IMPROVEMENTS IN THE CONSTRUCTION OF CORE OVENS
Year: 1864

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Henry Hicklin, of Wollaston, near Stourbridge, in
the County of Worcester, Builder, and Charles Pardoe, of Brierley Hill,
in the County of Stafford, Coke Manufacturer, for the Invention of
"IMPROVEMENTS IN THE CONSTRUCTION OF CORE OVENS "
Sealed the 23rd June 1865, and dated the 27th December 1864.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Henry Hicklin and
Charles Pardoe at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with
their Petition, on the 27th December 1864.
We, HENRY HICKLIN, of Wollaston, near Stourbridge, in the County of
Worcester, Builder, and CHARLES PARDOE, of Brierley Hill, in the County of
Stafford, Coke Manufacturer, do hereby declare the nature of the said
Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN THE CONSTRUCTION OF COKE OVENS," to be
as follows:-
Our Invention consists in constructing a series of two or more coke ovens,
with one or more main flues formed over the tops of the ovens communi-
cating with one or more main flues constructed underneath the floors or

page_text: bottoms of the said ovens; with which system of flues all the ovens commu-
nicate by means of openings formed in their tops, which openings may or may
not be made capable of being regulated or closed as may be required. The
aforesaid system of flues is made to communicate with a chimney.
By this arrangement we cause the flame and gases from each oven to mix
together in the said main flues and to pass over or under, or both over and
under, not only the oven from which they issue, but also every other oven in
the group or series, whereby a greater and much more uniform heat, and
consequently a larger and better produce of coke will be obtained than
heretofore.
By this arrangement, also, we can thoroughly fuse thick charges of
small slack of proper admixture, and make good coke from the same without
waste.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent, filed
by the said Henry Hicklin and Charles Pardoe in the Great Seal
Patent Office on the 27th June 1865.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, we, HENRY
HICKLIN, of Wollaston, near Stourbridge, in the County of Worcester,
Builder, and CHARLES PARDOE, of Brierley Hill, in the County of Stafford,
Coke Manufacturer, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her Letters
Patent, bearing date the Twenty-seventh day of December, in the year of
our Lord One thousand eight hundred and sixty-four, in the twenty-eighth
year of Her reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant
unto us, the said Henry Hicklin and Charles Pardoe, Her special licence
that we, the said Henry Hicklin and Charles, Pardoe, our executors, admi-
nistrators, and assigns, or such, others as we, the, said Henry Hicklin and
Charles Pardoe, our executors, administrators, and assigns, should at:.any
time agree with, and no others, from time to time and at all times there-
after 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 "IMPROVE-
MENTS IN THE CONSTRUCTION OF COKE OVENS," upon the condition (amongst
others) that we, the said Henry Hicklin and Charles Pardoe, 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

page_text: describe and ascertain 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 we, the said Henry Hicklin and Charles Pardoe,
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 accom-
panying Drawing, and to the figures and letters marked thereon, that is to
say:
The nature of our Invention consists in constructing coke ovens with one or
more main flues passing over the tops of a series or group of two or more
ovens, and communicating with one or more main flues constructed underneath
the floors at bottoms of said ovens, and into which system of flues openings are
made through tops of ovens, which openings may or may not be made capable
of being regulated or stopped as may be required. The bottom flues com-
imunicate with a chimney.
By this construction we cause the flame and gases to mix together, and the
heated gaseous currents from each oven to pass over or under, or both over
and under itself, and every other oven in the group or series, whereby a greater
and much more uniform heat, and consequently a larger and better produce
of coke will be obtained than heretofore.
By this arrangement, also, we can thoroughly fuse thick charges of small
slack of proper admixture, and make good coke from the same without waste.
And in order that our said Invention may be fully understood, we shall now
proceed particularly to describe the same, and for that purpose we shall
refer to the several Figures on the Drawing hereunto annexed; the same
letters of reference indicating corresponding parts throughout all the corre-
sponding Figures.
Figure 1 is an elevation, partly in section, of a row or a series of coke ovens
constructed according to our improvements; Figure 2 is a plan of same, one
side shewing the bottom flues with floors removed; Figure 3 is a sectional
plan of top of ovens shewing top flues; Figure 4 is a cross section shewing
the connecting flues betwixt top and bottom flues; Figure 5 is a section
through the middle of one of the ovens and top and bottom flues.
A, A, are the ovens or coking chambers, built of fire-bricks or other suit-
able materials, having openings B, B, closed with doors in the usual way.
We prefer to brick-up the doorways in a temporary manner, and close with
light iron doors. The brickwork is removed of course when drawing coke.

page_text: C, C, are dampers for regulating
or
stopping the openings I into the flues;
D, D, are air regulators; E, chimney damper.
Our present improvements consist in the construction of a set of flues F, F,
one or more in number, passing over the tops of and common to all the ovens
in the series; and the said flues communicating by means of connecting flues
G, G, to a set of one or more main flues H, passing under the floors of all
the ovens in the series. The flues and floors are constructed of refractory
fire-bricks or other suitable materials, and are either arched over or covered
with flat covers resting on partitions in flues as may be preferred. The flues
are connected with the ovens by openings I, I, which are controlled by
dampers, so that they may be closed when desired for filling or emptying an
oven without interfering with the working of the other ovens in the series.
The materials to be coked are thrown in through the doors in front, and when
ignited the gases pass off through the openings I, I, at the tops of the ovens,
and follow the direction shewn by the arrows marked upon the Drawing,
passing down the connecting flues and traversing the bottoms of ovens, as
shewn, and finally escaping at the chimney; or the gases may afterwards be
applied to heating purposes if desired.
By these means we can create a much greater and more uniform heat, and
obtain a larger and better produce of coke.
By these means, likewise, we can thoroughly fuse thick charges of fine or
small slack with a less quantity of bituminous slack or material than hitherto
used, and make a good hard dense coke from the same, and without the usual
waste.
The ovens may be fitted in the usual way, with apparatus for drawing the
coke from ovens, and with water supply for cooling same.
Having thus described and particularly ascertained the nature of our said
Invention, and the manner in which the same is be used or carried into effect,
we wish it to be understood that we do not bind ourselves to the details
shewn on the accompanying Drawing, nor to the shape, general arrangement,
or number of ovens, nor to the number of the flues, as these may be variously
modified without departing from the nature of our Invention; nor do we
claim generally the employing of the waste heat of the gases generated in a
coke oven to the heating of another coke oven, nor the establishment of a com-
munication between two coke ovens by means of a flue, as we are well aware
that this has before been done; but we claim as our Invention, secured to
us by the herein-before in part recited Letters Patent, the construction of a
series or group of coke ovens, with a common system of flues, into which the
ovens work, and which flues envelop or pass over or under, or both over and

page_text: under such series or group of ovens, substantially as herein-before described,
with reference to the accompanying Drawing.
In witness whereof, we, the said Henry Hicklin and Charles Pardoe,
have hereunto set our hands and seals, this Twenty-fourth day of June,
in the year of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and sixty-five.
HENRY HICKLIN.
(L.S.)
CHARLES PARDOE. (L.S.)