AN IMPROVED PROCESS FOR FORMING AND COMBINING SMALL COAL OR COAL DUST INTO LUMPS, BLOCKS, BE EMPLOYED FOR THE PURPOSES OF
Year: 1866

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Henry George Fairburn, of St. Luke's, in the County
of Middlesex, Engineer, for the Invention of "AN IMPROVED PROCESS
FOR FORMING AND COMBINING SMALL COAL OR COAL DUST INTO LUMPS, BLOCKS,
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Henry George Fairburn
at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on
the 5th July 1966.
I, HENRY GEORGE FAIRBURN, of St. Luke's, in the County of Middlesex,
Engineer, do hereby declare the nature of the said Invention for "AN
IMPROVED PROCESS FOR FORMING AND COMBINING SMALL COAL OR COAL DUST INTO
LUMPS, BLOCKS, OR OTHERWISE, TO BE EMPLOYED FOR THE PURPOSES OF FUEL," to be
as follows (that is to say):
My Invention has reference to an improved process for forming and com-
bining small coal or coal dust into lumps, blocks, or otherwise to be employed
for the purposes of fuel, whereby the same is produced at less cost and
inconvenience than by the system at present in use, and consists in subjecting
the said coal or coal dust to the action and heat of surcharged or superheated
steam under pressure within moulds or dies for the purpose of solidifying the

page_text: same; the said steam being employed for softening the bituminous properties
of the said coal, thereby causing the same to cohere without disturbing or
decomposing its component particles, employing in like manner with the less
bituminous coal (as the anthracite class), tar, resin, or other hydro-car-
bonaceous matters in combination therewith.
3
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent, filed
by the said Henry George Fairburn in the Great Seal Patent Office on
the 5th January 1867.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, HENRY
GEORGE FAIRBURN, of St. Luke's, in the County of Middlesex, Engineer,
send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her Lellers
Patent, bearing date the Fifth day of July, in the year of our Lord One
thousand eight hundred and sixty-six, in the thirtieth year of Her reign,
did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant unto me, the said
Henry George Fairburn, Her special licence that I, the said Henry George
Fairburn, my executors, administrators, and assigns, or such others as I, the
said Henry George Fairburn, my executors, administrators, or assigns, should
at any time agree with, and no others, from time to time and at all times
thercafter 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 "AN
IMPROVED PROCESS FOR FORMING AND COMBINING SMALL COAL OR COAL DUST INTO
LUMPS, BLOCKS, OR OTHERWISE, TO BE EMPLOYED FOR THE PURPOSES OF FUEL," upon
the condition (amongst others) that I, the said Henry George Fairburn, my
executors or administrators, by an instrument in writing under my, 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 immediately after the date of the said
Letters Patent.
NOW KNOW YE, that I, the said Henry George Fairburn, do hereby
declare the nature of my said Invention, and in what manner the same is to
be performed, to be particularly described and ascertained in and by the
following statement (and the Drawings therein referred to (that is to say) :-
My Invention has reference to an improved process for combining and.

page_text: forming small coal or coal dust into lumps, blocks, or otherwise to be employed
for the purposes of fuel, whereby the same are produced at less cost and
inconvenience than by the system at present in use, and consists in subjecting
the said coal or coal dust to the action and heat of surcharged or superhcated
steam; the said steam being employed for softening the bituminous propertics
of the coal, thereby causing the same to cohere, employing in like manner
with the less bituminous coal, as the anthracite class, tar, pitch, resin, or any
other carbonaceous matters in combination therewith.
But in order that my said Invention may be more fully understood and
readily carried into effect, I now proceed to describe the same by the aid of
the accompanying Drawings, reference being had to the letters and figures
thereon marked (that is to say):-
Fig. 1 represents a longitudinal elevation, partly in section, of a hopper,
trough, or tube of about forty feet long, in which the coal is heated on its
passage to the moulding machinery described under a former Patent, granted
to me on the Fourteenth of December, Eighteen hundred and sixty-five.
Fig. 2, top or plan view thereof; and Fig. 3, a transverse vertical section
taken through the dotted line in Fig. 1. In each Figure the same letters
of reference denote similar corresponding parts.
A, A, outer metal case of rectangular form flanged and bolted together in
manner shewn, consisting of two chambers, the upper one B, B, receiving the
coal from the hopper and transmitting it to the moulding machinery aforesaid,
whilst the lower one C, C, serves for supplying heat to the same; D, D, pipo
through which the surcharged steam or hot blast passes to the aforesaid
chamber c, c; E, E, outlets for the escape of surplus heat; F, F, hopper
charged with coal or coal dust to be heated in its passage through the appa-
ratus; G, G, slide measure reciprocating with the engine for charging the
cellular shifting flaps of the apparatus with the required quantity of coal;
H, H, shifting flaps or scrapers by which the coal is pushed forward; I, I,
centres, upon which the same work through the medium of side motion bars
J, J, within the rectangular tube aforesaid; K, K, central bar for actuating the
hopper measuring slide; L, L, cross pins for lifting the scrapers on the return
stroke; M, M, the coal or otherwise under operation; N, N, piston rod of
steam cylinder; 0, 0, stuffing box to same; P, P, shute through which the
charges of coal descend to the moulding dies.
In conclusion to the foregoing description, I would here briefly note that
I cause the under chamber to be heated by means of surcharged or super-
heated steam, and the upper one under pressure when employing the
bituminous coal. And I would further note that the said apparatus may

page_text: be constructed upon the cylindrical principle, and supplied in such case with
surcharged or superheated steam within a surrounding chamber or jacket.
Having now fully described and ascertained the nature of this my said
Invention, and in what manner the same is to be performed and carried into
effect, I would have it clearly understood that I do not intend to confine
myself to the precise details herein-before described, as the same may be
otherwise varied without departing from the general principle of this my said
Invention; nor do I claim as new and of my said Invention the exclusive use
of the several parts, combinations, and processes herein-before described, except
when the same are employed in and for the purposes of my said Invention,
which I hereby declare to consist in the exclusive right of employing sur-
charged or superheated steam in connection with the aforesaid apparatus, or
any modification thereof, for facilitating the formation of coal or coal dust into
masses or blocks to he employed as fuel, in the manner and for the purposes
herein-before set forth and described.
In witness whereof, I, the said Henry George Fairburn, have hercunto
set my hand and seal, this Fourth day of January, in the year of our
Lord One thousand eight hundred and sixty-seven.
HENRY GEORGE FAIRBURN. (L.S.)
Witness,
R. H. P. COOKE,
Clerk to Messrs. Weatherdon & Co.,
77, Chancery Lane..