Improvements in Distilling Shale, Coal, or other Oil and Tar Yielding Minerals, and in Retorts therefor.
Year: 1889

page_text: Date of Application, 14th June, 1889
Complete Specification Left; 13th Mar., 1890-Accepted, 19th Apr., 1890
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Distilling Shale, Coal, or other Oil and Tar
Yielding Minerals, and in Retorts therefor.
We, ALEXANDER NEILSON, Manager of Walkinshaw Oil Works, Inkerman
Renfrewshire and WILLIAM BLACK of the firm of William Black & Sons, Coalmasters,
Stanrigg Airdrie, Lanarkshire, do hereby declare the nature of this invention to be as
follows:-
This Invention has for its object improvements in distilling shale, coal, or other
bituminous or carbonaceons substances to obtain the gases liquid and other products
in an improved and economical manner.
A
The improved retort or chamber is built of firebrick in the form of a large cylinder
and preferably encased by a shell of sheet iron or other material to exclude air.
door piece or a hopper is fixed on the top, to which the sheet iron or other material is
securely jointed. A door or doors which may also be jointed to the shell is or are
also fixed at the bottom for drawing off refuse from the retort. At or immediately
above the lower doors a jet of steam is introduced, and also a supply of air is admitted
both of which can be regulated according to the heat required. The retorts may be
built singly or in groups, but no arrangement for furnaces or flues is required, the
whole heating being obtained from the combustion of the material within the retort
itself.
The retort or chamber, when applied to shale distillation for oil and other
products, is preferably built vertical and is of great height and large dimensions,
and it may be oblong at bottom, tapering slightly, and regularly, narrower toward the
top.
The action of the retort is practically continuous, a portion being drawn from the
bottom, and another fresh portion charged at the top at regular intervals. The
contents of one retort may extend to 50 tons or more, one fifth part or thereby being
drawn from it and an equal quantity added daily, thus ensuring the material to be
under the action of the heated vapours or gases for four or five days. The outlet or
outlets for vapours or gases are at the top part of the retort and when used for
obtaining liquid products these are connected to the usual arrangements of hydraulic
mains, scrubbers and condensers.
In carrying out the invention in connection with shale distillation for oil and other
liquid products the retort is heated up and a quantity of spent shale left in the lower
part of retort, the upper part being charged with fresh shale, and a jet of steam with
the necessary amount of air is admitted at bottom to carry on the combustion of the
carbon in the spent shale, the hot vapours or gases from which pass up through the
mass of fresh shale whereby the oil products are distilled under the most favourable
circumstances..
In order to regulate and control the heat, as also to improve the quality of the
products, steam, gas from scrubbers spent ammonia or limed water may be introduced
at suitable points a little above the combustion jets and in cases in which there is
insufficient carbon in the spent material to maintain the necessary heat inside the
retort, a small quantity of coke-breeze, cinder or anthracite coal may be charged along
with the material being operated on.
Dated this Thirteenth day of June 1889.
CRUIKSHANK & FAIRWEATHER,
62, Saint Vincent Street, Glasgow, Agents.

