IMPROVEMENTS IN EVAPORA- TION
Year: 1838

page_text: TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, ELIEZER
CHATER WILSON, of Skinner Street, Snow Hill, in the City of London, Printer,
send greeting.
WHEREAS Her present most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her
Letters Patent under the Great Seal of Great Britain, bearing date at
Westminster, the Twenty-second day of June, in the second year of Her
reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant unto me, the
said Eliezer Chater Wilson, Her especial licence, full power, sole privilege and
authority, that I, the said Eliezer Chater Wilson, my exors, adñiors, and
assigns, or such others as I, the said Eliezer Chater Wilson, my exors,
admors, or assigns, should at any time agree with, and no others, from time
to time and at all times during the term of years therein expressed, should and
lawfully might make, use, exercise, and vend, within England, Wales, and the
Town of Berwick-upon-Tweed, the Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN EVAPORA-
TION," communicated to me by a certain Foreigner residing abroad; in which
said Letters Patent is contained a proviso that I, the said Eliezer Chater
Wilson, shall cause a particular description of the nature of the said Inven-
tion, and in what manner the same is to be performed, to be inrolled in Her
said Majesty's High Court of Chancery within six calendar months next and
immediately after the date of the said in part recited Letters Patent, as in
and by the same, reference being thereunto had, will more fully and at large
appear.
NOW KNOW YE, that in compliance with the said proviso, I, the said
Eliezer Chater Wilson, do hereby declare that the nature of the said Inven-

page_text: tion, and the manner in which the same is to be performed, are fully
described and ascertained in and by the following statement thereof, reference
being had to the Drawing hereunto annexed, and to the figures and letters
marked thereon (that is to say):-
The Invention relates to a mode of evaporating solutions of salt by sub-
dividing the same into numerous surfaces, and bringing them in contact with
currents of dry atmospheric air, whereby evaporation of the aqueous portions
of the solution will go on with great rapidity by the atmospheric air evaporating
and taking up the water out of the apparatus employed, and the more saturated
solution or brine will descend, and when in a proper degree of saturation the
salt may be crystallized, as hereafter explained. The manufacture of salt, as
at present practised in England, is chiefly carried on in Cheshire, and other
places where brine from springs can be obtained of a high degree of saturation;
and there is comparatively little salt produced from sea water or other weak
solutions of salt, owing to the large quantity of water to be evaporated. The
means which have been heretofore practised in England when sea water has
been employed for making salt are, first, to obtain large shallow reservoirs full
of sea water and allow the same to stand and be acted on by the sun until
some portion of the water has been evaporated, then to draw such sea water
into smaller reservoirs, and again to let it stand till it has become more
saturated owing to further quantities of water being evaporated, and ultimately
the sea water has been put into salt pans and evaporated by fire heat, and by
such means the salt has also been crystallized. But, owing to the nature
of the English climate, such process is liable to materially impeded by the fall
of rain, the reservoirs employed being too large to be covered, and, if covered,
would prevent the full benefit of the sun's heat being obtained in evaporating
the excess of water in the solution of salt. Hence, this mode is tedious and
costly. Secondly, another mode is, to evaporate the excess of water in the solu-
tion by the direct action of fire heat under pans containing the sea water. This
process, although more expeditious, is attended with considerable expenditure
of fuel.
In foreign parts, where the sun is more powerful and the climate more
certain, in addition to employing large reservoirs for evaporating the excess of
water, the solution of salt is submitted to the action of the sun in a more
divided state, by throwing the solution on to a pile or stack of faggots (bundles
of sticks), which is of considerable advantage; but the interior of such stack is
but little acted on by the sun's rays, consequently the effect produced is
principally on the external of the stack.
I have thought it desirable, in the first place, thus shortly to explain the

page_text: modes of treating sea water and other weak solutions of salt as heretofore prac-
tised to bring it to a state of greater saturation, in order thereby more clearly
to point out the nature and extent of the Invention secured by the present-
Letters Patent.
And in order to give the best information in my power for carrying out this
Invention, I will proceed to describe the Drawing hereunto annexed.
DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWING.
Figure 1 represents the section of a building or chamber suitably arranged
for carrying out the Invention. It consists of quadrangular building; a, a,
being the external walls, and an inclined roof, there being inclined boards
or openings c, for the passing away of the steam and air which is loaded with
moisture; d, d, being gutters for receiving any condensed water from the inner
surfaces of the roof, and convey it out of the building or chamber a, and thus
prevent any water not containing salt returning into the building or chamber a.
The sea water, or other solution of salt, is to be pumped, or otherwise caused to
float from the pipe e into each of the angular troughs f, which are more
clearly shown at Figure 2, where the parts are shown on a larger scale, which
consist of two boards inclining to each other, allowing such a width apart as
to permit the cloths g to pass between, and also to allow of a free flow of the
sea water, or other solution of salt, to flow freely down the cloths g, and by so
flowing down the cloths 9 the sea water, or other solution of salt, will be divided
into numerous surfaces; hence, for a given quantity of water under operation a
very large extent of surface will be acted upon by currents of air and heat
passing in an opposite direction to the downward flow of the sea water or other
solution of salt under operation; and such currents of air, being heated and
dried, will be in a condition to evaporate and carry off the aqueous portion of
the solution with great rapidity. There are various modes of obtaining air
suitable for carrying on this process of evaporation, such as by forcing
air through tubes heated externally of the surface against which the currents
of air to be heated come in their passage to the chamber or building arranged
as above explained, and then, by suitable pipes having perforations or openings,
to convey such dry and heated air to the building or chamber a, which, I
believe, will be found to be the most expeditious plan. Or, in place of forcing
currents of air against heated surfaces, the lower part of the building or
chamber a may have steam pipes, or pipes filled with water, and caused
to circulate by heat or by flues for the passage of the flame and heat from fires
or furnaces; all which is well understood; and in such cases having suitable
openings for the atmospheric air to flow freely into the lower part of the

