Improvements in and relating to Retorts for Distilling Shale and like Minerals, and for Dealing with the Resulting..
Year: 1891

page_text: Date of Application, 14th Sept., 1891
Complete Specification Left, 9th June, 1892-Accepted, 9th July, 1892
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION..
Improvements in and relating to Retorts for Distilling Shale and
like Minerals, and for Dealing with the Resulting. Products.
We, ROBERT ORB, and ROBERT MACKAY SUTHERLAND, both of the firm of
James Ross and Company, Philpstoun Oil Works, in the Town and County of
Linlithgow, do hereby declare the nature of our invention to be as follows :-
:-
This invention has reference to and comprises certain improvements in and
relating to retorts for the destructive distillation of shale and like oil and ammonia
yielding minerals, and which will save much labour, time, and heat in the working
of said retorts, and also obtain better results in the recovery of the oil and ammonia
products.
The improvements consist first and essentially in a new mode and means of
intermittently discharging the burnt or spent shale from the bottom of the retorts
into a lower hopper chamber from whence it is delivered through the door of a
shoot or hopper to the removing and conveying hutches. This consists in the use
of two moving organs, or apparatus fitted within the lower delivery chamber which
shall move towards each other to hold the shale material or other mineral in
vertical line up within the retort but when released will permit the whole column of
said material to descend evenly and in a body by gravity within the retort until
the desired quantity has been passed through the lower hopper chamber into the
hutches. This would be carried into practice under one arrangement by fitting a
transverse spindle or shaft, preferably of a square shape, on each side of the retort
within the lower shale drawing-off chamber below it, said shafts working in end
bearings and passing out through fluid-tight removable stuffing boxes or plates.
Each shaft would carry a series of projecting parallel arms or vanes either fixed. or
loose, but preferably hung on to the square shaft by kneed heads or eyes, so as to
be easily removable when required, and these arms would preferably be separated
from each other along the shafts by a lug or collar piece formed on the face of
their hanging heads. When the shale in a retort is to be discharged, these shafts
are turned and secured with the arms of each meeting downwards at an angle of
about 45 degrees, supporting or holding the shale material up within the retort, and
after the bottom door has been opened, are allowed to turn or oscillate towards the
vertical until the desired quantity of the shale material has been allowed to pass
through the lower hopper chamber into the conveying hutch, when the arms are
again turned or oscillated forward to the angle at which they hold up the shale
within the retort and are there secured until the retort has again to be discharged.
These shafts carrying the projecting vanes would preferably be oscillated by
having arms fitted to their ends outside the chamber, said arms being connected to
the lower ends of vertical rods or links which have their upper ends attached to the
outer end of a lever fulcrumed on a stud or spindle and having its other actuating
end weighted, so that when pulled or brought down it would pull up the rods and
arms and oscillate the shafts to bring the vanes to meet within the chamber as
described, and the lever may be held in this position by a retaining catch or stop,
or the shafts be held by ratchet wheels and pawls, and when released the weight of
material in the retort would open up and spread out the vanes and fill up the hopper
chamber again.
Instead of leading the whole of the oil and ammonia gases away combined and
thence to condensers there would or may be only partial condensation and the
ammonia gases would or may be neutralised by direct contact with acid or the
combined vapours would or may be passed through separators and acid saturators
of suitable construction. Or shale from which the oil has been wholly or partially,

