IMPROVE. MENTS IN FURNACES OR APPARATUS FOR GENERATING CARBURETTED HYDROGEN, CARBONIC ACID, CARBONIC OXIDE, AND CYANOGEN GASES
Year: 1864

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to William Henry Tooth, of Rhodeswell Road, Stepney,
in the County of Middlesex, Engineer, for the Invention of "IMPROVE.
MENTS IN FURNACES OR APPARATUS FOR GENERATING CARBURETTED HYDROGEN,
CARBONIC ACID, CARBONIC OXIDE, AND CYANOGEN GASES."
Sealed the 13th December 1864, and dated the 17th June 1864.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said William Henry Tooth
at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on the
17th June 1864.
I, WILLIAM HENRY TOOTH, of Rhodeswell Road, Stepney, in the County of
Middlesex, Engineer, do hereby declare the nature of the said Invention for
"IMPROVEMENTS IN FURNACES OR APPARATUS FOR GENERATING CARBURETTED
HYDROGEN, CARBONIC ACID, CARBONIC OXIDE, AND CYANOGEN GASES," to be as
follows (that is to say) :-
My Invention consists in the construction and arrangement of certain
furnaces or apparatus for the production of carburetted hydrogen, carbonic
acid, carbonic oxide, and cyanogen gases in a more expeditious and economical
manner than heretofore, so that they may be advantageously employed in the
manufacture of iron and steel, and for lighting and heating purposes, or any
other purposes for which they may be applicable..
The gas generator or furnace constructed according to my Invention, and
which is intended for the production of carbonic acid, carbonic oxide, car-
buretted hydrogen, and cyanogen gases, consists of a large chamber having

page_text: wrought or cast iron outer casing lined with fire-bricks or other suitable
materials, and is divided by a perforated dome or arches placed two or three
feet from the bottom into two compartments consisting of an upper and lower
compartment. A suitable number of fire-places, aecording to the size of the
furnace, are placed around the outside of or near the bottom of the chamber,
so that the heat and gases generated in the fire-places will completely enve-
lope the inner chamber, and will decompose the atmospheric air supplied to
produce combustion in the fire-places.
The fuel in the fire-places is separated from the lower chamber by bridges,
which cause the flame and gases from the fire-places to ascend and thoroughly
commingle together, and produce complete combustion (as nearly as possible)
before descending over the bridge into the lower chamber and passing through
the perforations into the upper chamber. The upper chamber is fitted with
valves at the top and doorways in the sides for charging and discharging. It
is also provided with suitable pipes and valves from which the gases can be
conveyed away to gasholders, reservoirs, exhausters, or to the furnaces where
it is to be emploved...
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent, filed
by the said William Henry Tooth in the Great Seal Patent Office on
the 17th December 1864.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, WILLIAM
HENRY TOOTH, of Rhodeswell Road, Stepney, in the County of Middlesex,
Engineer, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her Letters
Patent, bearing date the Seventeeth day of June in the year of our Lord One
thousand eight hundred and sixty-four, in the twenty-seventh year of Her
reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant unto me,
the said William Henry Tooth, Her special license that I, the said William
Henry Tooth, my executors, administrators, and assigns, or such others as I,
the said William Henry Tooth, my executors, 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 FURNACES OR APPARATUS FOR GENERATING CARBURETTED
HYDROGEN, CARBONIC ACID, CARBONIC OXIDE, AND CYANOGEN GASES," upon the

page_text: condition (amongst others) that I, the said William Henry Tooth, by an
instrument in writing under my hand and seal, 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 I, the said William Henry Tooth; do hereby declare
the nature of my 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 Drawing hereunto annexed; and to the
letters and figures marked thereon (that is to say) :-
.
My Invention consists in the construction and arrangement of certain
furnaces or apparatus for the production of carburetted hydrogen, carbonic
acid, carbonic oxide, and cyanogen gases for various useful purposes in a more
expeditious and economical manner than heretofore.
The gas generator or furnace, constructed according to my Invention, and
which is intended for the production of carbonic acid, carbonic oxide, carburetted
hydrogen, and cyanogen gases, is shewn in the accompanying Drawing, in
which Fig. 1 is a side elevation, partly in section, and Fig. 2 a plan view,
also partly in section, and consists of a large chamber B, having a wrought or
cast-iron outer casing lined with fire-bricks or other suitable materials, and is
divided by a perforated dome or arches C placed two or three feet from the
bottom into two compartments, consisting of an upper compartment B and
lower compartment A. A suitable number of fire-places D, D, according to
the size of the furnace, are placed around the outside of or near the bottom of
the chamber B, so that the heat and gases generated in the fire-places D will
completely envelope the inner chamber, and will decompose the atmospheric
air supplied to produce combustion in the fire-places.
The fuel in the fire-places D is separated from the lower chamber A by.
bridges E, which cause the flame and gases from the fire-places to ascend and
thoroughly commingle together, and produce complete combustion (as nearly
as possible) before descending over the bridge into the lower chamber A, and
on passing through the perforations in the roof of the lower chamber, the gases
ascend in the upper chamber B. This upper chamber is fitted with valves F
at the top and doorways G in the sides for charging and discharging. It is.
also provided with a pipe, in which is placed the valve H, from which the
gases can be conveyed away to gas holders, reservoirs, or exhausters, or to the
furnaces where it is to be employed. When the gases have been obtained,
there will be a residue of hard coke, which may be used in the fire-places D

