US945111A - Apparatus for recovering sulfur. - Google Patents

Description

P. S. SMITH.

APPARATUS ron nnoovEmNG sULFUn.

APPLIOATIOFPILED JUNE 10, 1908.

Patented Jan. 4, 1910.

To all whom 'it may concer/n:

UNITED srarnswrwngnnr clarion.

PAUL S. SMITH, OF NEWBURGH, NEW YORK, ASSIGNOR TO THE E. I. DU PONT DE NEMOURS POWDER COMPANY, 0F' WILMINGTON, DELAWARE, A CORPORATION O NEW JERSEY.

Specication of Letters Patent.

APPARATUS FOR. RECOVERING SULFUR.

Patented Jan. yat, 1910.

Original application iled December v3, 1907, Serial No. 404,889. Divided and this application filed .Tune 10,

1908. Serial No. 437,645.

Be it known that I, PAUL S. SMITH, a citizen of the United States, residing at Newburgh,'count ofOrange and State of New York, have invented a new and useful Improvement in Apparatus for the Recovery of Sulfur from Sulfur-Bearing Gases, of Iwhich the following is a full, clear, and exact description, reference being had to the accompanyinvr drawings, which form a part of this'specification.

This application is a division of an application filed by me December 3d, 1907, Serial' N o. 404,889, and claims the apparatus which is described in said original application as the meansy wherebythe process claimed therein is preferably practiced.

In a patent issued to me February 11, 1908, No. 878,569, I have set forth a process .and apparatus for recovering sulfur from sulfur-dioxid in which producer gas and water gas are successively formed and the water gas mixed with the sulfur dioxid and the mixed ases heated by the combustion ofthe pro ucer gas, thereby causing the mixed gases to react with evolution of sulfur vapor. In said process and apparatus the producer gas and water gas, alternately formed in the gas producer, are led respectively to st01'age"'ta11l s from which, as rcquired, the two gases are separately led lto the reducer. This process and apparatus l are operative and comparatively efficient and economical, but the present invention' has for its object to greatly enhance the etliciency and economy ofthe process by such modifications therein a'swill enable the producer gas and water gas to be manufactured .continuously instead of alternately, and to be led, immediately upon their formation, to the reducer. In my prior application, while both water gas and producer gas'are led continuously1 to the reducer,the storage of each gas, necessitated. by the intermittent nature of its manufacture, causes a `drop in lits temperature, thus requiring an expenditure of a certain amount of energy to elevate it to its temperature of combustion or reaction. My present invention, by providing for the continuous`manufacture of both gases, dispenses with the necessity -of tempo-- rarily storing either and permits of both gases being led immediately to the reducer,

4thus enabling the process to be carried on wheels 15 and 150. Each hand-wheel is connected with its corresponding blast-gate by means of a pinion 16 on the hand-wheel shaft engaging a rack '17 on a rod 18 attached to the blast-gate.

19 and 190 are pipes leading from the steam header 8, by means of which steam underI pressure is supplied beneath the gratos of the generators 10 and 100, the admission of steam beingcontrolled by the valves 20 and 200, which are operated from the working platform 9 by means of the floor stands 2l and 210. A

` 22 and 220 are covers which are removable for the purpose of charging the gcnerators 10 and 100 with fuel.

23 and 230 are retorts constituting the re# ducing apparatus and consisting of steel shells lined with fire-brick and largely filled with fire-brick checker work.

24 and 240 are stack-valves, by means of which either retort may be allowed to discharge into' the stacks 25 and 250.

.26 and 260 are twoway valves, by means of which the gases from the generators l0 and 100 may be caused to pass to the upper parts of the retorts 23 and 230 through the pipes 27 and 270 to the lower parts of the retorts through pipes 28 and 280. Eachtwoway'valve 26 or 260, throu h rod 261, and the corresponding stack va ves 24 or 240, through rod 24 ,l is connected with a correspending lever 29, which 4is operated from a hand wheel 30 by a pinion 31 on the handwheel shaft engaging a rack 32 on the lever. The connections are so arranged 4that when stack valves 24 and 240 are open, and simiyso 'gases to pass upwardthrough the 100 to ass to the retorts 23 and 230 downward t rough the -pipes 28 and 280, the

la'rly when the valves 26 and 260` cause the pipes 27 and 270, the stack valves are closed.

