IMPROVEMENTS IN THE MANUFACTURE OF BLEACHING POWDER, AND OF SULPHATE OF SODA, AND OF SULPHATE OF POTASH, AND IN APPARATUS TO BE EMPLOYED THEREIN.
Year: 1871

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Henry Deacon, of Appleton House, Widnes, in
the County of Lancaster, Alkali Manufacturer, for the Invention
of "IMPROVEMENTS IN THE MANUFACTURE OF BLEACHING POWDER, AND OF
SULPHATE OF SODA, AND OF SULPHATE OF POTASH, AND IN APPARATUS TO BE
EMPLOYED THEREIN.
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Sealed the 6th June 1871, and dated the 15th March 1871.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Henry Deacon at the
Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on the
15th March 1871.
I, HENRY DEACON, of Appleton House, Widnes, in the County of
Lancaster, Alkali Manufacturer, do hereby declare the nature of my
said Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN THE MANUFACTURE OF BLEACHING
POWDER, AND OF SULPHATE OF SODA, AND OF SULPHATE OF POTASH, AND IN
APPARATUS TO BE EMPLOYED THEREIN," to be as follows:-
My Invention consists in the first part in the conducting these manu-
factures in an apparatus consisting of a vertical chamber containing a

page_text: number or series of inclined shelves disposed alternately at such angles
as will cause or permit the solid materials to be operated upon to fall or
pass over them by reason of their gravity when permitted so to do, the
fall or passage over such shelves being regulated or arrested by a valve
slide or regulator placed at the inferior portion of the lower half of the
chamber. The materials to be operated upon are to be supplied or fed
by means of a hopper or other feeding arrangement into the upper
portion of the chamber and the gases to be absorbed are to be admitted
at or near the lower portion of the chamber, and those gaseous products
which are not absorbed or are produced are to be allowed to pass off at
the upper portion of the chamber after passing over the various surfaces
exposed on the inclined shelves. When dry slaked lime is the solid
substance and the gas is chlorine, either pure or mixed with inert gases,
the process will be carried on at a low temperature, and the solid product
obtained will be bleaching powder or chloride of lime. Instead of using
gases containing chlorine and instead of the solid substance employed
being dry slaked lime, and instead of working at a low temperature if
the same kind of apparatus be constructed of bricks or other suitable
refractory materials and be used at high temperatures either with
common salt (chloride of sodium) or with chloride of potassium both in
pieces as the solid material, and a mixture of sulphurous acid, gas, air,
and vapour of water in such proportions as to contain one equivalent of
sulphurous acid, one of oxygen, and one of water be employed instead of
gases containing chlorine, then the solid product obtained will be the
sulphate corresponding to the chloride used, and the gaseous product will
contain hydrochloric acid which may be condensed in the ordinary
manner.
My Invention consists in the second part in drying the chlorine used
as herein described for the manufacture of bleaching powder when the
chlorine is wet. And this is especially requisite when the chlorine is
both wet and diluted with inert gases, and I effect this drying by passing
such gases over surfaces of chloride of calcium or of vitriol, and this
method of drying chlorine when mixed with inert gases is also
applicable in all other cases when wet chlorine so diluted is used in
making bleaching powder.

page_text: SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent,
filed by the said Henry Deacon in the Great Scal Patent Office
on the 15th September 1871.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, HENRY
DEACON, of Appleton House, Widnes, in the County of Lancaster,
Alkali Manufacturer, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her
Letters Patent, bearing date the Fifteenth day of March, in the year
of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and seventy-one, in the
34th year of Her reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors,
give and grant unto me, the said Henry Deacon, Her special license
that I, the said Henry Deacon, my executors, administrators, and
assigns, or such others as I, the said Henry Deacon, my executors,
administrators, or 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 MANU-
FACTURE OF BLEACHING POWDER, AND OF SULPHATE OF SODA, AND OF SULPHATE OP
POTASH, AND IN APPARATUS TO BE EMPLOYED THEREIN," upon the condition
(amongst others) that I, the said Henry Deacon, my executors or
administrators, 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 Henry Deacon, 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 letters and figures marked thereon, that is to
say:
My said Invention consists in the first part in the conducting the manu-
facture of bleaching powder, and of sulphate of soda, and of sulphate
of potash, in an apparatus consisting of a vertical chamber containing a

