US2180848A - Means for separating fluid-tar and sludge from hot newly made water gas - Google Patents

Description

C. H. PRINTZ Nov. 21, 1939.

MEANS FOR SEPARATING FLUID-TAR AND SLUDGE FROM HOT NEWLY MADE WATER GAS Filed April 24. 1937 INLET 6A5 OUTLET 5A5 INLET INVENTOR. CHARLES hf PR/NTZ BY 1 z :25 I 22 3 v ATTORNEYS 71 4? DRAIN Q Patented Nov. 21, 1939 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE SLUDGE FROM HOT GAS NEWLY MADE WATER Charles H. Printz, Cleveland, Ohio, assignor to The Gas Machinery Company, Cleveland, Ohio,

a corporation of Ohio Application April 24, 1937, Serial No. 138,865

2 Claims.

My invention relates to seals for water gas sets, and particularly relates to improvements in the casings or housings for the liquor forming the seal, commonly known also as seal separators and wash boxes. As is well known, these seals are primarily designed to prevent movement of gas in the wrong direction and are usually plain boxes or casings containing suitable liquor beneath the surface of which the made gas from the gas set is conducted from the gas ofitake of the set, the gas passing through the liquor and out from the seal casing and being conducted into storage, or to place of consumption, or any other suitable and desired place. These seal casings usually have flat bottoms, and the fluid tar and heavy sludge carried in by the gas settle by gravity and collect upon the flat bottoms, and thus are separated from the gas passing through the seal casing. When heavy oil is used for enrichment of the water gas made in the set, and even when gas oil is used for such enrichment together with bituminous coal in the generator, great difficulty is encountered in the use of the known forms of seals because of the formation of tar and liquor emulsion in the seal. The separating liquor is agitated by the bubbling gas and this agitation results in the formation of tar emulsions, if the separated tar and sludge are not promptly removed from the sphere of the agitated liquor. The separated tar must be deemulsified before the tar is marketable, and this de-emulsification involves considerable additional equipment and expense. It is designed by my improved casing for liquid-seals of gas sets to obviate the formation of tar and liquor emulsion.

The annexed drawing and the following description set forth in detail certain means illustrating my improvements, such means constituting, however, only one of the many forms in which the principle of my invention may be embodied.

The drawing is a vertical longitudinal section, partially in elevation, of my improved casing for liquid-seals of water gas sets, including some accessory inlets, outlets, drain tank,'etc.

Referring to the annexed drawing, a casing I is provided with an upper gas inlet 2 and a gas outlet 3 and, in use, is filled with hot liquor 4 to a level above the bottom of the inlet 2, to form a seal in which fluid tar and heavy sludge are separated from the gas as it passes through the liquor 4 from the inlet 2 to the outlet 3. In the form of casing I shown, I provide a hoppershaped bottom 5 therefor. The fluid tar and heavy sludge are separated from the gas as the latter bubbles through the seal liquor and settle toward the bottom of the casing I, the heavy sludge sliding on the hopper bottom 5 toward a bottom outlet 6 therefrom. This bottom outlet 6 is a throat-like member controlled by a valve 1 and opens into the top of an auxiliary casing 8 which also has a hopper-shaped bottom 9 and a discharge spout I therefrom controlled by a valve I I. Adjacent the top of the hopper bottom 9 is a drain pipe I2. The casing 8 functions as a displacement tank for the fluid tar and heavy sludge which settle thereinto through the throatlike pipe 6 and collect upon the bottom of the tank 8, the heavy sludge I3 collecting at the extreme bottom and the fluid tar I4 forming a layer thereabove. The fluid tar is drained off through the pipe I2 and the heavy sludge is drained oif through the discharge nozzle III. The displacement tank 8 forms a quiescent chamber in which there is no emulsifying of the tar and liquor, so that the fluid tar and heavy sludge are available for the market, in the condition in which they are drained from the tank 8, without the necessity of de-emulsification. It will be observed, of course, that the displacement tank 8 is also full of hot liquor 4, being originally filled at the same time as the casing I. Liquor may be made available for refilling the displacement tank 8, as hereinafter explained, through a controlled liquor inlet I5, the top of the tank 8 being connected with the normal liquor inlet I6 by a pipe I1, the spilling of the liquor from the pipe I! into the inlet I6 indicating when the tank 8 is full. A controlled steam connection 22 to the displacement tank 8 permits heating of the liquor in the tank 8 as desired.

