IMPROVEMENTS IN KILNS USED FOR DRYING, BURNING, AND COOLING BRICKS, TILES, LIME, CEMENT, AND OTHER ARTICLES
Year: 1864

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PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by Thomas Russell Crampton at the
Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on the 16th
September 1864.
I, THOMAS RUSSELL CRAMPTON, of No. 12, Great George Street, West-
minster, do liereby declare the nature of the Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS
IN KILNS USED FOR DRYING, BURNING, AND COOLING BRICKS, TILES, LIME, CEMENT,
AND OTHER ARTICLES," to be as follows:-
This Invention has for its object improvements in kilns used for drying,
burning, and cooling bricks, tiles, lime, cement, and other articles. For these
purposes a-kilu is arranged as hereafter explained, so that bricks, -tiles, lime,
cement, or, other articles placed therein in a green or partially dried state are
progressively dried, and are 'completely burned, and afterwards gradually
cooled without being moved from or in the kiln during these processes.. The
radiated heat from the exterior surfaces of the kilns is taken up by:a:current
of air passing over them, which is allowed to pass amongst the green .bricks
or other articles;. and in the event of this air being too cold, it may be
warmed by the admission of hot air from any source; or air may be admitted
direct from the outer atmosphere amongst the green bricks or other articles
which are being dried. For creating a draught for the drying process, it is
preferred to use a chimney separate from the chimney employed for the
burning process, and by preference these chimneys are built one within the
other; the burning chimney may be used for the drying process if desired; or
other means of obtaining the requisite draft for each process may be employed.
In the course of the burning, the surplus heat passing off with the products of
combustion from the burning process, passes amongst dry bricks, lime, or other
articles, and the combustion of the fuel in the burning process is effected by:

page_text: the air which has been heated by passing between and cooling the already
burned bricks, lime, or other articles, or air from the outer atmosphere may
be introduced into the compartment where the burning is being carried on, in
order wholly or in part to supply the requisite air for supporting combustion
of the fuel in the compartment where the burning is being performed. The
kiln is by preference made of an annular or continuous form, covered or
arched over at the top with an air space; this air space also extends over
parts of the side walls or other parts of the kiln. The kiln is arranged to be
divided into several parts or divisions, say sixteen, by stops or partitions, and
each of the several parts or divisions of the kiln is capable of communicating
freely with each of the two chimneys, and of being shut off therefrom. Valves
or dampers are also placed at convenient points to allow the external
atmosphere to enter the air space between the outer walls of the kiln, and
other valves connect the interior of the air space with each division of the
'kiln. Near the bottom of the kiln, or at such height above the bottom as
may be desired, and at convenient distances apart, holes with moveable covers
are made through the outer walls, through which fuel is introduced, by
preference by a hollow shovel or tool, sufficiently long to pass nearly to the
other side of the kiln, which long shovels or tools, when introduced and
turned over, deposit the fuel on or near, the bottom or amongst the bricks or
articles stacked thereon. To each division of the kiln there is a doorway or
opening, which is used for introducing the green or partly dried bricks, or
lime, or other articles, and for taking out the burnt articles; this doorway or
opening, when opened, also admits air, when desired, for the purpose of
cooling the division of the kiln and the burned charge therein. When hot
air is obtained by cooling bricks or other articles in one part or division of
the kiln, as before stated, it is used for supporting the combustion in other
divisions, and it passes either directly from one division of the kiln to the
next, where, burning with fuel is being carried on, or by a partition it is
deflected downwards or upwards, and passes through apertures in the bottom
or the top of the kiln into the division next that where the burning process is
being performed by the introduction of fuel, and into which the products
from the fuel pass, where the heated air mixing with such products, the whole
become ignited, and the. burning of the charge in this division of the kiln is
commenced previous to any fuel being introduced, whilst the division where
fuel is introduced may be supplied with air from an air space or direct from
the outer atmosphere; and such.is also the case in respect to the introduction
of air into the division next that in which fuel is being used when heated air
is or is not obtained from the cooling down of burned bricks.

