Improvements in or connected with the Manufacture of Carbon Di-oxide.
Year: 1894

page_text: Date of Application, 18th Dec., 1894
Complete Specification Left, 18th Sept., 1895-Accepted," 19th Oct., 1895
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
.
Improvements in or connected with the Manufacture of Carbon
Di-oxide.
We, JOHN STEWART WALLACE, of Cliftonville Avenue, Belfast in the County
of Antrim, Ireland, Member of Parliament, and Justice of the Peace, and
FREDERICK LEONARD BALL, of the Carbonic Acid Gas Works, Farnham,
Surrey, Manufacturer, do hereby declare the nature of this invention to be as
follows:-
This invention relates to improvements in or connected with the manufacture of
carbon di-oxide and is based on the well known reaction in which carbonic oxide is
converted into carbon di-oxide by passing the same over heated cupric oxide and
then reconverting said carbon di-oxide into the oxide by passing the dioxide
through highly heated retorts containing carbon.
According to our invention we dispense entirely with any external application of
heat to the retort. For this purpose we may construct the retort of an iron or
other tube which is lined with fire brick or other refractory material and at the
bottom thereof or at any other suitable position we form or provide a chamber
whereinto the carbon dioxide, which is to be converted into the oxide, is admitted
and mixed with the necessary quantity of oxygen or other substitute therefor
requisite for raising and maintaining the carbon within the retort to the desired
heat said carbon having been previously heated to the required extent in' any
convenient manner. This mixing chamber may be formed with holes' at any
suitable part thereof through which the carbon dioxide and oxygen enter the
retort. Or if desired we may dispense with the mixing chamber and deliver the
gases directly into the retort either separately or in a mixed condition, the said
gases being admitted to the retort at the same or at different levels as desired.
The conversion of the carbonic oxide into the carbon dioxide by its passage over
the heated cupric oxide generates sufficient heat to enable the process to be effected
without the application of external heat to the retort containing the cupric oxide.
Thus by the use of oxygen or its substitute we are enabled to carry on the
complete process of producing the carbon dioxide without the application of any
external heat except for starting purposes as desired.
The carbon dioxide and oxygen before being allowed to enter the carbon retorts
can be heated by utilizing the waste heat for the cupric oxide retorts.
We can also start the heating of the cupric oxide by burning carbonic oxide and
oxygen within the said retorts.
Dnied thin 10th Danes
1001

page_text: Improvements in or connected with the Manufacture of Carbon
.Di-oxide.
We, JOHN STEWART WALLACE, of Cliftonville Avenue, Belfast, in the County
of Antrim, Ireland, Justice of the Peace, and FREDERICK LEONARD BALL of the
Carbonic Acid Gas Works, Farnham, Surrey, Manufacturer, 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 manufacture of carbonic acid gas (carbon dioxide)
by the known process in which carbon dioxide is passed through a highly heated
retort containing carbon and thereby converted into carbonic oxide (carbon
monoxide) which is then passed through a suitable oxidizing agent such as heated
cupric oxide and thereby reconverted into carbon dioxide the quantity thereof
however being greater than that originally passed through the retort containing the
heated carbon. The surplus gas represented by the increase of volume is then
delivered to a holder and stored while the rest of the gas is passed back to the
retort containing the heated carbon and thereby re-converted into carbon monoxide
with a further increase of volume, which gas is subsequently converted again into
carbon dioxide by passage through the oxidizing agent, and so on, means being
employed to continuously circulate the gas through the said retort and vessel
containing the oxidizing agent and their connecting pipes.
Heretofore in conducting the manufacture of carbonic acid gas by the aforesaid
process it has been the practice to heat the retort containing the carbon by
external means; according to our invention we maintain the said retort at the
desired temperature by passing oxygen into it to combine with the carbon, whereby
the necessity for applying external heat to this retort is obviated, and the apparatus
is made less costly and more durable.
In the accompanying drawing we have illustrated partly in section apparatus for
carrying our invention into practice.
A is the retort for containing the heated carbon; it consists of a metal shell
lined with fire brick A' and is furnished with a grate B on which the carbon C
rests. D is an opening in the top of the retort to admit of charging the retort with
carbon. E is an opening in the wall of the retort below the grate to admit of
raking out the ash. Both of the said openings are fitted with suitable doors for
closing the same. F is a pipe leading from the upper part of the retort A to the
oxidizing vessel G containing cupric oxide or other suitable oxidizing agent and set
in brickwork G. His a return pipe leading from the lower part of the vessel G
to the lower part of the retort A. The pipe F conveys the carbonic oxide formed
in the retort A to the oxidizing vessel G, and the pipe H conveys the carbonic acid
gas formed in the vessel G to the retort A. A blower L continuously circulates
the gases through the pipes H and F and vessels A and G in the direction denoted
by the arrows.
Jis a pipe leading from the pipe H to a gas holder and serving to carry off the
surplus carbonic acid gas formed in the apparatus. K is an inlet pipe for conveying
oxygen derived from any suitable source to the retort A in accordance with this
invention the quantity so supplied being such as is necessary to maintain the retort
at the proper temperature. The mouths of the pipes H and K where they enter
the retort A are provided with suitable coverings such as H³, K' to prevent the
choking of the pipes by the carbon ash.
To start the apparatus a little red hot charcoal is added to the charcoal C in the
retort A and then oxygen is introduced through the pipe K to heat the mass.
Meanwhile the vessel G is also heated to the required temperature in any suitable
manner. The blower L is then started and the products of combustion consisting

page_text: of carbonic oxide and carbonic acid gas from the retort A are thereby passed
through the pipe F and into the vessel G where the carbonic oxide takes up
a proportionate amount of oxygen from the cupric oxide and is converted into
carbonic acid gas which then traverses the pipe H and enters the retort A where it
takes up a proportionate amount of carbon and is thereby converted into carbonic
oxide which is again converted into carbonic acid gas on passing through the
vessel G. The surplus carbonic acid gas formed by each cycle of changes passes
off through the pipe J to the gas holder where it is stored. It is usually not
necessary to supply additional heat to the vessel G after the manufacture of the gas
has commenced as the heat derived from the combination of the carbonic oxide.
with the oxygen of the cupric oxide in the vessel G is generally sufficient to
maintain that vessel at the desired temperature. In some instances indeed the
waste heat of the vessel G is utilized to heat the oxygen before it is delivered to
the retort A.
When the metallic oxide in the vessel G becomes exhausted it is re-oxidized by
passing air over the hot metal. While this re-oxidation is taking place the
manufacture of the gas is carried on in another vessel (similar to the vessel G)
containing metallic oxide to which the pipes F and H are connected. The
manufacture is thereby carried on without interruption.
It will be observed that the use of oxygen in the apparatus for the purpose of
maintaining the temperature of the retort A while avoiding the introduction
of impurities into the gas enables us to dispense with the application of external
beat to the retort whereby the life of the retort is greatly lengthened. In some
instances the vessel G is heated at the start by burning therein the carbonic oxide
produced in the retort A.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of our said inven-
tion and in what manner the same is to be performed, we declare that what we
claim is :-
In the manufacture of carbonic acid gas by the process hereinabove described
the employment of oxygen for maintaining the carbon at the desired temperature,
substantially as described and for the purposes specified.
Dated thin 17th da
L1008
HASELTINE, LAKE & Co.,
45 Southampton Buildings, London, W.C., Agents for the Applicants.