A Process for Obtaining Metallic Nickel from Nickel Carbonyl, and Apparatus therefor.
Year: 1898

page_text: Date of Application, 14th Jan., 1898
Complete Specification Left, 8th Oct., 1898-Accepted, 3rd Dec., 1'898
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
A Process for Obtaining Metallic Nickel from Nickel Carbonyl, and
Apparatus therefor.
I, LUDWIG MOND, of No. 20, Avenue Road, Regent's Park, in the County of
London, Manufacturing Chemist, do hereby declare the nature of this invention
to be as follows:-
This invention relates to means of obtaining metallic nickel from nickel carbonyl
in the form of pellets, which are specially suitable in the production of nickel
alloys.
For this purpose, I pass gases containing nickel carbonyl, such as are obtained
as described in my Specification No. 12626 of 1890, through nickel in the form of
shot, pellets or granules or small fragments which are kept at the temperature
required for the decomposition of the carbonyl about 200° C. The nickel which
thus separates from carbonyl becomes deposited on the pellets or fragments, which
consequently increase in size.
In order to prevent cohesion of the pellets or fragments I keep them all in
motion.
When a number of them have acquired convenient size, they are separated by
sifting, without interrupting the depositing operation, the smaller pellets or
fragments being returned to receive deposit from nickel carbonyl.
A convenient form of apparatus for effecting the process described is as follows.
The gases containing the nickel carbonyl are passed through perforations of
central tubes, which are kept cool, into cylindrical vessels externally heated and
containing the nickel pellets or fragments, some of these being either continuously
or from time to time removed by worm or other conveyors to be sifted. After
sifting, the larger pellets or fragments, which do not pass through the sieve, are
removed for use as metallic nickel, the smaller pellets or fragments are raised
by elevators and returned into the vessels to which the carbonyl gases are admitted,
to receive deposit.
141 1
T
1000
ABEL & IMRAY,
Agents for the Applicant.
A Process for Obtaining Metallic Nickel from Nickel Carbonyl; and
Apparatus therefor.
I, LUDWIG MOND, of No. 20, Avenue Road, Regent's Park, in the County of
London, Manufacturing Chemist, do hereby declare the nature of this invention
Dine R71

page_text: 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 means of obtaining metallic nickel from nickel carbonyl
in the form of pellets, which are specially suitable in the production of nickel
alloys.
For this purpose I pass gases containing nickel carbonyl such as are obtained
as described in my Specification No. 12626 of 1890, through nickel in the form of
shot or granules or small fragments which are kept at the temperature
required for the decomposition of the carbonyl about 200°C. The nickel which
thus separates from carbonyl becomes deposited on the shot or granules, which
consequently increase in size.
In order to prevent cohesion of the shot or granules I keep them all in
motion,
When a number of the pellets have acquired convenient size, they are separated
by sifting without interrupting the depositing operation, the smaller pellets
being returned to receive deposit from nickel carbonyl.
A convenient form of aparatus for effecting the process described is shewn in
the accompanying drawings. Figs. 1 and 2 are vertical sections on planes at right
angles to each other. Fig. 3 a plan. Fig. 4 a horizontal section taken at 4-4 on
Fig. 1, and Fig. 5 a side elevation shewing the arrangement of flues for externally
heating the apparatus.
A is a cylindrical vessel preferably built up of short cylinders a a bolted together,
it contains a central tube C provided with gas outlet holes 0 through which the
gas containing nickel carbonyl entering at the gas inlet B passes into the vessel
which is filled with pellets, shot or small fragments of nickel. The gas permeates
through the interstices between these pellets and is brought into intimate contact
with them becoming decomposed and depositing nickel on them, the gases finally
escaping through the outlets L into the gas exit pipe M. In order to prevent the
pellets from being caused to cohere by the deposited nickel, they are all kept slowly
moving by continuously withdrawing some of the pellets from the bottom of the
cylindrical vessel A by means of a right and left handed worm conveyor V, which
delivers the pellets into two sifting drums N; the smaller pellets fall on to the
inclined plane W and collect at the base of the elevator E which conveys them
again to the top of the cylinder A and feeds them through the feeding hole X.
The pellets which are too large to pass through the holes in the screens N are
carried by the larger worms U₁ to channels U2 and fall on to an inclined plane
whence they pass into the nickel collecting chamber Z through a valved opening G.
The nickel is from time to time removed from this chamber Z without interfering
with the working of the apparatus by closing the valve G by the rack g pinion g¹
and external handle g2 and opening the door T.
By opening the screw slide y by means of the handle y¹ all the nickel can be
withdrawn from the apparatus. The worm conveyor U U¹ and elevator E are driven
by suitable gearing from pulleys S.
To prevent choking of the gas inlet and outlet holes and to permit of the free
entrance and exit of the gas, deflecting surfaces a and c are arranged on the
inside of each section a and on the outside of the central tube C immediately over
the gas outlets L and gas inlets O.
In order to avoid the deposit of nickel from the nickel carbonyl in the central
tube C this is kept cool by causing water to circulate down the tube F and up
through passages F' formed in the central tube to the water outlet F².
The cylindrical vessel A is surrounded by a wrought iron casing Q which forms
heating spaces H communicating with heating flues P so arranged that the
temperature of each cylinder a can be separately regulated by the dampers D so
as to maintain the temperature of the nickel pellets contained in the vessel A at
about 200° C. at which temperature the nickle carbonyl is decomposed.
In order to ascertain whether the cylinder A is full of pellets a rod R is fixed to

page_text: the spindle of an external handle R¹ which can be turned partly round so that the
operator by feeling resistance to the motion of the R knows that the pellets extend
to that height.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of this
invention, and in what manner the same is to be performed, I declare that what
I claim is:-
1. The herein described process for separating metallic nickel from nickel
carbonyl by passing the gases containing the carbonyl through interstices between
heated pellets or small pieces of nickel which are removed as they become enlarged
by deposit of nickel upon them.
2. Apparatus for effecting the process set forth in Claim 1, characterized by an
externally heated vessel containing nickel pellets provided with a central cooled
perforated tube from which gases containing nickel carbonyl pass through the
pellets, which are kept in motion sifted and disposed of by worm conveyors, screens
and elevators.
Dated this 8th day of October 1898
ABEL & IMRAY,
Agents for the Applicant.