Improvements in Apparatus for the Purification of Illuminating Gas.
Year: 1890

page_text: Date of Application, 2nd May, 1890-Accepted, 5th July, 1890
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Apparatus for the Purification of Illuminating Gas.
I, WALLACE CORODON ANDREWS, of 2 Cortlandt Street, New York, in the County
of New York, and State of New York, United States of America, Gentleman, do
hereby declare the nature of this invention and in what manner the same is to
bo performed to be particularly described and ascertained in and by the following
statement:
This invention relates to the purification of illuminating gas.
Heretofore in the purification of gas, the gas has either been led over purifying
material lying quiescent in a compact body, or has been passed through such. In
the former case, the purifying material soon becomes coated superficially by a product
or by products, absolutely inert so far as purification is concerned, formed with the
purifying material by a substance or by substances chemically separated from the
crude gas, and soon becomes fouled superficially by deposits therefrom; while in
the latter case, the purifying material soon becomes coated and fouled internally by
the same means, the gas making channels and these channels becoming lined with
the inert product or products and with the deposits. In either case, perfect purifica-
tion soon ceases, allowing much of the impurities of the gas to pass on, and in both
cases the great bulk of the purifing material employed is kept from operation. The
only remedy has been, at necessity of stoppage of the current of gas or deflection of
the same to another purifier and at great expenditure of labor and loss of time,
either, frequently to supply new purifying material, or to turn or stir up the old to
present new surfaces.
The objects of the present invention are to overcome these difficulties, to make the
operation continuous, and thoroughly and directly to purify gas in a simple, practical,
efficient and comparatively inexpensive manner.
With these objects in view, the invention consists in the combination with a closed
casing provided with a gas-induction and a gas-eduction pipe, of one or more open
trays or screens adapted to receive motion; furthermore, in the combination with a
closed casing provided with a gas-induction and a gas-eduction pipe and with discharge
hopper or hoppers, of one or more open trays or screens, adapted to receive motion;
furthermore, in the combination with a casing, of one or more series of shafts, each
shaft being provided with cross-pieces or arms; furthermore, in the combination with a
casing provided with rigidly attached rows of slats or arms, of shafts provided with
rigidly attached rows of slats or arms, of shafts provided with cross-pieces; further-
more, in the combination with a casing, of one or more series of shafts provided
with cross-pieces or arms, the cross-pieces or arms on each shaft alternating with
those on the adjacent shaft, and of a rod attached to each series of shafts for rocking
the shafts of each series, thus oscillating the arms and moving each screen; and
finally the invention consists in the combination with the casing, the shafts provided
with the arms and with cranks, and the rods, of levers for moving the rods.
In the accompanying drawings, Figure 1 is a side elevation of a gas-purifying
apparatus, capable of carrying my invention into effect, with a portion of the side
broken away to show some of the interior parts;
Figure 2 is a plan view of the apparatus with the top removed; and
Figure 3 is a perspective view of one of the details of construction.
In these drawings, A designates a casing, the bottom of which is formed with
hoppers B B, closed by a valve b. At each end of the casing and within the
same, are rigidly attached rows of slats or arms O, placed in tiers, the tiers being of
suitable distance apart, and across the casing are rows of horizontal shafts DD,
projecting from the side of the casing through suitable stuffing boxes, likewise placed
in tiers and nearly in horizontal plane respectively with the rows of rigid arms O, and

