An Improved Method of and Apparatus for the Purification of Gaseous Bodies.
Year: 1899

page_text: Date of Application, 13th Apr., 1899-Accepted, 8th July, 1899
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
An Improved Method of and Apparatus for the Purification of
Gaseous Bodies.
I, ALEXANDRE LÉON LION, of 26, Boulevard Poissonniére, Paris, in the
Republic of France, Manufacturer, do hereby declare the nature of this inven-
tion and in what manner the same is to be performed, to be particularly
described and ascertained in and by the following statement:-
This invention relates to a method and apparatus for the purification of large
volumes of gases and the like such as smoke, in order to free the same from
coal dust and other solid products thus effecting the consumption of smoke, or
the filtration of air intended for aerating purposes, in order to free the same
from dust and bacteria which may be held in suspension.
In the accompanying drawing I have shown by way of example, apparatus
by means of which my improved method may be conveniently and advantage-
ously carried into practice.
Figure 1 represents in section a device for the purification of smoke or air.
Figures 2 and 3 represent in section another form of such a device.
Figure 4 is a detail view of a part of the device illustrated in Figures 2 and 3
and
Figure 5 shews an arrangement applicable to chimneys of all kinds, such as
the chimneys of locomotives, for example.
My method of purification consists in washing or filtering the gaseous mass,
whether smoke or air, by causing it to pass through a spray of water; this spray
being composed of tenuous particles of liquid, acts in the manner of a. washing
or filtering substance, and the gaseous mass is freed in it from all the solid
impurities and dust which it may hold in suspension. In the case of smoke
these are the particles of carbon and solid products which impart to the smoke
its black colour; in the case of air, the impurities and dust which contaminate
it and which it holds in suspension.
Such a system of washing or filtration does not necessitate any cleansing
operation as the impurities contained in the gaseous masses are precipitated by
the liquid spray and are discharged by the liquid formed by the union of these
fine liquid drops of particles. My improved method therefore presents, in the
case of the purification of air for example, considerable advantages as compared
with the washing apparatus or filters in which washing or filtration is effected
by causing the air to pass through fabrics or filamentous substances. In these
latter, these substances or fabrics retain all the impurities and dust and eventu-
ally become a cause of pollution for the air which traverses them; in addition
to this, it is necessary that the air should be forced through them at a consider-
able pressure, whereas my method of effecting washing or filtration renders
this unnecessary.
One of the most important uses to which my form of gas washing apparatus
or filter may be adapted consists in its employment for producing smoke-con-
sumption in manufacturing and other furnaces.

page_text: One form of apparatus intended for washing or filtering smoke in order to
effect the consumption of the same, and which is also capable of being utilised
for the washing or filtration of air, is diagrammatically represented in Figure 1.
The smoke enters at e, the upper portion of a column down which falls a fine
spray from a water reservoir arranged above this column in which the level is
maintained constant by means of a float g. The smoke passes through this
columna in a downward direction, and issues therefrom into a passage b. The
bottom of the water reservoir is constituted by a perforated plate f, which plate
is preferably provided, at each of its perforations, with a small nozzle which
ensures the formation of a fine jet of the liquid, and prevents these jets from
uniting with the adjacent jets; these small nozzles may be of any suitable kind.
At the lower portion of the column a is arranged a horizontal screw upon
which fall the jets of water; owing to the fall of these latter, this screw his
caused to rotate at a high speed and thus produces an intimate mixing of the
smoke and the drops of water. The smoke is thus entirely freed from all the
products of combustion (such as blacks, carbon dust and so forth. The water
charged with these impurities issues from the apparatus at t.
It is only necessary that the screw should receive the quantity of water suffi-
cient to produce, at the place where it rotates a whirl which will precipitate the
solid matters held in suspension in the air or gas which is being purified. Thus
a single jet i falling upon the periphery of the screw, is of itself sufficient to cause
the rotation of this latter, and the quantity of water supplied by it, being dispersed
by the screw, is sufficient to furnish the necessary water spray and to free the
smoke from its impurities.
The arrangement represented in Figures 2 and 3 possesses the advantage of
occupying but a very small space and of consuming an extremely small quantity
of water.
This arrangement comprises (see Figure 3) a bent passage jk 1; in the
portion of this passage is arranged a screw » which is submitted to the action
of an oblique jet of water or steam, playing upon it from above or below from
a nozzle q. Upon the axis m of this screw is mounted a conical part o the larger
portion of which is opposite to the screw ; the surface of this conical part may
he smooth but it is preferably provided with helicoidal grooves, A second
screw is fixed upon the axis m above this conical part o.
The smoke enters the passage through the branch : it first of all encounters
the upper screw, which imparts to it a gyratory movement, and then the whirl
of spray formed by the lower screw and the cone o.
Under these conditions the mixing of the smoke and the water spray is
effected in the best possible manner, and the smoke, completely fresh from its
impurities, leaves the apparatus at in a perfectly colourless condition. The
water charged with impurities issues from the apparatus at t.
This form of our device occupies but a small space and consequently in addi-
tion to its employment for manufacturing furnaces, it may be readily applied in
all cases where only a reduced space exists for its installation.
This apparatus may also be employed for the washing or filtration of air
and for ventilating purposes; in this case the form of apparatus illustrated in
Figure 2 is most suitable.
The arrangement represented in Figure 5 is more especially applicable for
use in chimneys, such as those of locomotives for example, for the purification-
of smoke. The assemblage formed by the axis m the screws and p mounted
thereon and the cone o is placed in a cylinder arranged in the chimney s one
or more jets of steam or water passing through nozzles y are directed upon the
screws and cause them to rotate together with the cone 0. The exhaust steam
mixed with smoke, reaches the lower part of the apparatus and assumes a
gyratory or whirling movement: the whole of the impurities are precipitated
by the liquid spray furnished by the pulverised water and also by the fine drops
furnished by the steam. The liquid spray projected upon the walls of the

