IMPROVEMENTS IN Gas RETORT OVENS AND FURNACES
Year: 1867

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Henry Atkinson, of 33, Wharf Road, City Road, in
the County of Middlesex, for the Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN Gas
RETORT OVENS AND FURNACES."-A communication from abroad by John
Olof Wallin, of Stockholm, in the Kingdom of Sweden.
Sealed the 12th June 1868, and dated the 14th December 1867.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Henry Atkinson at the
Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on the 14th
December 1867.
I, HENRY ATKINSON, of 88, Wharf Road, City Road, in the County of
Middlesex, do hereby declare the nature of the said Invention for "IMPROVE-
MENTS IN GAS RETORT OVENS AND FURNACES," to be as follows, that is to say :—
This Invention relates to gas retort ovens, and consists of improvements
in the form and construction of the furnace and in the arrangement of
the furnace flues and grate.
The objects of the Invention are, first, to increase the heating power of the
furnace; secondly, to render the heat more uniform upon the retorts, and
thereby to economise the consumption of fuel, to render the distillation of coal
in the retorts more perfect, and to increase the quantity of gas and coke
producible from a given quantity of coal; thirdly, to increase the facility of
charging the furnace with fuel.
I place the retorts in an oven in the usual way, and have open spaces for

page_text: the circulation of the heat from the furnace on all sides. I form the fire-place
and grate at the front of and at a considerable depth below the oven, and fit
the bottom with a sliding cast-iron water and ash container. The fire-bars I
place above the ash pan one above another in a sloping direction backwards;
above the bars and similarly inclined I fit a strong metal plate with a sliding
or hinged door fitted thereto closing an opening therein; this plate is carried
from the top of the bars to the level of the floor of the retort house, so as to
form a hopper for receiving the furnace fuel. The hopper is closed at the top
by a strong covering plate.
The mode of charging is as follows:-The covering plate last mentioned
being removed, the hopper is filled with fuel up to the level of the floor; the
fire being then lighted the furnace is supplied with air through the horizontal
spaces between the bars, inclined as before stated; the air thus passes entirely
through the fuel and causes a perfect combustion thereof, while the heat is con-
ducted thence by the flues to the oven above, where it is concentrated upon the
surfaces of the retorts. As the fuel is consumed at the bottom of the furnace
the waste is supplied by the gradual descent of that in the hopper, and an uniform
heat is thus maintained, while its intensity is increased by the more perfect
combustion which results from the mode of admitting the air by the improved
inclined grate or bars before mentioned. By placing these bars one above
another, and resting them upon side supports in recesses, the whole or any
number of such bars can be removed and replaced with facility, thus providing
greater or less space for clearing the bottom of the furnace of clinkers, ashes,
or other refuse, when necessary. To clear the furnace bars of clinkers, all
that is necessary is to pass the end of the stoking iron or furnace rake
between the bars, and thus push the clinkers into the fire where they will
melt, drop into the sliding water-pan and be easily removed.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent, filed
by the said Henry Atkinson, in the Great Seal Patent Office on the
13th June 1868.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, HENRY
ATKINSON, of 83, Wharf Road, City Road, in the County of Middlesex, send
greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her Letters
Patent, bearing date the Fourteenth day of December, in the year of our Lord
One thousand eight hundred and sixty-seven, in the thirty-first year of Her

page_text: reign, did,. for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give- and grant unto
the said Henry Atkinson,. Her special licence that I,. the said Henry Atkinson,.
my executors,, administrators, and assigns,. or such others-as I, the said Henry
Atkinson, my 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
GAS RETORT. OVENS AND FURNACES," a communication to me from abroad, by
John Olof Wallin, of Stockholm,. in. the Kingdom of Sweden,. upon the con-
dition (amongst others) that I, the said Henry Atkinson, 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 Henry Atkinson, do hereby declare the-
nature of my said Invention, and in what manner the same is to be performed,
to be particularly described and ascertained in and by the following statement,
that is to say:-
This Invention relates to gas. retort ovens and furnaces, and consists of
improvements in the form and construction of the furnace, and in the
arrangement of the furnace flues and grate.
The objects of the said Invention are, first,. to increase the heating power
of the furnace; secondly, to render the heat more uniform upon the retorts.
and thereby to lessen its destructive effect, and at the same time to economise
the consumption of fuel and render the distillation of coal in the retorts more
perfect and increase the quantity of gas and coke producible from a given
quantity of coal; and, thirdly, to increase the facility for charging the furnace
with fuel.
I place the retorts in an oven in the usual way, and leave open spaces for
the circulation of the heat from the furnace on all sides. I form the fire-place
and grate at the front of and at a considerable depth below the oven, and fit
the bottom with a sliding cast-iron water and ash container.. The fire-bars I
place above the ash-pan one above another in a sloping direction, or inclining
upwards and backwards from the bottom. Above the bars and similarly
inclined I fit a stout metal plate with side flanges, so as to form (when placed
against the brickwork or face of the superstructure of the oven) a feeding.
hopper or box for containing the coal, coke, or other furnace fuel; this feeding.

