IMPROVEMENTS IN APPARATUS EMPLOYED IN THE MANUFACTURE OF SULPHATES OF SODA & POTASSA."
Year: 1872

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to James Hargreaves, of Widnes, in the County of
Lancaster, Chemist, and Thomas Robinson, of the same Place, Iron
Founder, for the Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN APPARATUS EMPLOYED
IN THE MANUFACTURE OF SULPHATES OF SODA & POTASSA."
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said James Hargreaves and
Thomas Robinson at the Office of the Commissioners of Patcuts,
with their Petition, on the 16th October 1872.
We, JAMES HARGREAVES, of Widnes, in the County of Lancaster,
Chemist, and THOMAS ROBINSON, of the same Place, Iron Founder, do
hereby declare the nature of the said Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN
APPARATUS EMPLOYED IN THE MANUFACTURE OF SULPHATES OF SODA & POTASSA,"
(to be as follows) :-
Our Invention relates to improvements in, upon, and connected with
the maunufacture of sulphate of soda and sulphate of potassa, or either
of them, by our direct action process, that is to say, by reacting directly
upon chloride of sodium and chloride of potassium, or either of them,
with sulphurous acid or its equivalent.
First. To facilitate conversion of salt into sulphate, and to secure
means whereby discharge can be effected rapidly, we dispose the chamber

page_text: in a long single line, and construct each chamber with two doors, pre-
ferably opposite each other.
Second. To facilitate the discharging of sulphate from converting
chambers we dispose the chambers in any convenient position, and con-
struct them cach with two or more doors, preferably on opposite sides,
so as to be able to employ two gangs of men.
Third. To provide means whereby the contents of a chamber can be
more casily withdrawn than when the present grids are employed we rest
the carrying bars or supporters on moveable pillars. Upon withdrawal
of these movable pillars the carrying bars or supporters are allowed to
fall; the contents are thereby easily reached.
Fourth. To construct manufacturing plant economically, and to pro-
vide means whereby such plant can be extended at small cost, and also
repaired without disturbing general working, we place the series of
converting chambers in a line, and dispose the sulphurous acid and gas
flue along one side of the line, and the circulating gas fluo along the
opposite side. The said circulating gas and sulphurous acid flues are
provided with lute holes opposite each chamber to receive the ends of
moveable syphons. Corresponding holes for the other ends of the
syphons are formed in the tops of the chambers.
Fifth. To provide proper flue space over each converting chamber by
durable appliances capable of preventing radiation of heat, we employ,
instead of a brick arch, a metal covering plate or picce; this is made to
rest or be supported over the top of the chamber, and salt is placed
thereon. In practice we prefer that the distance between the top of the
cylinder and the covering plate should be about 10 inches. The said
plate or piece has, as will be obvious, holes to receive the salt feed
pipes.
Sixth. To provide means for cooling the converting chamber when such
becomes necessary from carelessness on the part of workmen, or from
excessive developement of heat during reaction, we construct air passages
leading from the atmosphere into the space between the covering plate
and the cylinder cover, that the air may circulate over the top and
downwards around the chamber.
Seventh. As means for constructing large converting iron chambers
economically, and also for facilitating transport, we construct them each
in segments so formed with corresponding edges that they dovetail or

page_text: at any part.
Eighth. To construct the brickwork of converting chambers economi-
cally, and to prevent loss of heat by radiation, we build a thin brick wall
round and at a short distance from cach chamber. Between the said
brick wall and another outer brick wall we place any convenient non-
conducting material, such as a mixture of clay and ashes.
Ninth. To ensure stability of the outer enclosing brickwork of con-
verting chambers, we build flat metal plates therein, and employ vertical
stays and cross ties to bind and secure the whole.
Tenth. To dispense with the labour of shifting the movable flue after
a converting chamber has been newly charged, we construct a fluc to
each chamber within the enclosing brickwork, and employ a moveable
metal plate or door to close the outlet from the chamber, which is for
the time being the last of the series.
Eleventh. To remove the gases remaining in a chamber after con-
version has taken place, and prevent their escape into the atmosphere,
we connect a moveable syphon or passage with another chamber or with
a flue to conduct the said gases to the condensing apparatus.
Twelfth. To ensure that there is no leakage of gas past the valves we
dispense with the fixed necks, and employ movable necks or syphons to
connect the chambers to the sulphurous acid flue, and also to cach
other.
Thirteenth. To provide means whereby the sulphurous acid or the
circulating gases may be heated, and the undue heating of the converting
chambers thereby avoided, we construct the flues with spaces around or
in contact with them, and into these spaces we admit heating gases.
Fourteenth. To evenly charge a converting chamber with salt we con-
struct the top with two or more courses of feed holes.
Fifteenth. To render durable the steam jet nozzles and the throats
through which the evolved hydrochloric and other gases are forced, we
construct such nozzles and throats of glass or earthenware. By throats
we mean constructed passages through which the gases are caused to pass
by the action of a jet of steam.

