Improvements in the Manufacture of Artificial Fuel.
Year: 1890

page_text: Date of Application, 23rd July, 190
Complete Specification Left, 20th Apr.. 1891-Accepted, 11th July, 1891
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in the Manufacture of Artificial Fuel.
WILLIAM RANDALL LACEY Brent Cottage Brentford Middlesex Civil Engineer
do hereby declare the nature of this invention to be as follows:-
This invention is for improved methods of preparing carbon fuels. These fuels
are employed whenever it is necessary or desirous to reduce the combustion
products to a minimum and maintain continuous incandescence without draught.
The best fuels have hitherto been made by mixing charcoal with some agglutinating
cement and pressing the mass into blocks & cakes. Charcoal being exceedingly
inert under these conditions can only be solidified when great excess of the binding
material is employed. Little or no chemical addition can therefore be made to
neutralise the combustion gases, and, to obtain the requisite hardness expensive
machinery is necessary.
By my invention all these defects are avoided and a superior fuel is produced.
I employ calcium-silicate as the binding material, but I do not employ it by simply
adding it to and mechanically mixing it with the charcoal. I form it chemically
at the proper time within the mass and under the peculiar conditions which render
it nascent, as it were in action. The setting or solidifying is thus so energetic that
no pressing machinery at all is required. To take up the carbonic acid produced
during combustion calcium hydrate can be added without unduly augmenting the
foreign matter in the fuel.
Either of the following or similar methods may be employed to produce fuel
under my invention. Charcoal powder and a soluble silicate are mixed together by
simple stirring to which is added calcium hydrate and a small proportion of freshly
precipitated alumina or magnesia the calcium hydrate is in chemical excess in order
that a sufficiency (on ignition) shall remain free to absorb or combine with the
carbonic acid. The entire mass after mixing is merely poured into a mould and
allowed to set-the best proportions are these. Enough soluble silicate (preferably
sodium silicate) are taken to well wet the charcoal. Then about one fifth calcium
hydrate is mixed in together with one or two per cent. of freshly precipitated
alumina or magnesia. These latter oxides can best be prepared by adding an acid
to a solution of any aluminic or magnesic salt. For instance common alum or
magnesic chloride.
Charcoal powder and ground pumice are intimately mixed. Calcium hydrate in
water is then added and the mass again mixed. The finished products passed into
moulds will set hard without pressing or any other manipulation. I prefer about
one fourth pumice and enough calcium hydrate as before to form the calcium
silicate and leave a sufficiency uncombined to neutralise the carbonic acid.
Charcoal powder and a soluble salt of calcium (the chloride for instance) are
mixed and made into a mud. A similar mud is made with charcoal powder and a
soluble silicate (preferably sodium silicate) and the two are well mixed together.
The excess of water can be filtered off, and if desirable the damp fuel mass can be
washed by allowing water to drain through it. It is not absolutely necessary to
wash out the sodic chloride here formed but the subsequent setting of the fuel is
hastened and improved by so doing.
The calcium hydrate in all these methods I prefer to form by slacking good lime
with boiling water, adding only enough water to reduce the lime to fine powder.
This powder I sift to remove earthy and other impurities. Thus prepared I place
it under water and so keep it for further use. The hydrate is very uniform and
energetic when thus made and is in a condition that renders it easy of manipulation.
It can be preserved for an indefinite time by simply covering with water.

