IMPROVEMENTS IN THE MANUFacture OF INFLAMMABLE GAS FOR ILLUMINATING AND OTHER PURPOSES, AND IN THE APPARATUS TO BE USED THEREIN
Year: 1874

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to William Edward Newton, of the Office for
Patents, 66, Chancery Lanc, in the County of Middlesex, Civil
Engineer, for the Invention of “IMPROVEMENTS IN THE MANUFacture
OF INFLAMMABLE GAS FOR ILLUMINATING AND OTHER PURPOSES, AND IN THE
APPARATUS TO BE USED THEREIN."-A communication from abroad by
William Elmer, of the City and State of New York, United States.
of America.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said William Edward Newton
at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on
the 16th July 1874.
I, WILLIAM EDWARD NEWTON, of the Office for Patents, 66, Chancery
Lanc, in the County of Middlesex, Civil Engineer, do hereby declare the
nature of the said Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN THE MANUFACTURE OF
INFLAMMABLE GAS FOR ILLUMINATING AND OTHER PURPOSES, AND IN THE APPARATUS
TO BE USED THEREIN," to be as follows:-
The object of this Invention is to climinate, in the gascous form;
from coal or other suitable material the bydrogen and carbon which is

page_text: susceptible of displacement by distillation, so as to avoid the waste of
these elements by the formation of non-inflammable gases and con-
densable compounds.
The Invention consists in subjecting gas coal or other hydrocarbons
to the process of distillation in a retort containing both a horizontal
and vertical chamber, by means of which the volatile products given
off from a fresh charge of coal in the horizontal chamber is gasefied by
passing directly through a more highly heated and partially carbonized
charge of the same material, still emitting gas in the vertical chamber.
By this means the volatile products eliminated from the coal while in
the volatile condition, and before losing the heat acquired in the
process of distillation, are converted into inflammable gas without the
waste of the gas producing elements.
In the ordinary manufacture of gas for illuminating purposes the
waste of gas producing material is known to be immense, and to arise
from the formation of compounds other than inflammable gases
generated during the manufacture of illuminating gas, and compounds
too that contain the very elements required for the production of gas,
and which amount to a far greater proportion of gas producing elements
than exist in the gas finally obtained.
-.
.
The Invention also consists in constructing retorts with both a
horizontal and a vertical chamber, and in arranging pairs of such two-
chambered retorts in a bench for the economical heating of the same.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent,
filed by the said William Edward Newton in the Great Seal Patent 2
Office on the 16th.January 1875.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, WILLIAM
EDWARD NEWTON, of the Office for Patents, 66, Chancery Lane, in the
County of Middlesex, Civil Engineer, send greeting..
:
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her 3
Letters Patent, bearing date the Sixteenth day of July, in the year of.
our Lord One thousand eight hundred and seventy-four, in the-thirty-
eighth year of Her reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give

page_text: and grant unto unto, the said William Edward Newton, Her special
licence that I, the said William Edward Newton, my executors, admi-
nistrators, and assigns, or such others as I, the said William Edward
Newton, my executors, administrators, and assigns, should at any time
agree with, and no others, from time to time and at all times there-
after 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 Inven-
tion for "IMPROVEMENTS IN THE MANUFACTURE OF INFLAMMABLE GAS FOR
› ILLUMINATING AND OTHER PURPOSES, AND IN THE APPARATUS TO BE USED THEREIN,”
being a communication to me from abroad by William Elmer, of the
City and State of New York, United States of America, upon the
condition (amongst others) that I, the said William Edward Newton,
my executors or administrators, by an instrument in writing under my,
5 or their, or one of their hands and scals, 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 imme-
diately after the date of the said Letters Patent.
NOW KNOW YE, that I, the said William Edward Newton, do hereby
declare the nature of the said Invention, and in what manner the same
is to be performed, to be particularly described and ascertained in and
by the following statement, reference being had to the Drawing herc-
'unto annexed, and to tlie letters and figures marked thereon (that is
to say):-
The object of this Invention is to climinate, in the gaseous form,
from coal or other suitable material, the hydrogen and carbon which is
susceptible of displacement by distillation, so as to avoid the waste of
these elements by the formation of non-inflammable gases and con-
densable compounds.
The Invention consists in subjecting gas coal or other hydrocarbons
to the process of distillation in a retort containing both a horizontal
and vertical chamber, by means of which the volatile products given
off from a fresh charge of coal in the horizontal chamber is gasified by
passing directly through a more highly heated and partially carbonizod
charge of the same material, still emitting gas in the vertical chamber.
By this means the volatile products climinated from the coal while in

