Improvements in and relating to Methods of and Apparatus for Drying Peat and like Materials.
Year: 1899

page_text: Date of Application, 26th June, 1899
Complete Specification Left, 9th Feb., 1900-Accepted, 12th May, 1900
ΤΊΟΥ ΠΟ
Improvements in and relating to Methods of and Apparatus for
Drying Peat and like Materials.
I, GEORG GERCKE, of Reismühle No. 9, p. Hamburg, in the Empire of Ger-
many, Manufacturer, do hereby declare the nature of this invention to be as
follows:-
Frequent attempts have been made to utilise the peat by removing the water
which it contains in order to obtain the dry substance for fuel and render it
fit for transport..
Although the raw material is very cheap, hitherto used processes have not
met with much success because the manipulation of the peat was too expensive
chiefly in consequence of its high water contents (up to 88 per cent.)
The object of the present invention is a process which relates to the lucrative
utilising of peat on the spot, by using it directly for industrial purposes.
It consists in placing the peat in an apparatus wherein the water-contents are
reduced into steam which is used for driving machinery and the remaining dry
substance itself is used for heating the said apparatus. From the condensation
products of the steam the valuable chemical contents can be extracted and used.
The best results in this process are obtained by using the apparatus shown
in the annexed drawing of which Fig. 1 represents a longitudinal section and
Fig. 2 a cross section through the tube body.
At
The peat to be used is by any suitable arrangement at a pressed into a funnel-
like chamber c provided with a slot so that always one of the channels of the
cast-iron body for the passage of the peat is being charged, and the material
cannot, as it would tend to do, choose the passage most convenient for it.
the same time by the single charging of each channel the pressing in of the
peat is facilitated and this is afterwards done automatically by a device worked
by the developed steam. The funnel chamber is so arranged that it is turned
after each stroke of the press-stampers so that the next channel d can be charged
and so on.
The channels & forming the prolongation of the real passage, and evaporation
tubes e run in oblique direction towards the wall of the funnel chamber so that
only one corresponds each time with the slot b for which purpose the tubes e in
the evaporator f can be arranged for instance so that lines passing from axis
to axis of the tubes, extend spirally from the centre point (see Fig. 2). The
prolongations & abut upon the funnel chamber in the same manner; other devices
also could be employed by which all the channels & are simultaneously charged.
After all the tubes e are charged with peat the evaporator is heated at g.
The fire-gases lick the tubes e and are caused in the known manner by per-
pendicular walls h to deliver their heat as completely as possible to the tubes
before they escape through the chimney i. By using two of such walls the
rear end part X acts as a preliminary heater, the middle part Y as the real
steam developing chamber and the fore part Z a superheating chamber for the

page_text: steam whilst at the same time the continually introduced peat cools the tubes.
The latter must be seated in the walls-k 7, so̟ that they are not hindered in their
expansion when heated.
wherein the dry peat
The tubes e end on the other side in a chamber m
freed from its water contents drops down continually under the pressure of the
newly charged material and is collected on the inclined bottom wherefrom by
any automatically working device closing the chamber against the atmosphere,
it is continually fed towards the fire chamber g where it is used as fuel for the
continuation of the evaporation process.
The valve device o is worked by the steam from the chamber m which is used
for driving machinery for industrial purposes.
In order to obtain the dry substance at the tube ends in possibly equal
pieces a cutting device is provided consisting of a knife g fastened on a horizontal
shaft . This knife q passes in front of the tube ends and could also be worked
by hand or by steam at r.
The device requires only preliminary introduction of peat and heating fuel
after which it works automatically, care being taken as to the regulation and
the introduction of new peat.
The advantages of the process in consequence of utilising cheap raw material
are clear.
The chemical constituent parts of the condensation product can be extracted
and utilised.
The herein described process and device can also be used advantageously for
drying or torrefying other water-containing materials.
Dated this 26th day of June 1899.
HERBERT HADDAN & Co.,
Agents to Applicant.
Improvements in and relating to Methods of and Apparatus for
Drying Peat and like Materials.
I, GEORG GERCKE, of Reismühle No. 9, p, Hamburg, in the Empire of Ger-
many, Manufacturer, 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:-
Frequent attempts have been made to utilize peat by removing the water
which it contains in order to obtain the dry substance for fuel and render it
fit for transport.
Although the raw material is very cheap, hitherto used processes have 'not
met with much success because the manipulation of the peat was too expensive
chiefly in consequence of its high water contents (up to 88 per cent.)
The object of the present invention is a process which relates to the lucrative
utilizing of peat on the spot by using it directly for industrial purposes.
It consists in placing the peat in an apparatus wherein the water contents are
reduced into steam which is used for driving machinery and the remaining dry
substance itself is used for heating the said apparatus. From the condensation
products of the steam the valuable chemical contents namely wood vinegar and
tar can be extracted and used.
The best results in this process are obtained by using the apparatus shown
in the drawing left with my Provisional Specification of which Fig. 1 repre-
sents a longitudinal section and Fig. 2 a cross section through the tube body.
The peat to be used is by any suitable arrangement at a pressed into a funnel-

