IMPROVE- MENTS IN RETORTS AND FURNACES FOR DISTILLING COAL AND PEAT AND OTHER SOLID HYDROCARBONS FOR THE MANUFACTURE OF VOLATILE OILS THEREPROM, WHICH IMPROVEMENTS MAY ALSO BE APPLIED TO RETORTS AND FURNACES USED FOR OTHER PURPOSES
Year: 1864

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to John Edward Baker, of Birmingham, in the County
of Warwick, Blacking Manufacturer, for the Invention of "IMPROVE-
MENTS IN RETORTS AND FURNACES FOR DISTILLING COAL AND PEAT AND OTHER
SOLID HYDROCARBONS FOR THE MANUFACTURE OF VOLATILE OILS THEREPROM,
WHICH IMPROVEMENTS MAY ALSO BE APPLIED TO RETORTS AND FURNACES USED
FOR OTHER PURPOSES."
Sealed the 1st July 1864, and dated the 15th January 1864.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said John Edward Baker at
the Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on the
15th January 1864.
I, JOHN EDWARD BAKER, of Birmingham, in the County of Warwick,
Blacking Manufacturer, do hereby declare the nature of the said Invention
for "IMPROVEMENTS IN RETORTS AND FURNACES FOR DISTILLING COAL AND PEAT AND
OTHER SOLID HYDROCARBONS FOR THE MANUFACTURE OF VOLATILE OILS THEREFROM,
WHICH IMPROVEMENTS MAY ALSO BE APPLIED TO RETORTS AND FURNACES USED FOR
OTHER PURPOSES," to be as follows:-
My improvements consist in constructing the said retorts of two hollow
cylinders of iron of unequal diameters, the smaller one being fixed concentric
or nearly concentric within the large one. The ends of the inner hollow
cylinder are open, and annular ends connect the outer and inner cylinders
together. The retort thus made has the general figure of a Cornish steam
boiler, or a cylindrical steam boiler with a central flue. The furnace by which
the retort is heated is constructed in the front part of the central flue, and

page_text: the flame and heated air are made to pass from the central flue along the
lower sides of the retort to the front or furnace end, and from thence along
the upper sides of the retort to the chimney. By this construction of the
retort its contents are very uniformly heated, the said contents being dis-
tributed in a layer of a tubular form, heat being applied on both sides of the
layer. The retort is provided with an opening at the upper part of its front
end for charging, and with another opening at the lower part of its front
end for discharging. The inner and outer cylindrical surfaces of the retort
may be coated or covered with fire-brick for the purpose of moderating and
regulating the heating of the said retort.
Although I prefer to construct the furnace within the retort as described,
yet the furnace may be made on the exterior of the retort, and the flame and
heated air after circulating about the exterior of the retort be made to pass
through the central flue to the chimney.
Although my improvements are particularly applicable to retorts and
furnaces used for distilling coal and peat and other solid hydrocarbons for
the manufacture of volatile oils therefrom, yet my improvements are also
applicable to retorts and furnaces used for other purposes, such, for example,
as the manufacture of illuminating gas.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent, filed
by the said John Edward Baker in the Great Seal Patent Office on the
11th July 1864.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, JOHN
EDWARD BAKER, of Birmingham, in the County of Warwick, Blacking
Manufacturer, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her Letters
Patent, bearing date the Fifteenth day of January, in the year of our Lord
One thousand eight hundred and sixty-four, in the twenty-seventh year of Her
reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant unto me, the
said John Edward Baker, Her special licence that I, the said John Edward
Baker, my executors, administrators, and assigns, or such others as I, the
said John Edward Baker, 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 "Iм-

