IMPROVEMENTS IN THE MANUFACTURE OF SODA
Year: 1860

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Henry Deacon, of Widnes, in the County of Lan-
caster, Alkali Manufacturer, and Thomas Robinson, of St. Helens, in
the same County, Ironfounder, for the Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN
THE MANUFACTURE OF SODA."
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Henry Deacon and
Thomas Robinson at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents,
with their Petition, on the 9th February 1860.
We, HENRY DEACON, of Widnes, in the County of Lancaster, Alkali
Manufacturer, and THOMAS ROBINSON, of St. Helens, in the same County,
Ironfounder, do hereby declare the nature of the Invention for "IMPROVE-
MENTS IN THE MANUFACTURE OF SODA," to be as follows:-
This Invention has for its object improvements in the manufacture of soda.
In the several processes in the manufacture of soda in which heat is employed,
viz, the decomposition, the roasting of the salt cake, making the black asb,
the evaporating and the finishing or calcining, in place of applying heat to the
ordinary apparatus, or reverberatory and other furnaces heretofore employed,
by means of a fire on a grate, as usual, the heat employed is obtained from a
cupola, a cupola being combined with each of the apparatus or furnaces used
in the several processes of decomposing the common salt, roasting the salt

page_text: cake, treating the black ash, evaporating and finishing or calcining the soda.
The fuel in the small cupola applied in combination with each of such
apparatus and furnaces is blasted with air, as is ordinarily practised when
cupola furnaces are used for other purposes. The heat and products passing
from the fuel in the cupola may in each case be caused to pass through the
sides or over the top of the cupola direct to the apparatus, or into the
reverberatory furnace with which the cupola is combined.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent, filed
by the said Henry Deacon and Thomas Robinson in the Great Seal
Patent Office on the 9th August 1860.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, we, HENRY
DEACON, of Widnes, in the County of Lancaster, Alkali Manufacturer, and
THOMAS ROBINSON, of St. Helens, in the same County, Ironfounder, send
greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her Letters
Patent, bearing date the Ninth day of February, in the year of our
Lord One thousand eight hundred and sixty, in the twenty-third year
of Her reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant
unto us, the said Henry Deacon and Thomas Robinson, Her special licence
that we, the said Henry Deacon and Thomas Robinson, our executors,
administrators, and assigns, or such others as we, the said Henry Deacon
and Thomas Robinson, our executors, administrators, and assigns, should at
any time agrec 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 THE MANUFACTURE OF SODA," upon the condition (amongst
others) that we, the said Henry Deacon and Thomas Robinson, our execu-
tors or administrators, by an instrument in writing under our or their
hands and seals, or under the hand and seal of one of us or them, 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 we, the said Henry Deacon and Thomas Robinson,
do hereby declare the nature of the said Invention, and in what manner

page_text: the same is to be performed, to be particularly described and ascertained
in and by the following statement thereof, that is to say:—
This Invention has for its object improvements in the manufacture of soda.
In the several processes in the manufacture of soda in which heat is employed,
vidclicit, the decomposition, the roasting of the salt cake, making the black
ash, the evaporating and the finishing or calcining, in place of applying heat
to the ordinary apparatus or reverberatory or other furnace employed, by
means of a fire on a grate, as usual heretofore, the heat employed is obtained
from a cupola, a cupola being combined with each of the apparatus or
furnaces used in the several processes of decomposing the common salt,
roasting the salt cake, treating the black ash, evaporating and finishing or
calcining the soda. The fuel in the small cupola applied in combination with
each of such apparatus and furnaces is blasted with air, as is ordinarily
practised when cupola furnaces are used for other purposes. The heat and
products passing from the fuel in the cupola may in each case be caused to
pass through the sides or over the top of the cupola direct to the apparatus, or
into the reverberatory furnace with which the cupola is combined.
And in order that our said Invention may be more fully understood and
readily carried into effect, we will proceed to describe the Drawings hereunto
annexed.
Figures 1 and 2 represent the application of the cupola furnace to the
apparatus for decomposing salt, as above described. Figure 1 is a sectional
elevation; and Figure 2, a plan of the same at the line A, B, Figure 1. a is
a cupola furnace or combustion chamber constructed in the ordinary way, and
covered with an earthenware slab b, to prevent the heat passing out of the top
of the furnace; c is a blast pipe, which may be about six inches diameter, and
fitted with a valve d for regulating the admission of blast; e is a passage,
along which the hoat from the furnace is conveyed to the annular chamber ƒ
near the outlet from the cupola, and in the bottom of this passage is the cave
or chamber g, six inches wide at the top, and the full width of the passage to
receive the slag or cinders which may fall out of the furnace; at the bottom of
this chamber a suitable door is placed, for convenience in removing the slag
from time to time. In the top of the chamber f is a narrow annular opening
or slit, which admits the heat from the chamber to the under side of the
covered iron decomposing pot I, and which pot is of the description ordinarily
used for the purpose. h, h, are small passages built in the brickwork
surrounding the pot, to carry away the surplus heat from underneath; this
heat is conveyed over the top of the pot, and by the flues K to the chimney or
other outlet. With small coal as fuel for a decomposing pot nine feet three

