IMPROVEMENTS IN APPARATUS FOR MAKING ILLUMINATING GAS
Year: 1883

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Maurice Schwab of Manchester in the County of
Lancaster for an Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN APPARATUS FOR MAKING
ILLUMINATING GAS" the result partly of a communication made to him by
Jules Overhoff of Dortmund, Prussia, and partly of invention and discovery
made by him
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Maurice Schwab at the
Office of the Commissioners of Patents on the 24th September 1883.
MAURICE SCHWAB of Manchester in the County of Lancaster "IMPROVEMENTS
IN APPARATUS FOR MAKING ILLUMINATING GAS" [the result partly of a communi-
cation made to him by Jules Overhoff of Dortmund, Prussia, and partly of
invention and discovery made by him]
This invention relates to improvements in the construction of regenerative
furnaces used in the manufacture of illuminating gas whereby better results will
be obtained than heretofore.
.
The generator is situated centrally of the retort setting and is provided with a
grate the centre part of which is horizontal and the sides inclined at a greater or
less anglé. Clinkering doors which have apertures regulated by slides, for the
admission of air, are provided. The above arrangement of the grate gives a large
grate surface and permits of working with a very large fire, which is not the case
in any other existing furnace. The sidewalls of the generator are connected by
a solid arch on the top, separating the Generator completely from the interior
retort setting. The side walls are closer together at the back than in front and the
bottom in the narrow part is inclined upwards
At the far end of the generator is an aperature through which the gases enter a
distributing chamber or passage which runs throughout the entire length of the
bench. In this chamber are retained small particles of coal, coke, dust which
come from the generator and have not been deposited on the slanting bottom_and
it can be readily cleaned by taking out one brick at the back and front. Dust
and particles of coal are thus prevented from passing into the furnace and thence
into the gas and air passages and blocking up the same, which is a great drawback

page_text: in other systems of regenerative furnaces. The gases enter the furnace through
the apertures in the sides of the distribution chamber and mix at once with the
highly heated air and rise to the top.
All air and gas passages are so arranged that an iron scraper can be sent through
from one end to the other.
The walls and arch of the distribution chamber serve as a solid support for the
middle retort which is thus protected from direct action of the fire. The gases
after having heated the retorts descend on the outer sides of the retorts into the
regenerator situated on both sides of the generator. The regenerator is built of
special fire bricks of a flat T shape in which are passages for the air to be heated.
These bricks when placed in position will form passages for the descending heated
gases which heat the air in the other passages. The heated gases are caused to
take a zig-zag course on their way to the main flue. The air enters from the
outside at each side of the furnace and moves upwards in a zig-zag manner
throughout the length of the furnace, through the air passages which run parallel
alongside the gas passages and enters the furnace through an opening at the front
end thereof.
The generator gases entering the passages at the back, and the air necessary for
combustion entering at the front a complete amalgamation of air and gases takes
place and subsequently a uniform heating of the retorts.
The gas and air passages can be regulated by dampers
The regenerator bricks are so formed, that any gas that may escape can never
enter into an air passage, and the air being in close proximity to the gas passages
is highly heated. The gas and air passages can easily be cleaned by simply
pushing a scraper through them.
The setting of the retorts is done in firebricks in any convenient way. The
number of retorts is not limited as the foregoing described construction of generator
and regenerator may be used for any number of retorts.
Blocks are used in the front of the generator to serve as supports for the fuel
and channels are formed in the side walls for water which serves to cool the
supports of the slanting grate which is let into the brickwork.
Other forms of regenerator bricks in which is a zig-zag formed gas passage
surrounded by eight corresponding air passages which run parallel with the gas
passages may be used.