33 is a two-way valve, similar to valves 26 and 260, controlled from the workingplat form 9 by means of the hand wheel 34, pinion 35, rack 36, and rod 37, and so placed in the pipes 38 and 380, leading respectively.

from the retorts 23 and 230, as to control egress of the gases from the retorts to the condensing system 39. This condensing system may be of any suitable size, form and arrangement, and is not herein further described as it forms no part of my invention herein claimed. v

40 and 400 arepipes leading from the blast-main 12 by means of which airis supplied to the lower part of the retorts 23 and 230, the admission of air to theretorts being controlled by means of the valves 4L and 410,.operated from the working platform by means of the floor stands 42 and 420.

43 is a pipe leading froma source of sulfur dioxid to the blower 44, which cause's a current of sulfur dioxid to flow through the pipe 45 to the valve 46, which controls the supply Iof sulfur dioxid to the retorts 23 and 230 through the ipes 47 and 470.` The valve 46 is operated y means of the hand wheel 48; the latter having a pinion 49 en gaging a rack 50 on a rod 51 attached to a lever 52 to which isl also attached the rod 53 carrying the valve 46.

n The operation of making 4water-gas being of an intermittent character, inasmuch as the passage of steam throughthe incandescent fuel eventually lowers the temperature of the fuel below the point at which watergas is `most advantageously formed, it becomes necessary to raise the fuel again to the proper temperature by forcing a blast of air through it. This operation forms producergas, whose manufacture is also of an intermittent nature. On the other hand, .it is aimed tomake the reduction of the sulfur 'dioxid continuous, involving a continuous supply ofboth water-gas and .roducer gas, as well as a continuous supp y of sulfur dioxid. The' capacity of the foregoing apparatus to effect this continuous operation will be-apparent. e

Referring again to the drawing, the fol- Ilowing conditions are represented: The Vfuel in the generator ltis'bein raised to the proper temperature lfor ma g water-gas.

' The blastate 14 'being open, the blast su plied by t e blower 13 passes throught e blast-main 12 through the pipe 11 and upward through the fuel in t e generator 10, forming the socalled producergas, essentially a mixture of carbon monoxid and nitrogen.4 The producer-gasl so formed passes ducer-gas is ignited, its heat of combustion being added to its sensible heat, so thatv in its passage upward through the fire brick checker work of the retort 23 the bricks are raised to a bright red heat, the Wastel gases finally escaping through the open stack valve 24, and passing to the air through the stack 25. The valve 33 is in such a position as to cutoff the condensing system 39 from the retort, 23, while the sulfur dioxid flowing through the pipe 45 is prevented by the Valve 46 from entering the retort 23.

It is 4assumed that when the blast is put in operation on the generator 10, as described, for the purpose of bringing the fuel in the generator l0 to the temperature ofAv maximum efficiency for the formation of watergas, the fuel in the generator 100 has already been brought to a suitably high temperature by similar means. At this point the blastgate 140 has been closed, and the steam valve 200 has 'been opened, admitting steam beneath the grate ofthe" generator 100.v The steam passing upward through? the incan!` descent fuel is dissociated with the formation of water-gas, which passes through the valve 260 and the pipe 27() toJthe upper part of the retort 230, the inter-connection of the valve 260vand the stack valve 240 being such, as has been described, that when the valve 260 is open the stack valve '240 is closed. The current. of sulfur dioxid supplied by the4 blower 44 throu h the pipe 45 Ais caused by the valve 46 to ow through the pipe 470 to the upper part of the retort230. Hereth'e sulfur dioxid becomes mixed with the watergas, and passing downward through the redhot checker work of the retort is reduced to. sulfur. This sulfur' vapor so formed, to-

getherx with the other products of the reaction, water vapor and carbon monoxid,.pass through the ipe 380 to the condensing system39, to wllfieh access is given by the twoway valve 33, `In contact with the extensive cooling surface of the condensing system, the hot gases fall to such a temperature thatl the sulfur vapor condenses; rst to a liquid in the hotter parts of the condensin system, and finally to solid flowers of sul ur in the cooler portions." Suitable means should beI 'water-gas in the generator 100 has reduced the temperature of the fuel below the point of maxmnnn efficiency for the formation of water-gas, and the checker work in the retort 230 has been somewhat cooled by the continued passage of the comparatively cold sulfur dioxid. The blast-gate 14, and the auxiliary blast-valve 41 are now closed, cutting off the blast' from the generator 10 and the auxiliary blast from the retort 23. By means of the hand Wheel 30 the stack-valve 24 is now closed, and the valve 26reversed, while the valve 20 is opened, admitting .steam to the generator 10. By means of the hand-Wheel 48 the valve 46 is now reversed, cutting oli' the sulfur dioxid from the retort 230, and admitting it tothe retort 23. At the same time the valve 200 is closed, cutting ott' the supply of steam from the gen- .erator 100, and the valve 33 is reversed, cutting lotl the retort 230 from the condensing system 39, and giving access to the condensing system from the retort 23. The blastgate 140 is now opened, While the stack-valve 240 is opened, and the two-Way valve 260 reversed by the operation of the hand wheel 300. Finally, the auxiliary blast-valve 410 is open, thus supplying the air necessary for the combustion, in the retort 230, ofthe producer-gas from the generator 100. The entire system of valves now presents relations the reverse of those indicated in the drawing, while the reactions i-n progress in the generator 10 and the retort 23, and in the generator 100 and the retort 230, are mutually reversed Wit-h reference to the foregoing' description. The generators and retorts operating thus in alternation with reference to the generation of water-gas, and the heating of the retorts by the combustion of the pro'- ducer-gas formed incidentally in maintaining the fuel in the generators "at the temperature requisite for the formation of water-gas, the rocess of reducing sulfur ilioxid to sulfur ecomes continuous.

