IMPROVEMENTS IN THE APPARATUS TO BE USED IN BLEACHING FABRICS AND YARNS
Year: 1884

page_text: QUILOs and
..
I WILLIAM MATHER, of the firm of Messieurs Mather and Platt, of the Salford
Iron Works, Manchester, Lancashire, Engineer, do hereby declare the nature of
said Invention for IMPROVEMENTS IN THE APPARATUS TO BE USED IN BLEACHING
FABRICS AND YARNS, to be as follows:-
The object of my Invention is to facilitate and accelerate the operation of
bleaching and it is particularly applicable to the process known as the "Thompson
process "for which Letters Patent were granted to Jacob Baynes Thompson on the
3rd day of February 1883 N° 595.
In the Thompson process the apparatus employed consists of an upper tank and
a lower tank for the bleach liquor both of which tanks are connected by pipes with
an air-tight bleaching vessel provided with a pipe leading to a gas holder. The
fabric is placed. in the bleaching vessel, the cover of which is then fastened down
by means of numerous bolts and nuts, an air tap in the cover opened and bleach
liquor from the upper tank run in until the vessel is full, when the air tap is closed,
the gas turned on and the flow of liquor from the upper tank turned off and all
but a small quantity of the liquor in the vessel allowed to flow into the lower tank
from which it is pumped into the upper tank. After the fabric has stood in the
gas for about an hour, the bleach liquor is allowed to flow into the vessel again
from the upper tank thereby driving the gas back again into the holder until the
bleaching vessel is again full of liquor when the operation as before described, is
repeated as often as required.
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Although the results achieved by the "Thompson process are undoubtedly
successful yet the apparatus employed is inconvenient and the process is rendered
unnecessarily lengthy and tedious.
Now, I propose to employ a bleaching vessel or kier of metal or other material
preferably cylindrical in form and provided with a false bottom and a lid with a
projecting flange surrounding the kier and in order to seal the kier or make it
air-tight I form an annular chamber round the kier and fill this chamber with

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water or other liquid into which the flange of the lid projects; the lid is provided
with an air tap and may be raised and lowered by means of chains and balance
weights or in any convenient manner. In the kier I fit a puffer pipe and I form
an opening in the bottom of the kier and connect both the puffer pipe and the
opening by a pipe or pipes to a centrifugal or other pump and also by a three way
valve and pipe to a tank which contains the bleaching liquor. Carbonic acid gas
is stored under pressure in a gas holder connected to the kier.
By setting the pump in motion and turning the three way valve so as to open
the communication between the puffer pipe and the tank, bleach liquor is caused to
flow from the tank up the puffer pipe into the kier and when the kier is filled with
liquor about up to the level of the false bottom the lid being raised, the fabric yarn
or other material to be treated is placed in the kier. The three way valve is then
turned so as to shut off the supply of liquor from the tank and to open the
communication between the bottom of the kier and the puffer pipe and as the
pump continues working the liquor in the kier is forced up the puffer pipe and is
distributed by the spreader over the fabric yarn or other material through which the
liquor returns to the bottom of the kier passing again through the opening and up
the puffer pipe. This circulation of the bleaching liquor is continued as the kier is
being filled with material, the bleaching of which commences immediately it is put
into the kier. When sufficient fabric yarn or other material has been put into the
kier, the lid is lowered and secured by simple catches, the air valve opened and the
three way valve turned so as to allow bleach liquor to be drawn as before, by
the pump, from the tank and forced up the puffer pipe into the kier. The level
of the liquor in the kier may be readily ascertained by means of a glass tube or
gauge.
The pump continues working until the kier is filled with liquor so as to expel all
air and thoroughly saturate the material under treatment, when full the air valve
'is closed and the pump stopped, the gas valve is then opened and the carbonic acid
gas admitted to the kier while, the three-way valve is turned to allow the bleach
liquor to flow back into the tank leaving only sufficient liquid in the kier to fill
the space under the false bottom. The three way valve is then turned and the
pump re-started so as to cause the liquor remaining in the kier to be circulated
continuously through the material without being exposed to the atmosphere ord
returning to the tank whereby the bleach liquor retains the gas absorbed by it,
so that the decomposition of the chlorine on the saturated material is more rapidly
effected and the bleach desired is more quickly obtained: If required, by turning
the three-way-valve as before described the liquor may be run out, fresh liquor
pumped into the kier from the tank and the circulation of the liquor renewed until
the material is sufficiently bleached.
Previous to opening the kier it is pumped full of liquor to drive the gas back
into the holder, the air valve is then opened, the three-way valve turned and
the liquor allowed to return to its tank when the bleached material may be
removed.
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Or, if preferred, the operation may be performed by alternately pumping the
kier full of liquor to saturate the fabric, expel the gas from the kier, and drive it
back into the holder and then letting the liquor flow back into the tank and the
-gas take its place and so on until the bleaching process is completed.
By the application of my Invention to the Thompson process, the materials
under treatment may be more rapidly and economically bleached and the entire
operation accelerated by the improved mechanical means employed the advantages
of which I will now briefly re-enumerate.
First. By employing the cover fitting into an annular space containing liquid
to form a lute or joint the said cover being easily raised and lowered by means of
chains and balance weights and secured by simple catches, I am able to dispense
with the numerous bolts used in the Thompson process and by these means effect a
· great saving of time and labour in opening and closing the kier..
I