page_text: SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent filed by
the said Maurice Schwab in the Patent Office on the 24th March 1884.
MAURICE SCHWAB of Manchester in the County of Lancaster "IMPROVEMENTS
IN APPARATUS FOR MAKING ILLUMINATING GAS "The result partly of a Communi-
cation made to me by Jules Overboff of Dortmund Prussia and partly of invention
and discovery made by myself
This Invention relates to improvements in the construction of regenerative
furnaces used in the manufacture of illuminating gas whereby better results will
be obtained than heretofore
In the accompanying Drawings Fig: 1 Sheet I is a cross section of a retort-
setting for eight retorts taken on the line A. B. of Fig: 2 and Fig: 2 is a
longitudinal section taken on the line C. D. of Fig: 1.
Fig: 3 Sheet II is a sectional plan taken on the line G. H. of Fig: 1; Fig: 4 is
a sectional elevation on the line E. F. of Fig: 1; and Fig: 5 is a similar view on
the line I. K of Fig: 1; Fig: 6 is a cross section of the special brick used to
form the air and gas passages and Fig: 7 is a sectional plan showing a corner joint.
A is the generator which is placed centrally of the retort-setting and projects
slightly forward of the front wall of the bench.-The generator is fed through the
opening a which is capable of being hermetically closed by a suitable lid.-The
front wall of the generator is formed in steps as shewn at Fig: 2 the blocks p
serving to support the fuel.-These blocks are kept cool by the evaporation of
water which is contained in trays q suitably carried by the walls of the generator.-
The generator is provided with a clinkering door or doors c which have apertures
regulated by slides for the admission of air to support combustion.
The grate is formed of a horizontal portion 6 and inclined sides b¹ 6¹.-The
inclined sides b¹ consist of bars which are hooked at their upper ends and rest on
horizontal rods or bars placed in recesses in the side walls of the generator.-The
lower ends of the side bars rest on the horizontal bottom 6 of the grate.-This
arrangement of grate gives a much larger grate surface than heretofore and
permits of working with a large fire which is not the case in any other existing
furnace.
The side walls of the generator are vertical and are closer together at the rear
than at the front.-They carry a solid arch the whole length of the generator
which entirely separates the generator from the interior of the retort setting.
The bottom of the generator slopes upwards to the rear and the heavier
particles of coal and coke carried away by the draught will settle on the inclined
bottom from which they can be readily raked by the attendant from time to time.
At the rear end of the generator an opening d is made in the crown of the arch
through which the heated gases of combustion pass to a longitudinal chamber e
which is termed the distribution chamber and from which they pass through lateral
openings o to meet the heated air before passing to and around the retorts.-The
chamber e extends the full depth of the bench and acts as a settling chamber for
the fine particles of coal and coke coming from the generator and which have not
been deposited on the sloping bottom and from this chamber the coal and coke dust
may be readily removed on taking out a brick in the front and back walls of the
setting. The coal and coke dust is thus prevented from passing into the air and
gas passages to choke them which is a great drawback in existing systems of
regenerative furnaces.
The gases of combustion passing out at the openings o mix with the highly
heated air coming through the openings L and rise to the top of the setting
between the rows of retorts, heating them on its way.

page_text: The combined gases and air then pass downwards between the outside rows of
retorts and the walls of the setting through the zigzag passages h to the main
Blue Z heating on their way the fresh air which is passing through the air passages 7.
All the air and gas passages are arranged longitudinally of the setting so that
they may be readily cleared out should they at any time become choked.
The gas and air passages are formed of the specially shaped bricks shown at
Fig 6 which are placed together as shewn in the Figure so that there will
be a central passage for the waste gases surrounded by eight air passages.-The
gas will thus be entirely separated from the air while the air is in close proximity
to the heated gases and will become highly heated before coming into contact with
the carbonic oxide and other products of combustion from the generator.
The waste gases pass through the passages h in the direction indicated by
the arrows in Fig: 4 to the main flue Z the draught being regulated by a damper
or dampers S.
The air to support combustion is introduced at the back of the setting at H
the openings being regulated by dampers S¹ and the air passes through the zigzag
passages in the reverse direction to the gases and upwards as shown by the
arrows Fig: 5.
The setting of the retorts is carried out in the ordinary or any other convenient
manner and the number of retorts need not be confined to eight as shown.
By employing the solid arch to the generator in combination with the longi-
tudinal distribution chamber e a solid support is obtained for the middle retort and
none of the retorts are affected by the direct action of the flame.
Between each retort in a row is placed a vertical wall or partition running
longitudinally of the retort which divides the setting in four compartments the
two centre serving as upshafts and the two outside as down shafts for the heating
gases.
Having now described the nature of this Invention for "Improvements in
apparatus for making illuminating gas, and explained the manner of carrying the
Baine into effect, I claim :-
First: A generator for a regenerative furnace constructed with a solid arch,
contracting walls, and a sloping bottom, in combination with a longitudinal central
chamber situated above it, and having openings in the sides for distributing the
heated gases of combustion substantially as and for the purpose set forth.
Second: In a regenerative gas furnace, the arrangement of grate substantially
as herein shown and described, whereby greater, heating surface is secured than
heretofore.
'
Third: Ina regenerative gas furnace, the arrangement of passages for the air
and the heated gases of combustion substantially as herein shown and described,
whereby the cleaning and examination of these passages is greatly facilitated as
set forth.
Fourth In a regenerative gas furnace, the mode of constructing the passages for
the heated gases of combustion and air, as herein shown and described.
In witness whereof I the said Maurice Schwab have hereunto set my hand and
seal the 21st day of March in the year of our Lord One thousand eight hundred
and eighty four.