In the application filed of even date herewith, Serial No. 437,646 I have shown and described another apparatus forreeovering `a plur ity of retorts, of a valve-controlled steam pipe and a valvediontrolled air pipe -eommunicatlng with eacli generator, valvecontrolled pipe lconnections Afrom one generator to both endsl of its corresponding re-l tort, valve-controlled pipe connections from the other generator to both ends of its corresponding retort whereby roducer-gas may be conveyed to one end ci) each retort and water-gas to the other end, a Waste-gas valvecontrolled exit at the last named end of each retort, valve controlled pipe connections to theJaSt-named end of each retort for conveying sulfur dioxid thereto, a condenser' common to Aboth retorts, and valve-controlled pipe connections from the first named end of each retort to the condenser.

2. In an ap aratus for the recovery of sulfur from sulfur dioxid, t-he combination With a plurality of water-gas generators and a plurality of retorts, of a valve-cont-rollml y steam pipe and a valve-controlled air pipe communicating with each generator, valve.- controlled pipe connections from the generator to each end' of its corres )ending retort, whereby producer-gas lmay e conveyed to one end of such retort and water-gas to the other end, a wastefgas valve-controlled exit lat the last named end of each retort', valvecontrolled pipe connections to the last-named end of each retort for conveying sulfur dioxid thereto, and an auxiliary an blast and an exit for the gases of reaction communieating with the first named end of each retort.

3. In an apparatus for the recovery of sulfur from sulfur dioxid, the combinatlon with a pair of water-gas generators and a pair of retorts, of a valve-controlled steam pipe and a valve controlled air pipe communicating with each generator, a blower on said air pipe, pipe connections from each generator to the upper and lower ends of its corresponding retort, a three-way valve in said pipe connections, a waste-gas exit at the upper end of each retort, a valve for said exit, a common control device foreach waste-gas valve and the corresponding three-wa valve, pipe connections for conveying sul ur diox1d to the upper ends of both retorts, a blower on the sulfur dioxid pipe, a three-Way valve in the last named ipe connections for diverting sulfur dioxid) to either retort, an auxiliary valve-controlled air blast connecting with said airipe and communicating wlth the lower eng of each retort, a condenser, pipe connections from the lower end of each retort to the condenser, and a three-way valve in the last-named pipe connections for connecting the condenser with either retort.

4. In an apparatus for the recovery of sulfur from sulfur dioxid, the combination with a plurality of generators and4 steam and air pipe connections to each generator, of a reducing apparatus, p1 e connectlons from a source of supply of su fur dioxid and from each whereby the sulfur dioxid may be mixed .with water gas enerated by either generator and subjecte to the reducing action, pipel 130.

Generator to the reducing apparatus connections from each generator to the reduclng apparatus permitting producergas to be led to the reducing apparatus and by its combustion to supply ythe heat required for reaction of the mixed gases, a condensing system commonvto both generators and pipe connections to the condensing syst`em` from the reducing apparatus adapted to receive the sulfur vapor produced by the' re action ofwater gas from either generator and the sulfur dioxid.

5. I n an ap aratus for the recovery of sulfur from su fur dioxid, the combination with \'a\p1ura1ity of generators and steam pipe and air pipe connections to each generator, a plurality of retorts, pipejconnections from'a source-of supply of sulfur dioxid to each retort, pipe connections from erator to its corresponding retort permittin producer gas to be led into the retort an by its combustion to supply the heat required 'or the reaction vof the mixed gases,

a condensing system and pipe connections between each retort and the condensing system.

In testimony of which invention, I have hereunto set my hand, at Newburgh, on this fourth day of June, 1908.

PAUL S. SMITH.

' Witnesses; v SLoaN LAMoN'r, Jr., RALPH H. SMITH.

Images