Improvements in the Treatment of Peat.
Year: 1888

page_text: Improvements in the Treatment of Peat.
I, SYDNEY PITT, of Sutton, in the County of Surrey, Gentleman (a communi-
cation to me from abroad by David Aikman, of the City of Montreal, in the
District of Montreal, and Province of Quebec, Canada Contractor) do hereby
declare the nature of this invention to bo as follows:-
This invention relates to the preparation of peat to adapt it for use as fuel and
has for its object to produce a block of peat which shall possess the minimum of
moisture and the maximum of carbon and other inflammable substances; and at
the same time be of close texture, great specific gravity, easy of ignition and not
readily subject to the influence of water or the atmosphere.
Heretofore the semi-liquid peat has been taken from the bog and compressed and
dried in blocks by various processes and machines, but in none of these instances
has a block been produced which has been freed from any but a small proportion of
moisture-nor yet has it been possible to make such blocks hard enough to prevent
them from being easily broken into small pieces which are too rapid of consumption
to be valuable as fuel.
The most important objection however to the fuel prepared in the old way is that
the volatile combustible matter contained in the peat has not been liberated from the
minute cells of the fixed carbon and then sufficiently combined with the particles or
fibres thereof as to ensure, when ignited, a steady and equal combustion of both
elements simultaneously, the result being that on account of the volatile elements
being practically by themselves (as in the old peat blocks) they are consumed so
rapidly by a succession of "flashes," the fixed carbon is never properly ignited and
falls away to ashy particles directly the gases have been eliminated thus practically
permitting only a slight and temporary incandescence of the fixed carbon, and
consequently producing the minimum of heating power.
To obviate these serious objections it is necessary that the volatile combustible
elements should first be set free from the cells in which they are naturally sealed, and
the particles or fibres themselves then impregnated or saturated with this combustible
matter, in such a way as to retain the inflammable and incandescent qualities of all

page_text: the predominant elements in such a combination. that they will ignite and burn
together, and at the same time produce a block of fuel so closely compressed and dried
as to possess the greatest amount of specific gravity, as well as being proof against
ordinary atmospheric influences and the action of water.
My invention has nothing to do with the cutting or digging of the peat which
may be done in any ordinary way. The semi-liquid or pulpy peat is raised into a
hopper under which are any of the well known stick catching devices, held in suitable
troughs.
Into these troughs I inject live steam in order to heat and stir the mass and
facilitate the extraction of the sticks. The pulped peat is thence taken to a mixer or
along a trough having in it openings at intervals through which the peat drops
between highly heated rollers, or rollers and plates or other convenient drying
apparatus the action of which device is to flatten out the mass into sheets, flakes, or
films, and their surfaces being at a high temperature the lighter volatile vapours are
dissipated as the peat, is dried and the dry flakes fall or are scraped from the rollers
or other drying devices into a common trough whence they are conveyed by a carrier
to the rear end of the apparatus, where if necessary the peat may drop on to another
elevator which brings the dried flakes or films to the proper point for delivery to a
press.
Although this drying and flattening process liberates the lighter volatile vapors
and leaves the peat in small flakes or particles, the carbon cells are, while undergoing
this operation, only partly broken, and in order to finish what may be called their
fracture, I saturate the free carbon again with the highly inflammable tarry and
resinous substances and bind the whole permanently together in a solid compact mass
having the qualities above specified, I place the peat thus dried and prepared in
moulds kept at a high temperature by the direct application of fire or use of super-
heated steam, and keep it in these moulds for some time thereby wholly or partially
carbonising the mass.
During this process heavy pressure is brought to bear upon the peat by plungers
or like devices also highly heated; this action binding the free carbon and volatile
combustible matters closely together the tarry or resinous substances being diffused
throughout and also brought to the outside, and the friction of the moulds assists in
imparting a blackened glaże or polish to the surfaces of the blocks.
For the manufacture of peat just described I may use an apparatus such as that
shown in the accompanying drawings which however forms no part of this invention,
A being an elevator connected with an excavator and B a hopper underneath which
are troughs containing the usual stick catchers. E is the trough; F, F, the heated
rollers; G a common trough; H a carrier; K an elevator and L any kind of a
press.
Dated this 21st day of Santambro 1000

