IM- PROVEMENTS IN PREVENTING FERMENTATION IN ALCOHOLIC AND OTHER LIQUIDS WHILE DRAWING THEM FROM THEIR CONTAINING VESSELS, AND IN APPARATUS FOR THE SAME
Year: 1863

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to William Clark, of 53, Chancery Lane, in the County
of Middlesex, Engineer and Patent Agent, for the Invention of "IM-
PROVEMENTS IN PREVENTING FERMENTATION IN ALCOHOLIC AND OTHER LIQUIDS
WHILE DRAWING THEM FROM THEIR CONTAINING VESSELS, AND IN APPARATUS
FOR THE SAME."-A communication from abroad by Charles Pierro
Laurens, Professor of Mathematics, Adolphe Peret, and François de
Trégomain, all of 29, Boulevart St. Martin, Paris.
Sealed the 18th September 1868, and dated the 1st April 1863.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said William Clark at the
Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on the
1st April 1868.
I, WILLIAM CLARK, of 53, Chancery Lane, in the County of Middlesex,
Engineer and Patent Agent, do hereby declare the nature of the said Inven-
tion for "IMPROVEMENTS IN PREVENTING FERMENTATION IN ALCOHOLIC AND OTHER
LIQUIDS WHILE DRAWING THEM FROM THEIR CONTAINING VESSELS, AND IN APPARATUS
FOR THE SAME," to be as follows:-
The effects of fermentation in alcoholic and sweetened liquids, such as wine,
cider, beer, and others, are well known. This fermentation is caused by the
oxygen of the air with which the liquid is in contact, and is the more active
and injurious where the air near the liquid is continually being renewed and
bringing fresh supplies of oxygen to acidify and change the nature of tho

page_text: liquid in question. The object of the present Invention is to deprive the air
in contact with a liquid of its oxygen, and so to prevent fermentation.
When it is desired to draw off or empty from time to time a barrel or other
recipient containing an alcoholic or sweet liquid, each operation allows of the
admission of a quantity of air into the barrel equal to that of the liquid drawn
off, the oxygen of which air produces fermentation in the remaining liquid,
which is increased by a fresh introduction of atmospheric air each time the
liquid is drawn off. In order to prevent this, I apply an apparatus to the
barrel or receiver communicating on the one hand with said receiver, and on
the other with the external air. This apparatus contains a deoxygenating
solution, arranged in such manner that the atmospheric air cannot enter the
barrel without passing through said solution and giving up its oxygen thereto.
In this manner in place of tho liquid drawn off at each time, there will be
introduced an equal volume of atmospheric air deprived of its oxygen, that is,
an equal volume of azote, and although the azote may be in contact with a
fermentable liquid, it will be incapable of producing fermentation when free
from oxygen, as it is well known that said gas is an essential element of
fermentation.
The deoxygenating solutions I ordinarily employ consist of sulphite of lime
and sulphite of protoxide of iron, either together or separately, and dissolved
in water. The proportions for a barrel of the capacity of about 45 gallons
will be about 18 oz. of sulphite of protoxide of iron or 20 oz. of copperas, and
about 12 oz. of sulphite of lime, dissolved in a quantity of water. If only one
of these matters be employed, the above proportions are doubled; I may also
use any other deoxygenating substances, which are of considerable number,
either in a solid state, or in suspension or solution in water or other liquid.
In order to facilitate and ensure the absorption of the oxygen of the air by the
liquid contained in the apparatus, I construct and arrange it as follows,
reference being bad to the accompanying Drawing:-The apparatus is some-
what egg-shaped in form, and is in two parts, screwed together at f. The
upper part carries a pipe a in communication with the atmosphere, which pipe
has a junction at h united together by an india-rubber tube; the lower part
has a funnel mouth for increasing the extent of surface of atmospheric air in
contact with the deoxygenating liquid; c is an appendage to said pipe for
prolonging the action of the air on the deoxygenating liquid; the lower part
is furnished with a pipe e, having two branches d, d, terminating above the
level of the deoxygenating liquid, and serving for the introduction of the
deoxygenated air into the barrel or other receiver. The apparatus is mado
entirely of tin, with the exception of the hollow plug D of cast iron, to which

page_text: the apparatus is screwed, which plug is driven into the vent hole of the barrel
with a mallet. The Drawing represents a central vertical section of the
apparatus, by means of which the air is deoxygenated before entering the
barrel or other receptacle. A is the deoxygenating liquid; B, upper part of
the apparatus, screwed at f to the lower part C; D, hollow cast-iron plug, to
which the apparatus is screwed at 9; E, side of the barrel; a, tube for the
introduction of atmospheric air; b, funnel mouth, for increasing the surface of
air introduced; c, appendage to pipe a; d, d, branch tubes for the introduction
of deoxygenated air or gas into the barrel; e, pipe for the introduction of air
into the barrel; h, india-rubber tubing.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent, filed.
by the said William Clark in the Great Seal Patent Office on the
30th September 1863.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, WILLIAM
CLARK, of 53, Chancery Lane, in the County of Middlesex, Engineer and
Patent Agent, send greeting.
t
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her Letters
Patent, bearing date the First day of April, in the year of our Lord
One thousand eight hundred and sixty-three, in the twenty-sixth year
of Her reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant
unto me, the said William Clark, Her special licence, that I, the said
William Clark, my executors, administrators, and assigns, or such others
as I, the said William Clark, my executors, administrators, and assigns,.
should in 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 PREVENTING FERMENTATION IN ALCOHOLIC AND OTHER LIQUIDS
WHILE DRAWING THEM FROM THEIR CONTAINING VESSELS, AND IN APPARATUS FOR
THE SAME," a communication to me from abroad by Charles Pierre Laurens,
Professor of Mathematics, Adolphe Peret, and François de Trégomain, all of
29, Boulevart St. Martin, Paris, upon the condition (amongst others) that I,
the said William Clark, my executors or administrators, by an instrument
in writing under my, or their, or one of their hands and seals, should par-
ticularly 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

