IMPROVEMENTS IN COKE OVENS. AND IN BUILDING AND HEATING OVENS OR RETORTS FOR GENERATING COAL GAS CONNECTED THEREWITH
Year: 1863

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to George Stevens, of Victoria Terrace, Camberwell,
in the County of Surrey, for the Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN COKE
OVENS. AND IN BUILDING AND HEATING OVENS OR RETORTS FOR GENERATING
COAL GAS CONNECTED THEREWITH."
Sealed the 18th November 1863, and dated the 22nd May 1863.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said George Stevens at the
Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on the 22nd
May 1863.
1, GEORGE STEVENS, of Victoria Terrace, Camberwell, in the County of
Surrey, do hereby declare the nature of the said Invention, for "IMPROVEMENTS
IN COKE OVENS, AND IN BUILDING AND HEATING OVENS OR RETORTS FOR GENERATING
COAL GAS CONNECTED THEREWITH."
The object of my Invention is to economise fuel by making gas at the same
time manufacture hard coke. The nature and description of my Invention
consists in building a coke oven below, and an oven or retort for generating
coal gas above, and in heating the latter with the surplus heats from the coke
oven. The coke oven is built with a floor laid dry in brick on edge upon a
thin layer of rubble or coarse gravel spread over a solid brick foundation.
The sides of the oven are upright, with skew backs formed on their tops, upon
which an arch is turned. Holes or perforations are made in the arch to
conduct the surplus heats from the coke oven below into flues built round the
A double or revealed arch is turned over the
gas oven or retort above.
opening or mouth in front of the coke oven, and an iron plate is laid at the
Price 8.1

page_text: bottom of the opening to protect the brickwork and form the sill. The coke
oven is curved at the back and on each side near the front, and is slightly
curved on the top. The entrance to the oven is splayed, and the angles at the
junctions of the sides are built in fire-stone, with skew backs at the top to
receive the inner arch turned over the mouth. The gas oven or retort is built.
over the coke oven, with a flat tile bottom, upright sides, and arched top, or I
would sometimes spring the arch from the floor without sides. Flues con-
nected with the perforations in the arched top of the coke oven are built or
formed on the sides and top of the gas oven or retort, traversing backwards
and forwards and alternately passing to the front and back ends of the gas
oven or retort, and ultimately into the main flue or chimney. The flues are
arched over, and the whole is built in solid brickwork, and tied together with
iron rods and buck staves. The front end of the gas over or retort has an
iron plate, with a mouth-piece and door, and a socket is attached thereto to
receive the pipes that convey away the gas in the ordinary manner. Sight
holes are made in front to give a view into the several flues. In order to
assist the combustion of the unconsumed gases and vapours arising in the early
stages of each charge of the coke oven. I form a flue or fines to admit
atmospheric air in small quantities through perforations into the flues sur-
rounding the oven or retort, and at the entrance of the said air flue fix a
ventilator to regulate the supply. All the brickwork and tiles exposed to the
fire are composed of fire-clay, as well as the front brickwork under the mouth
of the coke oven.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent, filed
by the said George Stevens in the Great Seal Patent Office on the
21st November 1863.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I. GEORGE
STEVENS. of Victoria Terrace, Camberwell. in the County of Surrey, send
greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her Letters
Patent, bearing date the Twenty-second day of May. in the year of our Lord
One thousand eight hundred and sixty-three, in the twenty-seventh year of Her
reign, did, for Herself. Her heirs and successors, give and grant unto me, the
said George Stevens. Her special licence that I, the said George Stevens my
executors. administrators, and assigns, or such others as I, the said George
Stevens, my executors. administrators, and assigns, should at any time agree

page_text: 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 COKE
OVENS, AND IN BUILDING AND HEATING OVENS OR RETORTS FOR GENERATING COAL
GAS CONNECTED THEREWITH," upon the condition (amongst others) that I, the
said George Stevens, my executors or administrators, by an instrument in
writing under my, or their, or one of their hands and seals, should particularly
described 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 George Stevens, do hereby declare.
the nature of my 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
The object of my Invention is to economise fuel by making gas at the same
time manufacture hard coke. The nature and description of my Invention
consists in building a coke oven below, and an oven or retort for generating
coal gas above, and in heating the latter with the surplus heats of the coke
oven, also in assisting the combustion of the gasses and vapours arising there-
from by admitting atmospheric air into the side flues of the said oven or retort.
In order that my Invention may be fully understood. I have hereunto
annexed a Sheet of Drawings, with figures and letters of reference, the same
letters indicating corresponding parts throughout the several Figures.
DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS.
Fig. 1. front elevation, showing the oven A; gas oven or retort B: iron
plate C to front of retort: sight-holes d, d. d, d, to flues; sight-holes e, e, to
flues over retort; door f, of upper flue; buckstaffs P. P; ends of iron tie
rods p, p, p, p; inner arch Q. to entrance of oven, outer arch R to ditto; iron
plate S, forming sill of coke oven; section of mouthpiece T (taken behind the
socket pipe); ventilators g. g, to air flues; brickwork H.
Fig. 2. longitudinal section showing the oven A; retort B one of the flues
E over retort upper flue F, leading to main flue F. and to shaft; tiles
L. L. L. 1. I, forming crown of retort: grooved joints 1, 1. filled with mortar
or fire-clay tiled bottom M of retort; arch K, over coke oven grooved joints
kk, filled with mortar or fire-clay; fire-brick paving N, to coke oven; space
O under paving. filled in with rubble or coarse gravel; open joints n. n, for

