IMPROVEMENTS IN THE METHOD OF, AND APPARATUS FOR, MANUFACTURING SULPHURIC ACID
Year: 1884

page_text: PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
We, MARK FINCH, of Silvertown, in the County of Essex, Chemical Manu-
facturer, and WILLIAM WILLOUGHBY, JOSEPH WILLOUGHBY, and SAMUEL
WILLOUGHBY, all of Plymouth, in the County of Devon, Engineers, do hereby
declare the nature of the said Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN THE METHOD
OF, AND APPARATUS FOR, MANUFACTURING SULPHURIC ACID," to be as follows :—
This invention relates to improvements in the method of, and apparatus for,
manufacturing sulphuric acid, whereby such process is effected in a more simple
and economical manner than is the case when the ordinary means are employed for
that purpose.
The sulphurous and nitrous gases are collected from the pyrites or sulphur
furnaces and are conducted, by preference, after having been passed through a
denitrating tower into a pump or series of pumps, or ejector or any other equally
well understood apparatus for receiving and forcing the same.
In passing into such apparatus the gases are, in some cases, subjected to the
action of one or more sprays of either steam, water, acid, or solution of acid salt or
any mixture of the same as may be desirable. By the before mentioned apparatus
the gases are forced into a tank or tower which is of any suitable size and shape
and arranged in a vertical or horizontal position. The gases are, in this tank or
tower, subjected, by means of the before mentioned forcing apparatus, to any
pressure required, as will be well understood, to promote the oxydation of the
sulphurous gases. The said tank or tower is provided, at the top, with a valve so
constructed, as will be well understood, that when the gases attain a certain
pressure the uncondensed portion thereof may escape through the same and pass,
by means of suitable connections, into another tank of similar construction, and
this is repeated until the desired .conversion of the sulphurous gas into sulphuric
acid has been effected.
The said tank or tower, or, when a number of the same are employed, the last
tank or tower, may be placed in communication with the absorbing tower.
. Dated this eleventh day of February in the year of Our Lord One thousand

page_text: We, MARK FINCH, of Silvertown, in the County of Essex, Chemical Manu-
facturer, and WILLIAM WILLOUGHBY, JOSEPH WILLOUGHBY, and SAMUEL
WILLOUGHBY, all of Plymouth, in the County of Devon, Engineers, do hereby
declare the nature of our Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN THE METHOD OF,
AND APPARATUS FOR, MANUFACTURING SULPHURIC ACID," and in what manner
the same is to be performed, to be particularly described and ascertained in
and by the following statement:—
Our said Invention relates to improvements in the method of, and apparatus for,
manufacturing sulphuric acid, whereby such process is effected in a more simple
and economical manner than is the case when the ordinary means are employed for
that purpose.
The sulphurous and nitrous gases are collected from the pyrites or sulphur
furnaces and are conducted, by preference, after having been passed through a
denitrating tower, into a pump or series of pumps, or ejector or any other equally
well understood apparatus for receiving and forcing, or for drawing and forcing, the
same. In passing into such apparatus the gases are subjected to the action of
one or more sprays of either steam, water or acid or any combination thereof,
by preference, until they become saturated, as may be desired. By the before
mentioned apparatus the gases are forced into a tank or tower which is of any
suitable size and shape and arranged in a vertical or horizontal position. The
gases are, in this tank or tower, subjected by means of the before mentioned forcing
apparatus to any pressure required, as will be well understood, to promote the
oxydation of the sulphurous gases. The said tank or tower is provided at the top
with a valve so constructed, as will be well understood, that when the gases attain
a certain pressure the uncondensed portion thereof may escape through the same
and pass, by means of suitable connections into another tank of similar construction
and this is repeated until the desired conversion of the sulphurous gas into sulphuric
acid has been effected. The said tank or tower, or, when a number of the same
are employed, the last tank or tower, may be placed in communication with the
absorbing tower.
We will now proceed to refer to the accompanying drawings from which the
nature of our said Invention will be more clearly understood. The same letters of
reference indicate like parts in all the Figures. Figure 1. shews a pump into the
barrel C. of which the gases pass, from a denitrating tower or other source, through
the pipe. A. When desired, the gases before entering the barrel C. are caused to
pass through the enlargement B. where they are saturated or mixed with steam,
water or acid or any combination thereof passing through the pipe E. In cases
where an injector is substituted for the pump lastly referred to, the saturation or
mixing of the gases with steam, water or acid, or any mixture thereof will take
place as the gases are compressed and not in a separate place, such as the
enlargement B., as will be well understood.
The gases, or mixture of gases with steam, water or acid or combination thereof,
are forced through the pipe D., into the tank or tower G. wherein they are
compressed by the action of the said pump. The action of the said compression
on the gases or mixture of the same with steam, water or acid or combination
thereof, causes the formation of sulphuric acid which falls to the bottom of the said
tank, tower or chamber whence it is drawn off for use through the valve O.,
Figures 2. and 3., and pipe connected therewith. S. is a safety valve for preventing
the pressure becoming too great for the strength of the tanks: Such portion of

page_text: the gases or mixture hereinbefore referred to which has not been converted into
sulphuric acid passes through the valve F. and pipe H. into the absorbing tower or
other desired receptacle, or, when more than one tank or tower are employed, as
shown in the drawings, they pass into the next tank or tower shown at Figure 3.
The pressure on the gases or on the said mixture is maintained by weights placed
on the valves F. It will be readily understood that the tanks or towers herein-
before referred to may be arranged vertically, horizontally or in any other desired
manner, and that they may be of any required size and shape.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of our said
Invention and in what manner the same is to be performed we declare that what
we claim, is:
First. The conversion of sulphurous and nitrous gases in combination with
steam, water or acid or any mixture thereof, into sulphuric acid by subjecting
the same to pressure within a tank or tower, substantially as and for the purposes
hereinbefore described.
And Secondly. The combination and arrangement of parts constituting the
apparatus for manufacturing sulphuric acid, substantially as herein before set
forth and described.
Dated this eleventh day of November One thousand eight hundred and eighty