An Improvement in Apparatus for Concentrating Sulphuric Acid.
Year: 1891

page_text: Date of Application, 9th Feb., 1891
Complete Specification Left, 5th May, 1891-Accepted, 6th June, 1891
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
An Improvement in Apparatus for Concentrating Sulphuric Acid.
I, THOMAS GEORGE WEBB of Varley Street, Manchester in the County of
Lancaster, Glass Manufacturer, do hereby declare the nature of this invention to
be as follows:-
-
My invention relates to apparatus for concentrating sulphuric acid, constructed
and arranged in a simple, durable and inexpensive manner, all parts of it being
readily accessible for repairs or other purposes.
I construct a furnace chamber in the form of a long rectangle in plan with
a middle wall having its top made in steps from its greatest height at the one
end of the chamber down to a lower level at the other end. On each of those
steps I place a beaker or cylindrical glass vessel open at the top with a lip or
spout for overflow at one side, and in each of these vessels I place a glass tube
presenting a wide or funnel mouth to receive overflow from the vessel above,
and extending down to the bottom of the vessel with a slit or other outlet at
its lower end. I cover the furnace chamber by a sloping or stepped roof which
may be of iron plate or other refractory material through holes in which the
upper parts of the beakers project; and above the tops of the beakers I form a
roof of brickwork or slabs with outlets leading by preference to a chimney shaft.
In the lower part of the chamber I arrange a fire place or several of these to
be stoked from outside, and from the upper part of the chamber I lead flues
to the chimney. The apparatus is worked in the following manner. While the
hot products of combustion play upon the parts of the beakers below the iron
plate or roof heating them, weak sulphuric acid is supplied to the tube of the
highest beaker. It flows to the bottom causing overflow by the lip or spout
into the tube of the next lower beaker, and thus the acid flows from beaker to
beaker becoming more and more concentrated until it finally overflows from the
lowest of the series.
The vapour and fumes issuing from the open mouths of the beakers are carried
away by the outlets through the roof. By arranging the overflow from each
beaker to descend by a tube to the bottom of the next beaker in order, I ensure
that all portions of the liquid are exposed to the heat while they reascend to over-
flow again. If the dilute acid simply overflowed from one beaker to the next
without being forced to descend, it would, owing to its comparative lightness be apt
to overflow from each beaker after merely passing across the upper part of the
beaker, whereas, when it is conducted down to the bottom, it displaces a portion of
the liquid above it causing overflow of that which has already been heated during
its ascent from the bottom of the beaker to the overflow.
Dated this 9th day of February 1891
ABEL & IMRAY,
Agents for the Applicant.
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
An Improvement in Apparatus for Concentrating Sulphuric Acid.
I, THOMAS GEORGE WEBB, of Varley Street, Manchester, in the County of
Lancaster, Glass Manufacturer, 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 :-
My invention relates to apparatus for concentrating sulphuric acid constructed
and arranged in a simple, durable and inexpensive manner, all parts of it being
077

page_text: accompanying drawings.
Fig. 1 is a longitudinal section of the furnace chambers and concentrating
vessels.
Figs. 2 and 3 are sectional plans on the lines 2-2 and 3-3 of Fig. 1
respectively.
Figs. 4 and 5 are transverse sections on the lines 4-4 and 5-5 of Fig. 1
respectively.
A long rectangular furnace chamber is arranged with two fires A and B from
which the hot products of combustion pass into chambers C and D behind a
wall E.
The space in front of the wall E is covered by slabs F arranged in steps and or
each step is placed a deep cylindrical glass vessel G formed with a projecting lip
forming an overflow spout at its upper edge. In each of these vessels is loosely
placed at an angle a tapered glass tube reaching down to its bottom from the spout
of the next higher vessel the lower end of this tube having an outlet slit along its
side. Around the vessels G near to their upper edges is formed a floor H which
may be of iron plate made sloping as shewn, or it might be made in steps corre-
sponding with the slabs F.
Passages K are made for the hot products of combustion from the chambers C
and D into the space under the floor H occupied by the vessels G, and passages L
are made from that space for the products of combustion to the back chamber
whence a flue M leads to a chimney. Above the tops of the vessels G there is a
roof N, and from the space under it pipes O serve to carry off fumes. At the
upper end of the slope is a tank P containing the weak acid that has to be concen-
trated, and at the lower end of the slope is a tank Q to receive the concentrated
acid. Hot products of combustion from the chamber C circulate under the tank P
and descend a flue R leading to a chimney.
Weak
The apparatus is worked in the following manner. The hot products of
combustion from the fires A and B pass into the chambers C and D and
issuing thence by the passages K circulate around the vessels G heating them,
and finally flow away by the passages L to the chimney flue M.
sulphuric acid supplied from the tank P where it is somewhat heated flows into
the taper tube of the highest vessel G and is conducted by the tube to the
bottom of the vessel, causing overflow by the spout of the vessel into the taper
tube of the next lower vessel, and thus the acid flows from vessel to vessel
becoming more and more concentrated until finally it overflows from the lowest of
the vessels into the receiving tank Q. The vapour and fumes evolved pass away
by the pipes O.
By arranging the overflow from each of the vessels G to descend by a tube to the
bottom of the next vessel, I ensure that all portions of the liquid are subjected to
heating while they reascend to overflow again. If the weak acid simply overflowed
from one vessel to the next without being forced to descend, it would, owing to its
comparative lightness, be apt to flow merely across the upper part of the vessel,
whereas by conducting it down to the bottom it displaces a portion of the liquid
above it causing overflow of that which has been heated while ascending from the
bottom.
The numbers and dimensions of the vessels G may obviously be varied, and a
single fire or more than two fires or gas burners might be used for heating them,
these appliances being arranged in any convenient manner to give an approximately
uniform heat throughout the chamber containing the vessels G, without any
openings which might allow cold air to strike against the glass.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of this inven-
tion and in what manner the same is to be performed, I declare that what I
claim is
For concentrating sulphuric acid, a series of glass vessels placed on steps in a

page_text: heating chamber, each of these vessels being made with an overflow spout and
having placed in it a glass tube reaching down to its bottom from the spout of the
next higher vessel, arranged and operating substantially as herein described.
Dated this 5th day of May 1891.
ABEL & IMRAY,
Agents for the Applicant.