page_text: The consistency of the fuel mass when mixed should be like thin mud so as to
readily pour into moulds where after a time it sets hard, no special apparatus or
machinery are required. Any vessels that will hold the material and any suitable
tool or implement for stirring will suffice. The moulds may be rough wooden
boxes or troughs or the mass may be heaped on the ground without any mould at
all and subsequently cut or broken into pieces. Other carbonaceous matter beside
charcoal can be employed but as the combustion products contain smoky gases
charcoal is to be preferred.
Tuly 92.1 1900
WILLIAM RANDALL LACEY.
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in the Manufacture of Artificial Fuel.
WILLIAM RANDALL LACEY Brent Cottage Brentford Middlesex Civil Engineer
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:-
This invention is for improved methods of preparing carbon fuels. These fuels
are employed whenever it is necessary or desirous to reduce the combustion products
to a minimum and maintain continuous incandescence without draught. The best
fuels have hitherto been made by mixing charcoal with some agglutinating cement
and pressing the mass into blocks or cakes. Charcoal being exceedingly inert
under these conditions can only be solidified when great excess of the binding
material is employed. Little or no chemical addition can therefore be made to
neutralise the combustion gases and to obtain the requisite hardness expensive
machinery is necessary.
By my invention all these defects are avoided and a superior fuel is produced.
I employ calcium silicate as the binding material but I do not employ it by simply
adding it to and mechanically mixing it with the charcoal. I form it chemically at
the proper time within the mass and under the peculiar conditions which render it
nascent as it were in action. The setting or solidifying is thus so magnetic that no
pressing machinery at all is required. To take up the carbonic acid produced
during combustion calcium hydrate can be added without unduly augmenting the
foreign matter in the fuel.
Either of the following or similar methods may be employed to produce fuel
under my invention. Charcoal powder and a soluble silicate are mixed together
by simple stirring to which is added calcium hydrate and a small proportion of
freshly precipitated alumina or magnesia the calcium hydrate is in chemical excess
in order that a sufficiency (on ignition) shall remain free to absorb or combine with
the carbonic acid. The entire mass after mixing is merely poured, into a mould
and allowed to set the best proportions are these. Enough soluble silicate
(preferably sodium silicate) is taken to well wet the charcoal. Then about one fifth
calcium hydrate is mixed in together with one or two per cent. of freshly precipitated
alumina or magnesia. These latter oxides can best be prepared by adding an
alkali to a solution of any aluminic or magnesic salt. For instance common alum
or magnesic chloride.
Charcoal powder and ground pumice are ultimately mixed. The finished
products passed into moulds will set hard without pressing or any other manipula-
tion. 1 prefer about one fourth pumice and enough calcium hydrate (as before) to
form the calcium silicate and leave a sufficiency uncombined to neutralise the
carbonic acid.
Charcoal powder and a soluble salt of calcium (the chloride for instance) are
mixed and made into a mud. A similar mud is made with charcoal powder and a
soluble silicate (preferably sodium silicate) and the two are well mixed together.
The excess of water can be filtered off and if desirable the damp fuel mass can be

page_text: washed by allowing water to drain through it.
It is not absolutely necessary to
wash out the sodic chloride here formed but the subsequent setting of the fuel is
hastened and improved by doing so.
The calcium hydrate in all these methods I prefer to form by slacking good
lime with boiling water adding only enough water to reduce the lime to fine
powder. This powder I sift to remove earthy and other impurities. Thus prepared
I place it under water and so keep it for further use. The hydrate is very uniform
and energetic when thus made and is in a condition that renders it easy of
manipulation. It can be preserved for an indefinite time by simply covering with
water.
The consistency of the fuel mass when mixed should be like thin mud so as to
readily pour into the moulds when after a time it sets hard. No special apparatus
or machinery are required. Any vessels that will hold the material and any
suitable tool or implement for stirring will suffice. The moulds may be rough
wooden boxes or troughs or the mass may be heaped on the ground without any
mould at all and subsequently cut or broken into pieces. Other carbonaceous
matter beside charcoal can be employed but as the combustion products contain
smoky gases charcoal is to be preferred.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said inven-
tion and in what manner the same is to be performed I declare that what I
claim is:
1. Manufacturing artificial carbon fuel from charcoal or similar carbonaceous
material and calcium silicate and hydrate prepared as above described.
20th Ail 1901
WILLIAM R. LACEY.