page_text: number or series of inclined shelves, disposed alternately at such angles
as will cause or permit the solid materials to be operated upon to fall
or pass over them by reason of their gravity when permitted so to do,
the fall or passage over such shelves being regulated or arrested by a
valve slide or regulator placed at the inferior portion of the lower
half of the chamber. The materials to be operated upon are to be
supplied or fed by means of a hopper or other feeding arrangement
into the upper portion of the chamber, and the gases to be absorbed are
admitted at or near the lower portion of the chamber, and those gascous
products which are not absorbed or are produced, are allowed to pass
off at the upper portion of the chamber, after passing over the various
surfaces exposed on the inclined shelves. When dry slaked lime is the
solid substance and the gas is chlorine, either pure or mixed with inert
gases, the process will be carried on at a low temperature and the
solid product obtained will be bleaching powder or chloride of lime.
Instead of using gases containing chlorine, and instead of the solid
substance employed being dry slaked lime, and instead of working at
a low temperature if the same kind of apparatus be constructed of
bricks or other suitable refractory materials, and be used at high tempe-
ratures, either with common salt (chloride of sodium) or with chloride
of potassium, both in pieces as the solid material, and a mixture of
sulphurous acid, gas, air, and vapour of water in such proportions as
to contain one equivalent of sulphurous acid, one of oxygen, and one
of water be employed instead of gases containing chlorine, then the
solid product obtained will be the sulphate corresponding to the chloride
used, and the gaseous product will contain hydrochloric acid which may
be condensed in the ordinary manner.
My Invention consists in the second part in drying the chlorine used
as herein described for the manufacture of bleaching powder, when the
chlorine is wet, and this is especially requisite when the chlorine is both
wet and diluted with inert gases, and I effect this drying by passing
such gases over surfaces of chloride of calcium, or of vitriol, and this
method of drying chlorine when mixed with inert gases is also applicable
in all other cases when wet chlorine so diluted is used in making
bleaching powder.
And in order that my said Invention may be fully understood I
shall now proceed more particularly to describe the same and for that
purpose shall refer to the several Figures on the annexed Sheets of

page_text: Drawings, the same letters of reference indicating corresponding parts
in all the corresponding Figures.
Figure 1 (Sheet 1) of my Drawings represents a sectional elevation
taken along the line 1-2, in Figure 2, of one of the forms of apparatus
which may be employed in working my Invention. Figure. 2 is a front
clevation corresponding to Figure 1 and having the front wall removed.
Figure 3 is a sectional plan taken along the line 3-4, in Figure 1,
and Figure 4 is a similar view taken along the line 5-6, in Figure 1,
Figures 5, 6, 7, and 8, are similar views of a slightly modified arrangement.
of apparatus herein-after referred to.
A, A, are chambers filled with distinct series of inclined shelves B, B,
and with a hopper a at the top to hold the raw materials, and slowly.
rotating fluted rollers or regulators b, b, at the bottom to regulate.
the motion of the raw materials through the apparatus and through.
each series of shelves. The shelves are set at an angle slightly more
vertical than the outside angle the raw materials would assume if
carefully piled in a ridge or long heap. Usually about one-fifth of
The raw materials
a semicircle or an angle of 36" is convenient.
should be in small pieces or in powder dry and not coherent. The
chlorides being dried first if necessary and the lime slaked without
excess of water. On placing the materials in the hopper a the raw
materials pass through the slots or holes at the bottom thereof, and run
down the inclined shelves in succession until stopped by the fluted
rollers or regulators b, b, the heap then accumulates, resting upon the
lowest shelf first, the outside of the heap or layer assuming the natural
angle and increasing in thickness and height until it obstructs the
hole or slit at the top of the first shelf and so on with each shelf in.
succession until the flow of more raw materials from the hopper is
similarly prevented. The layers will then be nearly as represented in
Osection in Figures 1 and 5. On rotating a regulator 6 some of the
material is withdrawn, this is immediately replaced by that immediately
above it, and so on throughout the shelves in that series, and the
whole mass of each set of connected shelves being nearly in equilibrium.
each movement of each regulator 6 removing some material occasions a
5 nearly simultaneous movement throughout its connected shelves ending.
with the admission of as much raw material from the hopper a as is
withdrawn by the regulator b, the same total weight of material on the
shelves being thus kept practically constant, and the supply of raw.
*