page_text: - ··On, starting to work with 'akiln, the order in which the several .divisions
fare brought into regular work.may be varied, but the following method will
be found convenient: Supposing all the stops; or partitions which divide or
separate the several divisions one from the other to be closed, and all the
valves to the chimneys and: air 'space to lie closed, whilst all the doorways are
open, dry bricks or other articles ready for burning are to be placed in all the
divisions but one or two. Fhe doors of all the charged divisions are to be
closed: The whole. of the stops or partitions are to be opened except the one
which comes between the charged compartment which is to be burnt last and
one of the empty.compartments: The valve leading to the burning. chimney
is to be opened to that: charged division which is next the closed stop, and
which is last to. be, burned...The burning of the bricks or articles may be
commenced by introducing ignited and unignited fuel into the charged division
next the empty division or divisions, so that combustion will be supported by
air passing from the empty divisions into and. amongst the charge and fuel- of
the division.where the process of burning is commenced. The products of
combustion will pass from the division where burning is being performed into
and amongst all the charges contained in the other divisions of the kiln, and
when such products come to the stop or partition next the empty or uncharged
division or divisions they will pass off to the burning chimney; and this will
continue till the charge, in the oue división has been completely burned.. The
charge in the next division of the kiln is now to have fuel supplied thereto.till
its charge, has been completely-burned, during which time the products of
combustion will pass, therefrom, as before described, to the burning chimney,
but the air for supporting combustion of the fuel. in this division may be
heated air coming from amongst the previously burned bricks, by reason of the.
air passing from the empty division becoming heated. in. passing amongst the
previously burned bricks; and in this manner are charges in the succeeding
divisions to be burned till the first burned charge has become cool enough to
be removed from the division containing the burned charge. The cooled
charge may be removed, and the division of the kiln next the stop may be
charged with bricks. or other articles which require to be dried; the doorway
is to be. closed, the stop between this division and the empty. division is to be
closed, and the valves leading to the drying chimney, and air is to be freely
admitted from the air space or from the open air, or from both. The whole
of the processes, viz., drying, burning, and cooling, will be now at work at the
same time, and as the charges in the succeeding divisions are finished
burning, and the cooled burned charges are removed, the divisions will in
succession be charged with bricks or articles required to be dried. These

page_text: charges, when sufficiently dried, will in succession have the products of com-
bustion coming from the division where the burning is being performed
passed amongst them by opening the stops and arranging the valves as
required, and in this manner will the several divisions of the kiln be worked.
In some of the divisions of a kiln there will be bricks or other articles which
are being dried, in other divisions the charge will be subjected to the process
of burning, whilst the products of combustion therefrom will be passing
amongst the charges in other of the divisions at the same time; in other
divisions, the charges having been burned, will be in the act of cooling, and
the workman will arrange and regulate the number of divisions for the time
being occupied by the respective processes, according to requirements,
occupying more or less of the divisions for the drying process and for the
other processes, according to the state of dryness of the materials and circum-
stances. In this description the hot air derived from cooling bricks which
have been burned passes horizontally direct through from one division to the
next of the kiln; .but when the hot air derived from the cooling process is
required to pass through the, fuel, a proper stop or partition is placed in such
a position as to divert the heated air, so that it may pass through and amongst
the ignited fuel. The heated air also may be made to pass in any desired
direction, through the kiln and amongst the fuel in the annular kilns by
arranging the stacking of the green bricks or articles, so that where the air is
not required to pass they would be packed close, and where the fuel is required to
be deposited through holes from the side, fire-bricks would be placed across the
kiln to receive it, having suitable interstices between for the admission of the
hot air. The general process can be carried out to a certain extent by a
straight or curved line of kilns, the ends having no connection, but it would
not be so economical. If desired, kilns may be made with sufficient divisions
to admit of the series of processes being carried on in more than one set. In
some cases the burned bricks are allowed to cool without permitting streams
of air, to pass amongst them during the whole or part of the cooling process,
in which cases the air is more or less excluded from such divisions, and the
supply of air to the divisions where the burning is being carried on is from the
air space or from the outer atmosphere, or both.
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