page_text: being each provided with a crank of any suitable size, say about one 100t in
length.
Euch shaft D is provided with a series of transvorso eyes apertured lugs, or
loops d, and in these eyes uro hold series of movable arms, slats, or cross-pieces D' D'
of hard wood, metal, or other suitable material, preferably enlarged at the contro, and
there held by being driven into the eye. The shafts Dare provided with cranks or
other devices E, and to the cranks of each row of shafts are attached rods F, which
may have lovers F for operating them. It will be clear that as one of these rods is
moved by its lever, all the shafts of that particular row will be rocked and as the
shafts are rocked, the movable arms will be oscillated. Each row of shafts may be
rocked separately, or their rods may be so connected as to rock two or more of them
simultaneously.
When movablo arms or cross-pieces 1' are in a horizontal position, they are in the
same horizontal plane with the fixed arms C, and the outer portions of the arms of
the outer shafts form with the fixed arms, and the inner portions of the arms of the
outer shaft, form with the outer portions of the arms of the adjoining shafts, and so
on mutually in each row, a grating or open platform to support the layer of the
purifying material. When the lever is moved back and forth, each of the shafts is
rocked or shaken, and the several rows of slats are moved up and down in such
maner that any material which may be placed upon them is agitated and passed
through, down to the next course of slats below, being left comparatively level there.
The lovers being so moved that the cranks are in an upright position, the slats will
again bo in a level position and the material upon each layer above, can be worked in
the same manner. the material being deposited upon the layer next below, by a
continual graduated movement, and in like manner the process may be continued, the
material being moved from the top toward the bottom, whence it may be drawn from
the purifior, while new material may be constantly placed upon the top layer of slats,
so that each layer shall contain its proper proportion of the purifying material, or the
whole shall be sifted down from layer to layer in a continuous manner.
Π
As ordinarily constructed, purifying boxes are generally only from four to six feet
in depth with stationary screens or trays for the purifying matorial and to get rid of
this when it is spent, it has to be removed separately from each tray. In the present
case the casing may be of great depth, say of twenty four feet, more or less, the
screens or trays are movable and the purifying material has not to be removed
separately from each tray, or scraped or dumped therefrom to a waste-box; but passes
successively from one tray to another being sifted downward.
The gas inlet pipe is designated by the letter G; while the gas-outlet pipe is
designated by the letter II. The gas-outlet pipe is, of course, beyond the first layer
of purifying umnterinl.
I indicates a removable cover.
It is proforred to have the horizontal shafts in each row about one-and-a-half foet
apart and to have the movable arms slightly less than three foot in length, with from
an inch to an inch-and-a-half spnea between adjoining strips.
By this construction a great saving of labor is effected and a much larger quantity
of gas than usual can be purified in proportion to the ground-space occupied, since
not only is a great quantity of material immediately presented in active form, but as
the tiers of purifying material may be in any number and be successively discharged,
a purifier may be of great height, thus taking the place of many separate purifiers.
The operation is as follows:-
:-
Gas entering the lower part of the casing, passos upward through the lower layer
of purifying uatorial, and so on to the outlet. Either continually or when the passing
gus is recognized by suitably situated pet-cocks, to be wanting in requisite purity, one,
more, or all of the rows of shafts will be rocked, and the purifying material will be
agitated and fall in a shower or stream, to trap the appropriate impurities of the gas.
Fresh purifying material is supplied from the top as desired and thus successive layers
aro fed forward. It will be obvious that the lowest layer of purifying material will
first become inert and foul, since this layer is first met by the crude gas and is

page_text: supplied from the other layers, all of which have exerted a purifying effect. Con-
sequently this layer will be dumped into the hoppers and thence may be removed at
convenience.
Should it be desired to leave the purifying material quiescent during the passage of
the gas, the bottom layer of purifying material will be discharged into the hoppers
when it becomes saturated with impurities, the shafts D D being rocked or shaken
for that purpose; but the bottom layer may first be disposed of, and then the shafts
of all the other layers being rocked, each layer of purifying material will be lowered,
and this done, a fresh layer of material will be supplied at the top.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of the said inveu-
tion and in what manner the same is to be performed, I declare that what I
claim is :-
:-
1. In a gas purifier, the combination with the casing, of a lower gas inlet and a
gas outlet, a series of horizontal sectional floors, between the inlet and outlet, each
floor comprising soparate sections of intermeshing grids, and mechanism for tilting
said sections as described.
2. In a gas purifier, the combination with the casing of a lower gas inlet and a gas
outlet, a sories of horizontal sectional floors, between the inlet and outlet cach floor
comprising separate sections of intermeshing grids, supporting shafts for each section
extending through the wall of the casing, and provided at their end with a crank, and
horizontal rods connecting the free ends of the cranks in each floor, substantially as
described.
Dated this 2nd day of May 1800
W. P. THOMPSON & BOULT,
Agents for the Applicant.