IMPROVEMENTS IN THE MANUFACTURE AND REBURNING OF ANIMAL CHARCOAL."
Year: 1858

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to John Frederick Brinjes, the younger, of 25, Field-
gate Street, Whitechapel, in the County of Middlesex, and Henry
Joseph Collins, of West Hill, Wandsworth, in the County of Surrey,
Architect, for the Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN THE MANUFACTURE AND
REBURNING OF ANIMAL CHARCOAL."
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said John Frederick Brinjes
and Henry Joseph Collins at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents,
with their Petition, on the 24th March 1858.
We, JOHN FREDERICK BRINJES, the younger, of 25, Fieldgate Street,
Whitechapel, in the County of Middlesex, and HENRY JOSEPH COLLINS, of
West Hill, Wandsworth, in the County of Surrey, Architect, do hereby declare
the nature of the said Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN THE MANUFACTURE
AND REBURNING OF ANIMAL CHARCOAL," to be as follows:-
This Invention relates to a peculiar combination and arrangement of appa-
ratus for manufacturing and reburning animal charcoal, whereby the process
is rendered perfectly inoffensive, as the escape of noxious vapour is altogether
prevented. According to this Invention the retorts, which may be of a
cylindrical or other suitable form, and properly set in brickwork, so as to
afford flue space round them, are placed horizontally, or nearly so, over the
heating furnace, and are each supplied or charged with the materials to be
burnt or revivified by a vertical pipe leading downwards from a hopper, and
opening into one end of the retort. This pipe is fitted internally with an
archimedian screw worked by a pinion and worm wheel for the purpose of

page_text: regulating the feed. The materials are slowly and continuously traversed
through the retorts by another archimedian screw extending along the interior
of the retort, and rotated slowly by means of worms and worm wheels or
other convenient mechanical contrivance driven by power. This latter screw
is fitted with projections for the purpose of more effectually agitating or
stirring the contents of the retort. At the discharge end of each retort is a
chamber having a pipe leading therefrom, and communicating with another
main pipe which carries off the vapours and gases to any suitable apparatus
for collecting or condensing the same, such vapours being prevented from
escaping into the atmosphere until they have been rendered innoxious by
condensation. The bottom side of the chamber above mentioned is furnished
with a receptacle for the charcoal, which receptacle is fitted with three slides,
so as to divide it into three compartments. The two first compartments are
surrounded by flue spaces, whilst the third is beyond the brickwork, so as to
allow the charcoal contained therein to cool before it is finally discharged.
In place of archimedian screws for traversing and agitating the contents of
the retorts, the retorts may be made to revolve, and a screw may be formed
on their interior surfaces, or travelling tables inside the retorts may be used
for the same purpose.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent, filed
by the said John Frederick Brinjes and Henry Joseph Collins in the
Great Seal Patent Office on the 23rd September 1858.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, we, JoпN
FREDERICK BRINJES, the younger, of 25, Fieldgate Street, Whitechapel, in
the County of Middlesex, and HENRY JOSEPH COLLINS, of West Hill, Wands-
worth, in the County of Surrey, Architect, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her Letters
Patent, bearing date the Twenty-fourth day of March, in the year of our Lord
One thousand eight hundred and fifty-eight, in the twenty-first year of Her
reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant unto us, the
said John Frederick Brinjes and Henry Joseph Collins, Her special license
'that we, the said John Frederick Brinjes and Henry Joseph Collins, our
executors, administrators, and assigns, or such others as we, the said John
Frederick Brinjes and Henry Joseph Collins, our executors, administrators,
or 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 law-