page_text: PROVEMENTS IN RETORTS AND FURNACES FOR DISTILLING COAL AND PEAT AND OTHER
SOLID HYDROCARBONS FOR THE MANUFACTURE OF VOLATILE OILS THEREFROM, WHICH
IMPROVEMENTS MAY ALSO BE APPLIED TO RETORTS AND FURNACES USED FOR OTHER
PURPOSES," upon the condition (amongst others) that I, the said John Edward
Baker, 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 John Edward Baker, 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:-
My improvements consist in constructing the said retorts of two hollow
cylinders of iron of unequal diameters, the smaller one being fixed concentric
or nearly concentric within the larger one. The ends of the inner hollow
cylinder are open, and annular ends connect the outer and inner cylinders
together. The retort thus made has the general figure of a Cornish steam
boiler or a cylindrical steam boiler with a central flue. The furnace by which
the retort is heated is constructed in the front part of the central flue, and the
flame and heated air are made to pass from the central flue along the lower
sides of the retort to the front or furnace end, and from thence along, the
upper sides of the retort to the chimney. By this construction of the retort
its contents are very uniformly heated, the said contents being distributed in a
layer of a tubular form, heat being applied on both sides of the layer. The
retort is provided with an opening at the upper part of its front end for
charging, and with another opening at the lower part of its front end. for
discharging. The inner and outer cylindrical surfaces of the retort may be
coated or covered with fire-brick for the purpose of moderating and regulating.
the heating of the said retort.
Although my improvements are particularly applicable to retorts. and
furnaces used for distilling coal and peat and other solid hydrocarbons
for the manufacture of volatile oils therefrom, yet my improvements are also
applicable to retorts and furnaces used for other purposes, such, for example,
as the manufacture of illuminating gas.
Having explained the nature of my Invention, I will proceed to describe
with reference to the accompanying Drawing the manner in which the same
is to be performed.

page_text: Figure 1 represents in vertical longitudinal section a retort and furnace
for the manufacture of volatile oils constructed according to my Invention.
Figure 2 represents a front elevation of the retort, and Figure 3 a back
elevation of the retort. The same letters indicate the same parts in each
Figure of the Drawing.
The retort is composed of a large tube or hollow cylinder a within which is
a smaller tube or hollow cylinder b, the said tube or cylinder 6 being concen-
tric or nearly eencentric with the tube or cylinder a, the space between the
said tubes or cylinders being filled with the coal or other matter to be treated.
A fixed annular end c connects the back ends of the tubes a and b, and a fixed
annular end d connects the front ends of the said tubes a and b. The back
annular end c has openings e to which pipes fare fitted for conveying away
the gaseous products of distillation, and a small pipe may be inserted in the
lowest part of the end c of the retort for conveying away any liquid that may
be condensed in the retort. The annular end d is provided with two openings
g and h, the opening g being for charging the retort, and the opening h for
removing the coke after the distillation is completed. These openings are
closed by lids g² and h³ fastened on the staples i, k, in the manner commonly
practised in closing gas retorts and other metallic vessels. The outer tube a
is coated on the outside with a layer of fire-clay or fire-brick a, and the inner
tube bis coated on the inside with a layer of fire-clay or fire-brick b. The
said layers of fire-clay or brick protect the retort from the injurious action of
the fire as well as moderate and equalize the heat of the retort. The inner
tube 6 is open at both ends, the front end being provided with a furnace door
at 7. The furnace m is situated at the front end of the inner tube b; n are the
furnace bars; and o, the ash-pit; p is the bridge of the furnace, and q is a tubular
stop or deflector which occupies an axial position in the back part of the
tube b. The course of the fire and heated air from the furnace m is as
follows: After passing the bridge p the heated air is divided by the stop or
deflector q and made to impinge upon the inner surface of the tube bon all
sides. The heated air next passes downwards through the vertical fluer into
the horizontal flues, from thence up the vertical flues s² (indicated in dotted
lines) one on either side the retort to the horizontal flue t, and finally to the
chimney u. By the course of the heated air the outer sides of the tube a are
heated as well as the inner sides of the tube b, and the contents of the retort
which are distributed in a layer of a tubular form are heated on both sides the
said tubular layer. The retort and furnace described and represented in the
Drawing may be employed for distilling coal for the manufacture of illumi-
nating gas and for other purposes.

page_text: Having now described the nature of my Invention, and the manner in which
the same is to be performed, I wish it to be understood that I do not limit
myself to the precise details herein described and illustrated in the Drawing
as the same may be varied without departing from the nature of my
Invention. But I claim as my Invention combining or arranging the parts
of retorts and furnaces for the distillation of coal and peat, and other solid
hydrocarbons for the manufacture of volatile oils therefrom, and for other
purposes substantially in the manner herein-before described and illustrated in
the accompanying Drawing.
In witness whereof, I, the said John Edward Baker, have hereunto set
my hand and seal, this Ninth day of July, in the year of our Lord One
thousand eight hundred and sixty-four.
Witness,
GEORGE SHAW.
JOHN EDWARD BAKER. (L.S.)