Year: 1877

page_text: We, the Company carrying on business as KIRKHAM HULETT and CHANDLER
Limited, of Palace Chambers, Bridge Street, Westminster, seek leave to amend the
Specification and Drawings of Letters Patent No 4928 of 1877 as shewn in red
ink in the copy of the original Specification hereunto annexed and marked with
the letter A.
Our reasons for making this amendment are as follows:-
The Specification describes and claims more than, having regard to the state of
knowledge at the date of the Patent, the Patentees were entitled to claim as their
invention. The description and drawings also require slight corrections to be
made in order that the invention may be more clearly explained.
Deted the 15th February 18es

page_text: H. READER LACK,
Comptroller General.

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Thomas Nesham Kirkham of Abingdon St Westminster
David Hulett of High Holborn Middlesex Samuel Chandler Senior and
Samuel Chandler Jun of Newington Causeway Surrey for an Invention of
"IMPROVEMENTS IN APPARATUS FOR CONDENSING WASHING AND PURIFYING
GAS AND OTHER VAPOURS
,,
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Thomas Nesham Kirkham,
David Hulett, Samuel Chandler, Senior, and Samuel Chandler, Jun', at the
Office of the Commissioners of Patents on the 29th December 1877.
THOMAS NESHAM KIRKHAM of Abingdon St Westminster, DAVID HULETT of
High Holborn Middlesex SAMUEL CHANDLER Senior and SAMUEL CHANDLER
Jun of Newington Causeway Surrey " IMPROVEMENTS IN APPARATUS FOR
CONDENSING, WASHING AND PURIFYING GAS AND OTHER VAPOURS
"
Our invention relates to the condensing washing and purification of gas and other
vapours and consists of certain improvements in the construction and arrangement
of apparatus described in the Specification of Letters Patent granted to Thomas
Nesham Kirkham, David Hulett, Samuel Chandler Senior and Josiah Chandler
dated the 10th day of May 1877. N° 1814 which apparatus consists of one or
more clusters of plates each composed of a number of circular plates or discs of iron
or other suitable material arranged side by side at a short distance apart to admit
of the passage of the gas between them. These clusters of plates when more than
one cluster are employed in the same apparatus are mounted upon separate shafts
or axles arranged behind and parallel with each other in a vessel containing water
or other suitable liquid in which they are caused to rotate in order to maintain them
in a wet condition whilst the gas to be acted upon is introduced into and passed
through the vessel in a direction at a right angle (or nearly so) to the axis or axes
of the cluster or clusters of plates and is caused to impinge against the surfaces of
the discs whereby it is condensed and purified.
According to our present invention we arrange in a cluster a number of annular
plates of metal or other suitable material rivetted or otherwise connected together
and to a circular plate or disc in such a manner as to leave spaces between the
plates to admit of the passage of the gas as described in the Specification herein-
before referred to.
These clusters of annular plates (any desired number of which clusters may be
nounted upon one and the same shaft) are partially immersed and caused to rotate
(by any suitable means) in water or other suitable liquid contained in a vessel in
order to maintain the whole of the surfaces of the plates in a wet and cool condition.
This vessel is divided by means of partitions into a series of chambers the number
of which correspond with the number of clusters of plates employed and are so
arranged that each cluster shall rotate in a separate chamber.
The gas or other vapour to be acted upon (and which is introduced into the vessel
at one end thereof in a direction parallel with the axes of the plates) enters the first
chamber of the series and passes thence either round the inner edges or round the

page_text: peripheries of, and between the annular plates of the cluster contained therein into
the second chamber of the series; it then travels in like manner between the
annular plates of the cluster contained in the said second chamber into the next or
third chamber and so on in succession through the whole of the chamber and
finally escapes through an outlet provided at the opposite end of the vessel to that
at which it entered to be further treated if required. The gas in its course through
the vessel is thus caused to travel in a zig-zag or circuitous direction over and in
contact with a large extent of surface which by being maintained wet and cool
abstracts the heat from and condenses the said gas whilst the impurities contained
therein are deposited in the liquid contained in the vessel from which they may be
discharged as required through suitable openings provided for the purpose.

