A NEW METHOD FOR THE SAVING OF NITRE IN THE MANU- AND APPARATUS THEREFOR A CONDE AP SHYPUMPIC ACI "
Year: 1874

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Thomas Scott, of the Glen, Cork, Ireland, for the
Invention of "A NEW METHOD FOR THE SAVING OF NITRE IN THE MANU-
AND APPARATUS THEREFOR
A CONDE AP SHYPUMPIC ACI
"
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Thomas Scott at the
Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on the
6th October 1874.
I, THOMAS SCOTT, of the Glen, Cork, Ireland, do hereby declare the
nature of the said Invention for "A NEW METHOD FOR THE SAVING OF NITRE
IN THE MANUFACTURE OF SULPHURIC ACID, AND APPARATUS THEREFOR," to be as
follows:-
This Invention relates to a special method of saving nitre from
sulphuric acid during the treatment of sulphur ore, whereby a constant
self-acting and complete recovery of the nitre is effected.

page_text: The apparatus by which my process is carried out, and which forms
also a speciality in my Invention, consists of a series of tanks, tubes,
and appliances arranged substantially in the manner hereafter described,
whereby the necessity of expensive towers and the working of them are
dispensed with, as also the usual pumping engine and its accessories.
Furnaces charged with sulphur ore hav tubes leading the sulphurous
gas into a receiver. One of the tubes also leads nitrous gas from one or
more nitrous ovens arranged between the sulphur fires and the tube.
The gases enter the receiver or chamber in a combined form, and mingle
with steam admitted to the chamber by a jet. The gases partly condense
in this chamber, and those that do not condense pass by a connecting
tube to another receiver or chamber, and thence on to a third one also
supplied with steam. The sulphurous gas is thus wholly condensed, but
the uncondensed nitrous gas is free to pass from the last chamber
through a tube containing coke in small pieces.
From either of the last-mentioned chambers or from both, by means of
a tube, I convey the acid to a leaden tank, which rests upon one of the
tubes first-mentioned. The tank is perforated at the bottom and is
supported by tiles covering flints with which the tube is wholly or partly
filled. The tiles are also perforated, so that as the acid passes through
them and through the flints it is acted upon by the hot sulphurous gas
passing through the tube from the furnaces, and is thereby concentrated
from about 110° to about 150° Twaddle. The acid thus concentrated
flows by a pipe into a separate tank resting upon a flue or tube leading
to the chimney. The last-named tank is perforated and is supported by
perforated tiles covering pieces of coke arranged within the flue tube.
The concentrated acid in passing through this coke in the flue tube
absorbs the nitrous gas escaping from the end receiver or chamber. The
acid thus charged passes by a pipe into a distinct tank, which rests upon
the other of the tubes first-mentioned, this tank also receiving a quantity
of weak acid from one of the chambers. The last-named tank is
perforated and contains perforated tiles covering pieces of flint with
which its supporting tube is wholly or partially filled. The acids in
their passage through the flints are acted upon by the hot gases
(sulphurous and nitrous) passing through the tube from the furnaces.
The hot gases liberate the nitrous gas and carry it into the first
receiver or chamber. The resulting acid passes from the tube into a
tank for manufacturing purposes or for sale.
{

page_text: The tubes are each preferably floored with perforated tiles, which may
be of pottery or of lead as desired, and the tanks instead of being per-
forated at the bottom may have pipes to communicate with the tubes.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent,
filed by the said Thomas Scott in the Great Seal Patent Office
on the 5th April 1875.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, THOMAS
SCOTT, of the Glen, Cork, Ireland, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her.
Letters Patent, bearing date the Sixth day of October, in the year
of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and seventy-four, in the
thirty-eighth year of Her reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and suc-
cessors, give and grant unto me, the said Thomas Scott, Her special
licence that I, the said Thomas Scott, my executors, administrators,
and assigns, or such others as I, the said Thomas Scott, my executors,
administrators, and assigns, should at any time agree with, and no
others, from time to time and 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 Isle of Man, an Invention for "A NEW METHOD FOR
THE SAVING OF NITRE IN THE MANUFACTURE OF SULPHURIC ACID, AND APPARATUS
THEREFOR," upon the condition (amongst others) that I, the said Thomas
Scott, my executors or administrators, by an instrument in writing
under my, or their, or one of their hands and scals, 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
immediately after the date of the said.Letters Patent.
NOW KNOW YE, that I, the said Thomas Scott, 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 thereof, that is to say :—
hic Invention. relates
to
special method of saving nitro funm
This Invention relates to a special method of saving uitre from

