IMPROVEMENTS IN APPARATUS USED IN THE MANUFACTURE OF GAS
Year: 1871

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Samuel Brothers Darwin, of Shrewsbury, in
the County of Shropshire, for the Invention of ""IMPROVEMENTS IN
APPARATUS USED IN THE MANUFACTURE OF GAS."
-
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Samuel Brothers,
Darwin at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his
Petition, on the 13th January 1871:
I, SAMUEL BROTHERS DARWIN, of Shrewsbury, in the County of
Shropshire, do hereby declare the nature of the said Invention for
"IMPROVEMENTS IN APPARATUS USED IN THE MANUFACTURE OF GAs," to be as
follows: :-
The object of this Invention is to relieve the retorts from pressure
during the process of distillation, thereby reducing the liability to stopped
pipes, the incrustation of carbon, on the inner surface of the retorts,
and increasing both in quantity and quality the gas produced, and
.consists in the construction and use of the following apparatus, which
may be made of cast or wrought iron, a combination of both, or of any

page_text: "
suitable material. Attached to the mouth piece of the retort is an
ascension pipe, which instead of being connected with the hydraulic
main by means of a H pipe, as is ordinarily the case, is made to pass
through and project some distance above the bottom of the inside of
the hydraulic main. Immediately above the ascension pipe an orifice
is formed in the hydraulic main corresponding in size to the pipe, to
admit of the ascension being cleaned out when necessary, the main
being furnished with a plate to close the orifice. Within the hydraulic
main and over the ascension pipe a cap or cover is hung by means of
a rod passing through an aperture in the plate before referred to, and
is attached to a chain which runs over a pulley supported by a standard
and terminates in a counterbalance weight or weights.
.
In order to admit of the rod working freely through the aperture
without allowing any gas to escape, the following contrivance is
adopted-The rod is surrounded by a pipe which is screwed at its
bottom end into the aperture before mentioned. Exterior to and con-
centric with this pipe another pipe is fastened at its bottom to the top of
the plate, leaving a space between the two pipes. This space or annular
chamber is partially filled with water or other liquid, kept at an uniform
level by any suitable means. The rod has fixed around it a cylinder closed
at top and open at bottom of such diameter and length as to admit
of its passing over the inner tube and being immersed in the liquid
before referred to. A water lute or seal is thus made which while
it allows the free motion of the rod prevents any escape of gas. In
order to simplify the construction the annular chamber and plate
covering the orifice in the hydraulic main may be made in one casting.
A constant stream of ammoniacal liquor is made to flow through the
hydraulic, main from a supply pipe attached at or near the top of one-
end, thereof, the bottom of the other end of the hydraulic being provided
with a sealed pipe which serves to conduct the superfluous tar and
liquor to a suitable receptacle. For the purpose of keeping the ascension
pipe clear it is also furnished with a pipe to admit of the introduction of
steam when requisite. The hydraulic main may be placed on the
retort bed in the usual manner, the ascension being' connected to
the bottom of it by a suitable bend; but in order to avoid bends of
any. kind in the upper part of the ascension pipe it is preferred that
the hydraulic main should overhang the retort bed and be supported
by brackets from the buckstaves, by pillars, or other convenient device.

page_text: The action of the apparatus is as follows:-When the retort is not
in action the cap or cover will drop over the ascension pipe and into.
the liquid in the hydraulic main, thus forming a perfect seal, but as
soon as the retort is charged the pressure of the gas emanating therefrom
will cause the cap or cover to rise and remain suspended, thereby
permitting the gas to pass off freely through the hydraulic main to the
condenser, or other apparatus. By these means the pressure on the
retort is reduced to a minimum, the result of which is the advantages
before mentioned.
SPECIFICATION filed in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters
Patent, and of an Order of the Lord Chancellor, by the said Samuel
Brothers Darwin, in the Great Seal Patent Office on the 26th July
1871.
ار
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, SAMUEL.
BROTHERS DARWIN, of Shrewsbury, in the County of Shropshire, send
greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her
Letters Patent, bearing date the Thirteenth day of January, in the
year of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and seventy-one in the
thirty-fourth year of Her reign, did for Herself, Her heirs and successors,
give and grant, unto me, the said Samuel Brothers Darwin, Her special.
licence that I, the said Samuel Brothers Darwin, my executors, adminis-
trators, and assigns, or such others as I, the said Samuel Brothers.
Darwin, 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
"IMPROVEMENTS IN APPARATUS USED IN THE MANUFACTURE OF GAS," upon the
condition (amongst others) that I, the. said Samuel Brothers Darwin,
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.

