Improvements in Coke-ovens.
Year: 1892

page_text: Date of Application, 16th Nov., 1892-Accepted, 8th Apr., 1893
T
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Coke-ovens.
I, Dr. THEODOR BAUER of 48 York-strasse Berlin in the Empire of Germany
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 horizontal coke-ovens characterized by a peculiar
arrangement of the gas, air, and smoke-channels provided in their side walls and
by an air-heater of peculiar construction arranged in the foundation and adapted
for the reception and discharge of waste gas.
'
Above the ends of the furnace and all along the series of furnaces, i.e. on both
sides of such series, are arranged channels communicating both with the furnace
chambers and the combustion chambers by means of inlets and outlets controlled
by adjustable dampers, whereby the quantity of gas-current may be controlled and
the operation may be carried on either by the gases direct or by condensation,
when the openings admitting to the combustion chambers are closed.
In the accompanying drawings
Fig. 1 is a vertical section of furnace chambers, partitions and air-heaters.
Fig. 1 is a horizontal section on line 66 of Figs. 1 and 2 showing escape
passages for hot air from air-heater.
Fig. 2 is a vertical section on line A. of Figure 1.
Fig. 2 is a horizontal section on line d d of Figures 1 and 2.
Fig. 3 is a vertical section on line B of Figure 1.
Fig. 4 is a vertical section on line C of Figure 1.
Fig. 5 is a vertical section on line D of Figure 2.
Fig. 6 is a horizontal section, on line ff of Figures 3 and 4 through the air
heaters.
Fig. 7 is a horizontal section on line gg of Figures 3 and 4 showing the chanuels
for the admission of the waste gases into the air heaters, and
Fig. 8 is a horizontal section on line e e of Figures 3 and 4.
In the accompanying drawings the improved coke-furnaces are represented in a
number of sections which in conjunction with the following description will enable
the construction of the furnaces themselves and the method of directing the gas and
air to be understood..
A. CONVEYANCE OF HEAT AND AIR.
By means of fans or blasts and suitable tubing atmospheric air is admitted under
pressure into the channel a a (Figs. 1 and 2) hence through the openings ŕ it passes
into the air-heaters below. These air-heaters consist of a number of separate
ribbed fireproof stones extending from one wall of the foundation to the other and
penetrating into such walls a distance of say 15 of a metre. By such an arrange-
ment end to end or side joints may be entirely dispensed with and it becomes
possible to prepare stones for the purpose in the shape of thin slabs, whereby the
absorption and restoration of the heat are facilitated, while at the same time the
stones are rendered more capable of receiving both gas and air without injury to
the power of resistance of the air-heater. The air after arriving in a cool condition
below (at the base of the foundation) is displaced by the ribs of the stones. and by
them guided or directed upwards in a coil-shaped current which passes through the
openings in an intensely heated state into the channel b b, and thence (in each:
half of the furnace) through six (or more according to the length of the furnace):
air channels into the main channel e e.
>>

page_text: This channel leads to the point of contact and is provided with a dampers for
the control of the admission of hot air.
Thus the air does not enter through the exterior sides of the furnace and the
whole of the air-channels are protected against unintentional admission of air by
their position within the apparatus care being taken so to arrange them that there
may be no facility for them to draw air from any other than the normal supply.
The heads of the side walls of the furnace are protected by means of sheet-
metal arches which are filled up with small pieces of porous fire-proof clay.
The quantity and pressure of the air will depend on the quality of the coal
employed.
It is at all events important that the quantity of air should be readily control-
lable, so that the enormous excess of air which has hitherto proved so objectionable
may be avoided and thereby a better operation of the furnace or furnaces and
greater economy in the erection of condensation plants secured, since by the present
invention their task is materially simplified as will be seen from the remaining part
of this description.
B. CONVEYANCE AND HEATING OF GAS.
The return gases as they proceed from the condenser also enter through blast-
pipes at cc (Fig. 2) and through four or more channels k (according to the length
of the furnace) they rise up to the point of contact, i.e. to the collecting channel,
where they meet the heated combustion air.
Ate e commences the circulation of the products of combustion (as shown in
Fig. 3). These descend into the front portion of the hearth or sole then rise, and
then again descend in the direction indicated by the arrows, when at last they
enter the air-heater and thence through the discharge-channels escape into the
chimney.
Thus the air-heating slabs by means of the spaces formed by their ribs cause
the air to rise on one side and the combustion gases to descend on the other side.
From the section (Fig. 1) of the furnace, it will further be seen in what manner
the air and gas are conducted through the apparatus by means of two combustion-
chambers and one intermediate air-conducting space provided between each pair of
adjacent furnaces. Furthermore by the uniform arrangement of the smoke-
conducting channels and the centrally situated air-admission chamber, including
the air and gas-pipes, the whole structure of the furnace-walls is considerably
simplified and a small number of stones will be sufficient, these stones containing
the necessary channels, while, as before stated, side-joints between the air and
gas-channels are avoided. The construction of the foundation enclosing the air-
heaters and the sides of the furnaces is therefore by far more simple and may be
completed much more rapidly than that of other furnaces, or than might be
supposed at first sight, judging from the extent of the circulation available.
Another important feature is the possibility of employing thinner walls, which will
none the less prove sufficiently strong and oppose a sufficient resistance to the
pressure from the force-machine.
The advantages arising from a reduction in the thickness of the walls, in regard
to the increased facilities of heating, the greater economy, and a more satisfactory
general operation of the furnace or furnaces, and also from the point of view of
the amount of useful gases obtainable, have been shown before by the comparative
tests of the Solvay furnaces and Otto's furnaces.
C. THE OPTIONAL CONNECTION OR DISCONNECTION OF CONDENSATION..
Two channels m m arranged one on each side of the series of furnaces, next to
the furnace-ends, are provided with inlet and outlet orifices controllable by means
of dampers. These orifices are situated at the ends leading to the condensation
apparatus, while the openings pg in the sole or hearth serve to establish a
connection between the furnace-chambers and the combustion chambers.

