IMPROVE- MENTS IN TREATING RAILWAY SLEEPERS, WOOD BLOCKS, AND VEGETABLE FIBRE IN GENERAL, AND IN THE APPARATUS THEREFOR."
Year: 1879

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Edward Thomas Hughes, of the Firm of Hughes and Son,
Patent Agents, 123, Chancery Lane, London, for the Invention of "IMPROVE-
MENTS IN TREATING RAILWAY SLEEPERS, WOOD BLOCKS, AND VEGETABLE
FIBRE IN GENERAL, AND IN THE APPARATUS THEREFOR." A communication
from abroad by John Bennington Blythe, of Bordeaux, France.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Edward Thomas Hughes at
the Office of the Commissioners of Patents on the 6th June 1879.
EDWARD THOMAS HUGHES, of the Firm of Hughes and Son, Patent Agents,
123, Chancery Lane, London. "IMPROVEMENTS IN TREATING RAILWAY SLEEPERS,
WOOD BLOCKS, AND VEGETABLE FIBRE IN GENERAL, AND IN THE APPARATUS
THEREFOR." A communication from abroad by John Bennington Blythe, of
Bordeaux, France.
This Invention relates to further improvements or modifications in the mode of
and arrangement of apparatus for treating railway sleepers, wood blocks, and
vegetable fibre in general, as described in Letters Patent granted to me, bearing
date the 27th June 1876, No. 2651; and 20th December 1878, No. 5222.
The improvements consist principally in combining with the apparatus such as,
or similar to, that described in the said Letters Patent, a superheater, either heated
by the gases from a furnace heneath the pulverising vessel or oil boiler, or other-
wise, as found most suitable. Through this superheater the steam from the steam
boiler circulates, and being thereby superheated passes in that state through a pipe
leading to an injector and straining box, where it discharges into the enlarged
conical end or mouth of the delivery pipe from the ejector, the suction pipe of
which enters and dips to near the bottom of the oil boiler. The action of the
superbeated steam through the ejector and delivery pipe causes more or less vacuum
to be formed in the ejector box, which sucks or draws away the tar, oil, hydro-
carbon, or other matter used (in a liquid state) from one oil boiler into the ejector,
and the steam taking it up drives it through the delivery pipe, thereby dividing
and heating it as required. The delivery pipe passes into the oil boiler and
upwards towards the top of its dome, where it discharges into a second ejector and
the mixed steam and hydrocarbon, or other matter, meeting thereat with a second
current of superheated steam, is taken up with renewed energy, and being further
divided and heated is driven into the cylinder or oven containing the wood or
.
•
17

page_text: material to be treated. Entering this cylinder or oven at its highest part it is dis-
charged in a thoroughly divided state (or in the form of spray) onto and dissemi-
nated amongst the timber or other matter under treatment.
As the treatment continues the distillation mixed with the sap and other pro-
ducts expelled from the wood is returned by suitable pipes into the oil boiler, where
it mixes with the tar, oil, hydrocarbon, or other matter therein, to be again taken
up and sent back by the ejectors into the cylinder or oven as before, a continuous
circulation being thereby set up and maintained without difficulty, owing to the
superior pressure of the superheated mixed steam and hydrocarbon in the cylinder
or oven over that in the oil boiler, this difference of pressure being caused by the
action of the ejectors, as above described.
In cases where my apparatus is mounted on railway trucks the cylinders or ovens
may be placed in groups of three, four, or more, transversely over or otherwise
relatively with the tanks, the various ejectors, pipes, stop cocks, and other details
being arranged accordingly.

