IMPROVEMENTS IN COKE OVENS
Year: 1863

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Richard Archibald Brooman, of 166, Fleet Street,
in the City of London, Patent Agent, for the Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS
IN COKE OVENS."-A communication from abroad by Charles Claude
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Richard Archibald
Brooman at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his
Petition, on the 7th August 1863.
I, RICHARD ARCHIBALD BROOMAN, of 166, Fleet Street, in the City of
London, Patent Agent, do hereby declare the nature of the said Invention
for "IMPROVEMENTS IN COKE OVENS," to be as follows:-
This Invention may be applied to coke ovens already built, as well as to
those to be constructed. To alter existing ovens the floor will have to be
removed, and the furnace flues and other arrangements, together with another
floor hereafter described, must be substituted for it.
The following description, with reference to the accompanying Drawings, will
fully explain the Invention. The Drawings show an ordinary coke oven with
a spherical roof with the present Invention applied. If the oven has a cylin-
drical roof the Drawings would only differ in that the flues would be rectilinear.

page_text: Figures 1, 2, and 4 represent an ordinary coke oven, with its door G, J, for the
purpose of filling in the coal and for drawing out the coke, or for the latter pur-
pose only when the oven is charged through an orifice I. The opening G, J, is
closed either by an iron plate p, p, or by bricks, the joints being carefully luted
during the distillation of the coal. The orifico I, with its stopper O, may be
carried nearer the axis of the oven, as shewn by the dotted lines, Figures 1
and 2. The interior of the oven has alone to be altered as follows:-The floor
is removed, and is replaced by another on a higher level than that removed, but
it should be as low as possible consistently with sufficient space being left
below it for the furnace Q and the flues R, S, S, T, T. The roof is pierced at X,
Figure 1, to afford a new issue to those products of distillation which are to
be gathered. The floor M, N, is formed by preference of large refractory tiles
of about 2 inches in thickness, united as shewn at Figure 1. For want of
large tiles, small bricks may be arched over the flues R, S, S, T, T, formed
by the walls P, P, P, P, upon which the floor M, N, rests. These flues
commence at the furnace Q, and terminate at K, K, where they enter the
channel L, which leads into the chimney W. A chimney is indispensable in
this Invention, and answers for one oven or for several, as may be arranged.
In the opening X, a pipe T, communicating with a pipe T" through the appa-
ratus V, is fitted. A stop valve O' enables communication between the pipes
T and T to be closed. The pipe T" extends along the whole of the ovens,
when there are several, and through pipes T and V₁ receives the whole
products of distillation from all the ovens. A pipe Y, Y, smaller than the
pipe T extends also along the whole of the ovens, towards the front it rests
upon the ovens, as shewn at Figures 2 and 4, or it may rest upon the earth
or in the earth at the foot of the ovens. This pipe receives the gases deprived
of the condensable products, and leads them into the furnace Q, through the
pipe a, b, and the tuyere c, d; r is a cock for regulating their admission into
the furnace. The distribution of the flamo under the floor is regulated by
refractory bricks Z, Z, which are moved to and fro from the outside by means
of hooks introduced into the sight holes R', R'. These sight holes, as also
those R", R", alow also of the temperature in the flues being watched, and in
case of need of the flues being cleaned. The oven constructed as before
described works thus:-
Let us suppose the distillation of a charge completed, which is ascertained
by shutting off communication between the pipes T¹ and T" by means of the
valve O'. Should carbonisation be incomplete, gases which would still be
generated being unable to pass through the pipe T" would exert a pressure
upon the luting of the door p, p, and the stopper O, and would produce

