IMPROVEMENTS IN APPARATUS FOR THE DISTILLATION OF COAL AND PEAT, AND SUCH OTHER SUBSTANCES AS ARE OR MAY BE USED FOR THE MANUFACTURE OF SOLID AND LIQUID VOLATILE HYDROCARBONS, OR FOR THE MANUFACTURE OF THE SAID HYDROCARBONS AND COKE
Year: 1863

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to William Mattieu Williams, of Oak Alyn, near
Wrexham, in the County of Denbigh, Manufacturer, for the Invention of
"IMPROVEMENTS IN APPARATUS FOR THE DISTILLATION OF COAL AND PEAT,
AND SUCH OTHER SUBSTANCES AS ARE OR MAY BE USED FOR THE MANUFACTURE
OF SOLID AND LIQUID VOLATILE HYDROCARBONS, OR FOR THE MANUFACTURE OF
THE SAID HYDROCARBONS AND COKE."
Sealed the 3rd May 1864, and dated the 18th November 1863.
PROVISIONAL, SPECIFICATION left by the said William Mattieu Williams
at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on the
18th November 1863.
I, WILLIAM MATTIEU WILLIAMS, of Oak Alyn, near Wrexham, in the
, County of Denbigh, Manufacturer, do hereby declare the nature of the said
Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN APPARATUS FOR THE DISTILLATION OF COAL
AND PEAT, AND SUCH OTHER SUBSTANCES AS ARE OR MAY BE USED FOR THE MANUFAC-
TURE OF SOLID AND LIQUID VOLATILE HYDROCARBONS, OR FOR THE MANUFACTURE OF
THE SAID HYDROCARBONS AND COKE," to be as follows:-
My Invention consists of the improvements herein-after described on
Inventions for which Letters Patent were granted to me bearing date the
Twenty-first day of December, in the year of our Lord One thousand eight
hundred and sixty-one, No. 3208, and the Third day of July, One thousand
eight hundred and sixty-two, No. 1940, respectively.
In order that my present Invention may be the more readily understood I

page_text: remark that the Invention for which Letters Patent were granted on the
Twenty-first of December, One thousand eight hundred and sixty-one,
No. 3208, consists essentially in so arranging the distillatory apparatus that
the heat is applied to the top of the distillatory vessel or retort instead of at
the bottom or around the retort as commonly practised, and that the Inven-
tion for which Letters Patent were granted on the Third day of July, One
thousand eight hundred and sixty-two, No. 1940, consists essentially in con-
ducting the distillation in a progressive manner, by placing the matter under
treatment on trays, which trays are passed from the cooler to the hotter part
of the retort, and removed from the said retort at a lateral opening at the
hottest part.
The improvements constituting my present Invention are as follows:-
Instead of confining the heat exclusively to the top of the retort I build the
furnace by which the distillation is effected under that end of the retort from
which the trays containing the residual coke are removed. The furnace has
side flues similar to those of a gas-retort furnace, and the retort is heated at
the hottest or furnace end to about the same temperature as that employed in
the manufacture of coal gas. The side flues described extend to about the
length of one of the trays employed. The heat afterwards passes by a flue
along the top only of the retort, if coal, or shale, or other substance containing
but little or no water be used; but when peat containing much water is used,
I make the retort longer and place a barrier on the top of the flue, so that
before reaching the end of the retort the heat shall descend by side flues, and
then pass all round the remainder of the retort by a circuitous course, in order
that as much as possible of the residual heat from the flue shall be taken up
and economically applied to the evaporation of the water from the peat. This
barrier is so placed, in relation to the size of the fire and length of flue, that
the heated gases of the flue may commence their descent when they have
cooled down to about the temperature at which the first or most volatile of the
valuable hydrocarbons are given off. By this arrangement the coal or peat,
or other substance operated upon, is exposed only to the action of heat from
above, until nearly the whole of the volatile products which it will yield have
been expelled from it, while the residual coke is, before being withdrawn from
the retort, subjected to heat both below and at its sides as well as on its top.
There is thus produced the maximum amount of. volatile liquid hydrocarbons,
while the residual coke is wholly deprived of all volatile matter and its quality
thereby improved.
I make the retort of wrought or cast iron, or of a combination of wrought
and cast iron, or of a combination of iron and brick. When I make the

