IMPROVEMENTS IN MANUFACTURE OF GAS FOR LIGHTING AND HEATING
Year: 1852

page_text: TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME we JOHN
KIRKHAM of the New Road in the County of Middlesex Civil Engineer and
THOMAS NESHAM KIRKHAM of Fulham Civil Engineer send greeting.
WHEREAS Her present most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria by Her
Royal Letters Patent under the Great Seal of Great Britain bearing date at
Westminster the Twenty-second day of July in the sixteenth year of Her
reign did for Herself Her heirs and successors give and grant unto us the
said John Kirkham and Thomas Nesham Kirkham Her especial license full
power sole privilege and authority that we the said John Kirkham and
Thomas Nesham Kirkham our exors admors and assigns and such others as
we the said John Kirkham and Thomas Nesham Kirkham our exors admors
or assigns should at any time agree with and no others from time to time
and at all times during the term of years therein mentioned should and
lawfully might make use exercise and vend within England Wales and the
Town of Berwick-upon-Tweed our Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN
MANUFACTURE OF GAS FOR LIGHTING AND HEATING." In which said Letters Patent is
contained a proviso obliging us the said John Kirkham and Thomas Nesham
Kirkham by an instrument in writing under our hands and seals or under
the hand and seal of one of us particularly to describe and ascertain the nature
of our said Invention and in what manner the same is to be performed and
to cause the same to be inrolled in Her Majesty's High Court of Chancery
within six calendar months next and immediately after the date of the said in
23961-2.

page_text: part recited Letters Patent as in and by the same reference being thereunto
had will more fully and at large appear.
NOW KNOW YE that in compliance with the said proviso we the
said John Kirkham and Thomas Nesham Kirkham do hereby declare that the
nature of our said Invention and the manner in which the same is to be per-
formed is particularly described and ascertained in and by the following
description thereof reference being had to the Drawings hereunto annexed
and to the letters and figures marked thereon (that is to say)
This Invention has reference firstly to a means of obtaining gas by the
decomposition of water in close furnaces. In the accompanying Drawings
Fig 1 is a longitudinal vertical section of an arrangement of close furnace and
the apparatus connected therewith which we propose to employ in the manu-
facture of water gas. Fig. 2 is a sectional plan taken in the line 1, 2 of
Fig. 1; Fig. 3 is a cross section of the furnace taken in the line 3, 4 of
Fig. 1 and Fig. 4 is a sectional plan taken in the line 5, 6 of Figures
1 and 3. A A is the furnace composed of fire-brick or fire-clay road drift
and rough sand or other like materials capable of withstanding the heat of the
fire. The walls are made of sufficient thickness to protect the iron casing a, a,
with which the furnace is enveloped from the injurious action of the fire. The
shape and dimensions of the furnace are not material but those indicated by
the Drawings will be found convenient. In the upper part of the furnace A
a tubular boiler B is set and it is firmly secured in its place by being rivetted
to the iron casing a, a. The bottom of the furnace is vaulted the arch being
constructed of fire-bricks and in such a manner as to leave a sufficient number
of openings for the admission of hot atmospheric air to the furnace. On each
side of the furnace and at the upper end thereof are two iron feed pipes 6
fitted with a cap and binding screw and lined with fire-clay tiles in order to
protect the iron from the action of the fire. These pipes are intended to
admit fuel to the furnace which is effected by the removal of the caps or lids
from the pipes. When the furnace has been charged the caps or lids are to
be put on with a lute and screwed down tight. At the front end of the
furnace are two doors c and d the one leading to the fire-place and the other
to the ashpit to allow of their being readily cleaned out and also to admit air
to the fuel at the time of starting the furnace. When the fire is well alight the
doors are to be closed and luted and the heat of the furnace is then to be raised
to a temperature of about the melting point of iron; this we effect by the use
of a blast of hot atmospheric air derived as will be presently explained and
which may be maintained by any ordinary blowing machine the air being
supplied to the ash-pit through a system of flues leading thereto. The heat