page_text: COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Distilling Shale, Coal, or other Oil and Tar
Yielding Minerals, and in Retorts therefor.
We, ALEXANDER NEILSON, Manager, of Walkinshaw Oil Works, Inkerman
Renfrewshire, and WILLIAM BLACK of the firm of William Black and Sons, Coalmasters,
Stanrigg, Airdrie, Lanarkshire, do hereby declare the nature of this invention and in
what manner the same is to be performed, to be particularly described and ascertained
in and by the following statement :-
This Invention has for its object improvements in distilling shale coal or other
bituminous or carbonaceous substances to obtain the gases liquid and other products
in an improved and economical manner.
The improved retort or chamber is or may be built of fire brick in the form of
a large cylinder or other form and preferably encased by a shell of sheet iron or
other material to exclude air. A door piece or a hopper is fixed on the top to
which the sheet iron or other material is securely jointed. A door or doors which
may also be jointed to the shell is or are also fixed at the bottom for drawing off
refuse from the retort. At or immediately above the lower doors a jet or jets of
steam is introduced and also a supply of air is admitted both of which can be
regulated according to the heat required. The retorts may be built singly or in
groups but no arrangement for furnaces or flues is required the whole heating
being obtained from the combustion of the material within the retort itself.
The retort or chamber when applied to sbale distillation for oil or other
products is preferably built vertical and is of great height and large dimensions
and it may be oblong at bottom tapering slightly aud regularly narrower toward
the top.
The action of the retort is practically continuous a portion being drawn from
the bottom and another fresh portion charged at the top at regular intervals. The
contents of one retort may extend to 50 tons or more one fifth part or thereby
being drawn from it and an equal quantity added daily thus ensuring the material to
be under the action of the heated vapours or gases for four or five days, or as long as
may be found necessary for exhausting the material. The outlet or outlets for
vapours or gases are at the top part of the retort and when used for obtaining liquid
products they are connected to the usual arrangements of hydraulic mains, scrubbers
and condensers.
In carrying out the Invention in connection with shale distillation for oil and other
liquid products the retort is heated up and a quantity of spent shale left in the lower
part of the retort the upper part being charged with fresh shale and a jet of steam
with the necessary amount of air is admitted at bottom to carry on the combustion of
the carbon in the spent shale the hot vapours or gases from which pass up through
the mass of fresh shale whereby the oil products are distilled under the most favorable
circumstances.
In order to regulate and control the heat as also to improve the quality of the
products steam, gas from scrubbers spent ammonia or limed water may be introduced
at suitable points a little above the combustion jets and in cases in which there is
insufficient carbon in the spent material to maintain the necessary heat inside the
retort a small quantity of coke breeze, cinder or anthracite coal or other carbonaceous
matter may be charged along with the material being operated on.
In the accompanying drawings which illustrate the invention figure 1 is an end
elevation. figure 2 a front view partly in section and figure 3 a plan of a modification
of a series of the improved retorts as made of cylindrical form whilst figures 4, 5
and 6 are similar views of a modification in which the retorts are of rectangular form
in plan.
The retorts represented at figures 1, 2 and 3 are each composed of a cylindrical
vessel A, built of fire brick throughout its entire length and bound with an iron shell.
At the bottom part a cone B of cast iron or other suitable material is placed so that

page_text: the point of the cone projects upwards into the retort. There are also four outlets C
provided with door pieces and doors through the brickwork and shell of the retort,
these outlets being provided for drawing off the exhausted material from the retort,
the cone being set in the centre to split up and divide the mass of descending material
so that the drawing may be regular and even. On the top of the cylinder is fitted a
hopper D, provided with door pieces and doors for charging the material. The
outlets E for vapours are taken off the shell A at a part where the outlet pipes are
covered by an inside cone F so that no material can get into them.
In the operation of the retort steam with a regulated supply of air is admitted by
pipes G immediately above the outlet doors C at bottom and also by pipes G' shewn
inside the cone B access to which is got by doorways through the brick seat. Steam,
limed water or other cooling agents may be introduced further up on the retort if
found necessary or desirable and when water is so introduced the use of steam may
be dispensed with. A platform H and spy holes are provided for ascertaining the
condition of the material within the retort.
As represented at figures 4, 5 and 6 the retort or chamber may be built of
rectangular form and preferably tapering narrower on two sides towards the top, to
avoid any hang or choking of material when the retort is in operation. The retort is
in this example shown as built with a lining of fire brick and an inner shell or lining I
of sheet iron from the top down to the top of the outlet doors, with common firebrick
below, the whole being securely bound by both vertical and horizontal binders. At
the bottom a V shaped plate B of iron or other suitable material is placed across in
the centre of retort so that the descending mass of spent material is split up and led
away one half to each side to the outlet doors where it is drawn out into hutches or
other convenient receptacles.
The retorts, circular or rectangular may be built singly or in groups but no
arrangement for furnaces or external flues is required the whole heating being
obtained from the combustion of the material within the retort itself, and applied
internally whilst the great bulk of material within the retort ensures that the requisite
high temperature for exhausting the products will be maintained.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of the said inven-
tion and in what manner the same is to be performed, we declare that what we
claim is
-
1. The method of distilling shale coal or other oil and tar yielding minerals and
which consists in subjecting the material in great bulk within a retort to the action of
the heated gases produced by combustion with air and steam of the partially spent
material which has reached the lower part of the retort in lieu of applying external
heat, substantially as described..
2. The improved construction and arrangement of continuous retorts for distilling
shale, coal or other tar yielding minerals, substantially as described.
3. For distilling shale, coal or other oil and tar yielding minerals a continuous
retort made in the form of a vertical stalk or furnace without external heating flues
and in which distillation is effected entirely by the combustion of the partially spent
material to which air and steam are admitted substantially as described.
Dated this Twelfth day of March 1890.
CRUIKSHANK & FAIRWEATHER,
62, Saint Vincent Street, Glasgow, Agents.