IMPROVEMENTS IN THE CONSTRUCTION AND ARRANGEMENT OF MECHANICAL RETORTS FOR THE DESTRUCTIVE DISTILLATION OR THE REVIVIFICATION OF ANIMAL AND VEGETABLE MATTERS
Year: 1883

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to James Lyle of 65 Fenchurch Street in the city of
London Engineer for an Invention of IMPROVEMENTS IN THE CONSTRUCTION
AND ARRANGEMENT OF MECHANICAL RETORTS FOR THE DESTRUCTIVE
DISTILLATION OR THE REVIVIFICATION OF ANIMAL AND VEGETABLE MATTERS
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said James Lyle at the Office of
the Commissioners of Patents on the 21st June 1883.
JAMES LYLE of 65 Fenchurch Street in the city of London Engineer
IMPROVEMENTS IN THE CONSTRUCTION AND ARRANGEMENT OF MECHANICAL
DISTILLATION OR THE REVIVIFICATION OF
RETORTS FOR THE DESTRUCTIVE
ANIMAL AND VEGETABLE MATTERS
This invention relates to improvements in the construction and arrangement of
mechanical retorts for the destructive distillation or the revivification of animal
and vegetable matters.
According to the first construction it consists of a circular retort which by
suitable mechanical means is made to keep the stuff under treatment in continual
progression or agitation from the point of its entrance until it has traversed the
retort and is discharged into the furnace or other receptacle
The circular retort may have only one plate in which case the fire underneath
acts directly on the plate and the material is moved around by arms radiating from
a central pillar or shaft the said arms having scrapers attached which gradually
deflect the material towards the exit either at the side or by preference (for high
heat) through a centre shaft or well. The retort may have this bottom plate or it
may have in addition a false plate moving on bowls or rollers set in concentric
grooves or circles on the first plate. The false plate on which the material rests
may be driven by attaching it to a centre column or shaft which is rotated by a
worm and wheel from above or below the retort as may be found most suitable or
[Price 6d.1

page_text: it may be driven from the side by a rack gearing into a pinion. For the discharge
a depending circular lip from the false plate enters the discharge pipe in the centre
and guides the material to it. In this case the feed is from the outside cover of
retort and is fed in by a hopper it falls on the false plate to a certain breadth and
depth and travels round with the retort until it has nearly completed its circle
when it strikes a deflecting plate which throws it into a second circle of travel and
so on until it enters the discharge pipe.
The retort may however consists of a number of plates placed above each other
being a compound of the first and of the second arrangements
I fit a central shaft or column to carry a plate or series of plates. The retort
casing forms the side and is stepped so as to carry one or more plates which are
fixed and do not move. It works as follows. Through the feed hopper the
material is fed and falls on a revolving plato attached to the column or shaft it
travels round as in the second modification and falls through hole or holes at centre
of plate upon a fixed plate beneath. The revolving plate has scrapers-attached
its lower side and these act as in the first method to work the material to the outer
diameter where it falls through an aperture to the next plate which is revolving
and so on.
to
The discharge is preferably arranged to feed into furnace or elsewhere at pleasure.
In connection with this a travelling furnace would be used which would be worked
by gearing in connection with a discharge creeper.
The gases arising from the material would be carried off by an arrangement of
outlets whereby they would be enclosed in the flues, and would directly upon
leaving flues enter a special condenser for condensation; the furnace would be
directly under the retort and the gases would by flues circulate all round the
bottom and also round the sides of retort before passing to the chimney

page_text: SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent filed by
the said James Lyle in the Great Seal Patent Office on the 21st December
1883.
JAMES LYLE of 65 Fenchurch Street in the city of London Engineer
IMPROVEMENTS IN THE CONSTRUCTION AND ARRANGEMENT OF MECHANICAL
RETORTS FOR THE DESTRUCTIVE DISTILLATION OR THE REVIVIFICATION OF
ANIMAL AND VEGETABLE MATTERS
This invention relates to improvements in the construction and arrangement of
mechanical retorts for the destructive distillation or the revivification of animal
and vegetable matters.
According to the first construction it consists of a circular retort which by
suitable mechanical means is made to keep the stuff under treatment in continual
progression or agitation from the point of its entrance until it has traversed the
retort and is discharged into the Furnace or other receptacle.
The circular retort may have only one plate in which case the fire underneath
acts directly on the plate and the material is moved around by arms radiating from
a central pillar or shaft the said arms having scrapers attached which gradually
deflect the material towards the exit either at the side or by preference for high
heat through a centre shaft or well. The retort may have the bottom plate or it
may have in addition a false plate moving on bowls or rollers set in concentric
grooves or circles on the first plate. The false plate on which the material rests
may be driven by attaching it to a centre column or shaft which is rotated by a
worm and wheel from above or from below the retort as may be found most
suitable, or it may be driven from the side by a rack gearing into a pinion: For
the discharge a depending circular lip from the false plate, enters the discharge
pipe in the centre and guides the material to it. In this case the feed is from the
outside cover of the retort and is fed in by a hopper it falls on the false plate to a
certain breadth and depth and travels round with the retort until it has nearly
completed its circle when it strikes a deflecting plate which throws it into a second
circle of travel and so on until it enters the discharge pipe.
The retort may however consists of a number of plates placed above each other
being a compound of the first and second arrangements.
I fit a central shaft or column to carry a plate or series of plates The retort
casing forms the side and is stepped so as to carry one or more plates which are
fixed and do not move. It works as follows. Through the feed hopper the
material is fed and falls on to a revolving plate attached to the column or shaft; it
travels round as in the second modifications and falls through a hole or holes. at the
centre of the plate upon a fixed plate beneath. The revolving plate has scrapers
attached to its lower side and these act as in the first method to work the material
to the outer diameter where it falls through an aperture to the next plate which is
revolving and so on.
The discharge is preferably arranged to feed into furnace or elsewhere at
pleasure and in connection with this a travelling furnace would be used which
would be worked by gearing in connection with a discharge creeper.
The gases arising from the material would be carried off by an arrangement of
outlets whereby they would be enclosed in the flues and would directly upon
leaving the flues enter a special condenser for condensation. The furnace would

