IMPROVEMENTS IN THE CONSTRUCTION OF COKE OVENS
Year: 1859

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to John Robert Breckon, of Darlington, in the County
of Durham, Accountant and Colliery Manager, and Robert Dixon, of
Crook, in the said County of Durham, Mechanical Engineer, for the
Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN THE CONSTRUCTION OF COKE OVENS."
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said John Robert Breckon.
and Robert Dixon at the Office of the Commissioners. of Patents, with
their Petition, on the 12th December 1859.
We, JOHN ROBERT BRECKON, of Darlington, in the County of Durham,
Accountant and Colliery Manager, and ROBERT DIXON, of Crook, in the said
County of Durham, Mechanical Engineer, do hereby declare the nature of
the said Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN THE CONSTRUCTION OF COKE OVENS,"
to be as follows:-
The nature of our Invention consists in constructing coke ovens with one,
two, or more flues, for the purpose of conveying the gases when in a state of
combustion underneath the bottom of the coke ovens. The flues communicate
with the interior of the oven, and the gases are conveyed through them under-
the bottom of the oven and afterwards into a chimney. By these means we-
can obtain a larger produce of coke from the coals, and the coke obtained is of
a superior quality. We can likewise complete the process of coking in a much
shorter time than by the ordinary description of coke ovens.

page_text: SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent, filed
by the said John Robert Breckon and Robert Dixon in the Great Seal
Patent Office on the 9th June 1860.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, wc, JOHN
ROBERT BRECKON, of Darlington, in the County of Durham, Accountant and
Colliery Manager, and ROBERT DIXON, of Crook, in the said County of Durham,
Mechanical Engineer, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her Letters
Patent, bearing date the Twelfth day of December, in the year of our Lord
One thousand eight hundred and fifty-nine, in the twenty-third year of Her reign,
did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant unto us, the said
Jolin Robert Breckon and Robert Dixon, Her special licence that we, the said
John Robert Breckon and Robert Dixon, our executors, administrators, and
assigns, or such others as we, the said John Robert Breckon and Robert
Dixon, our 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 THE CONSTRUC-
TION OF COKE OVENS," upon the condition (amongst others) that we, the said
John Robert Breckon and Robert Dixon, our executors or administrators,
by an instrument in writing under our, or their, or one of our or 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 we, the said John Robert Breckon and Robert
Dixon, do hereby declare the nature of our 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):-
The nature of our Invention consists in constructing coke ovens with one,
two, or more flues, for the purpose of conveying the gases when in a state of
combustion underneath the floor of the coke ovens. The flues communicate
with the interior of the oven, and the gases are conveyed through them under
the floor of the oven and afterwards into a chimney.
And in order that our Invention may be fully understood and readily

page_text: carried into effect, we will proceed to describe the accompanying Sheet of
Drawings, reference being had to the figures and letters marked thereon.
Fig. 1 is an elevation of a row of coke ovens, constructed according to our
improvements, with a chimney, into which all the products of combustion are
conveyed; one side of this Figure is broken off to avoid useless repetition;
Fig. 2 is a plan, partly in section, of four of our improved coke ovens; Fig. 3
is a sectional elevation, taken through the door of the oven; Fig. 4 is a sec-
tional elevation of two of the coke ovens with the flues leading to the chimney;
and Fig. 5 is another elevation, also partly in section. The coke ovens shewn
in the accompanying Drawing are supplied with the regulating valves and air
distributors, for which Letters Patent were granted to us on the Twenty-ninth
day of March One thousand eight hundred and fifty-eight, No. 659; but we
wish it to be understood that our present Invention may be used independently
of such regulating valves and air distributors. a is the door of the coke oven;
b, the opening at the top; c, the flues or pipes which convey the atmospheric
air admitted by the regulating valves d to the distributors e, e; fis the tap for
the water by which the coke is cooled. The parts above enumerated are made
in the ordinary manner or according to the improvement secured to us by the
Letters Patent above referred to.
Our present improvements in the construction of coke ovens consist in the
application of the flues g, g, which are placed under the floor of the coke
oven; the floors are of fire-brick or other suitable material, and bear on the
partitions between the flues g, which are connected with the interior of the
oven by the upright flues i, i, and orifices j,j, and with the chimney / through
the vertical flues and horizontal flues m. Each orifice is in communication
with one of the outer flues g, and as the partitions between the flues terminate
alternately at a certain distance from the inner wall of the oven, it is evident
that a passage is left for the gaseous products of combustion to pass from one
flue to the other, as indicated by the arrows in Fig. 2. When these gases
arrive at the inner flue g, they rise up the flue and enter the horizontal
flue m, which conveys them to the chimney k; a damper n is placed in each
flue l, so as to be able to shut off any one or more of the coke ovens during
repairs, or for other purposes, without interfering with the others. The coal
to be converted into coke is dropped into the oven through the opening b, or
it may be cast in through the door a, in the usual manner. When the coal is
ignited the gaseous products of combustion escape through the orifices j and
down the flues i into the flues g, g, through which they circulate before
escaping up the flues and along the flues m to the chimney k; by this means

page_text: the floor of the coke oven is heated by the ignited gases which usually escape
into the air and are consequently wasted.
By thus utilizing the waste heat obtained by the ignited gases passing under
the floor of the coke oven we are enable to convert a given quantity of coal
into coke in about one-third less time than is required in the ordinary coke
ovens, we obtain from ten to fifteen per cent, more coke, and the coke produced
is denser and of a better quality.
Having thus stated the nature of our Invention, and described the manner
of performing the same, we wish it to be understood that we do not limit our-
selves to the details given, as the shape of the coke oven may be oval instead
of circular, as shewn, and the number of the flues g may be considerably
varied; but we claim as of our Invention the improved arrangement of flues
for heating the floors of coke ovens by means of the ignited gases escaping
from the coal during the process of coking, as herein-before shewn and
described.
In witness whereof, we, the said John Robert Breckon and Robert
Dixon, have hereunto set our hands and seals, this Seventh day of
June, in the year of our Lord One thousand cight hundred and
sixty.