IMPROVEMENTS IN THE METHOD OF AND APPARATUS FOR CARBONISING ORGANIC MATTERS AND FOR TREATING NIGHT SOIL TO OBTAIN USEFUL PRODUCTS THEREFROM, SUCH IMPROVEMENTS BEING PARTLY APPLICABLE TO OTHER PURPOSES
Year: 1875

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to James Robey, of the City of Manchester, Sugar
Refiner, for the Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN THE METHOD OF AND
APPARATUS FOR CARBONISING ORGANIC MATTERS AND FOR TREATING NIGHT
SOIL TO OBTAIN USEFUL PRODUCTS THEREFROM, SUCH IMPROVEMENTS BEING
PARTLY APPLICABLE TO OTHER PURPOSES."
Sealed the 18th Febuary 1876, and dated the 20th August 1875.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said James Robey at the
Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on the
20th August 1875.
I, JAMES ROBEY, of the City of Manchester, Sugar Refiner, do hereby
declare the nature of the said Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN THE
METHOD OF AND APPARATUS FOR CARBONISING ORGANIC MATTERS AND FOR
TREATING NIGHT SOIL TO OBTAIN USEFUL PRODUCTS THEREFROM, SUCH, IMPROVE-
MENTS BEING PARTLY APPLICABLE TO OTHER PURPOSES," to be as follows:-
-
2.
The first part of my Invention consists in employing superheated
steam instead of the heat from a furnace for charring or carbonising.

page_text: and also for drying organic, earthy, or other substances, whilst being
carried in close revolving cylinders, and for cooling such carbonised
substances ready to be delivered into the open air. I afterwards
introduce common steam to such revolving cylinders. I. further
employ common steam for the same cooling- purposes when the car-
bonized material is "produced in revolving cylinders heated in the
ordinary manner, or when it is charred in the form of bricks or other
suitable form in stationary close vessels, such as the ordinary kilns,
whether heated in the ordinary way or by superheated steam in
accordance with this Invention...
Secondly. This Invention consists in evaporating. night soil, or the
liquid portion of night soil, in vacuo, and whereby the waste heat from
the afore-mentioned charring or drying apparatus will be found sufficient
for the purpose; or I employ the heat obtained in any of the ordinary
ways.
In carrying out my Invention-I prefer to use cast-iron cylinders
having the usual internal volutes for causing the material to travel
forwards as the cylinders revolve; and between the volutes I line with
fire-tiles or other heat non-conducting material, and thus I not only
protect the cylinders but prevent radiation of heat.
The organic, earthy, or other substances are received through a
hopper, and conducted and delivered continuously by means of the
volutes, and whilst thus passing through the cylinder are acted upon
and carbonized (or dried only if necessary) by the admittance of super-
heated steam at the centre of one end of the apparatus preferably, and
which superheated steam makes its exit at the centre of the opposite
end of the cylinder. In this case I cool the continually delivered hot
charred substances by passing them through any of the ordinary coolers,
preferably stationary ones.
The superheated steam used may be made in any of the methods well
understood.
<-
When it is considered necessary for the purpose of thoroughly
exhausting. the heat of the superheated steam I use two or more
cylinders joined end to end and revolving on friction rollers.
Another form of my improved apparatus consists of a cylinder of
any convenient size, made by preference of wrought iron for liglitness.

page_text: The whole of this cylinder is internally lined with segments of circles
of burnt fire-clay or other heat non-conducting substances for the
purpose of protecting the metal and for preventing radiation of heat.
In this way second hand or disused shells of circular steam boilers may
be used. This cylinder is charged and delivered through a door at
either end in the same manner as gas retorts are used. Into the centre
of one end of this cylinder, after half or less than half filling it with
the substances to be carbonized or dried I convey superheated steam,
and then cause the cylinder to revolve until the substances are
sufficiently carbonized or dried. After having accomplished. this I
shut off the superheated steam and admit common steam, causing the
cylinder to revolve rapidly, and thus cool down the charred or dried
substances from a red or less heat to the heat of the common steam,
or intermediately, but in all cases sufficiently so as to be able to deliver
the same into the open air without danger of ignition by oxygen of
the air. Or the heat may be applied to this description of charring
apparatus by a furnace on the outside, in which case the fire-clay lining
would be dispensed with, but the cooling could be effected, as herein-
before described, by damping the furnace and then admitting common

page_text: heated steam from each or all of the afore-mentioned apparatus or other
-waste-heat, or ordinary method of heating.
For obtaining vacuum I use air pumps, injection water in condensers,
or any of the usual methods.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent,
filed by the said James Robey in the Great Seal Patent Office
on the 19th February 1876.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, JAMES
ROBEY, of the City of Manchester, Sugar Refiner, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her
Letters Patent, bearing date the Twentieth day of August, in the year
of our Lord One thousand eight. hundred and seventy-five, in the
thirty-ninth year of Her reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and suc-.
cessors, give and grant unto me, the said James Robey, Her special
licence that I, the said James Robey, my executors, administrators,
and assigns, or such others as I, the said James Robey, 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 THE METHOD OF AND APPARATUS FOR CARBONISING ORGANIC MATTERS AND FOR
TREATING NIGHT SOIL TO OBTAIN USEFUL PRODUCTS THEREFROM, SUCH IMPROVE-
MENTS BEING PARTLY APPLICABLE TO OTHER PURPOSES," upon the condition
(amongst others) that I, the said James Robey, my executors or
administrators, 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 James Robey, do hereby declare
the nature of my said Invention, and in what manner the same is to

