Improvements in Dry Closets in which Heat is employed to Desiccate the Soil.
Year: 1894

page_text: Date of Application, 30th Oct., 1894
"
Complete Specification Left, 14th Nov., 1895-Accepted, 26th Oct., 1895
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Dry Closets in which Heat is employed to
Desiccate the Soil.
I ROBERT COOKE SAYER of 11 Clyde Road, Redland Bristol Civil Engineer,
do hereby declare the nature of this invention to be as follows:-
-
The object is to separate the liquid from the solid human excreta when
dropped.
Filter the former, and slops that may be put into the same hopper, and send
them to the drains.
Let the latter fall through a trap door, that opens outwards, into a chamber,
there separate the liquid from the solid, reunite and desiccate them with heat.
The heat is supplied, first by means of jets of hot air, compressed or not, playing
directly upon them, which help gravity to thrust them toward a grating, or sieve :
secondly with heat supplied outside the chamber.
When the solids reach the grating, they will have been reduced to a fragile dry
cinder, and are thrust through it, by the weight of the following excreta, that is
undergoing the same process: they are thus reduced to dust, which is further
subjected to heat as it passes to a receptacle, from which it is extracted through a
tap, for manurial purposes.
The chamber receiving the solids is contained within another: it is air tight,
except at its inlet when the trap door is open at its outlet: its air jets: and
branches for ventilation.
:
The outer containing chamber is also air tight, except at its pure air supply, to
support combustion when heat is not supplied direct from other sources: and the
entrance to a pipe at the bottom for carrying off the surplus heat and at the top,
regulated by a tap, for warming a clothes airer: and the room: both of which are
in connection with an up-take pipe for creating a draft in subsidiary connecting
pipes, for drawing off the vapour and gases of desiccation, and also newly formed
excreta, and that of the liquid excreta and slop filter.
The up-take leads to a filter, that has an inner vessel, with its supply and over-
flow pipes, fixed at the top of the filtering material, for containing liquid, and
so that the gas passing through the filter is directed over the sides of the vessel,
impinges upon the surface of the liquid, and is rendered pure before passing off to
the atmosphere.
Dated this 29th day of October 1894

page_text: Improvements in Dry Closets in which Heat is employed to
Desiccate the Soil.
I ROBERT COOKE SAYER of 11 Clyde Road, Redland Bristol, Civil Engineer
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 :-
GENERAL DESCRIPTION.
The object is to separate the liquid from the solid human excreta when
dropped. Filter the former, and slops that may be put into the same hopper,
and send them to the drains: let the latter fall through a trap door that opens
outwards, into a chamber, there separate the more liquid from the solid, reunite
and desiccate them with heat.
The heat is supplied from any source, but that illustrated is, first by means of
jets of hot air, compressed or not, playing directly upon them, which helps gravity
to thrust them toward a grating, or sieve: secondly with heat supplied outside the
chamber.
When the solids reach the grating, they will have been reduced to a fragile dry
cinder, and are thrust through it, by the weight of following excreta, that is
undergoing the same process: they are thus reduced to dust, which is further
subjected to heat as it passes to a receptacle, from which it is extracted, through a
tap, for manurial purposes.
The chamber receiving the solids is contained within another: it is air tight, except
at its inlet when the trap door is open at its outlet: its air jets: and branches for venti-
lation. The outer containing chamber is also air tight, except at its pure air supply, to
support combustion when heat is not supplied direct from other sources: and the
entrance to a pipe at the bottom for carrying off the surplus heat and at the top,
regulated by a tap for warming a clothes airer and the room both of which
are in connection with an up-take pipe for creating a draft in subsidiary connecting
pipes for drawing off the vapour and gases of desiccation, and also newly formed
excreta, and that of the liquid excreta and slops filter. The up-take leads to a
filter, that has an inner vessel, with its supply and overflow pipes, fixed at the top
of the filtering material, for containing liquid, and so that the gas passing through
the filter is directed over the sides of the vessel impinges upon the liquid, and is
rendered pure before passing into the atmosphere.
See drawings, where
Sheet 1, Fig. 1 gives a vertical section through the several chambers.
Sheet 2, Fig. gives a half elevation and half cross section of the same.
Sheet 3, Fig. 3, gives a half plan on top, and a half plan with cover removed.
Sheet 3, Fig. 4 gives a half vertical elevation and half section through the filter
for residual gas.
A represents the seat, it hinges at a :
Bits supporting pan formed with a hopper that directs the liquid excreta
through its exit, and back valve c which centers at d and is weighted to close: the
pan B is otherwise open, has holes e, and is secured to the cover C by bolts at e,
and also to the filter D.
The cover C carries the trap door E which hinges at f, opens upwards, has a
lip g and closes upon a cushion that makes it air tight: it carries the clothes

