IMPROVEMENTS IN MEANS AND APPARATUS FOR THE MANUFACTURE OF AMMONIA FROM THE NITROGEN OF ATMOSPHERIC AIR AND HYDROGEN."
Year: 1879

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to William Müller, of Antwerp, in the Kingdom of Belgium,
Merchant, and Edmond Geisenberger, of Brussels, also in the Kingdom of
Belgium, Civil Engineer, for the Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN MEANS
AND APPARATUS FOR THE MANUFACTURE OF AMMONIA FROM THE NITROGEN
OF ATMOSPHERIC AIR AND HYDROGEN."
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said William Müller and Edmond
Geisenberger at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents on the 22nd April
1879.
WILLIAM MÜLLER, of Antwerp, in the Kingdom of Belgium, Merchant, and
EDMOND GEISENBERGER, of Brussels, also in the Kingdom of Belgium, Civil
Engineer. "IMPROVEMENTS IN MEANS AND APPARATUS FOR THE MANUFACTURE
OF AMMONIA FROM THE NITROGEN OF ATMOSPHERIC AIR AND HYDROGEN."
The object of our Invention is the manufacture of ammonia from nitrogen derived
from atmospheric air and hydrogen. In carrying out our Invention we subject to
the action of electricity in the presence of hydrogen the products of combustion
which are almost exclusively composed of nitrogen, and which may be purified Bo
as to eliminate any foreign bodies from them.
The hydrogen for our process we obtain by any suitable means.
It is well known that the action of electricity sometimes decomposes gases at
rest. According to our Invention the gases which we subject to the action of
electricity for the manufacture of ammonia are put in motion with or without
pressure, and the ammonia produced therefrom, as soon as it is formed, is made to
pass away from the decomposing action of electricity.
The apparatus we prefer to use in carrying out our Invention consist of a suitable
retort or vessel mounted in a furnace and containing coke or other carbon which is
heated to a red heat. Vapour of water is conducted into the said retort or vessel
and hydrogen gas is evolved. The hydrogen is taken from the said retort or vessel
by means of a pump or other suitable apparatus, and is conducted into a reservoir
ID 627

page_text: or vessel in which it may be cooled or purified previously to its being conducted to
the combining apparatus hereinafter described.
The products of combustion from which we obtain (nitrogen for our process, and
which consist in reality of atmospheric air which has been employed in promoting
combustion, with the addition of certain of the products of combustion, are taken
by means of a pump or other suitable apparatus from the flues of the furnace above
referred to, or of another furnace, and are conducted to a vessel containing a body
or bodies (such, for example, as lime) capable of absorbing gases other than nitrogen
gas, and which are contained generally in all products of combustion..
From this vessel the nitrogen is conducted to the combining apparatus hereinafter
described.
The yield of the pumps or exhausting apparatus is calculated so as to supply the
gases to the said combining apparatus in the proportions required for the formation
of ammonia, that is to say, three parts of hydrogen to one of nitrogen.
The combining apparatus above referred to consists of a glass or other tube fitted
at its upper end to a tubular or other shaped box or chest connected by suitable
pipes with the vessel containing the hydrogen and the vessel containing the nitrogen;
in the said combining apparatus is a helical wheel or fan caused to revolve by tho
gases as they pass into the tube.
To the lower end of the said glass or other tube is attached a valve box, to which
is connected a pipe for the exit of the ammonia as soon as it is formed. In the
said glass tube are two electric wires or conductors a suitable distance apart, con-
nected to a suitable source of electricity. The hydrogen and the nitrogen entering
the combining apparatus are mixed together by the action of the helical wheel or
fan, and in the glass or other tube are acted upon by electricity in the form of
electric sparks or otherwise, and under the influence of the electricity they unite
and form ammonia, which as soon as it is formed passes out through the valve box,
and may be utilized as required.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent filed by
the said William Müller and Edmond Geisenberger in the Great Seal Patent
Office on the 20th October 1879.
WILLIAM MULLER, of Antwerp, in the Kingdom of Belgium, Merchant, and
EDMOND GEISENBERGER, of Brussels, also in the Kingdom of Belgium, Civil
Engineer. "IMPROVEMENTS IN MEANS AND APPARATUS FOR THE MANUFACTURE
OF AMMONIA FROM THE NITROGEN OF ATMOSPHERIC AIR AND HYDROGEN."
The object of our Invention is the manufacture of ammonia from nitrogen derived
from atmospheric air and hydrogen.
In carrying out our Invention we subject to the action of electricity in the
presence of hydrogen the products of combustion which are almost exclusively
composed of nitrogen, and which may be purified so as to eliminate any foreign
bodies from them.
The hydrogen for our process we obtain by any suitable means. It is well known
that the action of electricity sometimes decomposes gases at rest. According to our