page_text: fully 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 MANUFACTURE AND REBURNING OF ANIMAL CHARCOAL,"
upon the condition (amongst others) that we, the said John Frederick Brivjes
and Henry Joseph Collins, by an instrument in writing under our hands and
seals, or under the hand and seal of one of us, should particularly describé
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 Frederick Brinjes and Henry
Joseph Collins, 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, reference being had to the
accompanying Drawings, and to the letters and figures marked thereon, that
is to say :-
Our said Invention relates to a peculiar combination and arrangement of
apparatus for manufacturing and reburning animal charcoal, whereby the
process is rendered perfectly inoffensive, as the escape of noxious vapour is
altogether prevented. According to this Invention the retorts, which may be
of a cylindrical or other suitable form, and properly set in brickwork, so as
to afford flue space round them, are placed horizontally, or nearly so, over
the heating furnace, and are each supplied or charged with the materials to
be burnt or reburnt by a vertical pipe leading downwards from a hopper, and
opening into one end of the retort. This pipe if found desirable may be
fitted internally with an archimedean screw worked by a pinion and worm
wheel for the purpose of regulating the feed. The inaterials are slowly and
continuously traversed through the retorts by another archimedean screw
extending along the interior of the retort, and rotated slowly by means of
worms and worm wheels or other convenient mechanical contrivance driven
by hand or power. This latter screw is fitted with projections for the purpose
of changing the position of the contents of the retort. At the discharge end
of each retort is a chamber having a pipe leading therefrom, and communi-
cating with another main pipe which carries off the vapours and gases to any
suitable apparatus for collecting or condensing the same, such vapours being
prevented from escaping into the atmosphere until they have been rendered
innoxious by condensation. The bottom side of the chamber above mentioned
is furnished with a receiver for the charcoal, which receiver is fitted with
slides, so as to divide it into separate compartments. The upper portion of

page_text: the receiver is surrounded by flue space, whilst the lower portion thereof is
beyond the brickwork, so as to allow the charcoal contained therein to cool
before it is finally discharged. In place of archimedean screws for traversing
and agitating the contents of the retorts, the retorts may be made to revolve,
and a screw may be formed on their interior surfaces, or travelling tables
inside the retorts may be used for the same purpose.
And in order that our said Invention may be fully understood we shall now
proceed more particularly to describe the same, and for that purpose we shall
refer to the several Figures in the Sheet of Drawings hereunto annexed, the
same letters of reference indicating corresponding parts throughout all the
Figures.
Figure 1 of the annexed Sheet of Drawings represents a back elevation of
our apparatus; Figure 2 is a longitudinal vertical section of the same taken
along the line A-B, in Figure 8; Figure 3 is a corresponding sectional plan
of the apparatus taken immediately above the retort; Figure 4 is a front
elevation of the apparatus; Figure 5 is a vertical transverse section of the
same taken along the line C-D, (Figures 2 and 3); and Figure 6 is a trans-
verse vertical section of the retort, furnace, and setting taken along the line
E-F, (Figures 2 and 3). A is the cylindrical retort, which may be composed
either of clay or of wrought or cast iron, and is placed horizontally or nearly
so in the brickwork or setting B, which latter is so constructed as to afford a
clear heating space all round the retort. C is a furnace of any convenient
shape so disposed as to be in immediate communication with the retort
through the several flues and passages indicated by the arrows, which also shew
the direction or course of the draught. The heat and flame after traversing
over and along the sides of the retort, return by the upper flues D to the
descending flue E, which conducts them finally to a chimney conveniently
situated. Placed longitudinally in the interior of the retort is an archimedean
screw F, the spindle or shaft of which works in suitable bearings G, G, in the
end covers of the retort. This screw is driven or rotated at a very low speed
by the aid of an endless screw H and worm wheel I, the latter being keyed
on to the external end of the archimedean screw spindle. The endless screw.
H may be driven by steam or other motive power.
The archimedean screw rotating within the retort will cause the crushed
bones or animal charcoal contained therein to be slowly and steadily traversed
along from end to end of the retort, which is charged at one extremity and
discharged at the opposite extremity. A clear space of at least half an inch
should be left between the circumference of the screw and the internal surface
of the retort for the purpose of allowing a free passage of the vapours and

