Improvements relating to a Method of Transporting and Delivering Purifying Material used in the Manufacture of Gas and to Apparatus therefor.
Year: 1891

page_text: Date of Application, 18th July, 1891-Accepted, 26th Sept., 1891
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements relating to a Method of Transporting and Delivering
Purifying Material used in the Manufacture of Gas and to
Apparatus therefor.
I, JOHN STEVENSON, of 1 Metal Exchange Buildings, in the City of London,
Engineer, do hereby declare the nature of this invention and in what manner
the same is to be performed to be particularly described and ascertained in and by
the following statement :-
My invention relates to the transport of purifying materials used in the manu-
facture of gas and to the delivery of the said materials into the purifiers and to
apparatus therefor. My said invention comprises an improved arrangement of
chain conveyor and apparatus in combination therewith, whereby the said purifying
or other materials may be conveniently and economically handled.
I will describe my invention as applied to the handling of oxide of iron for
example. When this material is used in the gas purifiers as a purifying agent
its efficiency gradually deteriorates and in course of time it becomes "spent."
To revivify the said spent oxide and so enable it to be used again it is necessary
to expose it for some time to the atmosphere. For this purpose it is discharged
from the purifiers and spread on a floor usually below the said purifiers. It is then
watered and frequently turned over to expose every portion of it to the atmosphere.
After a sufficient course of such treatment the oxide is returned to and distributed
in the purifiers usually by manual labor or by methods in which manual labor
largely predominates.
According to my invention I provide for the raising of the oxide from the
revivifying floor and delivering it again to the purifiers by mechanical means which
largely dispense with hand labor. My apparatus comprises in combination a
conveyor an elevator and a distributor. In carrying my said invention into practice
I sink a trough in the floor of the revivifying house and I arrange a conveyor
preferably of the chain type provided with suitable push plates to work in the
said trough. Into this trough the oxide when sufficiently revivified is thrown, and
is conveyed by the aforesaid push plates along the trough and discharged into a
hopper arranged at the end of the said trough. From this hopper the oxide is
withdrawn by an elevator of the chain or other ordinary type and is delivered
thereby into a second trough which is situated above the purifiers, in which trough
the return portion of the aforesaid chain conveyor travels, being led from the lower
to the higher trough by suitable guide pulleys. The oxide is then conveyed
along the said upper trough by the return portion of the conveyor. Or the-
separate elevator may be dispensed with and the oxide elevated from the lower to
the higher trough by the chain conveyor in its travel from the lower to the higher
level. In this case the push plates of the conveyor are pan-shaped so that they
may operate equally well as buckets in the operation of elevating, and the ends
of the upper and lower troughs near the guide pulleys are suitably shaped to
prevent the oxide from falling out of the conveyor buckets near these points.
Suitable sliding or other doors are provided in the floor of the upper trough, by
opening any of which, the material conveyed along the said trough by the push
plates of the chain conveyor will be discharged through the said opening and will
fall into one or other of the purifiers. One opening is provided above each purifier.
In lieu of allowing the oxide to fall directly into the purifier and so collecting in
a central heap, I provide hoppers into which the oxide is discharged. The said
hoppers are provided at their lower ends with rotatable inclined shoots down which

page_text: the oxide falls into the purifier. By turning the said shoots the material discharged
into the hopper may be readily distributed over the interior of the purifiers.
In order that my invention may be more clearly understood I will now proceed
to describe the same with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which
Figure 1 is a side elevation, partly in section of a series of purifiers arranged
in a purifier house fitted with my improved apparatus working in conjunction with
a separate elevator.
Figure 2 is an end elevation of Figure 1, also partly in section.
Figure 3 a side elevation drawn to a larger scale of a portion of the trough of
Figure 1 with a receiving hopper in position below the trough the hopper being
in section.
Figure 4 is an elevation at right angles to Figure 3 of one of the hoppers and
its attachments also to a larger scale showing the inode of attachment of the tubular
extension.
Figure 5 is a detail to be hereinafter referred to.
Figure 6 is a side elevation partly in section of portions of the upper and lower
troughs and of the arrangement of conveyor operated also as an elevator..
Figure 7 is a vertical cross section the upper portion of Figure 6 looking in the
direction of the arrow.
Figure 8 is a side elevation partly in section of a conveyor and an alternative
form of guide pulley employed under similar circumstances to those detailed
with reference to Figure 6, and
Figure 9 is a vertical cross section of the guide pulley illustrated in Figure 8.
Similar reference letters are applied to corresponding parts in all the figures.
With reference to Figures 1 to 5 inclusive A is the purifier house, B, B, the
purifiers, and C the revivifying house.
D is a conveyor trough sunk slightly in the floor of the house C, the lip of the
trough being about level with the floor. Supported above the purifiers is a similar
trough E. F is the chain conveyor which is driven by the motor G and which is
led around guide pulleys H, so as to travel in one direction along the trough D
and return along the trough E. I is a hopper arranged at the delivery end of the
trough D. J is an elevator arranged to take its feed from the hopper I and
discharge through a shoot K into the upper trough E. The elevator J may be
driven by any suitable means; preferably it is geared with the conveyor F.
LL are openings in the bottom of the trough E each opening being provided with
a sliding door L' by which it may be closed. An opening L is provided above
each purifier B.
Below each of the openings L and secured to cross beams or bearers L' is a
hopper M. The lower end of each hopper is provided with a neck M¹ and an
external flange M³. Around the neck and bearing upon the flange are placed two
semicircular straps N N which are secured together and retained in position by
bolts N¹ passed through lugs N at the ends of the said strips. The ring thus
formed (see Figure 5 which is a plan of the said ring) is free to rotate about the
lower end of the hopper. Upon the ring are fitted or formed studs or trunnions O.
A tubular extension pipe or shoot P is placed below each hopper, and each shoot
is provided at its upper end with a conical mouth P¹ to which are secured hooks P
adapted to engage with the said studs or trunnions O. The lower end P³ of the
said shoot makes an angle with the upper end as shown. The conical mouth Pl
has portions of its edge formed as at P (Figure 4) to bear against the sides of the
hopper M in order that the shoot may not be tilted out of the vertical by the
weight of its lower end P³. The said lower end is in some instances fitted with
flexible continuations. When hooked in position the said shoots are capable of a
horizontal rotary movement about the necks of the hoppers. By these means the
oxide is redelivered to the purifiers and by moving the lower end of the shoot
about within the purifier the oxide is well distributed within the purifiers as
required.

