Improvements in Condensation Chambers for the Manufacture of Sulphuric Acid.
Year: 1898

page_text: PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Condensation Chambers for the Manufacture of
Sulphuric Acid.
.
I, Dr. THEODOR MEYER, of 10, Wederstrasse, Harburg a/Elbe, Prussia,
Germany, Doctor of Sciences, do hereby declare the nature of this invention
to be as follows:
'
—
The present invention relates to an apparatus for allowing gases and vapours
which are designed to react upon one another for the formation of sulphurio
acid, to come in intimuto contact with one another over a long distance and thus
to produce a better mixture of the gases and a more rapid reaction without
necessitating the use of condensation chambers of very large dimensions or long
passages of expensive construction as heretofore employed. The present appara-
tus serves to guide the sulphurous vapours in the most advantageous manner
by means of a particular arrangement of the admission pipes and exit pipes
into the condensing chambers which in this case aro of circular or polygonal
form in horizontal cross section. The arrangement consists in that the admis-
sion pipe is placed at the side wall of each chamber in a tangential direction,
whilst the exit pipe is placed at the centre of the top wall or ceiling of the
chamber. It is obvious that the admission of the vapours may take place
through the outlet duct and the exit of the vapours through the inlet duct.
The result of the new arrangement is that the path which the vapours have
to travel in order to reach a determined chamber, is very long. A very ener-
getic movement takes place between the molecules of the gases. This move-
ment and the centrifugal force produced by the gyratory movement resulting
from the tangential position of the inlet duct, produce a more intimate mixture
of the vapours, whilst an acceleration of the reactions is likewise produced by
reason of the fact that the vapours on their entrance into a condensing chamber,
thut is to say at their highest temperature, come in contact with the cooling
wall of the chamber.
Sprinkling towers may also be interposed between the various condensation
chambers according to the present invention.
Dated thin Orth Ant Junust 1000
Improvements in Condensation Chambers for the Manufacture of
Sulphuric Acid.
I, Dr. THEODOR MEYER, of 10, Wederstrasse, Harburg a/Elbe, Prussia,
Germany, Doctor of Sciences, do hereby declare the nature of this invention
Drine R71

page_text: and in what manner the same is to be performed, to be particularly described
and ascertained in and by the following statement :—
The condensation chambers usually employed in the manufacture of sulphuric
acid are objectionable in that the gases or vapoura to be condensed are forced
to pass through said chambers on the shortest way, the speed of said gases or
vapours being nearly in proportion to the cross-section of the chambers. The
movement of the gases or vapours through the chambers is rectilinear and
but slightly modified by the cooling action of the walls, so that said gases or
vapours will enter in combination and produce acid at the passage from one
chamber into the adjacent one. By this fact, the space required for the con-
densing chambers of the sulphurous vapors will be unduly large.
It has been tried to overcome these objections in providing partitions or
towers within the condensing chambers which were thus divided into a plurality
of smaller chambers and in employing long conduits or similar means for
causing the vapours to continue their travel to obtain a more perfect mixture of
the gases and a more ready reaction.
But such means have not produced the desired result, or have been very
expensive, and still to-day two or four elongated condensing chambers, rectan-
gular in cross section, are commonly used in the manufacture of sulphuric-acid.
This invention relates to a novel construction in such condensing chambers,
the object being to force the sulphurous vapours to travel in the most con-
venient way, which result I attain by a peculiar arrangement of the inlet and
outlet pipes of said chambers, which in this instance, are circular or polygonal
form in horizontal cross-section.
In the accompanying drawings, diagrammatically illustrating my inven-
tion:-
Figure 1 shows an elevation of a plurality of condensing chambers, and
Figure 2 shows a plan view of same.
The arrangement consists in placing the inlet pipe a tangentially on the side
of the chambers, the outlet pipe 6 leading from the top of each chamber. Thus
the outlet pipe of one chaniber will become the inlet pipe of the adjacent one,
and it will be obvious that the gases or vapours may be introduced through
outlet pipe 6 and expelled through inlet pipe a or vice versa.
This improved arrangement results in a spiral movement of the vapours, and,
when the latter are introduced through inlet-pipe a, such movement will be
gradually checked towards the centre of the chamber to be finally transformed
into an upward movement.
Furthermore the travel of the vapours is highly increased whereby a greater
animation among the molecules of the gases will be produced, and said anima-
tion and rotation produce a more perfect mixture of the vapours. The produc-
tion of acid will be further promoted by the fact that the vapours, as they enter
a condensing chamber, are thrown into frictional contact with the cooling walls
of said chamber.
1
The afore-going arrangement may be very advantageously applied to lead-
chambers which are circular in cross-section.
1
It will be obvious that the parts may be arranged in a different way, with-
out departing from the scope of this invention.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said in-
vention and in what manner the same is to be performed, I declare that what
I claim is:-
(1) In a system of condensation chambers for manufacturing sulphuric acid,
the arrangement of the inlet and outlet pipes of the vapours tangentially on
the side wall and on the top of the chambers respectively, substantially as and
for the purpose set forth.
(2) In a system of condensation chambers for manufacturing sulphuric acid,

page_text: the combination with a series of chambers which are circular or polygonal"
in cross-section, of the vapour inlet pipes tangentially arranged on the side-wall
of said chambers, and the outlet-pipe, leading from the top of the chambers,
substantially as and for the purpose set forth.
Deted this 16th day of February 1800
ROBERT E. PHILLIPS, Assoc. M. Inst. C.E., M. I. Mech. E.,
Chartered Patent Agent,
70, Chancery Lane, London, W.C., Associate Agent.