Manufacture of Illuminating Gas and other Useful Products from Refuse of the kind known as Town's Refuse.
Year: 1890

page_text: Da'e of Application, 3rd July, 1890
Complete Specification Left, 4th May, 1891-Accepted, 3rd July, 1891
PROVISIONAL
SPECIFICATION.
Manufacture of Illuminating Gas and other Useful Products from
Refuse of the kind known as Town's Refuse.
.
I, FRANK SCUDDER, of 73 Leathwaite Road, Clapham Common, in the County
of Surrey, F.C.S. and Technical Chemist, do hereby declare the nature of this
invention to be as follows:-
This invention has reference to the treatment of refuse material, such as town's
refuse, in such a manner as to produce therefrom valuable products such as producer
or water gas, and sulphate of ammonia. For this purpose the refuse material
after being screened and hand picked to remove part of the non-combustible bodies
therefrom, is charged into a gas producer of any suitable construction designed to
produce either ordinary producer gas, or water gas, wherein it is burnt with the
aid of air or air and steam in the usual manner for the production of gases there-
from. It will usually be advantageous to mix with the refuse material a certain
proportion of fuel such as coal or coke, to ensure its proper combustion, and also a
substance such as lime, or an alkali that will act as a flux to earthy matter present
in the refuse and will aid the production of ammonia from nitrogeneous matters
present. For the latter purpose it is also advantageous to use a producer constructed
to produce water gas. The gases thus produced from the refuse material and
containing carbonic oxide, hydrogen, and ammonia gases, are passed through a
cooler or condenser, preferably one cooled by air, wherein they are cooled down to
a suitable temperature; they are then passed through strong sulphuric acid whereby
the ammonia is absorbed and converted into sulphate of ammonia which crystallises
out and is removed from time to time, while the hydrogen carbonic oxide and other
non absorbable gas or gases present, are passed into a suitable reservoir or conduit
for use for lighting or heating purposes. The sulphuric acid may have a strength
of about 1400 Twaddle. The temperature to which the producer gases are cooled
is such that these gases will not heat the sulphuric acid sufficiently to cause its
volatilisation, but is sufficient to prevent the condensation of water therein. As
the sulphate of ammonia crystals are removed, a corresponding quantity of fresh
sulphuric acid is run into the saturator so as to thereby maintain the strength of
the acid.
12.1 day of Tuly 1800
W. LLOYD WISE,
Per F. J. Brougham.
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Manufacture of Illuminating Gas and other Useful Products from
Refuse of the kind known as Town's Refuse.
I, FRANK SCUDDER, of 73 Leathwaite Road, Clapham Common, in the County
of Surrey, F.C.S., and Technical Chemist, 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:-
This invention has reference to the manufacture of. illuminating gas and other
useful products for example sulphate of ammonia from refuse of the kind known as
town's refuse. For this purpose the refuse material after being screened and hand
picked to remove part of the non-combustible bodies therefrom, is charged into a
gas producer of any suitable construction designed to produce either ordinary
producer gas, or water gas, wherein it is burnt with the aid of air or air and steam
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page_text: of
in the usual manner for the production of gases therefrom. It will usually be
advantageous to mix with the refuse material a certain proportion say about 10%
fuel such as coal or coke, to ensure its proper combustion, and also a suitable
proportion say from 1 per cent. to 21 per cent. of a substance such as lime, or an
alkali that will act as a flux to earthy matter present in the refuse and will aid
the production of ammonia from nitrogenous matters present. For the latter
purpose it is also advantageous to use a producer constructed to produce water
gas. In carrying out my invention I prefer to use two or more producers in
combination. The water gas, which is made by steam passing from the top to the
bottom of the generator through the fuel therein, composed of refuse material
and other fuel of the kind referred to, and previously rendered incandescent by
combustion with air, passes out at a high temperature and I prefer to lead the
gases thus produced through a second generator, preferably charged with coke,
in order to decompose any steam or undecomposed hydrocarbons which may be
carried forward with the water gas. It may be advantageous under certain
circumstances according to the fuel employed to alter the positions of the opening
through which the blast and also the steam, enters the said producer as well under-
stood. I find it advantageous to use a portion of the producer gas to heat the
producer containing the coke which generates water gas. The producer gas or
the water gas or both thus produced from the refuse material, and containing
carbonic oxide and ammonia gases, are passed through a cooler or condenser,
preferably one cooled by air, wherein they are cooled down to a suitable temperature,
say about 300° Fahrenheit; they are then passed through strong sulphuric acid
whereby the ammonia is absorbed and converted into sulphate of ammonia which
crystallises out and is removed from time to time, while the carbonic oxide and
other non-absorbable gas or gases present, are passed into a suitable reservoir or
conduit for use for illuminating purposes or for heating purposes. The sulphuric
acid may have a strength of about 140° Twaddle. The temperature to which the
producer gases are cooled is such say 300° Fahrenheit that these gases will not
heat the sulphuric acid sufficiently to cause its volatilization, but is sufficient to
prevent the condensation of water therein. When the sulphate of ammonia crystals
are removed, a corresponding quantity of fresh sulphuric acid is run into the
saturator so as to thereby maintain the strength of the acid.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of the said inven-
tion and in what manner the same is to be performed I declare that what I
claim is :-
1. The herein described manufacture of gas for illuminating and heating purposes
from refuse material of the kind known as town's refuse, by burning such refuse
material in a gas producer, partially cooling the gases thus obtained, separating
ammonia therefrom by passing them through strong sulphuric acid heated to a
sufficient degree to prevent condensation of water therein, and collecting the
remaining non-absorbable gases.
2. The herein described manufacture of sulphate of ammonia from refuse material
of the kind known as town's refuse, by burning such material in a gas producer
and passing the gases thus obtained, and after the same have been partially cooled,
through strong sulphuric acid heated to a sufficient degree to prevent condensation
of water therein.
Dated this 4th
ΟΙ
ay 1891.
W. LLOYD WISE,
Per F. J. Brougham,
46, Lincoln's Inn Fields, London, W.C., Agent for the Applicant.