page_text: fissures therein and escape, thus indicating that distillation must be allowed
to proceed; on the contrary should carbonisation be complete no gas is
generated, no escape takes place, and the coke may be drawn. For this
purpose the valve O' is lowered on its seat m, n, to prevent the external air
penetrating into the gases from the other ovens circulating in the pipe T the
door p, p, is removed, and the coke is drawn out or discharged in the ordinary
manner; all this time the stopper O remains closed to prevent access of air
which might cause the coke to burn. The discharge effected, the opening I
is uncovered, and a fresh charge inserted through it, or the charge is inserted
through the opening G, J, and is spread evenly, so that it may present a
plain and horizontal surface. The opening G, J, is closed and luted with
great care, and the luting must be watched to see that there are no fissures
during carbonisation, as it is necessary for the purposes of this Invention that
no air should penetrate into the oven while the distillation is progressing. I
continue to heat the floor of the oven while the charging is being effected by
means of the furnace and of the gases derived from the other ovens. A few
minutes after the closing of the oven the first disengagement of gases appears
above the opening I. The cover O is applied and luted, and communication
between the interior of the oven and the pipe T" is established by raising the
valve O¹. The products of distillation drawn by an exhauster or by the draft
of the chimney W, pass through the pipe T and enter the pipe T", from
whence they pass with those from the other ovens in the series into condensers.
The employment of chambers of masonry filled wholly or partly with faggots
and stones is specially recommended, the tar and ammoniacal waters become
readily separated in such chambers from the gases brought by the pipe Y, Y,
and the gases following the pipe a, b, for each oven issue through the tuyere
c, d, and become ignited on contact with the air admitted through tho bars
of the furnace or around the tuyere when the furnace is entirely closed. The-
furnace bars are necessary to heat the ovens on first commencing operations..
They may also be of use during the operation for burning the small coke gene-
rally found accompanying the large lumps. The products of combustion follow
the fluo R, branch off at V, pass along the flues T, T, then the flues U, U,
into the channel L, from whence they escape into the chimney. In order
to produce good solid coke, generally from 60 to 72 hours are necesssary, but
this time may be varied with the nature of the coal, the quality of the coke
to be produced, and the manner of working the furnace.

page_text: SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent, filed
by the said Richard Archibald Brooman in the Great Seal Patent Office
on the 6th February 1864.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, RICHARD
ARCHIBALD BROOMAN, of 166, Fleet Street, in the City of London, Patent
Agent, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her Letters
Patent, bearing date the Seventh day of August, in the year of our Lord
One thousand eight hundred and sixty-three, in the twenty-seventh year of
Her reign, did, for Herself, Her beirs and successors, give and grant unto
me, the said Richard Archibald Brooman, Her special licence that I, the said
Richard Archibald Brooman, my executors, administrators, and assigns, or
such others as I, the said Richard Archibald Brooman, my executors, adminis-
trators, 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 COKE OVENS," (communicated to me from
abroad by Charles Claude Philibert Nicolas Pernolet, of Paris, France,)
upon the condition (amongst others) that I, the said Richard Archibald
Brooman, 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 Richard Archibald Brooman, 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, referenco being had to the Drawings hereunto
annexed, that is to say:-
This Invention may be applied to coke ovens already built as well as to
those to be constructed. To alter existing ovens the floor will have to bo
removed, and the furnace flues and other arrangements, together with another
floor hereafter described, must be substituted for it.
The following description with reference to the accompanying Drawings
will fully explain the Invention. The Drawings shew an ordinary coke oven

