A NEW MODE OF PURIFYING CERTAIN DESCRIPTIONS OF GASES
Year: 1818

page_text: TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, GEORGE
HOLWORTHY PALMER, of Regent Street, in the Parish of St. John, Westminster,
and County of Middlesex, Gentleman, send greeting.
WHEREAS His most Excellent Majesty King George the Third did, by His
Letters Patent under the Great Seal of the United Kingdom of Great Britain
and Ireland, bearing date at Westminster, the Fifteenth day of January, in
the fifty-eighth year of His reign, give and grant unto me, the said George
Holworthy Palmer, my exors, admors, and assigns, His special licence, full
power, sole privilege and authority, that I, the said George Holworthy Palmer,
my exors, adñiors, and assigns, should and lawfully might, during the term of
years therein mentioned, make, use, exercise, and vend, within England,
Wales, and the Town of Berwick-upon-Tweed, and also in all Majesty's
Colonies and Plantations abroad, my Invention of "A NEW MODE OF PURIFYING
CERTAIN DESCRIPTIONS OF GASES;" in which said Letters Patent there is con-
tained a proviso that if I, the said George Holworthy Palmer, shall not
particularly describe and ascertain the nature of my said Invention, and in
what manner the same is to be performed, by an instrument in writing under
my hand and seal, and cause the same to be inrolled in His Majesty's High
Court of Chancery within six calendar months next and immediately after
the date of the said Letters Patent Letters Patent, that then the said Letters
Patent, and all liberties and advantages whatsoever thereby granted, shall
utterly cease, determine, and become void, as in and by the same, relation
being thereunto had, may more fully and at large appear.

page_text: NOW KNOW YE, that in compliance with the said proviso, I, the said
George Holworthy Palmer, do hereby declare that the nature of my said
Invention, and the manner in. which the same is to be performed, are particu-
larly described and ascertained in and by the following description thereof
(that is to say):
My mode of purifying is applicable to all those inflamable gases which are
obtained from the distillation of pit coal, coal tar, or other substances capable
of producing gas similar in constitutem to that obtained from pit coal, and
capable of being applied for the purpose of illumination, and when the gas so
obtained happen to be contaminated with sulphur, the presence of which
renders the gas more or less unfit for being applied under all circumstances
for the production of artificial light. The gas may be mode by any of the
usual processes, and is to be conveyed in pipes to a condeser or refrigitory'
to deprive it of its tar, ammoniacal liquor, and condensible ingredients, from
thence it is to be conveyed to one of my purifiers, which consist of a vessel
of any form, and made of cast iron or any other material which will stand the
action of heat. This purifyer is to be kept moderately red hot while in action,
to accomplish which it may be set in the same furnace as the retorts, or
heated by a seperate fire (which will be governed by the nature and extent
of the concern), so as to be visibly red by daylight. It must be understood
that I mention the temperature as being sufficient, although a higher one
will not be detrimental to the process, but will destroy the purifying vessel
more rapid. This purifying vessel is to be nearly filled with the fragments.or
refuse clippings of sheet iron, tinned iron plates, or any oxid of iron, at a
minemum of oxidation, such as common clay or argillaceous iron ore, or
finery cinders, or black oxid of iron; and when so filled and heated the
gas must pass through it, which will effect a partial decomposition of the
sulphuretted hydrogen, and will be completely effected by passing into a box
or cistern of cold water. The pipe which conveys the gas into the box or
cistern should just dip into the water, and a pipe at the top of cistern must
communicate with the gasometers, through which the gas will flow perfectly
pure, and can be distributed and burnt as usual. The operation of this
method of purifycation must be obvious to those who are acquainted with
chemistry, for it will be readily observed that the sulphurated hydrogen
contained in the gas will be decomposed by the action of heat, and the
substances used into hydrogen and sulphuric acid, whilst at the same
time no sulphurious acid gas can escape the agents to which the crude
gas is exposed. Whenever it is ascertained by smell or chemical tests that
the gas does not come over completely pure it will determine that the

page_text: contents of the purifyer has done its duty. The gas must then be turned
off by an arrangement of cocks or valves, to another purifyer similar in
every respect to the one described, observing that when one of the puri-
fyers is thrown out of action it need not have its contents removed, but
its doors must be left open to expose it suddenly to the action of the atmo-
sphere, and as it is still kept red hot, it will, before the purifyer just named
becomes saturated, will be again competent to purify the gas. This method
of proceeding must be invariably observed with each purifyer, working first
one and then the other, until it is ascertained that the metallic iron is rendered
useless, in which case the purifyer must be discharged of its contents, and
replaced with fresh The contents in the cistern should be changed when it
is increased one third the quantity of water first introduced, which water will
require a considerable time to be fully saturated, and on examination will be
found to consist of water strongly impregnated with sulphurous and sulphuric
acid gas. The pipes connected to the purifyers for the admission and
discharge of the gas, should have an immediate fall from them, so as to
prevent the condensible products returning back into them, for it would
destroy the chemical play of affinities between the sulphuretted hydrogen and
the metallic iron, by covering its surface with a carbonaceous crust. The
situation and arrangements of the apparatus will be adopted and best suited
to the circumstances and situation of the establishment.
In witness whereof, I, the said George Holworthy Palmer, have hereunto
my band and seal, this Thirteenth day of July, in the year of our
Land One thousand oight handend and nightoon