IMPROVEMENTS IN THE MANUFACTURE AND PURIFICATION OF GAS, AND IN APPARATUS EMPLOYED THEREIN
Year: 1881

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to John Henry Johnson, of 47, Lincoln's Ion Fields, in the
County of Middlesex, Gentleman, for an Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN THE
MANUFACTURE AND PURIFICATION OF GAS, AND IN APPARATUS EMPLOYED
THEREIN." A communication from abroad by Auguste Michel Henry Tezonas
du Montcel, of Paris, in the Republic of France, Manager of La Société
Anonyme de Cazones_ators Chimiques
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said John Henry Johnson at the
Office of the Commissioners of Patents on the 10th June 1881.
JOHN HENRY JOHNSON, of 47, Lincoln's Inn Fields, in the County of Middlesex,
Gentleman. "IMPROVEMENTS IN THE MANUFACTURE AND PURIFICATION OF GAS,
AND IN APPARATUS EMPLOYED THEREIN." A communication from abroad by
Auguste Michel Henry Tezenas du Monteel, of Paris, in the Republic of France,
Manager of La Société Anonyme de Gazogènes-épurateurs-Chimiques.
This Invention relates to the manufacture and purification of gas, and it has
for its object the production of lighting gas in apparatus of special construction,
and the immediate purification of the said gas by novel means, the whole con-
stituting a combination of apparatus capable of being readily transported from
place to place and of being erected with facility and at a small expense.
By means of this system it is rendered possible to obtain relatively small
quantities of cheap gas suitable for lighting factories or dwellings, supplying motors
and the like. The gas may be derived from coal, petroleum, oils, or fats, and in
general from any substance capable of producing hydro carburetted gaseous
products and hydrogen by distillation.
The apparatus is composed of a furnace or gas generator proper, having one or
more retorts according to requirements, and purifiers placed cither directly above
the retorts or at a certain distance therefrom.
The gas produced in each of the retorts in the usual manner passes successively
into, say, two or three purifiers, into which it is conducted through one or more
pipes which dip into the purifying liquids to a suitable depth. The gas is brought
into intimate contact with these liquids by dividing it in its passage or by causing
it to follow an oblique or horizontal courso.
In the first purifier or in the two first purifiers potash or soda in solution in
water, with or without the addition of lime is employed, or an alkaline carbonate
dissolved in water and mixed with lime; or again a mixture of limo and any
alkaline salt susceptible of being decomposed by lime, and so producing potash or
Pine G21

page_text: soda in a free state, such as oxalates, tartrates, sulphates, and other combinations
of potash or soda.
These substances retain the tar and the greater part of the sulphurated
hydrogen.
The substance employed in the last purifier consists of a solution of one of the
metallic salts with strong acid and weak base, such as sulphates and chlorides of
iron, copper, and the like, which serve to retain the ammonia as well as the sulphur,
which may have escaped the action of the preceding purifier.
In this manner, and by employing very simple apparatus hereinafter described,
a sufficiently pure gas is obtained at a small cost, the preparation of the said gas
being effected without expensive works and without requiring a large space or
skilled labour.
In carrying out this Invention the apparatus is constructed with one or any
desired number of retorts, of any suitable shape and internal arrangement, according
as they are employed for the distillation of coal, fatty substances, or other materials,
and these retorts may be heated by any suitable furnace. A pipe communicates
'with the head of each retort for the escape of the gas. This pipe is connected to
a beut pipe which conducts the gas to the lower purifier of the corresponding serics,
and is provided with an aperture kept closed when the apparatus is working,
enabling the bent pipo to be cleaned with facility.
Each retort is provided with an independent series of purifiers, consisting for
example of three vessels in communication with each other.
Each of these vessels contains a plate immersed in the purifying liquid, and
slightly inclined relatively to the horizontal bottom of the vessel. These plates
are perforated in the centre with a hole, and near the edge with another and
smaller hole. In addition to this these plates are provided on their under side with
radiating webs or deflecting plates arranged in the form of a fan, for the purpose
of dividing the stream of gas and bringing it more intimately into contact with the
purifying liquid.
Each vessel is also provided with an orifice for the passage of the gas to tho
.next vessel, a pipe through which the gas is admitted from the preceding vessel
(except in the case of the lowest vessel, where the gas is introduced through the
pipe leading from the corresponding retort, a gauge for indicating the level of the
liquid, and an outlet orifice for the liquids.
The gas coming from the retort is conducted through the pipe, the extremity of
which is fitted into the sinaller holo in the inclined plate in the lower purifying
vessel to the lower side of tho said plate, which in the case of the lower vessel of
'each series is not provided with a central hole. Tho gas then flows along the under
side of the plate and bubbles through the liquid, after which it escapes through
the orifice in the cover of the vessel into the pipe, which passes through the bottom
of the vessel next above and through the centre of the inclined plato contained in
this vessel. The extremity of this pipe is bent downwards in the form of a crook,
and communicates with the underside of this inclined plate in the second vessel
through the small hole near the edge of the said plate. The gas being thus
conducted to this second purifying vessel follows a similar course to that described
.with reference to the first purifying vessel, and in like manner is caused to pass
through a third vessel when such is employed.
On leaving the apparatus the gas is completely purified, and may be conducted
to the gasometer or taken directly to the place of consumption.
The purifying liquids, hereinbefore described, are introduced into the vessels
through pipes communicating with the corresponding vessels in each series of
purifiers.
It is obvious that the arrangement hereinbefore described may be modified
according to circumstances as regards the number of retorts employed, the
construction of the furnace, the position of the purifiers, and other details.

