IMPROVEMENTS IN THE PRODUCTION OF OXYGEN GAS AND NITROGEN GAS
Year: 1880

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Peter Jensen, of 33, Chancery Lane, in the County of
Middlesex, for an Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN THE PRODUCTION OF
OXYGEN GAS AND NITROGEN GAS." A communication from abroad by Quentin
Leon Brin and Arthur Brin, both of Paris, France.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Peter Jensen at the Office
of the Commissioners of Patents on the 7th April 1880.
" IMPROVE-
PETER JENSEN, of 33, Chancery Lane, in the County of Middlesex.
MENTS IN THE PRODUCTION OF OXYGEN GAS AND NITROGEN GAS." (A com-
munication from abroad by Quentin Loon Brin and Arthur Brin, both of Paris,
France.)
According to this Invention atmospheric air is caused to be absorbed by a body
or composition which in a certain sense is treated chemically, and the oxygen is by
means of a vacuum drawn off therefrom without touching or moving such absorbing
material.
The absorbing material is placed in a suitable vessel, such, for instance, as an
iron cylinder, which is exposed to the. fire of a furnace so that the absorbing
material assumes a dull red heat. During the first or oxygenation part of the
process atmospheric air is drawn or forced through the absorbing material which
retains the oxygen, while the nitrogen or azote passes off by a pipe fitted with a
cock into a receiver. This nitrogen may then be utilized in the production of
alkalies, or for other purposes.
As soon as it is found that oxygen begins to pass off also, that is, when the
material will not absorb any more oxygen, the cock on the pipe to the nitrogen
reservoir is closed as well as the cock for the air admission. A cock is also opened
from the vessel containing the absorbing material to an oxygen receiver. The
second part of the operation can then begin, in which the oxygen by means of a
vacuum is drawn off to the oxygen receiver. During this part the heat of the
furnace may advantageously be increased.
It is preferable to deprive the air of its carbonic acid before it is heated as
aforesaid. For this purpose it may be passed through a pipe or pipes, or a vessel
containing water with potash dissolved therein, or any other suitable substance or

page_text: salt that will absorb carbonic acid; or the air may in some cases be dried and at
the same time deprived of its carbonic acid by means of freshly made lime.
The vacuum may be produced by a water jet which draws on and forces off the
air or gas along with it in an injector like apparatus; or it may be formed by an
ordinary pump, or by a pump in combination with a water reservoir and pipes, so
as to cause an intermittent vacuum production.
The absorbing material is prepared or composed in the following manner :-
Lime and magnesia or baryta together with nitric acid (or nitrate of barium) alone
or with metallic or other oxides are desiccated and calcined in a crucible. The
spongy material thus produced is suitable for absorbing the oxygen.
In accordance with the temperature, and in order to facilitate the oxygenation
of the caustic baryta used as an absorbent, the air has sometimes to be rendered
bunid. This may be done by employing a closed-vessel containing water and
cotton wicks. The latter present surfaces for evaporation and are constantly-
replenished with water again.
The proper time for commencing the second part of the process may be indicated
by an electric alarum, which is caused to operate by the contact of mercury with
one of the poles, whereby a bell is sounded.
The furnace is provided with a pyrometer for regulating the passage of the air
through the absorbing material, and also the air admission to the fire place of the
furnace.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent filed
by the said Peter Jensen in the Great Seal Patent Office on the 7th October
1880.
PETER JENSEN, of 33, Chancery Lane, in the County of Middlesex. "IMPROVE-
MENTS IN THE PRODUCTION OF OXYGEN GAS AND NITROGEN GAS."
A com-
munication from abroad by Quentin Leon Brin and Arthur Brin, both of Paris,
France.
According to this Invention atmospheric air is caused to be absorbed by a body or
composition which in a certain sense is treated chemically, and the oxygen is then
by means of a vacuum drawn off therefrom without touching or moving such
absorbing material. A vacuum of from 22 to 27 inches suffices for the purpose of
this Invention.
The absorbing material is placed in a suitable vessel, such, for instance, as an
iron cylinder or retort, or pipe or pipes exposed to the fire of a furnace, so that
the absorbing material assumes a dull red lieat. During the first or oxygenation
part of the process atmospheric air is drawn or forced through the absorbing
inaterial which retains the oxygen, while the nitrogen or azote passes off by a pipe
fitted with a cock into a receiver. This nitrogen may then be utilized in the pro-
duction of alkalies or for other purposes; or the nitrogen may be allowed to escape
into the atmosphere. It is preferable to force the air into the retort.

