Improvements in or connected with Apparatus for Making Gas from Coal.
Year: 1894

page_text: Date of Application, 15th Sept., 1894
Complete Specification Left, 17th June, 1895-Accepted. 20th July, 1895
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in or connected with Apparatus for Making Gas
from Coal.
I, JOHN HENRY RICHARDSON DINSMORE, of 22 Marsden Street, Liverpool,
in the County of Lancaster, Engineer do hereby declare the nature of this invention
to be as follows:-
―:
This invention has reference to the manufacture of gas from coal for illuminating
purposes or heating, by the distillation of such coal by heat, out of contact with
air; and has mainly for its object to produce a large quantity of gas, and gas of a
high illuminating power, by a relatively small plant or apparatus.
According to this invention there is combined with a retort, in which coal is
distilled, a feeding device or mechanism by which coal is automatically fed to the
retort (or set of retorts) without opening said retort (or retorts), and by which the
feed is practically continuous (or it may be intermittent), and atmospheric air
excluded from the retort and coal; and it is more particularly designed to be used
in connection with retorts in, or by, which coal is moved or worked and discharged
mechanically, as for instance rotary retorts, by which the discharge of coke is
automatically effected.
The feeding device or apparatus comprises an intermediate chamber; a plunger
or the like by which crushed coal is introduced into the said chamber and pressed
therein; and means for holding up the compressed coal in said chamber, and
keeping it practically full of coal.
One special construction of apparatus in which the above parts are employed
consists as follows:-At the upper part, is a hopper for containing the broken coal
in bulk, having a floor at the lower part with longitudinal slots or apertures
therein; a cylindrical or tapered chamber with vertical slots in the upper part of
same; an annular chamber at and around the aforesaid chamber connecting the
latter with the hopper by way of the said slots or apertures; a plunger working
at the upper part in the hopper and chamber by which the coal is fed or introduced
from said hopper into said chamber, and pressed therein; and a valve at the bottom
of said chamber held up to its seat by a weight or spring, and tending to hold the
coal up in the said chamber.
Beneath this, a conduit connecting the apparatus with the distilling retort is
provided, a joint being introduced between the retort and apparatus by which relative
movement between the two may take place, and the connection is rendered non-
rigid. At the upper part of the plunger, projecting parts as gradually extending
projections, with stepped or notched edges, will be provided, such parts being
adapted to work in connection with the said slots or apertures, and crush material
that may lodge therein and keep same free. In action the plunger is moved up
and down by suitable means. In the upstroke the slots or apertures are uncovered,
allowing the coal to fall into the chamber; and then in the descent of the plunger,
the coal is pressed down into the chamber, whereby it becomes closely packed, and
atmospheric air expressed and excluded. During this stroke, when the coal has
reached a certain state of compression, the valve holding the coal up, is opened
thereby, and the coal is discharged into the conduit connecting it with the retort.
When the plunger reascends, the valve closes again, preferably, before said slots
or openings are uncovered by the plunger. In one arrangement, the valve may

page_text: be supported by a spindle, which, passing through the plunger, is held up by a
spring or weight above.
Dated this 14th day of September 1894
Improvements in or connected with Apparatus for Making Gas
from Coal.
I, JOHN HENRY RICHARDSON DINSMORE, of 22 Marsden Street, Liverpool,
in the County of Lancaster, 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 :-
This invention has reference to the manufacture of gas from coal for illuminating
purposes, or heating, by the distillation of such coal by heat, out of contact with
air; and has mainly for its object to produce a large quantity of gas, and gas of a
high illuminating power, by a relatively small plant or apparatus.
According to this invention there is combined with a retort, in which coal is
distilled, a feeding device or mechanism by which coal is automatically fed to the
retort (or set of retorts) without opening said retort (or retorts), and by which the
feed is practically continuous (or it may be intermittent), and atmospheric air
excluded from the retort and coal; and it is more particularly designed to be used
in connection with retorts in, or by, which coal is moved or worked and discharged
mechanically, as for instance rotary retorts, by which the discharge of coke is
automatically effected.
The feeding device or apparatus comprises an intermediate chamber; a plunger
or the like by which crushed coal is introduced into the said chamber and pressed
therein; and means for holding up the compressed coal in said chamber, and
keeping it practically full of coal.
My invention will be described with reference to the accompanying drawings
which shew an apparatus for making gas from coal provided with my improvements,
they being shewn applied to the feeding or supplying of coal continuously and
automatically to a rotary gas making retort; as for instance, a retort of the type
set forth in the Specification of my former Patent No. 23950 of 1893.
In the drawings
a represents the inlet end of the rotary retort, of which is the mouth,
and e the joint between the rotating mouth and the stationary part. With regard
to the feeding mechanism, the subject of this invention, above the elbow f, which
conveys the material supplied to it, to the mouth, there is a feed hopper device
comprising a hopper 9, a mouth h having a floor h¹ with longitudinal slots /² therein,
and a tapered cylindrical shoot or chamber i with vertical slots in the upper part
of same; the floor h², upper part of the cylinder i, and the outer part of the
mouth h, forming an annular chamber at this part. On the lower part of the
chamber i a box is provided, which has on its lower end a cylindrical tubular
projection which fits in the annular vessel f¹, making a lute joint therewith; and
also a discharge shoot, through which the fuel is shot into the mouthpiece
elbow f. The mechanical feeding device consists of a plunger k¹ nearly filling the
tapered cylindrical chamber i. On this part k¹ there are formed parallel or
substantially parallel projecting parts, which work in connection with the
vertical slots; and above these again are gradually extended projecting ribs k³,
notched at their outer edges, which are adapted to work in connection with the
slots in the floor h¹ of the hopper mouth h. The plunger is moved up and