page_text: SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent filed by
the said Thomas Nesham Kirkham, David Hulett, Samuel Chandler, Senior,
and Samuel Chandler, Jun', in the Great Seal Patent Office on the 18th May
1878.
THOMAS NESHAM KIRKHAM of Abingdon St Westminster-DAVID HULETT of
High Holborn Middlesex-SAMUEL CHANDLER Sen' and SAMUEL CHANDLER Jun
of Newington Causeway Surrey IMPROVEMENTS IN APPARATUS FOR CONDENSING,
WASHING AND PURIFYING GAS AND OTHER VAPOURS.
Our said invention relates more particularly to the condensing, washing and
absorbing of impurities from Coal Gas, but is equally applicable to the treatment of
other gases and vapours such (for example) as the condensing and absorbing of
ammonia, sulphurous acid gas and hydrochloric acid gas, and has reference to
certain improvements in or upon apparatus for which Letters Patent were granted
to Thomas Nesham Kirkham David Hulett Samuel Chandler Sen and Josiah
Chandler dated the 10th day of May 1877 No 1814 in which special reference
is made to the patent of February 1 granted in the same year 1877 and
numbered 422.
Our present invention consists of a simple and compact arrangement of apparatus
containing a number of annular plates (or perforated dises of any desired shape) of
metal or other suitable material arranged in two or more clusters upon one and the
same shaft (instead of employing clusters of solid discs mounted upon separate
shafts as described and illustrated in the specification to Letters Patent herein-
before referred to) and caused to rotate in water or other suitable liquid or solutions
for the purpose of maintaining them in a wet condition. The gases or other
vapours to be treated in their passage through the apparatus are caused to travel
over and impinge against the surfaces of these annular plates or perforated dises
whereby the condensation and absorption or purification of the said gases or vapours
is more rapidly effected in a minimum amount of space than heretofore.
And in order that our said invention may be clearly understood we shall now
proceed more particularly to describe the same and for that purpose shall refer to
the accompanying sheet of drawings Fig 1 of which represents a longitudinal
section of an apparatus constructed according to our said invention and Fig 2 is a
transverse section of the same taken along the line 1-2 in Fig 1.
A is a cast iron vessel which may be made of any desired size and shape divided
by means of partitions D, D1, D2, D3, D4, D, Dº, D' and so on into any desired number
of chambers according to the length of the vessel, seven being shewn in our
drawings numbered respectively 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7. These chambers which commu-
nicate with each other through openings E¹, E³, E³, E4, E, E, in the centres of the
partitions contain water or other suitable liquid or solutions for effecting the
purification of the gas or absorption of gases as may be required, which liquid is
admitted into the interior of the vessel A through the supply pipe F and flows
thence through the said openings into the several chambers 7, 6, 5, 4, 3, 2, 1.
The level of the liquid in the chambers is made to gradually decrease in height
from chamber 7 to chamber 1 as described in the specification of our said former
patent of February 1 1877 to which the specification of our above mentioned

page_text: patent of May 10th 1877 refers, the height thereof being regulated as required by
means of plates G secured to the partitions D1, D³, D³, D¹, D³, D6, D7 so as to cover
more or less the openings in the said partitions.
Through the centre of the vessel A and through stuffing boxes H, H¹, in the
ends I, I, is passed a horizontal shaft K, upon which shaft at a short distance from
the partitions are keyed a number of discs L, L1, L2, L³, L, L, L' corresponding with
the number of chambers contained in the vessel; a similar number of perforated
plates or bosses M, M', M2, M3, M4, M5, M6, being also keyed upon the shaft K so as to
bear at their peripheries N against their adjacent partitions. Between each of the
discs L and the bosses M. are arranged in clusters any desired number of annular er
perforated plates O of thin metal or other suitable material which are connected
together and to the said discs and bosses by bolts P, distance pieces or washers Q
being interposed between the several annular plates in order to inaintain them at a
short distance apart to admit of the passage between them of the gases or other
vapours to be treated as hereinafter described. These clusters of annular or
perforated plates which are so arranged upon the shaft K as that each of the
chambers shall contain one of such clusters are caused to rotate in the liquid
contained in the said chambers by means of a driving strap gearing or otherwise
from any suitable prime mover.
The gases or other vapours to be treated which are admitted into the vessel A
through the pipe R enter the first chamber of the series through the opening in the
partition D whence they pass up between and over the edges or outer peripheries
of the cluster of annular plates O contained therein thence through the opening El
in the next partition D' and the perforations in the boss M¹ into the chamber 2
they then travel up between and over the edges or outer peripheries of the cluster
of annular plates contained in the said second chamber and through the opening E
in the partition D2 and the perforations in the boss M² into the next chamber 3 and
so on in succession through the other chambers 4, 5, 6 and 7 to the opposite end of the
vessel and finally escape therefrom through the outlet pipe S.
It will thus be seen that the gases or other vapours in their passage through
the apparatus are caused to travel in a zig-zag or circuitous direction as indicated
by the arrows in Fig 1 over and in contact with the surfaces of the annular plates
or perforated dises O which plates by being caused to rotate in liquid in the
manner hereinbefore described thoroughly saturate the said gases or vapours and
effects their condensation whilst the impurities contained therein are absorbed or
taken up by the said liquid or solutions which thus become rich with ammonia
and other valuable properties and may be discharged from the chambers as required
through the cocks or valves T
If desired the direction in which the gases or vapours are caused to travel over
the annular plates may be reversed that is to say in lieu of causing them to enter
at the centre of the plates and pass between them towards their outer peripheries
as hereinbefore described they may be made to enter at their outer peripheries and
pass out at their centres into the next chambers. This may be effected either by
transposing the positions upon the shaft K of the discs L and the bosses M (the
latter being still made to bear against their respective adjacent partitions) or by
admitting the gases into the vessel A through the pipe S and causing them to
travel in the reverse direction to that indicated by the arrows in Fig 1 to the
opposite end of the vessel and pass out through the pipe R. In this latter case the
level of the liquid in the chambers should decrease in height from chamber 1 to
chamber 7.
Having now described the nature of our said invention and the mode of carrying
the same out in practise we wish it to be understood that what we claim as our
invention is
First The application to and use in apparatus for condensing absorbing or
washing and purifying gases and other vapours of a number of annular plates or
perforated dises of metal or other suitable material maintained in a wet condition
against the surfaces of which plàtes the gases or other vapours to be treated are

