IMPROVEMENTS IN APPARATUS FOR PURIFYING ILLUMINATING GAS
Year: 1875

page_text: PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by William Lloyd Wise at the
Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on
the 10th September 1875.-A communication from abroad by
Peter Sweeney, of New York City, in the State of New York,.
United States of America.
I, WILLIAM LLOYD WISE, of Chandos Chambers, Adelphi, in the
County of Middlesex, do hereby declare the nature of the said Inven-
tion for "IMPROVEMENTS IN APPARATUS FOR PURIFYING ILLUMINATING GAS,"
(a communication to me from abroad by Peter Sweency, of New York
City, in the State of New York, United States of America), to be as
follows:-
The object of this Invention is to purify the illuminating gas produced
from coal, and it consists of certain combinations of mechanical devices,
by means of which the illuminating gas is forced through and brought
into intimate contact with one or more purifying liquids, and is freed
from the gas tar and other liquid impurities.

page_text: a revolving drum confining the gas impelled by said wheel, and per-
forated diaphragms revolving with said drum.
Second. The combination with a first purifying chamber, and gas
impelling wheel of a tubular shaft, a hollow entrance head, a second
purifying-chamber,-and-a-second gas impelling wheel, whereby the gas
is impelled through two purifying chambers in succession by the action
of their respective gas impelling wheels.
Third. The combination of the purifying chamber, the gas impelling
wheel, the revolving gas confining drum, the perforated diaphragms
revolving with said drum, the second purifying chamber, and the second
gas impelling wheel which appertains thereto.
Fourth. The combination of a gas purifying chamber containing
porous cellular substance, and a gas impelling wheel in said chamber for
impelling the gas through the said substance therein..
In one arrangement the gas is introduced by a pipe into a hollow
head, whence it passes down a tubular shaft and is rapidly discharged
by the first centrifugal wheel, which thus forces the gas into the
purifying liquid contained in the first purifying chamber. As the gas
rises it is agitated with the purifying liquid by means of the perforated
diaphragms, and on leaving the upper end of the first chamber it
collects in a cavity at the under side of a double bell-formed centrifugal
wheel, and enters the hollow interior of that wheel through perforations
that form an 68
eye" for it. The gentle centrifugal action of this wheel
discharges the gas through the second purifying chamber, in which it is
subjected to the action of the second purifying liquor. Finally the
purified gas escapes through a pipe provided for the purpose.
The purifying liquid which I prefer to use in the first or inner
- purifying, chamber is either the chloride of calcium, the chloride of
manganese, the chloride-of-magnesium or, milk-of lime, but any other
suitable purifying liquid may be used.
Sponge moistened with water alone may be used, or the moistened.
sponge may be used as a support for pulverulent solid purifying matter,
such as the hydrate of lime, or the hydrated or spongy oxide of iron.
The peculiar cellular structure of the sponge is of great advantage, as
it presents an immense purifying surface to the gas in the second &
purifying chamber, and causes the same to travel in tortuous channels.

page_text: From the foregoing description it will be seen that the gas is forced
through the purifying liquid by centrifugal action in the same apparatus
in which the purifying liquid is contained, and thus the necessity for
the employment of a gas exhauster or other gas forcing mechanism is
obviated. The gas is thoroughly agitated with the purifying liquid by
the action of the revolving diaphragms in the purifying chamber, so
that the gas is subdivided into minute bubbles, and is brought into
intimate contact with the liquid. The gas is then subjected to the
action of the second purifying liquid contained in the second purifying
chamber, through which it is forced (notwithstanding the resistance of
the purifying liquid) by the centrifugal action due to the moderate
revolution of the second centrifugal wheel.
As the gas is discharged by cèntrifugal action from, the second wheel
into the well at the bottom of the second purifying chamber, it is
thrown off tangentially, and whatever particles of tarry or ammoniacal
liquid matter are mechanically carried with it from the first purifying
chamber are thrown against the wall of the well while the gas rises.
Consequently these liquid impurities flow down by gravitation to the
bottom of the well, and the gas is freed from them before being subjected
to the second purifying material. The liquid particles thus collected
may be permitted to flow from the bottom of the well by a syphon drain
pipe fitted to a hole in its bottom.
The apparatus above described may be modified as circumstances or
3