IMPROVE- MENTS IN PREPARING PEAT, AND IN THE MACHINERY EMPLOYED THEREIN
Year: 1873

page_text: PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by Henry Bernoulli Barlow at the
Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on the
21st August 1873.-A communication from abroad by A. Noury
and J. Masse, both of Paris, France.
I, HENRY BERNOULLI BARLOW, of the City of Manchester, Patent
Agent, do hereby declare the nature of the said Invention for "IMPROVE-
MENTS IN PREPARING PEAT, AND IN THE MACHINERY EMPLOYED THEREIN," being a
communication to me from abroad by A. Noury and J. Masse, both of
Paris, France, to be as follows:-
The peat in its natural state is delivered by an endless chain of
buckets or other equivalents into a hopper in which are two or more
toothed rollers revolving at different speeds to tear up the peat. A pipe
supplied with the liquid extracted from the peat at a subsequent
operation is brought into the hopper to wet the peat, this liquid contains
a considerable amount of oily and bituminous matter. The peat thus
partially torn up and mixed with the peat liquor is delivered to a drum
with blades on its circumference revolving in a casc in which are other
blades, or the drum and case may be provided with blunt projections or
:
.

page_text: teeth; this drum effectually macerates or triturates the peat which with
the liquid flows into a perforated cage or sieve to catch the stones or
other foreign matter; in the sieve is an agitator with two horizontal
perforated arms which are supplied with peat liquor.
The solution of peat flows from the sieve into a large cistern which is
also provided with an agitator and with peat liquor like the one in the
sieve; the sand or other foreign matters accumulate at the bottom of
the cistern while the peat solution runs off by an overflow pipe above.
The solution of peat thus prepared is then conveyed to a machino
similar to the machines used in the manufacture of paper for separating
the paper pulp from the water.
This machine consists of an endless wire cloth or other equivalent
passing over a vacuum chamber by which the liquid is separated from
the solid.
The machine used by preference consists of a perforated revolving
drum surrounded by fine wire cloth. A chamber in which a partial
vacuum is formed by air pumps or other equivalents is placed under a
portion of the drum which has a hollow axle connected to the vacuum
chamber; the drum or the wire cloth may be moved laterally by cams or
eccentrics.
As the peat solution flows on to the drum the liquid portion forming :
the peat liquor above referred to is carried off through the vacuum
chamber and hollow axle while the solid portion adhering to the drum
after passing under a compressing roller is removed by a revolving brush
or other equivalent and falls into the hopper of a press, the plunger of
which is perforated and covered with wire cloth or other fabric. As the
plunger moves to and fro in the press the moisture escapes through the
plunger, and the compressed peat is forced through circular or other
shaped dies and delivered in the form of solid or hollow rods, tubes, or
blocks of any shape or size.
The surfaces of the perforated drum and wire cloth and plunger
arc cleansed by injections of water or steam under pressure or by
brushes.
The rods, tubes, or blocks of compressed peat are collected on trays
and put into wagons which are run into a drying chamber or stove
which is divided into two or more compartments, the peat is first dryed_a

page_text: slowly by exposure to cold or slightly heated air, then it is subjected in
succession to the action of highly heated air until it is perfectly dry;
the moisture is thus gradually evaporated, a fan being employed to carry
off the vapours from the last compartments of the stove. The com-
pressed peat is thus prepared by consecutive self-acting operations, and
it retains all the valuable oily and bituminous properties of the original
peat, it is therefore particulary beneficial when used as fuel for every
description of fire-place or furnace, it may also be used for the pro-
duction of illuminating gas, and when carbonised it makes charcoal of
the best quality.