page_text: admitted through the pipe G, or any of the ordinary coolers, preferably
stationary ones may be employed.
The necessary steam may be produced in the boiler I, and thence passed
through the coil of pipes J situated in the furnance K, and thus super-
heated to the desired extent before entering the carbonising cylinder A
through the pipe F, or any of the well known methods of superheating
steam may be substituted.
When it is considered necessary for the purpose of thoroughly
exhausting the heat of the superheated steam I use two or more car-
bonising cylinders joined end to end and revolving on friction rollers,
or a series of such cylinders may be arranged one above another, in
which case the top one would be for drying purposes, the next lower
one for carbonising, and the lowest ones for cooling purposes.
Another form of my improved apparatus consists of a cylinder of any
convenient size, made by preference of wrought iron for lightness. The
whole of this cylinder is internally lined with segments of circles of
burnt fire-clay or other heat non-conducting substance for the purpose of
protecting the metal and for preventing the radiation of heat. In this
way second hand or disused shells of steam boilers may be used. This
cylinder is always charged and delivered through a door at either end
Into the centre of one
in the same manner as gas retorts are used.
end of this cylinder, after half or less than half filling it with the
substance to be carbonised or dried, I convey superheated steam, and
then cause the cylinder to revolve until the substances are sufficiently
carbonised or dried. After having accomplished this I shut of the
superheated steam and admit common steam, causing the cylinder to
revolve rapidly, and thus cool down the charred or dried substances
from a red or less heat to the heat of the common steam, or inter-
mediately, but in all cases sufficiently so as to be able to deliver the
same into the open air without danger of oxygen by the oxygen of the air.
Or the heat may be applied to this description of charring apparatus by
a furnace on the outside, in which case the fire-clay lining would be
dispensed with, but the cooling could be effected, as therein-before
described, by damping the furnance and then admitting common steam.
In Figs. 2 and 3 of the accompanying Drawing are represented a
plan and side view of a double drying or carbonising apparatus con-
structed in accordance with my Invention, _

page_text: A, A, are a pair of wrought-iron cylinders (preferably of boiler plate
riveted together and lined with fire-tiles or fire-bricks) mounted upon
friction rollers B. The material to be carbonised or dried finds access
to and egress from the apparatus through the man-holes C, and each
cylinder is in communication with the furnace D at one end through
the flue pipe D' and with the chimney E at the other end through the
flue pipe E, dampers F being provided to control the draught or to
shut off the communication with either or both cylinders as desired.
The furnace D and ash-pit are fitted with air-tight doors in order to
shut off all access of air when required. I charge these cylinders from
the wagon G running upon rails when the man-hole C is at or near
the top, and I discharge the contents into the lower wagon H when
such man-hole is at the bottom, in which position I assist the discharge
of the material by means of hoes or scrapers worked through openings
at each end of the cylinders. It will thus be noticed that I pass the
flame and heated products of combustion from the furnace directly
through the cylinders, and that owing to the material (to be dried or
carbonised) always being in the lower part of the cylinders it is constantly
surrounded by heavy carbonic acid gases, and is therefore not acted
upon by any oxygen which may happen to enter with the flames, the
lighter gases on the other hand rising constantly to the upper part of
such cylinder and heating the same as it slowly passes down under the
material lying upon it and requiring to be dried or carbonised. In this
case I cool the dried or carbonised material by closing the dampers
communicating with the furnace and chimney and then admitting
common steam to the cylinder through the pipe I previous to opening
the man-hole door to discharge the contents; or if a continuous
process of drying or carbonising is required I form a raised rib at such
an angle upon the inside of the fire-clay lining of such cylinders as to
act like a spiral, and thus as the cylinders revolve I move the material
continuously forward from one end of the cylinder, where it is admitted
through a hopper to the other end where it is continuously discharged
into a stationary or revolving cooler; or iron spiral ledges may be
formed upon the inside of the cylinder for the same purpose.
In order to test the degree of dryness or carbonisation of the material
from time to time I employ a grooved piece of metal (similar to a cheese
taster) with a handle let into the cylinder in such a way as to be readily
removed, and by means of which I can periodically withdraw a portion
of the material for examination.
.

page_text: 3rd. Carbonising organic material by heat generated in a separate
furnace and applied direct to such organic material, and cooling the
same by the introduction of common steam, together with the general
construction and arrangement of apparatus for the purpose, as herein-
before described and illustrated on the accompanying Drawing.
In witness whereof, I, the said James Robey, have hereunto
set my hand and seal, this 18th day of February, in the year
of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and seventy-six.