page_text: cylinder by the centrifugal force developed collects and passes along a gutter t¹
from which the liquid is discharged at t.
I would point out that in this case it is not even necessary to employ water,
the particles of water contained in the steam being sufficient to effect the desired
precipitation. The exhaust water and steam are by no means indispensable; a
simple jet of dry steam being sufficient to produce the same results, the steam
condensing in contact with the rotating screw.
The exhaust steam serving to increase the draught has hitherto only been
intermittent; the addition of the screw smoke-consuming apparatus renders its
action uniform and consequently increases the draught.
I reserve the right to introduce in the arrangements which have been described
I
any modifications whereby their essential characteristics are not changed.
would point out, as regards the arrangement shewn in Figure 1, that, in the
case of the washing or filtration of air more especially, the gaseous substance
to be purified may be caused to follow a sinuous path formed by the super-
position of plates in such a manner as to constitute baffles, these plates being
perforated and the spray falling from stage to stage from the topmost plate to
the lowest.
In the application of my invention to the washing or filtration of air, a very
large volume of air may be supplied and the method is especially adapted for
the ventilation of large buildings, such as theatre's, schools, hospitals, barracks,
dormitories, restaurants, and so forth, a great quantity of air absolutely free
from germs being supplied and that at a merely nominal cost. My gas washing
apparatus or filter may also be adapted to new hot air heating appliances or to
those already in use and ensures a thorough distribution of pure air in the
buildings heated by such stoves. It is not necessary to enter into the special
arrangements which this adaptation of my gas washing apparatus or filter may
lemand, as this is merely a question of architectural or building, modifications.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said
invention and in what manner the same is to be performed, I declare that what
I claim is-
1. A method for the washing or filtration of smoke, air and gaseous masses
of all kinds, with the object of freeing such masses from dust, carboniferous
particles, solid matter, germs and in fact impurities of all kinds (in the case
of smoke for the purpose of rendering furnaces and the like practically smoke-
consuming) and consisting essentially in causing such gaseous masses to pass
through a liquid spray produced either by a natural fall of the liquid in ques-
tion, by means of the projection of a liquid or vapour, under pressure or not
by the rotation of one or more screws, or finally by these various means in com-
bination, substantially as above explained and specified.
2. In the air or smoke washing apparatus or filter described in Claim 1, the
special arrangement of perforated plates each one of the orifices in which is
provided with a small conical nozzle for the purpose of ensuring the formation
of a distinct thread or stream of water, as explained and described above with
reference to the accompanying drawing.
3. A gas washing or filtering device in accordance with Claim 1, more espe-
cially devised for the purpose of washing or filtering smoke in order to render
manufacturing and other furnaces practically smoke-consuming, constituted by
a vertical column provided at its lower portion with a screw which is caused to
rotate by any suitable means, preferably by means of a spray of water falling
from the upper portion of the apparatus or even by means of a single jet of
water, or steam, this spray producing a division of the liquid by means of its
whirling or gyratory movement, as explained above with reference to Figure 6
of the accompanying drawing.
4. A gas washing or filtering device in accordance with the principle described
in Claim 1, for washing or filtering smoke or air, characterised by one or more

page_text: screws n, p mounted upon one and the same axis m, a conical part o being fixed
upon this axis, one or more of these screws being acted upon by one or more
jets of water or steam serving to operate the said assemblage of parts, to furnishi
the water or steam intended to be finely divided or condensed, and to increase
the draught and ventilation, as described and specified above with reference to
Figures 2 and 3 of the accompanying drawing.
5. A gas washing or filtering device in accordance with the principle described
in Claims 1 and 4, adapted to be established in chimneys, such as the chimneys
of locomotives for example, constituted by a tube r within which is mounted
the assemblage consisting of the screws n, p, and the cone », which may either
be acted upon by a jet of water or steam or not, or which may be operated
merely by the exhaust steam of the engine mixed with the smoke, as explained
and specified above with reference to the accompanying drawing,
6. The application of the various devices to hot air stoves, and to the ventila-
tion of large buildings such as theatres, schools, hospitals, barracks, dormitories,
restaurants and so forth, as above explained and specified.
Dated this 10th day of April 1899.
HASELTINE, LAKE & Co.,
45, Southampton Buildings, London, W.C.,
Agents for the Applicant.