Improvements in Composite Fuel.
Year: 1899

page_text: Date of Application, 23rd Mar., 1899
Complete Specification Left, 27th Dec., 1899-Accepted, 17th Mar., 1900
Improvements in Composite Fuel.
We, HENRY REDMAYNE ROMNEY, of 79, Gracechurch Street, in the City of
London, Merchant, JAMES THAME, of 1, Devonshire Villas, The Woodlands,
Isleworth, in the County of Middlesex, Engineer, and THE FIBROUS MATERIALS
SYNDICATE LIMITED, of 79, Gracechurch Street, in the City of London, Manu-
facturers, do hereby declare the nature of this invention to be as follows:-
This invention relates to composite fuel produced from the combination of an
absorbent substance with a rapidly combustible liquid material, so as to produce
a readily combustible fuel which will burn without an excessive evolution of
smoke.
To carry our invention into effect, we form a block, briquette, or other similar
article which is of a porous, absorbent and combustible nature and we arrange
in the interior thereof a core either solid or hollow which we impregnated with
an inflammable liquid such as petroleum refuse, crude petroleum, or other
hydrocarbon.
In this manner we form a block or briquette having a combustible outer porous
case or cover containing an inner core carrying the inflammable liquid, so that
on the whole being heated, the liquid or gas evolved from the core is trans-
mitted through the outer case or cover to its external surface, where it will burn
and at the same time assist in the combustion of the outer case or cover.
To make such a block or briquette, we may form it of a combination of cocoa
nut husk fibre refuse and a binding material consisting of any fibrous substance,
the fibres of which can be readily separated and combined or comingled with the
said fibre refuse to form a cohesive mass. We may form a hole or series of
holes in the said block into which we pour or force the combustible liquid and
allow the latter to be absorbed by the surrounding material. so that we obtain
a central zone of material carrying the inflammable liquid and an outer zone of
porous combustible material through which the liquid or gas can distil or travel
to the external surface.
We may make the block so that the central zone is wholely or partially sur-
rounded by the outer casing, for example the core may extend to the exterior at
one or more sides of the block or be entirely encased thereby.
FELL & JAMES,
1, Queen Victoria Street, London, E.C.,
Agents for the Applicants.

page_text: We, HENRY REDMAYNE ROMNEY, late of 79, Gracechurch Street, but now of 79,
Mark Lane, in the City of London, Merchant, JAMES THAME, of 1, Devonshire
Villas, the Woodlands, Isleworth, in the County of Middlesex, Engineer, and
THE FIBROUS MATERIALS SYNDICATE LIMITED, late of 79, Gracechurch Street,
but now of 79, Mark Lane, in the City of London, Manufacturers, do hereby
declare the nature of this invention and in what manner the same is to be per-
formed to be particularly described and ascertained in and by the following
statement:-
This invention relates to composite fuel produced from the combination of an
absorbent substance with a rapidly combustible liquid material, so as to produce
a readily combustible fuel which will burn without an excessive evolution of
smoke.
To carry our invention into effect we form a block, briquette, or other similar
article which is of a porous, absorbent and slowly combustible nature and we
arrange in the interior thereof a hollow core which we impregnate with a highly
inflammable liquid such as petroleum refuse, crude petroleum, or other hydro-
carbon.
In this manner we form a block or briquette having a slowly combustible outer
porous case or cover containing an inner core carrying the highly inflammable
liquid, so that on the whole being heated, the liquid or gas evolved from the
central core passes along its hollow centre mixing with air in its passage and
burning at the open ends of the central passage and at the same time some of the
gas evolved from the inflammable liquid is transmitted through the outer porous
case or cover to its external surface, where it will burn and at the same time
assist in the combustion of the outer case or cover.
To make such a block or briquette we may form it of a combination of cocoa-
nut-husk-fibre-refuse, and a binding material consisting of any fibrous substance
such as paper pulp, rag pulp, wood pulp, and like vegetable combustible sub-
stances, the fibres of which can be readily separated and combined or comingled
with the said fibre refuse to form a cohesive mass. We form the hole or if
clesired a series of holes in the said inner core of the block into which we pour
or force the combustible liquid and allow the latter to be absorbed by the sur-
rounding material, so that we obtain a central zone of material carrying the
highly inflammable liquid and an outer zone of porous slowly combustible
material through which some of the liquid or gas can distil and travel to the
external surface.
We may make the block so that the central zone is wholly or partially sur-
rounded by the outer casing. for example the core may extend to the exterior at
one or more sides of the block or be entirely encased thereby, the apertures of the
hollow spaces only extending to the exterior.
In order that the invention may be the better understood we will now proceed
to describe the same in relation to the drawing hereunto annexed reference being
had to the letters and figures marked thereon.
Figure 1 is a view of a fuel block having one central passage.
Figure 2 is a transverse section of the same.
Figure 3 is a longitudinal section of the same.
Figure 4 is a longitudinal section of a fuel block with the central passage
having only one exit.

page_text: Figure 5 shows an end view of a block having a series of passages in the
central core.
From the drawings it will be seen that A is the inner core, B is the outer
envelope and C designates the passage or passages in the inner core.
By making a block in this way we obtain a fuel of high calorific value which
will burn readily without emitting smoke, as the outer envelope forms a retort
for distilling the inflammable liquid and enables it to mix with sufficient oxygen
to ensure complete combustion, the outer envelope being capable of such slow
combustion as to maintain its integrity as a retort until all the inflammable liquid
has been distilled and burnt. The block shown in Figure 4 is a convenient one
for ready manufacture as it can be moulded as a whole, and impregnated with
liquid from the central passage.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of this said
invention and in what manner the same is to be performed we declare that what
we claim is:-
11
1. A composite fuel consisting of an outer envelope of porous slowly com-
bustible material and a hollow inner core of absorbent material which is impreg-
nated with a rapidly combustible liquid adapted so that the said liquid is
evaporated and issues as gas from the central core and through the pores of the
outer envelope and burns the exterior thereof the central hollow core being
adapted to mix air with the gas, substantially as described.
2nd. A fuel block consisting of a mass of slowly combustible material having
cne or more central passages therethrough, the mass being treated in its central
portion with an inflammable liquid so as to produce a central zone of highly
inflammable material surrounded by an outer envelope of slowly combustible
material forming a retort for the distillation of the inflammable liquid, sub-
stantially as described.
ILL D
FELL & JAMES,
1, Queen Victoria Street, London, E.C.,
Agents for the Applicants.