page_text: sulphuric acid during the treatment of sulphur or sulphur ore, whereby
a constant self-acting and complete recovery of a large quantity of nitre:
is effected.
The apparatus by which my process is carried out, and which forms
also a speciality in my Invention, consists of a series of tanks, tubes, and
appliances arranged substantially in the manner hereafter described,
whereby the necessity of expensive towers and the working of them are
dispensed with, as also the usual pumping engine and its accessories.
Furnaces charged with sulphur or sulphur ore have tubes for leading
the sulphurous gas into a receiver; one of the tubes also leads nitrous gas
from one or more nitre ovens arranged between the sulphur fires and the
tube. The gases enter the receiver, chamber, or tube in a combined form
and mingle with steam admitted to the chamber or tube by a jet. The
gases partly condense in this chamber or tube, and those that do not
condense pass by a connecting tube to another receiver, chamber, or tube,
and thence on to a third one also supplied with steam. The sulphurous
gas is thus wholly condensed, but the uncondensed nitrous gas is free to
pass from the last chamber through a tube containing coke.
:
From any of the last-mentioned chambers or tubes by means of a tube.
I convey the acid to a leaden tank which rests upon one of the tubes
first-mentioned. The tank is perforated at the bottom and is supported
by tiles covering flints or shelving tiles with which the tube is wholly or.
partly filled. The tiles are also perforated, so that as the acid passes
through them and through the flints or along the shelving tiles it is.
acted upon by the hot sulphurous gas passing through the tube from the
furnaces, and is thereby concentrated from about 110° to about 150°
Twaddle. The acid thus concentrated flows by a pipe into a separate.
tank resting upon a flue or tube leading to the chimney. The last-
named tank is perforated and is supported by perforated tiles covering.
pieces of coke arranged within the flue tube. The concentrated acid in
passing through the coke in the flue tube absorbs the nitrous gas
escaping from the end receiver, chamber, or tube. The acid thus
charged passes by a pipe into a distinct tank which rests upon the other
of the tubes first-mentioned, this tank also receiving a quantity of weak
acid from one of the chambers or tubes. The last-named tank is
perforated, and contains perforated tiles covering pieces of flint or
shclying tiles with which its supporting tube is wholly or partially filled.

page_text: tank for manufacturing purposes or for sale.
The tubes are each preferably floored with tiles, which may be of
pottery or with lead as desired, and the tanks instead of being perforated
at the bottom may have pipes to communicate with the tubes.
The Invention will be well understood on reference to the accom-
panying Drawings, in which Figures 1 and 2 show a complete apparatus.
The gases from burners (or furnaces) A, A, and nitre ovens B are
conducted by two tubes C and D called respectively the denitrating and
concentrating tubes to the condensing tubes E¹, E, E, E. These
condensing tubes are (one or some or all) partially filled with flints or
pieces of glass F or other pigeon holed, overlapped, or otherwise, and
are lined if necessary, top, bottom, and sides, with tiles or sheets of
glass.
The object of partly filling the condensing tubes with flint glass or
other is twofold. (1.) To oppose surface to the gases, as this Invention
is based (to this extent) on the principle that condensation is better
promoted by surface than space. (2.) To cause a greater agitation and
intermixture of the gases than if they were not so opposed in their
passage through the tubes, and by this agitation render a less quantity
of nitre necessary than is required in the making of sulphuric acid by
other methods. The sulphuric acid made in the condensing tubes E¹, E²,
and E, is conveyed into separate receiving tanks, or the acid made in
each is caused to pass through the tube following and underlying it by
connecting pipes or lutes. This latter course I believe preferable, as the
percolating acid promotes condensation. But a certain portion of the
acid made in tube E' is required for the concentrating tube D. The
supply of sulphurous gas from the furnaces is supposed to be exhausted.
before the end of tube E' is reached. The escaping nitrous gas passes
into the absorbing tube E³, and, if not prevented, into the chimney K.
A certain portion of nitre will be contained in the sulphuric acid made.