page_text: retort of iron I protect it from the direct action of the fire by means of fire-
clay tiles. I prefer to incline the retort downwards from the end at which the
charge trays are introduced to that from which they are withdrawn, as the
motion of the trays is thereby facilitated; and, instead of withdrawing the
trays by a lateral opening, I pass them straight through the retort, with-
drawing them at the furnace end at an opening opposite to that at which they
were introduced. When the retort is fixed horizontally I prefer to move the
trays by drawing them with a chain or otherwise than by making the tray last
introduced push forward the others. In order the more effectually to remove
the volatile products formed at the hottest portion of the retort from the
decomposing influence of the heated surface of the retort, and to improve the
quality of the coke by removing some of the sulphur it may contain, I intro-
duce a jet of steam at the said hottest portion of the retort, which said steam
jet carries with it the condensable vapours to the cool end of the retort. Or,
instead of steam, a fine jet of water may be introduced so as to form steam in
the hottest part of the retort, whereby the same effect is produced as when
steam is introduced.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent, filed
by the said William Mattieu Williams in the Great Seal Patent Office
on the 12th May 1864.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, WILLIAM
MATTIEU WILLIAMS, of Oak Alyn, near Wrexham, in the County of Denbigh,
Manufacturer, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her Letters
Patent, bearing date the Eighteenth day of November, in the year of our
Lord One thousand eight hundred and sixty-three, in the twenty-seventh year
of Her reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give. and grant unto
me, the said William Mattieu Williams, Her special licence that I, the said
William Mattieu Williams, my executors, administrators, and assigns,. or
such others as I, the said William Mattieu Williams, my executors, admi-
nistrators, 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 APPARATUS FOR THE DISTILLATION
OF COAL AND PEAT AND SUCH OTHER SUBSTANCES AS ARE OR MAY BE USED FOR THE

page_text: MANUFACTURE OF SOLID AND LIQUID VOLATILE HYDROCARBONS, OR FOR THE MANUFAC-
TURE OF THE SAID HYDROCARBONS AND COKE," upon the condition (amongst others)
that I, the said William Mattieu Williams, my executors or administrators,
by an instrument in writing under my, or their, or one of 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 I, the said William Mattieu Williams, do hereby
declare the nature of the said Invention, and in what manner the same is
to be performed, to be particularly described and aseertained in and by the
following statement thereof, that is to say :-
My Invention consists of the improvements herein-after described on
Inventions for which Letters Patent were granted to me, bearing date the
Twenty-first day of December, in the year of our Lord One thousand eight
hundred and sixty-one, No. 3208, and the Third day of July, One thousand
eight hundred and sixty-two, No. 1940, respectively.
In order that my present Invention may be the more readily understood, I
remark that the Invention for which Letters Patent were granted on the
Twenty-first day of December, One thousand eight hundred and sixty-one,
No. 3208, consists essentially in so arranging the distillatory apparatus that
the beat is applied to the top of the distillatory vessel or retort instead of at
the bottom or around the retort, as commonly practised; and that the Inven-
tion for which Letters Patent were granted on the Third day of July, One
thousand eight hundred and sixty-two, No. 1940, consists essentially in
conducting the distillation in a progressive manner, by placing the matter
under treatment on trays, which trays are passed from the cooler to the hotter
part of the retort, and removed from the said retort at a lateral opening at
the hottest part.
The improvements constituting my present Invention are as follows:-
Instead of confining the heat exclusively to the top of the retort, I build the
furnace by which the distillation is effected under that end of the retort from
which the trays containing the residual coke are removed. The furnace has
side flues similar to those of a gas retort furnace, and the retort is heated at
the hottest or furnace end to about the same temperature as that employed in
the manufacture of coal gas. The side flues described extend to about the
length of one of the trays employed. The heat afterwards passes by a flue
along the top only of the retort, if coal or shale, or other substance containing

