İmprovements in Retort Furnaces.
Year: 1891

page_text: Date of Application, 2nd June, 1891-Accepted, 25th July, 1891
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
İmprovements in Retort Furnaces.
I, JOSEPH ZUBR of the Belvedere Gas Works Vienna X in the Austro-
Hungarian Empire, 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 retort furnaces and has for its object
to regulate the admission of air needed for the purpose of combustion whether
circulating during the initial or subsequent stages of the operation.
According as the air is required for consumption during the various stages of the
heating process, the admission of such air must be regulated that is to say either
increased or decreased.
a
This is effected by forming in the upper furnace door an opening closed by
valve which is opened automatically with the said door and by further providing a
gridiron valve to regulate the air used during the first stage of the process. A throttle
valve is moreover arranged in the chimney which is completely closed when the
fire is being lighted.
In the accompanying drawings
Fig. 1 is a vertical section of a furnace furnished with my improvements.
Figs. 2 and 3 are respectively a front view and a section of the upper furnace
door.
Figs. 4 and 5 are respectively a longtitudinal and a cross section of a trellis
valve.
The upper furnace door a is provided with an opening c closed by the valve b
which turns upon the axis band carries a counter weight at the top.
This counter weight 2 has a tendency to open the valve which is held by a
toothed projection d' fixed to the lever d of the furnace door. On the furnace door
being opened, the valve is likewise automatically opened by its counterweight
and remains open until after the door is closed, so that the air may have direct
access to the products of combustion accumulating on the top of the coke. As it
is after the first and subsequent firings that the greatest evolution of oxide of carbon
takes place, a greater volume of air is required at such times this air being admitted
in sufficient quantity through the opening in the door.
In the course of the heating process carried out according to my invention less
carbonic oxide gas being generated that heretofore, a proportionately lesser quantity
of air will be required, wherefore the counterweight will be made to bring the
valve upon the first tooth and to subsequently close the same hermetically upon the
second tooth of the projection ².
The time at which these various manipulations should be undertaken is deter-
mined by experiments, the result of which can be found in the following tabular
statement.

page_text: This manipulation is very simple, the closing of the valve taking place when the
retorts are fed. The regulating of the air consumed during the initial stage of the
process is effected by a pivoted gridiron valve arranged in the flooring f and
can be seen in the above table. With coke from slag coal, the valve may be
opened a little more than above stated. Care must be taken that the height of the
coke layer should not extend beyond the lower edge of the upper furnace door.
Every retort furnace may be easily treated in the manner set forth. Besides the
above mentioned reconstruction, a throttle valve is arranged in the chimney and
has for its object to entirely close the same when the fire is being made up whereby
the escape of heat is prevented and a uniform temperature obtained. The said
throttle valve is drawn by means of a wire which exerts a pull on a lever, so that
the valve entirely closes the opening in the chimney. When the wire is released
the valve is raised automatically by means of a counter weight with which it is
furnished, this throttle valve however being of known construction forms no
characteristic feature of my invention and I lay no claim thereon.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my inven-
tion and in what manner the same is to be performed, I declare that what I
claim is :-
1. In retort furnaces the arrangements for the purpose of regulating the admission
of air in the course of the heating process of an opening e formed in the upper
furnace door which can be closed by a valve b, the latter being opened with the
furnace door in consequence of the release of the toothed projection d' and by the
action of the counterweight 2, and being held in a suitable position according as

page_text: the heating proceeds in a corresponding tooth of the said projection substantially
as herein described and shown and for the purpose set forth.
2. In retort furnaces the arrangements for the purpose of regulating the admission
of air during the initial stage of the process of a pivoted grid iron valve f¹ arranged
in the sole or flooring f substantially as herein described and shown and for the
purpose set forth.
Dated this 2nd day of June 1891
RAYNER & CASSELL,
37, Chancery Lane, London, W.C., Agents for the Applicant.