page_text: like chamber c provided with a slot so that always one of the channels d of the
cast iron body for the passage of the peat is being charged and the material
cannot, as it would tend to do, choose the passage most convenient for it. At
the same time by the single charging of each channel the pressing in of the
peat is facilitated and this is afterwards done automatically by a device worked
by the developed steam. The funnel chamber is so arranged that it is turned
after each stroke of the press-stampers so that the next channel d can be charged
and so on.
The channels forming the prolongation of the real passage, and evaporation
tubes e run in oblique direction towards the wall of the funnel chamber so that
only one corresponds each time with the slot 6 for which purpose the tubes e in
the evaporator f can be arranged for instance so that lines passing from axis
to axis of the tubes, extend spirally from the centre point (see Fig. 2). The
prolongations & abut upon the funnel chamber in the same manner; other devices
also could be employed by which all the channels are simultaneously charged.
After all the tubes e are charged with peat the evaporator is heated at g.
The fire-gases lick the tubes e and are caused in the known manner by per-
pendicular walls h to deliver their heat as completely as possible to the tubes
before they escape through the chimney i. By using two of such walls the
rear end part X acts as a preliminary heater, the middle part Y as the real
steam developing chamber and the fore part Z as a superheating chamber for the
steam whilst at the same time the continually introduced peat cools the tubes.
The latter must be seated in the walls 1, so that they are not hindered in their
expansion when heated.
The tubes e end on the other side in a chamber m, wherein the dry peat
freed from its water contents drops down continually under the pressure of the
newly charged material and is collected on the inclined bottom wherefrom by
any automatically working device o closing the chamber against the atmosphere,
it is continually fed towards the fire chamber where it is used as fuel for the
continuation of the evaporation process.
The valve device o is worked by the steam from the chamber m which is used
for driving machinery for industrial purposes.
In order to obtain the dry substance at the tube ends c in nearly equal
pieces a cutting device is provided consisting of a knife q fastened on a horizontal
shaft p. This knife q passes in front of the tube ends and could also be worked
by hand or by steam at r.
The device requires only preliminary introduction of peat and heating fuel
after which it works automatically, care being taken as to the regulation and
the introduction of new peat.
The advantages of the process in consequence of utilising cheap raw material
are clear.
The chemical constituent parts of the condensation product namely wood
vinegar and tar can be extracted and utilised.
The herein described process and device can also be used advantageously for
5 drying or torrefying other water-containing materials.
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. Process for utilising peat characterised thereby, that the peat is separated
into its dry substance and steam, under pressure, the latter being used for indus-
trial purposes.
2. In the process of Claim 1 the utilising of the dry peat product for evaporat-
ing the water contents of the raw peat.
3. In the process characterised in Claim 1 the recovery of the chemical pro-
5 ducts, namely wood vinegar and tar contained in the condensed water from
machinery, wherein the steam has been utilised.

page_text: 4. The apparatus for the process in Claim 1 whereby the raw rough peat is
continually introduced by a suitable device on one side in order to be divided
in tubes into its dry substance afterwards used for heating those tubes, and
into steam.
5. A form of construction of the apparatus in Claim 4 whereby the introduction
of the raw peat, the cutting of the dry substance coming from the tubes and the
forwarding of it to the combustion chamber is effected automatically by arrange-
ments put into action by the steam obtained.
6. The use of the process characterised in Claim 1 and of the device for
torrefying or drying other materals (suppressing the utilisation of the obtained
dry substance for heating), as characterised in Claims 4 and 5.
Dated this 9th day of February 1900
HERBERT HADDAN & Co.,
Agents to Applicant.
18, Buckingham Street, Strand, W.C., London,