Improvements in Apparatus or Furnaces for Producing Gas from Carbonaceous Matter.
Year: 1895

page_text: Date of Application, 29th Jan., 1895
Complete Specification Left, 28th Oct., 1895-Accepted, 30th Nov., 1895
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Apparatus or Furnaces for Producing Gas from
Carbonaceous Matter.
I, CHARLES WILLIAM PINKNEY, of 1 Raglan Road, Smethwick, in the
County of Stafford, Engineer, do hereby declare the nature of this invention to be
as follows:-
:-
My invention relates to apparatus, or furnaces, for producing gas from
carbonaceous matter, and has for its principal object to provide means whereby
the more volatile hydrocarbons, or tarry matters, can be readily, and efficiently,
converted into fixed, or permanent, gases in the generator.
According to my invention I provide (within a suitable casing if necessary) a
space for the lower portion of the fire, below this space being the outlet for the
gas produced, and above it a continuation of the fire space, the said continuation
being constituted by vertical, or inclined, bars, or grating, around which is a casing,
or enclosure, into which steam and air are admitted. Above the said bars, or
grating, the fire space is continued, and terminates in a hopper by which the green
fuel is fed into the apparatus. The lowest part of the fire space may terminate
in a water well or lute to enable the ashes to be withdrawn without stopping
the working of the apparatus.
When the apparatus is at work, after the fire has been started, say to about the
middle of the bars, or grating, and green fuel has been supplied above this, the
steam and air are admitted into the space surrounding the bars, or grating, and
passing therethrough will pass down through the hot fuel beneath and be
decomposed and take up carbon from the fuel, and at the same time, the green
fuel above, gives up its volatile hydrocarbons, or tarry compounds, which also pass
down with the steam and air, and the whole is converted into gas well suited for
instance for use in gas engines, after it has been passed through scrubbers, or other
devices, that may be necessary to treat it to fit it for use.
The bars, or grating, aforesaid may be arranged in any suitable manner such as
vertically in a circle, or in an inclined position, so that the space they enclose is
narrower below than above; the fire space below preferably in larger at its lower
part than at its upper part. Doors, or openings, for lighting, stirring, and
inspection, may be provided at any suitable parts of the apparatus.
The steam, or the air, or both, may be superheated before they are admitted to
the fuel, and this may be effected, by passing them through pipes surrounding
the bars or grating or the fire space or the bars or grating may constitute the
said pipes.
Dated this 20th day of January 1805
JOHNSONS & WILLCOX,
47 Lincoln's Inn Fields, London, W.C., Agents for the Applicant.

page_text: Improvements in Apparatus or Furnaces for Producing Gas from
Carbonaceous Matter.
I CHARLES WILLIAM PINKNEY, of 1 Raglan Road, Smethwick in the
County of Stafford, Engineer, 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 relates to apparatus, or furnaces, for producing gas from
carbonaceous matter, and has for its principal object to provide means whereby the
more volatile hydrocarbons or tarry matters, can be readily, and efficiently,
converted into fixed, or permanent gases in the generator.
According to this invention 1 provide (within a suitable casing if necessary) a
space for the lower portion of the fire, below this space being the outlet for the gas
produced, and above it a continuation of the fire space, the said continuation being
constituted by vertical, or inclined, bars, or grating, around which is a casing, or
enclosure, into which steam and air are admitted. Above the said bars, or grating,
the fire space is continued, and terminates in a hopper by which the green fuel is
fed into the apparatus. The lowest part of the fire space may terminate in a water
well, or lute, to enable the ashes to be withdrawn without stopping the working of
the apparatus.
When the apparatus is at work, after the fire has been started, say to about the
middle of the bars, or grating, and green fuel has been supplied above this, the
steam and air are admitted into the space surrounding the bars, or grating, and
passing therethrough will pass down through the hot fuel beneath and be decom-
posed and take up carbon from the fuel, and at the same time the green fuel above,
gives up its volatile hydrocarbons, or tarry compounds, which also pass down with
the steam and air, and the whole is converted into gas well suited for instance for
use in gas engines, after it has been passed through scrubbers, or other devices,
that may be necessary to treat it to fit it for use.
The bars, or grating, aforesaid may be arranged in any suitable manner such as
vertically in a circle, or in an inclined position, so that the space they enclose is
narrower below than above; the fire space below being preferably larger at its
lower part than at its upper part. Doors, or openings, for lighting, stirring, and
inspection, may be provided at any suitable parts of the apparatus.
The steam, or the air, or both, may be superheated before they are admitted to
the fuel, and this may be effected by passing them through pipes surrounding the
bars, or grating, or the fire space, or the bars, or grating, may constitute the said
pipes.
In order that this invention may be well understood I have illustrated in the
accompanying drawings an apparatus, or furnace, constructed in accordance
therewith.
Figure 1 is a vertical section of the apparatus and Figure 2 is a plan.
Figure 3 is a section of the lower part of the apparatus at right angles to
Figure 1 and
Figures 4 and 5 are modifications as hereinafter described.
The circular casing A, is made of steel tightly rivetted together at the joints,
the top plate B, being securely bolted to the said casing A, to prevent any of the
hydrocarbons leaking into the atmosphere. Surrounding about the middle, or
towards the upper portion, of the furnace is a vertical grating C, inside the box D,
the space, between the grating C and box D, forming a passage for steam and air
to enter through the grating C.

