Improvements in the Manufacture of Sulphuric Acid.
Year: 1892

page_text: Date of Application, 11th July, 1892
Complete Specification Left, 10th Apr., 1893-Accepted, 2nd June, 1893
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in the Manufacture of Sulphuric Acid.
I, EUGENE JEAN BARBIER, of 13 Rue des Archives, Paris, France,
Manufacturer, do hereby declare the nature of this invention to be as follows :—
This invention has reference to the manufacture of sulphuric acid in a simple
and economical manner, special apparatus designed to replace the usual leaden
chambers, being provided for this purpose.
Sulphurous acid produced by the combustion of sulphur, the roasting of pyrites,
or other operation, is led by a suitable conduit into reaction towers or chambers
which are located above evaporating basins or troughs (hereinafter called basins)
arranged in cascade-fashion, or above a collecting conduit. These basins, or the
conduit as the case may be, can be heated by means of fire-places or by the
sulphurous gases coming from pyrites-roasting ovens.
The uppermost basin which is the least heated, receives a mixture of sulphuric
and nitric acids more or less diluted according to requirements and the progress of
the operations; it also receives the nitric acid from the condensing or washing
towers, which act as Gay-Lussac towers.
This mixture gives off, as it descends into the lower basins, nitrous and aqueous
vapours, whilst the acid at the same time becomes more and more concentrated, so
that the last evaporating basin discharges concentrated sulphuric acid free from
nitrous vapours.
Above the towers there is arranged a conduit which distributes into each of them,
by means of cocks that can be regulated at will, a mixture of sulphuric and nitric
acids known as sulpho-nitric acid.
A current of air the temperature of which is regulated according to the progress
of the operations, is introduced into the first and last towers or at any other point
at will.
To enable the invention to be more easily understood a type of plant is shown
by way of example only in the accompanying drawings, in which
Fig. 1 illustrates in longitudinal vertical section, and Fig. 2 a horizontal section
in two planes the general arrangement of the plant;
Fig. 3 is a vertical cross section on the line 1-2 of Fig. 1.
Referring to the drawings, the gas produced in the oven or furnace A, passes
into the conduit C, then into the first tower or chamber R', into which aqueous
and nitrous vapours, produced in the concentrating basins which are immediately
above the fire place B, pass simultaneously with a current of air. Each tower or
chamber is filled to a greater or less extent with filling blocks of sand stone, flint
stones, or other substances that are not acted upon by acids.
It is advantageous
to leave at the upper part or at the lower part, or it may be in both these places,
a space or chamber for the purpose of allowing the mixed products to expand, to
slacken their speed of progress, and to facilitate the reactions; a space may also
be formed at the centre of the filling material for the same purpose. The towers
may have the same dimensions, or may have varying dimensions and sectional areas
as may be required to suit circumstances.
The communication between the towers is effected by connecting the first and
the second tower at their upper parts, the second with the third tower at their
lower parts, and so on in succession as shown on the left hand side of Fig. 1, or it
may be by connecting, throughout the apparatus, the upper part of one tower with
the lower part of the following tower as shown on the right hand side of Fig. 1.

page_text: This last arrangement is advantageous because it produces a methodical circulation;
that is to say, it causes the gases to travel upwards in a direction opposite to the
fall of the sulpho-nitric acid, whereby a more intimate mixture is effected.
In the case above mentioned in which a central space is provided in the mass of
the filling material, the gases may be led into the said central chamber and, by
means of registers suitably arranged along the line of draught, may be led in part
towards the top space, and in part towards the bottom space, in order that they
shall always travel in an opposite direction to the aqueous and nitrous vapours
which are given off from the basins, or the sulpho-nitric acid which falls from the
roof of the tower.
By reason of these opposite movements of the constituent products, the reaction
takes place, the temperature rises and sulphuric acid is formed which falls drop by
drop into the evaporating basin or conduit located under the open bottom of the
lowermost chamber R', whilst the gases that remain free pass into the next
chamber R', in which they are subjected to the same circulation, the same
contacts, and produce the same reactions, but in a proportion which diminishes
from one chamber to the other.
In order to facilitate the reactions steam may be injected at any point into one
or more of the towers.
The last tower or towers is or are arranged in such a manner as to operate like
Gay-Lussac towers.
Dated this 11th day of July 1892.
E. J. BARBIER,
By L. W., per F. B.
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in the Manufacture of Sulphuric Acid.
I, EUGENE JEAN BARBIER, of 13 Rue des Archives, Paris, France,
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 :-
simple
This invention has reference to the manufacture of sulphuric acid in a
and economical manner, special apparatus designed to replace the usual leaden
chambers, being provided for this purpose.
According thereto sulphurous acid produced in any convenient manner as by the
combustion of sulphur or the roasting of pyrites, is led by a suitable conduit into
reaction towers or chambers (hereinafter referred to as reaction towers) which are
located above evaporating basins or troughs (hereinafter called basins) arranged in
cascade-fashion, or above a collecting conduit. These basins, or the conduit, as the
case may be, can be heated by combustion of fuel on a firegrate or firegrates or by
heat of the sulphurous gases coming from pyrites roasting ovens.
The uppermost basin which is the least heated, receives a mixture of sulphuric
and nitric acids more or less diluted according to requirements and the progress of
the operations; it also receives nitric acid from condensing and washing towers,
which act as Gay-Lussac towers.
This mixture evaporates and gives off, as it descends into the lower basins,
nitrous and aqueous vapours, whilst the sulphuric acid at the same time becomes
more and more concentrated, so that the last evaporating basin discharges
concentrated sulphuric acid free from nitrous vapours.
Above the reaction towers there is arranged a pipe or conduit which distributes
into each of them, by means of cocks that can be regulated at will, a mixture of
sulphuric and nitric acid sometimes called sulpho-nitric acid.
A current of air the temperature of which is regulated according to the progress

