US500651A - fog-arty - Google Patents

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(No Model.) 3 Sheets-Sheet 1.

I A T. B. POGARTY. METHOD OF AND APPARATUS FOR PRODUCING GYANIDES A'ND AMMONIA. No. 500,651. Patented July 4, 1893.

W/T/VE 88158:

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(No Model.) 3 Shets-Sheet 2.

T. B. FOGARTY.

METHOD OF AND APPARATUS FOR PRODUCING CYANIDB S AND AMMONIA.

No. 500,651. I Patented Jul 4, 1893;

(No Model.) 3 Sheets-Sheet 3.

T. B. FOGARTY.

METHOD OF AND APPARATUS FOR PRODUCING OYANIDES AND AMMONIA No. 500,651. Patented July 4, 1893.

WITNESSES ii'rrrrnn ranges Armor error...

Thomas njroenn'rr, or LONG ISLAND CITY, ASSIGNOR on onn rwnnrrnrn T0 ESEK COWEN, on NEW YORK, N. Y.

METHOD OF AND APPARATUS FOR PRODUClNG CYANIDES AND AMMONlA.

SPECIFIGATION forming part of Letters Iatent No. 500,651, dated July 4:, 1593 Application filed March 26, 1891. Renewed January 16, 1892. Again renewed October 11, 1892- Serial No. 448,560l- (No model.)

To (LZZ whom may concern:

Be it known that I, THOMAS B. Foearrv, a citizen of the United States, residing at Long Island City, in the county of Queens and State of New York, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Methods of and Apparatus for Producing Gyanides and Ammonia, of which the following is a specification.

The object of my invention is to produce with rapidity, certainty and at a compara- Lively small expense cyanides and ammonia and to this end I make use of the means and apparatus hereinafter fully set forth, said apparatus being illustrated in the accompany-,

iug drawings, in which Figure 1 is a vertical elevation of said apparatus. Fig. 2 is a vertical sectional elevation, enlarged, showing the furnace retort and Washer; and Figs. 8, l, and 5 are transverse sections respectively upon the lines a, b, c, Fig. 2.

The most valuable forms of combined nitrogen are cyanogen-and its salts, and ammonia, and for this reasonl have devised a method and means whereby to obtain these products cheaply and rapidly.

As is well known it is extremely dillicult to effect practically and upon a commercial scale the combination of nitrogen and carbon-Hire elements of cyanogen-01 to form free byanogen even at extremely high temperatures; but, that when an alkali or alkaline earth be iresent 0 auc on 'nia T be readily produced from free nitrogen and carbon, at cyanide or cyanate being formed which in turn may be decomposed by steam producing ammonia, oxides of carbon and free hydrogen. Elilcrts have frequently been made to thus produce cyanides synthetically, but the re sults have, so far as I am aware, in no case been practically successful owing chiefly to ll necessary to be combined, the. diiiimaintaining the apparatus at the inrequired, and of maintaining other as incompatible with high temperathe-wear and tearof the apparatus.

A the View to overcoming the above diiiiculties and to simplilly the synthesis of cyanogen, its and products at a reduced temperature i make use of a process by which a extremely negative characteristics of the v the chemical changes and reactions result in harmonizing the maintenance of the combining temperature with that of the other nec essary conditions of the process.

\Vhile I can make use of various forms of apparatus in carrying out my improved prosuitable form of pump, jet, aspirator or exhauster a suitable volume of steam and air is forced, or drawn through an incandescent volume of carbonaceous or hydro-carbonaceous fuel contained in a generator B, the

oxygen of the steam and air combining with the incandescent'carbon of the fuel to produce carbonic oxide and carbonic acid, while the hydrogen and nitrogen are set free, and the general result being combustible gas 0011- taining a lar e volume of nitrogen. A suitable generator gas may be also produced by similarly passing air, unmixed with steam, through the incandescent fuel in the genera'tor B, forming a generator or producer gas of which the well known. Siemens produeer gas is an excellent type. In this case the boiler A, may be dispensed with. Through the combination of its oxygen with the carbon of the incandescent fnelin the generator B, as just described, the nitrogen of the airis thus rendered practically free from oxygen, and is reduced to a condition suitable for the production of cyanides, a large volume of fuel gas being simultaneously produced.