page_text: The
In Figure 1 the grating C, is shewn inclined, or of conical form, with the smaller
part downwards, but it can be vertical as shewn in Figure 4 if desired.
casing A, is lined with firebrick E, or its equivalent. The part F, of the furnace
extending from the grating C, to the outlets G, is preferably taper, as shewn in
Figure 1 (the larger part being at bottom). The doors H, are for clinkering and
cleaning purposes. Underneath the furnace at L, is a water lute, or seal, for
clinkering purposes, when the generator is required to work continuously. The
continuation J is formed slightly conical, to prevent the fire inside the furnace from
falling too quickly when the ashes, or clinkers, are being removed from the
space K, in the water seal L, in the chamber M. The boles lined with tubes N
are for stirring purposes, and are made secure, when working, by the heavy seated
plugs O. The fuel is fed through the hopper P. Q is the blower box, and Q¹
the steam and air inlet passage. Several blowers can be used, if desired, at
different parts to ensure the steam and air passing around the grating C. R is a
pipe used when starting to drain off any water of condensation caused by the steam
coming into contact with cool surfaces, a cock being fixed at the outer end of the
said pipe R, to be closed when the apparatus is at work. Any ash, can be removed
from the box D through the doors S. If it be desired to superheat the steam
before it passes into the fuel in the furnace any suitable arrangement of super-
heating pipes can be used for example a coil of steam pipes can be put inside the
box D, close up to grating C, as shewn in Figure 4, or the grating bars can be
made of tubing through which the steam, on its way from the boiler to the blower,
can be made to pass, thereby becoming highly heated. This is shewn in Figure 5.
When the apparatus is to be put into operation water is placed in the chamber M
to the predetermined height, and the continuation J is filled with ashes, or small
fuel, to a level, or about a level, with the outlet G, and the hopper valve T is
opened and a fire is lighted through the clinker doors H, which fire should be
continued until it reaches the middle of the grating C. This can be seen by
removing one of the doors S. The furnace is then filled up with fuel, and the
doors H, S, and hopper valve T, are closed, and steam is turned on at the blower
box Q, which steam will mix with atmospheric air on its way down the passage Q',
into the grating box D. The said steam and air will pass together through the
grating C, into, and down through, the heated fuel underneath the grating C, to
the outlet G. The said steam and air, on their way through the said fire,
will become decomposed and take up carbon and the green fuel above the
grating is, (owing to the heat beneath it) giving up its volatile hydrocarbons which
are also compelled to pass downwards with the decomposing steam and air, so that
the whole becomes thoroughly formed into carbon mon-oxide gas. It then passes
out at the outlet G, and may be passed through scrubbers into a gas holder, or to
the place of consumption, or utilization.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of this inven-
tion and in what manner the same is to be performed I declare that what I
claim is :-
1. In apparatus, or furnaces, for producing gas from carbonaceous matter, a
vertical, or practically vertical, space for the carbonaceous matter, the said space
having, between the upper part for receiving the fresh fuel and the lower part, a
portion of the said fuel space surrounded by a grate through which steam and air
are admitted, the outlet for gas being at the lower part of the said vertical, or
practically vertical, space; substantially as and for the purposes hereinbefore
described.
2. In apparatus, or furnaces, for producing gas from carbonaceous matter, a
vertical, or practically vertical, fuel space divided into three zones, viz., an upper
zone, containing the green fuel and an inlet therefor; a lower zone, containing the
incandescent fuel, and having at bottom the gas outlet, and an intermediate zone,
into which steam and air are admitted to the fuel; substantially as, and for the
purposes, herein before described.

page_text: 3. The arrangement, and combination, of parts constituting an apparatus, or
furnace, for producing gas from carbonaceous matter substantially as, hereinbefore
described and illustrated by the accompanying drawings.
Dated this 28th day of October 1895.
JOHNSONS & WILLCOX,
47 Lincoln's Inn Fields, London, W.C., Agents.