page_text: NOW KNOW YE, that I, the said Samuel Brothers Darwin, do hereby
declare the nature of my said Invention, and in what manner the same
is to be performed, to be particularly described and ascertained in and
by the following statement, reference being had to the accompanying
Drawings, and to the figures marked thereon, that is to say :—
1
:
1
The object of this Invention is; to relieve the retorts from pressure,
during the process of distillation, thereby reducing the liability to stopped.
pipes, the incrustation of carbon on the inner surface of the retorts,
and increasing both in quantity and quality the gas produced, and consists
in the construction and use of the following apparatus, which may be
made of cast or wrought iron, a combination of both, or of any suitable
material. Attached to the mouth piece of the retort is an ascension pipe
which instead of being connected with the hydraulic main by means
of a H pipe, as is ordinarily the case, is made to pass through and
project some distance above the bottom of the inside of the hydraulic
main. Immediately above the ascension pipe an orifice is formed in the'
hydraulic main corresponding in size to the pipe to admit of the ascen-
sion being cleaned out, and when necessary the main being furnished.
with a plate to close the orifice. Within the hydraulic main and over
the ascension pipe a cap or cover is hung by means of a rod passing
through an aperture in the plate before referred to, and is attached
to a chain which runs over a pulley, supported by a standard, and
terminates in a counterbalance weight or weights.
'
In order to admit of the rod working freely through the aperture
without allowing any gas to escape the following contrivance is
adopted: The rod is surrounded by a pipe which is screwed at its
bottom end into the aperture before-mentioned. Exterior to and con-
centric with this pipe, another pipe is fastened at its bottom to the
top of the plate leaving a space between the two pipes. This space
or annular chamber is partially filled with water or other liquid kept
at an uniform level by any suitable means. The rod has fixed around
it a cylinder closed at top and open at bottom, of such diameter and
length' as to admit of its passing over the inner tube and being immersed.
in the liquid before referred to. A water lute or seal is thus made
which while it allows the free motion of the rod prevents any escape
of gas. In order to simplify the construction, the annular chamber
and plate covering the orifice in the hydraulic main may be made
in one casting. A constant stream of ammoniacal liquor, or other
1

page_text: "
suitable liquid is made to flow through thé hydraulic main from a supply
pipe attached at or near the top of one end thereof; the bottom of the
other end of the hydraulic being provided with a sealed pipe which
serves to conduct the superfluous tar and liquor to a suitable.receptacle.
For the purpose of keeping the ascension pipe clear it is also furnished
with a pipe to admit of the introduction of steam when requisite. The
hydraulic main may be placed on the retort. bed in the usual manner,
the ascension being connected to the bottom of it by a suitable bend,
but in order to avoid bends of any kind in the upper part of the
'ascension pipe it is preferred that the hydraulic main should overhang
the retort bed and be supported by brackets from the buckstaves, by
pillars, or other convenient device.
In order that the foregoing may be more readily understood Drawings
are attached hereto of which the following is a description. Fig. 1 is
a front elevation in section of one ascension pipe and parts of the
hydraulic main. Fig. 2 is a transverse section of the same; in both
Figs. the retort is supposed to be in action. The same letters of
reference in both views represent the same part of the apparatus. A
is the ascension pipe; B, the cap or cover thereof; C, the hydraulic
main; D, the orifice over the ascension pipe with its covering plate which
carries the water lute arrangement E; F, G, is the rod and chain by
which the cap is suspended' from the wheel H, and counterbalanced
by the weights I; J is a water supply pipe to the lute, and K the
overflow pipe; L is a supply pipe for liquid to the hydraulic main,
and M`is an overflow from the same for tar and liquor; N is a pipe for
the admission of steam to the ascension pipe as before referred to; O
represents the liquid in the hydraulic main.
The action of the apparatus is as follows:-When the retort is not
in action the cap or cover B will drop over the ascension pipe A, and
into the liquid O in the hydraulic main, thus forming a perfect seal,
but as soon as the retort is charged the pressure of the gas emanating
therefrom will cause the cap or cover to rise and remain suspended,
thereby permitting the gas to pass off freely in the direction of the
arrows through the hydraulic main to the condenser or other apparatus.
By these means the pressure on the retort is reduced to a minimum,
the result of which is the advantages before-mentioned.
1
Having now described and particularly set forth the nature of this
Invention, and the manner in which the same is or may be used or

page_text: carried into effect, I wish it to be understood that I do not confine or
restrict myself to the precise details which I have described or referred
to, as variations may be made therefrom without deviating from the
principles, or main features of this Invention, and I would observe
in conclusion that I am aware that the introduction of the ascension
pipe to the bottom of the hydraulic main is old, as also the mere sus-
pension of a cap or cover to the ascension pipe, but what I consider to.
be novel and original, and therefore claim as the Invention secured to
me by the herein-before in part recited Letters Patent is, the arrange-
ment whereby the pressure of the gas is taken advantage of to unscal. I
the ascension pipe, and the absence of pressure therefrom to seal the
same, thus rendering the action automatic by means of the apparatus
substantially as herein described. .
In witness whereof, I, the said Samuel Brothers Darwin, have here--
unto set my hand and seal, this Twenty-second day of July, 1
in the year of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and seventy-
one.
SAMUEL BROTHERS DARWIN. (L.S.)