The details 0t construction of thefurnace C,a1'e best shown in Figs. 2 and 5, which illustrate said furnace as consisting generally of an elevated stack of fire brick or other'refractory material. Said stack nas a feed opening 3, at. the up or end and is ex anded belowthe latter to re ire-the reto also of suitable Ice 'shown is provided with a series of alternating plates forming a circuitous passage. The gaseops matter passes-from the washer K, to the pipe 6,.and. the wash water passes into the washer through the pipe 6. At the top .ot the stack and preferably at such an elevatlon above the retort as not to be detrimentallyafiected by the heat of the latter is arranged a hopper F, having a feeder G, in the form of a revolving screw, and a distributer H, 1n the form of a revolving disk, which recelves the matter fed from the hopper by the screw and distributes it equally through the opening 3, into the retort.

Where the hopper, feeder and distributor may be exposed to any excessive heat they are mad'e'of suitable refractorymaterial. 4

The pipe 7, extending from the generator B, communicates at the upper end and with .two branches 8, 9, leading to two super-heaters P, P, at the upper part of the stack, a valve B, in a casing R, serving to direct the gases alternately to one super-heater or the other, said gases after passing through eithersuper-heater flowing through a port S, into the Inlet opening 3, and passing thence to the retort; Ports'l, T, communicating with acircumferential chamber 0, around the top of the retort permit the gases from the chamber W, to pass alternately to the super-heaters P, P, accordingly as said portsiare controlled by valves 10, 10, and other ports U, U, controlled by valves 12, 12, afiord commnniea- 'tion between the super-heaters and the chimney E.v In the stack and around the inner directed into the other super-heater communication is opened between the generator B, and the heated super-heater, the gases from the generator B, are caused to flow through the heated super-heater and out through the opening 8', into the feed-opening 3, and there meeting the material falling from the feeder pass downward therewith through the retort M. These gases will usually consist of a mixture of hydrogen, oxides of carbon, and nitrogen, the last named being in the proportion of about sixty per cent. and will prob ably vary in composition within certain limits according to the temperature and process of distillation or source and material from which they are obtained. Simultaneously with the introduction of the super-heated generator gases into the retort M, as just described, I introduce through the pipe J, into the feed opening 3, a suitable volume of hydro-carbon gas or vapor or a mixture of both which mixes with the generator gas passing through the retort. or vapors thus introduced, or, as usually hap- The hydro-carbon gases pens a mixture thereof may be derived from,

any suitable source. They may be obtained from the destructive distillation in closed vessels of bituminous coal or shale'or of tar or oil, or other suitable hydro-carbonaceous matter. Ordinary coal orcarbureted water gas, or natural gas may also be used with advantage, inasmuch as they are largely composed of hydrocarbon gases. G, I feed into the retort from the hopper F, a suitably adjusted volume" of pulverized alkali or alkaline earth which passes downward through the retort in a state of intimate mixture with, and in the company of the generator and hydrocarbon gases. I do not, however, confine myself to the process of introducing the alkali into the retort in a pulver ized state, for under certain conditions it may be'advantageously introduced in the form of vapor, in which case the hopper may be dispensed with and a pipe for the introduction of the vapor may be substituted. In passingtures and characteristics. Thus when hydrocarbon gases and vapors aresubjeeted to a high temperature in a closed vessel they tend to resolve. themselves into their elements and liberally with olefiantgas and acetylerieJandalso with nascent carbon and hydrogen all Also, bymeans of the'feeder of whichare the forms and compoundsof hydrogen and carbon best suited for use in the synthesis of cyanogen and for the subsequent production of ammonia.-

.The synthesis of acetylene from its elements absorbs sixty-four thousand calories for its molecular weight, one and'one-half times as much as cyanogen itself and itis consequently endowed with remarkable chemical energy,

while the nascent hydrogen and carbon produced by the process of dissociation are ina state most highly favorable to the synthetical production of cyanides and cyanates.

By passing the generator gases through the super-heaters I impart to them a high temperature before they are admitted to there with the gases themselves. At the same time the hydro-carbon gases and vapors undergoing thesynthesis and decomposition before described, and being thereby presented to the atoms of nitrogen and alkali in a constant successionof chem icallyenergetic and nascent conditions and in a state of intimate admix carbonates, oxid rectly thus:

ture, present innumerable points of contact and give rise to the following reactions resulting inthe production of cyanogen and its salts, and ammonia: l v

First. Acetylene combines directly with nitrogen and produces hydro-cyanic acid, thus:

. O H5+N =2HON.

