Improvements relating to the Production of Pure Carbonic Acid from the Products of Combustion of Furnaces, Kilns, and the like, and to Apparatus therefor.
Year: 1892

page_text: Date of Application, 11th Apr., 1892
Complete Specification Left, 10th Jan., 1893-Accepted, 11th Feb., 1893
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
[Communicated from abroad by JOHANN HEINRICH CARL BEHNKE, Chemist, and
THE CHEMISCHE FABRIK, in Billwärder, vorm. Hell and Sthamer A. G.,
both of Billwärder, on the Bille, in the Empire of Germany.]
Improvements relating to the Production of Pure Carbonic Acid
from the Products of Combustion of Furnaces, Kilns, and the like,
and to Apparatus therefor.
I, HENRY HARRIS LAKE, of the firm of Haseltine Lake & Co., Patent
Agents, 45 Southampton Buildings in the County of Middlesex, do hereby
declare the nature of this invention to be as follows:-
In order to obtain pure gaseous carbonic acid from the combustion gases of
charcoal, coke or like material as well as from the gases of lune-kilns or other
furnaces exhausting carbonic acid.
These carbonic acid containing gases which are in most cases accompanied by
sulphurous acid, soot or other impurities, are first conducted through a furnace
filled with lime stones and one or more water containing washing apparatus or
purifiers of known construction for the purpose of combining the sulphurous acid
and cooling the gases down to about 60° centigrade.
In this condition the gases containing carbonic acid, nitrogen, carbonic oxide and
an excess of atmospheric air, are conducted under a pressure of 15 to 180 pounds
per square inch above the atmosphere into a kind of still column in which the
carbonic acid is absorbed by pure water or other liquid not chemically combining
with carbonic acid and thereby separated from the other gases. The water saturated
with carbonic acid according to the pressure employed in the column is thereupon
conducted into a closed evaporator provided with an agitator in which a considerably
reduced pressure exists and the carbonic acid thereby set free conducted through a
charcoal filter into a gasometer for storing, while the gas-mixture (nitrogen,
carbonic oxide and air) collected within the uppermost compartment of the said
absorption column may be discharged into a vessel, in order to be mixed or heated
therein with steam or hot air for the purpose of producing motive power to be used
for the compression of the carbonic acid containing gases prior to their entering
the said column, and for actuating said agitator in the evaporator and a pump
serving to maintain the cycle of the absorbing liquid employed in the said column
the evaporator and the washing apparatus heretofore mentioned.
The apparatus employed for effecting the absorption of the carbonic acid from
the correspondingly compressed gases heretofore mentioned consists of a vessel
partially filled with water or other liquid with which carbonic acid gas does not
chemically combine and at the top of which the said absorption column is erected.
At a certain distance from the entrance of the gas into the said vessel a partition is
provided which does not extend to the bottom of the latter and which is uniformly
perforated below the level of the water or other absorption liquid, for the purpose
of uniformly distributing the gas in the latter. The column on top of this vessel
constructed in the manner of a still-column containing a series of horizontal finely
perforated partitions arranged one above another and communicating one with
another by one or more overflow-pipes each dipping with its lower end into recesses
or cups of the respective perforated bottom. The water or other carbonic acid
absorbing liquid is fed by a pump into the uppermost compartment of the absorption
column from which it is uniformly distributed by means of the overflow-pipes of
the said partitions which will be uniformly covered by the liquid and thus the latter
enabled to gradually absorb the carbonic acid from the gas-mixture passing from
the said vessel through the entire height of the column. To the lowest perforated

page_text: partition of the column is connected an overflow-pipe which is bent in the form of
a syphon and made of such a length, that it will be equal to the liquid column
corresponding with the entire height of the layers of the liquid on the perforated
partitions. The area of all perforations a partition is preferably made equal to the
area of the clear passage of the pipe conducting the compressed gas-niixture into
the vessel under the said absorption column.
Dated this 11th day of April 1892.
HASELTINE, LAKE & Co.,
45, Southampton Buildings, London, W.C., Agents for the Applicant.