page_text: As soon as it is found that oxygen begins to pass off also, that is, when the
material will not absorb any more oxygen, the cock on the pipe to the nitrogen
reservoir is closed, as well as the cock for the air admission. A cock is also opened
from the vessel containing the absorbing material to an oxygen receiver. The
second part of the operation can then begin, in which the oxygen by means of the
vacuum is drawn off to the oxygen recoiver. During this part the heat of the
furnace may advantageously be increased.
It is preferable to deprive the air of its carbonic acid before it is treated as
aforesaid. For this purpose it may be purified by being passed through a pipe or
pipes, or a vessel containing water with potash dissolved therein, or any other
suitable substance or salt that will absorb carbonic acid; or the air may in some
cases be dried, and at the same time deprived of its carbonic acid by means of
freshly made lime.
The vacuum may be produced by a water jet, which draws on and forces off the
air or gas along with it in an injector like apparatus; or it may be forced by an
ordinary pump, or by a pump in combination with a water reservoir and pipes, so
as to cause an intermittent vacuum production.
The absorbing material may be baryta, for instance, or it may be any other
suitable material capable of the same action, such as strontian, barytic, compound
products, manganate of potassium, chloride or chlorine of copper, or basic oxide of
copper; it may be prepared or composed in the following manner:-Lime and
magnesia or baryta, together with nitric acid (or nitrate of barium alone or with
metallic or other oxides), are desiccated and calcined in a crucible; the spongy
material thus produced is suitable for absorbing the oxygen. In accordance with
the temperature, and in order to facilitate the oxygenation of the caustic baryta
used as an absorbent, the air has sometimes to be rendered humid, this may bo
done by employing a saturator or closed vessel containing water and cotton wicks ;
the latter present surfaces for evaporation, and are constantly replenished with
water again.
The proper time for commencing the second part of the process may be indicated
by an electric alarm, which is caused to operate by the contact of mercury with one
of the poles, whereby a bell is sounded.
This or similar appliances may also be made to actuate certain mechanisms for
starting the second part of the process automatically.
The furnace is provided with a pyrometer for regulating the passage of the air
through the absorbing material contained in the retort, and also the air admission
to the fireplace of the retort furnace. As the pyrometer har expands or contracts
by the heat of the furnace in which it is inserted it operates automatically valve
appliances for admitting the air to the retorts, and for admitting air for com-
bustion to the fireplace of the retort furnace. There may be one pyrometer for
regulating the temperature during the first part of the process and one for the
second.
By the above means of regulation the properties of the oxygen absorbent are
preserved so that they can be used over and over again.
And in order that this Invention may be more fully understood I will describe
it in connection with an apparatus illustrating one suitable mode of carrying it
into effect, but I premise that this apparatus is not by any means the only one that
can be usefully employed for the purpose in view, as will be well understood by a
practical engineer.
Figure 1 is a general arrangement view of the apparatus; Figure 2, a vertical
section through an air exhausting apparatus or pump; Figures 3 and 3*, detail
views of a pyrometer regulator, and Figure 4 another arrangement of apparatus.
a, Figure 1, is a rotary pump for delivering air of a pressuro suitable to cause it
to enter into the retorts and to pass through the absorbent material contained in
them; b, b, b, are three vessels or retorts (or they may be more or less in number),
the air passing consecutively through them gives up its oxygen, the latter being
absorbed or retained by the material placed in them. The vessels bare arranged

page_text: in a furnace c, the temperature of which is regulated to give them either a tempe-
rature suitable for fixing or retaining the oxygen in the absorbing material, or a
more elevated temperature at which the oxygen previously fixed in tho said
material is disengaged therefrom. This double regulation of the temperature
is effected automatically by means of pendulous pyrometers, as will be described
further on.
The atmospheric air before entering the lowest retort circulates through
apparatus arranged to extract the carbonic acid therefrom, and to impart a suitable
humidity thereto. The air from the pump a enters by a pipe d into the purifying
vessel e containing potash or other carbonic acid absorbent, and thence by the
pipe finto the closed vessel g containing cotton wicks and water, the level of the
latter being maintained constant- by an upper or feed reservoir h with admission
cock. The air then passes by the pipe with hygrometer-and-automatic
regulator k to the bottom retort b.
