Gases or Vapours by Liquids.
Year: 1885

page_text: Gases or Vapours by Liquids.
I, EDMUND EDWARDS, of the firm of Edwards and Co., Patent Agents and
Engineers, of 35 Southampton Buildings, Chancery Lane, in the County of
Middlesex do hereby declare the nature of the invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN
APPARATUS FOR EFFECTING THE ABSORPTION OF GASES OR VAPOURS BY LIQUIDS
(a communication to me from abroad by Ludwig Rohrmann of Krauschwitz, and
Max Hiller of Berlin, both in the Empire of Germany) to be as follows:-
"
This invention relates to apparatus by means of which any sufficiently soluble
gases or vapours are caused to be absorbed or dissolved in suitable liquids by being
made to pass over the surface of such liquids, the latter being admitted to the
apparatus and allowed to flow off continuously after it has absorbed a sufficient
quantity of gas or vapour.
The improved apparatus consists of an exterior vessel, preferably circular in
plan, of earthenware or other suitable material not affected by the substances
treated. The lower part of this vessel is somewhat conical, being of least diameter
at the bottom where it is closed.
Upon the bottom of this vessel stands a corresponding cone of somewhat less
diameter and open below, which is attached to the lower side of a shallow flat
tray or vat, and at the bottom of the vessel the liquid collects after it has absorbed
the gas or vapour, this gas or vapour being admitted through a pipe, which passes
through both the outer and inner cones near their upper edge above the liquid the
level of which is maintained by means of a syphon discharge pipe in the outer
vessel at the opposite side.
The part of the gas or vapour not absorbed by the liquid rises through a short
tube which passes through the bottom of the shallow tray or vat and after passing
over the surface of liquid which this tray also contains it rises through a similar
short tube which passes through the bottom of a similar second shallow tray or
vat, having an external prolongation downward the lower edge of which rests upon
the tray below and in the liquid so as to form a soal or joint.

page_text: After passing over the surface of the liquid in the second tray or vat, the gas or
vapour may rise through a third tube into a third tray or vat similarly arranged,
and so on through as many others as may be found advisable.
The tubes through the bottom of each shallow tray or vat are arranged
alternately at opposite sides of the apparatus, so that the gas or vapour has to
travel backward and forward over the surface of the liquid contained in the several
trays, and any gas or vapour finally remaining unabsorbed passes through the tube
in the bottom of the uppermost tray and is conveyed away or allowed to escape.
This uppermost tray in addition to the extension downward which stands in the
liquid in the tray below so as to form a joint or seal, has an external concentric
flange of larger diameter projecting downward its lower edge dipping into a trough
or groove formed round the upper edge of the exterior vessel first described which
rises somewhat higher than the top of the upper tray or vat, and this trough or
groove thus forms a joint or seal by which any gas or vapour is prevented from
escaping from the apparatus.
The liquid which is to absorb the gas or vapour is supplied through a pipe into
the uppermost tray or vat, over the edge of which it flows into the trough or
groove last described, from the upper inner part of which it passes through a pipe
into the next highest tray or vat from which it descends, through a short vertical
tube fixed in the bottom of the tray and open at both ends, into the tray below,
and in the same way to the next, and so on until it reaches the liquid which
collects in the bottom of the apparatus as already described after having absorbed
as much as possible of the gas or vapour.
The several tubes in the bottoms of the trays, through which the liquid descends
as described, are also arranged at opposite sides of the alternate trays, and their
upper edges rise above the bottom of the tray to the height at which it is desired
that the liquid should stand before descending to the next tray.
The external vessel may be provided with refrigerating apparatus in order to
keep down the heat caused by the absorption of the gas or vapour.
The method of arrangement may sometimes be slightly modified. Each shallow
tray or vat instead of having a downward cylindrical projection may be fitted with
an inverted cylinder upon the flat top of which the next tray or vat above is
supported. This flat top has an annular trough or groove near one side sur-
rounding a central opening and situated exactly below an opening in the bottom of
the tray above corresponding with the outer edge of the trough or groove, which
opening has a flange round it the upper edge of which rises to the height at which
the liquid is to stand in the tray.
A short moveable pipe is arranged with its lower edge dipping into the annular
trough or groove so as to form the joint or seal and its upper edge rising into the
inverted cylinder in the tray or vat above, and it also has near its upper edge a
flange projecting outward and down the lower outer edge of which surrounds the
flange rising from the bottom of the tray, and dips into the liquid in the latter,
forming a joint or seal.
In this arrangement the central vertical passage serves both as a passage for the
gas or vapour upward and from the liquid downward, the latter passing under the
flange at the upper end of the moveable pipe and down into the annular trough or
groove below, and thence under the edge of the pipe and over the inner edge of
the annular trough into the tray or vat below.