page_text: inches diameter, the cupola employed may be about two feet diameter and six
feet six inches deep, the blast being about half a pound to the square inch. In
other respects the working of the furnace during the process of decomposition
is the same as in an ordinary decomposing furnace.
Figures 3, 4, and 5 represent the application of our Invention to the
roasting of the salt cake. Figure 3 is a sectional longitudinal elevation;
Figure 4 is a transverse section through the line B, C; Figure 5 is a plan of
the same through the line D, E. a, a, represent the cupola covered by the
plate b, and is supplied with blast through the pipe c, and is exactly the same
in construction as the one attached to Figures 1 and 2; e, e, are passages for
the heat from the cupola to the chamber f. This chamber is continued above
and underneath the roaster, as is usual, and for a roaster about eleven feet six
inches long by about nine feet wide, these passages may have an area of about
two hundred inches out of the cupola, after leaving which they should expand
so as to throw the flame over the body of the roaster, as shewn in Fig. 5. It
will be unnecessary to describe the construction of the roasting furnace, as it
is the same as is ordinarily used in the business. For a furnace of the above
dimensions, the cupola, blast pipe, cave, &c., may be about the same
dimensions as before described. The pressure of the blast may be about
half a pound on the square inch, and the fuel may be small coals.
Figure 6 and 7 show the application to the black ash and evaporating or
salting-down furnace. Fig. 6 is a longitudinal elevation; and Fig. 7 is a plan
of the same.
a represent the cupola covered by the plate b, and supplied with
blast by the pipe c, which is provided with a valve d to regulate the admission
of blast; e, e, are passages for the heat from the cupola to the black ash
furnace; 1, 1, is the black ash furnace, constructed in the ordinary way; and
m is the evaporating or iron salting-down pan, and is placed at the end of the
black asb furnace in the ordinary way. The heat from the cupola is taken
through the black ash furnace, and then passes over the alkaline liquor in the
evaporating pan m, and is conveyed through the flue n to the chimney or
outlet. The dimensions of cupola and adjuncts we employ for our ordinary
black ash furnace are the same as before described. In the Drawings
attached hereto the same letters refer throughout to the same parts of the
apparatus.
The application of this Invention to calcining the soda is the same as last
described for the black ash furnace, the ordinary construction of the
reverberatory chamber or bed of the calcining or finishing furnace being
adopted. The heat passing away from any of these furnaces may be econo-
mized for evaporating or heating liquids, or other purposes, in any of the well-

page_text: known methods, or the waste heat may be used for heating the blast, or hot
blast obtained in any other way may be used. The fuel used may be any that
is available, of course preferring that containing the least impurity, and suffi-
ciently hard to withstand the blast. The air passing into the cupola should
be so regulated in proportion to the fuel consumed, that all, or nearly all the
hydrocarbons aro burnt, and little or no carbonic oxide formed. This may be
effected by increasing or diminishing the pressure of blast, or the size or
number of the blast pipes.
Various modifications in the form of furnace and passages may be made,
and other forms or dimensions of cupola, and various pressures of hot or of
cold blast may be used to suit particular kinds of fuel, or other circumstances.
What we claim as our Invention is, the application of a cupola or separate
combustion chamber, as herein described, and blasted with air, in combination
with any decomposing apparatus, reverberatory or other furnaces used in the
manufacture of soda, for the purposes of decomposing the salt or salt cake,
roasting the salt cake, making the black ash, and evaporating and finishing
or calcining.
Ju witness whereof, we, the said Henry Deacon and Thomas Robinson,
have hereunto set our hands and seals, this Eighth day of August,
One thousand eight hundred and sixty.
HENRY DEACON.
(L.S.)
THOMAS ROBINSON. (L.S.)