The normal outlet from the seal proper I is indicated by the number l8 and it is connected with the normal drain tank I9 by a pipe connection 20, a pipe connection 2| tapping the bottom of the drain tank I9 and serving as a tar drain from the tank I9.

During the operation of the water gas set, the separation of the light and heavy tar from the hot made-gas is elfected in the seal, due to the contact of said gas with the seal liquor 4, which light and heavy tar settle downwardly through the liquor 4 and pass through the throat-like member 6 and collect in the bottom of the displacement tank 8. During this operation valve 1 is open, and discharge spout I0 and pipes I2 and I are closed. When it is desired to remove the fluid tar and heavy sludge from the tank, 8, valve I is closed and pipe I2 is first opened to drain oil the fluid tar. After this drainage is effected, valve i I is opened and the heavy sludge is discharged through spout Ill. Then, to refill the tank 8, outlets in and I2 are closed and inlet I5 is opened and hot liquor fed into the tank 8 untl it spills over into the inlet Hi from the pipe IT. Then valve 1 is opened and the process is repeated.

Drainage of the fluid tar and heavy sludge from the tank 8 is effected at such suitable intervals as will obviate the collection of so much heavy sludge as would cover the inlet to the fluid-tar drain l2. However, when the generator of the water gas set is cleaned as often as every other day, the valve 1 can be closed and the line I! opened and the tar and liquor drained from the displacement tank 8 directly into suitable tar and liquor storage, a pump being utilized for this purpose if necessary. Then the valve H is opened, and the heavy sludge discharged into any suitable receptacle.

The use of the improvements which have been described and which are shown in the accompanying drawing has resulted in entire freedom from tar and liquor emulsion troubles, even with the use of heavy oil in the water gas set for gas enrichment purposes, and even with the use of gas oil for enrichment together with bituminous coal in the generator. Also, the separated tar obtained by the use of the described improvements contains so small a percentage of moisture that very slight. if any, dehydration of the tar is required.

What I claim is:

1. Means for separating fluid-tar and sludge from hot newly-made water gas comprising aseal provided with a liquor inlet, said seal hav ing in its upper part a gas inlet and a gas outlet, and forming a gas-bubbling chamber when the seal is filled with liquor to a level above the gas inlet, the seal having a hopper-shaped bottom provided with a bottom discharge opening and forming a fluid-tar and sludge settling compartment, means for maintaining a liquor level in said seal above the gas inlet and belowthe gas outlet, a fluid-tar and sludge displacement tank below the seal, means forming a constricted passage-way between the discharge opening at the bottom of the hopper-shaped portion of said seal and said tank, means for controlling said passage-way, the tank having a hopper-shaped bottom formed at its bottom with a controlled sludge drain, said tank also having a fluid-tar side drain substantially higher than its sludge drain, controlled means for admitting liquor to the tank other than through said constricted passage-way, and means forming a fluid conduit between the top of the tank. and the liquor inlet of the seal.

2. Means for separating fluid-tar and sludge from hot newly-made water gas comprising a seal separator having in its upper part a liquor inlet, a gas inlet, a gas outlet, and means for maintaining a liquor level above the gas inlet and below the gas outlet, the lower part of the separator being organized into the following elements: a hopper-shaped top portion having a bottom discharge opening, a throat-like member adjacently below said opening and into which the hopper-shaped portion feeds, a displacement tank adjacently below said throat-like member and into which the latter discharges, a valve control for said throat-like member, the lower end of the displacement tank being hopper-shaped, a controlled sludge drain tapping the tank at the bottom of said hopper-shaped lower end, a controlled fiuid-tar drain tapping the tank in an area substantially higher than the bottom of said hopper-shaped lower end, and controlled means for admitting liquor to said tank from a source other than said hopper-shaped top portion, said controlled means including an inlet to and an overflow from said tank.

CHARLES H. PRINTZ.

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