page_text: SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent filed
•
by the said John Henry Johnson in the Great Seal Patent Office on the
10th December 1881.
JOHN HENRY JOHNSON, of 47, Lincoln's Inn Fields, in the County of Middlesex,
Gentleman. "IMPROVEMENTS IN THE MANUFACTURE AND PURIFICATION OF GAS
AND IN APPARATUS EMPLOYED THEREIN." A communication from abroad by
Auguste Michel Henry Tezenas du Montcel, of Paris, in the Republic of France,
Manager of La Société Anonyme de Gazogènes-épurateurs-Chimiques.
The said Invention relating to the manufacture and purification of gas has
reference to the production of lighting gas in apparatus of special construction,
and the immediate purification of the said gns by novel or improved means, the
whole constituting a compact combination of apparatus capable of being readily
transported from place to place, and of being erected with facility and at a small
expense.
By means of the said Invention it is rendered possible to manufacture gas
suitable for lighting factories or dwellings, supplying motors and the like at a
small expense and in relatively small quantities. The gas may be obtained from
coal, petroleum oils or fats, and in general from any substance capable of producing
hydro-carburetted gaseous products and hydrogen by distillation."
The improved apparatus is composed of a furnace or gas generator proper
provided with one or more retorts, according to requirements, connected with
corresponding purifiers, the latter being placed either directly above the retorts or
at a certain distance therefrom. The gas is produced in each of the retorts in the
usual manner, and passes successively into, say, two or three purifiers, into which
it is conducted through one or more pipes, which dip into the purifying liquids
hereinafter described to a suitable depth. The gas is brought into intimate
contact with these liquids by dividing it in its passage or by causing it to follow
an oblique or horizontal course.
In the first purifier, or in the two first purifiers, there is employed potash or
soda in solution in water with or without the addition of lime, or in lieu thereof
an alkaline carbonate dissolved in water and mixed with lime, or again a mixture
of lime and any alkaline salt susceptible of being decomposed by lime, and so
producing potash or soda in a free state, such as oxalates, tartrates, sulphates, and
other combinations of potash or soda. These substances retain the tar and the
greater part of the sulphuretted hydrogen.
The substance employed in the last purifier consists of a solution of one of the
metallic salts with strong acid and weak base, such as sulphates and chlorides of
iron, copper, and the like, which serve to retain the ammonia as well as the sulphur
which may have escaped the action of the preceding purifier.
In this manner, and by employing very simple apparatus hereinafter described,
a sufficiently pure gas is obtained at a small cost, the preparation of the said gas
being effected without expensive works, and without requiring a large space or
skilled labour.
And in order that the said Invention may be fully understood, I shall now
proceed more particularly to describe the same, and for that purpose shall refer to
the several Figures on the annexed Sheet of Drawings, the same letters of reference
indicating corresponding parts in all the Figures.
Figure 1 of the accompanying Drawings is a front elevation of a furnace or
bench of five retorts with purifiers arranged above the retorts.
Figure 2 is a plan of the same corresponding to Figure 1.
Figure 3 is a transverse section corresponding to Figure 1, the section being