page_text: Invention the gases which we subject to the action of electricity for the manufacture
of ammonia are put in motion with or without pressure, and the ammonia produced
therefrom, as soon as it is formed, is made to pass away from the decomposing
action of electricity.
The apparatus we prefer to use in carrying out our Invention consists of a suit-
able retort or vessel mounted in a furnace, and containing coke or other carbon,
which is heated to a red heat. Vapour of water is conducted into the said retort or
vessel, and hydrogen gas is evolved. The hydrogen is taken from the said retort
or vessel by means of a pump or other suitable apparatus, and is conducted into a
reservoir or vessel in which it may be cooled or purified previously to its being
conducted to the combining apparatus bereinafter described.
The products of combustion from which we obtain nitrogen for our process, and
which consist in reality of atmospheric air which has been employed in promoting
combustion, with the addition of certain of the products of combustion are taken by
means of a pump or other suitable apparatus from the flues of the furnace above
referred to, or of another furnace, and are conducted to a vessel containing a body
or bodies (such, for example, as lime) capable of absorbing gases other than nitrogen
gas, and which are contained generally in all products of combustion.
From this vessel the nitrogen is conducted to the combining apparatus herein-
after described.
The yield of the pumps or exhausting apparatus is calculated so as to supply the
gases to the said combining apparatus in the proportions required for the formation
of ammonia, that is to say, three parts of hydrogen to one of nitrogen.
The combining apparatus above referred to consists of a glass or other tube fitted
at its upper end to a tubular or other shaped box or chest connected by suitablo
pipes with the vessel containing the hydrogen and the vessel containing the
nitrogen. In the said combining apparatus is a helical wheel or fan caused to
revolve by the gases as they pass into the tube.
To the lower end of the said glass or other tube is attached a valve box, to which
is connected a pipe for the exit of the ammonia as soon as it is formed. In
the said glass tube are electric wires or conductors, a suitable distance apart,
connected to a suitable source of electricity. The hydrogen and the nitrogen
entering the combining apparatus are mixed together by the action of the helical
wheel or fan, and in the glass or other tube are acted upon by electricity in the
form of electric sparks or otherwise, and under the influence of the electricity they
unite and form ammonia, which as soon as it is formed passes out through the valve
box, and may be utilized as required.
Having thus explained the nature of our said Invention, we will proceed to
describe, with reference to the accompanying Drawing, means pursued by us in
performing the same. The accompanying Drawing represents, partly in section, an
apparatus for the manufacture of ammonia constructed and arranged according to
our Invention. A is a retort or vessel mounted in a furnace E, and containing coke
or other carbon, which is heated to a red heat. Vapour of water is conducted into
the said retort or vessel A through a suitable pipe not represented in the Drawing,
and by the action of the vapour of water upon the coke or carbon heated to a red
heat hydrogen gas is evolved. B is an air pump or other exhausting and forcing
apparatus which draws the hydrogen as it is formed from the retort or vessel A,
and conducts it into a reservoir or vessel C, in which it may be cooled or purified
previously to its being conducted through the pipe C' into the combining appa-
ratus hereinafter described.
The products of combustion from which we obtain nitrogen for our process are
taken from the flues of the furnace E by the action of an air pump or other suitable
apparatus D, and are caused to pass into a vessel F containing a body or bodies
(such, for example, as limo) capable of absorbing gases other than nitrogen gas, and
which are generally contained in all products of combustion. From the vessel F
the nitrogen is conducted through the pipe F to the combining apparatus, herein-
after described. The yield of the pumps B and D is calculated so as to supply the

page_text: gases to the said combining apparatus in the proportions required for the formation
of ammonia, that is to say, three parts of hydrogen to one of nitrogen.
The combining apparatus herein before referred to consists of a glass or other
tube d, upon the upper end of which is attached by a suitable stuffing box m a box
or chest (, in which a helical wheel or fan d is caused to rotate by the gases as
they pass into the tube d. To the upper end of the said box or chest d' is affixed
a tube or pipe a which is connected by the pipe C¹ to the vessel C, and by the
branch and pipe F' to the vessel F.
To the lower end of the said glass or other tube d is attached by a suitablo
stuffing box e¹ or otherwise, a valve box e, the valve of which may be closed or
opened by means of the handwheel f. To the said valve box is connected a pipe j
for the purpose of conducting away the ammonia as soon as it is formed. In the
glass or other tube d are placed at a suitable distance one from the other electric
wires or conductors k, k, and I, 1, connected to a suitable source of electricity, which
we prefer to use in the form of electric sparks, but which we may also use under
any other form.
The action of the apparatus is as follows:-The hydrogen gas from the reser-
voir C and the nitrogen gas from the reservoir F are made to pass simultaneously
through the pipes C and F' respectively into the tube or pipe a, from which they
pass into the box or chest d', where they cause the helical wheel or fan d to rotate,
and by the action of the said helical wheel or fan d² they become thoroughly mixed
together previously to passing into the glass or other tube d. In the tube d the
mixed hydrogen and nitrogen gases are acted upon by electricity passing through
the wires or conductors and land combine together, forming ammonia, which, as
Boon as it is formed, passes through the valve box e and pipe j, and may be utilized
as required, either by being dissolved in water or by being compressed sufficiently
to become liquid, or by being transformed into an ammoniacal salt, or by being
physically absorbed in any suitable body.
Having thus described the nature of our said Invention and the means of
performing the same, we wish it to be well understood that we do not confino;
ourselves to the precise details hereinbefore described and illustrated in the accom-
panying Drawing, as the same may be varied without departing from the nature
of our said Invention,―
But we claim as our said Invention,
Firstly. The combination and arrangement of apparatus, hereinbefore described
and illustrated in the accompanying Drawing, for the manufacture of ammonia, that
is to say, by means of electricity acting upon hydrogen gas in combination with
nitrogen gas obtained from the products of combustion, the said gases being set in
motion.
Secondly. The utilization of the products of combustion for the purpose of
obtaining nitrogen to be used in the manufacture of ammonia.
In witness whereof, we, the said William Müller and Edmond Geisenberger,
have hereunto set our hands and seals, this Eighteenth day of October,
in the year of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and seventy nine
WILLIAM MULLER.
(LS.)
EDMOND GEISENBERGER. (L.S.)