page_text: Secondly. By employing a pump and a three-way valve in the manner
described the upper cistern used in the Thompson process is not required, the
bleach liquor may be circulated continuously through the fabric or materials
without exposure to the atmosphere whereby the liquor retains the gas taken up
by it and the decomposition of the chlorine in the fabric is more rapidly and evenly
effected, and finally, the various operations of pumping liquor from the tank into
the kier, circulating the liquor through the fabric, and permitting the liquor to
flow back into the tank may all be effected by the manipulation of the one handle
which turns the plug in the three way valve.
D
ليمي
1
1007
H. B. BARLOW,
Agent for Applicant,
4, Mansfield Chambers,
7, St. Ann's Square, Manchester.

page_text: Improvements in the Apparatus to be Used in Bleaching
Fabrics and Yarns.
WILLIAM MATHER, of the firm of Messieurs Mather and Platt, of the Salford
Iron Works, Manchester, Lancashire, Engineer, do hereby declare the nature of
said Invention for IMPROVEMENTS IN THE APPARATUS TO BE USED IN BLEACHING
FABRICS AND YARNS, and in what manner the same is to be performed, to be
particularly described and ascertained in and by the following statement:-
The object of my Invention is to facilitate and accelerate the operation of
bleaching and is particularly applicable to the process known as the "Thompson
process "for which Letters Patent were granted to Jacob Baynes Thompson on the
3rd day of February 1883 N° 595.
In the Thompson process the apparatus employed consists of an upper tank and
a lower tank for the bleach liquor both of which tanks are connected by pipes
with an air tight bleaching vessel provided with a pipe leading to a gas holder.
The fabric is placed in the bleaching vessel, the cover of which is then fastened
down by means of numerous bolts and nuts, an air tap in the cover opened, and
bleach liquor from the upper tank run in until the vessel is full, when the air tap
is closed, the gas turned on, and the flow of liquor from the upper tank turned off
and all but a small quantity of the liquor in the vessel allowed to flow into the
lower tank from which it is pumped into the upper tank. After the fabric has
stood in the gas for about an hour, the bleach liquor is allowed to flow into the
vessel again from the upper tank thereby driving the gas back again into the
holder until the bleaching vessel is again full of liquor when the operation as
before described is repeated as often as required.
Although the results achieved by the Thompson process are undoubtedly
successful yet the apparatus employed is inconvenient and the process is rendered
unnecessarily lengthy and tedious.
And in order that my Invention may be fully understood and readily carried
into effect I will describe the accompanying two Sheets of Drawings, reference
being had to the figures and letters marked thereon.
Figure 1 is a front elevation. Fig. 2 a side sectional elevation and Fig. 3 a plan
of my improved apparatus for, bleaching fabrics and yarns and Fig. 4 is a side view
of the gas generator and gas holder.
I employ a bleaching vessel or kier a, of metal or other material, preferably
cylindrical in form and provided with a false bottom a¹ and a lid b with a
projecting flange 61 surrounding the kier and in order to seal the kier or make it
air tight I form an annular chamber c round the kier a and fill this chamber c with
water or other liquid into which the flange b' of the lid projects; the lid b is
provided with an air tap or valve d and may be raised and lowered by means of
chains e and balance weights e¹ as shown, or in any other convenient manner. In
the kier I fit a puffer pipe ƒ and I form an opening a² in the bottom of the kier a
and connect both the puffer pipe f and the opening a² by a pipe or pipes to
a centrifugal or other pump g and also by a three-way valve h, and pipe ¹ to a