page_text: caused to impinge in their passage through the apparatus substantially as and for
the purpose herein before described and illustrated by our drawings.
Secondly-The combination in apparatus for condensing washing or absorbing
and purifying gases and other vapours of two or more clusters of annular plates or
perforated-dises of metal or other suitable material mounted upon one and the same
shaft each cluster being caused to rotate in a separate chamber containing liquid or
solutions substantially in the manner and for the purpose hereinbefore described
and illustrated by our drawings
Thirdly The general construction arrangement and combination of apparatus
for condensing absorbing or washing and purifying gases and other vapours sub-
stantially as hereinbefore described and illustrated by our drawings.
In witness whereof we the said Thomas Nesham Kirkham David Hulett
Samuel Chandler Sen and Samuel Chandler Jun have to this our Specification
set our hands and seals the fifteenth day of April One Thousand Eight Hundred
and Seventy Eight.
T N KIRKHAM
D HULETT
(LS.)
(LS.)
SAMUEL CHANDLER SEN³ (LS.)
SAM CHANDLER JUNR
(L.S.)

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Thomas Neshain Kirkham, of Abingdon St., Westminster,
David Hulett, of High Holborn, Middlesex, Samuel Chandler, senior, and
Samuel Chandler, junt, of Newington Causeway, Surrey, for the Invention of
"IMPROVEMENTS IN APPARATUS FOR CONDENSING, WASHING, AND PURIFYING
GAS AND OTHER VAPOURS."
Sealed the 28th February 1878, and dated the 29th December 1877.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Thomas Nesham Kirkham,
David Hulett, Samuel Chandler, and Samuel Chandler at the Office of the
Commissioners of Patents on the 29th December 1877.
THOMAS NESHAM Kirkham, of Abingdon St., Westminster, DAVID HULETT, of
High Holborn, Middlesex, SAMUEL CHANDLER, senior, and SAMUEL CHANDLER,
jun, of Newington Causeway, Surrey. "IMPROVEMENTS IN APPARATUS FOR
CONDENSING, WASHING, AND PURIFYING GAS AND OTHER VAPOURS."
Our Invention relates to the condensing, washing, and purification of gas and other
vapours, and consists of certain improvements in the construction and arrangement
of apparatus described in the Specification of Letters Patent granted to Thomas
Nesham Kirkham, David Hulett, Samuel Chandler, senior, and Josiah Chandler,
dated the 10th day of May 1877, No. 1814, which apparatus consists of one or
more clusters of plates, each composed of a number of circular plates or discs of iron
or other suitable material, arranged side by side at a short distance apart to admit
of the passage of the gas between them.
These clusters of plates, when inore than one cluster are employed in the same
apparatus, are mounted upon separate shafts or axles arranged behind and parallel
with each other in a vessel containing water or other suitable liquid in which they
are caused to rotate, in order to maintain them in a wet condition whilst the gas
to be acted upon is introduced into and passed through the vessel in a direction at
a right angle (or nearly so) to the axis or axes of the cluster or clusters of plates,
and is caused to impinge against the surfaces of the discs, whereby it is condensed
and purified.

