IMPROVEMENTS IN THE MANU- FACTURE OF PEAT INTO FUEL AND CHARCOAL, AND IN APPARATUS AND APPLIANCES TO BE EMPLOYED FOR SUCH PURPOSES, BEING PARTLY ALSO APPLICABLE TO THE CARBONIZING OF WOOD
Year: 1874

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Wilhelm Radeke, of No. 28, Gracechurch Street,
and Samuel Richard Smyth, of 35, Gresham Street, both in the
City of London, for the Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN THE MANU-
FACTURE OF PEAT INTO FUEL AND CHARCOAL, AND IN APPARATUS AND
APPLIANCES TO BE EMPLOYED FOR SUCH PURPOSES, BEING PARTLY ALSO
APPLICABLE TO THE CARBONIZING OF WOOD."
Sealed the 16th October 1874, and dated the 18th April 1874.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Wilhelm Radeke and
Samuel Richard Smyth at the Office of the Commissioners of
Patents, with their Petition, on the 18th April 1874.
We, WILHELM RADEKE, of No. 28, Gracechurch St., and SAMUEL
RICHARD SMYTH, of 35, Gresham Street, both in the City of London,
do hereby declare the nature of the said Invention for " IMPROVEMENTS
IN THE MANUFACTURE OF PEAT INTO FUEL AND CHARCOAL, AND IN APPARATUS and
APPLIANCES TO BE EMPLOYED FOR SUCH PURPOSES, BEING PARTLY ALSO APPLICABLE
TO THE CARBONIZING OF WOOD," to be as follows:
Our Invention has for its object improvements in the methods,

page_text: machinery, and apparatus adapted and employed for the preparation of
solid fuel and charcoal from peat, and also of wood charcoal.
According to our Invention we employ a macerating and pulping
cone mill of description as follows:-On a strong iron frame is placed
vertically a cast-iron cone, which has fixed around it diagonally cast-
steel ribs, or it may be constructed entirely of cast steel or chilled cast
iron. This conc revolves in a mill or casing of like material, having also
diagonal ribs, which is bolted to the top of the frame, and the cone fits
therein in such manner that its lower or widest part just frees itself
from the sides of the mill. To the top of the mill is bolted a hopper, in
which revolve horizontally two pairs of steel or case hardened roller
cutters; they are fixed sufficiently apart, so that any material which
passes between them is first broken up roughly. Above the said hopper
is bolted another hopper of larger dimensions, into which the peat is fed.
A horizontal shaft is supported on the frame, and keyed to it is a mitre
driving wheel of about one-half the diameter of a second mitre wheel
which fits into it, and which is keyed to the vertical shaft, which passes
through the cone of the mill. The vertical shaft is supported in a gun-
metal step in a cross girder on the frame, and revolves in upright bushed
bearing, which on the top is fixed in a cross girder. The rollers in the
hopper are driven by riggers or pulleys driven by a belt from loose and
fast pulleys, fixed on the horizontal driving shaft under the mill, and
the whole apparatus may be driven by any suitable motive power.
The cone mill may be constructed of large or smaller dimensions,
according to the commandable or intended motive power for driving it.
To assist the action of pulping we sometimes lead a jet of steam or
running water into the hopper. When we employ two or more cone
mills at a time we sometimes prefer to drive them by the same horizontal
shaft, which we then continue from mill to mill, and which may be
coupled by clutch. This constitutes the macerating and pulping conc
mill, whereby the peat is reduced to a pulp; as such it falls into a hopper,
which is attached to a trough, wherein an archimedian screw or agitators
pass it to any desired place, and, by preference, according to our
Invention into a strong iron tank. Such tank may be of any suitable
shape and size, but by preference round with a strong bottom, and
having at its lower part a flange or bracket cast or bolted around it, and
should furthermore be suitably sunk in brick work. The said flange is
to carry a false bottom, which is further supported on iron pillars and