page_text: SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent filed.
by the said Edward Thomas Hughes in the Great Seal Patent Office on the
6th December 1879.
EDWARD THOMAS HUGHES, of the Firm of Hughes and Son, Patent Agents,
123, Chancery Lane, London. "IMPROVEMENTS IN TREATING RAILWAY SLEEPERS,
WOOD BLOCKS, AND VEGETABLE FIBRE IN GENERAL, AND IN THE APPARATUS
THEREFOR."
A communication from abroad by John Bennington Blythe, of
Bordeaux, France.
This Invention relates to further improvements or modifications in the mode of
and arrangement of apparatus for treating railway sleepers, wood blocks, and
vegetable fibre in general, as described in Letters Patent granted to me, bearing
date the 27th June 1876, No. 2651, and 20th December 1878, No. 5222.
The improvements consist principally in combining with the apparatus such as
or similar to that described in the said Letters Patent a superheater, either heated
by the gases from a furnace beneath the pulverizing vessel or oil boiler, or other-
wise, as found most suitable. Through this superheater the steam from the steam
boiler circulates, and being thereby superheated passes in that state through a pipe
leading to an injector and straining box, where it discharges into the enlarged
conical end or mouth of the delivery pipe from the ejector, the suction pipe of
which enters and dips to near the bottom of the oil boiler. The action of the super-
heated steam through the ejector and delivery pipe causes more or less vacuum to
be formed in the ejector box, which sucks or draws away the tar, oil, hydrocarbon,
or other matter used (in a liquid state) from the oil boiler into the ejector, and the
steam taking it up drives it through the delivery pipe, thereby dividing and heating
it as required. The delivery pipe passes into the oil boiler, and upwards towards
the top of its dome, where it discharges into a second ejector, and the mixed steam
and hydrocarbon or other matter meeting thereat with a second current of super-
heated steam is taken up with renewed energy, and being further divided and
heated is driven into the cylinder or oven containing the wood or material to be
treated. Entering this cylinder or oven at its highest part it is discharged in a
thoroughly divided state (or in the form of spray) onto and disseminated amongst
the timber or other matter under treatment.
As the treatment continues the distillation mixed with the sap and other products
expelled from the wood is returned by suitable pipes into the oil boiler, where it
mixes with the tar, oil, hydrocarbon, or other matter therein, to be again taken up
and sent back by the ejectors into the cylinder or oven as before, a continuous cir-
culation being thereby set up and maintained without difficulty owing to the
superior pressure of the superheated mixed steam and hydrocarbon in the cylinder
or oven over that in the oil boiler, this difference of pressure being caused by the
action of the ejectors as above described.
And in order that my said Invention may be well understood I shall now proceed
more particularly to describe the same, reference being made to the accompanying
Sheets of Drawings, like letters of reference indicating corresponding parts in all
the Figures.
Sheet 7 of the Drawings illustrates the improved arrangement of apparatus
embodying every detail found in practise to be the best adapted for successfully
carrying out the Invention. There is combined therewith a superheater, through
which the steam from the steam boiler circulates, and being thereby superheated
passes through a series of ejectors so as to draw off and divide the oil, hydrocarbon,
or other matter from the oil boiler, and drive it in a thoroughly divided state or in
the form of spray into the cylinder or oven, where the mixed steam and hydro-
carbon is discharged onto and disseminated amongst the timber or other material
under treatment, as hereafter more particularly described.
Fig. 1, Sheet 1, is a side elevation of the oil boiler and combined superheater.
Fio a plan thereof: Fig. 3. section on line a b. in Fic 1: Fio. 4 is a plan