page_text: material being regulated by the withdrawal of the material which has
been acted upon. The regulator may be moved by any convenient
mechanical power and either separately or together; if separately there
is more control over the process. The intervals between the shelves
are not filled up by the materials, but the materials leave a space open,
as indicated in the Drawings, which space forms the passage for the
chemical gases, videlicet, the heated sulphurous acid gas, air (oxygen),
and steam where making the sulphate of soda, or sulphate of potash,
from their chlorides or of chlorine (by preference diluted with inert
gases) when making bleaching powder by its absorption by slaked lime.
The efficiency of this apparatus "ceteris paribus" will greatly depend
upon this space between the shelves being as narrow as possible. Of
course it must have sufficient sectional area to allow of the passage
of the current of gases, but it should be as nearly parallel to the
surface of the materials to be acted upon and also as narrow as is
practically possible. I prefer also to have the materials in thin rather
than in thick layers. The same arrangement of shelves, hoppers, and
fans for the solid materials are shewn in all the Figures 1 to 8, but two
different modes of directing the currents of gases are indicated, onc
mode in Figures 1 to 4 and another mode in Figures 5 to 8. In Figures 1
to 4 the gases enter at the bottom and pass horizontally and alternately
lengthwise along each shelf, one after another, in the same horizontal
series; they then rise up and return in a similar but reverse manner
through the next horizontal series above, and so on through each
horizontal series in succession until they reach the outlet at the top.
In Figures 5 to 8 a different mode of passing the gases is shewn. A
number of openings c, c, are made through the shelves, each opening
being surrounded by a ledge or raised edge to prevent the solid materials
from passing through, and the openings are not opposite to each other
but are so arranged that the gases first pass in a zig-zag direction
through the lowest horizontal series of shelves, then rise to the second
horizontal series, traversing it in a contrary but still zig-zag direction,
and so to the outlet at the top, zig-zagging through each horizontal
series in succession. The method of passing the gas, indicated in
Figures 1 to 4, is better adapted to the manufacture of bleaching powder, 3
whilst that indicated in Figures 5 to 8 is better adapted to the manu-
facture of sulphates. Holes opening into the spaces between the
shelves are made opposite each end of the shelves for inspection or
the introduction of tools to remove accidental obstructions. These

page_text: holes are opened and closed at pleasure. When making bleaching
powder the gases and apparatus will be kept throughout as cool as
possible, and for this purpose it is not necessary to construct the
apparatus of heat resisting materials. Combinations of bricks, slates,
and iron will be obviously convenient. For making sulphate of soda
and sulphate of potash the apparatus must be able to resist more or
less heat, a heat closely approaching to redness but not reaching it will
suffice. The gases should be fully heated in any convenient manner
before admission to the apparatus, and the, apparatus itself may have
flues surrounding it to maintain or impart heat. Combinations of brick
and iron work will at once occur to practical men as efficient wherewith
to construct apparatus for this purpose. The gases used in making
bleaching powder must be dry. If they are moist I dry them by
passing them over chloride of calcium, or some other hygroscopic solid,
or over or through oil of vitriol, or some other hygroscopic liquid. An
apparatus of this kind is shewn in sectional clevations and plan in
Figures 10 and 11 (Sheet 2). It consists of a column or tower A of
stone or other suitable material filled cither with lumps B of the
hygroscopic solid (chloride of calcium) or else filled with coke, flints, and
the like over which the hygroscopic liquid (oil of vitriol) flows, the gases
entering by the pipe C beneath the perforated bottom D and passing
through the interstices by preference in an upward direction. Figure 9
is a different method of arranging the fans b and the passages leading
thereto for withdrawing the material from the series of inclined shelves.
The points of delivery are more separated and it admits of the hot
sulphates being more or less cooled after they leave the shelves and
before they reach the fans 6 by their passage through channels d, d,
more or less exposed to the air or other cooling influence. I prefer
to move the gases by an aspirating apparatus, such as a rotating fan
or air pump or steam jet. I prefer to place this aspirating appa-
ratus at the extreme end of the entire apparatus employed, and to
project the gases passing through it into the air. The apparatus as
described being provided, the manufacture proceeds as follows:-Taking.
first the manufacture of bleaching powder. The lime is prepared as
usual excepting that special care is taken that it is dry, for if the
lime or bleaching powder is damp, it will not pass freely down the
shelves. It is placed in the hopper a and quickly distributes itself
over the shelves B, B. The chlorine (obtained in any well-known