page_text: from the furnace will impinge against the under part of the boiler and the
gases generated in the furnace will pass through the tubes in the boiler and
in their progress part with a great portion of their heat which will be com-
municated to the water in the boiler. By this means steam may be generated
in sufficient quantities to supply the furnace in the manner and for the purpose
to be presently explained and also to drive the motive-power machinery
employed on the gas-works. When the furnace has attained a sufficiently high
temperature we proceed to generate gases by the decomposition of water.
The water used for this purpose we supply to the boiler B in the ordinary
manner of feeding steam boilers and as it becomes vaporized by the heat of
the furnace A it is conveyed from the boiler by a branch pipe e whence it
passes through a system of pipes f, f, (see Fig. 4) into the furnace and at
either side thereof. The pipes f,fare fitted with stopcocks in order to regu-
late the supply of vapor which enters near the bottom of the furnace. The
watery vapor passes upwards through the mass of incandescent fuel and
becoming decomposed is resolved into its constituent gases the oxygen of
which combines with part of the carbon of the fuel to form carbonic acid and
carbonic oxide whilst the hydrogen passes with the other gaseous constituents
of the furnace through the tubular boiler and assists in keeping up a supply
of steam. After passing through the tubes of the boiler the gases collect in
the chamber C and then descend through a number of vertical tubes g, g,
contained in a casing of plate iron D which is closed at both ends and forms
an air chamber. A current of cold air is forced by a fan or blower into this
chamber through a pipe near to the bottom thereof and as the current
ascends it will by its contact with the tubes 9, 9, become heated at the
expense of the heated gases descending the tubes g, g. By this means the
temperature of the air supplied to the chamber D will be raised considerably
before it passes through the exit pipe i near the top of that chamber and
enters the air flues k formed in the walls of the furnace for the purpose of
heating the air to be supplied thereto. The air in its course through these
flues gains a further increase of temperature and it is ultimately conducted
by the exit flue into the ash-pit m whence it passes upwards through the
apertures in the brick arch that forms the bottom of the furnace into the fire-
place to feed the fire. By this mode of supplying air to the furnace not only
are the gases which are given off from the furnace in a great measure cooled
down before passing away to the gas holder but the temperature of the fur-
nace is very little affected by the introduction thereto of atmospheric air for
supporting combustion. The gases generated in the furnace after passing
down the tubes g, g, are conveyed away by pipes n, n, to an hydraulic box o

page_text: having a continuous supply of cold water in passing through which their tem-
perature is still further reduced and they are then carried off by the pipe p
to lime purifiers after passing through which they are collected into a gas
holder or gas holders ready for application as a fuel or they may if required
for the purpose of illumination be carburetted by being passed through
naphtha or other liquid hydrocarbon. At the top of the bent pipe 2 is a blow-
off pipe q which is capable of being closed by a valve. The use of this pipe is
to blow off the air in the furnace and the pipes in connection therewith prior
to the admission of steam to the furnace. In case the openings in the floor of
the furnace should get clogged up and thereby prevent the access of air from
the ash-pit to the furnace we provide a passage for the air through the elbow
pipes which may be brought into or thrown out of communication with the
branch pipes that enter the furnace by merely turning the stopcock shewn
at Figs. 1 and 3.
The second part of the Invention has reference to a mode of treating the
mixed gases generated by the decomposition of water in the manner above
described also to the construction of the apparatus to be used for that purpose
as well as for the treatment of gases generated from other sources and by
other means.. The gases to be operated upon are conducted from the storing
gas holder through heated retorts to a series of retorts containing cannel coal
under distillation in passing through which these gases become converted into
an illuminating gas.
Fig. 5 represents in longitudinal sectional elevation an arrangement of
apparatus for raising the illuminating power of water gas or other slightly.
luminous gases which may be supplied thereto by generating in the presence
of such gases a gas rich in carbon and thereby forming a gas fit for illumina-
tion. Fig. 6 is a cross section of the oven and the retorts which it contains
taken in the line 1, 2 of Fig. 5. Fig. 7 is a sectional plan view thereof
taken in the line of 3, 4 of Figures 5 and 6; Fig. 8 is an end elevation
shewing the manner of bracing the retorts together; Fig. 9 is a back eleva-
tion; Fig. 10 is a front elevation, and Fig. 11 a plan view of the apparatus
shewing the arrangement of pipes for throwing the several retorts into
communication with each other and for conveying away the gas as it is
generated. In this arrangement which consists of a double oven two fire-
places a a are provided at opposite ends thereof for generating the heat
required for heating the retorts. The flame and heated gases after passing
upwards and playing round the sets of retorts 6, 6, descend and pass through
openings c, c, in the horizontal flues c* c* on either side of the fireplaces
which flues terminate in a cross flued. This flue d leads to two side

