US1246867A

US1246867A - Apparatus for manufacturing hydrogen.

Info

Publication number: US1246867A
Application number: US17036317A
Authority: US
Inventors: Richard E Brunner
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 1917-05-23
Filing date: 1917-05-23
Publication date: 1917-11-20
Anticipated expiration: 1934-11-20

Description

R. E. BRUNNER.

APPARATUS FOR MANUFACTURING HYDROGEN. APPLICATION men MAY 23. 1911.

1 246,867. Patented Nov. 20, 1917.

2 SHEETSSHEET l. K

WITNESS INVENTOR.

R. E. BRUNNER.

APPARATUS FOR MANUFACTURING HYDROGEN.

APPLICATION FILED MAY 23. 1917.

1 346,867. A Patented Nov. 20, 1917. i

2 SHEETSSHEET 2- T t 5 56 c I WITNESS- I INVENTOR.

Bit

RICHARD E. BBUINNER, F PITTSBURGH, PENNSYLV I APPARATUS FOR MANUFACTURING BUGEN.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Nov. 20, 191?.

Application nled may 23, 1917. Serial No. 170,868.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, RICHARD E; Bnunrrnn, a citizen of the United States, andresiding in the city of Pittsburgh, in the county of Allegheny and State of Pennsylvania, have invented or discovered new and useful Improvements in Apparatus for Manufacturing Hydrogen, of which the following is a specification.

My invention consists in new and improved apparatus for the manufacture of hydrogen and carbon from such basic materials, as natural gas, crude petroleum, garbage grease, &c.

The process for which my apparatus 18 particularly adapted consists in first subjecting the basic material to a heat of from 1800 to 2300 degrees, Fahra, and then passing the resultant gaseous product through a series of standpipes and subjecting them in their passage to the action of cold water sprays, allowing the carbon to be deposited on the water at the bottom of the standpipes and tobe led off through water seals to a depository, while the hydrogen is allowed to pass from the last standpipe in the series into a gasometer. Tofacilitate the breaking up of. the basic material in the furnace, such material is preferably preheated before its admission to the furnace. In the case of liquid, semi-solid or solid basic material, the said material is first heated and then injected in the form of spray or drip into the top of the furnace and the gaseous product led out of the bottom of the furnace to the first standpipe.

t dihe apparatus comprises a series or s an pipes connected together alternately at top vertical section showing in detail the top of.

one of the standpipes through which the gaseous products pass after leaving the uses, for instance the standpipe 2 in Eng. 1; Fig. 3is a broken enlarged plan view showing the upper water box in which the gas supply pipe is coiled for heating the gas prior to its admission into the furnace; Fig. sis an enlarged side elevation of the foot of one of the standpipes, such as the standpipe C in Fig. 1, and Fig. is an enlarged vertical section of the gasometer.

The following is a detailed description of the drawings.

A represents a heating furnace, built of brick, and having an internal checkerwork 1 above the combustion chamber 2, a dome 3 above the checker work, and a valved stack 4. 5 are the cleanout openings, or manholes provided with suitable closures, and 6 are the peep holes also provided with suitable closures.

7 is a perforated gas discharge pipe located in the bottom of the combustion chamber 2, and adapted to act either as a gas burner to heat the furnace, or as a means for supplying gas, as basic material, to the interior of the furnace to be heated and broken up before its admission to the standpipes. The member 7 is connected with a gas supply pipe 8 provided with a valve 9.

10 represents one or more perforated spray or drip pipes extending down through the dome of the furnace and connecting with a pipe 11, provided with a valve 12 which leads from the bottom of a tank or container B in which is placed the supply of crude petroleum, garbage grease, or other liquid, solid or semi-solid basic material to be introduced into the furnace. A. heating device, such as the gas burner 13, is provided to preheat the material in the tank and maintain it at the proper condition of fluidity, and a pressure pipe l ileads into the top of said tank to provide pressure to force the material up through the pipe 11 into the discharge pipes 10. The pressure pipe 14 is preferably connected to the dis charge pipe of the gasometer and is pro vided with a valve 15 adjacent to the latter.

6, 0, C C C and Q represent a series of vertical standpipes, the staudpipes C and (1 being connected together at their tops by a pipe of equal diameter 16; the standpi'pes C and C being connected together at their bottoms by a similar pipe 17 the stnndpipes C and (3 being connected to gethrr at their tops by a similar pipe 18; the standpipes Q and being connected together at their bottoms by a similar pipe 19,

and the standpipes C? and 0 being (lonected together at 20 the tops bya lar pipe The bottom of standpipe C is connected with a blow-off pipe 21 provided with a valve 22 and also with a pipe 23 provided with a valve 24 leading into the gasolneter D. The pipe 23 is preferably of the same diameter as are the standpipes.

The upper portion of the first standpipe C is connected with the interior of the furnace A above the checkerwork by means of a pipe 25 provided with a quickacting, counterbalanced valve 26.

The lower end of the standpipe C is conan air blower E.

A quick opening, counterbalanced valve 35 is interposed between the standpipe C and the T-member 27.

36 is an open top water box surrounding the valve 26 and through which the pipe 25 and the standpipe C extend, while a similar water box 37 surrounds the valve 35 and through said box extends the "if-member 27 and the standpipe C.

The water box 26 may be kept filled to the overflowing with water by means of a pipe 38, provided with a valve 39 and connected to the water supplypipe h.