page_text: in the condensing tubes. Whatever acid flows into tube D (con-
centrating tube) will be freed of whatever nitre it contains by the hot
gases passing from the burners, and this nitre will be carried with the
hot gases into the condensing tubes again. All the rest of the acid made
flows into tank H, and thence by the pipe H¹ into the shallow tank I,
which rests on the denitrating tube C, and whatever nitre it contains is
disengaged by the hot gases and is carried with them into the condensing
tubes again.
A considerable portion of nitrous gas remains after all the sulphurous
gas is taken up, and as stated passes into tube E5 (absorbing tube). To
prevent the escape and loss of this nitrous gas a sufficient quantity of
acid is conveyed by a pipe I' from tube E¹ to a tank J resting on tube
D, thence by lutes J' into tube D, and there concentrated to 150° Twaddle
by the hot gases. This acid passes into a shallow perforated tank L
resting on tube E, and thence into tube E³, where in its passage it
absorbs the escaping nitrous gas. Flowing out of tube E the acid
passes into a shallow tank I, and thence by lutes into the tube C, the
hot gases passing through which disengage the absorbed nitre and carry
it again into the condensing tubes. The resultant acid flows into tank
N for use or sale.
Tubes C and D are shelved with fire-tiles P, on which the acid runs
from one end to the other for concentration and denitration, or they
may be filled with fire-brick, flint, or other pigeon holed, as in Figure 2,
which shows a similar apparatus, but with this modification and the
condensing tubes somewhat larger in diameter, or they may be partly
packed with fire-brick, flint, or other pigeon holed, and partly shelved
with tiles.
Tube E is packed with coke pigeon holed. All the tubes are lined
with tiles, fire-bricks, sheet glass, or other, and the casing of all of them

page_text: portion of nitrous gas. By closing the dampers S at the ends of one
branch and opening the damper T in the pipe or tube R which connects
it with tube E¹ this nitrous gas may be liberated by steam, water, weak
acid, or other, and carried into tube E¹ by the draft. While this is
being done another branch of tube E' remains open (the damper in its
connecting pipe to tube E¹ being shut), so as to sustain the draft to the
chimney. This in its turn is closed and the nitro liberated while another
branch sustains the draft. It is advisable that there should be more
than two branches, so that the coke in each may have time to dry before
the dampers in it are raised again, each branch being governed by three
dampers S, S¹, and T, the dampers S and S¹ to be partly shut as desired
when the coke in any branch is to be washed, and S and S₁ opened and
T shut when the branch is opened for draught.
In Figure 4 one of the branches Q is shown as open, sustaining the
draught from the furnaces to the chimney; the other three are shut. It
is supposed that in one of the three that are shut the nitre is being
liberated from the coke by steam, or water, or weak acid, and the coke
in the other two having been thus washed is in the meantime allowed to
dry. Also at the end of tube E* adjoining tube E³ a recess may be made
in which a portion of the nitrous gas will collect, which may be
conveyed direct by suction into tube E' by a pipe or tube into which a
steam jet is inserted.
Figure 5 shows a plan view of the tiles forming the roof of the
condensing tubes E', E³, E³, and E* of the apparatus shown in Figure 2,
which are suitable for a tube of say 30 feet long, 4 feet wide, and 2 feet
deep. The perforations V in the tiles at the end nearest the furnaces
and ovens are more numerous than at the opposite end, as there is
greater heat, and the number of perforations is graduated along the
extent of the tube.
Figures 6 and 7 show respectively a plan view and section of the tiles
forming the flooring of the condensing tubes of the apparatus shown in
Figures 1 and 2, the outlet lute J¹ being placed at either ond as found
desirable.
Figure 8 is a section of a concentrating, denitrating, or absorbing
tube, as in Figure 2, with a tank D' on the top, the roofing tiles W
being fitted with lutes J¹, as shown. The tube has a mid-partition X

page_text: between the tubes and tanks, no power being required for effecting any
of the objects in view.
Thirdly. The internal arrangements in the tubes as specified.
3
In witness whereof, I, the said Thomas Scott, have hereunto set
my hand and seal, this Twenty-ninth day of March, One thousand
eight hundred and seventy-five.