IMPROVEMENTS IN LINE KILNS OR APPARATUS TO BE USED IN BURNING LINE
Year: 1866

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to John Russell Swann, of 21, Leith Walk, Edinburgh,
for the Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN LINE KILNS OR APPARATUS TO BE
USED IN BURNING LINE."
Sealed the 80th October 1866, and dated the 8th May 1866.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the. said. John, Russell Swann at
the Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on the
8th May 1866.
I, JOHN RUSSELL SWANN, of 21, Leith Walk, Edinburgh, do hereby declare
the nature of the said Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN LIME KILNS OR APPA-
BATUS TO BE USED IN BURNING, LIME," to be as follows:-
This Invention has for its object improvements in lime kilns or apparatus
to be used in burning lime. For this purpose I construct in one stack or
block a number of chambers to receive the limestone to be burnt; each of
these chambers has an open arch at the front for charging and discharging,
and also for firing in the usual way. The chambers are each vaulted over at
the top and two flues pass out from the top; one of them dips down and
enters the next chamber at the bottom, the other passes direct to a chimney
in the centre of the stack or block of burning chambers. The flues are all

page_text: furnished with dampers, by which they may be closed or opened as required.
The chambers then being charged with limestone, one of them is fired at the
front in the usual way, and the hot products from this chamber pass by the
flue into the bottom of the next chamber and ascend up through the charge
within, and thus the limestone in this second chamber is dried and the burning
commenced. From this chamber the hot air may be passed to a third
chamber, or if too much cooled to be usefully applied in this way, may be
allowed to pass at once to the chimney. When the limestone in the first
chamber is burnt, either completely or in part, the firing in the second
chamber is commenced, and so on. I combine with each chamber a passage
at its lower part to conduct into it a blast or current of heated air, and in this
way the limestone is prepared for burning; I prefer to apply the heated air
before the products from the adjacent chamber which is being fired are
applied. Apparatus to obtain a hot-air blast may also be combined with lime
kilns of other construction.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent, filed
by the said John Russell Swann in the Great Seal Patent Office on the
8th November 1866.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, JOHN
RUSSELL SWANN, of 21, Leith Walk, Edinburgh, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her Letters
Patent, bearing date the Eighth day of May, in the year of our Lord
One thousand eight hundred and sixty-six, in the twenty-ninth year of Her
reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant unto me,
the said John Russell Swan, Her special licence that I, the said John Russell
Swann, my executors, administrators, and assigns, or such others as I, the
said John Russell Swann, executors, administrators, and assigns, should at
any time agree with, and no others, from time to time and at all times
thereafter during the term therein expressed, should and lawfully might makė,
use, exercise, and vend, within the United Kingdom of Great Britain and
Ireland, the Channel Islands, and Isle of Man, an Invention for "IMPROVE-
RENTS IN LINE KILNS OR APPARATUS TO BE USED IN BURNING LIKE," upon the
condition (amongst others) that I, the said John Russell Swann, my executors
or administrators, by an instrument in writing under my, or their, or one
of their hands and seals, should particularly describe and ascertain the nature

page_text: .of the said Invention, and in what manner the same was to be performed, and
cause the same to be filed in the Great Seal Patent Office within six calendar
months next and immediately after the date of the said Letters Patent..
NOW KNOW YE, that I, the said John Russell Swann, do hereby declare
the nature of the said Invention, and in what manner the same is to be per-
formed, to be particularly described and ascertained in and by the following
statement thereof, that is to say:-
This Invention has for its object improvements. in lime kilns or apparatus
to be used in burning lime. For this purpose I construct in one stack or
block a number of chambers to receive the limestone to be burnt; each of
these chambers has an open arch at the front for charging and discharging,
and also for firing in the usual way. The chambers are each vaulted over at
the top, and two flues pass out from the top; one of them dips down and
enters the next chamber at the bottom, the other passes direct to a chimney
in the centre of the stack or block of burning chambers. The flues are all
furnished with dampers, by which they may be closed or opened as required.
The chambers then being charged with limestone, one of them is fired at the
front in the usual way, and the hot products from this chamber pass by the flue
into the bottom of the next chamber and ascend up through the charge
within, and thus the limestone in this second chamber is dried and the burning
commenced. From this chamber the hot air may be passed to a third
chamber, or if too much cooled to be usefully applied in this way may be
allowed to pass at once to the chimney. When the limestone in the first
chamber is burnt, either completely or in part, the firing in the second
chamber is commenced, and so on. I combine with each chamber a passage
at its lower part to conduct into it a blast or current of heated air, and in this
way the limestone is prepared for burning. I prefer to apply the heated air
before the products, from the adjacent chamber, which is being fired, are
applied. Apparatus to obtain a hot-air blast may also be combined with lime
kilns of other construction.
Having thus stated the nature of my Invention I will proceed more fully to
describe the manner of performing the same.
DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS.
Figure 1 shows a front elevation of a series of kilns combined and arranged
into one general system. I would, however, state that a less or a larger
number may be similarly combined with a system of retorts to be worked, as
herein described. Dinute is a longitudinal saation of one of the two some

page_text: of kilns; Figure 3 is a plan in section; and Figure 4 is a transverse section.
The kilns separately are similar to kilns before used, and the improvements
do not apply to the form or construction of the separate kilns, excepting so
far as they are arranged in combination with air pipes to admit of a blast of
heated air being forced into and up through the charge of limestone or chalk,
in order to dry and partially beat the same before the fires are lighted:
:
In the arrangement or combination of kilns shown (and such is to be the
case when similarly arranging or combining other numbers of kilns into a
system), each kiln has a fire-grate a with fire-doors b, b, and above such
doors are other sliding doors c, c, capable of closing the front openings into
the kilns. Each kiln has a flue & descending from its upper part or roof
down to the floor of the next kiln, and each kiln has another flue e 'at' the
upper part or roof leading to the chimney. These flues are each of them to
be provided with a slide or valve to close the same when required. It may
be remarked that if for any purpose the carbonic acid evolved should be
collected, this may readily be accomplished by putting the flues e, e, leading
to the chimney in communication with a suitable gasometer or receiver; f is
an air pipe passing all round the series of kilns, and the same is supplied by
a main pipe 9, and from the pipef there is a branch h to each of the kilns.
Air is heated in like manner to that in which the air blast is heated for blast
furnaces, and the same is conducted by the branch pipes into such of the
kilns as have a fresh charge therein. Each of the branch pipes is to be pro-
vided with a slide or valve to shut off the blast from the kilns when the
further supply of heated air blast is not required. Supposing the fire to be
lighted in one kiln, the products passing off from such kiln may be allowed
to pass into the next and to the next till the heat thereof will not advanta-
geously act on the charge in the next kiln. It is desirable in working that
the heated air blast should have been used previously to allowing the products
from a charge which is being burned in another kiln to pass amongst the
charge so prepared by the heated air blast. When a charge has been burned
in a kiln it is to be cooled and discharged through the opening in front of the
kiln, which when at work is closed by the sliding door, and then the kiln is to
be again charged, the blast of heated air is to be allowed to pass through
the fresh charge, and then the products of a burning kiln are to be admitted
till the fire of such kiln is again lighted.
Having thus described the nature of my Invention, and the manner of
performing the same, I would' have it understood that what I claim is the
combined arrangement of kilns herein described.
.

page_text: And I also claim the supplying a blast of heated air to kilns suitable for
burning lime, as herein described.
In witness whereof, I, the said John Russell Swann, have hereunto
set my hand and seal, this Sixth day of November, in the year of
our Lord One thousand eight hundred and sixty-six.
J. R. SWANN. (L.B.)