The lower water box 37 is supplied by the overflow pipe 40 of the upper water box. 41 is the overflow pipe of the lower water box connecting to the drain 42 leading to the carbon deposit vault G.

The gas pipe 8, between its entrance into the furnace and its valve 9 extends up into and is coiled within the upper water box for preheating the gas when it is'bein'g used as basic material within the furnace.

43 are perforated spray pipes which extend from the water pipe F down through the upper ends of each of the standpipes. Said pipes 43 are provided with valves 44 near their upper ends and stufiing boxes 45 are provided to prevent the escape of gas at the tops of the standpipes along the pipes 43. 46 is a pipe leading from a gas tight joint in the bottom of the first stand pipe C and extending up outside of said stand pipe and connecting with the overflow pipe 41 of the lower water box at the proper elevation to provide a water seal for the bottom of said standpipe.

The bottom of each of the remaining standpipes is provided with a water seal formed by a pipe 47 leading from the standpipe, substantially at the level of the axis of the horizontal connecting pipe which runs to the adjacent standpipe, and extending up outside of said standpipe to substantially the same level where it connects with a second pipe 48,.having one end open and elevated and connecting at its other end with the drain 42.

49 represents a supply pipe connecting the water pipe F with a suitable source of supply of water under pressure, and it is provided with a valve 50.

The vault G provided with a bottom dlscharge pipe 51 providedwith avalve 52 and an overflow pipe 53 connecting to said discharge pipe outside of said valve.

The gasometer is formed by a water tank 54 and an inner gas tank 55 floating therein. The pipe 23 extends up outside of the Water tank and then down into the interior thereof and then up in the interior of the gas tank 55 into a closed top tower 56 extending up from the top of the gas tank. The discharge pipe 58 has its mouth inserted up into a similar tower 59 and extends down to the bottom of the water tank and thence up out of the same where it is pro vided with a valve 60. The pressure pipe 14 is connected, as explained with the discharge pipe 58 and is provided adjacent to the latter with the valve 15.

The preferred method of operating my apparatus is as follows:

The first step is to heat the furnace, which is accomplished by opening the valve 9, lighting the gas as it escapes through the perforations of the member 7 and then openin the valve 31 and starting the blower E. The valve in the stack 4 is also opened for the escape of the products of combustion. When the checkerwork of the furnace has reached a temperature of from, say, 1800 to 2300 degrees, and gas is to be used as the basic material, the valve 9 is now turned until but from twenty-five to thirty feet of gas are admitted to the furnace per minute. The blower is now stopped and the valve 31 closed. The valve in the stack 4 is left open until the gas comes out of the same full and strong thus displacing all air from the furnace. Then the stack is closed and valve 26 is opened, thus admitting the furnace products to the standpipes. The valve 24 is kept closed and the valve 22 opened, so that all air in the standpipes is expelled through the pipe 21. When all such air is displaced, the valve 22. is closed and the valve 24 opened, and the valves 44 are also all opened to start the water sprays. The valve 39 is opened at the same time as is the valve 26, to supply the water box 36 with water to prevent overheating of the pipe25 and the valve 26.

The gaseous products from the furnace thus pass through the standpipes in alternate directions, being subjected in their passage through said pipes to the vertical water spray which causes the carbon and impurities to be deposited in the water seals in the bottoms of the standpipes and to be ca ried 01f by the currents of Water through the pipes 47 and 48' into the drain 42 and thus to the vault G. As the products pass 'up or down each of the stand pipes, each time more of the carbon and other impurities are segregated from the hydrogen and carried 05 to the drain until the pure hydrogen is discharged through the pipe 23 into the gasometer. The gas is discharged into the interior of the tower 56 and must pass down into the upper part of the tank 55 and up into the other tower 59 before it can leave the gasometer. Thus there is effected a uniformity in the product withdrawn from the gasometer and the direct passage of the hydrogen from the inlet pipe 23 to the outlet pipe 58 is prevented. The heat of the pipe 25 and the valve 26 raises the temperature of the water in the box 86. so that it effects the preheating of the gas in the pipe 8 before it is admitted to the interior of the furnace as a basic material, thus greatly facilitating its breaking up.

Where crude oil, garbage grease or other liquid, semi-solid or solid material is used as a base, after the furnace has been heated, instead of admitting gas from the gas line after the air has been cut ofl",-the contents of the tank B, being preheated by burner 13 and being under pressure from the; ipe 14, are discharged as spray or drip the pipes 10- into the upper part of the furnace. The valve 26 is kept closed and the valve 25 is opened so that the material,

rom I passes down through the checkerwork and is heated and broken up, and the products pass out through the valve into the bottom of the standpipe C. Otherwise the operation is the same as already described in relation to natural gas as a basic material. a

The carbonmay be removed by opening the valve 52 and then dried.

The apparatus may be made from standard pipe and elbows purch'asable upon the market, the internal diameter of the pipe and fittings being regulated in accordance with the plant capacity desired. Thus "the which the basic material previously. heated and in gaseous form is passed means for maintaining a downwardly directed spray of water: in'said standpipes for separation of the carbon and other impurities from the hydrogen, and water sealed devices for floating said im urities off from the 'bottoms of said stan pi es, substantially as and for the purpose set orth.

Signed at Pittsburgh, Penna. this 19th -day ofMay, 1917.

RICHARD E. BRUNNER.