A NEW METHOD OF PRODUCING HEAT
Year: 1874

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Carl Julius Tetens Hanssen, of Copenhagen, in
the Kingdom of Denmark, but at present of 89, Chancery Lane, in
the County of Middlesex, for the Invention of "A NEW METHOD OF
PRODUCING HEAT."
Sealed the 5th February 1875, and dated the 8th August 1874.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Carl Julius Tetens
Hansson at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his
Petition, on the 8th August 1874.
I, CARL JULIUS TETENS HANSSEN, of Copenhagen, in the Kingdom
of Denmark, but at present of 89, Chancery Lane, in the County of
·Middlesex, do hereby declare the nature of the said Invention for "A
NEW METHOD OF PRODUCING HEAT," to be as follows:-
According to this Invention I produce heat by the combustion of a
mixture of carbonic acid gas with hydrogen gas or common lighting
gas, or hydrocarbon vapour, or any gas or vapour containing hydrogen in
sufficient quantity.

page_text: My process is based upon the fact hitherto unknown to chemists and
others, that hydrogen gas, either pure or contained in hydrocarbon or
other gases or vapours at a high temperature, has the power to
decompose carbonic acid gas, the oxygen of the carbonic acid gas
combining with and consequently burning the hydrogens while the
carbon or other combustible contained in the mixture of gases, highly
heated by passing through the oxy-hydrogen flame, ignites and burns
upon coming in contact with atmospheric air or oxygen. The air or the
gases or one of them may be licated previously to being mixed and
ignited. In this process much less atmospheric air and consequently
less nitrogen is brought into the flamo than by burning the hydrogen
or hydrocarbon, or other combustible combinations of hydrogen with
atmospheric air in the ordinary manner. A very intense heat is therefore
obtained, which in many metallurgical and other technical and scientific
operations is of the utmost importance.
Thahania
· SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent,
filed by the said Carl Julius Tetens Hanssen in the Great Scal
Patent Office on the 8th February 1875.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, CARL
JULIUS TETENS HANSSEN, of Copenhagen, in the Kingdom of Denmark,
but at present of 89, Chancery Lane, in the County of Middlesex, send
greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria by Her
Letters Patent, bearing date the Eighth day of August, in the year
of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and seventy-four, in the
thirty-eighth year of Her reign, did, for Herself, Iler heirs and suc-
cessors, give and grant unto me, the said Carl Julius Tetens Hanssen,
Her special licence, that I, the said Carl Julius Tetens Hansson, my
executors, administrators, and assigns, or such others as I, the said
Carl Julius Tetens Hanssen, my executors, administrators, and assigns,
should at any time agree with, and no others, from time to time and

page_text: at all times thereafter.during the term therein expressed, should and
lawfully might make, use, exercise, and vend, within the United
Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland, the Channel Islands, and Islo
of Man, an Invention for "A NEW METHOD OF PRODUCING HEAT," upon tho
condition (amongst others) that I, the said Carl Julius Tetens Hanssen,
my executors or administrators, by an instrument in writing under my,
or their, or one of their hands and seals, should particularly describe
and ascertain the nature of the said Invention, and in what manner
the same was to be performed, and cause the same to be filed in the
Great Seal Patent Office within six calendar months next and imme-
diately after the date of the said Letters Patent.
NOW KNOW YE, that I, the said Carl Julius Totens Hanssen, do
hereby declare the nature of my said Invention, and in what manner
the same is to be performed, to be particularly described and ascertained
in and by the following statement :—
According to this Invention I produce heat and a smokeless
deoxidizing flame by mixing and burning carbonic acid gas, abundantly
produced in various chemical operations, and hitherto wasted with
hydrogen gas or common lighting gas, or hydrocarbon gas or vapor, or
any gas or vapor containing hydrogen in sufficient quantity, and I also
according to a second or modified part of this Invention produce heat by
passing carbonic acid gas hitherto wasted through red hot fuel of a moro
or less hydrocarbonic nature, thereby converting the gas and an equivalent
part of the fuel into carbonic oxide, or a mixture of carbonic oxide and
other combustible gas which can be transmitted through pipes or flues:
and utilized for heating purposes.
The first portion of my Invention is based upon the fact, hitherto as I
believe practically unknown to chemists and others, that hydrogen gas,
cither pure or contained in hydrocarbon or other gases or vapors at a
high temperature has the power to decompose carbonic acid gas; one
part of the oxygen in the carbonic acid gas combining with and
consequently burning the hydrogen while the remainder of the oxygen
and the carbon present form carbonic oxyde gas. The entire mixturo
thus becomes combustible and brought into contact with a sufficient
quantity of atmospheric air or oxygen burns with a blue smokeless and
dcoxidizing flame, which may advantageously be used for technical
and scientific purposes.
Either the carbonic acid and hydrogen (or
•