page_text: but little or no water be used, but when peat containing much water is used
I make the retort longer and place a barrier on the top of the flue, so that
before reaching the end of the retort the heat shall descend by side flues, and
then pass all round the remainder of the retort by a circuitous course, in order
that as much as possible of the residual heat from the flue shall be taken up
and economically applied to the evaporation of the water from the
This
peat.
barrier is so placed in relation to the size of. the fire and length of flue that
the heated gases of the flue may commence their descent when they have
cooled down to about the temperature at which the first or most volatile of
the valuable hydrocarbons are given off. By this arrangement the coal or peat
or other substance operated upon is exposed only to the action of heat from
above until nearly the whole of the volatile hydrocarbons which it will yield
have been expelled from it, while the residual coke is, before being withdrawn
from the retort, subjected to heat both below and at its sides, as well as on its
top. There is thus produced the maximum amount of volatile liquid hydro-
carbons, while the residual coke is wholly deprived of volatile matter and its
quality thereby improved.
I make the retort of wrought or cast iron, or of a combination of wrought
and cast iron, or of a combination of iron and brick. When I make the retort
of iron I protect it from the direct action of the fire by means of fire-clay
tiles. I prefer to incline the retort downwards from the end at which the
charged trays are introduced to. that from which they are withdrawn, as the
motion of the trays is thereby facilitated, and instead of withdrawing the trays
by a lateral opening I pass them straight through the retort, withdrawing
them at the furnace end at an opening opposite to that at which they were
introduced. When the retort is fixed horizontally I prefer to move the trays
by drawing them with a chain or otherwise, than by making the tray last
introduced push forward the others. In order the more effectually to remove
the volatile products formed at the hottest portion of the retort from the
decomposing influence of the heated surface of the retort, and to improve the
quality of the coke by removing some of the sulphur it may contain, I
introduce a jet of steam at the said hottest portion of the retort, which said
steam jet carries with it the condensable vapours to the cool end of the
retort. Or instead of steam a fine jet of water may be introduced, so as to
form steam in the hottest part of the retort, whereby the same effect is pro-
duced as when steam is introduced.
Having explained the nature of my Invention, I will proceed to describe,
with reference to the accompanying Drawing, the manner in which the same
is to be performed.

page_text: Figure 1 represents, in longitudinal vertical section, a retort or distillatory
apparatus for the manufacture of volatile hydrocarbons and coke constructed
according to my Invention; Figure 2 represents a transverse vertical section
taken through the line a of Figure 1; and Figure 3 a transverse vertical
section taken through the line 6 of "Figure 1; Figure 4 represents an end
elevation of the same. The same letters indicate the same parts in each
Figure of the Drawing.
The furnace c, c, may either be single or double, but I prefer to make the
furnace double, as represented in Figure 2. The said furnace c, c, is placed
under the end d' of the retort or distillatory vessel d, that is, the end from
which the trays containing the residual coke are removed. The fire and
heated air from the furnace c, c, pass at first by the side flues e, e, and by a
top flue fcommunicating with the said side flues e, e. The said side flues e
extend to only about one-fourth of the length of the distillatory vessel d. The
fire and heated air afterwards pass along the top flue f only into the stack g.
By this arrangement the retort is heated at the end d2 at bottom, top, and
sides. From the furnace c to about one-fourth the length of the retort, it is
heated at its top and sides only, and the remaining portion is heated only at
the top. This arrangement is suitable for the distillation of coal or shale or
other substance containing but little or no water; but when peat containing
much water is used I make the distillatory apparatus longer than is represented
in the Drawing, and after the heated air has passed along the top of the distillatory
vessel d I make the said heated air before passing to the stack 9 descend and
circulate around the said distillatory vessel d, both at the bottom and sides, as
well as at its top, before the said heated air passes to the stack g; this circu-
Intion of the heated air about the lengthend end d³ of the retort may be effected
by constructing side and bottom flues around that end of the said retort, and
placing a barrier in the top flue f, so as to deflect the heated air from the top
flue into the said side and bottom flues, from whence it passes again to the
top flue f and to the stack g; or the heated air- may be
helical course about the lengthened end d³ of the retort.
in this way economically applied to the evaporation of the
I make the sides of the retort, by preference, of cast iron, and the top and
bottom of the retort of wrought iron, the sides and bottom of the retort being
coated or covered with fire-brick. I protect the top of the retort from the
direct action of the fire by means of fire-clay tiles h laid on the top of the
retort. I prefer to incline the retort d, so that the end d³, at which the
charged trays are introduced is higher than the end d2, from which they are
withdrawn. The trays pass directly through the retort d, the opening at which
made to perform a
The residual heat is
water from the peat.

