IMPROVEMENTS IN THE MANU- FACTURE OF GAS, IN GAS BURNERS, AND IN APPARATUS FOR HEATING BY GAS
Year: 1851

page_text: TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, HENRY
DIRCKS, of Moorgate Street, in the City of London, Engineer, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her present most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her
Royal Letters Patent under the Great Seal of the United Kingdom of
Great Britain and Ireland, bearing date at Westminster, the Twenty-fourth
day of February (One thousand eight hundred and fifty-one), in the fourteenth
year of Her reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant
unto me, the said Henry Dircks, my exors, admors, and assigns, Her especial
license, full power, sole privilege, and authority, that I, the said Henry Dircks,
my exors, adiñors, and assigns, and such others as I, the said Henry Dircks, my
exors, admors, or assigns, should at any time agree with, and no others, from
time to time and at all times during the term of years therein expressed,
should and lawfully might make, use, exercise, and vend, within England,
Wales, and the Town of Berwick-upon-Tweed, and in the Islands of Jersey,
Guernsey, Alderney, Sark, and Man, and also in all Her said Majesty's Colo-
nies and Plantations abroad, my Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN THE MANU-
FACTURE OF GAS, IN GAS BURNERS, AND IN APPARATUS FOR HEATING BY GAS;" in
which said Letters Patent is contained a proviso that I, the said Henry
Dircks, shall cause a particular description of the nature of my said Inven-
tion, and in what manner the same is to be performed, by an instrument in
writing under my hand and seal, to be inrolled in Her said Majesty's High
Court of Chancery within six calendar months next and immediately after
the date of the said in part recited Letters Patent, as in and by the same,
reference being thereunto had, will more fully and at large appear.
NOW KNOW YE, that in compliance with the said proviso, I, the said
Henry Dircks, do hereby declare that the nature of my said Invention, and

page_text: the manner in which the same is to be performed, are fully described and ascer-
tained in and by the following statement thereof, reference being had to the
Drawings hereunto annexed, and to the figures and letters marked thereon,
that is to say :-
My Invention consists, first, of improvements in the method of charging
gas retorts, and diminishing the production of coal tar, and obtaining gas
from the residual coal tar, resulting from the destructive distillation of coal in
the manufacture of gas for illuminating purposes. Second, my Invention
consists of improvements in the construction of gas burners, and in such a
manner that the jet or film of gas may be extended or diminished by issuing
from a more enlarged or contracted aperture; and, third, my Invention con-
sists of improvements in apparatus for consuming gas for the purposes of
heating. The means I adopt to obtain these several objects I shall now pro-
ceed to describe in the foregoing order, as follows:-In the common manufac-
ture of coal gas, the gas passes from the charged retorts to the hydraulic
main, Figure 1, A, B, and thence by the pipe C to the condensers. Now, it is
at this point that I intercept its passage and pass the gas from the pipe C into
the boiler D, which contains coal tar in the quantity of from about ten to
fourteen gallons of coal tar to every ton of coal subjected to distillation. The
boiler D is set in a suitable furnace, and is furnished with a stirrer to keep
its contents gently agitated, as this facilitates the production of coal tar
vapour, and the impure coal gas coming from the retorts will mingle with the
coal tar vapour in the boiler D, and escape by the pipe E, and go thence to
the vertical retort F, connected by a pipe G with a second vertical retort F¹.
These retorts placed thus vertically, horizontally, or in any other convenient
position, are surrounded by the furnaces H, H', which keep them at a high
temperature, and the retorts being filled with common coke or boghead
cannel coke, or broken tiles, or brick or other suitable matters, the coal
tar vapour is thereby decomposed, and the resulting gas passes from the
retorts by the pipe I to the condensers, instead of as before stated passing to
the condensers direct from the pipe C, and its purification is accomplished as
heretofore. Or I take the impure coal gas before entering the gas main,
while yet charged with gas tar vapour, and cause it to pass over, through,
or among incandescent matter. One method of carrying out this process is
shewn in Figure 2, where A is a common retort, over which is a pipe B of six
to nine inches diameter or thereabouts, either empty or charged with any kind
of coke, clay, tiles, or like matters, or the tube may have within it cellular
metal or earthenware partitions. The retort A and pipe B' are heated in
the same furnace, and the gas passes from A along the tube B' at B", to

