IMPROVEMENTS IN APPARATUS FOR CARBONIZING PEAT, WOOD, AND OTHER COMBUSTIBLE MATTERS
Year: 1857

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Louis Moreau, of Paris (France), Gentleman, for the
Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN APPARATUS FOR CARBONIZING PEAT, WOOD,
AND OTHER COMBUSTIBLE MATTERS."
Sealed the 26th February 1858, and dated the 4th September 1857.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by Louis Moreau at the Office of
the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on the 4th September
1857.
I, LOUIS MOREAU, of Paris (France), Gentleman, do hereby declare the
nature of the said Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN APPARATUS FOR CARBONIZING
PEAT, WOOD, AND OTHER COMBUSTIBLE MATTERS," to be as follows:-
The apparatus consists of a cylinder imbedded for a few inches with its
open bottom in the earth, so as to prevent any air entering from that part in
the cylinder; a loose double bottom is situated in the interior of the cylinder,
and kept at a little distance from the earth; on this bottom are thrown the
materials to be carbonized. All round the inner side of the cylinder, in a
concentric mode thereto and at a suitable distance therefrom, is a grating or
second cylinder of wirework; the space between is filled up with coke or
other material, leaving sufficient openings for the smoke to pass through
suitable pipes opening in the air, and passing through the lid of the cylinder,
descend vertically through the centre of this latter to beneath the loose bottom,
where they are turned at right angle, and extend horizontally and open in the

page_text: space left between the cylinder and the wirework. The peat, wood, coal,
lignite, or other combustible matters to be carbonized are thrown through
suitable doors in the lid on a small fire lighted previously in the interior of the
cylinder; the carbonizing is regulated by the said doors and the dampers with
which the above-mentioned pipes are furnished, and through which pipes the
smoke or gases either escape in the open air or are conducted through suitable
condensers or purifiers. The carbonizing being complete, the cylinder and its
contents are left to cool, after which the entire cylinder is lifted up and
removed from the carbonized materials,
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent, filed
by the said Louis Moreau in the Great Seal Patent Office on the
4th March 1858.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, LOUIS
MOREAU, of Paris, France, Gentleman, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her Letters
Patent, bearing date the Fourth day of September; in the year of our Lord
One thousand eight hundred and fifty-seven, in the twenty-first year of Her
reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant unto me, the
said Louis Moreau, Her special licence, that I, the said Louis Moreau, my
executors, administrators, and assigns, or such others as I, the said Louis
Moreau, my 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 APPARATUS FOR
CARBONIZING PEAT, WOOD, AND OTHER COMBUSTIBLE MATTERS," upon the condition
(amongst others) that I, the said Louis Moreau, my executors or adminis-
trators, by an instrument in writing under my, or their, or one of 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 I, the said Louis Moreau, do hereby declare the
nature of my said Invention, and in what manner the same is to be performed,
to be particularly described and ascertained in and by the following state-
ment

page_text: This Invention relates to certain apparatus for carbonizing peat, wood,
lignite, anthracite, or bituminous coals, and other combustible matters, the
object aimed at being principally to obtain a perfect carbonization with the
smallest possible amount of expense and trouble, and for materials which
easily fall to pieces or reduce to powder, such, for instance, as is the case
with peat, to effect their carbonizing with the least possible pulverizing or
crushing, these pulverized or smaller pieces generally being very detrimental
to the manufacturer.
In the annexed Drawings, Fig. 1 represents a perspective elevation
view of my carbonizing apparatus, of which Fig. 2 is a top view, whereas
the Figures 3, 4, 5, 6, and 7, show various detached parts thereof, cor-
responding parts being indicated by the same letters of reference in the
various Figures. The apparatus consists of a strong cylinder A of wrought
iron, or any other suitable metal or material, which cylinder is open
at the bottom, whereas the top is provided with a cover B, solidly fixed
thereto and furnished with apertures C and D, the use of which will be
explained hereafter; this cylinder consequently forms a sort of bell or cover
for the materials to be introduced in the interior of it. The rim E or lower
periphery of this cylinder or bell A fits in a groove or hollow circle made in
the ground on which the carbonizing is to take place, or in the brickwork G
constructed for that purpose, in such manner that after the bell A is let down
in this circular groove the atmospheric air on the outside of the apparatus may
be prevented from passing through the rim E, and the groove, by having this
latter filled up with sand, fire-clay, or any other suitable material. It will be
understood that instead of giving to the bell A a circular form, the same may
be made square, or have any other suitable form, though I prefer the
cylindrical form; and I also prefer to have the top B somewhat bulged or
convex. In the centre of this top B are four apertures C, through each of
which passes a tube F, forming chimney, the top of each of these chimneys
being turned towards the axial line of the cylinder A, so as to cause the
smoke, gases, or flames issuing from them to unite in one column; each of
these tubes (shown separately in Fig. 6) is provided with a damper g for
regulating the draft, and descends in the interior of the bell A to a small
distance from the bottom, where this end is turned at right angles, and has its
aperture close to the interior surface of the bell A. I prefer having these
tubes F formed of three or more pieces gliding one into the other, in order to
allow of easily putting them together or to disconnect them; it is good that
the lower end of the tube should be bevelled. The top of the bell A has also
four apertures D, each of which is provided with a lid by which the same may