page_text: with a spherical roof with the present Invention applied. If the oven has a
cylindrical roof the Drawing would only differ in that the flues would be
rectilinear.
Figures 1, 2, and 4 represent an ordinary coke oven with its door G, J, for
the purpose of filling in the coal and for drawing out the coke, or for the latter
purpose only when the oven is charged through an orifice I. The opening G,
J, is closed either by an iron plate p, p, or by bricks, the joints being carefully
luted during the distillation of the coal. The orifice I with its stopper
O may
be carried nearer the axis of the oven as shewn by the dotted lines, Figures 1
and 2. The interior of the oven has alone to be altered as follows:-The floor is
removed and is replaced by another on a higher level than that removed, but
it should be as low as possible consistently with sufficient space being left
below it for the furnace Q and the flues R, S, S, T, T, as represented in the
horizontal section Figure 3. The roof is pierced at X, Figure 1, to afford a
new issue to those products of distillation which are to be gathered. The
floor M, N, is formed by preference of large refractory tiles of about 2 inches
in thickness, united, as shewn at Figure 1. For want of large tiles, small bricks
may be arched over the flues R, S, S, T, T, formed by the walls P, P, P, P,
upon which the floor M, N, rests. These flues commence at the furnace Q
and terminate at K, K, where they enter the channel L which leads into the
chimney W. A chimney is indispensable in this Invention and answers for one
oven or for several as may be arranged. In the opening X a'pipe T, communi-
cating with a pipe T" through the apparatus V' is fitted. A stop valve O¹
enables communication between the pipes T' and T" to be closed. The pipe T"
extends along the whole of the ovens when there are several, and through
pipes T and V receives the whole products of distillation from all the ovens.
A pipe Y, Y, smaller than the pipe T", extends also along the whole of the
ovens towards the front, it rests upon the ovens as shewn at Figures 2 and 4,
or it may rest upon the earth or in the earth at the foot of the ovens. This
pipe receives the gases deprived of the condensable products and leads them
into the furnace Q through the pipe a, b, and the tuyere c, d; r is a cock for
regulating their admission into the furnace. The distribution of the flame
under the floor is regulated by refractory bricks Z, Z, which are moved to and
fro from the outside by means of hooks introduced into the sight holes R³, R'.
These sight holes, as also those R", R", allow also of the temperature in the
flues being watched and in case of need of the flues being cleaned. The oven
constructed as before described works thus:-Let us suppose the distillation
of a charge completed, which is ascertained by shutting off communication

page_text: between the pipes T and T" by means of the valve O'. Should carbonization
.be incomplete, gases which would still be generated, being unable to pass
through the pipe T", would exert a pressure upon the luting of the door p, p,
.and the stopper O, and would produce fissures therein and escape, thus indi-
.cating that distillation must be allowed to proceed. On the contrary, should
carbonization be complete no gas is generated, no escape takes place, and tho
.coke may be drawn. For this purpose the valve O' is lowered on its seat m, n,
to prevent the external air penetrating into the gases from the other ovens
circulating in the pipe T", the door p, p, is removed, and the coke is drawn out
or discharged in the ordinary manner. All this time the stopper 0 remains
closed to prevent access of air which might cause the coke to burn. The
discharge effected, the opening I is uncovered, and a fresh charge inserted
through it, or the charge is inserted through the opening G, J, and is spread
evenly so that it may present a plane and horizontal surface. The opening
G, J, is closed and luted with great care, and the luting must be watched to
-see that there are no fissures during carbonization, as it is necessary for the
purposes of this Invention that no air should penetrate into the oven while
the distillation is progressing. I continue to heat the floor of the oven while
the charging is being effected by means of the furnace and of the gases derived
from the other ovens. A few minutes after the closing of the oven, the
.first disengagement of gases appears above the opening I, the cover O is
.applied and luted, and communication between the interior of the oven and
the pipe T" is established by raising the valve O'. The products of distillation
drawn by an exhauster or by the draft of the chimney W, pass through the
pipe T' and enter the pipe T", from whence they pass, with those from the
other ovens in the series, into condensers.
The employment of chambers of masonry, filled wholly or partly with faggots
and stones, is specially recommended, the tar and ammoniacal waters become
readily separted in such chambers from the gases brought by the pipe Y, Y, and
the gases following the pipe a, b, from each oven issue through the tuyere c, d,
and become ignited in contact with the air admitted through the bars of the
furnace, or around the tuyero when the furnace is entirely closed. The
furnace bars are necessary to heat the ovens on first commencing opera-
tions. They may also be of use during the operation for burning the
small coke generally found accompanying the large lumps. The products
of combustion follow the flue R, branch off at V, pass along the flues T, T,
then the flues U, U, into the channel L, from whence they escape into the
chimney. In order to produce good solid coke generally from 60 to 72 hours

page_text: are necessary, but this time may be varied with the nature of the coal, the
quality of the coke to be produced, and the manner of working the furnace.
And having now described the nature of the said Invention, and in what
manner the same is to be performed, I declare that I claim, constructing
coke ovens substantially in manner herein-before described and illustrated in
the accompanying Drawings.
In witness whereof, I, the said Richard Archibald Brooman, have here-
unto set my hand and seal, this Fourth day of February, One thousand
eight hundred and sixty-four.