page_text: chamber or building a, coming first in contact with the heated surfaces
employed, by which means rapid evaporation will be obtained; and I would
remark that the process may be greatly facilitated by withdrawing the air from
the upper part of the chamber a, in place of simply depending on the heated air
and vapours passing off without such aid. Whatever be the means used for
supplying currents of air, and for applying heat, care should be observed that
the solution of salt under operation should, on its descending to the lower part
of the chamber or building a, be received into troughs or gutters, from which it
may flow into a suitable tank or reservoir, and in such a manner that the
passages for the flow of air, and the heating apparatus, shall not be interfered
with or impeded in their action. The apparatus is so arranged that air may
be heated by passing it against or through tubes (acted on by fire or otherwise)
by means of suitable blowing apparatus. I prefer a rotatory fan for the
purpose, such as is well known and used in many places for blowing or blasting
iron and other furnaces. h, h, are tubes, which should be perforated to allow of a
free passage of the air through them in divided currents, and in such manner
that the currents of air should be well equalized over the whole of the chamber
or building a, in order, by its passage upwards, to pass between the suspended
cloths 9, which are hung on cords or ropes, and come in contact with the sea
water or other solution of salt flowing down such cloths or surfaces. i, i, are
shields which prevent the sea water falling on to the pipes which convey the
heated air, such shields causing the sea water to full into the troughs or
gutters j, from whence it may pass off to a suitable tank or reservoir, and,
when brought to a sufficient state of saturation, may be crystallized by further
evaporation, as is well understood.
I would remark that the Invention does not relate, nor is it confined, to any
particular means of heating air to be used in the chamber a for evaporating the
sea water, and I intend to avail myself of any of the means known or in use.
The Invention relating to a mode of evaporation in suitable chambers or
buildings, by dividing sea water or other solution of salt into greatly extended
surfaces for the action of heat and air for carrying off the aqueous portion of
such solutions of salt, as herein explained; and the means of carrying out the
Invention may be greatly varied, provided the general principle of action
be retained. And it will be evident that although I have named the surfaces g,
down which the water or other solution of salt is to flow, in order extensively
to divide such solutions, and consequently greatly to extend the surfaces acted
on by the heat and air applied. And I recommend strong calico as a useful
and cheap material for carrying out the Invention; yet other fabrics or surfaces
may be used, the object of such surfaces being to retard the descent of the sea

page_text: water, or other solution of salt, and keep it longer under action of the heat and
air of the chamber in which the operation is carried on; and, as before stated,
d, d, are gutters to carry off any water which may be condensed on the roof,
and thus prevent the descent of the water of condensation returning to the
chamber a.
:
And I would further remark, that although I prefer to use such cloths or
surfaces 9, stretched across the chamber a by ropes or cords or otherwise,
yet it is not absolutely necessary, as it will be evident that by allowing the sea
water to flow down in finely divided showers in a chamber or building a,
suitably arranged with heating apparatus, or an ample supply of dry atmo-
spheric air, evaporation will go on with great quickness; and the only
difference in such mode of working would be, that the sea water, or other
solutions of salt, would not be so long under operation for any one time in
descending from the upper to the lower part of a chamber a, as if the surfaces g
were employed. I have not thought it necessary to show the pumps or other
means for raising the sea water or other solution to the troughs f, they forming
no part of the Invention, and will readily be applied according to the different
circumstances [of the case, arising from locality or otherwise, nor have I
thought it necessary to enter into the further process of treating the saturated
solution of salt obtained as above explained, as the same may be crystallized,
as heretofore practised, in salt pans; for, although the mode above described
will complete the operation of making salt from sea water or other solutions,
yet I prefer to use the Invention as a preparatory process for reducing the
solutions of salt to saturated solutions, and to make salt therefrom by means of
salt pans; and in doing so I prefer to use such salt pans as are described
under a Patent granted to Thomas Baylis, of Tamworth, in the County of
Stafford, bearing date at Westminster, the Sixth day of May, One thousand
eight hundred and thirty-seven, to which a Specification has been duly enrolled,
as I believe such salt pans to be the best at present known for making salt
from solutions of salt.
Having thus described the Invention, I would have it understood that I lay
no claim to any of the parts separately. But what I claim as the Invention
secured by the present Letters Patent is, the mode of evaporating the excess
of water of sea water, or other solutions of salt, as above described.
In witness whereof, I, the said Eliezer Chater Wilson, have hereunto set
my hand and seal, this Nineteenth day of December, in the year of
our Lord One thousand eight hundred and thirty-eight.
.
ELIEZER CHATER (L.s.) WILSON.

page_text: AND BE IT REMEMBERED, that on the Nineteenth day of December,
in the year of our Lord 1838, the aforesaid Eliezer Chater Wilson came
before our said Lady the Queen in Her Chancery, and acknowledged the
Specification aforesaid, and all and every thing therein contained and specified,
in form above written. And also the Specification aforesaid was stamped
according to the tenor of the Statute made for that purpose.
Inrolled the Twenty-second day of December, in the year of our Lord
One thousand eight hundred and thirty-eight.