IMPROVEMENTS IN THE MANUFACTURE OF SULPHUR BY THE REDUCTION OF THE SULPHUROUS ACID ACCRUING FROM THE ROASTING OF SULPHURETTED ORES, AND IN APPARATUS FOR THE SAME
Year: 1865

page_text: dol
ayay,
of the Société Anonyme des Mines et Fonderies de Zine de la Vieille
Montagne, of 29, Boulevart St. Martin, Paris, for the Invention of
"IMPROVEMENTS IN THE MANUFACTURE OF SULPHUR BY THE REDUCTION OF THE
SULPHUROUS ACID ACCRUING FROM THE ROASTING OF SULPHURETTED ORES, AND
IN APPARATUS FOR THE SAME."
Sealed the 15th May 1866, and dated the 21st November 1865.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Alexandre Calley St. Paul
de Sinçay at the Office of the Commissioners of. Patents, with his Peti-
tion, on the 21st November 1865.
I, ALEXANDRE CALLEY ST. PAUL DE SINÇAY, Director General of the Société
Anonyme des Mines et Fonderies de Zinc de la Vieille Montagne, of 29,
Boulevart St. Martin, Paris, do hereby declare the nature of the said Inven-
tion for "IMPROVEMENTS IN THE MANUFACTURE OF SULPHUR BY THE REDUCTION OF
THE SULPHUROUS ACID ACCRUING FROM THE ROASTING OF SULPHURETTED ORES, AND
IN APPARATUS FOR THE SAME," to be as follows:-
This Invention relates to the production of sulphur by the reduction of
sulphurous acid. The gases produced by the reduction of sulphuretted ores,
and which should contain as much sulphurous acid as possible, are collected
on their exit from the furnace, or in case the roasting takes place in the
open air, at the moment of their formation, and conveyed through a pipe of
metal, stoneware, refractory bricks, or other material by means of a natural or
artificial draught to the reducing furnace, which is of brick and of a size in

page_text: The interior of the brick-
work is hollow and contains muffles or crucibles of metal, stoneware, refractory
or other material, and of suitable dimensions open at both ends, and projecting
outside the furnace. The reducing agent which consists of coke, coal, peat, or
other charcoal, and generally all matters rich in carbon, or containing oxide of
carbon, or a gas with a base of carbon is introduced into these muffles or
crucibles and heated on the outside (all atmospheric air being excluded) by
an ordinary or gas furnace. The reducing agent under the action of a brisk
red heat decomposes the sulphurous acid, and disengages sulphur, which is
passed off with the other gases by means of a natural or artificial draught into
condensing receptacles consisting of sheet-iron reservoirs having wire gauze
compartments, by means of which the gases are separated while retaining the
sulphur, or they may pass into chambers of brick, metal, or other material
furnished with means for inducing the deposit of the sulphur, or, lastly, the
gases may by exhaustion be caused to pass through reservoirs of water which
retain the sulphur. The raw sulphur in a more or less pure condition is
then collected, and refined by the ordinary processes.
proportion to the quantity of gas to be reduced.
My Invention thus consists, 1st, in the production of sulphur by the
reduction of sulphurous acid; 2ndly, in the means of rendering the sul-
phurous acid completely innocuous, as the gas is prevented from passing into
the atmosphere.
My Invention is illustrated in the accompanying Drawing, Fig. 1 of which
shows a transverse section of the reducing furnace with the chamber for
condensing the sulphur; Fig. 2, a front view; Fig. 3, a longitudinal section;
and Fig. 4, a side view of same; Fig. 5 shows a borizontal section of the same
furnace on line A, B, Fig. 1, while Fig. 6 shows a sectional view of the water
condenser for effecting the condensation of the sulphur. The same letters
apply to all these Figures.
a, chamber for the reception of the sulphurous gases produced by the
roasting of the sulphurous ores in the desulphuretting or roasting furnaces;
b, pipe for placing the gases in chamber a in communication with the
distributing reservoir c from which the gases pass into the several reducing
crucibles; d, distributing pipes luted on reservoir c, and each communicating
with a reducing crucible e containing charcoal, coke, or other carbonated
matters for reducing the sulphurous acid. These matters are heated by a
special furnace f, free from contact with the products of combustion of said
furnace; 9, sheet iron condensers, which may be either on a dry or wet
principle, as in Fig. 6; h, chamber for condensing the sulphur, having com-
partments of wire gauze, by means of which the sulphur is separated, which

