An Improved Process for Carbonizing, Charring or Coking Combustible Substances.
Year: 1897

page_text: Date of Application, 3rd Mar., 1897-Accepted, 25th Sept., 1897
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
An Improved Process for Carbonizing, Charring or Coking
Combustible Substances.
We, ANTON BASCH, Coal Merchant, and HUGO GRAEPEL, Manufacturer, both of
Külsö Vàtezi Ut 46 Budapest, in the Empire of Austria-Hungary, do hereby declare
the nature of this invention, and in what manner the same is to be performed,
to be particularly described and ascertained in and by the following statement:-
It is known that one of the principal objects of carbonizing or charring com-
bustible substances is to increase their proportional amount of carbon; that is to
say: to increase the combustibility of such materials when used as fuel. The nature
of the fuel to be charred or freed from its gases however, must be taken into con-
sideration with the view to obtaining more or less valuable bye-products during
tue process.
Apart from the fact that even amongst those combustible substances easily car-
bonized or charred as a whole, a considerable portion thereof remains unchanged
when subjected to the above operations, there are other combustible substances
occurring very abundantly, which entirely resist the action of dry-distillation,
and which therefore cannot be treated by that process with the object of obtaining
a material of higher value therefrom. The consequence is that combustible sub-
stances of this kind, already known by their outward appearance, are accumulated
near the pits from which they are obtained, in considerable quantities, and there
they accumulate without any possibility of being practically utilized by any method
hitherto known, owing to their slight heating capacity.
The present invention relates to a process, by which combustible substances can
be more easily and readily carbonized, charred or coked than has been heretofore
possible in cases where the usual methods were employed.
It has been proved by careful experiments that the refractory quality of the
combustible substances above mentioned, is due to, and depends on, the proportional
amount of free hydrogen relatively to the amount of chemically combined
nydrogen.
Experiments carried out by the inventors have proved that by supplying carbon
and, hydrogen in a suitably combined proportion, the carbonizing or coking of
the combustible substances is greatly facilitated.
The process forming the subject of this invention, consists in mixing such com-
bustible substances with products obtained from the distillation of tar, the frac-
tional temperature at which these products are distilled being fixed according to
the nature of the combustible substance to be carbonized or coked.
Practical experiments made by the inventors in carrying out this process have
proved that combustible substances, which heretofore were found to be either
entirely incapable of coking or which could only be coked with difficulty, can be
coked in a comparatively short time by means of the process forming the subject
of this invention. In experiments with this process also, a considerable amount
of valuable gas was obtained in addition.
Thus for example, with Transylvanian Crown-coal, which under ordinary cir-

page_text: cumstances cannot be coked, excellent results have been obtained by using the
above process, in carrying out which, naphthalene was found to be the product of
the distillation of tar most suitable for employment.
The chemical composition of this coal, is
It has been found that an addition of 1/2 per cent. of naphthalene gives very
gud results. The temperature required for carrying out the coking process in this
case is about 275° C.
The gases generated during the coking process may be subjected to further
treatment for utilization.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of our said inven-
tion and in what manner the same is to be performed, we declare that what we
claim is:
An improved process of carbonizing or coking combustible substances, the
essential feature of which is that products obtained from the distillation of tar
are added to the combustible substance to be carbonized or coked, the fractional
temperature, or temperature of distillation of the said tar products being fixed
according to the nature of the fuel to be treated.
Dated this 3rd day of March 1897.
HASELTINE, LAKE & Co.,
45 Southampton Buildings, London, W.C., Agents for the Applicant.