page_text: for heating the gas-generating chamber, or for other heating purposes, such as
for smelting ores, melting pig iron, and other purposes.
The mode of working this apparatus is as follows:-For producing car-
buretted hydrogen for lighting purposes, or the same gas in combination with
carbonic acid, so as to be used in smelting in blast furnaces and melting pig
iron in cupolas, or in refining of iron and steel, the upper chamber B is charged
with coals until it is about four-fifths full. The valves and openings are then
closed down, and the fire-places D are charged with coals or coke, and a blast
of atmospheric air is forced in through tuyeres I, so as to produce combustion
in the fire-places D. As soon as heat is generated the carburetted hydrogen
will begin to distil off, and if intended for lighting purposes, it must be
collected as free as possible from carbonic acid or carbonio oxide. If the
process be continued, carbonic acid will come over from the fire-places D, and
will become converted into carbonic oxide by being caused to pass through the
coals contained in the upper chamber B, and will be mixed with the carburetted
hydrogen. In using this compound of carbonic oxide and carburetted hydrogen,
great care must be taken that these gases are injected into the blast furnace
or cupola or other apparatus in proper proportion, say from one hundred and
fifty to four hundred cubic feet of gas to every five thousand cubic feet of
atmospheric air, and the proper way to accomplish this is to force in the gas
by means of an air pump constructed of suitable proportions. This air pump
is to be attached to the blowing cylinder of a blast engine, and the stroke of
these two apparatus should be simultaneous and regular. The coke left from
this distillation will be hard, and in every respect suitable for smelting
purposes.
To manufacture carbonic acid, the carburetted hydrogen and carbonic oxide
must be distilled off as above stated, and the fire-places D closed. A blast of
atmospheric air is then supplied through tuyeres placed in the sides of the
apparatus, so as to act directly on the coke in the upper chamber B.
To manufacture cyanogen gas, I cause from twenty-five to fifty parts of any
kind of alkaline carbonate to be dissolved in water, and then mixed with about
one hundred parts of coal, coke, or other carbonaceous matters, and after they
are well mixed, the moisture is to be evaporated from the carbonaceous matters,
which may then be charged into the upper chamber B. The apparatus is then
to be closed, and the fire-places filled up. Atmospheric air is then forced in
through the tuyeres, care being taken to keep the fire-places full of coke, which
is the best fuel for this operation. The oxygen of the atmospheric air will then
enter into combination with the fuel during combustion, and the nitrogen will be
set free and will take up its equivalent of carbon by passing through the upper

page_text: chamber B, and will thereby form cyanogen gas, which may be applied to any
useful purpose for which it may be required.
Having now described my Invention of improvements in furnaces or
apparatus for generating carburetted hydrogen, carbonic acid, carbonic oxide,
and cyanogen gases, and the manner of carrying the same into effect, I would
remark that I do not claim under the above in part recited Letters Patent,
the above-described furnace for generating gases in the manufacture of iron
and steel; but what I do claim as the Invention intended to be secured under
the above recited Patent is, the use of a furnace constructed and arranged as
above described for generating carburetted hydrogen, carbonic acid, carbonic
oxide, and cyanogen gases.
In witness whereof, I, the said William Henry Tooth, have hereunto set
my hand and seal, the Sixteenth day of December, in the year of our
Lord One thousand eight hundred and sixty-four.
Witness,
J. W. MOFFATT,
66, Chancery Lane.
WILLIAM H. TOOTH. (L.S.)