Year: 1899

page_text: A communication from J. EDUARD GOLDSCHMID, Banker, of 7, Friedenstrasse,
Frankfort a/M, in the Empire of Germany.)
I, ALFRED JULIUS BOULT, of 111, Hatton Garden, in the County of London,
Chartered Patent Agent, do hereby declare the nature of this invention to be
as follows:-
It is a well-known fact that water gas is very often polluted with volatile
iron-carbon-oxide combinations. When such water gas is used for lighting
purposes in connection with incandescent burners (Auer light) even very small
quantities of the above pollutions are apt to produce undesirable consequences.
During the burning of the gas these iron-carbon-oxide combination become
decomposed, and, produce on the mantle a brown deposit of, probably, oxide of
iron, which very soon interferes with the illuminating power of the mantle.
In order to overcome this drawback, it has been proposed to free the water
gas of the said iron-carbon-oxide combinations by passing it through red hot
tubes or through suitable acids (see Strache's German Patent No. 82816). Lately
Bunte has found that xylol very efficiently absorbs iron-carbon-oxide combina-
tions and he strongly recommends this carbon-hydrogen combination as a purify-
ing medium.
It has been found that these iron-carbon-oxide combinations may be absolutely
and easily destroyed by suitable means of oxidisation without interfering at all
with the constitution of the water gas.
A great number of the known and usually employed means of oxidisation will
answer the purpose, whether they are employed in a liquid or in solid form. Of
the liquid means of oxidisation bromine water yields especially satisfactory
results; but it is accompanied by the drawback that the purifying process has to
be carried out at the central station itself, as it necessitates the construction of
special scrubbers through which the water gas is made to pass before entering
the pipes. Then it has been found that such an arrangement does not exclude
the possibility of danger, as the gas purified at the central station it liable to
again form iron-carbon-oxide as it passes along the pipes from the central
station to the consumer, thus rendering nugatory the previous purifying process.
A similar drawback is also attached to the method recommended by Strache
(dealing with the destruction of the iron-carbon-oxide combinations by passing
the gas through acids). Bunte's xylol process is also not absolutely free of such
drawback. These inconveniences are, however, absolutely avoided by using
instead of the liquid medii for oxidisation a liquid solution
such means,
a solid, dry oxidising agent, for the destruction of the iron-
carbon-oxide combinations. Numerous experiments have demonstrated the sur-
prising result that it is sufficient for the purpose of freeing water-gas from
iron-carbon-oxide combinations, to pass the gas through a layer of a suitable
dry, and preferably, granular oxidising agent. Especially does this apply to
or
of