Second. Acetylene combines with alkaline es and'hydrates, as for example:

;Third. Nascent carbon combines. with nitrogen and alkaline carbonates, oxides and hydrates, as for example: na,eo,+4o(nas em) +N 30o +2NaON.

. Fourth. Nascent hydrogen combines diwlth nitrogenproducing ammonia,

I 3H (nascent)+N :2NH

Around these metamorphoses revolves a train of intermediate, analogous, and secondary reactions, all of which tend and gravitate to, and rest upon the common basis of the intense chemical energy and strong affinities of olefiant gas and acetylene and in a less de gree of nascent carbon and hydrogen.- Among these reactions may be included the analogous results obtained in the use of other al- .kalies as potassium, and the carbonates, oxides, and hydrates of the alkaline earths, calcinm, barium, and strontium, all of which are available in a greater or less degree.

Among the products of my process-will be alarge amount of excellent fuel gas which may be used for heating the retort or othermeans of suitable iron salts or oxidesinto ferroi cyanides which areutilized in any well known \Vhe'iipammonia is the product chiefly soughtfor the cyanides may be decomposed before passing into the tank L, by means of a regulated volume of steam admitted at a point above the bottom of the retort to a pipe shown in dotted lines. This will decompose the cyanides, producing ammonia-and its car bonates and fuel gas.

The production of the cyanides raises the temperature at the lower part of the retort but without any detrimental effect as far as regards the cyanides themselves, but causing loss and'inconvenience when the production of ammoniais desired, the high temperature decomposing the nascent ammonia into its elements. To avoid this I feed from the hopper F, such an excess of carbon as will de-v compose a similar excess of steam producing a volume of water gas that will absorb or take up the heat sufliciently to reduce the temperature of the resulting gases to a degree suitable for the production and preservation of ammonia.

Without limiting myself to the precise processes or succession of processes, actions, and reactions described or to the exact form and arrangement of apparatus shown, I claim lAThe process herein described of producing cyanides and ammonia, consisting in producing a gas consisting chiefly of oxides of carbon, free hydrogen and nitrogen, passing the same into and through a suitable retort maintained at a high or incandescent temperature, passing simultaneously through the same retort and in the same direction as the before described gas, suitable volumes of hydrocarbon gas or vapor and of alkali or alka-- line earth or vapor, decomposing the hydro carbon gas or vapor by heat into acetylene and free carbon and hydrogen, and causing these to combine with nitrogen and alkali andtp produce alkaline cyanides, ammonia, and fue gas, substantially as described.

2. The process heflain described of producing alkaline cyanides and ammonia consistingsubstantiallyin causingnitrogenous gas, hydro-carbon gases and vapors and a suitable alkali to pass together in the same direction through an'incandescent retort whereby the hydro-carbons are decomposed into simpler and elementary bod es which combine with nitrogen and alkali and'produce alkaline cyanides, ammonia and fuel gas, substantially as described. 7

3. Theh eindescribed process of producing alkaline cyanides and ammonia consisting in introducing highly heated nitrogen into a highly heated retort through which acetylene and nascent carbon and hydrogen are passing, together with an alkali or alkaline earth or vapor, whereby the acetyl'ene, ,lcarbon, hydrogen and alkali are'caused to combine with the nitrogen anchthe hydro-car; bons are cracked producing alkaline cyanides and ammonia, substantially as set forth.

4. Inan apparatus for producing alkaline 30 cyanides, a retort combined with a supplementary combustion chamber N, N and means for supplying the latter with gas', constructed and operated, substantially as described.

5. In an apparatus for producing alkaline alkali or alkaline earth or vapor, causing the 'cyanides, thescornbination of, the retort furacetylene, nascent, carbon and hydrogen and n-ace D, supplementary chamber N, N, and

su'perheaters, substantially as described.

5 6. The hereindescribed process of producing alkaline cyanides and ammonia consisting in introducing incandescent nitrogen into an incandescent retort inwhieh acetylene and other hydro-carbon gases and vapors are bero" in'g cracked and through which such hydrocarbon gases and vapors'and nascent carbon and hydrogen are passing together with an alkali to combine with the nitrogen and to :5 produce alkaline cyanides, substantially as described.

In testimony whereof' I have signed my name to this specification in the presence of two subscribing witnesses.

THOMAS B. FOGARTY;

Witnesses:

LEWIS (JONDICT, CLARENCE KING.

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