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements relating to the Production of Pure Carbonic Acid
from the Products of Combustion of Furnaces, Kilns, and the like,
and to Apparatus therefor.
I, HENRY HARRIS Lake, of the firm of Haseltine Lake & Co., Patent
Agents, 45 Southampton Buildings, in the County of Middlesex, do hereby
declare the nature of this invention and in what manner the same is to be
performed to be particularly described and ascertained in and by the following
statement :-
This invention relates to the production of pure gaseous carbonic acid from the
combustion gases of charcoal, coke or like material, as well as from the gases
of lime kilns, or other furnaces evolving or generating carbonic acid, and to
apparatus therefor.
The gases containing carbonic acid which are in most cases accompanied by
sulphurous acid, soot or other impurities, are first conducted through a furnace
filled with limestones and one or more washing apparatus or purifiers of known
construction for the purpose of combining the sulphurous acid and cooling the gases
down to about 60° centigrade.
In this condition the gases containing carbonic acid, nitrogen, carbonic oxide and
an excess of atmospheric air, are conducted, under a pressure of 15 to 180 pounds
per square inch above the atmosphere, into a kind of still column in which the
carbonic acid is absorbed by pure water or other liquid not chemically combining
with carbonic acid and thereby separated from the other gases. The water saturated
with carbonic acid according to the pressure employed in the column is thereupon
conducted into a closed evaporator, provided with an agitator, in which a considerably
reduced pressure exists and the carbonic acid thereby set free, conducted through a
charcoal filter into a gasometer for storing, while the gas mixture (nitrogen,
carbonic oxide and air) collected within the uppermost compartment of the said
absorption column may be discharged into a vessel, in order to be mixed or heated
therein with steam or hot air for the purpose of producing motive power to be used
for the compression of the gases containing carbonic acid prior to their entering
the said column, and for actuating the said agitator in the evaporator and a pump
serving to maintain the circulation of the absorbing liquid employed in the said
column, and in the evaporator and the washing apparatus heretofore mentioned.
In the accompanying drawing I have shown an arrangement of apparatus by
which my said invention may be conveniently and advantageously carried into
practice.
a is the cylinder of a motive power engine actuating the gas-compressor b
the former being preferably driven by a mixture of steam and gases supplied
through the pipe 8.
The gases containing carbonic acid are conducted through the pipe c from the
usual washing and cooling apparatus (not shown in the drawing) into the compressor b
and after being compressed therein to the desired extent, discharged through the
pipe d into a surface cooling apparatus y and thence through the pipe into a
vessel i at the top of which is provided an absorption column k,

page_text: The said vessel is partially filled with water or other liquid with which carbonic
acid gas does not chemically combine, and at a certain distance from the inlet for
the gas the said vessel is provided with a partition w which does not extend to the
bottom of the vessel and which is uniformly perforated below the level of the water
or other absorbing liquid, for the purpose of uniformly distributing the gas in the
latter. The column k on the top of the vessel is constructed in the manner of a
still-column and contains a series of horizontal finely perforated partitions ¹
superposed one above the other and communicating one with another by one or more
overflow pipes m each dipping with its lower end into recesses or cups m² of the
respective perforated bottom. The water or other carbonic acid absorbing liquid
is preferably fed by a pump 2 into the uppermost compartment 4° of the absorption
column from which it is uniformly distributed by means of the overflow pipes m of
the said partitions k' which will be uniformly covered by the liquid and thus the
latter enabled to gradually absorb the carbonic acid from the gas mixture passing
from the vessel i through the entire height of the column k.
To the lowest perforated partition of the column is connected an overflow pipe n
which is bent in the form of a syphon and made of such a length, that it will be
equal to the liquid column corresponding with the entire height of the layers / of
the liquid on the perforated partitions k'. The area of all perforations of a partition
is preferably made equal to the area of the clear passage of the pipe conducting
the compressed gas mixture into the vessel i under the said absorption column.
