Improvements in Means or Apparatus for Subjecting Substances or Articles to the Action of Air or Gases for Effecting the Drying, Disinfecting, Oxygenating, or other Treatment thereof.
Year: 1888

page_text: Date of Application, 10th Feb., 1888
Complete Specification Left, 17th Oct., 1888
Complete Specification Accepted, 23rd Nov., 1888
Improvements in Means or Apparatus for Subjecting Substances or
Articles to the Action of Air or Gases for Effecting the Drying,
Disinfecting, Oxygenating, or other Treatment thereof.
I, HERBERT JAMES PEOK of 10 Strath Terrace, Clapham Junction in the County
of Middlesex, Manufacturers Agent a communication from abroad by Henry
George Downton of Marengo Stanmore Road Sydney in the Colony of New South
Wales, Restaurant Manager do hereby declare the nature of this Invention to be as
follows:-
:-
This Invention has for its object to provide means whereby substances or articles
can be subjected to the action of air or gases in a reliable efficient speedy and
economical manner for the purpose of drying disinfecting oxygenating or otherwise
acting upon or treating them. The means according to this Invention comprise an
apparatus by which the air to be used for drying can be deprived of moisture or the
air or gases can be impregnated or charged with disinfecting oxygenating or other
agent with which it is desired to treat the substances or articles operated upon and
means whereby the air or gas is efficiently distributed through the chamber in which
the substances or articles to be operated upon are placed and also means for causing a
current of the air or gas to pass through or over the said substances or articles. The
following is an arrangement according to this Invention but I do not necessarily
restrict myself to the details which hereinafter mention. In a chamber provided
with an air inlet and outlet 1 place any matter by which the air is to be treated dried
or impregnated which matter may be placed on trays or if it be a liquid such for
instance as sulphuric acid it may be held by an absorbent material so that the air
passes through the material on its way from the inlot to and through the outlet which
Latter is preferably a widened out or bell mouthed piece leading into a pipe or conduit
which if the air is to be heated may be passed through the flue or chimney of the
furnace of a boiler by which steam is generated and supplied to an injector drawing
air through a conduit or passage opening into a chamber in which the substances or
017

page_text: articles to be treated are placed and supported in any suitable way. The opening of
the said pipe or conduit is preferably situated near the roof of the chamber and has
a splayed out mouth opening upwards. The floor of the said chamber is perforated
and underneath is a space into which opens the first named pipe or conduit from the
chamber through which the air is first drawn. When the apparatus is in use the
substances or articles to be treated being in the chamber provided for them steam is
put on at the injector and by it air is drawn through the air chamber taking up any
matter with which it is to be charged on having its moisture taken from it if it is to
be used for drying and the air then passes through the conduit or pipe and is heated
(if that conduit or pipe passes through the flue or is otherwise subjected to heat) and
the said air then passes into the space beneath the perforated floor and through that
floor in a diffused state into the chamber in which the articles or substances to be
treated are placed and the air then passes through around or over the said substances
or articles and into the outlet conduit or pipe to the injector and is discharged into
the furnace of the boiler or at any other desired place of discharge. I have more
particularly named air in describing this apparatus but other gases may be similarly
drawn in and passed through the apparatus and the injector may be replaced by any
suitable device which will cause the required current of gas or air.
Dated the 10th day of February 1888

page_text: Improvements in Means or Apparatus for Subjecting Substances or
Articles to the Action of Air or Gases for Effecting the Drying,
Disinfecting, Oxygenating, or other Treatment thereof.
"
">
I HERBERT JAMES PROK of 10 Strath Terrace Clapham Junction in the County of
Middlesex, Manufacturers Agent do hereby declare the nature of this invention (which
has been communicated to me from abroad by Henry George Downton of "Marengo'
Stanmore Road Sydney in the Colony of New South Wales Restaurant Manager) and
in what manner the same is to be performed to be particularly described and ascer-
tained in and by the following statement :-
This Invention has for its object to provide means whereby substances or articles
can be subjected to the action of air or gases in a reliable efficient speedy and
economical manner, for the purpose of drying disinfecting oxygenating or otherwise
acting upon or treating them. The means according to this Invention comprise
an apparatus by which the air to be used for drying can be deprived of moisture
or the air or gases can be impregnated or charged with disinfecting oxygenating
or other agent with which it is desired to treat the substances or articles operated
upon and means whereby the air or gas is efficiently distributed through the
chamber in which the substances or articles to be operated upon are placed and also
means for causing a current of the air or gas to pass through or over the said
substances or articles.
And in order that the said Invention may be clearly understood I will describe the
same with reference to the accompanying drawing which represents in longitudinal
section an arrangement of apparatus according to this Invention which however is not
necessarily restricted to the details hereinafter mentioned. The matter by which the
air is to be treated dried or impregnated is placed in a closed chamber A provided
with a perforated false bottom A³ and with an air inlet or inlets A³ below, through
which inlets air or gas from the exterior may be forced or caused to flow into or over
the matter by which the air is to be treated dried or impregnated which matter may
be placed on the perforated false bottom A³ or on trays placed in the chamber A or
if the material be a liquid such for instance as sulphuric acid it may be held by an
absorbent material so that the air or gas entering at the inlet A passes through the
material on its way to the outlet B leading by the pipe or conduit B³ to the closed
chamber C-which outlet is preferably widened out or bell mouthed as shewn.
When it is required to heat the air before it enters the chamber C containing the
articles or materials to be treated the pipe or conduit B³ may be. passed through the
Blue or chimney D of a boiler furnace or other suitable heating device so that air
passing through the said pipe is heated and enters the chamber Cin the desired heated
condition.

