Improvements in Apparatus for Obtaining Cyanides from Gases.
Year: 1895

page_text: Date of Application, 12th Aug., 1895
Complete Specification Left, 29th Nov., 1895-Accepted, 4th Jan.,
1896
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Apparatus for Obtaining Cyanides from Gases.
We, WILLIAM FOULIS of 45 John Street, Glasgow, in the County of Lanark
Civil Engineer and PERCY FREDERICK HOLMES of Turnbridge Iron Works,
Huddersfield in the County of York, Engineer, do hereby declare the nature of
this invention to be as follows
-
Our invention has for its object to provide apparatus especially adapted for use
in the process for obtaining cyanides from gases which is the subject of Letters
Patent No. 9474 dated 18th May 1892 granted to one of us, viz. the said William
Foulis. According to the present invention the apparatus consists of neutralizing
tanks in which ion liquors are prepared and from which they are withdrawn by
pipes which dip down into the said tanks preferably at a portion of the bottoms
thereof which is at a lower level than the rest of the bottoms of the tank or tanks.
The tanks for this purpose may have sloping bottoms. They are constructed of,
or lined with, acid proof material such as fire bricks cemented with pitch. These
pipes are connected to an apparatus such as a steam lifter for example which
effects the withdrawal of the neutralized iron liquor from the neutralizing tanks
and discharges it into a storage tank from which it is drawn as required into
precipitation tanks and is there mixed with alkaline carbonate so that caibonate of
iron is produced, which falls to the bottom of the tanks. The supernatant liquid
is drawn off which may be effected by means of jointed outlet pipes which follow
the liquid as it descends in the tanks. The alkali is then added with a sufficiency
of water to the carbonate of iron in the tanks, the liquors being preferably heated
to facilitate the process. This may be conveniently done by a steam coil or by
steam blown directly into the liquid. Pipes dip down to near the bottoms of the
tanks and are in connection with a steam lifter or equivalent device by which the
contents of the tanks are withdrawn therefrom and delivered into a mixing chamber
in which are stirrers preferably consisting of paddles on a rotating shaft. The
liquid with the carbonate of iron in suspension passes from the mixing chamber
into scrubbers which are preferably of the horizontal rotary kind those known as
"W. C. Holines's Patent" being suitable if altered so as to bring the rotating
part close to the lower part of the outer case and also by fixing blades or paddles
to the circumference of the rotating part. This is desirable whatever form of
scrubber be adopted. The gas from which the ammonia has been removed and
from which the cyanides are to be separated is passed through the said scrubbers.
The liquid from the scrubbers, which liquid contains the cyanides removed from
the gas, in the form of ferio-cyanide, is run, or pumped, into a tank from which it
is by preference pumped into a settling tank, or tower, and thence into evaporating
pans preferably arranged in duplicate, one pau being over the flue and the other
directly over the fire the thin liquor being passed into the latter, and the thicker
liquor into the former which is subjected to a lower temperature. The cake
obtained can then be treated as described in the aforesaid Specification.
The several tanks, chambers, scrubbers, cisterns, towers, and pans, may be
arranged singly, or in any suitable number, as may be desired.
Aus 1805
JOHNSONS & WILLCOX,
47 Lincoln's Inn Fields, London, W.C., Agents for the Applicants.