page_text: hydrocarbon) or carbonic acid and atmospheric air (oxygen) may bo
mixed before coming in contact with the third gas, or all thrèc may first
be mixed at the moment they are ignited, and the gases and air may
be used cold or in a heated state.
According to the second or modified part of my Invention I collect
the carbonic acid gas produced in the vinous fermentation of liquors, in
the so called burning of limestone, and in various other chemical and
technical operations, and I force or draw it by fans, air pumps, jet
apparatus, or other suitable means through pipes or flues into one or
several fire-places, retorts, or chambers containing red hot coal or other
suitable fuel, and thus the carbonic acid gas by passing it through the
mass of the said fuel is converted into carbonic oxyde, and passing off
with the other chiefly combustible gases that may be produced from the
said red hot fuel a combustible mixture of gases is obtained which can
be transmitted through flues or pipes, as required, to the place where 1
it is to be utilized for heating, evaporating, boiling, smelting, or other
technical purposes.
The process of converting the carbonic acid gas into carbonic oxyde
may be conducted in various ways, amongst others by alternately, first
passing atmospheric air and afterwards carbonic acid gas through the
fuel, or by mixing atmospheric air and carbonic acid in duc proportions,
and forcing this mixturo through the fuel or by heating the fuel in retorts
or close chambers by waste heat from furnaces or separate fire-places,
and forcing the carbonic acid gas through the fuel thus heated. The
last-named manner will produce the purest combustible gas, and is 2
therefore preferable where the gas is to be used for smelting or other
purposes requiring extremely high temperature. The combustible gas
thus obtained may be utilized for any of the purposes before-mentioned
by burning it in suitable combustion chambers, furnaces, kilns, or other
places, or apparatus with a suitable admixture of atmospheric air, both 3
being mixed cold or previously licated before burning.
I am aware that the conversion of carbonic acid into carbonic oxyde
gas by passing the former through red hot fuel is practiced in the
Siemens generator furnace, but in that case the carbonic acid gas is
produced in the outer portion of the burning fuel, and by passing a
through the mass of hot fuel on the grate the carbonic acid is converted
into carbonic oxide gas, which however is diluted with a large proportion

page_text: of nitrogen previously forming part of the air passing into the furnace.
In this operation a considerable portion of the heat developed by the
burning fuel becomes latent in order to bring the solid carbon into the
gaseous state; but in my process I save, this heat by using ready-made
and otherwise wasted carbonic acid, and I moreover obtain a combustible
gas much less or not at all diluted with nitrogen, and therefore of
greater heating power than obtained by the Siemens process.
And having thus fully described the nature of this my Invention and
how it may be carried into effect, I declare that I do not limit myself to
the application of any particular construction of apparatus for collecting
and commingling the carbonic acid and other gases, nor do I limit
myself to any particular mode for previously heating the one or the
other or both, or the air necessary for the further combustion of the
said mixture of gases, but I do claim,―
Firstly. The utilisation of waste carbonic acid gas by commingling
the same with hydrogen or hydrocarbon at a high temperature.
•
Secondly. The utilisation of waste carbonic acid gas by passing it
through hot coal or other fuel, and the production of heat by burning
tlie resulting carbonic oxyde in or with air.
In witness whereof, I, the said Carl Julius Tetens Hanssen, havo
hereunto set my hand and seal, this Second day of February,
in the year of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and soventy-
five.