page_text: airer chamber F and forms the top of and makes air tight, the heating chamber G,
and soil chamber H, each being air tight from the other.
The soil or solid excreta chamber H, is closed on top by the door E, it is
tapered to its flanged exit pipe j, by which it is secured to the base of the
chamber G, by the bolts shown, and leads through it to a receptacle S:
it H, carries a coil chamber J which is connected by a slot inlet at k and an outlet
into H again at I, below which the chamber H has a grid or sieve m, and above it
teeth n and o and an open work of rods, or basket, p, near which an entrance g
leads to a passage K.
:
An uptake pipe L open at the bottom L a connects with the passage K, and by
branches M, N and O, with chambers H, the pan B, and filter D it has a
branch P that connects with the chamber G at t, and the airer F at u regulated by
the taps and s: also a saucer Lb and exit pipe Lc that passes through the
bottom of the chamber G: and it extends upwards to the
Filter W, Fig. 4, which is similar to that for the liquid but has also an inner
vessel X for water, perforated at X a to flood the coke and charcoal z when
required, also supply pipe a a and cone bb, overflow c c, branches d d and e e,
the top curved over.
and
The chambers H and J are provided with jets for compressed, or not, pure air,
which is supplied and heated in the coil pipe Q, and branches Q a and enters by
its inlet to into the chamber G.
The heat for desiccation is obtained from any source but in the case illustrated
from the gas burners R: the gas comes through the pipe and tap T, and the air to
support combustion passes up between the pipes T and U, and is conducted to the
main burner R by the tube V.
The filter for the liquids consists of the body D, holes Dc in its bottom, and coke
and charcoal Da and exit D b.
The airer F is provided with a door Fa, which hinges at F b, and has air
holes Fc handles F d, and interior hanging rods Fe carried loosely upon
bearers Ff.
escape
THE WORKING.
The trap E being up, and seat A down: the liquid and slops gravitate through
hopper b, valve c, filter D and pipe Db and flows to the drains.
The solid falls through the opening of trap E into chamber H, is thrust down
by the hot air from jets v, is arrested by the teeth n and o at points of greatest
heat, is reduced to a fragile cinder, arrested by the grid m for further reduction, is
joined at by the reduced residual of the more liquid part that passes into the
coil Jat k to give longer time for desiccation, and the following excreta helps to
crush it through the grid m into dust: as it passes to the receptacle S ready to be
drawn off at the tap y, for manurial purposes, it is subjected to the heat of the
lower jet of gas R.
The vapour and gas given off by the solid ascends, passes into chamber K, and
is drawn up through the pipe L, by the draft created in it by the surplus bot air
of chamber G passing up it, from its opening La, by the heating of chamber K,
and branches M within chamber G: and draws up the smells of newly formed
excreta, from pan B by branches N, and the filter D by branch O: these pass
through the, wet when required, material z, of the filter W, are directed by
its top Y, upon the water in the vessel X and passes off by pipe Z: any
escaping by pipes a a and c c pass up pipes d d and ee: surplus from holes X a
and condensed vapour gravitate down pipe L to saucer Lb and pipe L c.
The paper used falls into the basket p, is set alight by the jet of gas R, and
when reduced falls and joins the solids.
The airer F is heated from the top of the chamber G through the pipe P and
tap_s.
To quicken the draft in the uptake L heat from the top of chamber G is
admitted through pipe P and tap r, Fig. 1.

page_text: When cleansing is required the pipe cc, Fig. 4, is stopped, and water poured
into the cone bb, which fills vessel ✗ passes, the reverse way, through filter W,
pipe L saucer L b, Fig. 2, and exit Le: Le being thrust up against the mouth
of pipe L, stops it, and by stopping pipe O, the water escapes under a head
of pressure equal to the height of the filter W through pipes K, M and N
and flows down chambers H and S, and away through tap y, or opening of
cover S a.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said inven-
tion and in what manner the same is to be performed, I declare that what I
claim is
:
1st. Keeping the liquid separate from the solid human excreta when droppel,
together with conducting the former through a hopper, valve and filter, to the
drains and with letting the latter fall through an opening, that has a hinged trap
door for lifting up, into a soil chamber that is air tight from an outer heating
chamber, and the atmosphere when the trap is closed, except at entrances leading
into a ventilating pipe, and jets that supply it with pure hot air, compressed
or not,
: Together with diverting the more liquid from the solids through a long narrow
slit opening into an attached coil pipe, and readmitting it to the soil chamber
below, and providing it with jets of similar air
Together with tapering the soil chamber providing it with teeth, and a grid or
sievé, at parts of greatest heat, which arrests the solid excreta, allows time for
their desiccation to a fragile cinder and dust, and is thrust by the weight of the
more recently formed excreta, together with gravity and force of the jets of hot
air through the grid or sieve, which as dust is again exposed to heat as it passes
into a receptacle for drawing off.
For forming in a suitable part of the soil chamber a receptacle for catching the
paper used, burning it until able to pass through and join the solids.
For providing between the soil and heating chambers a coil of pipe that enters
through the latter, and supplies pure air, compressed or not, through branches to
the said jets, and thereby heating the air.
For providing to the beating chamber the heat necessary for desiccating the
solids for burning the paper used in its receptacle within the soil chamber: and
subjecting the dust to further heat substantially as described.
:
2nd. For an uptake pipe connecting with the heating chamber at the bottom,
and on top through a regulating tap, and by the ascending heat, cause a draft, and
draw up the vapour and gases of desiccation through branches connecting with the
soil chamber, the hopper pan, and the filter for the liquids, into the pipe and to a
filter and pass through its coke and charcoal, that has been wetted, or not, by the
overflow from a water vessel contained within the filter and impinge upon the
surface of the water within the vessel, and then pass to the atmosphere or
elsewhere, substantially as described.
3rd. For the means of flooding the whole apparatus under a head of pressure by
pouring water into the top filter, and stopping the different pipes to divert it into
the desired directions for cleansing purposes without taking apart substantially as
described.
4th. For fixing on the top cover of the heating and soil chambers, a clothes
airer having a hinged door, and interior loose hanging rails, and supplying it
with hot air from the heating chamber, through a branch pipe and tap, whilst the
process of desiccating the excreta obtains or not, substantially as described.
Dated this 14th day of November 1894.
ROBERT COOKE SAYER.