page_text: Gases or Vapours by Liquids.
I, EDMUND EDWARDS, of the firm of Edwards and Co., Patent Agents and
Engineers, of 35 Southampton Buildings, Chancery Lane, in the County of
Middlesex, do hereby declare the nature of this invention (a communication to
me from abroad by Ludwig Rohrmann of Krauschwitz, and Max Hiller of Berlin,
both in the Empire of Germany) and in what manner the same is to be performed,
to be particularly described and ascertained in and by the following statement and
accompanying drawing (that is to say) :-
This invention relates to apparatus by means of which any sufficiently soluble
gases or vapours are caused to be absorbed or dissolved in suitable liquids by being
made to pass over the surface of such liquids, the latter being admitted to the
apparatus and allowed to flow off continuously after it has absorbed a sufficient
quantity of gas or vapour.
The accompanying drawing is in illustration of the invention, figure 1 being a
vertical section through the centre of the apparatus, figure 2 a horizontal section on
the line A. B. figure 1; and figure 3 a somewhat modified form of the apparatus.
The improved apparatus consists of an exterior vessel D, preferably circular in
plan, of earthenware or other suitable material not affected by the substances
treated. The lower part of this vessel is somewhat conical, being of least diameter.
at the bottom where it is closed.
Upon the bottom of this vessel stands a corresponding cone C of somewhat less.
diameter and open below, which is attached to the lower side of a shallow flat tray
or vat, and at the bottom of the vessel D the liquid collects after it has absorbed
the gas or vapour.
This gas or vapour being admitted through a pipe a which passes through the
outer and inner cones near their upper edge above the liquid the level of which is
maintained by means of a syphon discharge pipe h in the outer vessel at the
opposite side.
-
The part of the gas or vapour not absorbed by the liquid in D rises through a
short tube 6 which passes through the bottom of the shallow tray or vat C and
after passing over the surface of liquid which this tray also contains it rises through
a similar short tube b¹ which passes through the bottom of a similar second shallow
tray or vat C having an external prolongation downward the lower edge of which
rests upon the tray C below and in the liquid so as to form a seal or joint. After -
passing over the surface of the liquid in the second tray or vat C³, the gas or
vapour may rise through a third tube 6² into a third tray or vat C² similarly
arranged, and so on through as many others as may be found advisable..
The tubes 61 62 63 & through the bottom of each shallow tray or vat are.
arranged alternately at opposite sides of the apparatus, so that the gas or vapour
has to travel backward and forward over the surface of the liquid contained in the.

page_text: several trays, and any gas or vapour finally remaining unabsorbed passes through
the tube in the bottom of the uppermost tray as shewn at b in the drawing, and is
conveyed away or allowed to escape. This uppermost tray C, in addition to the
extension downward which stands in the liquid in the tray C³ below so as to form
a joint or seal, has an external concentric flange c of larger diameter projecting
downward its lower edge dipping into a trough or groove d formed round the
upper edge of the exterior vessel D first described which rises somewhat higher
than the top of the upper tray or vat, and this trough or groove d thus forms a
joint or seal by which any gas or vapour is prevented from escaping from the
apparatus.
The liquid which is to absorb the gas or vapour is supplied through a pipe e into
the uppermost tray or vat C, over the edge of which it flows into the trough or
grooved last described, from the upper inner part of which it passes through a
pipe finto the next highest tray or vat C³ from which it descends, through a short
vertical tube g³ fixed in the bottom of the tray and open at both ends, into the
liquid in the tray below C³, and in the same way to the next, and so on until it
reaches the liquid which collects in the bottom of the exterior vessel D of the
apparatus as already described after having absorbed as much as possible of the gas
ar vapour and it then flows off through the syphon pipe h.
The several tubes in the bottoms of the trays, through which the liquid descends
as described, are also arranged at opposite sides of the alternate trays, and their
upper edges rise above the bottom of the tray to the height at which it is desired
that the liquid should stand before descending to the next tray.
The external vessel may be provided with refrigerating apparatus in order to
keep down the heat caused by the absorption of the gas or vapour.
The method of arrangement may sometimes be slightly modified. Each shallow
tray or vat i (as shewn in figure 3) instead of having a downward cylindrical
projection may be fitted with an inverted cylinder k upon the flat top of which the
next tray or vat above is supported. This flat top has an annular trough or
groove p, o, near one side surrounding a central opening and situated exactly
below an opening in the bottom of the tray above corresponding with the outer
edge of the trough or groove, which opening has a flange round it m the upper
edge of which rises to the height at which the liquid is to stand in the tray.
A short moveable pipe lis arranged with its lower edge dipping into the annular
trough or groove o, p, so as to form a joint or seal, and its upper edge rising into
the inverted cylinder in the tray or vat above, and it also has near its upper edge
a flange n projecting outward and down the lower outer edge of which surrounds
the flange m rising from the bottom of the tray, and dips into the liquid in the
latter, forming a joint or seal.
In this arrangement the central vertical passage serves both as a passage for the
gas or vapour upward and for the liquid downward, the latter passing under the
flange n at the upper end of the moveable pipe and down into the annular trough
or groove o, p, below, and thence under the edge of the pipe and over the inner
edge o of the annular trough into the tray or vat below. In this method of
arrangement therefore, the passages for the gases and for the liquid are arranged
concentrically.
. 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 apparatus for the absorption of gases and vapours by liquids, consisting
of the superposed vats C C³ C³ & forming the water joint or trap, these vats being
so arranged, that the gas coming through the pipe a passes over the surface of the
liquid, and thence through the pipe or tube b to the vat C¹ flowing over the surface
of the liquid contained therein, and passing from it through the pipe b¹ to the
vat C³ and so on until it escapes, purified by the liquid contained in a corresponding

page_text: number of vats, through the pipe 6%, a continuous water supply being furnished at e
the overflow of which from the vats C passes down from one vat to the next in
succession by means of the pipes g, g¹, g², & to the bottom vat, from which it passes
by the pipe h, substantially as described and shewn in the drawing.
2. The modified arrangement of the apparatus, consisting especially in the
substitution for the tubes b and g shewn in Figure of the removeable tube l
provided with two flanges n forming a trap with the upright flange of the tube m
the end of the tube & forming a second trap, with the circular channel p, formed in
the reversed cover or hood k of the vat i substantially as described and shewn in
figure 3 of the accompanying drawing.