page_text: manner but by preference diluted with inert gases) is then if necessary
dried by being passed through the apparatus shown in Figures 10
and 11, and is passed through the apparatus Figures 1 to 4, or 5 to 8.
The regulators are set in motion slowly at first and subsequently at a
rate that is found to deliver the bleaching powder made as quickly as t
it has absorbed enough chlorine. The first portions that pass through
the apparatus being set aside or returned to the hopper for being again
passed through the apparatus if found to contain too little chlorine.
Secondly, when making sulphates the apparatus constructed to withstand
the action of heat is either heated by its external flues, or by passing
heated gases through it. The chloride corresponding to the sulphate
required quite dry and in small pieces or in powder is placed in the
hopper a. A heated mixture of sulphurous acid gas, air (oxygen), and
vapour
of water obtained and heated in any well-known manner is
then passed through the apparatus and the regulators 6 are rotated
and the manufacture proceeded with similarly as described for bleaching
The well-
powder, but of course at a comparatively high temperature.
known reaction ensues, the alkaline sulphate corresponding to the.
chloride is formed and is withdrawn by the regulators b and hydrochloric
acid gas, and the incondensible and unused gases pass away by the
outlet. From these gases the hydrochloric acid may be condensed or
absorbed by water in the usual way before entering the aspirating
apparatus, or may be otherwise utilized as for example, by being directly
decomposed into chlorine, as is well understood. At least onc equi-
valent of each of the gases is necessary, but an excess of air and vapour
of water above the equivalent proportions, although they require more
fuel to heat and more power to move, increases the rapidity of the
reaction; about two equivalents of air (oxygen) and two of vapour of
water to one of sulphurous acid gas may be used with safety. Care
must be taken to keep the heat below the fusing point of the solid
materials. Cast iron can be very freely used in the construction of the
apparatus if the temperature be kept nearly reaching but not attaining
to visible redness.

page_text: inclined shelves or surfaces either when the lime is made to fall or pass
over them by moving or shaking them, or when the lime is not retained
or its motion is not regulated or arrested on such inclined shelves
whilst it is absorbing chlorine.
Although I have herein-before described the manufacture of sulphate
of soda, and of potash from their respective chlorides when such
chlorides are unmixed with other substances, but these chlorides may
be mixed with raw or burnt pyrites, when such raw or burnt pyrites.
contains a material amount of copper, silver, &c. The same conversion
of the chlorides into their corresponding sulphates will take place, the
sulphur of the raw pyrites and that if any contained in the burnt pyrites
assisting in such conversion and the copper and silver will at the same
time be rendered soluble. The various substances thus obtained in a
state of mixture may afterwards be separated and utilized in any well-
known manner.
Having now described and particularly ascertained the nature of my
said Invention and the manner in which the same is or may be used or
carried into effect, I would observe in conclusion that 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,-
First. The employment in the manufacture of bleaching powder, and
of sulphate of soda, and of sulphate of potash of inclined shelves with
spaces left above or between the said shelves through which spaces the
chemical gases pass and act on the solid materials during their passage
over and along such inclined shelves, as herein-before described and
illustrated by the Drawings.
Second. The manufacture of bleaching powder from diluted chlorine
by first drying the same by means of chloride of calcium or sulphuric
acid or other hygroscopic agent and then bringing the dried diluted
chlorine in contact with the lime, as herein-before described.
Henry Deacon, have to this my
seal, the Ninth day of September,
In witness whereof, I, the said
Specification set my hand and
One thousand eight hundred and seventy-one.
HENRY DEACON. (L.S.)