AN IMPROVED FURNACE FOR THE REVIVIFICATION OF ANIMAL CHARCOAL
Year: 1863

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Jean François Gits, of the Firm Gits & Co.,
of Antwerp, in the Kingdom of Belgium, Manufacturer, for the Inven-
tion of "AN IMPROVED FURNACE FOR THE REVIVIFICATION OF ANIMAL
CHARCOAL."
Sealed the 29th August 1863, and dated the 4th March 1863.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Jean François Gits at
the Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on the
4th March 1863.
I, JEAN FRANÇOIS GITS, of the Firm Gits & Co., of Antwerp, in the
Kingdom of Belgium, Manufacturer, do hereby declare the nature of the
said Invention for "AN IMPROVED FURNACE FOR THE REVIVIFICATION OF ANIMAL
CHARCOAL," to be as follows:-
My improved furnace is of the reverberatory description; it has at the back
a series of drying chambers with covering plates, and in front of these drying
chambers a series of upright cast-iron pipes jointed together, the upper ones
having stoppers at the top, and the lower being provided at the bottom with
traps. When the animal charcoal has been used, say, for clarifying syrups, it
is withdrawn and placed in the drying chambers above mentioned, around
which pass the hot gasses from the furnace; from thence it is removed to the
upper cast-iron pipes, which are exposed to the direct reverberatory action of
the heat, there revivifying it, falls into the lower pipes, where it cools without

page_text: coming in contact with the air, and on the traps being opened the revivified and
cooled animal charcoal falls into a waggon placed beneath to receive it. This
operation may be carried on continuously.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent, filed
by the said Jean François Gits in the Great Seal Patent Office on the
2nd September 1863.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, JEAN
FRANÇOIS GITS, of the Firm of Gits & Co., of Antwerp, in the Kingdom of
Belgium, Manufacturer, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her Letters
Patent, bearing date the Fourth day of March, in the year of our Lord
One thousand eight hundred and sixty-three, in the twenty-sixth year of Her
reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant unto me,
the said Jean François Gits, Her special licence that I, the said Jean Fran-
çois Gite, my executors, administrators, and assigns, or such others as I, the
said Jean François Gits, my executors, administrators, and assigns, should at
any time agree with, and no others, from time to time and at all times there-
after during the term therein expressed, should and lawfully might make,
use, exercise, and vend, within the United Kingdom of Great Britain and
Ireland, the Channel Islands, and Isle of Man, an Invention for "AN IM-
PROVED FURNACE FOR THE REVIVIFICATION OF ANIMAL CHARCOAL," upon the
condition (amongst others) that I, the said Jean François Gits, my executors
or administrators, by an instrument in writing under my, or their, or one of
their hands and seals, should particularly describe and ascertain the nature
of the said Invention, and in what manner the same was to be performed,
and cause the same to be filed in the Great Seal Patent Office within six
calendar months next and immediately after the date of the said Letters
Patent.
NOW KNOW YE, that I, the said Jean François Gits, do hereby declare
the nature of my said Invention, and in what manner the same is to be
performed, to be particularly described and ascertained in and by the following
statement, reference being had to the Sheet of Drawing hereunto annexed,
and forming part of this my Specification, and to the figures and letters
of reference placed thereon, similar letters denoting similar parts at each of
the figures respectively :-
The principal advantages resulting from my Invention are, firstly, that sugar

page_text: manufacturers are no longer obliged to make new animal charcoal, an operation
which does not accord with the other parts of their industry.
Secondly, considerable quantities of animal charcoal can be revivified by
means of my apparatus, which is not very costly, for a single continuous furnace
can revivify about two tons of animal charcoal in 24 hours with only from
7 to 900 pounds weight of pit coal.
Thirdly, the revivifying pipes being heated only by reverberation from the
vault cannot be spoilt as by a direct fire, because they never come in contact
with the decomposing gases, the latter being carburated as they run along the
vault, which is above the fire chamber.
Fourthly, all the pipes are more easily maintained at a graduated
and uniform heat, inasmuch as the fireman can oversee them at every
moment.
Fifthly, the columns of charcoal contained in the pipes are taken out
gradually, in short the charcoal is revivified everywhere to the same degree,
which is not the case in most of the apparatuses hitherto used for the same
purpose.
Sixthly, the pipes or columns of my revivifying furnace cannot all of them
be at the same distance from the fire chamber, and on account of this arrange-
ment the said pipes cannot be unloaded a same number of times, because a
longer time is required to revivify the animal charcoal placed in the remotest
pipes; the attendant must carefully observe this.
Seventhly; no extinguishers being used with my improved furnace, the revivi-
fied animal charcoal can be neither damaged nor uncoloured by the contact of
the atmospheric air, as is the case in most of the furnaces of the kind where
the animal charcoal is taken out when in a red-hot state and extinguishers put
over it; instead of the latter, I lengthen the heating pipes, and this lengthened
part is used to cool the animal charcoal before taking it out.
The annexed Sheet of Drawings is an illustration of my improved revivi-
fying furnace, Figure 1 being a vertical longitudinal section, Figure. 2
horizontal section to the scale of th, and Figure 3 front view to the scale
offth.
A, door of the fire chamber; B, fire-grate; C, ash-pit; D, inclined surface,
and E, reverberating vault, made of fire-bricks; F, F, cast-iron pipes con-
taining the animal charcoal to be revivified; G, G, lower pipes lengthening
the first ones used for cooling the revivified charcoal; H, H, upper apertures
of the pipes F; H¹, H', cast-iron sleeves to receive the lower ends of pipes F
and the top ends of pipes G; I, I, stoppers which are opened to take out the
cooled revivified animal charcoal, which falls into a waggon S running on rails;

page_text: K, K, channels leading to the drying chambers L, L, covered up with a cast-
iron plate M. The brickwork of the furnace is consolidated, as usual, by
vertical and horizontal stay bars N, N, O, O. To sum up, my improved
revivifying apparatus is not costly by using it easy, and considerable work can
be obtained, the revivified animal charcoal is of good quality, a great saving
of fuel is obtained, and there is but little wearing out of the working
stock.
Now, I desire it to be understood that I claim as my Invention the general
combination and arrangement herein-before described, and illustrated on the
annexed Sheet of Drawing, of a reverberating or reflecting furnace containing
cast-iron upright pipes to receive animal charcoal, previously dried up in
preparatory chambers, for the purpose of revivifying it for sugar refining, the
said pipes being lengthened downwards for the purpose of cooling the said
charcoal before taking it out and fit for use.
In witness whereof, I, the said Jean François Gits, have hereunto
set my hand and seal, this Twentieth day of August, in the year of
our Lord One thousand eight hundred and sixty-three.
Signed and sealed in the presence
of
L. D'AUBRÉVILLE, C.E.
J. F. GITS. (L.S.)