IMPROVEMENTS IN THE MANUFACTURE OF SALT
Year: 1845

page_text: TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, we, THOMAS
LIDBETTER, of Droitwich, in the County of Worcester, Manager of Salt
Works, and Joux LOUGHTON, of the same Place, Carpenter, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her present most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Der
Royal Letters Patent under the Great Seal of Great Britain, bearing date at
Westminster, the Second day of April, in the eighth year of Her reign, did,
for Herself, er heirs and successors, give and grant unto us, the said Thomas
Lidbetter and John Loughton, fer especial licence, full power, sole privilege
and authority, that we, the said Thomas Lidbetter and John Loughton, our
exors, adiiors, and assigns, or such others as we, the said Thomas Lidbetter
and John Loughton, our exors, adñiors, or assigns, should at any time agree
with, and no others, from time to time and at all times during the term
of years therein expressed, should and lawfully might make, use, exercise, and
vend, within England, Wales, and the Town of Berwick-upon-Tweed, our
Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN THE MANUFACTURE OF SALT;" in which said
Letters Patent is contained a proviso, that we, the said Thomas Lidbetter
and John Loughton, or one of us, shall cause a particular description of the
nature of our said Invention, and in what manner the same is to be performed,
to be inrolled in Her said Majesty's High Court of Chancery within six
calendar months next and immediately after the date of the said in part recited
Letters Patent, as in and by the same, reference being thereunto had, will
more fully and at large appear.
NOW KNOW YE, that in compliance with the said proviso, we, the said
Thomas Lidbettor and John Loughton, do hereby declare that the nature, of

page_text: our Invention, and the manner in which the same is to be performed, are
fully described and ascertained in and by the following statement thereof,
reference being had to the Drawing hereunto annexed, and to the figures and
letters marked thereon, that is to say:-
Our Invention consists of means of supplying salt pans with heated brine,
and in order that the Invention may be most fully understood and readily
carried into effect, we will proceed to describe the means pursued by us.
DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWING.
Figure 1 is a transverse section of a salt pan and apparatus for keeping up
a supply of heated brine thereto, arranged according to part of our Invention;
Figure 2 is a longitudinal section thereof; and Figure 3 is a plan of the
furnace of the salt pans and apparatus for supplying brine thereto. A is the
lower, and B the upper salt pan, so arranged that the brine can be drawn from
the pan
B into the pan A. The pan A is heated by the fire-places or furnaces
C, C, and the pan B is heated by the heat passing from such fire-places; but
such arrangement of salt pans forms no part of our Invention. E, E, is a
pipe, or there may be pipes, placed in the chamber D, which is heated by the
fires in the fire-place or furnaces C, C; hence, this pipe or arrangement of
pipes will become heated by the otherwise for the most part waste heat con-
stantly passing off from the fires used in heating salt pans, and it is the
arrangement of a pipe or pipes in a hot chamber or space heated by the flame
and heated vapours passing off from fires used for heating salt pans which
constitutes the first part of our Invention. F is a reservoir of brine to keep up
a constant supply, and the supply of brine may be regulated by a cock on the
pipe. We would remark, in respect to this part of our Invention, that we are
awaro that it has been before proposed to heat brine in pipes and then to
supply a salt pan therewith, but in such case the pipe or pipes have been
placed directly over the fire or fires and the salt pans, by which the beat of the
fires so communicated to the brine in the pans was prevented getting to the
pan; and this part of our Invention has for its object the heating of pipes con-
taining brine, by acting externally on their surfaces by heat in a chamber
which is heated by flame, or heat which has passed out of or beyond the
fire-place.
Another part of our Invention consists of applying the wasted heat of other
fire-places or furnaces, or processes where heat is obtained, such as steam and
other boilers, coke ovens, and other furnaces, where a large portion of heat is
at present lost by passing into the atmosphere. And this part of our Invention
consists of applying a pipe or pipes in a chamber or space beyond the fires or

page_text: furnaces, so as not to interfere with the processes for which the fires may be
employed, and yet to obtain as much as possible of the heat which is now
wasted. And in carrying out this part of our Invention, we apply pipes in a
similar manner to that shown, or varied, so as to suit the particular arrange-
ment of the furnace and flues; and in some cases, when applying waste heat
of furnaces or fire-places, whether of salt pans or other processes, to the
heating of brine in pipes for the supply of salt pans, in place of using the waste
heat to heat suitable chambers or spaces beyond the furnaces or fire-places,
and placing the brine pipe or pipes therein, we cause the heated vapours
passing from such fire-places or furnaces to be conducted by suitable flues to
a steam boiler or boilers to generato steam, such steam being conducted by a
stoam pipe into a suitable vessel in which a pipe or pipes for the passage
of brine are placed, by which the brine becomes heated before it passes into
the pan.
Having thus described the nature our Invention, we would wish it to be
understood that we do not claim the heating of brine for the supply of salt
pans in pipes generally; but what we claim is,
First, the heating of brine in pipes by means of the heat of chambers or
spaces beyond the fires or furnaces used for heating salt pans, as herein described.
And, secondly, we claim the heating of brine passing through pipes heated
by the heat which escapes beyond the furnaces or fire-places used for various
purposes, as herein described.
In witness whereof, I, the said Thomas Lidbetter, have hereunto set my
hand and seal, this Twenty-third day of September, in the year of our
Lord Oue thousand eight hundred and forty-fice
Enrolled the Second day of October, in the year of our Lord One
thousand eight hundred and forty-five.