Improvements in Apparatus for Calcining, Drying, Roasting, or Carbonizing Substances or Materials, and Extracting Gases, Spirits, or Acids or other Products therefrom.
Year: 1888

page_text: Date of Application, 27th Oct., 1888
Complete Specification Left, 29th July, 1889-Accepted, 19th Oct., 1889˚
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION,
Improvements in Apparatus for Calcining, Drying, Roasting, or
Carbonizing Substances or Materials, and Extracting Gases,
Spirits, or Acids or other Products therefrom.
I RICHARD CUNLIFFE of 89 Hankinson Street, Pendleton in the county of
Lancaster Engineer, do hereby declare the nature of this invention to be as
follows:-
My invention relates to improvements in the apparatus for which Letters Patent
were granted to me Richard Cunliffe along with James Lund No. 14141 dated
November 3rd 1886 and No. 10723 dated August 4th 1887 and my invention
consists firstly in arrangements for heating the vessel or retort in which is placed
the material to be calcined, dried, roasted or carbonized.
I partially enclose the vessel or retort with a casing or cover which may be coated
with or formed of non-conducting material to prevent loss of heat. In order to
prevent the escape of heat I place a packing of asbestos or other suitable material
at the places where the end of the vessel or retort and the trunnion or axle of the
vessel or retort pass through the casing or cover.
I heat the retort or vessel by means of a furnace or grate formed or mounted in
a frame provided with wheels supported by and capable of rolling upon rails so that
such furnace or grate may be readily placed beneath the vessel or retort or withdrawn
therefrom in order to be supplied with fuel or for any other purpose.
According to a further part of my invention I supply air to the furnace or grate
above mentioned by means of a fan or an equivalent therefor the air from which
I conduct by means of a pipe leading to branch pipes. Beneath the furnace or
grate before mentioned I form a chamber provided with a pipe which when the
furnace or grate is placed beneath the retort or vessel passes into or upon one of
the branch pipes before mentioned, the air from such branch pipe assisting the com-
bustion of the fuel in the furnace or grate. I surround the furnace or grate above
mentioned by a pipe or pipes or cavity or cavities, provided with or connected to
pipes one of which when the furnace or grate is placed beneath the vessel or retort
passes into or upon one of the branch pipes above mentioned while the other of
such pipes at such times coincides with or is opposite to a pipe leading to the
interior of the vessel or retort so that air from the fan or equivalent therefor. by
passing through the pipe or pipes or cavity or cavities around the grate or furnace
becomes heated and passing through the vessel or retort assists in drying or treating
the materials contained in such vessel or retort.
The vapour, gases or other valuable or deleterious volatile products from the
material being treated in the vessel or retort I conduct from the mouth of such
vessel or retort by means of a pipe and such vapour, gases or other volatile products
may be condensed or collected in any suitable manner so that valuable products
may be recovered therefrom or such vapour, gases or other volatile products may
be passed through a furnace and be consumed. In some cases I draw the vapour,
gases or other volatile products from the vessel or retort by means of a fan and
condense or collect such vapour, gases or other volatile products or pass such vapour,
gases or volatile products through a furnace so that they may be consumed. The
furnace or grate above mentioned may be supplied with coal, coke, gas or any other
suitable fuel.
Dated this Twenty-sixth day of October 1888.

page_text: COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Apparatus for Calcining, Drying, Roasting, or
Carbonizing Substances or Materials, and Extracting Gases,
Spirits, or Acids or other Products therefrom.
I RICHARD CUNLIFFE, of 89 Hankinson Street, Pendleton 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 :-
My invention relates to improvements in the apparatus for which Letters Patent
were granted to me Richard Cunliffe along with James Lund No. 14141 dated
November 3rd 1886 and No. 10723 dated August 4th 1887 and my invention consists
firstly in arrangements for heating the vessel or retort in which is placed the material
to be calcined, dried, roasted or carbonized.
In the accompanying drawing which illustrates my invention Fig. 1 is a side-view
partly in section, Fig. 2 a front view, Fig. 3 a plan and Fig. 4 a section of a portion
of that which is shown in Fig. 3-Figs. 5, 6 and 7 are views showing portions
detached.
a is a vessel or retort supported at one end by a bearing and resting at the other
end upon "anti-friction pulleys" cas described and illustrated in the specification
filed in respect of the application for Letters Patent No. 10,723 dated August 4th
1887.