page_text: distilled would or may be passed into other retorts or heating chambers and there
subjected to further heat and the resulting vapours passed through acid saturators
to form salts of ammonia.
The steam used in the retorts would or may be superheated by being passed
through close vessels, pipe coils, or other heaters placed in the flue leading to the
chimney, and round which the waste gases from the retort ovens would pass on
their way to the chimney.
Dated the 12th September 1891.
W. R. M. THOMSON & Co.,
96, Buchanan Street, Glasgow, Agents.
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in and relating to Retorts for Distilling Shale and
like Minerals, and for Dealing with the Resulting Products.
We, ROBERT ORR and ROBERT MACKAY SUTHERLAND, both of the firm of
James Ross and Company, Philpstoun Oil Works, in the Town and County of
Linlithgow, do hereby declare the nature of our said invention, and in what manner
the same is to be performed, to be particularly described and ascertained in and by
the following statement in writing, reference being had to the accompanying
drawings, that is to say :-
•
.
This invention has reference to and comprises certain improvements in and
relating to retorts for the destructive distillation of shale and like oil and ammonia
yielding minerals, and which will save much labour, time, and heat in the working
of said retorts, and also obtain better results in the recovery of the oil and ammonia
products.
The improvements consist in a new mode and means of intermittently discharging
the burnt or spent shale from the bottom of the retorts through a lower hopper
chamber from whence it is delivered in a vertical manner through the door of a
shoot or hopper to the removing and conveying hutches. This consists in the use
of two moving organs, or apparatus fitted within the lower delivery chamber which
shall move towards each other to hold the shale material or other mineral in
vertical line up within the retort, but when released will permit the whole column
of said material to descend evenly and in a body by gravity within the retort until
the desired quantity has been passed through the lower hopper chamber into the
hutches.
And in order that our said invention and the manner of performing or carrying
the same into effect or practice may be properly understood, we have hereunto
appended an explanatory sheet of drawings in which the same reference letters are
used to indicate corresponding parts in all the figures where shown.
Figure 1, is a sectional elevation of the lower part of a set of shale retorts to
which our improvements are shown applied, and
Figure 2 is a sectional plan view of half a set of retorts as taken on the irregular
line 1-1 in Figure 1; and
Figure 3, is a detached view of the hopper shale discharging chamber looking at
right angles to that shown in Figure 1.
Referring to these drawings,-The improvements are carried into practice under
this arrangement by fitting transverse spindles or shafts A, A, preferably of a
square shape, on each side of the retort R, within the box part B of the lower shale
drawing-off chamber B B' below it, said shafts A, A, working in bearings at A" at
their inner or back ends and passing out through fluid-tight removable stuffing
boxes or plates at A' at their outer ends, and which shafts A, are continued out
through holes at A" in the brickwork and bearing blocks A³, bolted to the lower
stay binding plates Z¹.
Each shaft A A, carries a series of projecting parallel arms or vane grippers a, a,
aithan fived on loose but proforable hung on to the sanare shaft. A. A. bv aves or

page_text: collar bosses a a¹, so as to be easily removable when required, and these arms a, a,
would preferably be separated from each other along the shafts by the collar
pieces a¹ a' formed at their ends. The eyes a¹ a' of the arms a a are protected
above by tubular girders b, b, lying in the longitudinal direction on the top of the
box chamber B, and the girders bb, support the side walls zz, while the transverse
walls are supported on the top of the box chamber B.
The hopper
chambers B B¹, and walls z z¹ of the retorts are carried on or supported by the
main girders C C, which rest at their ends on strong foundation walls Z Z, and
strengthened by the central arch brickwork Z". The arms a, a, of each shaft A, A,
meet downwards at an angle of about 45 degrees to support or hold the shale
material up within the retort R and after the bottom door B' has been opened, are
allowed to turn or oscillate towards the vertical until the desired quantity of the
shale material has been allowed to pass through the lower hopper chamber B', into
the conveying hutch placed on rails r, below, when the arms a a are again turned or
oscillated forward to the angle at which they hold up the shale within the retort R,
and are there held until the retort has again to be discharged. The lower hopper
chamber B' is bolted to the box chamber B and has a mouthpiece B", bolted to it
at its lower end on to which the discharging door B³, is hinged by the bridge
piece B, at its one end, and at its other end portably secured by swivelling screw
clamps at B. The shafts A A carrying the projecting vanes a, a, are preferably
oscillated by having arms D D, fitted to their ends outside the chamber, said arms
being connected to the lower open slotted ends of vertical rods or links D', D¹, to
work like bell cranks D, D'; the upper ends of the links D', D', being attached to
the outer end of a lever D', fulcrumed on a stud or spindle at D" on the upper stay
rail Z³, and having its other actuating end weighted at D', to keep the vanes or
grippers a a, in their angled meeting position against the weight of the shale in the
retort R above; but when the shale is to be discharged from the retort the lever D³,
is oscillated by pushing up the hand rod D', so as to operate the links D¹, D, and
turn the shafts A. A, so as to bring the grippers a a to a nearly vertical position aq
shown dotted in Figure 1.
. .
Steam may be introduced to the hopper chamber B' by the main pipe c and
branch pipes and cocks c', to prevent the vanes or grippers a, a, getting overheated,
and to assist the distillation of the shale in the retorts R above.
Four hopper discharge chambers B B', with the improved fittings would preferably
be fitted in connection with each set of retorts, and be stayed together by snugs or
flanges and bolts.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of our inven-
tion and in what manner the same is to be performed, we declare that what we
claim is,―
First. In retorts for distilling shale and like minerals, the fitting and use at their
lower discharge ends of oscillating or swivelling spindles carrying a series of arms
or vanes or equivalent gripping organs, substantially as and for the purposes herein
described, in reference to and by way of application shown in the accompanying
drawings.
Second. In retorts for distilling shale and like minerals, the arrangement and
combination of the parts of lower discharge hopper chambers with oscillating
gripping arms or organs operated by links and weighted lever or equivalent
mechanism, substantially as and for the purposes herein described in reference to
and shown in the accompanying drawings.
A
T
1000
W. R. M. THOMSON & Co.,
96, Buchanan Street, Glasgow, Agents.