The evening times., 1900-02-24
COKE OVENS IN BELGIUM.
The Observations Made by Two init
ed states Con-uIs.


United States Consul Winslow has writ
( ten to the State Department from Liege
/ respecting coke ovens in Belgium, as fol-
1 lows:
There are three retort coke ovens in
I use in this consular district. so far as
| am able to learn. that are adapted to the
/ treatment Of the hy-products. They are as
/ follows: The emet-Solvay. built by Sol
! way q Co. p Rue de Prince Albert. Brus-
sells: the Coppee, built by Evence Coppee,
Il Boulevard d'Auderlecht. Brussels. and
the Collin. built by F. J. Collin, l. Rue de
la Paix. Liege. Belgium.
They are about the same value as re-
CARDS the production Of coke and the by
products, such as gas. sulphate Of ammo
MIA tar. etc. in the treatment of Belgian
Goals. which contain from 16 TO p per cent
of volatile matter.
The one in most general use in this
consular district is the Somet- Solvay,
owing largely to its durability and the low
cost OF operating it. Ii is built Of ma
soprv and forms a series OF arches with
doors at all the openings that can easily
be luted: so that the ovens are airtight.
The arrangement is such that all unneces-
ssrv loss of heat is avoided and the COM
bustion of gas in the fiues is under such
cornnlete control that even heat is assured.
To gain this the roof of the arch is made
four feet thick. and the doors are so de-
signed as 10 avoid any cooling at the ends
Of the ovens.
These ovens vary in size. owing to the
amount of volatile matter contained in the
coal. from thirty feet long five and one-half
feet high and fourteen inches wide, for
coal containing from IL to Il per cent of
volatile matter, to the same length and
height and nineteen and one-half inches
wide for coal containing p per cent or
more of volatile matter. No absolute rule
is given regarding the size of the oven for
any particular grade of coal. but the ex-
act dimensions must be determined for
each individual case.
In this oven. with coal containing l.
per cent Of volatile matter three fourths of
the gas produced is sufficient to run it,
while in the higher grades of coal the pro-
portion of gas consumed is much smaller.
The cost of erecting one of these ovens
in Belgium with n capacity of LEO tons
Of coke per year. is about 81. $50. They are
said 10 be easily charged and emptied.
Consul Roosevelt writes from Brussels:
The pattern of retort coke oven in most
general use in this district is the Semet-
Solvay oven.
These ovens are made of brickwork and
are so built as to constitute a series OF
arches resting upon abutments. In the
interior of the sheds formed in this man
ner. nues with thin castings are set up.
There are three of these flues superposed
on each side of the oven. The abutments
have a thickness of from 1872 10 LEA feet
The thickness of the castings of the retorts
used for the transmission of the caloric is
20 millimeters
The following are the interior dimen-
sions of the ovens: Length, 1852 feet;
height, SIS feet The width varies accord |
ing TO the quality of the coal, being LIS |
feet for Goals which yield but a small |
amount of volatile substances Us 1-2 to |
IL per cent? and as as much as 164 feet |
for Goals richer in gas Us per cent and |
above).
Great care has been taken in these |
0vens to eliminate all causes of waste OF |
heat and to obtain the best results from |
he combustion of gas, so as to make an |
equal partition OF heat in the oven and |
hus obtain a regular and rapid oxidation. |
For this purpose, great thickness has been |
given to the arches, this thickness being |
94 feet. Double doors of sheet iron pro-
ect the inside doors of cast iron against
he action of the air and prevent the ex-
remities of the ovens from being of an
,asy and eficacious lutation.
"The combustion of gas is so arranged
n this system of ovens that, with the
Impression of the old system of direct
eating by coal, it is only necessary to use
portion of the gas produced by the dis
illation.''