According to one part of my invention I partially enclose the vessel or retort a in a
casing d. The casing d is formed of plates 1, 2, of metal between which is a cavity
which I fill with asbestos, cement or other non-conductor of heat. In order to reduce
the escape of heat from the vessel or retort a I secure to the inner plate of the
casing d angle-irons e shown more clearly in Fig. 14, between which I place asbestos
or other suitable material. In order to prevent the escape of heat between the
casing d and the trunnion I place asbestos or other suitable material in the portion
of the casing d which surrounds the trunnion I heat the vessel or retort a by
means of a furnace or grate A formed or mounted in a frame h provided with wheels /¹
supported by and capable of rolling upon rails j so that the furnace or grate A may be
readily withdrawn in order to be supplied with fuel or for any other purpose.
The furnace or grate A is shown in position beneath the vessel or retort a in Figs. 1
and 2 but its construction will be more readily understood from Figs. 3 and 4, Fig. 3
being a plan of such furnace or grate A and Fig. 4 a cross section taken on the
line B B of Fig. 3. The bottom, sides and ends of the furnace or grate A are formed
of plates of mictal secured together in any convenient manner. To the furnace or
grate A are secured axles upon which and free to turn thereon are the wheels h¹.
Around the circumferences of the wheels h¹ are formed grooves which rest upon the
rails upon which the furnace or grate A may be traversed. Secured to the sides of
the furnace or grate A are angle-irons & which support grate-bars & upon which is
placed the fuel by which the vessel or retort a is heated. The rails j and wheels /
enable the furnace or grate A to be readily placed beneath the vessel or retort a or
withdrawn therefrom in order that such furnace or grate A may be supplied with fuel
or for any other purpose.
According to a further part of my invention I supply air to the furnace or grate
above mentioned by means of a fan or an equivalent therefor, the air from which
I conduct by means of a pipe leading to branch-pipes. Beneath the furnace or grate
before mentioned I form a chamber provided with a pipe which when the furnace
or grate is placed beneath the retort or vessel passes into or upon one of the
branch-pipes before mentioned the air from such branch-pipe assisting the com-
bustion. of the fuel in the furnace or grate. I surround the furnace or grato above
mentioned by a pipe or pipes or cavity or cavities provided with or connected to
pipes one of which when the furnace or grate is placed beneath the vessel or retort
passes into or upon one of the branch-pipes above mentioned while the other of

page_text: such pipes at such times coincides with or is opposite to a pipe leading to the
interior of the vessel or retort so that air from the fan or equivalent therefor
by passing through the pipe or pipes or cavity or cavities around the grate or furnace
becomes heated and passing through the vessel or retort assists in drying or treating
the materials contained in such vessel or retort. m is a fan of any ordinary con-
struction driven by means of a strap n. Leading from the fan m is a pipe o formed
with branch-pipes o¹ o². The branch-pipe o' terminates at o³ and the branch-pipe o²
terminates at o. Secured to the furnace or grate A is a pipe p which terminates at
one end beneath the grate-bars l. The other end of the pipe p terminates at p¹ and
when the furnace or grate A is in position beneath the vessel or retort a is opposite to
the end o³ of the branch-pipo o¹. Air from the fan m passing along the pipe o,
branch-pipe o and pipe p passes into the cavity c beneath the grate-bars and assists
the combustion of the fuel upon the grate-bars 7. Around the inside of the upper
part of the furnace or grate A and supported upon the grate bars are layers 9 of
brickwork, upon the lower layer of which I place a pipe which terminates at one
end at and at the other end at 2. The end of the pipe is when the furnace or
grate A is in position beneath the vessel or retort a opposite to the end of of the
branch-pipe o and at such times the end of the pipe is opposite to the end s¹ of a
pipes the other end of which passes through the trunnion f of the vessel or retort a
the trunnion f of the vessel or retort a being at liberty to be rotated freely around the
pipe s. Air from the fan m will pass through the branch-pipe o² and along the pipe »
from which it will pass along the pipes and from such pipe s into the interior of the
vessel or retort a. The air passing along the interior of the pipe r will during its
passage through such pipe become heated by the fuel upon the grate-bars and will
pass into the interior of the vessel or retort a in a heated state and assist in drying or
treating the material or substance contained in the vessel or retort a.
"
Although I find the above described method of heating the air to be supplied to the
interior of the vessel or retort a to be economical and convenient the air to be
supplied to the interior of the vessel or retort a may be heated in any other convenient
manner. The products of the combustion of the fuel upon the grate-bars after
passing around the vessel or retort a escape by the flue D.
