IMPROVED COMPOUNDS AND SOLUTIONS FOR REMOVING AND PREVENTING INCRUSTATION IN BOILERS
Year: 1881

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to William Phillips Thompson, of the Firm of Wm. P.
Thompson and Co., Agents for Foreign Patent Solicitors, of 6, Lord Street,
Liverpool, in the County of Lancaster, and 323, High Holborn, in the County
of Middlesex, Civil Engineer, for an Invention of "IMPROVED COMPOUNDS
AND SOLUTIONS FOR REMOVING AND PREVENTING INCRUSTATION IN BOILERS."
A communication from abroad by Monsieur Joseph Lallemand, of Paris, in the
Republic of France.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said William Phillips Thompson
at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents on the 23rd February 1881.
WILLIAM PHILLIPS THOMPSON, of the Firm of Wm. P. Thompson and Co.,
Agents for Foreign Patent Solicitors, of 6, Lord Street, Liverpool, in the County
of Lancaster, and of 323, High Holborn, in the County of Middlesex, Civil
Engineer. IMPROVED COMPOUNDS AND SOLUTIONS FOR REMOVING AND PRE-
VENTING INCRUSTATION IN BOILERS." A communication from abroad by Monsieur
Joseph Lallemand, of Paris, in the Republic of France.
"
The following is an exact translation of the Invention as communicated to me by
my foreign correspondent with orders to file :-
Engineers and chemists have for many years sought to find simple substances
or compositions having the property of detaching the calcareous deposits or
incrustations formed in boilers and of preventing, their formation anew. These
compositions ought to be cheap, easy of employ, and innocuous to the metals.
After many years of research and multitudinous experiments, I have arrived at
a practical knowledge of simple and compound agents not attacking the metals
of the boiler, and decomposing all the incrustations fixed to the walls or surfaces
of tubular boilers or generators of any form, and at the same time opposing
themselves to any new incrustation. Their employment is simple; the handling
of them inoffensive, and their price of production cannot be further reduced.
Notwithstanding this, the action of the greater number of the agents indicated
in my present application for a Patent is so efficacious that a boiler or other
generator (of steam) can remain three or four months without being opened;
provided that care is taken to blow out under pressure every month, an action
always necessary in the general interest. The product or products introduced
each month in general into the generators are employed either in the solid or the
liquid condition. The quantity employed varies from a pound to four and a
quarter pounds if one employs them in the solid state, and from a half litre to

page_text: three litres per horse power for solutions, simple or mixed, of about twenty to
forty degrees Baumé. These proportions are only given as examples and can be
augmented or diminished, each with reference to the others. They are either
introduced directly into the generator or, better yet, into the feed tank, as then
the feed pipes are also purged at the same time of all incrustation.
The salts to which I give the preference are the nitrates in general, and
notably those of soda, potash, and ammonia associated with the cyanides, and
particularly the double cyanides of iron and of potassium in the proportion of
five to twenty per cent. according to the state of the boiler. A litre of these
solutions "nitro-cyanides" at from twenty to forty degrees Baumé suffices for a
horse power per month.
I employ with great advantage all the soluble alkaline or alkaline earth salts
having an excess of free base, which excess varies from ten to twenty five per cent.
of the total weight of the salts employed. This excess of free base favours the reaction
of the substances, the one upon the other, and consequently the rapid disincrustation
as well as the prevention of all fresh formation of all calcareous deposits. It is
besides a further guarantee for the preservation of the walls of the boiler.
The alkaline salts with excess of base in a free state to which I give the
preference are,-
First. The nitrates
Second. The carbonates
Third. The pyrolignites (acetates ?)
Fourth. The saccharates
}
of sodium, potassium, ammonium,
or of barium,
but I prefer the basic salts of sodium in view of their low price, such, for
example, as the nitrates and the carbonates of soda, separate or together, and s
employed alone, or with five to twenty per cent. of their weight of prussiate of
potash, of which the disincrusting properties are pronounced.
I employ many substances with advantage in association with each other, for
example, the nitro-carbonate of soda, of potash, or of ammonia, which is a mixture
in variable proportion of nitrate and of carbonate of soda, of potash, or of
ammonia. This assoication gives the most advantageous results. They are
employed in solution of twenty to forty Baumé strength, and one litre per horse
power per month.
The basic chloride of zinc disintegrates the already existing incrustations and
opposes itself to all new formation. But the double chlorides of zinc and of
ammonia or of zinc and barium are still more favourable to my purpose. It
suffices to introduce into the boiler of a locomotive for example, once or twice a
week 200 to 300 grammes of the double chloride of zinc and ammonium to maintain
it exempt from all incrustation.
When one employs the simple chlorides of zinc or the double chlorides, it is 4
useful to maintain in the generator bundles more or less voluminous of zinc
turnings and scrap, which oppose themselves to all attacks upon the iron of the
boiler, and by their continued movements in the water scour the walls of the
boiler, and thus themselves assist in preventing incrustations. I have used with
advantage a composition of clay, diluted and mixed with potato feculæ or glass
piled or in fragments, which by their continued movement serve to maintain in
suspension the calcareous or other molecules by opposing themselves to their
aggregation and consequently to incrustation. But the price of these substances,
which one ought to employ in the proportion of one to two per cent. of each,
renders them very costly.
The substances above designated and which enter into the composition of the
incrusting products will be augmented or diminished, or even eliminated according
to the nature of the composition of the waters employed.