page_text: be closed sufficiently air-tight. Each lid has two openings d, under which a
plate e is caused to glide by means of a handle m, so as to allow of more or less
gas to escape from the interior of the bell, or air to enter from the exterior..
In the interior of the bell A, in a concentric position with it, is situated a
cylinder K of wire gauze or wire network, shown separately in Fig. 3,
whereas Fig. 4 shows a piece of this wire network in natural size. The space
left between the inner surface of the bell A and the outside of the cylinder K
is filled up with coke in pieces of the size of a wallnut, or any other bad
conductor of heat which may be sufficiently porous to take up part of the
vapours evolved during the carbonizing. The wire work cylinder K is placed
on a false bottom formed of four perforated plates L, provided at the under.
side with feet in order to keep them at such a distance from the ground or
masonry as to permit to the lower or bent end of the tubes F to be inserted
under this said false bottom. A tube M may be fitted with one end over the
upper end of the tubes or chimneys F, and have its other end fitted in a
circular opening N made to this effect in the lower part of the bell A so as to.
carry at any suitable moment the gases evolved by the carbonization into the
bell, whereas when this tube M is not inserted in the opening N; this latter is.
to be closed by a plug or any other suitable contrivance; this tube M may be
caused to communicate with a proper condensing apparatus for condensing
and receiving the condensable products arising from the carbonization. The
lower part of the bell A is provided with one or more openings O, furnished
with suitable doors for allowing the required quantity of atmospheric air to
enter in the interior of the bell; on the outside of the bell A the same is
provided with a suitable quantity of strong hooks P for lifting up the bell after
the carbonizing has taken place. The mode of acting of this apparatus will be
easily understood. The false bottom L, the network cylinder K, and the
lower end of the tubes F, are put in position on the masonry, after which the
bell A is put over the whole in the groove of the masonry, and the upper ends
of the tubes F inserted. The space left between the cylinder K and the
bell A is filled with coke or other suitable material, and a small fire is kindled
in the interior of the bell on the false bottom, the peat, coals, wood, lignite, or
other matters to be carbonized are introduced by the apertures D; this
quantity having sufficiently taken fire by the draught of air established by the
air entering through the openings O, a fresh quantity of the said materials are
thrown on those already burning in the bell A, and finally this latter filled
entirely, and the whole being fully in flame, the openings O are more or less
shut, according as will be found required; and the tube M is fixed on the top
of the chimneys F, and the gases thereby conducted to a condensing

page_text: apparatus; or the same may be conducted again in the lower part of the
bell A, as has been said above. The materials in the bell having thus been
fully carbonized, the entire apparatus is left to cool, after which the bell A,
the tubes F, and cylinder K, and the carbonized peat or other materials are
removed, and a fresh operation is commenced in the manner just explained.
Having thus described the nature of my Invention, and the manner of
carrying the same into practical effect, I wish it to be understood that I do
not restrain myself to any particular form or dimensions of the apparatus or
its various parts; but what I claim is, the peculiar arrangement of the
apparatus here above described.
In witness whereof, I, the said Louis Moreau, have hereunto set my
hand and seal, this Twenty-seventh day of February, One thousand
eight hundred and fifty-eight.
Witness,
J. SOUTH.
MOREAU. (L.S.)