The vapour, gases or other valuable or deleterious volatile products from the
material being treated in the vessel or retort I conduct from the mouth of such
vessel or retort by means of a pipe and such vapour, gases or other volatile products
may be condensed or collected in any suitable manner so that valuable products may
be recovered therefrom or such vapour, gases or other volatile products may be
passed through a furnace and be consumed. In some cases I draw the vapour, gasos
or other volatile products from the vessel or retort by means of a fan and condense
or collect such vapour, gases or other volatile products or pass such vapour, gases or
other volatile products through a furnace so that they may be consumed. The
furnace or grate above mentioned may be supplied with coal, coke, gas or any other
suitable fuel.
[
"
The vessel or retort a 1 form with a neck or pipe which passes into and is capable
of being rotated within the end of a pipe u which for convenience is shown broken off
at u in Fig. 1 and in order to condense the vapour, gases or other volatile products
from the material or substance being treated in the vessel or retort a L employ the
arrangement of apparatus illustrated in Fig. 5 which shows a portion of the pipe u
partly in section. Passing through the side of the pipe u is a pipe v connected with
any suitable supply of water or other suitable liquid. The end of the pipe situate
within the pipe u is provided with a rose by which the water or other suitable
liquid issuing from the pipe v into the interior of the pipe u will be thrown in a spray
or shower so that it may be intimately mixed with and condense the vapour gases or
The
other volatile products passing along the pipe u from the vessel or retort a.
water or other liquid and the condensed vapour, gases or other volatile products falling
upon the bottom of the pipe u are conducted to any convenient place or receptacle by
a pipe. Any vapour, gases or other volatile products remaining uncondensed pass
along the pipe and may be conducted to a chimney or allowed to escape into the

page_text: atmosphere or may be passed through a furnace so as to be consumed as may be most
desirable or convenient.
In some cases where a supply of water or other liquid under pressure can not readily
be obtained I employ the arrangement of apparatus illustrated in Fig. 6 for producing
a spray or shower of water or other suitable liquid. I provide the pipe u with a
trough w to which I supply water or other suitable liquid by means of the pipe w¹.
x is a roller rapidly rotated by any convenient means. The roller is provided with
bristles or spikes which as they revolve dip into the water or other liquid in the
trough and project such water or liquid in the form of a spray or shower along the
pipe u such spray or shower mixing with and wholly or partially condensing
the vapour, gases or other volatile products passing along the pipe u from the vessel
or retort a. I place a cover y over the roller to direct the spray or shower of
water or liquid in the direction indicated by the arrow E along the pipe .
In those cases in which I pass the vapour, gases or other volatile products through
a furnace in order that they may be consumed I may employ the arrangement of
apparatus shown in Fig. 7. The end of the pipe u away from the vessel or retort a I
pass into a chamber beneath grate-bars 1 which support a fire 2. The vapour,
gases or other volatile products in passing through the fire 2 will be partially or
wholly consumed.
To assist or compel the vapour, gases or other volatile products to pass along the
pipe u I may employ a fan or an equivalent therefor or a chimney-draught.
Among the advantages resulting from the employment of my invention may be
mentioned that the passage of heated air through the vessel or retort a renders the
drying or treatment of the material contained in the vessel or retort a more rapid
and thorough, that valuable products may be readily recovered, if present, in the
vapour or gases or other volatile products resulting from the drying or treatment
of the material contained in the vessel or retort a, that deleterious vapour, gases or
other volatile products resulting from the drying or treatment of the material con-
tained in the vessel or retort a may be readily caused to be consumed if desired
and that the drying, calcination, roasting or carbonization of material contained in
the vessel or retort a is effected by the use of a comparatively small quantity of fuel.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said inven-
tion and in what, manner the same is to be performed 1. declare that what I
claim is :-
:-
1. For reducing the loss of heat in an apparatus such as is above described, a
casing d provided for use with the vessel or retort a and furnished with a material
which does not readily conduct heat and constructed, arranged and employed sub-
stantially in the manner and for the purpose hereinbefore described in reference to
and indicated in and by Figs. 1 and 2 of the accompanying drawing.
2. Supplying the interior of the vessel or retort a with heated air substantially
in the manner and for the purpose hereinbefore described in reference to and
indicated in and by Figs. 1. 2. 3. and 4 of the accompanying drawing.
3. In an apparatus such as is above described the hereinbefore described arrange-
ments for wholly or partially condensing the vapour, gases or other volatile products
of the drying, calcination, roasting or carbonization of the substance or material
contained in the vessel or retort a each of which arrangements consists in a pipe
such as u provided with means for producing a spray or shower of water or other
suitable liquid substantially as hereinbefore described in reference to and indicated
in and by Figs. 5 and 6 of the accompanying drawing.
Dated this Twenty-seventh day of July 1889.
W. T. CHEETHAM,
Manchester, Agent to the Applicant.