Improvements in or connected with the Manufacture of Sulphate of Ammonia and Apparatus therefor.
Year: 1889

page_text: Date of Application, 29th Nov., 1889
Complete Specification' Left, 12th Feb., 1890-Accepted, 5th Apr., 1890
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in or connected with the Manufacture of Sulphate of
Ammonia and Apparatus therefor.
We THOMAS WILTON, Manager, and GEORGE WILTON, Chemist, both of Beckton
Gas Works, Beckton in the County of Essex, do hereby declare the nature of this
invention to be as follows:-
This invention relates to certain improvements in or connected with the manu-
facture of sulphate of ammonia and apparatus therefor.
The said improvements are applicable at that stage of the process of manufacture
when the ammonia gases arrive at a saturator or saturators. The invention relates
also to the construction of the apparatus for the purpose, and has for its object the
more ready and economical collection and removal of the sulphate of ammonia and
its transference to the drainers.
According to the usual process sulphate of ammonia is precipitated and allowed
to collect in the saturator whence it is removed to the drainer by hand by means of
shovels or scoops, a process entailing considerable labour time and expense.
By our invention we dispense with this manual labour and we remove the deposit
by means of self acting apparatus which may be either a steam or mechanical elevator
applied to and used in combination with the depositing vessel.
Where there is more than one saturator we connect the saturators together either
in pairs or groups and we connect said pairs or groups by suitable pipes to a vessel
fixed at a suitably lower level into which the sulphate of ammonia is carried and
deposited and to which is applied one or more elevators.
We may use a natural circulation, or to augment the carrying power of the liquid
agent employed when there are many connected saturators we may induce a current
through the whole series by a steam jet or other suitable means.
Dated this 29th day of November 1889.
J. C. CHAPMAN,
Agent.
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in or connected with the Manufacture of Sulphate of
Ammonia and Apparatus therefor.
We THOMAS WILTON, Manager, and GEORGE WILTON, Chemist, both of Beckton
Gas Works, Beckton, in the County of Essex, 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:-
This invention relates to certain improvements in or connected with the manu-
facture of sulphate of ammonia and apparatus therefor.
The said improvements are applicable at that stage of the process of manufacture
when the ammonia gases arrive at a saturator or saturators. The invention relates
to the construction of the apparatus for the purpose, and has for its object the
more ready and economical collection and removal of the sulphate cf ammonia and
its transference to the drainers.
According to the usual process sulphate of ammonia is precipitated and allowed to
collect in the saturator whence it is removed to the drainer by hand by means of
shovels or scoops a process entailing considerable labour time and expense.
By our invention we dispense with this manual labour and we remove the deposit

page_text: by means of self acting apparatus applied to and used in combination with the
depositing vessel.
Where there is more than one saturator we connect the saturators together either
in pairs or groups, and we connect said pairs or groups by suitable pipes to a vessel
fixed at a suitably lower level into which the sulphate of ammonia is carried and
deposited and to which is applied one or more elevators.
We will now fully describe our invention in reference to the accompanying
drawings which illustrate the construction and application of a steam elevator
(hereinafter called the "ejector") for the purpose above indicated.
Figure 1 is an elevation partly in section of an ejector.
Figure 2 is a section through an ordinary arrangement of saturator, mother liquor
trough, and drainer, showing ejector fixed in depositing vessel which in this case is
the saturator itself.
Figure 3 is an elevation of four saturators connected together in pairs and to a
lower level depositing vessel to which the ejector is applied.
The figure also illustrates other arrangements connected with the invention and
hereinafter referred to.
In these figures similar letters indicate similar parts.
A is the ejector made of lead or other metal adapted to withstand the action of the
liquids employed; it consists of a pipe or duct which may advantageously be con-
structed as illustrated with a bell or trumpet shaped lower end terminating in or
at a base plate B with slots or passages bb for the ingress of deposited salts. To
this is applied a steam pipe a provided with the usual cock and terminating in a
nozzle at or near the base of the ejector A, which may advantageously be constructed
as illustrated or in any convenient manner.
An ejector constructed substantially in this manner is placed and fixed in the
depositing vessel-whether it be the saturator itself or
"ejector tank") in connection with a saturator or saturators.
a depositing vessel (or
In Figure 2 the ejector is fixed in the trough of an ordinary saturator S from
which sulphate of ammonia is usually removed by hand but it will be obvious that
the ejector may be applied to any construction or type of saturator.
M is the mother liquor trough, D the drainer. The upper end of ejector A is
connected by an ordinary lead pipe to a point of support above the drainer D which
conveys the discharge of the ejector to the drainer which may have a mid feather
to limit the flow of deposit, and has an over flow for the excess liquor.
In Figure 3 two pairs of saturators S S are shown connected together by pipes pp
and to a lower level ejector tank T, the discharge pipe from ejector being led to
drainer in the same manner as illustrated in Figure 2.
On turning on steam the discharge of salts from the ejector tank to the drainer
commences and will continue without any manual assistance until steam is turned
off-the pressure of steam is regulated by the steam cock and a small pressure only
is required: ordinary branches and covers for cleaning the pipes may be applied.
We may use a natural circulation or to augment the carrying power of the liquid
agent employed when there are many connected saturators we may induce a current
through the whole series by a steam jet or other suitable means.
Two methods of effecting this are illustrated in Figure 3. According to that
illustrated to the left of the figure a pipe C is fixed with one end terminating in a bell
mouth below the liquid level of the tank T (but above the deposit level) and having
a steam jet applied to it as above described for the ejector itself, the pipe C leads to
and terminates above the liquid level of the furthest saturator: thus liquid is raised
from the upper part of the ejector tank and delivered as far away as possible there-
from and circulates back thereto. According to the method illustrated to the right
of the Figure 3 steam jets are carried from the steam pipe C¹ into the connecting
pipes p and thus also circulation is augmented.
Though we have above described a steam ejector it will be obvious that any suitable
fluid pressure other than steam may be applied without departing from the essential
features of our invention.

page_text: Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of this inven-
tion and in what manner the same is to be performed we declare that what we
claim is :-
:―
1. The improvement in the manufacture of sulphate of ammonia consisting in elevating
the deposited salts by means of a continuous self acting apparatus such as is specified
to the drainer substantially as set forth.
2. The construction substantially as hereinbefore described of a self acting ejector
and its application in the manufacture of sulphate of ammonia substantially as and
for the purposes described and illustrated.
3. In plant for the manufacture of sulphate of ammonia the combination with a
pair or a series of connected depositing vessels of the above described self acting
ejector and the means set forth (or either of them) for inducing a current through
the said series substantially as and for the purposes set forth in reference to
Figure 3.
Dated this 12th d.
J. C. CHAPMAN, Fel. Inst. Patent Agents,
70, Chancery Lane, London, W.C., Agent for Applicants.