page_text: the back of the furnace instead of the front as at present, and is taken to the
main from the end of the pipe B, at C, in the customary manner; D being
the stand pipe, and E the gas main. The pipe B can be cleaned or charged
at the end C whenever required. It is evident that the principle of this
mode of construction can be varied to suit any desired object or situation, and
it is equally apparent that these two methods may be combined, one to reduce
the produce of coal tar, and the other to use up the little tar that may accu-
mulate in large works. I do not confine myself to the particular situation.or
to the mode of placement, or to. the number described, as these may be varied.
to suit circumstances; neither do I restrict myself to using the coke and other.
matters mentioned, as in some instances it may be preferred to work without.
introducing them into the apparatus.
coal.
I also recommend as means of lessening the quantity of tar produced, to
introduce along with the coal common coke, boghead cannel coke, lime, saw-
dust, peat, tanners' bark, any vegetable charcoal, or like matters which serve
to absorb and decompose the tar. Or these and like matters may be placed
within the mouth of the retort or inserted therein in a properly fitting appa-
ratus, entering the mouth of the retort and fitted there after each charge of
All or any of these substances, or combinations of them, may be used
in various ways, but the inserting of them within the retort along with or ad-
joining the coal in the retort to reduce the production of coal tar would accom-
plish my Invention more or less conveniently. The internal mouth-piece may
be formed of metal or fire-clay, and contain iron borings, masses of wire tiles,
and the like, for diffusing and exposing a large surface of the impure gas to
heated surfaces; honey-combed castings or earthenware, affording small pas-
sages for the gas to pass through as it leaves the coal, would also answer the
same purpose. In the manufacture of gas from coal, tar, rosin, oil, and fatty.
matter, I allow these to drop on boghead cannel coal, coke heated in a
suitable retort instead of using common coke, tiles, and similar substances as
heretofore.
For the rapid charging of the retorts I recommend a suspension railway.
near the roof, and parallel to the front of a bed of retorts, carrying a,
travelling crane, from which chains descend to a wrought-iron shoot, with sides.
and bottom the form of the retorts, open at top, and capable of holding a half
or entire charge. This shoot, having a double bottom, and moveable back
piece fastened to the inner bottom, is made to slide into the retort, by allowing
the end of the shoot to enter the mouth-piece and smartly pulling a rope
or chain at bottom attached to a pulley, which drives it forward, and on
withdrawal, the back piece, now at the front, prevents the return of the coals,.

page_text: and the bottom slides from underneath them by reversing the action on the
pulley, leaving the entire charge in the retort.
I will now describe the second part of my Invention. In No. 1 gas burner,
the gas escapes between two thin discs of suitable metal, but I prefer platina.
In No: 2 gas burner, the internal parts are formed as shewn, and they have a
cap, which, by screwing up or down, increases or decreases the passage
of the gas.
In No. 3 gas burner, the film of gas remains at all times the
same; the interior and exterior are made of thin metal, and is a new con-
struction of Argand burner. In No. 4 gas burner, the film of gas may
be regulated at pleasure, the principle of construction being the combining a
concave and convex surface, the one being moveable in such manner as to
admit of being set more or less apart. Two constructions are shown as A, B,
but the form may be varied. The gas burner No. 5 shews a method of
heating the gas in its passage to the burner, for which purpose a double tube
D is used, which serves to take off hot air from the burner, while the internal
surface forms a tube or heating surface for the gas in its passage to the
burner C; the burner being hollow contains a conical plug, raised or
lowered from below by a thumb-screw, or by other convenient means, thereby
regulating the escape.
I will now describe the third part of my Invention. I employ coal gas for
heating stoves, ovens, and other furnaces and fire-places; gas and air are
admitted through perforated pipes, plates, tiles or bricks, or perforated sheet
metal, or wire gauze, in proportion requisite for their combustion, and in
manner following:-Figure 1 is the interior of a small stove having a
fire-clay flue, with an internal perforated metal pipe C, perforated with
numerous small holes at its end, or closed with gauze at its end, supplied with
gas from the perforated end of the gas tube B; the air passes freely into the
pipe C, and mixes with the gas, thus intense heat will be obtained, compared
with the quantity of gas consumed. Figure 2 shows like apparatus applied to
the mouth of a steam-engine boiler furnace; the flame produced by burning
gas and air plays on the boiler bottom. In this arrangement the furnace door
is perforated; there are no grate bars, and the ash-pit is entirely removed.
Figure 3 shows one means of obtaining a broad continuous sheet of flame by a
perforated cross pipe C, supplied with air by the pipe B, and with gas by the
gas pipe A, perforated at its extremity; such flame may be required to play
over the roof of an oven, or to act on any large flat-bottomed vessel for
evaporation, as salt pans, waggon boilers, stills, brewers' coppers, and others.
In all cases the door or inlet to the chamber in which the gas is so consumed
'is to be perforated, and have a proper register for increasing or diminishing

page_text: such admission of air to suit the combustion, without producing any cooling
effects.
I claim, first, intercepting the process of the coal gas in its passage from
the hydraulic main to the condenser, and causing it to mingle with the vapour
of coal tar, and when so combined, to pass over, through, or among in-
candescent matter, in suitable close apparatus, as explained.
Secondly, I claim the particular method described, of passing the crude coal
gas through head apparatus on its passage from the retort to the hydraulic
main.
Thirdly, I claim the employing, in the same retort along with or adjoining
the coal, certain methods described, for the purpose of diminishing the produce
of coal tar.
Fourthly, I claim the employing the light coke of boghead cannel when
used along with coal, or when heated alone in close vessels, for the production
of gas from coal tar, rosin, oil, and fatty matters.
Fifthly, I claim the method of charging gas retorts.
Sixthly, I claim the peculiar constructions of gas burners, herein shewn and
described; and,
Seventhly, I claim the method of causing coal gas to burn en masse for
purposes of heating, as herein explained.
In witness whereof, I, the said Henry Dircks, have hereunto set my
hand and seal, this Twenty-second day of August, in the year of our
Lord One thousand eight hundred and fifty-one.
AND BE IT REMEMBERED, that on the Twenty-second day of August,
in the year of our Lord 1851, the aforesaid Henry Dircks came before
our said Lady the Queen in Her Chancery, and acknowledged the Specification
aforesaid, and all and every thing therein contained and specified, in form
above written. And also the Specification aforesaid was stamped according to
the tenor of the Statute made for that purpose.