Year: 1886

page_text: Date of Application, 20th Oct., 1886.
Complete Left, 19th July, 1887.
Complete Accepted, 30th Aug., 1887.
I, ERNEST SOLVAY, of No. 19, Rue du Prince-Albert, Brussels in the Kingdom of
Belgium, manufacturer, do hereby declare the nature of this invention to be as
follows:-
My invention relates to furnaces for the production of chlorine and consists of the
improvements hereinafter described. in the construction and disposition of such
furnaces.
the
In a mass of brickwork forming the body of the furnace are mounted a series of
hollow vertical columns in which is charged the mixture which is to be decomposed
by heated air. The said hollow columns are formed by placing one above the other a
number of retorts or portions of retorts made of refractory or fire proof material.
Their diameter is very small in proportion to the total height of the columns;
height of the said columns being only limited by the resistance of the materials.
The dimensions of the said columns allow of the operation being carried out
systematically and of the heat having access to the very heart of the material to be heated.
The furnace constructed as herein before described obviates a most serious defect in
furnaces as hitherto constructed in which the unavoidable expansion and contraction
of the materials produced fissures and ruptures or breakages which at once put the
furnace out of use. According to this invention the hollow refractory columns
herein before described are made up of separate segments resting freely one on the other,
the joints being simply ground or smoothed without any cement being used to connect
them together. Thus all the parts are free to expand or contract in any direction
within the furnace without any hindrance whatever; even the upper joint is free to
expand or contract.
The whole series of refractory columns is heated from one gas producer or source
of heat, the products from which are conducted by suitable flues to each column

page_text: round which they circulate. The temperature is regulated by opening or closing
suitable air holes and the damper of the chimney.
All the columns are independent one of the other.
In carrying out the operation, the furnace being suitably heated the said columns
are completely filled from the top with the matters to be decomposed broken up into
fragments of suitable size. A current of air already dried and heated by its passage
through the brickwork of the furnace is admitted through the air holes at the bottom
of each column. The decomposed material is withdrawn continuously at the bottom
of the columns and the air charged with chlorine flows out at the top of the column.
Dated this 20th day of October 1886.
W. LLOYD WISE,
Per F. J. Brougham,
46, Lincoln's Inn Fields, London, W.C.,
Agent for the Applicant.

page_text: COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
A New or Improved Continuous Furnace for the Production
of Chlorine.
I, ERNEST SOLVAY, of 19 Rue du Prince Albert, Brussels, in the Kingdom of
Belgium, Manufacturer, 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:-
My invention relates to furnaces for the production of chlorine or hydrochloric
acid and consists of the improvements hereinafter described in the construction and
disposition of such furnaces.
In a mass of brickwork forming the body of the furnace are mounted a series of
hollow vertical columns in which is charged the mixture which is to be decomposed
by heated air or steam.
The said hollow columns are formed by placing one above the other a number of
retorts or portions of retorts made of refractory or fire proof material. Their diameter
is very small in proportion to the total height of the columns, the height of the said
columns being only limited by the resistance of the materials.
The dimensions of the said columns allow of the operation being carried out
systematically and of the heat having access to the very heart of the material to be
heated. The furnace constructed as herein before described obviates a most serious
defect in furnaces as hitherto constructed in which the unavoidable expansion and
contraction of the materials produced fissures and ruptures or breakages which at
once put the furnace out of use. According to this invention the hollow refractory
columns hereinbefore described are made up of separate segments resting freely one
on the other, the joints being simply ground or smoothed without any cement being
used to connect them together.
Thus all the parts are free to expand or contract in any direction within the furnace
without any hindrance whatever, even the upper joint is free to expand or contract.
The whole series of refractory columns is heated from one or more gas producers or
sources of heat, the products from which are conducted by suitable flues to each
column round which they circulate. The temperature is regulated by opening or
closing suitable air holes and the damper of the chimney.
All the columns are independent one of the other. In carrying out the operation,
the furnace being suitably heated, the said columns are completely filled from the top
with the matter to be decomposed broken up into fragments of suitable size, a current
of air already dried and heated by its passage through the brickwork of the furnace is
admitted through the air-holes at the bottom of each column. The decomposed
material is withdrawn continuously at the bottom of the column and the air charged
with chlorine flows out at the top of the column.

page_text: Having now described the nature of my invention, I will proceed to describe with
reference to the accompanying drawing the manner in which the same is to be
performed.
Figure 1 is a vertical section and Figure 2 a sectional plan of a furnace constructed
according to my invention.
a is a mass of brickwork forming the body of the furnace in which are mounted a
series of hollow vertical columns b, c, d in which is charged the mixture to be
decomposed by heated air or steam; the said hollow columns b, c, d, are formed of a
number of retorts or portions of retorts made of refractory or fire proof material,
placed freely one above the other.
As shown, their diameter is very small in proportion to the total height of the
columns which height is only limited by the resistance of the materials. The dimensions
of the said columns allow of the operation being carried out systematically and of the
heat having access to the very heart of the material to be heated.
The furnace constructed as hereinbefore described and represented in the drawing
obviates a most serious defect in furnaces as hitherto constructed in which the
unavoidable expansion and contraction of the materials produced fissures and ruptures
or breakages which at once put the furnace out of use. According to this invention,
the hollow refractory columns b, c, d, hereinbefore described are made up of separate
segments resting freely one on the other, the joints being simply ground or smoothed
without any cement being used to connect them together.
Thus all the parts are free to expand or contract in any direction within the furnace
without any hindrance whatever, even the upper joint is free to expand or contract
as shown in the drawing. The whole series of refractory columns is heated from one
or more gas producers or sources of heat g, the products from which are conducted by
suitable flues e to each column round which they circulate.
The flues e are situated above the bottom of the columns at such a height as to
allow of the recuperation of the heat from the decomposed matter by means of the air
entering through h.
The temperature is regulated by opening or closing suitable air holes f and the
damper of the chimney.
All the columns are independent one of the other. In carrying out the operation,
the furnace being suitably heated, the said columns b, c, d are completely filled from
the top at with the matters to be decomposed broken up into fragments of suitable
size, a current of air already dried and heated by its passage through the brickwork
of the furnace is admitted through the air holes h at the bottom of each column.
The decomposed material is withdrawn continuously at the bottom of the columns
at m and the air charged with chlorine flows out at the top of the column at k.
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:-
In a furnace for the production of chlorine or hydrochloric acid, the superposition
of a number of retorts or portions of retorts in order to form isolated vertical columns
of very great height in comparison to their diameter for the purpose of obtaining
suitably systematic working with an apparatus which resists the dislocation produced
by the expansion and contraction of the material.
Lush dow at
W. LLOYD WISE,
Per F. J. Brougham,
46, Lincoln's Inn Fields, London, W.C.,
Agent for the Applicant.