page_text: of the operation, is introduced into the first and last towers or at any other suitable
point at will.
To enable the invention to be readily understood I will now proceed to describe
the same by the aid of the drawings filed with my Provisional Specification.
In these drawings,
Fig. 1 is a longitudinal vertical section; and
Fig. 2 is a sectional plan taken in two planes showing the general arrangement
of apparatus according to this invention.
Fig. 3 is a cross section to a larger scale on the line 1-2 of Fig. 1.
A is an oven or furnace in which the sulphurous acid gas is produced. This
gas passes through an opening into a conduit C and thence into the first reaction
tower R', of a series of such towers R¹ R2 R³ R. C¹ are concentrating basins
arranged above the fire grate B. From these basins C¹aqueous and nitrous vapours
pass into the conduit C and thence to the first reaction tower together with the
sulphurous acid and air. The air may be admitted through the bent pipe D shown
at the bottom of the reaction tower R₁; or it may be admitted direct into the
conduit C in which case the formation of sulphuric acid will first commence in
this conduit. Each tower or chamber is charged to a greater or less extent with
blocks of sand-stone, flint or other substance R not acted upon by sulphuric or
nitric acids. It is advantageous to leave at the upper part or at the lower part, or
at both of these parts in each tower, a space for the purpose of allowing the mixed
products to expand and lessen their rate of flow so as to facilitate the reactions.
A space may also be formed at the centre of the filling material for the same
purpose. The towers are in the example shown successively of smaller cross
sectional areas but they may be all of the same dimensions if desired.
The communication between the towers is effected by pipes that connect the first
and the second towers at their upper parts, the second and the third tower at their
lower parts, and so on in succession as shown in the case of towers R¹ R² to the
left hand side of Fig. 1, or it may be by pipes that connect the upper part of one
tower with the lower part of the following tower as shown in the case of the
towers R³, R, Rn' & Rn to the right hand side of Fig. 1. This last arrangement
is advantageous because it causes the gases to travel upwards in said tower in a
direction opposite to that of the descending sulpho-nitric acid whereby it is brought
into more intimate contact with such acid.
Where a central space is provided in the mass of the filling material, the gases
may be led into the same, part of such gases being then led upward in an opposite
direction to the sulpho-nitric acid which is fed to the top of the tower, from a
distributing pipe F provided with controlling cocks F, whilst the remainder is led
downward, in an opposite direction to the aqueous and nitrous vapours which are
given off from the several evaporating basins.
By causing the said gases, vapour and acid to flow in the manner explained they
are caused to re-act upon each other thereby causing a rise in temperature and the
formation of sulphuric acid which falls drop by drop into an evaporating basin E
or conduit located under the open bottom of the lowermost or first reaction tower
whence it flows into the concentrating basins directly above the fire grate B, whilst
the escaping gases pass into the next reaction tower R2, where they react on one
another in the same way but to a less extent; and so on through the series of
towers.
In order to facilitate the reactions steam may be injected into one or more of the
towers.
The last towers Rn', Rn are arranged in such a manner as to operate like Gay-
Lussac towers, and serve to condense the escaping nitrous fumes. Although two
such towers are shewn, only one may be used in some cases or there may. be more
than two. The said towers are supplied with water through pipes G provided
with suitable nozzles for spraying the same over the filling material with which the
said towers are charged in the usual manner.

page_text: 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 1
claim is :-
1. In the manufacture of sulphuric acid the use of a series of reaction towers
charged with sandstone, flint or other suitable unattackable material and through
each of which sulpho-nitric acid is caused to flow from the top, and nitrous and
aqueous vapours from the bottom, substantially as herein described.
2. In combination with the towers referred to in the preceding claim a conduit or
series of evaporating basins, arranged below the towers for collecting and
evaporating the sulphuric acid formed in the towers, and serving at the same time
to generate nitrous and aqueous vapours substantially as herein described.
3. In apparatus for the manufacture of sulphuric acid the combination with the
series of reaction towers referred to in Claim 1 of an evaporating conduit or series
of evaporating basins and one or more condensing and washing towers substantially
as herein described.
4. In apparatus of the kind referred to in Claim 1 for the manufacture of
sulphuric acid, a conduit C arranged to lead the sulphurous gas from a suitable
generator into the first reaction tower, and into which pass, at the same time, air
and nitrous and aqueous vapours substantially as and for the purposes described.
5. Apparatus for the manufacture of sulphuric acid constructed arranged and
operating substantially as described and shown in the drawings.
Dated this 10th day of Aa11002
E. J. BARBIER,
By L. W., per F. B.