page_text: flues d d which conduct the heated gases upwards to a chamber e formed
at the top of the oven and in connection with the chimney. The temperature
of the gases to be operated upon is first raised by means of the waste or spent
heat from the usual retort furnaces.. In order to accomplish this object we
set in each of the horizontal flues c* c* at each side of the fireplaces (as
represented in the front and back elevations Figures 9 and 10) a cast-iron
retort and we pass in the gases that are to be heated at the back end of the
retorts by the pipes 9, 9, whence they pass through to the front end and
escape up the pipes h, h, and by a junction pipe i are conducted to a retort k
set in the hottest part of the oven where they will be subjected to a high
degree of heat. This retort is fitted with a perforated false bottom / (see Fig. 5)
formed of fire tiles and when the apparatus is set in operation the retort is
charged with coke which coke is raised to a red heat. The gases are admitted
at the front end of the retort beneath the false bottom and find their
way through the perforated fire tiles into the mass of hot coke which has the
effect of converting the carbonic acid gas into carbonic oxide
gas. The
gases
are now conducted from the retort k at the back end thereof by means of the
branch pipe mm to the pipes n, n, situate at opposite sides of the reciprocating
retorts b, b, b, containing coal under distillation. These pipes n, n, are
severally connected to the adjacent retorts by means of short pipes p, p, and :
the retorts are connected together in pairs by means of pipes q, q, which con-
nection may be cut off by side valves r, r. A similar provision is also made
for cutting off the connection of the pipes n, n, with the retorts 6, b. Theso
valves are made in the following manner: A disc of metal 1 (see Fig. 9*)
works in guides in a box 2 formed by the junction of the end plates of two
adjoining pipes. The disc 1 is provided with a stem which works through
the top of the box 2 and carries a rack 3 at its upper end. Into the teeth of
this rack a pinion 4 takes and by turning this pinion the valve is opened or
closed as required. The retorts b, b, are grouped in pairs for the greater con-
venience of carrying on the operation of manufacturing gas. Thus when one
retort 6 contains a fresh supply of coal the illuminating gas of the coal in the
retort will have been distilled off and a red hot bed of coke will remain.
Under these circumstances the mode of operating is to discharge the gas gene-
rated in the retort 6' into the retort and at the same time to bring into the
retort a stream of heated gas from the retort & by opening a valve & in the
branch pipe leading from the pipe n to the retort 62. By thus bringing the
gases together in the presence of the red hot coke a combination is immedi-
ately effected between them the water or other gas which possesses a low
illuminating power taking up the excess of carbon which the rich coal gas
8

page_text: contains. The whole then rolls over the half-carbonized coal and passes off at
the front end of the retort in the usual way. The same mode of working is
carried on throughout the series of retorts 6, 6, and thus a considerable
economy of manufacture in the production of gas for illumination is effected
and a ready means is provided for regulating the quality of the gas produced.
We also propose to apply the same mode and general arrangement of retorts
pipes connections valves &c. for generating carburetted hydrogen gas from
tar oil pitch and resin or other solid or fluid hydrocarbons suitable for
producing a rich gas by distillation and for mixing and combining such
gas with gases produced by the decomposition of water. When operating
with tar oil pitch or resin these substances are first to be reduced by heat to
a liquid state and then run into the retorts in the usual way for making oil gas
and the gas generated from water being previously prepared and reheated to a
very high temperature as before described is to be admitted into the same
end of the retort as the tar oil pitch and resin. When solid hydrocarbons
other than coal are used the operation is conducted in a manner similar to
that described with reference to the distillation of coal.
:
By reference to Fig. 5 it will be seen that the retorts b and are composed of
fire-clay pipes set end to end at their junctions on walls of brickwork. The
retorts are bound together and held firmly in their place by means of vertical
and horizontal tie rods and * as indicated in the end.elevation Fig. 8. The
whole of this bracing is outside the oven walls and secure from the action
of the fires.. The horizontal rods bind against the flanges of the
mouthpieces of the retorts and they are severally bolted to the vertical tie
rods. These rods. * * which are firmly secured to ground plates pass
respectively through a cross head at the top of the oven and connected to
the cross heads u are tie rods which pass over the top of the oven to the
other end thereof and are secured to similar cross heads to which other vertical
rods similar to those shewn at * * (Fig. S) are affixed. By this means the
retorts are furnished with lateral and longitudinal binders and thereby an
efficient and economic arrangement of retorts may be readily produced. The
several retorts b, b, are provided at their front ends with a pipe w (see Figures 5
and 10) for conducting off the gases generated in or passed into the retorts.
The ends of the retorts are closed by caps and binding screws in the usual
manner.
:
The third part of our Invention refers to a mode of carrying off the gas
from the retorts to the receiver or gas holder without the use of the hydraulic
main the action of which is to put an internal pressure upon the retorts while
the gas is being generated and thereby to retard the operation. This dis-

