Improvemements in Apparatus for Charging Retorts for the Manu- facture of Gas and for other like purposes.
Year: 1891

page_text: Date of Application, 26th June, 1891
Complete Specification Left, 28th Mar., 1892-Accepted, 7th May, 1892
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
Improvemements in Apparatus for Charging Retorts for the Manu-
facture of Gas and for other like purposes.
I JAMES FRANCIS BRAIDWOOD Of The Gas Works Thames Street Greenwich
in the County of Kent Engineer do hereby declare the nature of this invention to
be as follows:-
This invention relates to apparatus used in connection with charging retorts for
manufacturing gas and for other like. purposes and my present improvements may
be used in conjunction with and as an addition and improvement to an invention
for which I am at present making application for Patent viz. No. 15388 of 1890
or my present invention may be used in any other way or with any other apparatus
for which it may be suitable.
In order to conduct the coal (or other substance) from above such as from a
tipping wagon (such as described in my said Specification No. 15388 of 1890)
into the mouth of a sloping retort and in order to obviate the necessity of an
upturned mouth on such sloping retort arrange a movable shoot of suitable
length mounted on a carriage the wheels of which run on rails along the front or
face of the upper ends of the sloping retorts.
The inside of the shoot is provided with a series of baffle plates or deflecting
surfaces while the lower end is just sufficiently curved to enter into the mouth of
the sloping retort.
The baffle plates or deflecting surfaces in the shoot may be arranged and
mounted therein in any desired manner for instance these baffle plates may be
fixed on a framework which drops into the shoot and is suitably secured therein
or thereon so that different arrangements of baffle plates and different sized baffle
plates or deflecting surfaces may be interchanged as desired.
When the coal et cetera is tipped from the tipping wagon et cetera into the upper
end of this shoot its rapid descent into the sloping retort is checked or retarded by
the aforesaid baffle plates and thus the coal et cetera emerges from the lower end
of said shoot into the sloping retort at the desired speed and spreads itself evenly
(approximately) right down the length of the sloping gas retort.
Thus the sloping retort can be made with the retort lid mounted either vertically
or at any desired angle thereon at both top and bottom so that when the top and
bottom lids are removed a clear opening in a straight line is obtained from end to
end of a sloping retort and this will be found of great value and give greatly
increased facility in working sloping retorts especially for gas making purposes.
Dated this 26th day of June 1891.
TONGUE & BIRKBECK,
34, Southampton Buildings, Chancery Lane, London, W.C.,
Agents for the Patentee.
COMPLETE
SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Apparatus for Charging. Retorts for the Manu-
facture of Gas and for other like purposes.
I, JAMES FRANCIS BRAIDWOOD, of The Gas Works, Thames Street, Greenwich
in the County of Kent, 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 :-
This invention relates to apparatus used in connection with charging retorts for

page_text: manufacturing gas and for other like purposes and my present improvements may
be used in conjunction with and as an addition and improvement to an invention
for which I have received Letters Patent No. 15388 of 1890 or my present
invention may be used in any other way or with any other apparatus for which it
may be suitable.
My said present invention is especially designed for use in charging sloping gas
retorts.
In order to conduct the coal (or other substance) from above such as from a
tipping wagon (such as described in my said Specification No. 15388 of 1890) into
the mouth of a sloping retort and in order to obviate the necessity of an upturned
mouth on such sloping retort I arrange a movable shoot of suitable length
mounted on a carriage the wheels of which run on rails along the front or face of
the upper ends of the sloping retorts.
The inside of the shoot is provided with a series of baffle plates or deflecting
surfaces while the lower end is just sufficiently curved to enter into the mouth of
the sloping retort.
The baffle plates or deflecting surfaces in the shoot may be arranged and
mounted therein in any desired manner for instance these baffle plates may be fixed
on a frame work which drops into the shoot and is suitably secured therein or
thercon so that different arrangements of baffle plates and different sized baffle
plates or deflecting surfaces may be interchanged as desired.
When the coal et cetera is tipped from the tipping wagon et cetera into the upper
end of this shoot its rapid descent into the sloping retort is checked or retarded
by the aforesaid baffle plates and thus the coal et cetera emerges from the lower
end of the said shoot into the sloping retort at the desired speed and spreads
itself evenly (approximately) right down the length of the sloping gas retort.
Thus the sloping retort can be made with the retort lid mounted either vertically
or at any desired angle thereon at both top or bottom so that when the top and
bottom lids are removed a clear opening in a straight line is obtained from end to
end of a sloping retort and this will be found of great value and give greatly
increased facility in working sloping retorts especially for gas making purposes.
And in order that my invention may be fully understood and readily carried
into practice I will proceed to further describe same with reference to the drawings
hereunto annexed.
DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS.
Fig. 1 is a plan of the shoot and wheeled carriage on which same is mounted.
Fig. 2 is a side elevation of same showing the baffling apparatus dotted in.
Fig. 3 is a plan of the removable arrangement of battle plates-removed from
the shoot, and
Fig. 4 is a side elevation of Fig. 3.
In the apparatus illustrated the shoot a is made curved at its lower end a' so as
to readily enter the mouth of a sloping retort.
At its upper end the shoot is mounted in a carriage having four wheels >>!
running on rails or the shoot may be swung from a crane or derrick or supported
in any other desired manner.
The projecting lever e with forked ends-the latter encircling the shoot-is
provided for the purpose of raising or lowering the shoot a in its carriage b so as
to adjust the shoot to the mouth of the retort should the level of the latter vary in
any way.
The said projecting arm or lever e is controlled or operated by a chain . or in
any other suitable manner.
The shoot a may also be adjusted or presented to the mouth of the retort in any
other suitable and convenient way.
The baffle platesc may be permanently fixed in the interior passage of the shoot a
or the said baffle plates or obstructions may be advantageously fixed in an open
frame d Fig. 4.

page_text: Any suitable number of these baffling surfaces are arranged and mounted-
according to the length of the shoot-and at any suitable angle so as to case the
descent of the coal et cetera by causing the latter to glide from one baffle plate or
surface c to a lower one and so on thus checking the fall and causing the coal
et cetera to enter the retort at a reduced speed or momentum.
The baffle platesc may be arranged so that they can be changed for others if
desired.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said inven-
tion and in what manner the same is to be performed 1 declare that what I
claim is :-
1. In apparatus for charging retorts for the manufacture of gas and for other
like purposes a shoot or funnel either curved or otherwise in shape swung or
supported in any suitable manner and having baffle plates or deflecting plates
or other surfaces or obstructions set sloping downwards in the interior passage
so as to retard the too rapid descent of the coal et cetera.
2. I claim a shoot such as a having a curved lower part a' in combination and
acting in conjunction with a sloping retort substantially in the manner and for
the purposes hereinbefore described and illustrated in the drawings hereunto
annexed.
3. I claim the combination of the shoot a with baffle plates or deflecting surfaces
such as
c arranged to act in the manner and for the purposes hereinbefore
described and illustrated in the drawings hereunto annexed.
Dated this Ofth day of Manch 1905
TONGUE & BIRKBECK,
34, Southampton Buildings, Chancery Lane, London, W.C.,
Agents for the Applicant.