IMPROVEMENTS IN THE CONSTRUCTION OF COKE OVENS
Year: 1864

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to John Robert Breckon, of Darlington, in the County
of Durham, Colliery Manager, and Robert Dixon, of Crook, in the said
County of Durham, Mechanical Engineer, for the Invention of "IMPROVE
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said John Robert Breckon
and Robert Dixon at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with
their Petition, on the 28th December 1864.
We, JOHN ROBERT BRECKON, of Darlington, in the County of Durham,
Colliery Manager, and ROBERT DIXON, of Crook, in the said County of Durham,
Mechanical Engineer, do hereby declare the nature of the said Invention for
"IMPROVEMENTS IN THE CONSTRUCTION OF COKE OVENS," to be as follows:-
The nature of our Invention consists in constructing coke ovens with one,
two, or more flues, for the purpose of conveying the gases when in a state of
combustion underneath the bottom of the coke ovens, and afterwards around
and along the sides of the said coke ovens. The flues communicate with the
interior of the ovens, and the gases are conveyed through them under the
bottom round and along the sides of the ovens, and afterwards into a chimney.
By this means we can obtain a larger produce of coke from the coals, and the
coke obtained is of a superior quality; we can likewise complete the process
of coking in about half the time that is required by the ordinary description
of coke ovens.

page_text: SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent, filed
by the said John Robert Breckon and Robert Dixon in the Great Seal
Patent Office on the 26th June 1865.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, we, JOHN
ROBERT BRECKON, of Darlington, in the County of Durham, Colliery Manager,
and ROBERT DIXON, of Crook, in the said County of Durham, Mechanical
Engineer, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her Letters
Patent, bearing date the Twenty-eighth day of December, in the year of
our Lord One thousand eight hundred and sixty-four, in the twenty-eighth
year of Her reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and
grant unto us, the said John Robert Breckon and Robert Dixon, Her
special license that we, the said John Robert Breckon and Robert Dixon,
our executors, administrators, and assigns, or such others as we, the said
John Robert Breckon and Robert Dixon, our executors, administrators, and
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 THE CONSTRUCTION OF COKE OVENS," upon the
condition (amongst others) that we, the said John Robert Breckon and
Robert Dixon, our executors or administrators, by an instrument in writing
under our, or their, or one of our or their hands and seals, 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.
NOW KNOW YE, that we, the said John Robert Brecon and Robert
Dixon, 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 (that is to say) :-
The nature of our Invention consists in constructing coke ovens with one,
two, or more flues, for the purpose of conveying the gasses, when in a state of
combustion, underneath the floor and around the inner casing of the coke
ovens. The flues communicate with the interior of the oven, and the gasses
produced by the coals are conveyed through them under the floor, and around
the inner casing of the oven, and afterwards into chimneys.
And in order that our Invention may be fully understood and readily carried

page_text: "
into effect, will proceed to describe the accompanying Sheet of Drawings,
reference being had to the figures, letters, and arrows marked thereon.
Fig. 1 is an elevation of a row of coke ovens constructed according to our
improvements, with chimneys, into which all the products of combustion are
conveyed.
Fig. 2 is a plan, partly in section, of four of our improved coke ovens;
Fig. 3 is an elevation of the same partly in section.
Fig. 4 is a sectional elevation of two of the said coke ovens, with the flues
leading to the chimney..
Figs. 5 and 6 are a plan and section of our improved coke ovens, constructed
according to a modification of our Invention.
In Figs. 1, 2, 3, and 4, a, a, are the doors of the coke ovens; b, b, the
openings at the top; c, the orifices; i, the horizontal flues, which are in com-
munication with the chimneys k; these parts are made in the manner described
in our Patent, No. 2814, dated December Twelfth, One thousand eight
hundred and fifty-nine.
Our present improvements in the construction of coke ovens consist in the
application of flues e, e, which are placed under the floor f, and the flues g, g,
which are placed round the inner casing of the coke oven; these flues are
connected with the interior of the oven by the down cast flues d, d, and
orifices c, c, and also with the chimney k, through the vertical flues h, and
horizontal flues i; each orifice c is in communication with the flues e, and as
the partitions between the flues terminate alternately at a certain distance
from the inner wall of the oven, it is evident that a passage is left for the
gaseous products of combustion to pass from one flue to the other, as indicated
by the arrows in Figs. 2 and 4. When the gases arrive at and traverse
through the flues e, they rise into the flues g and h, and enter the horizontal
flue i, which conveys them to the chimney k. Dampers are placed in each
flue i, so as to shut off any one or more of the coke ovens during repairs, and
for other purposes without interfering with the other ovens.
The flue marked m, in Figs. 5 and 6, passes underneath the spiral flues e, e,
into the flues marked g, g. In this arrangement the products of combustion
after circulating from the circumference to the centre of the oven are conveyed
to the flues g, g, thence into the vertical flues h, and so into the horizontal
flues i, and into the chimney k, as shewn in Figs. 1, 2, 3, and 4. The coal to
be converted into coke is dropped into the oven through the opening b, or it
may be cast in through the door a in the usual manner.
When the coal is ignited the gaseous products of combustion escape through
the orifices c and down the flues d into the flues c, e, and y, g, through which

page_text: they circulate before escaping up the flues h, and along the flues i to the
chimney k; by this means the floor and inner case of the coke oven are
heated by the ignited gases which usually escape into the air, and are
consequently wasted.
By thus utilizing the waste heat obtained by the ignited gases passing under
the floor and around the inner casing of the coke oven, we are enabled to
convert a given quantity of coal into coke in about half the time required in
the ordinary coke ovens ; we also obtain from ten to fifteen per cent. more coke,
and the coke produced is denser and of a better quality. By this arrangement
of flues the smoke is nearly altogether consumed.
Having thus stated the nature of our Invention and described the manner
of performing the same, we wish it to be understood that we do not limit
ourselves to the details given, as the shape of the coke oven may be oval
instead of circular, as shewn; the number of flues may be considerably varied
and the orifices c may be varied in number, position, and shape; but we claim
as of our Invention the improved arrangements of flues for heating the floors
and inner casings of coke ovens by means of the ignited gases escaping from the
coal during the process of coking, as herein-before shewn and described.
In witness whereof, we, the said John Robert Breckon and Robert
Dixon, have hereto set our hands and seals, this Thirteenth day of
June, One thousand eight hundred and sixty-five.
JOHN ROBERT BRECKON. (L.S.)
ROBERT DIXON.
(L.S.)