page_text: €
-the volatile condition, and before losing the heat acquired in the
process of distillation, are converted into inflammable gas without the
I waste of the gas producing elements.
In the ordinary manufacture of gas for illuminating purposes the
waste of gas producing material is known to be immense, and to arise
from the formation of compounds other than inflammable gases
generated during the manufacture of illuminating gas, and compounds
⚫ too that contain the very elements required for the production of gas,
and which amount to a far greater proportion of gas producing elements
than exist in the gas finally obtained.
The Invention also consists in constructing retorts with both a
horizontal and a vertical chamber, and in arranging pairs of such two-
chambered retorts in a bench for the economical heating of the
same.
In the accompanying Drawing Figure 1 is a front elevation of a:
bench of retorts; Fig. 2 is a longitudinal vertical section of the same
through the line z, z, of Fig. 1; and Fig. 3 a rear elevation of the same.
Similar letters of reference indicate corresponding parts in the several
Figures.
In this apparatus there are six two-chambered retorts arranged in a
three pairs, each pair arranged as shown in Fig. 2, which although
made to represent the central pair gives a correct representation of
either of the two outer pairs, except that the latter occupy a lower
position in the bench. A description of this one pair of retorts A, B,
and A, B, will serve for a description of any one of the three pairs.
.A or A¹ is the distilling chamber located in the bench F in a horizontal
position and connected with a vertical chamber B or B located in the
same bench. The horizontal chamber A or A' has a mouth-piece C or
.C', but has no stand pipe. The vertical chamber is provided at the
bottom with a mouth-piece D or D¹ and a stand pipe E or E. The a
two retorts of a pair are arranged with their respective horizontal
chambers A, A¹, one below the other, and with their chambers B, B¹, in
opposite directions, the heads C, D, of one retort being at one side of
or at the front of the bench, and the heads C', D', of the other being at
the other side of or at the rear of the bench.
Before entering into the details of the process which is to be
employed in combination with this apparatus, I wish to point out the

page_text: Sopparatus
wn coomonical poin
of view.
I avoid the necessity of employing two separate benches (placed back
to back, as in the ordinary gas works), by utilizing the room in a single
bench, which may be done by enlarging the bench to a trifling extent,
so that one fire can be made to carbonize as much material as two
separate fires, which are necessary when two benches are employed.
To make this better understood, the fire-box H in my apparatus is made
to sufficiently heat six of the two-chambered retorts A, B, A¹, B¹, while
the bench Fis but little larger in any of its dimensions than an ordinary
six-retort bench, which can only carbonize one-half the amount of
material in the same space of time, besides there are but three stand
pipes at each side of the bench, while all the coke is withdrawn from
the lowest portion of the bench, thus not only simplifying the apparatus
but at the same time rendering the operation of gas making more
agreeable, and also reducing the cost of construction of works to a
great extent. Any number of these retorts may be employed instead
of the six shown to describo the substantial features of the Invention.
The coal or other material employed in this process for the production
of gas is first introduced in the horizontal chamber and there subjected
to the process of distillation for a sufficient length of time to convert
most of the volatile hydrocarbons contained therein into permanent
inflammable gas by passing these products through the hot material
contained in the vertical chamber, after which the whole charge of coal
in the horizontal chamber will be drawn to the front end of the
horizontal chamber and thus delivered into the vertical chamber, after
which a new or fresh charge of material will be introduced into the
horizontal chamber, and thus both will continue to yield gas until the
former mentioned charge is drawn out of the vertical chamber.
The length of time required to properly carbonize the material will
greatly depend on the temperature employed, the horizontal chamber
being charged with cold material is only designed to partially carbonize
it; indeed it is almost impossible to do otherwise in a reasonable
length of time, so greatly is the temperature diminished upon receiving
every fresh charge. But it will be readily observed in this process that
the temperature of the vertical chamber is but little diminished upon
receipt of the already hot charge from the horizontal one; this being

