IMPROVEMENTS IN FURNACES AND APPARATUS TO RENDER ATMOSPHERIC AIR AVAILABLE IN PRODUCING CYANIDES AND CERTAIN OTHER COMPOUNDS, WHICH IMPROVEMENTS IN FURNACES AND APPARATUS MAY ALSO BE EXPLOYED FOR OTHER PURPOSES
Year: 1847

page_text: TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, THOMAS
BRAMWELL, of Newcastle-upon-Tyne, Manufacturing Chemist, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her present most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her
Royal Letters Patent under the Great Seal of the United Kingdom of Great
Britain and Ireland, bearing date at Westminster, the Eighth day of October,
One thousand eight hundred and forty-six, in the tenth year of Her reign;
did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant unto me, the
said Thomas Bramwell, my exors, adiñiors, and assigns, Her especial licence,
full power, sole privilege and authority, that I, the said Thomas Bramwell.
my exors, admors, and assigns, or such others as I, the said Thomas
Bramwell, my exors, admors, or assigns, should at any time agree with, and
no others, from time to time and at all times during the term of years
therein expressed, should and lawfully might make, use, exercise, and vend,
within England, Wales, and the Town of Berwick-upon-Tweed, my Invention
of "IMPROVEMENTS IN FURNACES AND APPARATUS TO RENDER ATMOSPHERIC AIR
AVAILABLE IN PRODUCING CYANIDES AND CERTAIN OTHER COMPOUNDS, WHICH
IMPROVEMENTS IN FURNACES AND APPARATUS MAY ALSO BE EXPLOYED FOR OTHER
PURPOSES;" in which said Letters Patent is contained a proviso that I, tho
said Thomas Bramwell, shall cause a particular description of the nature of
my said Invention, and in what manner the same is to be performed, by an
instrument in writing under my hand and seal, to be inrolled in Her said
Majesty's High Court of Chancery within six calendar months next and

page_text: immediately after the date of the said in part recited Letters Patent, as in
and by the same, reference being thereunto had, will more fully and at large
appear.
NOW KNOW YE, that in compliance with the said proviso, I, the said
Thomas Bramwell, do hereby declare that the nature of my said Invention,
and the manner in which the same is to be performed, are fully described
in and by the following statement thereof, reference being had to the Drawings
hereunto annexed, and to the figures and letters marked thereon, that is to
say:-
The mode of manufacturing cyanides by means of atmospheric air has
hitherto been by drawing the air, either cold, heated, or burned, down a long
tube made of fire bricks or clay, heated to as high a degree as possible by a
furnace, the tube being filled with charcoal previously steeped in potass lyc,
and dried, the atmospheric air entering at one or at most two apertures
into tho said decomposing tube, such process having been carried on by me
under a Patent (granted to Alfred Vincent Newton, bearing date the
Thirteenth day of December, One thousand eight hundred and forty-four), and
in carrying on such manufacture I have made various improvements, which
consist of causing the heated or burned air to enter into the decomposing
tube from a furnace through numerous holes, or, in preference, thro' several
long narrow chinks or openings formed in the decomposing tube. The advan-
tage of this arrangement is twofold. It prevents the alkalized charcoal, or
alkali and charcoal, (as the case may be,) fluxing into a mass, which it is very
apt to do when the air passes in at one or two openings only; and, further,
when these openings are continued for a considerable length in the decom-
posing tube, there is produced a much more extended column of heated carbon
than heretofore obtained, and I have found that great advantages result from
the air being caused to pass through a long column of heated carbon at a high
heat when the same is kept free and open to allow the hot air to circulate
through every part. And in order to ensure that the holes or long slits should
be kept open, spaces are to be left in the outer brickwork to admit a rod or
pointed iron tool to keep the holes open, such spaces in the brickwork being
plugged and stopped with clay, and only opened from time to time.
My second improvement consists in causing the air to pass upwards through
the decomposing tube, instead of downwards, as hitherto practised, by which
means the wet charcoal (just as it is taken out of the alkaline solution) without
any previous drying may be introduced into the tube. The tube for this pur-
pose requires to be elongated a few feet above the decomposing or fire brick
tube. The hot air passing up from below not only completely dries the charcoal

