IMPROVEMENTS IN TREATING AMMONIACAL LIQUORS FOR PURIFYING GAB AND OTHER PURPOSES
Year: 1865

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to George Thomas Livesey, of the South Metropolitan
Gasworks, Old Kent Road, in the County of Surrey, for the Invention
of "IMPROVEMENTS IN TREATING AMMONIACAL LIQUORS FOR PURIFYING GAB
AND OTHER PURPOSES."
Sealed the 8th December 1865, and dated the 10th July 1865.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said George Thomes Livesey
at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on the
10th July 1865.
I, GEORGE THOMAS LIVESEY, of the South Metropolitan Gasworks, Old
Kent Road, in the County of Surrey, do hereby declare the nature of the
said Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN TREATING AMMONIACAL LIQUORS FOR
PURIFYING GAS AND OTHER PURPOSES," to be as follows :—
This Invention consists in making use of the gases ordinarily emitted from
the furnaces employed in gasworks and elsewhere [and which are usually
allowed to escape through the smoke shaft into the atmosphere] for the
purpose of desulphurating the ammonical liquors produced by the distillation
of coal or other material used in the manufacture of illuminating gas. This
is accomplished by drawing or forcing the gases evolved from the furnaces
[or the like gases procured by any other means] into a tank, or suitable
vessel, or chamber containing the liquor collected from the condensers,

page_text: scrubbers, or other apparatus used. By this means the sulphurretted hydrogen
is driven off or decomposed, and a liquor produced adapted for purifying
illuminating ces or for manufacturing ammonical compounds
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent, filed
by the said George Thomas Livesey in the Great Seal Patent Office on
the 9th January 1866.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, GEOKUE
THOMAS LIVESEY, of the South Metropolitan Gasworks, Old Kent Road, in
the County of Surrey, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her Letters
Patent, bearing date the Tenth day of July, in the year of our Lord One
thousand eight hundred and sixty-five, in the twenty-ninth year of Her
reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant unto me,
the said George Thomas Livesey, Her special licence that I, the said George
Thomas Livesey, my executors, administrators, and assigns, or such others as
I, the said George Thomas Livesey, 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 TREATING AMMONIACAL LIQUORS FOR PURIFYING GAS AND
OTHER PURPOSES," upon the condition (amongst others) that I, the said George
Thomas Livesey, my executors or administrators, by an instrument in writing
under my, or their, or one of their hands and seals, 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 George Thomas Livesey, do hereby
declare the nature of the said Invention, and in what manner the same is to
be performed, to be particularly described and ascertained in and by the
following statement :-
These improvements consist, firstly, in a new method of removing the
sulphuretted hydrogen from the ammonical or gas liquor resulting from the
distillation of coal or other material used in the manufacture of illuminating
gas, and thereby producing a liquor capable of acting as a purifying agent for

page_text: the gas so made. The desulphuration of the ammoniacal liquor is effected
by collecting the gases produced by the combustion of fuel [or the like gases
from any other source] from the chimney shaft or flues leading from furnaces
thereto, which gases are ordinarily allowed to escape into the atmosphere,
and drawing or forcing the same by means of an exhauster or other suitable
apparatus through or into contact with the foul gas liquor which may be con-
tained in a vessel similar to the ordinary scrubber, wet lime purifier or
washer, such as is used in gas works, or any other contrivance whereby the
necessary amount of contact can be obtained. The result of this operation is
to deprive the foul gas liquor of its sulphuretted bydrogen, and this is
done without removing more than a trace of the ammonia. The liquor
having been thus desulphurated is now converted into an active purifying
agent, and readily removes the sulphuretted hydrogen from the crude gas
upon its being applied through the agency of scrubbers or other suitable
apparatus.
'The carbonic acid may be removed from the gas by desulphurating the
liquor, as before described, and then heating it, by which means the greater
portion of the carbonic acid in combination with it is driven off, and the said
liquor then becomes suitable as an agent for the removal of both sulphuretted
hydrogen and carbonic acid. The process of heating the liquor has the effect
of driving off with the carbonic acid a portion of the ammonia, but this is
readily condensed, and is a very valuable product.
For the purification of illuminating gas it is proposed to pass the gas
through four purifying vessels or scrubbers. The first and second with
desulphurated liquor, the third with the weak de-desulphurated liquor which
has been heated to remove the carbonic acid if required, and the fourth with
water only to remove the last traces of impurity. It has been found that
about one gallon of the desulphurated liquor properly applied is sufficient to
purify one hundred cubic feet of gas.
Secondly, the adoption of the foregoing process of desulphurating liquor,
which is of great use in preparing it for conversion into the various
ammoniacal compounds and liquor ammonia of various strengths. The
desulphuration of the ammoniacal liquor may be effected by substituting
atmospheric air for the gases, but the latter are preferred on account of their
greater efficacy. The sulphuretted hydrogen and small quantity of ammonia
driven off in the process of desulphuration are passed through or in contact
with water, whereby the ammonia is absorbed and its loss prevented; while
the sulphuretted bydrogen is conducted into the chimney shaft or burnt in
the retort furnaces. By adopting this process most of the objectionable

page_text: emanations produced by the manufacture of gas in the ordinary way are
avoided, the purification being performed entirely in close vessels, and the
noxious products consumed.
Having now described and particularly set forth the nature of this
Invention, and the manner in which the same is or may be used or carried
into effect, I would observe in conclusion, that I do not confine or restrict
myself to the precise details or arrangements which I have described or
referred to, as variations may be made therefrom without deviating from the
principles or main features of this Invention; but what I consider to be
novel and original, and therefore claim as the Invention secured to me by the
herein-before in part recited Letters Patent is, the desulpburation of gas
liquor wholly or in part containing ammonia and sulphuretted hydrogen, by
bringing the liquor into contact with the gases produced by the combustion
of fuel, or the like gases from other sources, by and in the manner sub-
stantially herein described.
In witness whereof, I, the said George Thomas Livesey, have hereunto
set my hand and seal, this Ninth day of January, in the year of our
Lord One thousand eight hundred and sixty-six.
GEORGE THOMAS LIVESEY. (L.S.)
GEORGE THOMAS LIVESEY. (L.S.)