page_text: the case, the said vertical chamber will eventually arrive at a tempera-
ture sufficient to convert all of the volatile constituents of the material
employed into gas, therefore the temperature of these two chambers
must be regulated according to the nature of the material employed,
thus preventing the formation of those useless compounds formed in
the old process and which, for the most part, contain hydrogen. For
example, in the old process a portion of the hydrogen present combines
with a portion of the oxygen forming aqueous vapor, another with a
portion of the sulphur forming sulphuretted hydrogen, another portions
combines with the nitrogen forming ammonia, and another portion is
appropriated in the formation of coal tar and other similar compounds,
both solid and fluid, thus constituting an immense waste of both
hydrogen and carbon, which by proper treatment could have been
permanently liberated in the gaseous form.
For the purpose of liberating the hydrogen contained in the coal or
other material subjected to the process herein, described, the volatile
products given off from such material by distillation in the horizontal
chamber, and before losing their volatile condition and the heat acquired
in the process of distillation are passed, as before stated, directly through
a more highly heated chamber and in contact with the highly heated
coal still emitting gas contained therein, thus liberating in the gaseous
form the hydrogen both in the free state and combined with carbon:
It will thus be seen that in this improved process the distillate from
a fresh charge of coal is passed through a hot charge of the same
material contained in the vertical chamber while this material is still
emitting gas; by this means the distillate in question is decomposed
without undue loss of the luminiferous constituents therein contained;
but if the coal through which it is passed has been completely reduced
to coke, or has ceased to yield gas, it would in this condition act
similarly to charcoal and other like carbonaceous substances, which
readily absorb and decompose olefiant gas and other rich hydrocarbons.
Among other advantages of this improved process over the old for
the manufacture of gas, the following may be mentioned,―
First. A much greater yield of gas is obtained from any given
quantity or quality of material employed; this is accounted for by the
saving of a vast amount of material converted into gas, which material
is lost as gas producing agents by the formation of certain compounds
formed in the old process,

page_text: Second. The gas produced by this improved process is of a permanent
character, being more free of condensable products than gas made in
the ordinary manner; this is accounted for by the subjection of all the
volatile products to a heat sufficient to convert them into fixed gas.
Having now described the Invention of " Improvements in the
Manufacture of Inflammable Gas for Illuminating and other Purposes,
and in the Apparatus to be used therein," as communicated to me by
my foreign correspondent, and having explained the manner of carrying
the same into effect, I claim as the Invention secured to me by Letters
Patent as aforesaid,―
First. The process of generating inflammable gases from coal or
other hydrocarbons by means of a retort containing two chambers, one
horizontal and the other vertical, and arranged in such a manner that
the distillate given off from the material in the horizontal chamber will
pass directly through a more highly heated and partially carbonized
charge of the same material, still emitting gas in the vertical chamber,
as herein set forth.
Second. A retort containing both a horizontal and a vertical chamber
for the purpose of shifting the charge of material from the former to
the latter, as and for the purposes herein set forth.
Third. The mode of arranging the retorts in bench F, substantially as
shown in Figure 2, as and for the purposes herein set forth.
In witness whereof, I, the said William Edward Newton, have herc-
unto set my hand and seal, this Twelfth day of January, in the
year of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and seventy-
five.