CERTAIN T MAN OF CAO DOD ILLUMINATION AND HEAT
Year: 1854

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Augustin Jacquelain, Professor of Chemistry, in
Paris, a Town of the French. Empire, for the Invention of "CERTAIN
T
MAN OF CAO DOD ILLUMINATION AND HEAT"
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Augustin Jacquelain at
the Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on the
22nd August 1854.
I, AUGUSTIN JACQUELAIN, do hereby declare the nature of the said Invention
for "CERTAIN IMPROVEMENTS IN THE MANUFACTURE OF GAS FOR ILLUMINATION
AND HEAT" to be as follows:-
It is well known that when the vapour of water or steam is brought in
contact with an excess of coke or carbonaceous matter at an elevated tempera-
ture the steam is decomposed with the production of hydrogen and carbonic
oxide. Now, I have discovered that by exposing the coke or carbonaceous or
organic matter to an excess of steam at a high. témperature, the carbon
combines with sufficient oxygen to convert it into.carbonic acid instead of
carbonic oxide, and an additional quantity of hydrogen is liberated at the same
time. By passing this mixture of carbonic acid gas and hydrogen through
lime or other suitable purifiers, the carbonic acid is absorbed, and pure or
nearly pure hydrogen remains.

page_text: One mode of conducting this operation consists in causing powdered coke or
coal or other suitable material to fall from a hopper and apron into a heated
retort, which is traversed by a current of steam in excess. The current of
steam, with any carbonaceous dust which may escape decomposition in this
retort, may be conveyed through another retort, containing fragments of brick
or other similar substance, so as to complete the decomposition. The mixture
of carbonic acid and hydrogen with the excess of steam is conducted through a
refrigerator to condense the steam, and through lime purifiers, to absorb the
carbonic acid, and the remaining hydrogen is stored in gasometers for use.
The hydrogen may be burnt without any admixture for heating purposes. For
illumination, it may be napthalized by passing it through naptha, or it may be
passed through other volatile hydrocarbons for the same purpose. A fine net-
work of platinum or asbestos, or both, may be introduced into the flame to
render it luminous. It may also be mixed with the rich gases obtained from
different sorts of coal, or from oils, resins, or fatty matters. Another method
of rendering the hydrogen luminous consists in passing it through a retort
containing coal, and heated by a sand bath or otherwise, to such a moderate
temperature as to produce large quantities of tarry or essential oils. The
coke resulting from this operation may be employed in the manufacture of
the hydrogen gas as herein-before described. Various other arrangements of
retorts and apparatus may be employed for carrying out the Invention. In
some cases it may be desirable to operate upon the carbonaceous substance in
a liquid or gaseous state. Thus, tar or oil may be caused to drop into the
retort, where it is exposed to an excess of steam; or the gases obtained from
the distillation of coal or from the decomposition of steam, by an excess of
carbonaceous matter, may be passed through the retort with an excess of
steam, so as to obtain the same result of a mixture of steam, carbonic acid,
and hydrogen. When lime is employed to absorb the carbonic acid, the
carbonate of lime so formed may be again burnt or calcined and employed
repeatedly.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent, filed
by the said Augustin Jacquelain in the Great Seal Patent Office on the
17th February 1855.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, AUGUSTIN
JACQUELAIN, Professor of Chemistry, in Paris, a Town of the French Empire, 3
send greeting.

page_text: WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her Letters
Patent, bearing date the Twenty-second day of August, in the year of our Lord
One thousand eight hundred and fifty-four, in the eighteenth year of Her reign,
did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant unto me, the said
Augustin Jacquelain, Her special licence that I, the said Augustin Jacquelain,
my executors, administrators, and assigns, or such others as I, the said Augustin
Jacquelain, 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 "CERTAIN IMPROVEMENTS IN THE
MANUFACTURE OF GAS FOR ILLUMINATION AND HEAT," upon the condition (amongst
others) that I, the said Augustin Jacquelain, by an instrument in writing
under my hand and seal, 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 Augustin Jacquelain, do hereby declare
the nature of the 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 thereof (that is to say) :-
The object of my Invention is the manufacture of gas for illumination and
heat, by exposing coal or other carbonaceous or organic substance to an excess
of the vapour of water at a high temperature. The Invention is founded on
an important chemical principle which I have discovered, which is, that carbon
in contact with the vapour of water at a high temperature acts in a similar
manner to that in which it acts when exposed to free oxygen, and consequently
when carbon is exposed to an excess of the vapour of water or steam, it
rapidly passes through the state of carbonic oxide to arrive at that of carbonic
acid. The carbonic acid, being absorbed by lime or other suitable substance,
leaves the hydrogen free, and sufficiently pure, and fit for being employed for
giving light and heat without danger to the respiration.
In a similar manner I effect the purification of water gas, or gas obtained
by decomposing water by carbon in any of the ordinary modes, and which
contains carbonic oxide. Coal gas is also converted into water gas of great
purity in a similar manner by converting its carbon into carbonic acid by the
action of steam, and removing the carbonic acid by lime, or other substance
capable of absorbing it. It is known that carbon heated to incandescence