The gases compressed within the compressor b are caused in this manner to pass
from below to above through all the layers of the liquid maintained at a constant
height on the perforated partitions k¹ by continuous supply of the liquid which
thereby absorbs the carbonic acid gas, whilst the gaseous impurities (nitrogen,
carbonic oxide and air) accompanying the same are collected within the uppermost
compartment 4° of the column k and thence conducted through the pipe 6 into a
receptacle 7, in which the heating or mixture of the said gases with steam or hot air
is effected for the purpose of generating motive power by increasing the tension of
the gases through the medium of the heat.
In order to prevent back pressure in the vessel 7 a non return valve 9 may be
arranged in the pipe 6 and a cone or nozzle provided within the vessel 7 in such a
manner that the steam or hot air entering through the pipe 8 may perform a sucking
action upon the gases supplied through the pipe 6.
The carbonic acid gas not absorbed by the liquid collected within the vessel i, is,
in the above described manner, retained by the liquid on the perforated partitions k¹
and a separation of the carbonic acid from the gaseous impurities accompanying the
same is thereby effected.
The level of the liquid in the vessel is kept at a constant height by means of
cocks or valves actuated by a floating body or by a gas trap p of known construction
adapted to conduct the excess of the liquid through a pipe o into a closed
evaporator 9 provided with a mechanically driven agitator r. The carbonic acid
gas freed from the liquid in consequence of the considerably reduced pressure and
of the action of the agitator in the evaporator q is then conducted through the
pipes, a charcoal filter t and the pipe u into the gasometer from which the purified
carbonic acid gas may be drawn off as required.
The liquid within the evaporator should also be kept at a constant level by any
known means, preferably by a pump 2, which is adapted to draw the liquid off
through the pipe 1 and to discharge the same through a pipe 3, a surface cooler 4,
and a pipe 5 into the uppermost compartment 1° of the absorption column k,
where the liquid is again used for absorbing the carbonic acid as heretofore
described.
In this manner the pump 2 merely serves to maintain the circulation of the
absorbing liquid employed through said column the evaporator q and the
heretofore mentioned washing apparatus interposed between the furnaces evolving
the gases containing carbonic acid and the compressor 6 of the apparatus.
In order to enable the operation of the single parts of the herein described

page_text: apparatus to be properly observed, gauges, thermometers and the like may be
provided wherever desired.
The cooling water entering the surface cooling apparatus g through the pipe fand
discharged through the pipe e, as well as the water used in the surface cooler 4 may
be conducted into the said washing apparatus or purifiers which serves to retain the
dust, soot and other solid impurities contained in the gas mixture evolved from the
combustion chambers, lime kilns or other furnaces, or it may be used in the absorbing
apparatus or for any other suitable purpose.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of the said inven-
tion and in what manner the same is to be performed as communicated to me by
my foreign correspondents, I declare that what I claim is :-
1. The herein described improvements in the production of pure carbonic acid
gas from the combustion gases of coal, coke, charcoal or other carbonaceous
materials or from the gases evolved or generated in lime kilns, or other furnaces, by
effecting the absorption of the carbonic acid gas by means of water at a pressure
above that of the atmosphere and with the aid of a column provided with a series of
horizontal, finely perforated partitions ¹ superposed one above the other, and upon
which the water is uniformly distributed in order to gradually absorb the carbonic
acid gas from the gas mixture which is caused to pass upward through the
perforations of the partitions k¹ and the layers of water thereon, whilst the
saturated water is collected in a vessel i and then conducted into another vessel q
under a considerably reduced pressure in which vessel it is stirred by agitators r, so
that the pure carbonic acid gas is set free from the water and conducted through a
filter to a gasometer for storing, substantially as hereinbefore set forth.
2. In an apparatus for the production of carbonic acid gas from the combustion
gases of coke, coal, charcoal or other carbonaceous materials, or from the gases
evolved or generated in lime-kilns or other furnaces, the combination of a gas
compressor, a cooler, a vessel provided with a column as above described, an
evaporator provided with an agitator and communicating with the said vessel
through a gas trap, a pump or like device for circulating the liquid absorbing the
carbonic acid gas between the evaporator and the uppermost compartment of the
said column, substantially as and for the purpose set forth.
Dated this 10th day of January 1893.
HASELTINE, LAKE & Co.,
45, Southampton Buildings, London, W.C., Agents for the Applicant.