforated ends,
as in multitubular boilers, the opening ends of the porous tubes opening into a chamber
at each end of the cylindrical or square tube, and when the porous tubes are placed:
near to each other, they afford a large filtering surface, and as the mixed gases pass
through the porous tubes, the hydrogen, and the light carburets of hydrogen, rapidly
pass or filter through the porosities of the porous tubes, while the heavier gases pass
out at the other ends.
'
The filtration, or separation, takes place more rapidly under pressure,and also when
an exhauster is applied, to take off the pressure from the interior of the cylindrical
or square tube, and from the surface of the porous filtering tubes.
The exhauster, in addition removes the gases for storage.
When the hydrogen gases are required for domestic heating, the gases can be
further purified, if need be, by passing them again through a series of the porous
filtering tubes, and thus remove every vestige, of carbonic oxide, and nitrogen
gases.
Dated this 26th day of February 1890
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Separating Hydrogen Gas and the Light Carburets
of Hydrogen, such as Methane, from Water Gas or Producer
Gas, or from both of them when Mixed together.
We BENJAMIN CLIFFORD SYKES, M.D. and GEORGE BLAMIRES, Engineer, both of
Cleckheaton in the County of York, 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:—
This invention relates to mechanism for the purpose aforesaid, and consists of a
shell cylindrical or otherwise, having perforated plates or discs fixed inside at a
short distance from each end, to form chambers, when the ends of the shell or cylinder
are closed as in a surface condenser.
Porous tubes open at each end are inserted into the perforations of the plates

page_text: or discs, the open ends opening into the chambers at each end of the shell or
cylinder.
The ends of the shell or cylinder are closed in by plates having flanged branch
openings in them, for connections. There is also a flanged branch opening formed
on the side of the shell or cylinder, which communicates with the cavity through
which the porous tubes pass.
The mode of action is as follows:-The mixed gases from a gasometer pass into
the chamber at one end of the shell or cylinder, along the porous tubes, under some
pressure; those gases which are light, readily diffuse or filter through the sides of the
porous tubes, and are drawn off from the cavity of the shell or cylinder through the
flanged branch opening in the side of the shell or cylinder by an exhauster producing
more or less of a vacuum, and passed to a gasometer for storage; while the heavy
gases which have not filtered through the sides of the porous tubes pass on through
the other end of the shell or cylinder into a pipe conveying them to another
gasometer.
It is found that some pressure on the gas inside the porous tubes, and a vacuum,
more or less outside, very much facilitate the diffusion."
Such being the nature of this our invention, the following is a complete descrip-
tion of same, reference being had to the accompanying drawings.
Fig. 1, is a longitudinal section of the shell or cylinder.
Fig. 2, is a transverse section of the same through the line A B.
The same numbers, in the two figures, refer to the same parts.
At 1 is the shell or cylinder, 2 the chambers, one at each end of the shell or
cylinder, 3 are the porous tubes passing through the cavity of the shell or cylinder
and opening into the chambers, 4 is the inlet pipe of the mixed gases, 5 the outlet
pipe of the light filtered gases, passing into a pipe to be conveyed to another
gasometer, and 6 the outlet pipe for the heavy unfiltered gases passing into a pipe
to be conveyed to another gasometer.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of our said
invention, and in what manner the same is to be performed, we declare that
what we claim is :-
=
A method whereby we separate hydrogen and the light carburets of hydrogen
from the other heavier gases, in water gas, or producer gas, or from both of them
when mixed, on the principle of the law of the diffusion of gases.
Dated this 3rd day of December 1890.
BENJAMIN CLIFFORD SYKES,
GEORGE BLAMIRES,
Applicants.