Coke Oven with Apparatus for Utilizing the Hot Waste Gases.
Year: 1899

page_text: Date of Application, 10th Feb., 1899-Accepted, 10th Feb., 1900
CALL DRIE DIMITIVATION,
Coke Oven with Apparatus for Utilizing the Hot Waste Gases.
I, HEINRICH KOPPERS, of 3, Marktplatz. Bochum, Westphalia, Engineer, do
hereby declare the nature of this invention and in what manner the same is to bo
performed to be particularly described and ascertained in and by the following
statement:-
-
The object of this new construction is to produce large quantities of gas in
excess for the establishment of great central power producing stations. The oven
may also be worked with blast furnace gas, which it is now attempted to utilise
in gas engines But as this latter produces great difficulties, the oven forming
the subject of this invention was constructed for the purpose of producing, instead
of the poor gas (blast furnace gas) a gas equal to illuminating gas. The quanti-
ties of the furnace gases which may be considered to be in excess, are quite
sufficient for heating just as many coking ovens as the blast furnace requires for
its output. When the oven is worked with its own gases of distillation, and the
waste heat of the coke oven is regenerated. 45 to 55% of the total gas is still
available for power and the like purposes. The oven has the following peculiar
features; the several vertical flues are entirely independent of one another. Each
flue has its supply of gas and air. The heating is effected after the manner of
gas cooking burners, but with the difference that above each flame there is
arranged a heating flue In this manner the problem of heating a given surface
uniformly is most exactly solved. The chamber of the oven is quite independent
of the heating flues, as is the case in all other systems of oven which are employed
for the direct working of the ovens (that is to say therefore without condensa-
tion) Consequently, this is a guarantee for greater density, and consequently
purer gases can be more easily produced
The accompanying drawing illustrates the construction of the improved oven.
The direct working of this oven is effected in the following manner:
After the oven has been brought to a temperature at which gasification takes
place, by means for instance of a gas supply pipe m which is connected by a pipe
union with the heating flues y so that by lighting the gas issuing from the
pipe m the oven can be heated to the temperature required for gasification after
which the gas supply from m is shut off and a pipe mi fed by a pipe a² from the
Hue a which is in communication with the oven chambers, is connected to a
The gas of
passage a situated below each oven chamber (24 etc) Figure 2
distillation passing out of the chambers enters through small lateral apertures r
into the several heating flues y where it is burnt. The air necessary for combus-
tion is supplied through small lateral nozzle apertures 61 from a passage b which
is arranged underneath every alternate oven chamber (1-3 etc)
The gas flue for working with condensation is situated at a depth where the
temperature is about 200° C., in order to prevent choking of the same by pyro-
geneous decompositions. The gas flue a' is situated at a lower level for the same
reason. The apertures for the air and the exit of the gas are formed of accurately
calibrated small pieces of porcelain tubes. In order to enable the gas outlet
apertures of the flue e to be inspected, it is advisable to construct the oven upon