page_text: air to pass through; iron plate S, forming sill to entrance of oven: outer arch
R to mouth of coke oven; inner arch Q to ditio; iron plate C fixed in front
of retort mouthpiece T to receive door. and exit pipe : lower course Z of
brickwork round oven in brick on edge; iron plate H back of retort: buck-
staffs P. P: iron rods p. p. to tie in ends and sides of oven and retort;
brickwork H. Fig. 3, transverse section showing the coke oven A; retort. B;
flues D. D. D. D. at sides and over retort; flues E. E. over centre of retort;
flue F. leading to main flue: crown L over retort; joints 1. 1. fitted in
with mortar or fire-clay; bottom M of retort: arch K over coke oven;
grooved joints, paving N to coke oven; space O under paving filled
in with rubble or coarse gravel; open joints n. n, for air to pass through;
lower course Z of brickwork round oven in brick on edge; iron tie rods
P. p. p. p: brickwork H partitions e, e, between the flues; buckstaffs
P. P. Fig. 4. sectional plan showing coke oven A; iron plate S forming sill
to entrance fire-stone angles V, V; splayed entrance W; buckstaffs P, P;
iron tie rods p. p, (shown by dotted lines); brickwork H. Fig. 5. plan
showing crown of arch K over coke oven; outlets Y. Y, leading to flue side
of retort; fire stones y, y, to strengthen the arch; brickwork H. Fig. 6,
sectional plan showing retort B: side flues D. D; air flue G. G; open joints
g. g. in brickwork to admit air into flues; ventilators g, g; iron plate C in
front of retort mouthpiece T.
GENERAL DESCRIPTION.
The coke oven A is built with a floor N laid dry in brick on edge, upon a
thin layer of rubble or coarse gravel O, spread over a solid brick foundation
H. The sides of the oven are upright, with skew backs k', ', formed on
their tops, upon which an arch K is turned to form the top, or I would some-
times spring the arch from the floor without sides. Holes or perforations
Y, Y, are made in the arch to conduct the surplus heats from the coke oven
below into flues D. D. built round the gas oven or retort above. A double or
revealed arch Q. R. is turned over the mouth or front of the coke oven, and
an iron plate S is laid at the bottom of the opening to protect the brickwork
and form the sill. The coke oven is curved at the back a', and on each side
a", a", near the entrance, and is also slightly curved or hog-backed longitudinally
on the top. The entrance W. W, to the oven is splayed, and the angles. V. V,
are built in firestone, with skew-backs at the top to receive the inner part Q
turned over the mouth, and iron studs are fixed at the bottom of the angles
and let into the iron sill s, laid at the entrance of the coke oven. The gas
oven or retort B is built over the coke oven, with a flat bottom M, upright

page_text: sides, and arched top, or
would sometimes spring the arch from the
Flues D, D. connected with
level of the floor or bottom without the sides.
the perforations Y. Y. in the arched top of the coke oven, are built or formed
on the sides and top of the gas oven or retort B, traversing backwards and
forwards, alternately passing to the front and back ends of the gas oven or
retort, and ultimately running into the main flue F, and to the chimney shaft.
The flues are arched over 1. and tied together with iron rods p, p, and buck-
shafts P, P. The front end of the gas oven or retort B has an iron plate C
fixed in front of the brickwork, with an iron mouthpiece T attached thereto,
with a socket on the top, to receive an out pipe to convey away the gas, and
a door with cross bars and screws is fitted to the front of the mouthpiece.
Light holes or doors d, d, e, c, and f, are fixed or fitted to the front to give
a view into or to clean out the several flues. In order to assist the com-
bustion of the unconsumed gasses and vapours arising in the early stages of
each charge of the coke oven. I form a flue G. on each side of the oven, to
admit atmospheric air in small quantities through the open joints or apertures
g'. ', in the sides or partitions of the said flues, into the side flues D, D, and at
the entrances of the said air flue I fix ventilators g', g', to regulate the
supply. All the brickwork and tiles exposed to the fire or great heat I would
construct in fire-clay, as well as the front of the brickwork H under the mouth
of the coke oven.
Having thus described the nature of my said Invention, and the manner of
performing the same, I would have it understood that I make no claim to any
of the parts taken separately, nor do I confine myself to the precise details,
but what I do claim is the general arrangement and combination of parts
forming the coke oven, and the oven or retort for generating coal gas con-
nected therewith, together with the several flues, air flues, and other parts
herein described and set forth.
In witness whereof, I, the said George Stevens, have hereunto set .my
hand and seal, this Twenty-first day of November, One thousand eight
hundrad and sistre throa
Witness,
HENRY LAXTON,
Patent Agent,
Arundel Street, Strand.
GEORGE STEVENS. (L.S.)