page_text: gases given off in the burning along the upper side of the retort to the end
thereof, and for preventing the screw from grinding or pulverizing the bones
or charcoal by rubbing them against the sides of the retort. Small shelves or
projections K, K, are interposed at intervals between the spirals of the screw
for the purpose of constantly changing the position of the contents of the
retort, whereby the materials will be more equally acted upon by the heat,
and the vapours and gases given off more freely.
At the charging or front end of the retort is fitted a hopper L for receiving
the crushed bones or animal charcoal which descend therefrom down the con-
ducting tube or pipe M leading to the front extremity of the retort, as is
clearly shewn in Figure 2. This tube or pipe M may or may not be furnished
with an internal feeding screw similar to the one contained within the body
of the retort, but in most cases we find that the screw in this conducting tube
may be dispensed with, the materials to be treated descending by their own
gravity as fast as they are discharged from the opposite end of the retort. A
chamber N is formed at the discharging end of the retort, which chamber is
continued through to the front of the brickwork, and is furnished with a lid
or cover fitted with a bulls-eye O, for affording facility for inspecting the pro-
gress of the operation, and a pipe P leading to any convenient receiving or
condensing apparatus Q for collecting or condensing the vapours and gases
emitted during the process of burning. The bottom side of the chamber N
is fitted with a receiver R, of a width corresponding to the diameter of the
retort, the upper part of such receiver being surrounded by the heating flues
or passages so as to utilise the heat as much as possible, and further burn or
reburn the materials contained therein. To the bottom of the receiver are
fitted a number of wrought-iron cooling tubes S, S, of about one and a quarter
inches internal diameter, and about four feet in length, whereby the charcoal
in its passage through the same will be cooled.
may be varied so as to contain the requisite
prefer to use a sufficient number to contain as
charged into the receiver by four revolutions of the archimedean screw F.
These tubes open at their lower extremities into a box T, fitted with two slides
t, t, in the form of gratings which slide over other gratings fixed inside the box.
These slides are actuated by the lever U on the spindle u, which carries two
other lever arms v and w, the one furnished with a counterweight x, and the
other connected by means of the rod V with a small crank W on the back end
of the screw spindle. By this arrangement the retort is made self-discharging,
as at every revolution of the screw F the slides will be opened and shut so as
to allow as much charcoal to escape as will be discharged into the receiver R
The number of these tubes.
amount of charcoal, and we
much charcoal as will be dis-

page_text: at each revolution of the screw F. Before the slides are connected with the
crank W, and made to open and shut, the receiver R and tubes S, should be
filled, so that the charcoal after it has fallen from the receiver into the tubes
shall have time to become cooled during its passage therethrough by the cir-
culation of the external atmospheric air round the same before being dis-
charged. A cast-iron drying plate or set of fire tiles X is placed over the top
of the upper flues above the retort, upon which the crushed bones or wet
charcoal is laid for the purpose of drying and heating the same before being
introduced into the hopper L, whereby an economy of fuel and space is
obtained.
Although we have only described and illustrated a single retort, any number
of them may be employed and arranged to work together by suitable gearing.
Having now described and particularly ascertained the nature of our said
Invention, and the manner in which the same is or may be used or carried
into effect, we would observe in conclusion, that we do not confine or
restrict ourselves to the precise details or arrangements which we have had
occasion to describe or refer to, as variations may be made therefrom without
deviating from the principles or main features of our said Invention; but what
we consider to be novel and original, and therefore claim as the Invention
secured to us by the herein-before in part recited Letters Patent, is,-
First, the general combination and arrangement of apparatus for manu-
facturing and reburning animal charcoal as herein-before described.
Second, the application and use to and in the manufacture or reburning of
animal charcoal, of retorts placed horizontally or nearly so, which retorts are
charged at one end and emptied at the opposite end continuously by the aid
of archimedean screws or other equivalent mechanical means for traversing
the materials to be operated upon along the entire length of such retorts, as
herein-before described.
In witness whereof, I, the said John Frederick Brinjes, the younger, on
behalf of myself and the said Henry Joseph Collins, have hereunto set
my hand and seal, this Eighteenth day of September, One thousand
eight hundred and fifty-eight.
JOHN FREDERICK BRINJES, JUN. (L.S.)