page_text: With reference to Figures 6, 7, 8 and 9 which illustrates the conveyor when
employed also as an elevator. The chain conveyor F is provided with pan-shaped
push-plates F which are adapted to serve also as buckets for the elevation of
material from the lower trough D to the upper trough E while the conveyor passes
from the guide pulley H¹ to the guide pulley H². The said buckets or push plates
are attached to angle plates F2, the arms of which form fish plates for con-
necting the cords of the links F of the chain which links are connected to each
other by the solid links F. In Figures 6 and 7 said guide pulleys are shown as
sprocket wheels, with projections which engage with the links of the conveyor
chain as shown. The ends of the lower trough D at D' and of the upper trough E
at E' are curved partially round the circumference of the guide pulleys. The
curved portion D' just clears the outer edges of the push plates and ensures that
the said push plates or buckets F' shall retain and elevate the material which they
have propelled horizontally. The curved portion E¹ of the trough lies near the
periphery of the guide pulley H³ and ensures that the said buckets or push plates
shall not lose their load in passing from the vertical portion of the conveyor to the
portion which is horizontal in the upper trough. The central portion of the floor
of the curved portion E¹ of the upper trough is cut away as shown by dotted lines
at E Figure 7 to permit the sprockets or projections of the pulley H2 to pass
through. Attached to the rear of certain of the push plates shown in these and in
succeeding figures are light frames Fª carrying wheels F7 which are adapted to
run upon the bottoms of the upper and lower troughs as shown to bear the weight
of the conveyor and to prevent it from sagging excessively while travelling
horizontally.
Figure 8 shows in side elevation and Figure 9 in vertical cross section an
alternative form of guide pulley consisting of a cast drum H³ with flanges h
formed in one therewith. The periphery h¹ of the guide pulley is cylindrical
and is not provided with projections, so that there is no need for the upper
trough E to be curved round the circumference of the pulley.
Guide pulleys of the type shown in Figures 8 and 9 may be constructed also of
cast or sheet steel or of wrought iron.
It will be seen that by my invention I am enabled to handle purifying material
with ease economy and rapidity and with but a small amount of manual labour
as compared with the methods hitherto in use.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said inven-
tion and in what manner the same is to be performed, I declare that what I
claim is :-
First. The herein described method of providing for the charging of purifiers
used in the manufacture of gas, by means of a chain-conveyor which simul-
taneously propels the material in troughs situated at different levels, the material
being raised from the lower to the higher trough by the said conveyor or by a
separate elevator, substantially as described.
Second. In apparatus for the transport and delivery to the purifiers of purifying
material used in the manufacture of gas a trough sunk in the floor of the
revivifying house a trough situated above the purifiers and provided with suitable
openings and doors, a single conveyor working in the said troughs, and receiving-
hoppers placed below the said openings of the upper trough and provided with
inclined rotatable shoots, in combination with an elevator substantially as
described.
Third. A chain conveyor which propels material along a floor from one place
to another and then elevates the said material substantially as set forth.
Fourth. A chain conveyor constructed and arranged to propel material in two
troughs situated at different levels, and to raise it from the lower to the upper of
the said two troughs substantially as and for the purposes specified.
Fifth. The apparatus constructed substantially as described with reference

page_text: to Figures 1 to 5 of the accompanying drawings, and operating as and for the
purpose specified.
Sixth. The chain conveyor constructed and arranged substantially as described
with reference to Figures 6, 7, 8 and 9 of the accompanying drawings.
Dated this 18th day of July 1891.
HASELTINE, LAKE & Co.,
45, Southampton Buildings, London, W.C., Agents for the Applicant.