page_text: advantage we propose to remedy by employing the arrangement of pipes
shewn in sectional elevation at Fig. 5 and in plan view at Fig. 11 connected
to each pipe w is a branch pipe w' which conducts the gas to a vertical pipe
w² the lower end of which dips into the ordinary hydraulic box w³. From
this main a pipe w rises and is connected to the upper end of the pipe w' by
a valve box w. A branch pipe we connects the pipe w with a valve box w
which is itself in connection with the gas main . The ordinary course of the
gas will therefore be from the pipe wo to the valve box w³ thence to the valve
box. w and through the gas main to the condenser. When however the
gas ceases to come over from any one of the retorts the valve of its valve box
o is to be closed by means of the traversing screw and handle shewn in the
Drawing. The passage through the upper part of the pipe w will then be
cut off and the return of the gas from the main to the exhausted retort will
be prevented. If however this valve should by mistake be closed before all
the gas has been evolved the gas may still pass out of the retort through the
hydraulic box as heretofore. It will be understood that it is essential before
opening a retort to clear it of coke and give it a fresh charge of coal that the
valve. of the valve box w shall be closed. We also propose by the arrange-
ment of pipes and valves shewn in the Drawings to remove the accumulations
of gas tar and other like substances which come over with the gas and
condense in the pipes and thereby choke up the avenues for the escape of the
gas. For this purpose we shut down the valve of the valve box to and
thereby cut off the communication of the main with the pipe we then blow
jets of steam (obtained from any convenient source) through the steam pipes
y, y, into the system of pipes w keeping up the blast until the resinous
matters are volatilized and carried back into the retorts to be there converted
When this clearance of the pipes is effected
I
together with the steam into gas.
we then cut off the steam by means of the cocks in the steam pipes.
The last part of the Invention relates to an improved mode of purifying
coal gas by the employment of the oxychloride or subchloride of antimony
which substance may be obtained economically by acting upon the sulphuret of
antimony or common antimony ore, in a state of powder, with muriatic acid.
The mixture of acid and ore should be boiled almost to dryness and the
residue well washed with boiling water, when it will be fit for use. In this
state the subchloride of antimony has the appearance of a whitish grey
powder and may be used in the purification of the gas either in a dry lime
purifier or in a wet lime purifier as will be explained hereafter.
We will now describe the mode of operating in a dry lime purifier.

page_text: Having prepared a quantity of the subchloride of antimony this is to be
mixed with water and sawdust until it assumes the form of a damp granular
mass slightly coherent but spongy and porous enough to permit the passage
of the gas through it. The whole must then be put into a dry lime purifier
and disposed in layers as now practised with respect to hydrate of lime after
which the impure gas must be passed through it until by the ordinary tests
it is known that the gas ceases to be purified. The mass now converted into
muriate of ammonia and orange sulphuret of antimony must be removed
and when the muriate of ammonia has been extracted by water a little
muriatic acid may be added to the mass of sawdust and sulphuret of antimony
and the whole exposed to the air for a few hours after which it may be again
employed for the purification of gas as before in a dry lime purifier.
In using the subchloride of antimony in a wet lime purifier we proceed as
follows. We place in the wet lime purifier a quantity of the subchloride of
antimony and add sufficient water to convert the whole into a creamy fluid
exactly as it is practised with respect to lime, after which the gas is passed
through in the ordinary way until it ceases to be purified. The contents of
the purifier are then to be run out and the golden-colored sulphuret of
antimony is allowed to settle from the clear, fluid. This yellow sulphuret is
then washed with water and dried to fit it for the market, either as a pigment
or for mixing with caoutchouc; the clear fluid which now contains muriate of
ammonia is again to be mixed with fresh subchloride of antimony and the
process of purification is repeated until this clear fluid becomes sufficiently
impregnated with ammoniacal salt to pay for the cost of its evaporation and
crystallization.
Having now described our Invention of Improvements in the Manufacture
of Gas for Lighting and Heating we wish it to be understood that under the
above in part recited Letters Patent We claim
First the employment in such manufacture of the arrangement of apparatus
above described with reference to Figures 1, 2, 3 and 4 whereby we are
enabled to generate water gas with great expedition and economy.
Secondly we claim the employment in the manufacture of illuminating gas
of the general arrangement and construction of oven as shewn and described
with reference to Figures 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10 and 11. And we also claim under
this second head of the Invention the use of the retorts constructed as above
described and the mode of binding them together.
Under the third head of the Invention we claim the arrangement of
apparatus above described and shewn in the Drawings or any mere modi-

page_text: AND BE IT REMEMBERED that on the Twenty-second day of January
in the year of our Lord 1853 the aforesaid John Kirkham and Thomas
Nesham Kirkham came before our said Lady the Queen in Her Chancery
and acknowledged the Specification aforesaid and all and every thing therein
contained and specified in form above written. And also the Specification
aforesaid was stamped according to the tenor of the Statute made for that
purpose.
рагро
Enrolled the Twenty-second day of January in the year of our Lord
One thousand eight hundred and fifty-three.