Improvements in the ManuFACTURE OF GAS AND COKE AND APPARATUS CONNECTED THEREWITH
Year: 1873

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Robert Weatherhead Grice, of Aix-la-Chapelle,
Prussia, at present residing at the Cannon Street Hotel, in the City
of London, Engineer, in service of the Imperial Continental Gas
Association, for the Invention of “ Improvements in the ManuFACTURE
OF GAS AND COKE AND APPARATUS CONNECTED THEREWITH."
"
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Robert Weatherhead
Grice at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his
Petition, on the 5th July 1878.
I, ROBERT WEATHERHEAD GRICE, of Aix-la-Chapelle, Prussia, at
present residing at the Cannon Street Hotel, in the City of London,
Engineer, in service of the Imperial Continental Gas Association, do
hereby declare the nature of the said Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN
THE MANUFACTURE OF GAS AND COKE AND APPARATUS CONNECTED THEREWITH," to
be as follows :-

page_text: process of extracting gas from coal the quality of the coke is matter or
secondary consideration.
The object of this Invention is to conduct the processes of gas and
coke making in such a manner as to collect all the constituents of the
coal and yet obtain them of such a quality as to command a high market
price. To accomplish this double operation I have devised an arrange-
ment combining the coke oven for the production of first rate coke with
the gas retort for the production of all the other products of a dry
distillation of coal, such as gas, tar, ammonical liquor, and other
products. For this purpose I build in fire-bricks an oven similar to a
coke oven 7, 8, or 10 feet broad, and about the same in height and
depth, forming an arched passage closed with walls at each end.
The
bottom of this archway at about 3 feet from the ground line is divided
into 4 equal divisions, each arched over, and the arches meeting in the
middle and butting at right angles against the side and end walls of
furnace or oven. This cross of masonry forms the support for the
bottom of the oven which is to be made of fire-clay, like gas retorts, and
of similar shape to the outer arch, but smaller and built up of longi-
tudinal pieces strengthened by external ribs; the ends of this retort are
thicker than the middle and project some inches beyond the front and
back walls of the outer arch. To these projecting ends cast-iron frames
are firmly and suitably fixed by means of bolts and screws somewhat as
mouth pieces are fastened to clay retorts.
The projecting ends of the retort are further securely held together by
strong iron bands passing round the outer surface of the projecting
pieces. To one of these end frames a door or lid is provided, as in coke
ovens and gas retorts, the whole breadth of the retort and of a suitable
height for withdrawing the contents of the retort or oven. To the other
end a discharge pipe for gas, tar, and other products is fixed that dips
into an hydraulic box below the flooring; from this box the gas, tar, and
water are taken off in the usual way. On the top and middle of the
interior arch of this combined coke and gas oven an 18″ or 20" fire-clay
tube passes through the outer arch and a little above the brickwork over
the arch where it is suitably fitted with iron mouth piece and lid; this
opening serves for filling the oven from above by means of hoppers
running on rails over the centre of these openings.
The two fronts of the 4 quadrangles above mentioned forming the
support for the bottom and the interior of the gas and coking oven have

page_text: fire-places, bars, fire-doors, and flues, as in gas furnaces, in which fires
are made for heating the inner oven. The coke is to be drawn by means
of a small locomotive engine running on rails parallel with furnaces to
which suitable tackle is attached as used for coke ovens. By this
arrangement the time used for charging would be reduced to a minimum,
as with a little practice the contents of the 3 4 feeders could be shot
into the retort in about the same time it at present takes one man to
throw 3 shovels of coal into one retort. The operation requires no skilled
labor, and the charge can be equally distributed over bottom of retort
with little trouble from below.
By the openings below and above the formation of carbon can by the
through draft be removed in the shortest possible time without any
danger to the retort, all valuable residuary products besides good gas
are also obtained, together with greatly increased celerity of working and
saving of skilled labor.
It is proposed to combine the use of furnaces such as above described
together with the use of retorts such as now ordinarily employed for the
production of gas, a good baking coal being used in the combined coking"
and gas oven of which the gas is only to be collected in the first hours
of distillation as long as its illuminating power is not too low, and the
best gas coals being used for the production of rich gas in the ordinary
clay or iron gas retorts, the two gases being mixed in the gas holders.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent,
filed by the said Robert Weatherhead Grice in the Great Seal
Patent Office on the 5th January 1874.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, ROBERT
WEATHERHEAD GRICE, of Aix-la-Chapelle, Prussia, at present residing
at the Cannon Street Hotel, in the City of London, Engineer, in service
of the Imperial Continental Gas Association, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her
Letters Patent, bearing date the Fifth day of July, in the year of our
Lord One thousand eight hundred and seventy-three, in the thirty-
seventh year of Her reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give
and grant unto me, the said Robert Weatherhead Grice, Her special