page_text: According to our present Invention we arrange in a cluster a number of annular
plates of metal or other suitable material, rivetted or otherwise connected together,
and to a circular plate or disc in such a manner as to leave spaces between the
plates to admit of the passage of the gas as described in the Specification herein-
before referred to.
These clusters of annular plates (any desired number of which clusters may be
mounted upon one and the same shaft) are partially immersed and caused to rotate
(by any suitable means) in water or other suitable liquid contained in a vessel, in
order to maintain the whole of the surfaces of the plates in a wet and cool condition.
This vessel is divided by means of partitions into a series of chambers, the number
of which correspond with the number of clusters of plates employed, and are so
arranged that each cluster shall rotate in a separate chamber.
The gas or other vapour to be acted upon (and which is introduced into the vessel
at one end thereof in a direction parallel with the axes of the plates) enters the first
chamber of the series, and passes thence either round the inner edges or round the
peripheries of and between the annular plates of the cluster contained therein into
the second chamber of the series; it then travels in like manner between the
annular plates of the cluster contained in the said second chamber into the next or
third chamber, and so on in succession through the whole of the chamber, and
finally escapes through an outlet provided at the opposite end of the vessel to that
at which it entered, to be further treated if required. The gas in its course through
the vessel is thus caused to travel in a zig-zag or circuitous direction over and in
contact with a large extent of surface, which by being maintained wet and cool
abstracts the heat from and condenses the said gas whilst the impurities contained
therein are deposited in the liquid contained in the vessel, from which they may be
discharged as required through suitable openings provided for the purpose.

page_text: SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent filed by
the said Thomas Nesham Kirkham, David Hulett, Samuel Chandler, and
Samuel Chandler in the Great Seal Patent Office on the 18th May 1878.
THOMAS NESHAM KIRKHAM, of Abingdon St., Westminster, DAVID HULETT, of
High Holborn, Middlesex, SAMUEL CHANDLER, sen., and SAMUEL CHANDLER, jun™.,
of Newington Causeway, Surrey, "IMPROVEMENTS IN APPARATUS FOR CONDENSING,
WASHING, AND PURIFYING GAS AND OTHER VAPOURS."
Our said Invention relates more particularly to the condensing, washing, and
absorbing impurities from coal gas, but is equally applicable to the treatment of
other gases and vapours, such (for example) as the condensing and absorbing of
ammonia, sulphurous acid gas, and hydrochloric acid gas, and has reference to
certain improvements in or upon apparatus for which Letters Patent were granted
to Thomas Nesham Kirkham, David Hulett, Samuel Chandler, sen., and Josiah
Chandler, dated the 10th day of May 1877, No. 1814.
Our present Invention consists of a simple and compact arrangement of apparatus
containing a number of annular plates (or perforated discs of any desired shape) of
metal or other suitable material arranged in two or more clusters upon one and the
same shaft (instead of employing clusters of solid discs mounted upon separate
shafts, as described and illustrated in the Specification to Letters Patent herein-
before referred to), and caused to rotate in water or other suitable liquid or solutions
for the purpose of maintaining them in a wet condition.
The gases or other vapours to be treated in their passage through the apparatus
are caused to travel over and impinge against the surfaces of these annular plates
or perforated discs, whereby the condensation and absorbtion or purification of the
said gases or vapours is more rapidly effected in a minimum amount of space than
heretofore.
And in order that our said Invention may be clearly understood we shall now
proceed more particularly to describe the same, and for that purpose shall refer to
the accompanying Sheet of Drawings,-
Fig. 1 of which represents a longitudinal section of an apparatus constructed
according to our said Invention, and Fig. 2 is a transverse section of the same taken
along the line 1-2, in Fig 1.
A is a cast-iron vessel, which may be made of any desired size and shape, divided
by means of partitions D, D', D2, D3, D4, D5, Dº, D', and so on into any desired number
of chambers, according to the length of the vessel, seven being shewn in our
Drawings, numbered respectively 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7. These chambers which communi-
cate with each other through openings E', E2, E³, E*, E³, Eº, in the centres of the
partitions, contain water or other suitable liquid or solutions for effecting the
purification of the gas or absorbtion of gases, as may be required, which liquid is
admitted into the interior of the vessel A through the supply pipe F, and flows
thence through the said openings into the several chambers 7, 6, 5, 4, 3, 2, 1.
The level of the liquid in the chambers gradually decrease in height from
chamber 7 to chamber 1, the height thereof being regulated as required by means of
plates G, secured to the partitions D1, D2, D3, D³, D³, D, D7, so as to cover more or
less the openings in the said partitions.
Through the centre of the vessel A and through stuffing boxes H, H¹, in the
ends I, I, is passed a horizontal shaft K, upon which shaft at a short distance from
the partitions are keyed a number of discs L, L, L, L, L, L, Lo, corresponding with
the number of chambers contained in the vessel, a similar number of perforated
plates or bosses M, M³, M, M³, M, M³, M, being also keyed upon the shaft K so as to
bear at their peripheries N against their adjacent partitions. Between each of the
discs L and the bosses M are arranged in clusters any desired number of annular or