page_text: girders, and must altogether be sufficiently strong to carry at least two
thousand pounds per foot super. The said false bottom is an iron plate
or plates with conical holes, the smaller part thereof being on the upper
surface. On this plate is placed, first, a layer of under and over wove
metal wire of about 8 holes to the incli, and about 18 or 20 Birmingham
wire gauge; on this is placed horse-hair cloth, and thereon, in one or
more thicknesses, a layer of coarse hair felt, carefully covered over overy
part of the bottom, and on top of the coarse felt is placed fine hair felt,
also in one or more thicknesses. The peat is conveyed on top of the felt
by the aforesaid screw. By the action of a pump a vacuum is then
formed between the bottom and the false bottom of the tank, in which
manner the moisture is partly forced from the peat, which may bo
stirred about by rakes or circular traversing harrows worked by
machinery. The false bottom may in time choke or become clogged.
This is remedied either by sucking pure water through it when emptied
or by simply reversing the action of the pump, videlicet, forcing instead
of sucking the air. We prefer to arrange this by having two valves
attached to cach air pump cylinder.
The upper part of the iron tank is allowed to have two or one of its
plates hinged as doors of suitable size, and when the tank is of large
dimensions, large enough to run in trucks or trollies for the carrying
away of the partially dried peat.
When it is desired to force only a limited amount of moisture from
the peat by the aforesaid action of the pump we then either let the
residue evaporate spontaneously by the means set forth for such purpose
in the Provisional Specification of Radeke, No. 1032, A.D. 1874, or we
allow the peat to be dug or cut out in blocks from the said vacuum
tanks, whence such blocks are removed to a tank adjoining, and
similarly constructed, except as to the false bottom, which in this case
we prefer to be a plain cast-iron grating, unto which the peat blocks are
placed so as to allow the free passage of the atmospheric air, which may
be effected by a vacuum or be forced through as by the prior process to
effect its final drying; or to hasten this we sometimes also force through
the hot air generated from the hereafter described retort stacks. Such
tank may however be usefully constructed with a cover.
To charr the peat subsequently we proceed as follows:-We build a
retort stack, which has two side walls with an arch sprune therefrom

page_text: from skewbacks at a suitable angle; in this space a D shaped semi-
oval cast-iron retort of about 50 superficial fect is set in fire-bricks.
The retort is heated by a furnace underneath, which has a fire-bar grate
of sufficiently large surface to burn unpulped or surface peat, suitable
doors and a damper, soot and sight holes, also pulley weight and chains
as is well understood. The smoke is led into a horizontal fluc at the
top of the retort stack, and thence into a chimney shaft. Any number
of retorts may be fixed. Each retort has at the back and front one or
two doors, which are properly fitted unto the projecting flange with
fixed staples, into which fits a cross bar set up tightly with a tee licad
set screw, and luted with suitable cement. At the end of the retort a
pipe, which is fitted with a valve, branches off to the condenser. The
peat or wood is charged into such retort or retorts, and is carbonized by
first a slow and then gradually increasing fire, the valve being kept
closed to enable the pressure of the gases inside to act on the carbonizing
material, the pressure registring on an ordinary pressure gauge in front.
The valve is so regulated that the products evolved may be passed into
the condenser, which leads into a brickwork tank filled with running
cold water; or a gas generated shall be passed through a superheater
into an hydraulic and condenser, thence to the purifiers, and stored for
use in the usual way under gasometers, and it may, from these if desired,
be led into the furnace as fuel; but for some products we find it
desirable to pass them through a superheated coil or worm, or from the
retort and through the worm, thence to the condenser. The condensed
products are recovered in tanks at the low level of the condenser.
When the volatile matters are driven off we slacken the fire, close the
damper, and shut the valve of the pipe which leads to the condenser.
The carbonic acid gas then generated in the retort will immediately
lower and subsequently extinguish the heat; when this is perfectly
effected the doors may be unluted and the charge withdrawn into trollies
or trucks, which we run alongside on rails, and in which the carbon is
removed to the stacking shed. By this mode we produce a superior
charcoal.
This constitutes the system employed by us according to our Inven-
tion, and which in its useful entirety embodies as aforesaid, ―
First. The macerating and pulping of peat by the conc mill.
Second. The vacuum tanks with pumping mechanism to get rid of
the excess of moisture.

page_text: Third. The vacuum tanks to subsequently dry peat into a solid fuel.
Fourth. The retort stacks and other contrivances for charring peat or
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent,
filed by the said Wilhelm Radeke and Samuel Richard Smyth
in the Great Seal Patent Office on the 17th October 1874.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, we, WILHELM
RADEKE, of No. 28, Gracechurch Strect, and SAMUEL RICHARD
SMYTH, of No. 35, Gresham Street, both in the City of London, send
greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her
Letters Patent, bearing date the Eighteenth day of April, in the year
of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and seventy-four, in the thirty-
seventh year of Her reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give
and grant unto us, the said Wilhelm Radeke and Samuel Richard
Smyth, Her special licence that we, the said Wilhelm Radeke and
Samuel Richard Smyth, our executors, administrators, and assigns, or
such others as we, the said Wilhelm Radeke and Samuel Richard
Smyth, our 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 MANUFACTURE OF PEAT INTO FUEL AND CHARCOAL, AND
IN APPARATUS AND APPLIANCES TO BE EMPLOYED FOR SUCH PURPOSES, BEING PARTLY
ALSO APPLICABLE TO THE CARBONIZING OF WOOD," upon the condition (amongst
others) that we, the said Wilhelm Radeko and Samuel Richard Smyth,
our executors or administrators, by an instrument in writing under our,
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.