In case the air should have absorbed too much moisture in the saturator g it
may be conducted to the receiver or dryer m by the cock and tube 7; this
receiver m contains chloride or chlorine of calcium or other water absorbing
material; the branch pipo m' leads the air so treated into the pipe i to the
retorts b.
m³ is a pipe with cock for delivering the air directly from the purifier e to the
pipe i leading to the retorts b when the air is not required to pass through the
saturator.
nis a vacuum gauge for indicating the amount of vacuum, 22 to 27 inches,
which is produced in the retorts by the exhausting appliance. This vacuum gauge
communicates with an electric aların or bell o, which indicates the pressure limit,...
and signals to the stoker or attendant that the fire requires his attention. 2' is a
small lamp for indicating whether it is nitrogen or air that passes off to the
nitrogen collecting gasometer.
It is important for the proper working of the apparatus and the preservation of
the barytic or other oxygen absorbing material in the retorts that the fire be not
too fierce, and that the maximum temperatures at which the oxygen is fixed and is
disengaged be not exceeded.
This is effected in the following manner:-q, Figure 1, is a pyrometer of any
suitable form, and consisting of one or more bars. The pyrometer and parts con-
nected therewith are shown to an enlarged scalo at Figure 3. This pyrometer is
placed in the fire of the retort furnace, and is at its outer end formed as a tooth
rack, which by means of tooth wheel gearing r, 1, 3, operates a regulating cock k
for admitting the air into the retorts. The wheel has a stop peg, which when
the temperature limit has been arrived at closes the entry of air into the retort
furnace by the valve 8¹. When the temperature goes down the peg in its
return movement touches the pendulum lever 8, and reopens the valve s¹ for air
admission.
t, Figure 1, is another pyrometer working at a more elevated temperature; it
regulates in a similar manner the air admission during the second part of the
process or the oxygen discharge period. In Figure 3 is shown an improved form
of pendulum lever s, which is here made slotted at 8 for shifting the fulcrum and
adjustable at the upper end, the valve & being also made to shift as required. The
action of the pyrometer on the air admission to the fire-place can thus be regulated
as desired.
Any other suitable self acting appliances for regulating the air admission into
the retorts and into the retort furnace may be substituted for those above described,
thus, for instance, electrical contacts closing a circuit current for acting on dis-
engaging gear.
A certain hour may be fixed on for disengaging the oxygen, and such hour be
indicated by means of electromagnetic alarum apparatus and clockwork, which may
be made to act on and start the pump or exhausting appliance for facilitating the
disengagement of the oxygen.

page_text: An exhausting appliance, which may be called a barometric pump, is here shown
as an example in Figure 1, and to a larger scale separately in Figure 2, and in com-
bination therewith appliances for automatically putting it into action at the
required moment.
1, 2, and 3, are wheels of a clockwork actuated by means of a weight 4, and
regulated by a fly 5.
The last moving wheel 2 has on its spindle a notched disc 6 similar to that used
for ordinary alarum clock.
In cach pump cylinder 7 there is a float 8 with lever and rod g; as the floats
rise and fall the rods g are made to turn one way or the other, each rod g has on
the other end an eccentric crank or can, which by means of rod 15 jointed
below to a tumbler with finger 10 serves to disengage the finger 10 from one of
the notches in the disc 6. The movement of the clockwork is thus stopped
intermittently; it reverses the position of tho cocks for communication of the
cylinders with the suction and delivery of the pump, and stops when the next notch
of the disc 6 conies against the finger 10.
The reversing of the action of the pump is thus automatically effected each
time the level of the liquid is nearly at the top of one of the cylinders 7.
To ensure a hermetic joint where the rod y passes out of the cylinder 7, the
tube 11 is soldered thereto at 12, and rivetted with a flange to tho out-side of the
cylinder 7; this tube is thus exposed to a slight torsional action each time
the rod g is turned, and no stuffing box is needed. There are hand holes 14 for
getting at the floats 8.