page_text: SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent filed by
the said William Phillips Thompson in the Great Seal Patent Office on the
22nd August 1881.
WILLIAM PHILLIPS THOMPSON, of the Firm of Wm. P. Thompson & Co.,
Agents for Foreign Patent Solicitors, of 6, Lord Street, Liverpool, in the County
of Lancaster, and 323, High Holborn, in the County of Middlesex, Civil Engineer,'
"IMPROVED COMPOUNDS AND SOLUTIONS FOR REMOVING AND PREVENTING
INCRUSTATION IN BOILERS." A communication from abroad by Monsieur Joseph
Lallemand, of Paris, in the Republic of France.
"
The following is the Specification exactly as communicated to me in English by.
my French correspondent with orders to file :-
"This Invention relates to the prevention of incrustations in steam boilers and
"to the removal of incrustations from boilers and steam generators, tubular and
others, if the same are already incrusted.
"
"Engineers and chemists have for many years sought to find simple substances
si or compositions having the property of detaching the calcareous deposits.or
"incrustations formed in boilers and of preventing their formation anew. These
"compositions ought to be cheap, easy of employ, and innocuous to the metals..
"After many years of research and multitudinous experiments, I have arrived at
a practical knowledge of simple and compound agents not attacking the metals
"of the boiler, and decomposing all the incrustations fixed to the walls or surfaces
"of tubular boilers or generators of any form, and at the same time opposing
"themselves to any new incrustation.
८८
"
2 2 2
«
"Their employment is simple and so efficacious that a boiler or steam generator
can safely remain three or four months without opening the manhole after their
application in proper proportions, provided that care is taken to blow out under
pressure every month, an action always necessary in the general interest.
"The product or products introduced each month into the generators are
employed either in the solid or the liquid condition. The quantity employed
"varies according to the state of the boiler and its state when applied, one
pound to four pounds per horse power if in a solid state, or from one pint to four
pints if in a liquid state per horse power for solutions simple or mixed of about
"fifteen to forty degrees Baumé.
«
<<
"These proportions are only given as examples, and can be augmented or
"diminished each with reference to the other. They are either introduced direct
"into the steam generators, or, better yet, into the feed tank, as then the feed pipes
are also purged from all incrustation.
"
**
"
"The salts employed are of the cheapest.
"The salt or salts to which I give the preference are the nitrates, and principally
"the nitrates of soda, potash, and ammonia, alone or associated with the cyanides,
simple or double, such as cyanides of potassium, the double cyanides of iron and
potassium, or potassium and sodium, or ferruginous prussiate of potash in the
"proportions of five to fifteen per cent., according to the state of the steam boiler.
"Two pints of the solutions, either nitrates alone or nitro cyanide, at from twenty
"to forty degrees Baumé, mixed with a small quantity of an alkaline acetate,
"suffices for one horse power per month.
"I employ also all the soluble alkaline or alkaline earth salts, neutral or having
an excess of free base, which excess varies from 2 to 6 per cent. of the total
weight of the salts employed, but in any case this excess of base must be very
"moderate, so as to prevent any saponification, and so as not to impede the use of
"Giffard's injector. This excess of free base favors the reaction of the substances

page_text: one upon the other, and is besides a further guarantee for the preservation of the
"walls of the boiler.
"The alkaline salts to which I give the preference are,―
"
First. The nitrates
"Second. The carbonates
"Third. The chlorbydrates
"Fourth. The acetates
"Fifth. The saccharates
of sodium, potassium, ammonium, or barium.
"The above salts are employed alone or mixed in different proportions, one with
"the other, as also with certain small proportions of cyanide for solutions of about
15 to 40° B.
$6
"
"The basic chloride of zinc disintegrates the already existing incrustations, and
opposes itself to all new formation. I also employ the double chlorides or
chlorhydrates of zinc, and of ammonia and barium. It suffices to introduce into
"the boiler of a locomotive or other boiler for a month's work two to four pounds
(if used in the solid state) of the double chloride of zinc and ammonium or
"barium. If used in the liquid state double this quantity will be required at
"40 Baumé to disincrust and to maintain them free from all incrustation.
"
"
"The substances above designated, and which enter into the composition of the
disincrusting products, will be augmented or diminished according to the nature
"of the water.
"I claim as my Invention, the use of the chemical products herein before
" mentioned to be employed as to quantity, proportions, and specific gravity in the
same manner as herein stated."
<<
In witness whereof, I, the said William Phillips Thompson, have hereunto set
my hand and seal, this Eighteenth day of August, in the year of our Lord
One thousand eight hundred and eighty one.