page_text: SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent,
filed by the said James Hargreaves and Thomas Robinson in the
Great Seal Patent Office on the 16th April 1873.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, we, JAMES
HARGREAVES, of Widnes, in the County of Lancaster, Chemist, and
THOMAS ROBINSON, of the same Place, Iron Founder, send grecting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her
Letters Patent, bearing date the Sixteenth day of October, in the year of
our Lord One thousand eight hundred and seventy-two, in the thirty-
sixth year of Her reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give
and grant unto us, the said James Hargreaves and Thomas Robinson,
Her special licence that we, the said James Hargreaves and Thomas
Robinson, our exccutors, administrators, and assigns, or such others as
we, the said James Hargreaves and Thomas Robinson, our exccutors,
administrators, and 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
APPARATUS EMPLOYED IN THE MANUFACTURE OP SULPHATES OF SODA AND POTASSA,"
upon the condition (amongst others) that we, the said James Hargreaves
and Thomas Robinson, our executors or administrators, by an instrument
in writing under our, or their, or one of their, or one of our hands
and seals, 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 we, the said James Hargreaves and Thomas
Robinson, do hereby declare the nature of 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 Sheet of illustrated Drawings, and to
the figures and letters marked thereon, that is to say :-
Our Invention relates to improvements in, upon, and connected with
the manufacture of sulphate of soda and sulphate of potassa, or either of

page_text: them, by our direct action process, that is to say, by reacting directly
upon chloride of sodium and chloride of potassium, or either of them,
with sulphurous acid or its equivalent.
First. To facilitate conversion of salt into sulphate, and to secure
means whereby discharge can be effected rapidly, we dispose the
chambers in a long single line, and construct cach chamber with two
doors, preferably opposite each other.
Second. To facilitate the discharging of sulphate from converting
chambers we dispose the chambers in any convenient position, and con-
struct them each with two or more doors, preferably on opposite sides, so
as to be able to employ two gangs of men.
Third. To provide means whereby the contents of a chamber can be
more easily withdrawn than when the present grids are employed we
rest the carrying bars or supporters on movable pillars. Upon with-
drawal of these movable pillars the carrying bars or supporters are allowed
to fall; the contents are thereby casily reached.
Fourth. To construct manufacturing plant economically, and to provide
means whereby such plant can be extended at small cost, and also repaired
without disturbing general working, we place the series of converting
chambers in a line, and dispose the sulphurous acid and gas flue along
one side of the line, and the circulating gas flue along the opposite side.
The said circulating gas and sulphurous acid flues are provided with lute
holes opposite each chamber to receive the ends of movable syphons.
Corresponding holes for the other ends of the syphons are formed in the
tops of the chambers.
Fifth. To provide proper flue space over each converting chamber by
durable appliances capable of preventing radiation of heat, we employ
instead of a brick arch a metal covering plate or piece; this is made to
rest or be supported over the top of the chamber, and salt is placed
thereon. In practice we prefer that the distance between the top of the
cylinder and the covering plate should be about ten inches. The said
plate or piece has, as will be obvious, holes to receive the salt feed pipes
and gas passages.
Sixth. To provide means for cooling the converting chamber when
such becomes necessary from carelessness on the part of workinen, or
from excessive development of heat during reaction we construct air

