IMPROVEMENTS IN APPARATUS FOR OBTAINING HYDROCARBONS FROM SHALE, COAL, OR OTHER SIMILAR SUBSTANCES.
Year: 1872

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to James Young, of Kelly, in the County of Renfrew,
North Britain, for the Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN APPARATUS FOR
OBTAINING HYDROCARBONS FROM SHALE, COAL, OR OTHER SIMILAR SUBSTANCES.
"
OBTAINING HYDROCARBONS FROM SHALE, COAL, OR OTHER SIMILAR SUBSTANCE
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said James Young at the
Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on the
28th February 1872.
I, JAMES YOUNG, of Kelly, in the County of Renfrew, North Britain,
do hereby declare the nature of the said Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN
APPARATUS FOR OBTAINING HYDROCARBONS FROM SHALE, COAL, OR OTHER SIMILAR
SUBSTANCES," to be as follows, that is to say:-
This Invention has for its object to obtain a greater amount of the
hydrocarbons given off from shale, coal, or other similar substances
when heated in kilns, furnaces, or other apparatus wherein atmospheric
gases and products of combustion of the material from which the heat
has been derived are mixed with the hydrocarbons sought to be obtained,

page_text: and it consists in combining such kilns, furnaces, or apparatus with a
tower or chamber containing coke or other material between the spaces
of which the vapours, gases, and oils pass.
Between the kilns, furnaces, or other apparatus herein-before men-
tioned and the tower or chamber a condenser is situated in which the
more readily condensible portions of the hydrocarbons are condensed,
and the less condensible portions which escape condensation therein
pass through the material in the tower or chamber, wherein they become
mixed with hydrocarbon oil which is caused to flow through the tower
or chamber. This oil absorbs the less condensible portions.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent,
filed by the said James Young in the Great Seal Patent Office on
the 27th August 1872.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, JAMES
YOUNG, of Kelly, in the County of Renfrew, North Britain, send
greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her
Letters Patent, bearing date the Twenty-eighth day of February, in the
year of our Lord One thousand cight hundred and seventy-two, in tho
35th year of Her reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give
and grant unto me, the said James Young, Her special license that I,
the said James Young, my executors, administrators, and assigns, or
such others as I, the said James Young, my executors, administrators,
or assigns, should at any time agree with, and no others, from time to
time and at all times thereafter 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 "IMPROVEMENTS IN APPARATUS FOR OBTAINING
HYDROCARBONS FROM SHALE, COAL, OR OTHER SIMILAR SUBSTANCES," upon the
condition (amongst others) that I, the said James Young, by an instru-
ment in writing under my hand and scal, 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.

page_text: NOW KNOW YE, that I, the said James Young, 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, reference being had to the accompanying Drawings
and to the letters and figures marked thereon, that is to say :-
My said Invention has for its object to obtain a greater amount of
the hydrocarbons given off from shale, coal, or other similar substances
when heated in kilns, furnaces, or other apparatus wherein atmo-
spheric gases and products of combustion of the material from which
the heat has been derived are mixed with the hydrocarbons sought to
'be obtained, and it consists in combining such kilns, furnaces, or appa-
ratus with a tower or chamber containing coke or other material, over or
through which oil is passing, and between the spaces of which the
vapours and gases pass.
Between the kilns, furnaces, or other apparatus herein-before men-
tioned and the tower or chamber a condenser is situated, in which the
more readily condensable portions of the hydrocarbons are condensed,
and the less condensable portions which escape condensation therein
pass through the material in the tower or chamber, wherein they
become mixed with hydrocarbon oil which is caused to flow through the
tower or chamber. This oil absorbs the less condensable portions, which
are or may be separated from it by distillation.
And in order that my said Invention may be properly understood I
now proceed more particularly to set forth the system, mode, or manner
in or under which the same is or may be used or practically carried into
effect, that is to say :-
On the Sheet of Drawings hereunto appended the combination of
apparatus which constitutes this Invention is illustrated under one
modification in vertical section at Figure 1, and under a second modifi-
cation in vertical section at Figure 2.
Under the arrangement shewn at Figure 1 the kiln or furnace A,
which is charged with the shale, coal, or other similar material from which
the hydrocarbons are to be obtained, is constructed with an open top
and is fired downwards, that is to say, the shale, coal, or other similar
substance is ignited at the top of the kiln or furnace A, the hydro-
carbons, atmospheric gases, and products of combustion being caused
to pass downwards between the pieces of coal, shale, or other substance

