IMPROVEMENTS IN APPARATUS FOR THE MANUFACTURE OF ALKALI
Year: 1873

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Henry Deacon, of Appleton House, Widnes, in
the County of Lancaster, for the Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN
APPARATUS FOR THE MANUFACTURE OF ALKALI."
Sealed the 12th December 1873, and dated the 15th October 1873,
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Henry Deacon at the
Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on the
15th October 1873.
I, HENRY DEACON, of Appleton House, Widnes, in the County of
Lancaster, do hereby declare the nature of my said Invention for
"IMPROVEMENTS IN APPARATUS FOR THE MANUFACTURE OF ALKALI," to be as
follows:
-
The sulphates used in the manufacture of alkali are decomposed in
"revolvers," that is, furnaces of which the, decomposing chamber is a
hollow revolving cylinder with a horizontal axis, the flame of the
furnace passing through the cylinder.
"
The alkaline liquids obtained in the manufacture are evaporated in
pans" placed at the end of the "revolver."

page_text: The current of flame, smoke, and other products of combustion on
their way from the "revolver" to the chimney, pass over the surface of
the liquid in the "pan," and the heat escaping from the "revolver" is
thus utilised. The surface of the liquid is however so placed in relation
to the current of smoke, that the current has a downward direction
given to it before entering the "pan," the level of the surface of the
liquid being usually below the level of the "revolver" axis. Dust and
solid matters are thus carried into the liquor by the current of smoke,
and the smoke is rapidly cooled, and if the combustible gases it contains
are imperfectly mixed their complete combustion is prevented.
My Invention consists in giving the current of flame, smoke, and
other products of combustion an upward direction before they enter the
"pan," combined with the opportunity of depositing dust, and the
means of causing the gases to mix, and this is effected in the following
manner :-
The "pan" may be raised so that the surface of its liquid contents
is above the level of the axis of the "revolver," and thus the current
of smoke will have an upward direction just before entering the "pan,”
and the end of the "pan" next to the "revolver" may be shielded from
the heat by a brick wall, or otherwise, against which the current of smoke
impinges, and is thus mixed, and a chamber may be left between such
brick wall or substitute therefor, and the " revolver," into which
chamber dust may deposit.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent,
filed by the said Henry Deacon in the Great Seal Patent Office 2
on the 4th April 1874.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, HENRY
DEACON, of Appleton House, Widnes, in the County of Lancaster, send
greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her 3
Letters Patent, bearing date the Fifteenth day of October, in the
year of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and seventy-three, in
the thirty-seventh year of Her reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and
successors, give and grant unto me, the said Henry Deacon, Her special

page_text: license, that I, the said Henry Deacon, my executors, administrators,
and assigns, or such others as I, the said Henry Deacon, my executors,
administrators, or 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 "IMPROVEMENTS
IN APPARATUS FOR THE MANUFACTURE OF ALKALI," upon the condition
(amongst others) that I, the said Henry Deacon, my executors or
administrators, by an instrument in writing under my hand and seal,
should particularly describe and ascertain the nature of the said Inven-
tion, 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 Henry Deacon, 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, reference being had to the accompanying
Drawings, and to the letters and figures marked thereon, that is to
say:-
"E
The sulphates used in the manufacture of alkali are decomposed in
revolvers," that is, furnaces of which the decomposing chamber is a a
hollow revolving cylinder with a horizontal axis, the flame of the
furnace passing through the cylinder.
"
The alkaline liquids obtained in the manufacture are evaporated in
'pans placed at the end of the " revolver."
"
The current of flame, smoke, and other products of combustion on their
way from the "revolver" to the chimney, pass over the surface of the
liquid in the "pan," and the heat escaping from the "revolver" is thus
utilised. The surface of the liquid is however so placed in relation to
the current of smoke that the current has a downward direction given
to it before entering the "pan," the level of the surface of the liquid being
below the level of the" revolver" axis. Dust and solid matters are
thus carried into the liquor by the current of smoke, and the smoke
is rapidly cooled, and if the combustible gases contained in the products
of combustion are imperfectly mixed, their complete combustion is
prevented.

page_text: My said Invention consists in giving the current of flame, smoke, and
other products of combustion an upward direction before they enter the.
"pan," combined with the opportunity of depositing dust and the means
of causing the gases to mix.
And in order that my said Invention may be fully understood I b
shall now proceed more particularly to describe the same, and for
that purpose shall refer to the several Figures on the annexed Sheet of
Drawings, the same letters of reference indicating corresponding parts
in both Figures.
Figure 1 of my Drawings represents a longitudinal section, and 1
Figure 2 a sectional plan of an apparatus for the manufacture of alkali
arranged according to my Invention.
A is the furnace or fire-place; B, the "revolver" in which the sulphates
are decomposed; C, the "pan" for evaporating the alkaline liquids, over
which the flame, smoke, and other products of combustion from the 1
furnace or fire-place A pass, on issuing from the “revolver "B in their
course to the chimney flue D.
The evaporating pan C is raised as shewn, so that the surface a, a, of
its liquid contents is above the level of the axis b, b, of the "revolver" B,
by which means the current of smoke is caused to take an upward :
direction just before entering the pan. The end of the pan next to the
revolver is also shielded from the heat by a brick wall c against which
the current of smoke impinges, and the combustible gases are thus
mixed, or in lieu of the wall any other suitable arrangement may be
employed for effecting the same objects.
E is a chamber which is provided between the wall c and the "revolver"
B for the deposit of dust and other solid matters carried along with the
smoke, and which are thus intercepted and prevented from entering the
pan, and so contaminating the liquor which it contains. By means of
this arrangement the inconveniences attending the use of the apparatus
when arranged in the ordinary manner are entirely obviated, whilst at
the same time the heat escaping from the "revolvers "is utilized as
heretofore.
Having now described and particularly ascertained the nature of my
said Invention, and the manner in which the same is or may be used or
carried into effect, I would observe in conclusion that what I consider to

page_text: be novel and original, and therefore claim as the Invention secured to me
by the herein-before in part recited Letters Patent is, causing the
products of combustion escaping from a revolving decomposing chamber
in the manufacture of alkali or carbonate of soda to pass in an upward
direction through a dust chamber before they enter the pan, substantially
in the manner and for the purposes herein-before described and illustrated
by the Drawings.
HENRY DEACON. (L.S.)