page_text: they are withdrawn being opposite to that at which they were introduced.
The manner in which the ends of the retort are closed will be understood by
an examination of Figure 4. When the retort is inclined in the manner
described, the series of trays may be moved by being pushed forward by the
introduction of a fresh charged tray, but when the retort is horizontal I prefer
to connect the trays together by books or otherwise, and to draw them at the
end d. The rails on which the trays travel are marked i, and one of the trays
is represented in Figure 2 and marked k.
By the arrangement of the distillatory apparatus described and represented,
the coal or peat or other substance operated upon is exposed (in the case of
peat after having been dried) to the action of heat from above only, until
nearly the whole of the volatile hydrocarbons which it will yield have been
expelled from it, and the residual coke before being withdrawn from the retort
is heated both below and at its sides, as well as on its top. The maximum
amount of volatile hydrocarbons is thus produced from the substance operated
upon, and the residual coke wholly deprived of volatile matter. The jet
of steam which I employ to effect the more rapid removal of the volatile
products from the hottest part of the retort, as well as to desulphurize the
coke produced, may either be obtained from an ordinary steam boiler, and
introduced at the end d' of the retort, or a jet of water may be introduced at
the end d of the retort from the tank or cistern 1, Figure 1. The said
cistern is connected by a pipe n to the end d² of the retort, and by means
of a stop-cock m in the pipe n the water may be admitted or cut off, or its
flow regulated at pleasure. The introduction of water into the retort from the
cistern may also be employed for the purpose of rapidly reducing the tem-
perature of the retort when from carelessness or accident the retort is over-
heated. This overheating of the retort is indicated by an excessive production
of incondensable inflammable gas which issues from the waste gas pipe
attached to the condenser. When the retort is overheated a larger quantity
of water is allowed to pass by the pipe n into the retort than is usually.
required for carrying away the hydrocarbon vapours from the hot to the cool
end of the retort. In this case the water introduced is evaporated, and the
temperature of the retort thereby rapidly reduced, the steam produced
removing quickly the vapours from the hot end just at the time when they
would be most exposed to decomposition from the increased temperature of
the retort. Instead of placing a tank or cistern on the top of the distillatory
apparatus, as represented in Figure 1, from which water is allowed to pass to
the retort where it is evaporated, a closed water tank may be placed under
the fire-bars of the furnace c, c, from which tank a pipe opens into the retort.

page_text: The heat from the furnace produces steam in the tank, which steam passes by
the pipe described to the retort.
Having now described the nature of my Invention, and the manner in
which the same is to be performed, I wish it to be understood that I do not
limit myself to the precise details herein described and represented, as the
same may be varied without departing from the nature of my Invention; but
I claim as my Invention,
Firstly, the improvements in apparatus for the distillation of coal and peat,
and such other substances as are or may be used for the manufacture of solid
and liquid volatile hydrocarbons, or for the manufacture of the said hydro-
carbons and coke, herein-before described and illustrated in the accompanying
Drawing, that is to say, arranging or combining the parts of the said distillatory
apparatus in the manner described and represented, whereby the coal or other
substance under treatment is first exposed to the action of heat from above,
and afterwards exposed to heat both below and at its sides as well as on its
top, and the residual coke removed at the furnace end of the apparatus at an
opening opposite to that at which the coal or other substance was introduced;
or when peat or other substance containing water is under treatment,
lengthening the cool end of the distillatory. apparatus, and causing the heat
to circulate around the said peat or other substance before it passes to the
stack.
Secondly, introducing a jet of steam or a jet of water into the hottest end
of the distillatory apparatus in the ways described and represented for
removing the condensable vapours from the hot to the cool end of the distil-
latory apparatus, and for reducing the temperature of the said apparatus, and
for desulphurizing the coke produced when the matter operated upon contains
sulphur.
In witness whereof, I, the said William Mattieu Williams, have hereunto
set my hand and seal, this Seventh day of May, in the year of our
Lord One thousand eight hundred and sixty-four.
WILLIAM MATTIEU WILLIAMS. (L.B.)
Witness,
THOMAB W. BAKER,
Oak Alyn,
near Wrexham.