page_text: hopper or fuel container may and should extend from the top of the furnace
bars. to the level of the floor of the retort house,, and be closed or fitted with a
moveable plate or cover.
:
The mode of charging is as follows:-The covering plate last mentioned
being removed, the feeding hopper is to be filled with fuel up to the level of
the floor; the fire being then lighted the furnace is then supplied with
air through the horizontal spaces between the bars, inclined as before
stated; the air thus passes entirely through the fuel and causes a perfect
combustion thereof, while the heat is conducted thence by the flues (herein-
after described) to the oven above, where it is concentrated upon the surfaces
of the retorts. As the fuel is consumed in or at the bottom of the furnace,
the waste is supplied by the gradual descent of that in the hopper, and an
uniform heat is thus maintained, while its intensity is increased by the more
perfect combustion which results from the mode of admitting the air, partly
by the improved inclined grate and partly by the ducts or flues herein-after
described. By placing the grate bars one above another and supporting their
ends upon corbels or side supports, or in recesses; the whole or any number of
the said bars can be removed and replaced with facility; thus provision is
made for clearing the bottom of the furnace of clinkers, ashes, or other refuse,
when necessary. To clear the bars of clinkers all that is required is to pass
the end of the stoking iron or furnace rake between the bars, and thus push
the clinkers into the fire, where they will melt, drop into the sliding water and
ash container and be readily removed. Air ducts or flues are to be made for
the admission of air from the exterior to the interior of the furnace, their
outer apertures being fitted with closing and regulating covers, dampers or
valves, for regulating the quantity of air thus admitted.
The accompanying Drawing is intended to illustrate the mode of carrying
the said Invention into effect in practice.
Fig. 1 is a transverse section of one of the improved retort ovens taken at
the line A, B, Fig. 2, and shews the ash-pit and air flues; Fig. 2 is a longi-
tudinal section of the same oven taken at the line C, D, Fig. 1, and shews
the improved grate or furnace bars, furnace, fuel container, and feeding
hopper.
a is the furnace; b, b, air flues or channels for admitting air to the furnace
above the grate, and render the combustion of the fuel more perfect, keep the
walls cool, and thus preserve the brickwork or building materials from or lessen
the rapid destructive effect of the beat; c, c, the feeding hopper for containing
a supply of coals or fuel; d, a moveable plate closing the top of the hopper,
which is here shewn as carried up to the level of the floor d' of the retort

page_text: house; e, a cast metal hopper box, with an opening e" at the bottom; f, a
door by which the opening e¹ is closed. The object of this arrangement is to
afford the means of ingress and egress to and from the furnace from the
archway or front space 9. The lower portion of the hopper box ⚫ should be
lined with fire-brick, having a thickness of about two inches, more or less, for
preserving it from the heat of the fire in the furnace. h, h, the improved
furnace bars; these bars are formed with dipping flanges at their sides, as
shewn in section upon the Drawing. i, i, corbels upon which the bars h are
supported at each end; j, j, air spaces, which are made of such a depth as to
allow either of the bars to be lifted out and removed and replaced separately
without disturbing those above and below it; k, a travelling ash-pan, which is
intended to be partly filled with water, and is placed partly under the improved
grate and forms the bottom of the furnace.
I claim the mode of forming, arranging, constructing, and fitting furnaces,
fire-grates, bars, and gas retort ovens, as herein described or shewn upon the
Drawing, and the application of the said improvements to gas retort ovens,
wholly or partially.
In witness whereof, I, the said Henry Atkinson, have hereunto set my
hand and seal, this Twelfth day of June, in the year of our Lord
One thousand eight hundred and sixty-eight.
HENRY ATKINSON. (L.8.)