page_text: to the bottom B of the kiln or furnace A, from whence they pass
through holes or perforations in the bottom B into a pipe or duct C,
by which they are conducted into the lower part of the condenser in
passing (in the direction of the arrows) through the pipes E, in which
the more readily condensable portions of the hydrocarbons are con-
densed and collect in the tank F, from which they flow off through the
pipe or passage G. The pipe or duct C is provided with a branch pipe
H, through which such portions of the hydrocarbons as may become.
condensed in the lower part of the kiln or furnace A. are conducted
into a receptacle. The more volatile or less condensable portions of the
hydrocarbons which escape condensation in the condenser E pass from
thence through the pipe or passage J into a chamber K situated at
the lower extremity of a tower L, as shewn. That part of the tower L
above the chamber J is filled with coke or other material as shewn on
the Drawing, and the partition or division M between the chamber K
and tower L is formed with a number of holes or perforations through
which such uncondensed portions of the hydrocarbons pass into the
spaces between the pieces of coke or other material in the tower L.
On the upper end of the tower La chamber N is situated, the bottom
of which is perforated with a number of holes or openings as shewn,
and into the chamber N heavy hydrocarbon oil is conducted through
the pipe O. The heavy oil flowing into the chamber N passes there-
from through the holes or perforations in the bottom thereof into or
amongst the coke or other material in the tower L, and absorbs the
volatile hydrocarbons passing upwards through the tower. The hydro-
carbon oil flows through the perforations in the partition M into the
chamber K, and is conducted from thence through the pipe or passage P
to any convenient receptacle. The tower L is provided with a flue Q
at its upper end as shewn, and which communicates with a chimney,
steam jet, or an exhauster, so as to create a current or draught in the
kiln or furnace A and condenser E sufficient to cause the hydrocarbons,
atmospheric gases, and products of combustion produced in the kiln or
furnace A to pass in the direction indicated by the arrows on Figure 1.
At the lower part of the kiln or furnace A a doorway R is situate as
shewn, through which the ash of the shale, coal, or other similar sub-
stance consumed in the kiln or furnace is withdrawn, and the tower L
is also provided with doorways S and T respectively through which
the coke or other material is charged into or withdrawn from the tower
when required.

page_text: Under the second modification of this Invention the kiln or furnace A,
in lieu of being formed with an open top and fired downwards as herein-
before described, may be formed with a close top and having a fire-
grate B at the lower part as shewn at Figure 2, on which the shale,
coal, or other similar substance is ignited, the hydrocarbons, atmo-
spheric gases, and products of combustion being caused to pass to the
upper end of the kiln or furnace A, and thence through the pipe or
passage C into the condenser E, wherein the more easily condensable
portions of the hydrocarbons are condensed, the less condensable por-
tions passing into the tower L, wherein they are absorbed by the hydro-
carbon oil flowing from the tank O as in the preceding arrangement.
An ordinary cup and cone is employed under this arrangement of
apparatus for opening or closing the kiln or furnace when charging sub-
stances thereinto, the burnt coal or other similar substance being drawn
below from between the bars.
Having now described and particularly ascertained the nature of my
said Invention, and the system, mode, or manner in or under which the
same is or may be used or carried into practical effect, I desire to observe
in conclusion that I am aware that kilns, condensers, and towers of the
kind I have herein described have previously been used separately from
cach other in the obtainment of hydrocarbons from the distillation of
coal, shale, and similar substances, but that they have not hitherto been
used combined into one system of apparatus in the manner I have
herein set forth and illustrated by the appended Drawings; what then
I consider to be novel and original, and therefore claim as the Invention
secured to me by the herein-before in part recited Letters Patent is, the
combination of kilns or furnaces and condensers with the tower or
chamber containing coke or other material and heavy hydrocarbon oil, as
herein-before described.
In witness whereof, I, the said James Young, have hereunto set
my hand and scal, this Twentieth day of June One thousand
cight hundred and seventy-two.
JAMES YOUNG. (L.S.)