page_text: Improvements in the Treatment of Peat.
I, SYDNEY PITT, of Sutton, in the County of Surrey, Gentleman, (a communi-
cation to me from abroad by David Aikman, of the City of Montreal, in the
District of Montreal, and Province of Quebec, Canada, Contractor,) 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 :—
This invention relates to the preparation of peat to adapt it for use as fuel and has
for its object to produce a block of peat which shall possess the minimum of moisture
and the maximum of carbon and other inflammable substances; and at the same
time be of close texture, great specific gravity, easy of ignition and not readily
subject to the influence of water or the atmosphere.
Heretofore the semi-liquid peat has been taken from the bog and compressed and
dried in blocks by various processes and machines, but in none of these instances has
a block been produced which has been freed from any but a small proportion of
moisture-nor yet has it been possible to make such blocks hard enough to prevent
them from being easily broken into small pieces which are too rapid of consumption
to be valuable as fuel.
The most important objection however to the fuel prepared in the old way, is that
the volatile combustible matter contained in the peat has not been liberated from the
minute cells of the fixed carbon and then sufficiently combined with the particles or
fibres thereof as to ensure, when ignited, a steady and equal combustion of both
elements simultaneously, the result being that on account of the volatile elements
being practically by themselves (as in the old peat blocks) they are consumed so
rapidly by a succession of "flashes," the fixed carbon is never properly ignited and
falls away to ashy particles directly the gases have been eliminated thus practically
permitting only a slight and temporary incandescence of the fixed carbon, and
consequently producing the minimum of heating power.
To obviate these serious objections it is necessary that the volatile combustible
elements should first be set free from the cells in which they are naturally sealed, and
the particles or fibres themselves then impregnated or saturated with this combustible
matter, in such a way as to retain the inflammable and incandescent qualities of all
the predominant elements in such a combination that they will ignite and burn
together, and at the same time produce a block of fuel so closely compressed and
dried as to possess the greatest amount of specific gravity, as well as being proof
against ordinary atmospheric influences and the action of water.
My invention has nothing to do with the cutting or digging of the peat which may
be done in any ordinary way. The semi-liquid or pulpy peat is raised into a hopper
under which are any of the well known stick catching devices, held in suitable
troughs.
Into these troughs I inject live steam in order to heat and stir the mass and
facilitate the extraction of the sticks. The pulped peat is thence taken to a mixer or
along a trough having in it openings at intervals through which the peat drops
between highly heated rollers, or rollers and plates or other convenient drying
apparatus the action of which devices is to flatten out the mass into sheets, flakes, or
films, and their surfaces being at a high temperature the lighter volatile vapours

page_text: are dissipated as the peat is dried and the dry flakes fall or are scraped from the
rollers or other drying devices into a common trough whence they are conveyed by
a carrier to the rear end of the apparatus, where if necessary the peat may drop on
to another elevator which brings the dried flakes or films to the proper point for
delivery to a press..
Although this drying and flattening process liberates the lighter volatile vapours
and leaves the peat in small flakes or particles, the carbon cells are, while undergoing
this operation, only partly broken, and in order to finish what may be called their
fracture, I saturate the free carbon again with the highly inflammable tarry and
resinous substances and bind the whole permanently together in a solid compact mass
having the qualities above specified, I place the peat thus dried and prepared in
moulds kept at a high temperature by the direct application of fire or use of super-
heated steam, and keep it in these moulds for some time thereby wholly or partially
carbonizing the mass.
During this process heavy pressure is brought to bear upon the peat by plungers
or like devices also highly heated, this action binding the free carbon and volatile
combustible matters closely together the tarry or resinous substances being diffused
throughout and also brought to the outside, and the friction of the moulds assists in
imparting a blackened glaze or polish to the surfaces of the blocks.
A chemical analysis of my improved peat block shows approximately as follows:-
The temperature at which the peat is pressed is about from 800 to 1000° Fahr. and I
estimate that the proper pressure to be used will be approximately ten or twelve tons
on the square inch. The temperature and pressure as well as the chemical analysis
of the finished block may be in some degree governed by the natural quality of the
peat.
For the manufacture of peat just described I may use an apparatus such as that
shown in the drawings left with the provisional specification which however forms no
part of this invention, A being an elevator connected with an excavator and Ba
hopper underneath which are troughs C containing the usual stick catchers; E is the
trough; F F the heated rollers; G a common trough; Ha carrier; K an elevator
and L any kind of a press.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said inven-
tion and in what manner the same is to be performed I declare that what
I claim is
1. The improved process in the manufacture of peat fuel which consists in reducing.
the peat to a semi fluid pulp; then drying it in the form of thin films or flakes, and
afterwards pressing it while hot into blocks, the whole substantially as described.
2. As a new article of manufacture a pressed fuel block composed of peat carbonized
by heat and condensed by pressure to such an extent that the constituent tarry matter
is throughly intermixed with the carbonized matter and a black external tarry glaze
is formed on the surface of the block substantially as described.
Dated this 30th day of January 1889.