Year: 1896

page_text: I, PETER JEBSEN of Dale in Bruvik Norway Manufacturer do hereby declare the
nature of this inventon and in what manner the same is to be performed to be
particularly described and ascertained in and by the following statement:-
In the production of peat charcoal, furnaces or retorts heated from within or
from without have been used, the peat being contained therein during the car-
bonizing process, and a fire place being provided for the purpose, and arranged
to burn a certain amount of peat and to give off heat directly or indirectly to the
peat material treated. A theoretical investigation as well as practical experiments
show however, that the amount of heat which has to be carried to the peat for
producing carbonization is very small compared with the heat represented by the
peat burnt for the purpose; this is not only owing to the circumstance that a great
amount of heat is lost in all fireplaces by radiation, and conduction and carried
away by the escaping products of combustion, but also in a material degree owing
to the special circumstance with peat, that it possesses such a very small heat
conducting property, wherefore there are special difficulties in carrying out the
heating in a rational manner.
The case is however quite different if acording to my invention electric heating
is applied as electric heating bodies such as wire helices and the like cast into
an electrically insulating mass which is a bad heat conductor can be brought into
direct contact with the peat and be so arranged that the peat to a material degree
can take up the heat by radiation from the heat bodies.
If the process be for instance carried out in a retort its inner walls are covered
with asbestos or other heat insulating material, and the electric heat bodies are
applied to the inside of this material and also for instance in the midst of the
retort or in several rows within its hollow space. The peat will then be heated
directly by the electric heat bodies while the retort itself does not become much
heated. Radiation and loss of heat to surrounding parts of the apparatus are thus
quite avoided.
On the accompanying drawing is shewn in part sectional elevation an apparatus
for carrying my invention into effect. Three pivotted retorts A are shewn. Each
retort is mounted at about the middle of its height or length in pivots B which work
in bearings C on the framework D that is preferably provided with wheels E for
running on rails. The left hand retort A is shewn in the upright closed working

page_text: position, the middle one in the horizontal position, and the right hand one in the
turned over position in the act of being emptied of its contents, the lid H being
opened. The inner walls of the retorts are covered with a lining F of asbestos
or other suitable heat insulating material and the electric heat bodies, here shewn
in the form of ordinary iron wire Gare coiled on the inside of the asbestos lining F;
wire G¹ is also coiled round a covering Fofasbestos or other suitable heat insulator
on a central hollow part A¹ of the retort.. The wires form a resistance in an electric
circuit the mains for which pass through the pivots B; the wires may be partly
embedded in the asbestos.
By this heating process the peat is evenly heated from within as well as from
without and the duration of the heating process can thereby be reduced to 10 to
20 minutes. As there are facilities for the employment of water power in most
places where there are peat bogs, the working expenses come very cheap, and as
electric heating requires much less looking after than a fireplace the costs of labour
become small, so that peat charcoal made by this process will be produced much
cheaper than by the older methods.
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. In the production of peat charcoal the heating of the peat material by means
of electric heat bodies applied in the retorts or receptacles wherein the peat is
enclosed as described.
2. For the process firstly claimed the application and use of apparatus.constructed
as described and shown.
י
.
1000
JENSEN & SON,
77, Chancery Lane, London, W.C., Patent Agents.