page_text: (or other carbon used), but gradually brings it up to a red heat previous to its
entering the highly heated decomposing part of the tube.
My third improvement consists in a new form of furnace for heating the
aforesaid apparatus. I have found that the greatest degree of heat in any
furnace is formed when carbonic acid is the product of the combustion, and
not carbonic oxide. To obtain this result, for the purpose of heating the
apparatus or decomposing tube, as little air must be admitted as with a quick
draft will support the combustion. I give the following dimensions as a con-
venient size for the apparatus, but which of course may be varied. This
furnace has no fire bars, but simply a narrow slit at the bottom about two
inches wide by twelve to fourteen inches in length. This is sufficient to allow
the slag or scoria to flux and drop out, and at the same time allow a sufficiency
of air to enter, which is not to pass through the whole body of fuel above or
even into the main body of it, which is accomplished by having a flue to lead
away the draft to the decomposing tube after the air has passed up only for
three or four inches into the fuel; the combustion is thus concentrated entirely
in the three or four inches. A chamber for any quantity of extra fuel is
formed above the level of the side flue. The coke or coal in this chamber
above the flue is never incandescent. And in order that the Invention may
be most fully understood and readily carried into effect, I will proceed to
describe the means pursued by me in carrying out the various parts of my

page_text: a narrow slit of about two inches in width at the bottom, and twelve to
fourteen inches long, according to the size of the furnace required. The air
as soon as it enters into the main body of the fuel passes off by the side flue
R, and thus the air passes only through a very small depth of fuel. The fuel
as it is burned away is replaced by that which is above. This arrangement
causes, with a good draft, the production of carbonic acid, and not carbonic
oxide, and consequently the highest temperature possible for the fuel consumed
to make. D, Figure 1, is the lower part of the tube into which the products
descend from the decomposing part B, and the products are allowed to
descend by the revolution of the valve E, which causes a removal of the pro-
ducts which descend into the vessel F, containing water, from whence they are
to be removed from time to time, and be treated as is well understood. The
air is to be constantly exhausted by any suitable apparatus in connection with
the pipe G, and also with the pipe H, the pipes I, J, respectively dipping
into water, or a solution of alkali, so as to intercept any ammoniacal or volatile
products which may pass off from the decomposing tube. The water in the
vessels K, L, is from time to time changed and made use of according to its
composition.
Figure 5 shews the section of another apparatus, in which the tube does not
descend below the decomposing tube; but the products are received into a
reverberatory furnace, when they may be fluxed into a mass, and then treated
in the same manner, to separate the cyanides and alkali, as in the ordinary
process where animal matter is used, and from time to time withdrawn from
the furnace; and in place of using the furnace described at Figure 1, a rever-
beratory furnace is employed, from which the heated products pass into a flue
around the decomposing tube B, part entering through the numerous openings
into the tube B, and the other parts passing into a chimney; and there is a
door at M for withdrawing the products. In this Figure the accompanying
tube is formed as shewn in Figure 1. but in place of having the numerous
small holes numerous narrow long chinks or openings may be left in making
the decomposing tube.
Figure 6 shews a vertical section of a decomposing furnace, with a heating
furnace similar to that at Figure 1, but it may be heated by such a furnace as
is shewn at Figure 5, or any other of a suitable construction. This decomposing
tube is made with numerous long chinks or openings, as will be readily under-
stood by examining Figure 7, which shews the exterior of the decomposing
tube laid open on to a plane, there being seven long openings; but this number
may be varied.
Figures 8, 9, 10, and 11 show horizontal sections taken at the parts

page_text: marked on the Drawing, by which the construction will be readily understood,
there being openings N, N, through the outer brickwork, in order that the
openings may be got at to be cleansed by a pick or rod, the openings N, N,
being plugged when at work. In other respects this apparatus is constructed
as described in respect to Figure 1. In Figure 5 there is a branch pipe O for
feeding the wet carbon into the tube A, which is desirable, in order to prevent
the draft through the tube B being interfered with when the cover C is
removed. This apparatus is also applicable for smelting ores, or for any
purpose where a long column of incandescent carbon is the desideratam.
Having thus described the nature of my Invention, and the manner in which
the same is to be performed, I would have it understood that I do not confine
myself to the details herein shown and described, so long as the peculiar cha-
racter of either part of my Invention be retained. But what I claim is,-
First, the making tho decomposing tube with numerous holes, or with long
chinks or openings.
Secondly, I claim the so arranging of the decomposing apparatus that the
air may pass upwards in place of downwards. And,
Thirdly, I claim the mode of constructing a furnace to heat the decomposing
tube, as described in respect to Figure 1.
In witness whereof, I, the said Thomas Bramwell, have hereunto set my
hand and seal, this Sixth day of April, in the year of our Lord
One thousand eight hundred and forty-seven.
THOMAS (L.B.) BRAMWELL.
AND BE IT REMEMBERED, that on the Sixth day of April, in the year
5 of our Lord 1847, the aforesaid Thomas Bramwell came before our said
Lady the Queen in Her Chancery, and acknowledged the Specification afore-
said, and all and every thing therein contained and specified, in form above
written. And also the Specification aforesaid was stamped according to the
tenor of the Statute made for that purpose.
Enrolled the Eighth day of April, in the year of our Lord One thousand
eight hundred and forty-seven.