page_text: Great Seal Patent Office within six calendar months next and immediately
after the date of the said Letters Patent.
NOW KNOW YE, that J, the said William Clark, 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, reference being had to the Sheet of Drawings hereunto annexed,
and to the letters and figures marked thereon (that is to say):-
The effects of fermentation on alcoholic and sweetened liquids, such as wine,
cider, beer, and others, are well known. This fermentation is caused by the
oxygen of the air with which the liquid is in contact, and is the more active
and injurious where the air near the liquid is continually being renewed and
bringing fresh supplies of oxygen to acidify and change the nature of the
liquid in question. The object of the present Invention is to deprive the air
in contact with a liquid of its oxygen, and so to prevent fermentation.
When it is desired to draw off or empty from time to time a barrel or other
recipient containing an alcoholic or sweet liquid, each operation allows of the
admission of a quantity of air into the barrel equal to that of the liquid drawn
off, the oxygen of which air produces fermentation in the remaining liquid,
which is increased by a fresh introduction of atmospheric air each time the
liquid is drawn off. In order to prevent this, I apply an apparatus to the
barrel or receiver communicating on the one hand with the receiver, and on
the other with the external air. The apparatus contains a disoxygenating
solution, arranged in such manner that the atmospheric air cannot enter the
barrel without passing through said solution, and giving up its oxygen thereto.
In this manner in placo of the liquid drawn off at each time, there will be
introduced an equal volume of atmospheric air deprived of its oxygen, that is
to say, an equal volume of azote, and although the azote may be in contact
with a fermentable liquid, it will be incapable of fermentation when free from
oxygen, as it is well known that said gas is an essential element of fermen-
tation.
The disoxygenating solutions I ordinarily employ consist of sulphate of lime
and sulphite of protoxide of iron, either together or separately, and dissolved
in water. The proportions for a barrel of the capacity of about forty-fivo
gallons will be about thirteen ounces of sulphite of protoxide of iron or twenty
ounces of copperas, and about twelve ounces of sulphite of lime, dissolved in a
quart of water. If only one of these substances be employed, the amount of
it should be doubled. I may also use any other disoxygenating substances,
which are of considerable number, either in a solid state, or in suspension or
solution in water or other liquid. In order to facilitate and ensure the

page_text: absorption of the oxygen of the air by the liquid contained in the apparatus,
I construct and arrange it as follows, reference being had to the accompanying
Drawing, which represents a central vertical section of the apparatus by means
of which the air is disoxygenated before entering the barrel or other receptacle.
a is the disoxygenating liquid; b, upper part of the apparatus, screwed at c to
the lower part d; e, hollow cast-iron plug, to which the apparatus is screwed
at f; 9, side of the barrel; h, tube for the introduction of atmospheric air;
i, funnel mouth for increasing the surface of air introduced; j, appendage to
pipe h; k, k, branch tubes for the introduction of disoxygenated gas into the
barrel; 1, pipe for the introduction of air into the barrel; m, india-rubber
tubing. The apparatus, as will be seen, is somewhat egg-shaped in form, and
is in two parts, screwed together at c. The upper part carries a pipe. h in
communication with the atmosphere, which pipe is severed at m into two parts
united together by an india-rubber tube; the lower part has a funnel mouth
for increasing the extent of surface of atmospheric air in contact with the
disoxygenating liquid a. j is an appendage to said pipe for prolonging tho
action of the air on the disoxygenating liquid; the lower part is furnished
with a pipe l, having two branches k, k, which terminate above the level of
the disoxygenating liquid, and serve for the introduction of disoxygenated air
into the barrel or other receiver. The apparatus is made entirely of tin, with
the exception of the hollow plug e of cast iron, to which the apparatus is
screwed; this plug is driven into the vent hole of the barrel with a mallet.
Having described the nature of this Invention, and the manner of performing
the same, I declare that what I claim as the Invention to be protected by
the herein-before in part recited Letters Patent is, the herein described method
of preventing fermentation in alcoholic and sweet liquids, as also the arrange-
ment of apparatus for the same represented in the Drawing annexed.
In witness whereof, I, the said William Clark, have hereunto set my
hand and seal, this Twenty-ninth day of September, in the year of our
Lord One thousand eight hundred and sixty-three.
Witness,
JAMES DAISH,
58, Chancery Lane,
London.
W. CLARK. (L.S.)