A NEW OR IMPROVED PROCESS FOR DECARBONATING CARBONATE OF STRONTIA
Year: 1884

page_text: I JOHN IMRAY of N° 28 Southampton Buildings, Chancery Lane in the County
of Middlesex, Consulting Engineer and Patent Agent do hereby declare the
nature of my invention for A NEW OR IMPROVED PROCESS FOR DECARBONATING
CARBONATE OF STRONTIA to be as follows:-
In a Provisional Specification filed by me on the 26th September 1883 of an
invention communicated to me from abroad by Hippolyte Leplay, I described a
process and apparatus for converting carbonate of baryta or strontia into
monohydrate, to be used in the treatment of saccharine liquors. It having been
found that certain difficulties attend the treatment of strontia carbonate as set forth
in the said Specification, the present invention, communicated to me by the said
Hippolyte Leplay, has for its object to overcome these difficulties. When carbonate
of strontia is heated to the degree necessary for the action of superheated steam on
it to convert it into monohydrate, as described in the Specification above referred
to, it tends, on a little increase of temperature, to become entirely dehydrated and
to set in solid form, not to become liquid as the fused monohydrate; consequently,
the apparatus previously described for collecting fused monohydrate in liquid form
requires so much care and attention that its use is not practically advantageous.
In order to obtain the solid dehydrated strontia, the process, according to the present
invention, is conducted as follows. The carbonate of strontia, moulded preferably
in the form of tubes, is charged, still somewhat moist, into a heated retort, which
may be arranged horizontally like a gas retort or may be vertical. At first the
steam, liberated from the moulded material and becoming superheated in the retort,
acts superficially on the tubes, producing a certain amount of fused monohydrate
which binds the material. The tubes also shrink, and as they shrink, fresh layers
of tubes are put into the retort, so as completely to fill it. When the heat has
attained the degree necessary, superheated steam is passed into the retort, and the
carbonate is thus converted into anhydrous strontia which, when the reaction is
complete, is raked out into suitable receptacles. The superbeating of the steam
ID 1

page_text: may be effected by passing it through channels situated in the retort furnace or its
flues. Instead of charging the moulded material, still moist, into the retort, it
may, in the first instance, be heated rapidly to a dull red heat in a separate
chamber, the tubes being thus rendered sufficiently strong to be handled without
breaking up. By arranging vertical retorts with feed and discharge apertures at
the top and bottom, the operation may be carried on continuously, the anhydrous
strontia being from time to time raked out at the bottom, and fresh supplies of the
moulded carbonate being fed in at the top.

page_text: I, JOHN IMRAY of No 28 Southampton Buildings Chancery Lane in the County
of Middlesex, Consulting Engineer and Patent Agent do hereby declare the
nature of my invention for "A NEW OR IMPROVED PROCESS FOR DECARBONATING
CARBONATE OF STRONTIA and in what manner the same to be performed, to be
particularly described and ascertained in and by the following statement :-
"
In a Provisional Specification filed by me on the 26th September 1883 of an
invention communicated to me from abroad by Hippolyte Leplay, I described
a process and apparatus for converting carbonate of baryta or strontia into
monohydrate, to be used in the treatment of saccharine liquors. It having been
found that certain difficulties attend the treatment of strontia carbonate as set forth
in the said specification, the present invention communicated to me by the said
Hippolyte Leplay, has for its object to overcome these difficulties. When carbonate
of strontia is heated to the degree necessary for the action of superheated steam on
it to convert it into monohydrate, as described in the Specification above referred
to, it tends, on a little increase of temperature, to become entirely dehydrated and
to set in solid form, not to become liquid as the fused monohydrate; consequently,
the apparatus previously described for collecting fused monohydrate in liquid form
requires so much care and attention that its use is not practically advantageous.
In order to obtain the solid dehydrated strontia, the process according to the
present invention, is conducted as follows. The carbonate of strontia, moulded
preferably in the form of tubes, is charged, still somewhat moist, into a heated
retort, which may be arranged horizontally like a gas retort or may be vertical.
At first the steam, liberated from the moulded material and becoming superheated
in the retort, acts superficially on the tubes, producing a certain amount of fused
monohydrate which binds the material. The tubes also shrink, and as they shrink,
fresh layers of tubes are put into the retort, so as completely to fill it. When the
heat has attained the degree necessary, superheated steam is passed into the retort,
and the carbonate is thus converted into anhydrous strontia which, when the
reaction is complete, is raked out into suitable receptacles. The superheating of
the steam may be effected by passing it through channels situated in the retort
furnace or its flues. Instead of charging the moulded material, still moist, into the
retort, it may, in the first instance, be heated rapidly to a dull red heat in a
separate chamber, the tubes being thus rendered sufficiently strong to be handled
without breaking up. By arranging vertical retorts with feed and discharge
apertures at the top and bottom, the operation may be carried on continuously, the
anhydrous strontia being from time to time raked out at the bottom, and fresh
supplies of the moulded carbonate being fed in at the top.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said
invention and in what manner the same is to be performed, I declare that what
I claim is
The herein described ranged for desarbonating conhonata
Dated this 22nd day of October 1884.
ABEL & IMRAY,
Agents for the Applicant,
28, Southampton Buildings,.
London, W.C.