Improvements in and relating to Incandescence Bodies for Heating Purposes.
Year: 1896

page_text: Date of Application, 16th Oct., 1896
Complete Specification Left, 1st July, 1897-Accepted 18th Sent
1897
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in and relating to Incandescence Bodies for Heating
Purposes.
I, AUGUSTE QUENTIN, of No. 49 Rue Antoine Dansaert, Brussels, in the Kingdom
of Belgium, Engineer, do hereby declare the nature of this invention to be as
follows:-
The object of the present invention is the formation of an intensive heating
mass which becomes incandescent by contact with the vapours of hydrocarbons,
alcohol, or of a mixture of certain gases with air, or with pure oxygen and which
is calculated to obviate the use of ordinary fuel for the heating of suitable apparatus
in which it forms preferably a coating of the heating surfaces.
It is well known that certain metals such as platinum, iridium, and osmium at
a red heat have the property of preserving this temperature in contact with the
gases or vapours above, mentioned, and that this property also extends to the said
metals when finely divided, as for instance to platinum shavings, platinum powder,
and platinum black so that in this form the metals in question are capable of being
employed to cover and to heat all over the surfaces or walls in place of ordinary
fuel.
Notwithstanding this the use in finely divided form of the metals mentioned
above would be hardly practicable industrially in view of the fact that the metallic
mass requisite would be very expensive and is moreover unsuited to a prolonged
use. The present heating mass obviates radically all these drawbacks and responds
completely to all practical requirements, whilst furnishing a method of heating
superior in efficiency.
The mass is composed essentially of a mixture in suitable proportions of one of
the metals above named in a finely divided condition with a porous refractory
mineral material such as kaolin, clay, or the like in the state of powder and
forming a coherent indestructible mass which possesses moreover sufficient porosity
and consequent absorbent power to be capable of maintaining the perfect combus-
tion of the requisite quantity of the mixtures of gas or of vapours so as to
maintain an incandescent temperature capable of heating the boilers of the various
apparatuses without any further special arrangement beyond the simple covering
of the surfaces to be heated with the mass in question.
The necessary porosity can be imparted to the clay by mixing it intimately with
a suitable proportion of finely powdered pumice, after which the compound may
be mixed with the suitable metal in any appropriate manner. A process found
suitable in practice consists in impregnating the intimate mixture of kaolin and
f pumice with a solution of a platinum salt (such as chloride of platinum for
nstance).
The mass thus obtained is calcined in a furnace in order to effect the reduction
of the platinum in a very finely divided state. It is then finely powdered and
noulded into bricks or pieces of suitable shape and size and may be employed in

page_text: place of the ordinary fuel or as a coating for the heating surfaces of the apparatuses
employed.
The mode of operating this method of heating is by first heating the mixture
containing platinum or the like in one of its parts before bringing it into contact
with the gases or vapours or hydrocarbons, the supply of which causes incandes-
cence-over the whole surface and forms thus a heating mass constituting a superior
method of heating at a minimum price both economical and durable."
Dated the 15th day of October 1896.
W. P. THOMPSON & Co.,
Agents.
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION..
Improvements in and relating to Incandescence Bodies for Heating
Purposes.
I, AUGUSTE QUENTIN, of No. 49 Rue Antoine Dansaert, Brussels, in the Kingdom
of Belgium, Engineer, 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:-
The object of the present invention is the formation of an intensive heating
mass which becomes incandescent by contact with the vapours of hydrocarbons,
alcohol, or of a mixture of certain gases with air, or with pure oxygen and which
is calculated to obviate the use of ordinary fuel for the heating of suitable apparatus
in which it forms preferably a coating of the heating surfaces.
It is well known that certain metals such as platinum, iridium, and osmium at
a red heat have the property of preserving this temperature in contact with the
gases or vapours above mentioned, and that this property also extends to the said
metals when finely divided, as for instance to platinum shavings, platinum powder,
and platinum black so that in this form the metals in question are capable of being
employed to cover and to heat all over the surfaces or walls in place of ordinary
fuel.
Notwithstanding this the use in finely divided form of the metals mentioned
above would be hardly practicable industrially in view of the fact that the metallic
mass requisite would be very expensive and is moreover unsuited to a prolonged
use. The present heating mass obviates radically all these drawbacks and responds
completely to all practical requirements, whilst furnishing a method of heating
superior in efficiency.
The mass is composed essentially of a mixture in suitable proportions of one of
the metals above named in a finely divided condition with a porous refractory
mineral material such as kaolin, clay, or the like in the state of powder and
forming a coherent indestructible mass which possesses moreover sufficient porosity
and consequent absorbent power to be capable of maintaining the perfect combus-
tion of the requisite quantity of the mixtures of gas or of vapours so as to
maintain an incandescent temperature capable of heating the boilers of the various
apparatuses, without any further special arrangement beyond the simple covering
of the surfaces to be heated with the mass in question.
The necessary porosity can be imparted to the clay by mixing it intimately with
a suitable proportion of finely powdered pumice, after which the compound may
be mixed with the suitable metal in any appropriate manner. A process found
suitable in practice consists in impregnating an intimate mixture of kaolin and
as much pumice as will form a coherent mass with a saturated solution of a
platinum salt (such as chloride of platinum for instance).

page_text: The mass thus obtained is calcined in a furnace in order to effect the reduction
of the platinum in a very finely divided state. It is then finely powdered and
moulded into bricks or pieces of suitable shape and size and may be employed in
place of the ordinary fuel or as a coating for the heating surfaces of the apparatuses
employed.
The mode of operating this method of heating is by first heating the mixture
containing platinum or the like in one of its parts before bringing it into contact
with the gases or vapours or hydrocarbons, the supply of which causes incandes-
cence over the whole surface and forms thus a heating mass constituting a superior
method of heating at a minimum price both economical and durable.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said in-
vention and in what manner the same is to be performed I declare that what I
claim is:-
1. A heat-giving mass for a heating surface characterised by the mixture of a
metal capable of becoming incandescent upon contact with gases or with certain
hydrocarbon vapours, and air or oxygen, with porous refractory earthy substances
for the purpose of constituting an economical and durable heating process.
2. The process of manufacture of the heat giving mass set forth in Claim 1
characterised by the treatment of a mixture of kaolin and of powdered pumice
by means of a solution of a metallic salt (such as chloride of platinum) and the
calcination of the resulting product for the reduction of the metal.
Dated this 30th day of Tun 1007
W. P. THOMPSON & Co.,
Of London, Liverpool, Manchester and Birmingham,
Patent Agents for the Applicant.