page_text: be directly under the retort and the gases would by flues circulate all round the
bottom and also round the sides of the retort before passing into the chimney.
My invention will be clearly understood by the annexed drawings in which
Figure 1 shows in section a single plate retort, the plate A being a fixture and
forining the bottom of the close chamber B in which the material has to be
operated on. CC are deflecting rakes or scrapers set at an angle on the arms D, D,
to turn over and move the material gradually from the outer to the inner or centre
part when fed into the chamber by the hopper or feed spout E arranged at the
position shown the material deprived of its chemical and other constituents being
allowed to fall down the opening F into the shoot G to bo removed as desired
1
The gases vapour and like fluids pass off by the outlet H into a condenser or
otherwise according to their intended uses.
The cover I of the retort has mounted above it the necessary gearing J J for
rotating the central shaft K and the parts attached. L is the furnace the heat
from which travels-through the fluo M arranged in a spiral under the fixed.plate.A
and then enters the side Hue N before passing to the uptake or chimney P.
Figure 2 shows a modified construction of retort In this the plate A is arranged
to move round under the action of edge gearing Q on spheres R R fitted in
concentric grooves formed under the plate A and of a bed plate S under which
the furnace L and flue M are arranged as in the plan view Figure 3. The scrapers
or deflecting platos are hinged to the cover I their weight being sufficient to turn
over, agitate and deflect the material gradually towards the centre outlet.
The apparatus above referred to is simple in construction and is intended to
operate upon material requiring sharp heat and limited time for treatment and
where comparatively small quantities have to be dealt with but with materials
which require gradual destruction, distillation or revivification or the elimination
of certain products in classified order from a matorial preferably in powder small
particles broken up crushed or otherwise prepared I use such an apparatus or
-machine as I show at Figure 4-in which the material is gradually scraped from the-
upper revolving plate A and is allowed to fall on to the next lower plate A' which
is fixed and be then scraped or deflected and permitted to full on to the next lower
revolving plate A and so on before it arrives at the outlet F.
The several plates A, A¹ etc are contained within the chamber B and the vapours
(acidulated and other) pass through the openings a. a. into the chamber b in which
solid particles driven off by the heat can deposit themselves the light gases passing
off by the tubo H to the condenser or otherwise. The flues M. N. for the products
of combustion from the furnace are under the fixed bottom plate A¹¹¹ and around
the chambers B. The whole is enclosed in brickwork T to prevent unduo escape
of heat
Figure 5 is a plan of the flue. Figure 6 a plan of the cover I with the gearing
J. J. whose shaft U through the sprocket wheels V and chains operate the
endless chain of feed buckets W and the drum X by which a certain quantity
can be kept within the feed tube E to prevent any escape or appreciable
escape of light gases by that route. The drum X is partitioned and to prevent
the material, say, sawdust, sticking at that part I fit à piston Y within a side
cylinder Z which piston yields as the charges in the drum pass it in succession and
the spring returns it as will be understood by the detail view Figure 7.
I have in the first part of this description referred to the employment of the
retorts to the treatment of animal and vegetable matters but the invention is
equally applicable to a similar treatment of minerals particularly shale for the
extraction of oil therefrom.
Having now described the nature of my said invention and in what manner the
same is to be performed 1 declare that I claim.
The construction and arrangement of mechanical retorts in the manager and for
the purposes specifiod and substantially as shown in the annexed drawings

page_text: Secondly and specially I claim the particular construction and arrangement of
mechanical retort shown at Figures 4, 5. 6 and 7 of the annexed drawings
for the destructive distillation revivification or treatment of material for
the elimination of useful commercial products therefrom.
In witness whereof I the said James Lyle have hereunto set my hand and seal
this Ninteenth day of December in the year of our Lord One thousand eight
hundred and eighty three.
JAMES LYLE (L.S.)