page_text: The outlets P from the crowns of the furnace-arches may be opened at will, and
the inlets g which connect the vertices of the arches with the air and gas-collecting
channels may be closed when required, and by this means the fresh gases may be
drawn in by these channels situated at the top transversely to the furnaces, so that
special valves or dampers on either side of each furnace may be dispensed with
altogether, as may also be the whole gas-tubing along either side of the series of
furnaces. When the condensation causes an interruption of more or less duration
in the operation of the furnaces, this does not necessitate (as it does in the case of
other furnaces) the provision of extensive duplicate apparatus, all that is necessary
is to cut off the connection with the condensation apparatus and to open the
damper admitting to the combustion-chambers or to the collecting-channels.
Hence it will result that the fresh gases may now directly pass away into the
adjacent collecting-channels, so that the operation of the furnaces may continue
undisturbed, a stoppage being entirely avoided.
By dividing the channel centrally or otherwise and by applying suction to
either end of it, one side of the series of furnaces may be operated with and the
other without condensation. This at the same time permits one half of the plant
of furnaces to be disconnected and left inoperative, where this should be required
for repairs or like purposes, while the uninterrupted operation of the other half,
either by condensation or by gas direct, may continue as before.
The dampers p and q of the channel are situated on a somewhat lower level than
its bottom so that they may be packed with fire-proof clay (strewn over them in
lumps or chips) to tighten the joint when required.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of the said
invention, and in what manner the same is to be performed, I declare that what I
claim is,―
1. A horizontal coke-oven characterized by the provision of an intermediate
chamber (Fig. 2) between each pair of combustion-chambers (Fig. 3) belonging to
two adjacent furnaces which space contains in its sides the channels or conduits
necessary for the preparatory heating of the gases and in its centre the end-ways
for the combustion air heated by the combustion-gases substantially as described
and illustrated in the accompanying drawings.
2. Iu coke ovens such as characterized in the first claim, the grate-shaped
structure of the space or chamber in which the gas and air meet for the purpose of
ensuring a uniform mixture of both on all sides substantially as described and
illustrated at d d and ee of the accompanying drawings.
3. In coke ovens such as characterized in the Claims 1 and 2, a device for
controlling the direction of the heated air on its way from the centre to the lateral
mixing chambers substantially as described and illustrated in Figure 2 of the
accompanying drawings.
4. In coke ovens as characterized by the first second and third claims the pro-
vision of two channels such as m m arranged along the series of furnaces above
the furnace-chambers and combustion-chambers and connected with these by
openings which may be closed or controlled at will for the purpose of enabling the
direct gases to be conducted from the furnace-chambers into the combustion-
chambers and also when the combustion chambers are closed the furnace chambers
to be connected with the condensation apparatus partitions being provided as
required in the channels so as to enable a series of furnaces to be operated partly
direct and partly by condensation or if necessary repairs to be performed in a
portion of the plant without interfering with the operation of the remaining part
substantially as described and illustrated in the accompanying drawings.
Dated this 16th day of November 1892.
W. P. THOMPSON & BOULT,
Agents for the Applicant.