page_text: NOW KNOW YE, that I, the said Wilhelm Radeke, on behalf of
myself and the said Samuel Richard Smyth, 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, reference being had to the accompanying
Drawings, and to the figures and letters marked thereon, that is to
say:
The object of our Invention is to develope the profitable utilization
of peat bogs and mosses, by a general improvement of system and
machinery and apparatus requisite for such purpose.
According to our Invention we employ a macerating and pulping
cone mill, which we will now describe, and of which Figure 1 represents
a vertical section, and Figure 2, a side clevation. On a strong iron frame
A is placed vertically a cast-iron cone C, which has fixed around it
diagonally cast steel cut ribs, or the said cone may be constructed
entirely of cast steel or chilled cast iron. This conc revolves in a mill
or casting M of like material, having at the inside also diagonal ribs.
The said mill is bolted at D to the top of the frame A, and the cone C
fits therein in such manner that its lower or widest part just frees itself
from the sides of the mill M. To the top of the casing M is bolted a
hopper B in which revolve horizontally two pairs of roller cutters R, R¹.
These roller cutters are constructed of like material as the cone, and are
simply strong barrels with projecting knives or cutters firmly fixed
therein working in their revolutions between each other. The said
roller cutters are fixed sufficiently apart, so that any material passing
between them is first broken up roughly. A horizontal driving shaft S
is supported on the frame A, and keyed to it is a mitre driving wheel W
of about half the diameter of a second mitre wheel Z which fits into it,
and which is keyed to the vertical shaft H which passes through the
cone of the mill. The vertical shaft H is supported in a gun-metal step
in a cross girder on the frame A, and revolves in upright bushed bearing
which on top is fixed in a cross girder. The rollers R, R', in the
hopper B are driven by riggers or pulleys P driven by a belt T from
loose and fast pulleys P³, fixed on the horizontal driving shaft S under
the mill, and the whole apparatus may be driven by any suitable motive
power.

page_text: the hopper B is bolted another hopper of larger dimensions into which
the peat is fed, and a substantial timber structure may be erected at the
side of the mill unto which the peat may be fed, and thence by manual
labor into the upper hopper, or the peat may be conveyed by such means
or by elevators direct into the said hopper, whence it passes into the
hopper B between the roller cutters R, R', which first break it up
roughly and force it downwards into the mill where the revolving cono
reduces it to a pulp.
When the apparatus is intended to be driven by manual labor we
construct it of dimensions suitably adapted for such power with a fly
wheel arrangement at P³. To assist the action of pulping we sometimes
lead a jet of steam or water into the hopper, and when we employ two
or more mills at a time and drive the apparatus by steam, we prefer to
drive them by the same horizontal shaft which we then continue from
mill to mill, and which may be coupled by clutch. This constitutes the
macerating or pulping cone mill which reduces the peat to a pulp.
The pulp falls from the cone mills into a hopper whence it passes into a
trough at the side in which revolves an archimedian screw which passes
it to any desired place.
According to our Invention we pass the pulp then into a strong iron
tank which is placed within convenient distance of the cone mill. Figure 5
represents a side elevation of the said tank, and Figure 6, a partial section
through Figure 5. The iron tank may be of any suitable shape and size,
but by preference round with a strong bottom X. The tank is con-
structed of strong cast-iron plates cast in segment bolted together and
caulked with iron or other suitable cement. The bottom X is constructed
in like manner. About 2 feet from the bottom a flange or bracket S is
cast or bolted to the side plates. The tank is soundly sunk in brick-
work H set in a bed of clay or concrete L. We prefer to arrange this in
such manner that the ground line A³ is on a level with the ground into
which the tank has been sunk as stated. The said flange S which runs
round the entire inside of the tank is to carry a false bottom A, which is
further supported on strong iron pillars E and girders J, and must
altogether be sufficiently strong to carry at least 2000 pounds per
superficial foot. The said false bottom is an iron plate or plates which
are cast so as to rabbet into each other and have conical holes K, the
smaller parts thereof being arranged on the upper surface. On this
plate is placed, first, a layer of under and over woven metal wire of

