IMPROVEMENTS IN THE TREATMENT OF COKE OVEN GASES FOR THE UTILISATION OF THE CONSTITUENTS THEREOF AND IN APPARATUS OR " " APPLIANCES THEREFOR
Year: 1882

page_text: PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by John Imray at the Office of the
Commissioners of Patents on the 20th June 1882. Communicated to him from
abroad by George Shepard Page of Stanley, County of Morris New Jersey
United States of America but at present of Paris in the Republic of France.
JOHN IMRAY of No 28 Southampton Buildings Chancery Lane in the County
of Middlesex IMPROVEMENTS IN THE TREATMENT OF COKE OVEN GASES FOR
THE UTILISATION OF THE CONSTITUENTS THEREOF AND IN APPARATUS OR
"
"
APPLIANCES THEREFOR [Communicated to him from abroad by George Shepard
Page of Stanley, County of Morris New Jersey United States of America but
at present of Paris in the Republic of France]
This invention relates to the treatment of the combustible gases given off' in
the coking of coal culm or slack in ovens, for the purpose of separating therefrom
and utilising the condensible constituents such as tar and ammonia, while the
permanent gases are stored and used for heating or illuminating purposes.
According to the present improvements there are applied to the outlets at the
top of the coke oven wire gauze enclosures acting on the principle of the Davey
Safety Lamp, the gases being conveyed through a hood attached to the wire gauze
and thence through a pipe in connection with which is an exhauster of any suitable
known construction, by means of which the gases are drawn off in a regulated
manner and are conveyed into a box or chamber containing water.
The gases
being made to pass through the water, the tar and part of the ammonia become
condensed and deposited therefrom, and they are then conveyed into a washer or
scrubber where the remainder of the condensible constitutents are separated, the
gases being made to pass thence into gas holders or receivers. The gases thus
produced in the coking of the coal slack or cultu are utilised as fuel for carrying
on the coking process and also for fuel in the distilling processes of the coal tar,
to be immediately described. The coal tar is run from the condensing chamber
into a receiving tank whence it is led into a tar still through pipes on opening a
suitable valve. The tar still contains flues similar to the flue boilers used for
generating steam, and is provided with an opening in the bottom through which

page_text: the pitch or residium is discharged. It is heated by the gas from the gasometer
derived from the coking of the slack or culm as previously stated. In the
distillation of the coal tar the vapors rise and pass through pipes fitted with valves
into a condensing tank provided with a coil or several coils of pipes, through
which cold water is passed and by which the vapors are condensed. The condensed
products flow through pipes into the respective tanks which receive the light oils,
the creosote and the anthracine. The "light oil" which comes over at a temperature
under 250° Fahr. is led into the light oil tank as the temperature rises above 250°
the valves are shifted to allow the heavy creosote oil to pass into its tank; when
the thermometer indicates 450° the valves are again shifted and the oil coming
over between 450° and 600°, called anthracine oil, is deposited in its tank. The
condensation of the light creosote, and anthracene oils might be effected by
lengthening the vapour pipes without the use of the condensing tank. After the
oils referred to have been driven off and deposited in the various tanks assigned
them, a liquid pitch yet remains in the still; this pitch is drawn off from the still
through a pipe into a tank which is kept in a heated condition by a steam coil in
order to retain the pitch in a fluid condition until ready for use.
The pitch thus produced is used as the binding material for forming crushed
coke and slack and culm into fuel blocks. A pipe leads from the pitch tank to a
mixer in which the pitch is mixed with the crushed coke and slack or culm. The
mixture is then pressed into blocks by any suitable machinery, such as is used in
the manufacture of bricks that for example by which the clay is forced out in a
continuous column which is cut into bricks.
In order to utilise the creosote oil at the place of its manufacture, the oil is
passed through a pipe into a creosoting cylinder previously charged with timber
to be preserved which may be loaded on a truck. The process of creosoting which
is preferred is that known as the Bethell process, first used in England in 1838.
It may sometimes be advantageous to dispose of the surplus tar, not needed at
the works. In such cases the coal tar may be drawn from its tank into a tank
car for transport, and in a similar way creosote may be disposed of and also the
light oil and anthracene unless it is found advantageous to manufacture Benzole,
Nitro Benzole, Naptha, Carbolic Acid and other products on the spot. The ammonia
generated in the coking of the coal, slack or culm may be saved and converted
into sulphate of ammonia. The sulphur also can be saved in a well known manner
by passing the gas through oxide of iron which will gradually absorb the sulphur
and when it has gained from 100 to 150 per cent in weight of sulphur the oxide
can be burned in a furnace, and the sulphur fumes passed into an acid chamber
making sulphuric acid which can be used for making sulphate of ammonia.