IMPROVEMENTS IN THE MANUFACTURE OF ILLUMINATING Gas
Year: 1871

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Alfred Henry Still and Denny Lane, both of the
City of Cork, Ireland, for the Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN THE
MANUFACTURE OF ILLUMINATING Gas.”
Sealed the 22nd March 1872, and dated the 6th October 1871.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Alfred Henry Still
and Denny Lane at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents,
with their Petition, on the 6th October 1871.
We, ALFRED HENRY STILL and Denny Lane, both of the City of
Cork, Ireland, do hereby declare the nature of the said Invention for
"IMPROVEMENTS IN THE MANUFACTURE OF ILLUMINATING GAS," to be as
follows:-
The objects of this Invention are to reconvert ordinary breeze produced
during the process of gas manufacture into coke; to raise the illuminating
power of coal gas to a high standard by the peculiar and economical
process of mixing and carbonizing coal tar in the retorts usually
employed in-gas works as herein-after described; and to improve the

page_text: The
value of coke resulting from the carbonizing of cannel and cannel nuts,
by making said coko more coherent and moro valuable as fuel.
breeze and cannel nuts, when desired to be employed in this manufacture,
should be screened or pulverised, and when so prepared the breczo and
coal are heated on the retort benches or otherwise to a temperature of t
not less than 80° Fahrenheit. The temperature of the tar is raised to
not more than about 200° Fahrenheit. This can be most conveniently
done in a vessell consisting of a strong iron cylinder, through the sides of
which pass the ends of a coil of pipe placed within the vessel and heated
by steam. If, as in most cases, it is desirable to lift the heated tar to:
any height, it will be sufficient to provide a pipe opening near the bottom
of the heating vessell. When the vessell is sufficiently heated the
pressure of the vapours produced by the more volatile portions of the
tar acting on the surface of the tar will be sufficient to raise the heated
tar through last-mentioned pipe to a considerable height, dependent
upon the heat of the vessell and the clastic force of the vapour.
tar, breeze, and coal thus treated are to be mixed together, with or
without a small portion, say one-tenth, of coal dust when cannel is not
used, and manipulated in a machine similar to a small pug mill, until
the hot breeze, and coal, or cannel will have absorbed the proportion of
60 to 150 gallons of the hot tar to one ton of the heated breeze or coal
and breeze.
The
The compound after having been passed through and removed
from the mixing machine is improved by being allowed to rest
heaped up for 2 or 3 days under cover; it may then be fairly and
sufficiently mixed by being thrown over the ordinary coal on the retort
house floor, to be carbonised with the coal at the rate of one part
mixture to five parts coal, more or less, as the illuminating power of the
gas may be required to be higher or lower. Each retort should receive
its proportion of the mixture.
We find in practice that the process described in this Specification
diminishes the quantity of cannel required, or precludes the necessity
for using it at all, to raise the illuminating power of the gas to be supplied
to the public so as to meet the required standards.

page_text: SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent,
filed by the said Alfred Henry Still and Denny Lane in the Great
Scal Patent Office on the 5th April 1872.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, wc, ALFRED
HENRY STILL and DENNY LANE, both of the Oity of Cork, Ireland, send
greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her
Letters Patent, bearing date the Sixth day of October, in the
year of our Lord. One thousand eight hundred and seventy-one, in tho
thirty-fifth year of Her reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors,
give and grant unto us, the said Alfred Henry Still and Denny Lane,
Her special license that we, the said Alfred Henry Still and Denny
Lane, our executors, administrators, and assigns, or such others as
we, the said Alfred Henry Still and Denny Lane, our exccutors,
administrators, and assigns, should at any time agree with, and no others,
from time to time and at all times thoreafter during the term therein
expressed, should and lawfully might make, use, exercise, and vond,
within the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland, the Channel
Islands, and Isle of Man, an Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN THE
MANUFACTURE OF ILLUMINATING GAS," upon the condition (amongst others)
that we, the said Alfred Henry Still and Denny Lane, our executors or
administrators, by an instrument in writing under our or their hands and
seals, or under the hand and seal of one of us or them, 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 Denny Lane, on behalf of myself
and the said Alfred Henry Still, do hereby declare the nature of the said
Invention, and in what manner the same is to be performed, to be
particularly described and ascertained in and by the following statement
thereof, that is to say :—
The objects of this Invention are to reconvert ordinary breeze produced
during the process of gas manufacture into coke, and to raise the
illuminating power of coal gas to a high standard. For this purpose we

page_text: employ the peculiar and economical process of mixing breeze when in a
heated stato with gas tar, and carbonizing the mixture in the retorts
usually employed in gas works as hercin-after described. The breezo
should be screened or pulverized, and when so prepared the breeze is heated
on the retort benches or otherwise to a temperature of not less than 5
80° Fahrenheit. The temperature of the tar is raised to, not more than
about 200° Fahrenheit. This can be most conveniently done in a vessel
consisting of a strong iron cylinder, through the sides of which pass the
ends of a coil of pipe placed within the vessel and heated by steam. If,
as in most cases, it is desirable to lift the heated tar to any height, it 1
will be sufficient to provide a pipe opening near the bottom of the
heating vessel. When the vessel is sufficiently heated the pressure of
the vapours produced by the more volatile portions of the tar acting on
the surface of the tar will be sufficient to raise the heated tar through
the last-mentioned pipe to a considerable height, dependent upon the 1
heat of the vessel and the clastic force of the vapour. The tar and
breeze thus heated are to be mixed together, with or without a
small proportion, say one-tenth, of coal dust, and manipulated in a
machine similar to a small pug mill, until the hot breeze will have
absorbed the proportion of 60 to 150 gallons of the hot tar to one ton of 20
the heated breeze or coal and breeze.
The compound after having been passed through and removed from the
mixing machine is improved by being allowed to rest heaped up for two
or three days under cover. It may then be fairly and sufficiently mixed
by being thrown over the ordinary coal on the retort house floor, to be 21
carbonized with the coal at the rate of one part mixture to five parts
coal, more or less, as the illuminating power of the gas may be required
to be higher or lower. Each retort should receive its proportion of the
mixture.

page_text: We find in practice that the process described in this Specification
diminishes the quantity of cannel required, or precludes the necessity
for using it at all, to raise the illuminating power of the gas to be
supplied to the public, so as to meet the required standards; but if
cannel or cannel nuts be employed we add it to the breeze before the
addition of the tar. The use of cannel or cannel nuts in this manner
will not interfere with the production of good coherent cokc.
What we claim is, the use as herein-described in the manufacture of
illuminating gas of a mixture of breeze with coal tar or creosote
prepared in the manner herein-described.
In witness whereof; I, the said Denny Lane, have hereunto set
my hand and seal, this Third day of April in the year of our
Lord One thousand eight hundred and seventy-two.
DENNY LANE. (L.S.)