page_text: t
perforated plates O of thin metal or other suitable material, which are connected
together, and to the said discs and bosses by bolts P, distance pieces or washers Q
being interposed between the several annular plates, in order to maintain them at a
short distance apart to admit of the passage between them of the gases or other
vapours to be treated as herein-after described.
These clusters of annular or perforated plates, which are so arranged upon the
shaft K as that each of the chambers shall contain one of such clusters, are caused
to rotate in the liquid contained in the said chambers by means of a driving strap,
gearing, or otherwise from any suitable prime mover.
The gases or other vapours to be treated, which are admitted into the vessel A
through the pipe R, enter the first chamber of the series through the opening in the
partition D, whence they pass up between and over the edges or outer peripheries
of the cluster of annular plates Ô contained therein, thence through the opening E¹
in the next partition D', and the perforations in the boss M' into the chamber 2,
they then travel up between and over the edges or outer peripheries of the cluster
of annular plates contained in the said second chamber, and through the opening E²
in the partition D³, and the perforations in the boss M² into the next chamber 3, and
so on in succession through the other chambers 4, 5, 6, and 7, to the opposite end of the
vessel, and finally escape therefrom through the outlet pipe S. It will thus be seen
that the gases or other vapours in their passage through the apparatus are caused
to travel in a zig-zag or circuitous direction, as indicated by the arrows in Fig. 1,
over and in contact with the surfaces of the annular plates or perforated discs O,
which plates by being caused to rotate in liquid in the manner herein-before
described thoroughly saturate the said gases or vapours and effects their condensation
whilst the impurities contained therein are absorbed or taken up by the said liquid
or solutions, which thus become rich with ammonia and other valuable properties,
and may be discharged from the chambers as required through the cocks or
valves T.
If desired the direction in which the gases or vapours are caused to travel over
the annular plates may be reversed, that is to say, in lieu of causing them to enter
at the centre of the plates and pass between them towards their outer peripheries,
as herein-before described, they may be made to enter at their outer peripheries and
pass out at their centres into the next chambers. This may be effected either by
transposing the positions upon the shaft K of the discs Land the bosses M (the
latter being still made to bear against their respective adjacent partitions), or by
admitting the gases into the vessel A through the pipe S, and causing them to
travel in the reverse direction to that indicated by the arrows in Fig. 1 to the
opposite end of the vessel and pass out through the pipe R. In this latter case the
level of the liquid in the chambers should decrease in height from chamber 1 to
chamber 7.
Having now described the nature of our said Invention and the mode of carrying
the same out in practise, we wish it to be understood that what we claim as our
Invention, is,―
First. The application to and use in apparatus for condensing, absorbing, or
washing and purifying gases and other vapours of a number of annular plates or
perforated discs of metal or other suitable material maintained in a wet condition,
against the surfaces of which plates the gases or other vapours to be treated are
caused to impinge in their passage through the apparatus, substantially as and for
the purpose herein-before described, and illustrated by our Drawings.
Secondly. The combination in apparatus for condensing, washing, or absorbing
and purifying gases and other vapours of two or more clusters of annular plates or
perforated discs of metal or other suitable material mounted upon one and the same
shaft, each cluster being caused to rotate in a separate chamber containing liquid or
solutions, substantially in the manner and for the purpose herein-before described,
and illustrated by our Drawings.
Thirdly. The general construction, arrangement, and combination of apparatus

page_text: for condensing, absorbing, or washing and purifying gases and other vapours, sub-
stantially as herein-before described, and illustrated by our Drawings.
In witness whereof, we, the said Thomas Nesham Kirkham, David Hulett,
Samuel Chandler, sen., and Samuel Chandler, jun', have to this our
Specification set our hands and seals, the Fifteenth day of April, One
thousand eight hundred and seventy-eight.
T. N. KIRKHAM.
D. HULETT.
(L.S.)
(L.S.)
SAMUEL CHANDLER, SENB. (L.S.)
SAM CHANDLER, JUNR. (LS.)