page_text: The floor of the said chamber C is perforated and underneath this perforated floor
is a space C³ into which the pipe or conduit B' from the chamber A enters.
The substances or articles to be treated by the air or gas from the chamber A are
placed and supported in any suitable way in the chamber C and the air or gas is
exhausted or conducted from the chamber (by a pipe or conduit E the entrance to
which is preferably situated near the roof of the chamber and has a splayed out
mouth opening upwards. This pipe preferably leads to the furnace of a steam
boiler where it is provided with an injector as shewn at e connected by a pipe f with
the steam space of the boiler P so that a current of air or gas from the chamber
may be induced and passed into the furnace G to destroy any injurious matter and
also facilitate the consumption of fuel. is a hydrostatic gauge for indicating the
pressure of steam from the injector e for it will bo evident that according to the
pressure of steam in the injector for effecting the suction of the air through the pipe E
the fluid in guage will be raised more or less.
When the apparatus is in use the substances or articles to be treated being in the
chamber C steam is admitted to the injector e by the pipe f and by it air is drawn
through the chamber A (taking up any inatter with which it is to be charged) and
thence through the chamber C. If the apparatus be used for drying purposes the
chamber A is charged with any suitable material having an affinity for hydrogen
such for example as quicklime or salt or with fabrics saturated with sulphuric acid so
that air passing through or over the material will have moisture removed therefrom,
and the air thon passes through the conduit or pipe B and is heated (if that conduit
or pipe passes through the flue or is otherwise subjected to heat) and enters the
space C beneath the perforated floor and through that floor in a diffused state into
the chamber (containing the articles or substances to be treated. The air then passes
through around or over the said substances or articles and into the outlet conduit, or
pipe e to the injector e and may be discharged into the furnace of the boiler or at any
other desired place. I have more particularly named air in describing this apparatus,
but if it be employed for oxygenating, disinfecting or otherwise treating the materials
or articles in the chamber other vapours or gases (according to the purpose for
which the apparatus is used) may be similarly drawn in and passed through the
apparatus and the injector may be replaced by any suitable device which will cause the
required current of gas vapour or air.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of the said inven-
tion and in what manner the same is to be performed I declare that what I
claim is :-
-
1. In apparatus of ineans for subjecting substances or articles to the action of
air gases or vapours for effecting the drying disinfecting oxygenating or other treat-
ment thereof a chamber A containing material for dehydrating or for impregnating
air gases or vapours through or over" which material the said air gases or vapours are
caused to pass and then to enter the chamber containing the articles or material to be
treated substantially as hereinbefore described.
2. The chamber (A) containing material for dehydrating or for impregnating air
gases or vapours, having a perforated false bottom an inlet below for air gas or vapour
and a bell mouthed or splayed outlet above for the dehydrated or impregnated air or
vapour substantially as hereinbefore described with reference to the accompanying
drawings.
3. The chamber (C) containing the materials or articles to be treated by the air or
vapours the said chamber having a perforated floor or false bottom and a space beneath
for the reception and diffusion of the air through the chamber and an outlet for the
air at or near the roof of the chamber substantially as and for the purpose hereinbefore
described with reference to the accompanying drawings.
4. The combination with the chambers A and C of the pipe or conduit for the air
or vapour passing through the flue of a furnace or through suitable heating apparatus
for the purpose of heating the air or vapour in its passage from the chamber A to

page_text: the chamber C substantially as and for the purpose hereinbefore described with
reference to the accompanying drawing.
5. The combination with the chambers A and C and connecting pipe or conduit of
the air exhaust pipe fitted with an injector substantially as and for the purpose herein-
before described with reference to the accompanying drawing.
6. The general construction combination and arrangement of parts constituting an
apparatus for subjecting articles or substances to the action of air, gases or vapours
for the purpose of drying disinfecting oxygenating or other treatment thereof
substantially as herein before described and illustrated by the accompanying drawing.
Dated this 17th day of October 1888.