page_text: is afterwards collected and purified by the ordinary means. The oxide of
carbon or carbonic acid which is disengaged passes off into the atmosphere,
the sulphur being collected as described.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent, filed
by the said Alexandre Calley St. Paul de Sinçay in the Great Seal
Patent Office on the 19th May 1866.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, ALEXANDRE
CALLEY ST. PAUL DE SINÇAY, Director General of the Société Anonyme des
Mines et Fonderies de Zinc de la "Vieille Montagne," of 29, Boulevart St.
Martin, Paris, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her Letters
Patent, bearing date the Twenty-first day of November, 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 Alexandre Calley St. Paul de Sinçay, Her special licence that
I, the said Alexandre Calley St. Paul de Sinçay, my executors, administrators,
and assigns, or such others as I, the said Alexandre Calley St. Paul de Sinçay,
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 THE MANUFACTURE OF SULPHUR
BY THE REDUCTION OF THE SULPHUROUS ACID ACCRUING PROM THE ROASTING OF SUL-
PHURETTED ORES, AND IN APPARATUS FOR THE SAME," upon the condition (amongst
others) that I, the said Alexandre Calley St. Paul de Sinçay, 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 late of the said Letters Patent.
NOW KNOW YE, that I, the said Alexandre Calley St. Paul de Sinçay,
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:-
The production of sulphur by the reduction of sulphurous acid has never
been heretofore made applicable industrially.

page_text: The experiments made by the "Société de la Vieille Montagne" having
proved quite successful, I apply as the Director General of the same for Letters
Patent of Great Britain for the sole exclusive property and working of this
Invention.
The gases produced by the roasting of sulphuretted ores, and which are to
be made as far as possible rich. in sulphurous acid, are collected on their
issuing from the desulphuretting oven, or in case of the roasting being
effected in free air, as they are being formed, and then conveyed through a
metal, stoneware, fire-brick, or other pipe, by means of either a natural or
artificial draft to the reducing oven. This reducing oven or apparatus consists
of brickwork of any form and size, depending upon the amount of gas to be
reduced. The interior of this brickwork is hollow, and contains muffle
furnaces or retorts of metal, fire-clay, stoneware, or other material of any size
and dimensions, open on both sides and extending outwards beyond the furnace.
The reducing agent, consisting of coke, coal, peat, charcoal, or any material
rich in carbon, oxide of carbon, or. gases with a base of carbon, is introduced
in said vessels, muffles, or retorts, and heated externally (sheltered against
atmospheric air) by means of. a gas or other furnace. The reducing agent,
under the action of an intense red heat, decomposes the sulphurous acid and
causes the sulphur to evolve therefrom, which, together with the other gases,
is carried away by either a natural or artificial draft into condensers consisting
of sheet iron receivers, and thence through cloth chambers, where the gases
are sifted, still retaining sulphur, or into brick, metal, or other chambers pro-
vided with suitable compartments, or the gases may by exhaustion be caused
to pass through water tanks, which will detain the sulphur. The raw sulphur
more or less pure is purified afterwards by ordinary means.
This Invention consists therefore, first, in manufacturing sulphur by the
reduction of sulphurous acid; secondly; in rendering the sulphurous acid
evolving from roasting ovens perfectly innocuous, while the gas, being no
longer passed away into the atmosphere, will not cause any damage to the
surrounding properties.
In the annexed Drawings I have represented my sulphurous acid reducing
ovens, wherein Fig. 1 is a cross section of the reducing oven with its sulphur
condensing chamber; Fig. 2 is a front view of the same; Fig. 3 is a
longitudinal section of the same; and Figure 4, a side view; Fig. 5 is a sec-
tional horizontal view of the same oven taken through the line A, B, of
Fig. 1 and Fig. 6 is the sectional view of a condenser for condensing
sulphur by the liquid process. In all these Figures the same letters of
reference indicate the like parts.

page_text: a, chamber for the sulphurous gas proceeding from the roasting of sul-
phurous ores in desulphuretting or roasting ovens; b, pipe for conducting the
sulphurous gas from chamber a to a receiver c which distributes it into the
various reducing retorts; d, distributing pipes, all grafted on the receiver c,
and each of them communicating with reducing retorts c containing coal,
coke, or other carbon material reductive of sulphurous acid, said reducing
material being heated by a special fire f, and sheltered against the products of
combustion thereof; 9, sheet iron condensers, on either the dry or liquid
principle, like the one represented at Fig. 6; h, sulphur condensing chambers;
they are disposed in a zig-zag form, as shown, and made of cloth, whereby the
sulphur is sifted and then collected and purified by any known process. The
oxide of carbon or carbonic acid evolved is passed away into the atmosphere,
and the sulphur collected as above specified.
Having thus described the nature of my Invention, and the manner in
which the same is or may be carried into effect, I wish it to be distinctly
understood that what I claim as new is the manufacturing process and appa-
ratus, as described, for decomposing sulphurous acid derived from the roasting
of sulphuretted ores in general, and principally of blende.
In witness whereof, I, the said Alexandre Calley St. Paul de Sincay,
have hereunto set my hand and seal, this Thirtieth day of April, One
thousand eight hundred and sixty-six.
A. C. ST. PAUL DE SINCAY. (L.S.)