page_text: Improvements in Apparatus for Obtaining Cyanides from Gases.
We WILLIAM FOULIS of 45 John Street Glasgow in the County of Lanark
Civil Engineer and PERCY FREDERICK HOLMES of Turnbridge Iron Works
Huddersfield in the County of York Engineer 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 :-
Our invention has for its object to provide apparatus especially adapted for use
in the process for obtaining cyanides from gases which is the subject of Letters
Patent No. 9474 dated 18 May 1892, granted to one of us, viz., the said William
Foulis.
We will describe our invention with reference to the accompanying drawings.
Figure 1 is a side elevation and Figure 2 is a plan (both being partly in section)
of apparatus constructed, or arranged, according to our invention.
According to this invention the apparatus consists of neutralizing tank or
tanks A, in which iron liquor is prepared (for example by dissolving iron scrap in
hydrochloric acid) and from which the said liquor is withdrawn by pipes a, which
dip down into the said tanks, preferably at a portion of the bottoms thereof which
is at a lower level than the rest of the bottoms of the tanks. The tanks for this
purpose may have sloping bottoms as shewn. They are constructed of, or lined
with, acid proof material, such as fire bricks, cemented with pitch. These pipes a
are connected to an apparatus (indicated at a³) such as a steam lifter, for example,
which effect the withdrawal of the iron liquor from the neutralizing tanks A, and
discharges it into a storage tank B, from which it is drawn as required by the
pipes b, into precipitation tanks C, and is there mixed with alkaline carbonate (for
example carbonate of soda) so that carbonate of iron is produced, which falls to
the bottom of the tanks C. The supernatant liquid is drawn off, which may be
effected by means of jointed outlet pipes c, which follow the liquid as it descends
in the tanks C. The alkali is then added with a sufficiency of water to the
carbonate of iron in the tanks C, the liquor being preferably heated by any
suitable means to facilitate the process. This may be conveniently done by a
steam coil, or by steam blown directly into the liquor. Pipes c2 dip down to near the
bottoms of the tanks C, and are in connection with a steam lifter c³. or equivalent
device, by which the contents of the tanks C, are withdrawn therefrom, and
delivered into a mixing chamber D, in which are stirrers preferably consisting of
paddles, on a rotating shaft. The liquor, with the carbonate of iron in suspension,
passes from the mixing chamber D, by pipes d, into scrubbers E, which are
preferably of the horizontal rotary kind; those known as "W. C. Holmes's
Patent being suitable if altered so as to bring the rotating part close to the
lower part of the outer case, and also by fixing blades, or paddles, to the circum-
ference of the rotating part. This is desirable whatever form of scrubber be
adopted. The rotating parts, in the scrubbers, and in the mixing chamber, may
be driven, through any suitable gear, from any suitable motor, such, for instance,
as a steam engine placed between the scrubbers as indicated in the drawings. The
gas, from which the ammonia has been removed, and from which the cyanides are
to be separated, is passed through the said scrubbers, by the pipes e, it passing
from the said scrubbers by the pipe e². The liquor from the scrubbers E, which
liquo contains the cyanides removed from the gas, in the form of ferro-cyanide, is
pumped, or run, by the pipe ed, into a tank F, from which it may be pumped by
the lifter f, through the pipe f2, into a settling tank, or tower, G, and thence is
passed, by the pipes g into evaporating pans H H2 preferably arranged in
duplicate, one pan (H2) of each pair being over the flue and the other pan (H)
being directly over the fire, the thin liquor being passed into the latter (the
"

page_text: pans H) by the pipes g g² (by opening one or other of the upper valves 9') and
the thicker liquor by the pipes 9 y³ (by opening oue or other of the lower
valves g) into the former (the pans H³) which are subjected to a lower
temperature, or the liquor may be pumped directly from the tank F into the
pans H and there evaporated to a certain extent, after which it is run into the
pans H and therein the liquor is completely evaporated therefrom. The cake
obtained can then be treated as described in the aforesaid Specification.
The several tanks, chambers, scrubbers, cisterns, towers, and pans, may be arranged
singly, or in any suitable number, as may be desired.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of our inven-
tion, and in what manner the same is to be performed, we declare that what we
claim is:
1. The combination of vessels for preparing alkaline solution with carbonate
of iron in suspension, a mixer, or stirrer, or mixers, or stirrers, a scrubber, or
scrubbers, and incans for passing gas therethrough, and for drawing the liquor
therefrom, and an evaporating pan, or evaporating pans, all arranged, and combined,
substantially as hereiubefore explained.
2. The arrangement and combination of parts constituting apparatus, for
obtaining cyanides from gases, substantially as hereinbefore described and
illustrated in the accompanying drawings.
Dated this 29th day of November 1895.
JOHNSONS & WILLCOX,
47 Lincoln's Inn Fields, London, W.C., Agents.