page_text: permanganate salts, which when applied in a dry state will remove from water
gas rapidly and radically any iron-carbon-oxide combinations.
This quality of the permanganate salts permits of a simple and practical
solution of the purifying process.
One or more cartridges or charges of the oxidising agent (preferably potassium
permanganate) is inserted in the piping either directly before or after the gas
meter, in such a manner that the gas must pass through it either on entering,
or leaving the gas meter. It is of great advantage in order to provided the
oxidising agent with a larger effective surface, to mix it with some porous
inaterial such as powdered scoria or infusorial earth. The filling of such cart-
ridges with the oxidising agent, and the insertion in the piping of the gas, is
carried out in the usual way. It is clear, that owing to such an arrangement
there can be no danger of renewed formation of the iron-carbon-oxide combina-
tion in the conducting pipes, after having been purified at the central station.
Incandescent burners fed by water-gas purified in this manner preserve their
natural power of incandescence as long as they last.
..
BOULT, WADE & KILBURN,
Agents for the Applicant.
A communication from J. EDUARD GOLDSCHMID, Banker, of 7, Friedenstrasse,
Frankfort a/M, in the Empire of Germany.
I, ALFRED JULIUS BOULT, of 111, Hatton Garden, in the County of London,
Chartered Patent Agent, do hereby declare the nature of this invention and in
what manner the same is to be performed, to be particularly described and ascer-
tained in and by the following statement:-
It is a well-known fact that water gas is very often polluted with volatile
iron-carbon-oxide combinations. When such water gas is used for lighting
purposes in connection with incandescent burners (Auer light) even very small
quantities of the above polutions are apt to produce undesirable consequences.
During the burning of the gas these iron-carbon-oxide combinations become
decomposed, and, produce on the mantle a brown deposit of, probably, oxide of
iron, which very soon interferes with the illuminating power of the mantle.
In order to overcome this drawback, it has been proposed to free the water
gas of the said iron-carbon-oxide combinations by passing it through red hot
tubes or through suitable acids (see Strache's German Patent No. 82816). Lately
Bunte has found that xylol very efficiently absorbs iron-carbon-oxide combina-
tions and he strongly recommends this carbon-hydrogen combination as a purify-
ing medium.
It has been found that these iron-carbon-oxide combinations may be absolutely
and easily destroyed by suitable means of oxidisation without interfering at all
with the constitution of the water gas.
A great number of the known and usually employed means of oxidisation will
answer the purpose, whether they are employed in a liquid or in a solid form. Of
the liquid means of oxidisation bromine water yields especially satisfactory
results; but it is accompanied by the drawback that the purifying process has to
be carried out at the central station itself, as it necessitates the construction of
special scrubbers through which the water gas is made to pass before entering

page_text: the pipes. Then it has been found that such an arrangement does not exclude
the possibility of danger as the gas purified at the central station is liable to
again form iron-carbon-oxide as it passes along the pipes from the central
station to the consumer, thus rendering nugatory the previous purifying process.
A similar drawback is also attached to the method recommended by Strache
(dealing with the destruction of the iron-carbon-oxide combinations by passing
the gas through acids). Bunte's xylol process is also not absolutely free of such
drawback. These inconveniences are, however, absolutely avoided by using
instead of the liquid medii for oxidisation or a liquid solution of
such means
a solid dry oxidising agent, for the destruction of the iron-
carbon-oxide combinations. Numerous experiments have demonstrated the sur-
rising result that it is sufficient for the purpose of freeing water-gas from
iron-carbon-oxide combinations, to pass the gas through a layer of a suitable
dry oxidising agent preferably mixed with some porous or absorbent material.
Especially does this apply to permanganate salts, which when applied in a dry
state will remove from water gas rapidly and radically any iron-carbon-oxide com-
binations.
This quality of the permanganate salts permits of a simple and practical
solution of the purifying process.
One or more cartridges or charges of the oxidising agent (preferably potassium
permanganate, per-chromate of potassium, or iron oxides or chlorides)
is inserted in the piping either directly before or after the gas meter, in
such a manner that the gas must pass through it either on entering, or leaving
the gas meter. It is of great advantage in order to provide the oxidising agent
with a larger effective surface, to mix it with some porous material such as
powdered scoria or infusorial earth or to saturate some porous material with a
solution of the oxidising agent and then dry it. The filling of such cartridges
with the oxidising agent, and the insertion in the piping of the gas, is carried
out in the usual way. It is clear, that owing to such an arrangement there can
be no danger of renewed formation of the iron-carbon-oxide combinations in
the conducting pipes, after having been purified at the central station. Incan-
descent burners fed by water-gas purified in this manner preserve their natural
power of incandescence as long as they last.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of this inven-
tion, as communicated to me by my foreign correspondent, and in what manner
the same is to be performed, I declare that what I claim is:-
:-
For the purpose of purifying water gas at a distance from the gas works,
preferably in the ordinary supply pipes and as near to the consumer as possible,
the insertion in the supply pipe of an oxidising agent preferably permanganate
salt in the form of a dry cartridge with or without the admixture of an inert
material so that the gas in passing comes in contact with the purifying substance
substantially as described.
Dated this 20th day of Tune 1000
BOULT, WADE & KILBURN,
Agents for the Applicant.