page_text: tank i which contains the bleaching liquor. The plug of the three way valve h is
connected by a shaft h¹ and gears to a vertical shaft hs on which is secured the
handle by moving which the plug may be turned and the three-way valve set as
required. Carbonic acid gas is made in the generator j and stored' under pressure
in a gas holder k connected to the kier.
119
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J7 S
By setting the pump g in motion and turning the three-way valve h so as to
open the communication between the puffer pipe f and the tank i, bleach liquor is
caused to flow from the tank up the puffer pipe into the kier a and when the kier
is filled with liquor about up to the level of the false bottom a¹, the lid 6 being
raised, the fabric, yarn, or other material to be treated is placed in the kier a
The three-way valve h is then turned so as to shut off the supply of liquor from the
tank i and, to open the communication between the bottom of the kier and the
puffer pipe and as the pumpig 'continues working the liquor is drawn from the
kier through the opening a² forced up the puffer pipe f and distributed, by the
spreader over the fabric, yarn, or other material through which the liquor
returns to the bottom of the kier passing again through the opening a² and up the
puffer pipe f. This circulation of the bleaching liquor is continued as the kier is
being filled with material, the bleaching of which commences, immediately it is put
into the kier. When sufficient fabric, yarn, or other material has been put into
the kier, the lid is lowered ar
opened and the three-way valy
bleach liquor to be drawn, as
the puffer pipe finto the
ascertained by means of (
I
re
"
ecured by simple catches, the; air valve d
urned so as to close the opening a² and allow
by the pump g, from the tank and forced up
The level of the liquor in the kier may be readily
ass; tube or gauge m.
The pump continues working until the kier is filled with liquor so as to expel all
air and thoroughly saturate the material under treatment. When the kier is full
the air valve d is closed and the pump g stopped, the gas valvem is then opened
and the carbonic acid gas from the holder k admitted to the kier while the three
way valve his turned to allow the bleach liquor to flow through the opening a¹
back into the tank i leaving only sufficient liquor in the kier to fill the space
under the false bottom a¹. The three-way valve h is then turned and the pump g
re-started so as to cause the liquor remaining in the kier a to be circulated
continuously through the material without being exposed to the atmosphere or
returning to the tank-i, whereby the bleach liquor retains the gas absorbed by it so
that the decomposition of the chlorine on the saturated material is more rapidly
effected and the bleach desired 'is more quickly obtained. If required, by turning
the three-way valve h as before described, the liquor may be run out through the
pipe o, fresh liquor pumped into the kier a from the tank i, and the circulation of
the liquor renewed until the material is sufficiently bleached.
Previous to opening the kier it is pumped full of liquor to drive the gas back
into the holder k, the gas valve n is then closed, the air valve d opened, the three
way valve h turned and the liquor allowed to return to its tank i, when the
bleached material may be removed.
Or, if preferred, the operation may be performed by alternately pumping the
kier a full of liquor to saturate the fabric, expel the gas from the kier and drive it
back into the holder k and then letting the liquor flow back into the tank i and
the gas take its place, and so on until the bleaching process is completed.
By the application of my Invention to the Thompson process the materials under
treatment may be more rapidly and economically bleached and the entire operation
accelerated by the improved mechanical means employed, the advantages of which
I will now briefly re-enumerate.
First. By employing the lid or cover b fitting into the annular space c
containing liquid, to form a lute or joint, the said cover being easily raised and
lowered by means of the chains e and balance weights e¹ and secured by simple
catches, I am able to dispense with the numerous bolts used in the Thompson
process, and by these means effect a great saving of time and labour in opening and
closing the kier,
'

page_text: 11.1
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B
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Secondly-By employing the pump g, or its equivalent, and the three way
valve in the manner, described and shown, the upper cistern used in the
Thompson process is not required, the bleach liquor may be circulated continuously
through the fabric or materials without exposure to the atmosphere, whereby the
liquor retains the gas taken up by it and the decomposition of the chlorine in the
fabric is more, rapidly and evenly effected, and finally the various operations of
pumping liquor from the tank into the kier a, circulating the liquor through the
fabric and permitting the liquor to flow back into the tank i may all be effected by
the manipulation of the one handle h*. which turns the plug in the three-way
valve h.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said
Invention and in what manner the same is to be performed, I declare that what
I claim is
1.-The construction,, combination, and general arrangement of parts forming
the improved apparatus for bleaching fabrics and yarns, substantially as herein set
forth for the purposes specified.
2. In apparatus for bleaching, the combination with the kier a, provided with
the annular space or. chamber c containing water or other liquid, of the lid or
cover 6 having a flange b', substantially as and for the purposes herein set forth.
b
3. In apparatus for bleaching, the combination with the pump g. or its
'equivalent, of the three way valve h, substantially 'as and for the purposes herein
described and as illustrated by the Drawings annexed.
4. In a bleaching kier, the combination with the puffer pipe f, of a pump and
a three way valve, substantially as and for the purposes herein set forth..
Dated this 18th day of September 1885.
H. B. BARLOW,
Agent for Applicant,
4, Mansfield Chambers,
17, St. Ann's Square, Manchester.