page_text: about 8 holes to the inch and about 18 or 20 Birmingham wire
gange; on this is placed horse-hair cloth, and thereon, in one or more
thicknesses a layer of coarse hair felt carefully covered over every part
of the bottom, and on top of the coarse felt is placed fine hair felt, also
in one or more thicknesses.
The object of putting the finer hair felt on top is as will be readily
understood from the systematic upwards decrease of porosity of the
various materials to have on top a substance (which when the pulped
peat is charged unto it) presents the finer and naturally more equal
and greater number of pores to the wet peat, and which can consequently
more readily or uniformily take up the water of the peat; thus we
sometimes find it useful to intermix carefully by mechanical means, the
fine hair felt with similar elastic material, such as for example cotton,
wadding, or raw cotton, wool, or a cotton or canvass cloth may also be
placed over the upper layer of felt. The pulped peat is raised unto the
top of the felt by the aforesaid screw. A suction pipe connected with a
pump is fitted through one of the plates somewhat above the bottom X,
a vacuum by the action of a pump is then formed between the bottom
and false bottom of the tank in which manner part of the moisture is
forced from the peat which may be stirred about by rakes or circular
traversing harrows worked by machinery for which purpose a wheel
rack may be cast on the top flange of the tank.
The false bottom may in time choke or become clogged; this is
remedied either by sucking pure water through it when emptied or by
simply reversing the action of the pump, vidclicit, forcing instead of
sucking the air. We prefer to arrange this by having two valves
attached to each air pump cylinder.
The upper part of the tank is allowed to have two or one of its
segment plates hinged as doors D of suitable size, and when the tank is
of large dimensions large enough to run in trucks or trollies for the
carrying away of the partially dried peat.
When it is desired to force only a limited amount of moisture from
the peat, that is to say, so much as will at once part very readily by
applying in the aforesaid manner the action of a vacuum, we then allow
the peat to be dug or cut out in blocks from the said vacuum tank, and
sometimes we deposit them under sheds were they are allowed to dry
by spontaneous ovaporation. In such sheds there should be the most

page_text: free state of atmospheric ventilation, which may be aided by an arrange-
ment of hot flue pipes heated by a furnace (which are) to be laid up and
down over the bottom of the shed; thereover may be placed a wide iron
grating supported in the centre and at either side on low brick walls
erected over the bottom of the shed, and over which are secured rails;
trollics run on these which carry the peat on trays, as is well understood.
Or to dispense with the shed we remove the block of peat as they leave
the tank to a second vacuum tank adjoining and similarly constructed
except as to the false bottom, which we prefer to be a plain iron grating,
on which the peat blocks are placed so as to allow a free passage of the
atmospheric air, which may be effected by a vacuum or be forced
through as by the prior process.
We find it useful to construct the vacuum tanks with a cover, and to
hasten the drying of the peat we sometimes also force through, by fixing
an inlet pipe through the cover, the hot air generated from the hereafter
described retort stacks, thus forcing and exhausting air or air and water
at the same time.
.
A mode which we find useful for applying a cover is to construct of
like material as employed for the construction of the tanks a cap after
the well known style of gasometer covers, as universally employed at
gas works for the storing of gas, and to be also similarly supported or
balanced over pillars by chains and weights, the iron pillars to be sunk
in the ground round the tank. Such cover may in height be of equal
size as the sides of the tank, projecting above ground, or it may be con-
structed of a lesser height so as to find its base at A³, where a strong
bracket or flange is then to be bolted around the outside of the tank,
but the cover should in either case fit around the tank as closely as can
conveniently be arranged. When the peat has thus been brought to a
desirable state of dryness we proceed to charr it in single retorts by tho
process which we will now proceed to describe.
Figure 8 represents a cross section of the retort; Figure 9, a side
clevation of the front, and Figure 11, a side clevation of the back with the
condenser pipe leading to the condenser, Figure 12. We build a retort
stack which has two side walls W, with an arch A sprung therefrom from
skewbacks at a suitable angle, in this one D shaped, semi-oval, cast-iron
retort of about 50 superficial feet, and about 1 inch thick metal is set
in firebricks by any of the approved well known modes employed in tho