page_text: arches which can be traversed by workmen and in which there is placed a conduit
having branches to each flue. This latter expedient is nothing else than an
exposure of the flue c.
The connection of the oven with the regenerating apparatus R that is composed
of two regenerators R1, R2, which are connected at one end in the well known
manner by means of a Siemen's reversing valve S, is effected as follows:-The
waste hot gas rising from the heating flues y is led down along the two last flues
into the waste hot gas collecting flue and passes through the latter to a peculiar
reversing apparatus f. This reversing apparatus consists of three closed branch
pipes 1, 2, 3, of which the central one, 2, is arranged separate from the other
two, whilst the latter, 1 and 3 communicate with each other in a common apex 4.
The central flue 2 is therefore in all positions of the reversing device in com-
munication with the waste hot gas collecting flue i, whilst the two branch pipes 1
and 3 which are joined together at the point 4, and which are arranged separate
from the flue 2, are always connected to the pipe e that enters the oven for the
purpose of conveying the hot air of combustion to the same In the position of
the reversing valve f as shown in Figures 3 and 5, the middle flue 2 of the
reversing device, is connected to the regenerator R2 whilst the regenerator R¹ is
connected with the branch pipe 3. Consequently hot waste gas will pass out of
the bot waste gas collecting flue through 2 into the regenerator R2 and heats
the same, and then passes through the Siemen's reversing valve S into the
chimney, whilst at the same time cold air enters through the Siemen's reversing
valve into the regenerator R' which has just been raised to a temperature of 1000
degices by the waste hot gas, and out of the latter through the flue 3, back into
the hot air passage e and thence into the passages under the oven chambers
When this has continued for some time and the regenerator R has been cooled
agam gradually, through the action of the inflowing cold air, then the reversing
valve is turned through the angle 2, 4, 3 on its pivot 4, so that now the flue 1
is connected with the regenerator R¹, whilst the flue 3 is now blind." The
waste hot gas now flows through 2 into the regenerator R' and thence into the
chimney, whilst cold air enters through S into the regenerator R2 and thence
through 1 back again into the hot air pipe e The characteristic feature of this
system consists therefore in the fact that there is no change of direction of flow of
the heating gases in the oven itself, but that this change takes place only in the
regenerators, so that there is always a constant current of heated air for com-
bustion flowing in the same duection in the hot air passage e.
On reversing
the reversing valve f, the Siemen's reversing valve S is also of course reversed
The system of ovens can also work without regenerators, when there is a suffi-
ciently heat-giving gas available, and when it is preferred to produce a hot (heat),
exhaust and an output of 50% gas in excess When working with gas of distilla-
tion and with complete regeneration, 88% of the gas supplied is utilised in the
coking process as compared with 45% without regeneration of the amount of heat
contained in the same, because the waste heat, after passing the regenerator
(Figures 5 and 3) has only a very low temperature When working with pure
gases, a Siemens' reversing valve is provided there for the purpose of reversing.
The two reversing apparatus always work together.
The system of ovens allows of working with complete regeneration, and with
most highly-heated air The distribution of the gas and air is the best conceiv-
able, and therefore no over-heating can take place; it therefore ensures an un-
interrupted exact working, and a quantity of gas in excess (m the case of 60 ovens
and medium rich or fat coals) of daily 45 to 50,000 cubic metres of 4500 calories
There is always first a distribution of gas and air to each heating flue, and then
only does combustion take place. When blast furnace gases are to be employed
as well for heating coke ovens, these gases which are loaded with a good deal
of carbonic acid and aqueous vapour or steam, are passed through one or more
hot oven chambers charged with coke for the purpose of producing carbonic oxide
and hydrogen

page_text: By converting the heretofore usual waste heat for heating steam boilers into
the corresponding amount of gas, and utilising the same in gas engines, or selling
the same for illuminating or heating purposes, there is produced a very great
increase in the value of the same, which is equivalent to a considerable increase
in the wealth of the nation.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said
invention and in what manner the same is to be performed, I declare that what
I claim is
(1) A coke oven with apparatus for utilising the waste hot gases, characterised
by the fact that, that by using a reversing device, the gases can be regenerated
in any desired manner by means of a regenerator, and the excess of gas of 50%,
which results therefrom, can be employed for working power engines, or by
throwing the regenerator out of operation, the gases are caused to circulate again,
and are supplied to the suitably constructed coking flues for the purpose of
cffecting the highest possible utilisation with the object of producing illuminating
gases and coke products of the best possible quality and of comparative cheapness.
(2) In the coke oven claimed by Claim 1, the separate arrangement of the
flues with an apparatus for uniformly distributing the supply of gas and air, both
for direct working as also for working of condensation
(3) In the coke oven claimed by Claim 1, the combination or connection with
regenerators.
(4) The use of blast furnace heating in such a manner that the furnace gases
are passed through one or more oven chambers filled with coke for the purpose of
regenerating the carbonic acid, and the steam gases, and are then utilised for
heating the ovens as when working with coke oven gas.
(5) A new or improved coke oven constructed and arranged substantially as and
for the purpose hereinbefore described and shown
Dated this 10th day of February 1899
ROBERT E. PHILLIPS, Assoc M.Inst.C E., M.I.Mech E.,
Chartered Patent Agent.
70, Chancery Lane, London, WC, Associate Agent.