page_text: in the presence of oxygen undergoes two successive combustions; firstly,
an incomplete combustion, by which it is converted into carbonic oxide, if
the carbon is in excess; and, secondly, a complete conversion into carbonic
acid, when the quantity of oxygen is more than sufficient to complete the
combustion of the carbonic oxide. Thus, to arrive at this second degree of
oxidation, the carbon passes first into the state of carbonic oxide, and it is
only by an ulterior oxidation that the carbonic oxide becomes converted into
carbonic acid.
To ascertain the action of carbon upon the vapour of water I have made
a number of experiments, which have completely demonstrated that carbon
acts, with regard to the oxygen of water, as though this oxygen were in
a free state. Thus, the vapour of water being brought into contact with
carbon at a bright red heat, produces carbonic oxide and hydrogen, if
the carbon is in excess; and it will produce carbonic acid and hydrogen, if
the carbon is burnt in an excess of the vapour of water. The carbonic oxide
which is first produced decomposes the vapour of water, and is converted into
carbonic acid.
All organic substances which are in the gascous state, or capable of being
converted into gas or vapour, such as the gaseous, liquid, or solid bydrocarbons,
ethers, alcohol, essential oils, and fatty substances, and other organic or com-
bustible substances, either in their natural state or carbonized, by being
exposed to the vapour of water at a suitable temperature, may be converted
into carbonic acid and hydrogen, which will be mixed with azote or nitrogen,
when that substance is contained in the materials employed. In order to
obtain hydrogen gas, or what is commonly called water gas, sufficiently free
from carbonic oxide to be without danger to human respiration, I introduce
the carbon or other combustible in a powdered state into a hopper of cast iron,
attached to the top of a vertical retort, made of fire clay or cast iron, and
heated by a furnace.
This hopper is closed at bottom by a slide or otherwise; by withdrawing
which slide the powdered combustible is allowed to fall into a funnel or vessel
with a narrow neck, somewhat resembling the upper portion of an hour glass;
the slide is then closed, and the combustible in the funnel gradually trickles
down into the retort; at the same time a current of steam is introduced
through a lateral opening, in such quantity as to be in excess with regard to
the quantity of combustible which falls from the funnel. The retort is thus
constantly filled with an excess of highly heated steam, mixed with the powdered
combustible, which is thus converted entirely or nearly so into carbonic acid
and hydrogen. In order to render the decomposition as complete as possible,

page_text: the gases and vapours from this retort are conducted through a second retort,
filled with fragments of brick of the size of a man's fist, or more or less,
through which second retort a current of steam is passed. This mode of
proceeding is also applicable to the purification of water gas, by converting
its carbonic oxide into carbonic acid, and at the same time substituting
for it an equal volume of hydrogen. The process is also applicable to the
conversion of coal gas into water gas, by passing it through the second
retort with an excess of steam.
The excess of steam which passes off with the gases is condensed by a
refrigerator, and the carbonic acid is absorbed by means of hydrate of lime,
either in a powdered state or mixed with water. The carbonate of lime so
produced may be made into lumps or bricks, and calcined, so as again to reduce
it to the state of lime. It may thus be used repeatedly.
Hydrogen gas is thus obtained in a pure or nearly pure state. It may be
rendered luminous by any of the known means, such as suspending in its flame
a net-work of fine platinum wire or asbestos, or by mixing it with the vapour
of hydrocarbons. I also render it luminous by passing it through a retort
containing coal, and heated by a sand bath, to such a temperature as to
produce a large quantity of essential or tarry oils. The coke which remains
may be employed for the production of hydrogen gas, in the manner herein-
before described. When the gas is required for heating purposes it may be
employed alone.
Having now described the nature of my Invention, and in what manner the
same is to be performed, I wish it to be understood that what I claim is,-
Firstly, the manufacture of gas for illumination and heat, by exposing
carbon, either alone or in combination, to an excess of steam at a high
temperature, so as to convert the carbon into carbonic acid, which is after-
wards absorbed and removed by means of lime or other suitable substance,
leaving the hydrogen of the steam in a free state, and with little or no
admixture of carbonic oxide, as herein-before described.
Secondly, the purification of water gas, obtained by any of the ordinary
means, by exposing it with an excess of steam to a high temperature, so as to
convert the carbonic oxide into carbonic acid, which is afterwards absorbed
by lime or otherwise, leaving the hydrogen pure, or nearly so, as herein-before
described.
Thirdly, the decomposition of coal gas, by exposing it with an excess of
steam to a high temperature, so as to convert the carbon and carbonic oxide
into carbonic acid, which is afterwards absorbed by lime or otherwise, leaving
the hydrogen pure, or nearly so, as herein-before described.

page_text: Fourthly, the manufacture of illuminating gas, by passing hydrogen gas
manufactured as herein-before described, and free or nearly so from carbonic
oxide, through a retort containing coal, and heated by a sand bath, as hercin-
before described.
In witness whereof, I, the said Augustin Jacquelain, have hereunto set
€3
my hand and seal, this Thirteenth day of February, in the year of
our Lord One thousand eight hundred and fifty-five.
A. JACQUELAIN. (LS.)
Witness,
CH. ARMENGAUD, Civil Engineer,
6, Rue des Filles du Calvaire, à Paris..