page_text: license that I, the said Robert Weatherhead Grice, my executors,
administrators, and assigns, or such others as I, the said Robert
Weatherhead Grice, my 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 make, use, exercise, and vend, within the United Kingdom of Great
Britain and Ireland, the Channel Islands, and Isle of Man, an Invention
for "IMPROVEMENTS IN THE MANUFACTURE OF GAS AND COKE AND APPARATUS
CONNECTED THEREWITH, ".
upon the condition (amongst others) that I, the
said Robert Weatherhead Grice, 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 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 Robert Weatherhead Grice, do
hereby declare the nature of the said Invention, and in what manner
the same is to be performed, to be particularly described and ascertained
in and by the following statement thereof, that is to say :---
In the process of manufacturing coke as now most generally con-
ducted the gas and other products are allowed to escape in the air as of
no value, and in the process of extracting gas from coal the quality of
the coke is matter of secondary consideration.
5
The object of this Invention is to conduct the processes of gas and 2
coke making in such a manner as to collect all the constituents of the
coal and yet obtain them of such a quality as to command a high
market price. To accomplish this double operation I have divised an
arrangement combining the coke oven for the production of first-rate
coke with the gas retort for the production of all the other products of 3
a dry distillation of coal, such as gas, tar, ammoniacal liquor, and other
products. For this purpose I build in fire-bricks an oven similar to a
coke oven 7, 8, or 10 feet broad, and about the same in height and depth
forming an arched passage closed with walls at each end. The bottom
of this archway at about 3 feet from the ground line is divided into four 3
equal divisions, each arched over, and the arches meeting in the middle
and butting at right angles against the side and end walls of furnace or

page_text: oven. This cross of masonry forms the support for the bottom of the
oven which is to be made of fire-clay, like gas retorts, and of similar
shape to the outer arch, but smaller, and built up of longitudinal or
transverse pieces strengthened by external ribs; the ends of this retort
which may be of uniform thickness with the retort, or may be thicker,
project some inches beyond the front and back walls of the outer arch.
To these projecting ends cast-iron frames are firmly and suitably fixed
by means of bolts and screws, somewhat as mouth pieces are fastened
to clay retorts.
The projecting ends of the retort are further securely held together by
strong iron bands passing round the outer surface of the projecting
pieces. To one of these end frames a door or lid is provided as in coke
ovens and gas retorts, the whole breadth of the retort, and of a suitable
height for withdrawing the contents of the retort or oven. To the other
end a discharge pipe for gas, tar, and other products is fixed that dips
into an hydraulic box below the flooring; from this box the gas, tar,
and water are taken off in the usual way. On the top and middle of the
interior arch of this combined coke and gas oven an 18" or 20" fire-clay
tube passes through the outer arch and a little above the brickwork
over the arch where it is suitably fitted with iron mouth piece and lid;
this opening serves for filling the oven from above by means of hoppers
running on rails over the centre of these openings.
The two fronts of the four quadrangles above mentioned forming the
support for the bottom, and the interior of the gas and coking oven have
fire-places, bars, fire-doors, and flues as in gas furnaces in which fires
are made for heating the inner oven. The coke is to be drawn by
means of a small locomotive engine running on rails parallel with
furnaces to which suitable tackle is attached as used for coke ovens.
By this arrangement the time used for charging would be reduced to a
minimum, as with a little practice the contents of the 3-4 feeders could
be shot into the retort in about the same time it at present takes one
man to throw three shovels of coal into one retort. The operation
requires no skilled labour, and the charge can be equally distributed over
bottom of retort with little trouble from below.
By the openings below and above the formation of carbon can by the
through draft be removed in the shortest possible time without any
danger to the retort, all valuable residuary products besides good gas are

page_text: .
"
also obtained, together with greatly increased celerity of working and
saving of skilled labor.
It is proposed to combine the use of furnaces, such as above described,
together with the use of retorts such as now ordinarily employed for the
production of gas a good baking coal prepared by sifting and washing,
as for coking purposes, being used in the combined coking and gas oven
of which the gas is only to be collected in the first hours of distillation
as long as its illuminating power is not too low, and the best gas coals
being used for the production of rich gas in the ordinary clay or iron gas
retorts, the two gases being mixed in the gas holders.
In order that my Invention may readily be carried out, I have
annexed a Drawing of apparatus constructed as above described.
Figure 1 shews a front elevation of the apparatus and also a section
taken through the dotted line A, B, C, D, E, F, of the plan view shewn
at Figure 2; at Figure 3 is shewn a longitudinal vertical section of the
oven and parts connected therewith.
Having thus described the nature of my Invention, and the manner
of performing the same, I would have it understood that I claim the
means and apparatus, substantially as herein described, for the manu-
facture of gas and coke.
In witness whereof, I, the said Robert Weatherhead Grice, have
hereunto set my hand and seal, this Twentieth day of December,
in the year of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and
seventy-three.
D
ADIAT