page_text: taken through the axis of one of the retorts, and between two adjacent columns of
purifiers.
Figure 4 is a detail drawn to a larger scale representing a transverse section of
one of the purifiers, and Figure 5 is a a plan of the underside of a plate hereinafter
described.
The apparatus is constructed with one or any desired number of retorts A of
any suitable shape and internal arrangement, according as they are employed for
the distillation of coal, fatty substances, or other materials, and these retorts may
be heated by any suitable furnace. A pipe B communicates with the head of each
retort for the escape of the gas. This pipe is connected to a bent pipe C, which
conducts the gas to the lower purifier D of the corresponding series of purifiers,
and is provided with an aperture c (kept closed when the apparatus is working),
enabling tho interior of the pipes to be cleaned with facility.
Each retort is provided with an independent series of purifiers, consisting in the
example shewn in the Drawing of three vessels, marked respectively D, E, and F,
in coinmunication with each other. As shewn in the detail, Figure 4, cach of
these vessels contains a plate G immersed in the purifying liquid, and slightly
inclined relatively to the horizontal bottom of the vessel. These plates, one of
which is shewn detached in Figure 5, are perforated in the centre with a hole H,
and near the edge with another and smaller hole h. These plates are also provided
on their under side with radiating webs or deflecting plates a arranged in the form
of a fan for the purpose of dividing the stream of gas and bringing it more
intimately into contact with the purifying liquid.
Each vessel is also provided with an orifice I for the escape of the gas, a syphon
pipe J, through which the gas is admitted from the preceding vessel (except in the
case of the lowest vessel D, where the gas is introduced through the pipe C leading
from the corresponding retort), a gauge K for indicating the level of the liquid
in the interior of the vessel, and an outlet pipe L for the escape of the said
liquids.
The gas generated in each retort A is conducted to the corresponding series of
purifiers through the pipe C, one extremity of which is fitted (as indicated by
dotted lines in Figure 4) into the small hole in the inclined plate G in the lower
purifying vessel, which plate, in the case of the lower vessol of each series is not
provided with a central hole. The gas escaping from the pipe C flows along the
under side of the plate and bubbles through the liquid in the vessel D, after which
it escapes through the orifice I (Figure 4) in the cover of the vessel D into the
pipe J, which passes through the bottom of the vessel E and through the centre
of the inclined plate G contained in this vessel. This pipe is bent downwards at
M, and communicates at its contracted extremity with the underside of the inclined
plate G in the vessel E through the small hole h near the edge of the said plate G.
The gas being thus conducted to this second purifying vessel follows a similar
course to that described with reference to the first purifying vessel, and in like
manner is caused to pass through an orifice I and pipe J into the third vessel F
when such is employed.
On leaving the apparatus the gas is completely purified, and may be conducted
to the gasometer or taken directly to the place of consumption by means of
suitable pipes R. The purifying liquids herein before described are introduced into
the vessels D, E, and F through pipes P communicating with the corresponding
vessels in each series of purifiers.
It is obvious that the arrangement herein before described may be modified
according to circumstances as regards the number of retorts employed, the con-
struction of the furnace, the position of the purifiers, and other details, without
affecting the essential features of the Invention.
The improved apparatus constructed as herein before described possesses the
advantage of not requiring any special buildings or accommodation, and is capable
of being taken to pieces, removed, and re-erected with great facility.
Having now described and particularly ascertained the nature of the said

page_text: Invention, and the manner in which the same is or may be used or carried into
effect, I would observe in conclusion that what I consider to be novel and original,
and therefore claim as the Invention secured to me by the herein before in part
recited Letters Patent is,-
First. Manufacturing and purifying gas by means of apparatus consisting of a
furnace provided with retorts and purifiers constructed and arranged substantially
as and for the purposes hereinbefore described and as illustrated in the accom-
panying Drawings.
Secondly. Employing gas purifiers arranged in distinct groups, each of which
corresponds to one or more retorts, the purifiers of each group being caused to
intercommunicate, and being constructed internally with baffles or deflecting plates
in order to ensure intimate contact between the gas and the purifying liquids,
substantially as and for the purpose hereinbefore described and as illustrated in
the accompanying Drawings.
Thirdly. The employment of alkalies or alkaline mixtures in the first purifying
vessels of a series, and of metallic salts with strong acid and weak base in the
last vessels of the series, substantially as and for the purpose herein before
described.
In witness whercof, I, the said John Henry Johnson, have to this my
Specification set my hand and seal, this Eighth day of December, One
thousand eight hundred and eighty one.
J. HENKY JOHNSON. (L.S.)