page_text: is
down by a cam on the shaft l', working in connection with the lever, the outer
end of which is fixed on the bar ³, and the inner end on the upper part of the
feeding device. The action of this part is, that when the plunger is in the lower-
most position, the top of the projecting part or ribs will lie within the slots h³,
and the lower end of the plunger k³ will have passed the lower ends of the slots .
In this position communication between the chamber i and the hopper g
practically cut. off, and the material below the plunger will be in a closely pressed
condition. Then in the return action, the material that lies within the annular
chamber round the top of the chamber i and that above, can fall through the
slots in the floor h, and into said chamber i. In the downstroke the material
under the projections will be forced into the chamber h by said projections, whilst
that lying below the plunger k' will be forced downwards into the chamber i;
which is always full of coal, it being held up therein by the valve m, mounted on
the shaft m' (which serves as a vertical support and slide for the plunger device
to work on), and held on its seat by a spring m³. Thus when the material is
forced downwards by the descent of the plunger above described, it opens the
valve, and falls past it into the box j, and so down into the conduit leading to the
retort a.
As soon as the descent of the feed plunger ceases, or it begins to rise,
the valve m is closed by the spring m².
By this action and construction, crushed coal is fed practically continuously to
the retort a, and without the admission of air; that is, the air is excluded from the
chamber i by being constantly filled with practically closely packed coal from which
the air has been expelled by the feeding action and compression of it by the means
described.
The upper part of this feeding apparatus, namely the box j, the chamber i, aud
hopper g, will be supported and fixed in any convenient way, and are made
independent of the retort and parts connected with it by the loose joint connecting
the box with the elbow part 1, which is supported from the mouth piece b of the
retort by a joint such as described in my former Patent referred to.
It is to be stated that the invention is not restricted in its application to rotary
gas retorts, of the kind more particularly herein referred to, but may be used in
connection with retorts which may differ essentially from the said retort, and
other apparatus for gas making where it may be found or deemed suitable and
advantageous.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of this inven-
tion and in what manner the same is to be performed, I declare that what I
claim is :-
1. In apparatus for making gas from coal, means for feeding the coal to retorts
or coal distilling apparatus, comprising a plunger working in connection with a
hopper holding the material more or less in bulk, by which, as said plunger rises,
the coal is allowed to fall from said hopper into a conduit or chamber below in
connection with which the said plunger works, and as it falls or descends presses
and forces said fuel downwards; operating substantially in the manner and for the
purposes described.
2. In apparatus for making gas from coal, a coal feeding means having a plunger
having reciprocating motion; a supply hopper to hold coal more or less in bulk;
a conduit or chamber into which said material falls and is held and pressed; and a
valve at the lower end thereof which keeps said chamber or conduit full of coal ;
operating substantially as and for the purposes described.
3. The coal feeding apparatus having its parts arranged, combined, and adapted
o operate particularly as set forth with reference to and as shewn in the drawings.
Dated this 14th day of June 1895.
CHEESBROUGH & ROYSTON,
15 Water Street, Liverpool, Applicant's Patent Agents.