page_text: passages leading from the atmosphere into the space between the cover-
ing plate and the cylinder cover, that the air may circulate over the top
and downwards around the chamber.
Seventh. As means for constructing large converting iron chambers
economically, and also for facilitating transport, we construct them each
in segments so formed with corresponding edges that they dovetail or
hook one into the other. So constructed, a new segment can be added
at any part.
Eighth. To construct the brickwork of converting chambers economi-
cally, and to prevent loss of heat by radiation, we build a thin brick wall
around and at a short distance from cach chamber. Between the said
brick wall and another outer brick wall we place any convenient non-
conducting material, such as a mixture of clay and ashes.
Ninth. To ensure stability of the outer euclosing brickwork of con-
verting chambers, we build flat metal plates therein, and employ vertical
stays and cross ties to bind and secure the whole.
Tenth. To dispense with the labour of shifting the movable flue after a
converting chamber has been newly charged we construct a flue to each
chamber within the enclosing brickwork, and employ a movable metal
plate or door to close the outlet from the chamber, which is for the time
being the last of the series.
Eleventh. To remove the gases remaining in a chamber after con-
version has taken place, and prevent their escape into the atmosphere,
we connect a movable syphon or passage with another chamber or with
a flue to conduct the said gases to the condensing apparatus.
Twelfth. To ensure that there is no leakage of gas past the valves we
dispense with the fixed necks, and employ movable necks or syphons to
connect the chambers to the sulphurous acid flue, and also to each
other.
Thirteenth. To provide means whereby the sulphurous acid or the
circulating gases may be heated and the undue heating of the converting
chambers thereby avoided, we construct the flues with spaces around or
in contact with them, and into these spaces we admit heating gases.
Fourteenth. To evenly charge a converting chamber with salt we
construct the top with two or more courses of feed holes.

page_text: Sixth part. 11, series of passages leading from the up-take smoke or
heating gas flues 12 to the atmosphere; these passages are provided with
doors, so that a current of cold air can be admitted into the flucs at
pleasure.
.Seventh part. 1ª, 1³, 1º, 1ª, 1º, 1′, 1ª, 1ª, are eight segments shown in
position dovetailing into one another and forming when complete the
sides of a chamber. A greater or less number of segments than eight
may be used.
Eighth part. 13, inner brick wall surrounding each chamber; 14, outer
brick wall; 15, space containing clay, ashes, or other non-conducting
material.
Ninth part. 16, flat metal plates built into the outer wall 14 to give
stability thereto; 17, vertical stays sunk into the ground below and
secured by cross tics 18 above.
Tenth part. 19, flues formed within the discharging doors 2' and
leading down to the waste gas flue 20. The hydrochloric acid and other
gases passing off from the final chamber of the series after conversion
of the sulphate can by removing the inner metal plate 21 and placing
in position the outer plate 22 be caused to pass into the flue 20, the plate
which covers the waste gas flue being removed.
Twelfth part. 8 are movable necks or syphons employed to connect
the chambers to the sulphurous acid and circulating gas flue, and also
to connect the chambers to each other.
Thirteenth part. 24, spaces formed around the gas conveying flucs.
These spaces form part of the smoke or heating gas flues, and thereby 2
assist in maintaining the gas conveying flues at the required tempera-
ture.
Fourteenth part. 9, rings of feed holes surrounding the central feed
hola 26. The holes 9' are mado larger than the others to receive the
ends of the movable syphons 8.
Fifteenth part. 27, steam jet nozzle; 28, throat. The said nozzle
and throat are employed to force the waste hydrochloric and other gases
through the flue 20 leading to the condensers or clsewhere.
3
In the arrangement of chambers shown by Figs. 1, 2, 3, and 4 the
chamber 1 is delineated as empty, the remaining chambers being 38
charged and at work.

page_text: In these latter chambers the sulphurous acid gas is passing in the
direction shown by the arrows from the sulphurous acid flue 5, by means
of the syphon 8, into and down through the chamber 12, thence up the
flue 29 and syphon 8 into and down through the chamber 1³, and so on
through the chamber 1*, thence by the syphon 8 along the circulating
flue 5, then into and down the chamber 1, and out through the flue 19
into the flue 20 by the throat 28. 31 are fire-places, the products of
combustion from which assist in maintaining the chambers and gas flues
at the proper temperature. The said products of combustion pass up
the flues 12, down the outside of and underneath the chambers, and
thence off by the flue; 32, 33, are working or peep holes.
Having now described the nature of our said improvements, and
particularized the same in such manner that others will be enabled to
carry them into effect, we claim, the various improvements in, upon, and
connected with apparatus herein described for the purposes set forth. .
In witness whereof, I, the said James Hargreaves, have hereunto
set my hand and seal, the Eighth day of April, in the year of our
Lord One thousand eight hundred and seventy-three.
0 In the presence of
J. T. KING,
Patent Agent,
Liverpool.
JAMES HARGREAVES. (L.S.)