Improvements in or relating to the Economical Production of Steam, or a Mixture of Steam and Air, for Use in Gas Producers.
Year: 1895

page_text: Date of Application, 7th Sept., 1895
Complete Specification Left, 4th June, 1896-Accepted, 4th July, 1896
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in or relating to the Economical Production of
Steam, or a Mixture of Steam and Air, for Use in Gas
Producers.
I, LUDWIG MOND, of Winnington Hall, Northwich, in the County of Chester,
Manufacturing Chemist, do hereby declare the nature of this invention to be as
follows:-
In my Patent No. 8973 of 1885, I described a process of utilising the waste
heat from a gas producer to furnish economically a portion of the steam
required for admixture with air in the working of the producer so as to obtain the
maximum yield of ammonia from the fuel burnt. The quantity of steam required
for this purpose is however so considerable that an extraneous supply of steain has
to be used to make up the necessary amount. Now this invention is designed to
obtain this extra steam while using the gas for economically driving gas-motors for
which purpose it is particularly well adapted because it is washed clean of all tarry
and mechanical impurities.
To accomplish my purpose, I utilise the heat of the exhaust gases of the gas
motor in producing the requisite steam. This can be done in the following
manner :-
Two or more chambers preferably vertical cylinders are loosely stacked with
cast iron bricks or balls, wrought iron scrolls or other refractory articles capable of
absorbing and again giving out a large amount of heat. Through these chambers
in a downward direction the exhaust gases of the gas motor and water are
alternately passed. The bricks or scrolls heated by the gas motor exhaust give
up their heat to the water in turn and wholly or partly convert it into steam.
In order to get the maximum production of steam from the arrangement, the air
already saturated by steam to a certain extent according to my previous invention
mentioned above, is passed on its way to the producer through the chambers in an
upward direction entering the chambers near their bottom and leaving them a
certain distance below their top while the water passes through them downwards.
The water is thus converted into steam, at a temperature considerably below
100° Centigrade and is cooled down to near the initial temperature of the air
before leaving the chamber, thus utilising to the utmost the heat stored up in the
chamber.
An excess of water can thus be used and the accumulation of salts and other
incrustations in the chamber thereby avoided.
The hot water obtained by cooling the cylinders of the generator is advan-
tageously applied to be evaporated in the manner described. The apparatus for
changing the alternate currents of hot and cold gases and of water can be run
automatically from the shaft of the engine or other motor and by using very
frequent alternations the size of the chambers can be very greatly reduced.
Dated this 6th day of September 1895.
WM. P. THOMPSON & Co.,
Of 6, Lord Street, Liverpool, Patent Agents for the Applicant.

page_text: Improvements in or relating to the Economical Production of
Steam, or a Mixture of Steam and Air, for Use in Gas
Producers.
1, LUDWIG MOND of The Poplars and Winnington Hall, Winnington,.
Northwich, 20 Avenue Road, Regent's Park, London, Manufacturing Chemist,.
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:-
In my Patent No. 8973 of 1885, I described a process of utilising fuel by its
partial combustion by means of hot air saturated with steam, whereby the
temperature of combustion is lowered below the point of disassociation of ammonia
and the latter therefore preserved, separating the tar and solid impurities by
washing with water and the ammonia by scrubbing with a solution of an ammonia
salt containing some free acid, separating the steam by causing the gas to travel
upward through a scrubber in which it meets a descending stream of cold water,
and lastly using the hot water thus formed to heat and moisten the air for partial
combustion of the fuel.
So great is the quantity of moisture required in the air to produce the best
results that even that obtained by the above mentioned process and plant is not
enough and extraneous steam had to be supplied at considerable expense.
It is to
get this additional steam or mixture of steam and air without much, if any,
additional cost that this my present invention, which I will now describe, is
designed.
I utilise the gas by driving gas motors with it for which purpose it is particularly
well adapted through its being washed clean of all tarry and mechanical impurities.
The heat of the exhaust gases of the motors and other exhaust or waste products.
of combustion or explosion if conveniently obtainable is in turn used to raise the
necessary additional steam for the gas producers.
The invention is best described by aid of the accompanying diagrammatic
drawing, showing a cross section of my apparatus for utilising the heat of the gas
motor exhaust or other hot waste gases of similar character. Two or more
chambers A, preferably vertical cylinders, are loosely stacked with cast iron bricks
or balls or wrought iron scrolls or other sufficiently refractory articles capable of
absorbing and again giving out a large amount of heat. Through each of these
chambers alternately, the exhaust or waste gases are passed in a downward
direction entering at C and going out at D. Alternately with the gases, water is
passed in a downward direction through the chambers, entering at E and leaving
at F. The bricks or scrolls B, heated by the passage of the exhaust gases of the
gas motor give up their heat to the water in turn and wholly or partially convert
it into steam which escapes at G.
In order to get the maximum production of steam from the arrangement, the air
already saturated by steam to a certain extent according to my previous invention
mentioned above, is passed on its way to the producer into the chamber at H and
passing through in an upward direction escapes at G. The water at the same time
passing in a downward direction through the chamber is converted into steam at a
temperature below 100° and the air and steam escape together at G, the surplus
water is cooled by the entering air nearly to the initial temperature of the latter
before it escapes, thus utilising to the utmost the heat stored up in the chamber.
An excess of water can thus be used and the accumulation of salts and other
incrustations in the chamber thereby avoided. II in the drawing show
diagrammatically the valves or cocks, J levers therefrom, K, L, two rods

page_text: actuating alternately all the valves on one side; M an oscillating lever working
both rods simultaneously and oscillated suddenly and at frequent intervals by
gearing from the engine or shafting, any kind of intermittent gear can be used,
such gear forming no part of my invention. The hot water obtained by cooling
the cylinders of the generator is advantageously applied to be evaporated in the
manner described. The apparatus for changing the alternate currents can be run
automatically from the shaft of the engine or other motor and by using very
frequent alternations, the size of the chambers can be very greatly reduced.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said inven-
tion and in what manner the same is to be performed, I declare that what I
claim is :-
1. In combination with the process of obtaining ammonia by the partial
combustion of fuel containing nitrogen with a mixture of air and steam and using
the heat of combustion to generate a part of that steam utilizing the gas, from
which the ammonia, tar and steam have been separated, in a gas engine and
utilizing the waste heat of the exhaust gases of this engine to further heat and
load with moisture the mixture of air and steam to be used for the partial
combustion of the fuel.
2. The process of economically obtaining the requisite amount of extra steam
required for working to best advantage my process for obtaining ammonia and tar
from fuel before mentioned, which consists in bringing the hot exhaust gases of a
gas engine and water alternately in contact with an extended surface of a refractory
material such as iron, and leading off the steam formed.
3. The improvement in the process described in Claim 2, which consists in
passing a current of air through the heated refractory material at the same time
as but in an opposite direction to the passage of the water.
4. The process of utilising the heat of refuse or waste gases which consists in
passing the said gases and water alternately in the same direction past a large
surface of refractory material and passing dry or moist air in the reverse direction
while the water is passing, and leading off the mixed steam and air for use in gas
production.
5. The combination with a chamber having large internal refractory surface, of
an entrance at the top and exit below for a heating fluid, and an entrance above
and exit below for the passage of water, an entrance below and an exit above for
the passage of air or a mixture of air and steam and means for alternating the
passage of the hot gases with the simultaneous passage of air and water sub-
stantially as and for the purposes described.
Dated this 3rd day of June 1896.
W. P. THOMPSON & Co.,
Of Liverpool, Manchester, Birmingham, and London, Patent Agents.