The Barre daily times. (Barre, Vt.) 1897-1959, 1913-06-28
ADVANCE IN MAKING
BY-PRODUCT COKE
Originally Wasted, the Gas, Tar, Am
monia, and Other By-Products Are
Valued at as Much as the Coke.


first manufactured in by-product oyen
in the United States. BY this process
all the products of the coal are con
served-frst OF course the coke, bu
also large quantities OF coal tar, am
mona, gas. and other constituents. i
is asserted that in the by.produet COKE
plants of the present day the by prod
ucts pay the cost of the process--tha'
is, that the coke Is clear gain. The
old method OF coke making, by means
Of the beehive oven, which Is in fact
still largely in use, allows all these
valuable by-products to waste abso'
lutely.
The first plant using the by.product
or retort type of oven was installed
at Syracuse, y. Y, in May, 1903, ac-
cording to Edward w. Parker, of the
United States geological survey. This
pioneer plant consisted Of IL Semet-
Solvay ovens and produced in that
| year 1850 tons of coke. The plant
has since been increased TO 40 ovens.
The second by-produet plant TO be con,
structed was one of 90 Otto Hoffman,
ovens at Johnstown, Pa. From these
small beginnings the by-product branch
of the coking industry has grown stead
lily, new plants being added each year
until at the close of 1912 there We're
1901 ovens of this type in operation
and the production of retort coke for
the year was 1l,04S,4S9 tons, or a lit
tie more than one.fourth OF the total
output. The making of by.product
coke has materially developed along
other lines than in the simple build
ing of new ovens and increased pro-
duetion. The ovens of the present day
are larger, higher, and wider than those
installed in earlier times. The charg-
ing capacity Of the original ovens at
Syracuse was "A tons of coal and the
time required for coking was "a hours.
Even at that time a gain OF at least
80 per cent. in eoking time was OBJ
tanned compared with beehivep raetice,
which required 4s hours for the produc-
tion OF furnace coke and ~ hours for
the production OF coke.
The Semet -Solvay ovens of to-day
hold at the average about l6 tons of
coke. The exact capacity depends, OF
on the specific gravity OF the
Goals used. The original so Otto Hoff-
mann ovens at Johnstown had charg-
ing capacity of about So tons each. |
The latest installation OF United OF
to ovens at Mayville, Wis, in 1912, |
have an average capacity of 1888 tons
Of coal each The cooking time has |
been materially reduced so that excel I
lent furnace coke is now made in 10 |
TO is hours. The development Of mod /
srn mechanical appliances has also done I
much to forward the efficiency OF the re-
tort oven and to. reduce the labor nec-
assary per unit OF output. The same
rev OF men who 20 years ago were
'equired TO handle % of the small ovens
md who We're carbonizing say 10 tons
If coal a day are able with modern
'quipment to handle 80 or more of the
anger ovens coking 1000 tons of coal
day. This represents an increase OF
bout ninefold in the tonnage carbon
zed per man employed. These de-
have been accompanied by
marked Improvements. in by.product re-
overy in the manufacture of ammonia
nd other by-products. Twenty years
go the only ammonia recovered was
n the form of crude liquor running
rom II to Is per cent. ammonia. Now |
oking plants are producing ammonia /
iquor ranging from crude Through the diff
erent grades required for the manufaet
re of hameless powder, etc, to the
reduction of almost chemically pure :
qua ammonia at one operation. Still
mother marked development in by prod =
ct oven practice Is in the adaptation
the surplus gas to the illumination =
cities and towns. In the earlier j,
avs the ovens produced only small =
nd irregular quantity of surplus gas
varying quality. To-day by-product :,
Tens in the United States are selling :
ON 40 to so million cubic feet of gas
day for illuminating purposes. Al 3
ost the entire supply of gas in some :
ties is derived from retort ovens.
mong these cities may be specially
entioned Boston. Mass; Camden. n. n
f; Indianapolis, Ind: Hamilton, Ohio; q
lltimore, Nd. Duluth. Mimi: South ?,
licago, H.: and Milwaukee, Wis.
Until 1908 the Semet-Solvay and II
nited Otto lotto Hoffmann) ovens
Id the entire field of retort-oven prae- Pc
e. in that year, however, the Illinois =
eel Co. constructed at Joliet. H. 140
,ppers regenerative by-product ovens. st
his plant was doubled in the follow s E
? year and a number of other plants -
this type have since been construct =,
in different parts of the country. +,
1909 construction was begun on 300 ST
der ovens at South Bethlehem, Pa, -
t they had not been put into blast A,
the close of 1912. During 1912 a cit
nix of % Klonne ovens were com =,
ted at Muneie, Ind. AT this plant In
the gas from the ovens is supplied :.
the city OF Muneie. The ovens are n,
,ted with producer gas made from :"
, coke. Two recent installations of
me. SoI,,,- o,.ans o,. - XIr,,,i,oc,,,, &C,
V'e"si v"e ~ 9uNe S"n' spl
ana the other at indianapolis, Ind. ga