page_text: of a series of cylinders or ovens and apparatus arranged according to this Inven-
tion; Fig. 5, a part elevation thereof; and Fig. 6, a side elevation of one
of the cylinders or ovens, with section of part of the apparatus connected
therewith. A represents the tank or reservoir containing the crude tar, oil, or
hydrocarbon used; B, oil measurer or charging vessel; C, steam boiler; D, super-
heater E, oil boiler or reservoir; F and G, ejectors for forming currents of car-
buretted steam; H, cylinders or ovens containing the wood or other material to be
treated; I, condensing vessels for spent matter; J, ejector for drawing off steam
from cylinders H; 1, pipe from tank A to charging vessel B; 2, pipe from steam
boiler C to superheater D; 3, pipes for superheated steam; 4, pipes for discharging
spent carburetted steam from cylinder H into condensing vessel I; 5, pipe con-
necting pipe 4 with charging vessel B; 6 and 7, pipes connecting charging vessel B
with oil boiler E; 8, pipe from superheater D to ejector F; 9, delivery pipe from
sector to oil boiler E; 10, suction pipe to ejector F from oil boiler E; 11, pipe
from oil boiler to cylinders H; 12, connecting pipes for discharging carburetted
steam into cylinders H, serving to connect each one of the four cylinders with any
other of them, so as to make a pressure on the oily or tarry matter in one cylinder
with the steam from another; 7, 13, 14, and 15, return pipes from cylinders H to
oil boiler E; 16, pipe for passing spent matter from oil boiler to condensing vessels
I, I; 17, pipes from cylinders H to condensing vessels I, I; 18, pipes distributing
from ejector J to condensing vessel I.
The crude tar oil or hydrocarbon matter being first passed from the tank or
reservoir A through pipe 1 into the oil measure or charging vessel B, and thence
through pipes 6 and 7 into the oil boiler E, steam is passed from steam boiler C
through pipe 2 into superheater D (heated by the furnace beneath the oil boiler or
otherwise), through which it circulates and passes in a superheated state through
pipe 8 into the ejector and straining box F (seen more particularly in Figs. 1, 2,
and 3, Sheet 1), where it discharges into the enlarged conical end or mouth of the
delivery pipe 9, from the ejector F; the suction pipe 10 of this ejector enters and
dips to near the bottom of the oil boiler E, as shown. The action of the super-
heated steam through the ejector box F and delivery pipe 9 causes more or less
vacuum to be forined in the ejector box F, which vacuum sucks or draws away the
tar, oil, hydrocarbon, or other matter (in a liquid state) from the bottom of the oil
boiler E into the ejector box F, and the steam taking it up drives it through the
delivery pipe 9, thereby dividing and heating it as required.
The delivery pipe 9 passes into the oil boiler E and upwards towards the
top of its dome, where it discharges into a second ejector G, and the mixed
steam and hydrocarbon or other matter meeting thereat with a second current
of superheated steam admitted through pipe 3 is taken up with renewed energy,
and being further divided and heated is driven through pipes 11 into either of
the cylinders or ovens H, which it enters at its highest part, and is discharged in a
thoroughly divided state (or in the form of spray) onto and disseminated amongst
the timber or other material to be treated.
As the treatment continues the distillation mixed with the sap and other pro-
ducts expelled from the wood is returned by pipes 13, 14, 15, and 7 into the oil
boiler E, where it nixes with the tar, oil, hydrocarbon, or other matter therein to
be again taken up and sent back by the ejectors F and G into the cylinder or
oven H as before, a continuous circulation being thereby set up and maintained
without difficulty owing to the superior pressure of the superheated mixed steam
and hydrocarbon in the cylinder or oven H over that in the oil boiler E; this
difference of pressure being caused by the action of the ejectors F and G, as
described.
To prevent the oil boiler E from being surcharged with the distillation and other
matter returned to it from the cylinder or oven H a normal level is maintained in
the oil boiler E by means of pipe 16, through which the surplus distillation_and
other matter (above this normal level) is forced into the condensing vessels I, I.
When the timber or other material in the cylinder or oven H has been

page_text: sufficiently treated the stop cocks on pipes 11 and 12 are shifted so as to allow the
carburetted steam to pass into another cylinder of the series, and to allow the steam
pressure in the cylinder H thas has been treated to escape by pipes 4 and 18 into
the condensing vessels I. The cock on the pipe 17 is then opened, and one of the
condensing vessels I thereby placed in communication with the cylinder H. The
steam is then let into ejector J by the cock or pipe 3, and by a displacement of the
steam and gases which before filled the cylinder H the liquid matters in the con-
densing vessel I fill the cylinder H. The cocks on the pipes 17 and 18 are then
shut off, and the steam continuing to flow in by pipe 12 connected with pipe 4,
forms a pressure upon the liquid in the cylinder, and forces it into the wood or other
inaterial under treatment; or I pass, by means of the pipe 17, the tarry matter
direct from one cylinder to the other, first discharging the steam through the tarry
matter amongst the wood that has been injected, and then immediately forcing this
agitated heated matter into the cylinder from which the steam has escaped; as soon
as the cylinder is full instantaneous pressure is obtained by the pipe 12, which
passes the pressure from another cylinder of the series. I obtain by this means a
more rapid absorption of heavier matter by the wood. The treatment is continued
from oven to oven in substantially the same manner as described in the Lotters
Patent before inentioned.
In cases where the apparatus is mounted on railway trucks the cylinders or ovens
may be placed in groups of threc, four, or more transversely over or otherwise
relatively with the tanks, the various ejectors, pipes, stopcocks, and other details
being arranged accordingly.
Having now described and particularly ascertained the nature of the said Inven-
tion, and the manner in which the same is or may be used or carried into effect,
I would observe in conclusion that what is claimed as the Invention is,-
1. The use of mixed concentric jets or discharges of carburetted and high pres-
sure steam in the form of ejectors F and G as applied to treat wood and vegetable
fibre in general, wheroby a jet of high pressure steam (superheated or not) is made
to mix with and give pressure to a current of hydrocarbon vapour or carburetted
steam, substantially as described.
2. The combination with the apparatus of a superheater, substantially as and for
the purpose described and shown on the Drawing.
3. The general arrangement and combination of apparatus as applied to the
treatment of railway sleepers, wood blocks, and vegetable fibre in general, substan-
tially as described and shown on the Drawings.
In witness whereof, I, the said Edward Thomas Hughes, have hereunto
set my hand and seal, this Fifth day of December, in the year of our
Lord One thousand eight hundred and seventy nine.