The alternato movement of the rod 15 may be employed to open and close
automatically the cocks between the cylinders 7, and the retorts b and the oxygen
gas holder 16. For this purpose the said cocks are fitted with tooth wheels 17,
which are actuated by the racks 18 jointed to the rods 15, or in any other suitable
manner.
19 is the gas pipe to the cylinder 7; 20 is the gas delivery pipe to the gasholder;
21 and 21 are branch pipes for alternato supply of gas to the cylinders 7 from
the retorts b, and alternate delivery of gas from the cylinders 7 to the gasholder.
The arrangement of the piping may be varied without affecting the mode of
action.
It is as above stated preferable to compress the air in the retorts; after a
certain time the material therein agglomerates, so as to present the appearance
of pumice stone, and so that the air only with difficulty can pass through it; to
avoid this inconvenience the air is made to pass to the barytic material, and to
accumulate in the retorts to a pressure suflicient for fixing the oxygen in a complete
and uniform manner throughout the whole mass of the material.
If not working under pressure it may sometimes happen that crevices in the
barytic material will cause the air to pass by preference through such places of less
resistance, so that the mass of the material is not uniformly or completely oxidized,
and the efficiency of the apparatus thus diminished.
Figure 4 show's another arrangement of apparatus. The retorts bare placed in
a furnace c, as before, and the air admission to the retorts and to the furnace are
also arranged as before; i is the pipe from the saturator; m' the pipe from the
dryer, and m² the pipe from the purifyer or carbonic acid absorber; j is
the hygrometer indicator; the pipe 2 leading therefrom conducts the air to tho
suction side of a pump 2, which forces it into the retorts b by the pipe 3. The
air is thus suitably compressed, the pressure being automatically regulated by the
following mechanism placed at the air outlet pipe 4 from the retorts.
The pipe has a branch pipe 5 to a pressure gauge, and a bend G fitted with
a valve 7 which is pressed down by a helical spring 8 exerting a pressure
corresponding to that desired in the retorts. When the valve opens the nitrogen
from the retorts passes into the bell 9, and by the tube 10 to the nitrogen
gasholder.

page_text: While the oxygen absorbed in the barytic material is drawn off, the two-way
cock 11 is turned so as to let the oxygen pass off to its gasholder by the pipe 12.
The pump may be worked and regulated automatically by clockwork mechanism
similar to that described with reference to the barometric pump.
The movement of the regulating valve 7 may also be utilized for forming an
electrical contact working on a suitable disengaging gear.
And having thus described and ascertained the nature of this Invention
communicated to me I declare that I claim,-
First. The employment of compressed air in a retort containing barytic or
other oxygen absorbent material for the purpose of obtaining a uniform and
perfect oxidation of all the said material, and subsequently withdrawing the oxygen
-therefrom:
Second. The combined method for the production of oxygen -and-nitrogen.
according to which air is firstly passed into one or more heated retorts containing
barytic or other oxygen absorbent material, the nitrogen being liberated, and
secondly, the oxygen is drawn off from the absorbent material by a partial vacuum,
the temperature of the retorts during the said two stages being automatically
regulated by means of any suitable pyrometer appliance, substantially as described.
Third. The combined method for the production of oxygen and nitrogen
according to which atmospheric air after having been first deprived of its carbonic
acid and rendered suitably moist is forced through barytic or other oxygen
absorbent material contained in one or more retorts heated to a dull red heat,
the nitrogen being liberated, and secondly, the oxygen is drawn off from the
absorbent material by a partial vacuum, while the retort is kept at a sensibly
brighter red heat, the temperature during the said two stages being automatically
regulated by means of any suitable pyrometer appliance, substantially as described.
Fourth. The mode and means for automatically regulating the air supply to the
retorts and to the retort furnaces, substantially as described.
Fifth. The combination of the barometric pumps with a clockwork appliance,
pyrometer appliances, and electro magnetic appliance, for the purpose of automatically
regulating and determining the air admission to the retort, the time of the oxygen
absorbtion by the barytic or other absorbent material, the time of its extraction
therefrom, and the required temperatures of the retort, substantially as described.
Sixth. The combination of parts forming the improved apparatus for the
production of oxygen and nitrogen, as described with reference to the accompanying
Drawings.
In witness whereof, I, the said Peter Jensen, have hereunto set my hand
and seal, this Sixth day of October, in the year of our Lord One thousand
eight hundred and eighty.