page_text: setting of retorts. The retort is heated by a furnace F, and which has a
fire-bar grate X of sufficiently large surface to burn unpulped or
surface peat, suitable doors and a damper, soot and sight holes, also
pulley, weight, and chains, as is well understood. The smoke is led into
a horizontal flue at the top of the retort stack, and thence into a
chimney shaft. The retort has at the back and front one or two doors
which are properly fitted unto the projecting flange with fixed staples,
into which fits a cross bar set up tightly in the usual manner, with a
tec head set screw, and is luted with suitable cement. At the end of
the retort a pipe P which is fitted with a valve V branches off to the
condenser tank, Figure 12.
Any number of retorts may be fixed each in its own stack and
separate furnace, and the peat (or it may be wood) is charged into such
retort, which is then closed, and the doors luted with suitable cement.
The material is carbonized by an at first slow and then gradually raised
fire, the valve V being kept closed to enable the pressure of the evolving
gases to act on the carbonizing material, which registers on an ordinary
pressure guage fitted in front. When this guage registers the assumed
degree (which experience will soon teach) of highest pressure abovo
which it may not be deemed absolutely safe to thus work the retort
the valve V is opened slightly, and when thus sufficient gas has passed
off the valve is closed again, to be reopened as before whenever the
pressure exceeds the assumed point. It should be made a matter of
special study to keep the evolving gases continually, that is to say, as
long as the charing lasts up to the highest possible degree of pressure.
The pipe P being branched off at the low level of the retort instead at
the upper part thereof has for its object to put an extra pressure on the
carbonizing material, for naturally the evolved gases will rise in tho
retort, and were the pipe P fitted at the upper part they would escape
very readily into the pipe, but being forced to find their only place for
egress at the bottom, which is contrary to their natural ascendancy, they
must condense the material with which they inevitably come into
contact when thus forced to descend. The pipe P may however be
branched off at the upper part of the retort, though not to like
advantage.
When we desire to produce a pure charcoal (carbon) the process is
carried on until all the "volatile" termed matters are driven off, but
sometimes we find it desirable to produce simply a green charcoal or

page_text: semi-char. In the latter case the object would be to retain as large a
per centage as possible of the heavier oils in the carbon, and for that
purpose we find it desirable not to let the heat inside the retort exceed
by much 400° F. We regulate this by a careful firing of the furnace,
and a pyrometer, such as manufactured by J. Bailey & Co., Salford,
fitted into the retort will be found useful. The valve V is during this
process regulated as afore stated, and a short experience will soon evince
how long a time and up to what stage the charing has to be continued,
which must depend entirely upon the quality of the fuel desired to be
produced.
When the charge is done, and either a pure or green charcoal pro-
duced, we slacken the fire, close the damper, subsequently rake the
fire out entirely, and shut thic valvo V. The carbonic acid gas then
generated in the retort will. immediately lower, and ultimately extinguish
the heat. When this is perfectly effected, so that the carbon may be
assumed to be proof against spontaneous ignition on exposure to the
atmosphere, the doors are unluted, and the charge is withdrawn into
trucks or trollies, which are run alongside on rails, and in which the
carbon is removed to the stacking shed..
In producing a green carbon the gases or volatile matters which are
passed into the pipe P are preferred not to be passed through the con-
denser tank, but as evolved they are simply led by a branch pipe under
a small gas holder adjoining, whence by the pressure so exercised by the
gas holder they are passed back through a pipe or pipes branching off
from the gasomoter to the furnace, where they are consumed as fuel,
their supply being regulated by a valve fitted to such pipe, which at the
end is fitted with a burner on the Bunsen principle.
In the production of a purpose carbon we prefer to recover the products
evolved, but they may likewise as afore stated be consumed as fuel. To
recover them the pipe P leading to the condenser S is passed into a
brickwork tank filled with running cold water, and at the low level of
the condenser they are recovered in tanks, or the products evolved
(volatile matters) may for the subsequent recovery or distillation of
by-products be passed from the retort through a superlicated coil or
worm set in the end of the furnace, and thence into and through
the condenser pipe and tank to be recovered at its low level in tanks
or pans, when in either case they may be deemed ready for such

page_text: subsequent chemical treatment, or destructive distillation, as may be
desired. This constitutes the system employed by us, according to our
Invention for the utilization of peat.
:
And having thus stated the nature of our Invention, and the manner
of performing the same, we wish it to be understood that we claim,-
First. The employment of the cone mill for pulping peat, constructed
substantially as in the manner described.
Second. The employment of the vacuum tanks for depriving the peat
of moisture, arranged substantially as in the manner described.
•
י.
5
Third. The mode of carbonizing peat in single retorts, the holding of 1
it therein under pressure by the evolving gases, and the cooling of the
charge in the retort, substantially as herein described.
Fourth. The passing of the evolved gases into the pipe P fitted from
the low level of the retort, substantially as herein described.
Fifth. The mode of treating the evolved gases by passing them first 1
through a superheated coil or worm, and thence through the condenser,
substantially as herein described..
In witness whereof, I, the said Wilhelm Radeke, have hereunto
set my hand and seal, this Seventeenth day of October, in the
year of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and seventy-four.
וזגזזזז
DJATZ TA