Year: 1887

page_text: Date of Application, 15th Apr., 1887
Complete Left, 13th Jan., 1888
Complete Accepted, 24th Feb., 1888
I, JAMES. ELLIOTT of the Gas Works, Ludlow, in the County of Salop, Gas
Manager, do hereby declare the nature of this invention to be as follows:-
The invention has for its object the construction of apparatus whereby the carboni-
zation of coal for the production of gas may be made continuously, and without
opening the front at short intervals for the introduction of coals and the withdrawal
of coke.
The invention consists of a retort having a hopper, for containing a quantity of
coals, attached to its mouthpiece. The mouthpiece is provided with a contrivance
having revolving blades, which on being turned with a handle will cause coal to fall
into a scoop inserted in the mouth piece and part of the retort. This scoop is attached
to a rod that passes through the lid of the retort and terminates outside with a handle.
To the opposite end of the retort there is also a kind of mouthpiece from which the
ascension pipe rises, and which is provided with a hand hole and lid for cleaning the
said ascension. The mouthpiece has an opening in its lower part which corresponds
with an opening in a short cylinder that is pivotted to arms attached to the mouth-
piece. Above and below the opening in the mouthpiece the latter has saddle flanges
cast or otherwise made to a true semi-circular curve so that when the cylinder is
brought up close against them the cylinder may revolve though in close contact with
the flanges, and ensure a gas tight joint, or to ensure this condition asbestos packing
between the flanges and the cylinder may be employed.
The action of the apparatus is simple and as follows. The hopper being charged
with coals, a handle in front of the hopper is turned whereupon coal will fall into the
scoop in the mouthpiece. The rod of the scoop is then thrust in to its full length and
by means of the handle turned over. The coal will thus be deposited on the bottom of
the retort ready for carbonizing. The rod is then drawn out and the scoop restored to
its former position. When sufficient time has elapsed the scoop is again charged with
coal and thrust forward and turned over. In thrusting forward the second charge of
coal, the coal already introduced, which by this time has been partly carbonized will

page_text: be pushed towards the opposite end of the retort, and by repeating the operation, the
coal which has been converted into coke will fall through the opening in the back
mouthpiece into the cylinder. This cylinder on being turned at intervals will allow
the coke to fall out of the opening in it into a barrow or other convenient receptacle.
The cylinder is then returned to its former position where it remains until sufficiently
charged with coke to make it desirable to discharge it. Whereupon the lever is used,
the cylinder made to turn until the opening is fully exposed, when the coke will fall
out as before. By these means carbonization may be carried on continuously and the
necessity for opening the retort limited to very long intervals.
Dated this 15th day of April 1887.

page_text: Improvements in Gas Apparatus for Effecting the Continuous
Carbonization of Coal.
I, JAMES ELLIOTT of the Gas Works, Ludlow, in the County of Salop, Gas Manager,
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 has for its object the construction of apparatus whereby the carboni-
zation of coal for the production of gas may be made continuously, and without
opening the front at short intervals for the insertion of coals and the withdrawal
of coke.
In order that the invention may be easily understood drawings are attached hereto
of which the following is a description. Fig. 1 is a front elevation of a bed of five
retorts with this invention applied, Fig. 2 is a back end elevation of the same, and
Fig. 3 is a part side elevation and part sectional side elevation of the apparatus, while
Fig. 4 is a transverse section of one of the mouthpieces, coal shoots, and scoops.
The invention consists of a retort A Fig. 3 having a hopper B for containing a
quantity of coals, the hopper being connected to the mouthpiece C by a conduit or
shoot D. The conduit or shoot is provided with a contrivance having revolving
blades E, E, Fig. 4, which on being turned will cause coal to fall into a scoop or
charger F inserted in the mouthpiece and part of the retort. The blades E, E, may
be made to revolve by turning a handle fixed to each individual spindle, or the whole
of the blades attached to one setting may be made to revolve simultaneously by fixing
to each spindle a worm wheel G, the wheels being turned by a handle H acting
through the intervention of a shaft having a suitable number of worms J upon it.
The scoop F is fixed to a rod K that passes through the lid of the retort and terminates
outside with a handle L. Each scoop may be driven into, or drawn out of the retort
by separate thrusts or pulls of the hand, or the whole of the scoops may be thrust in,
or withdrawn by turning a handle M which gives motion to a pair of mitre wheels g
seen in Fig. 3, one of the mitre wheels being fixed to a long screw N. This screw
passes through a nut O which has as many arms P as there are retorts in a setting.
Each scoop rod K passes through a hole near the extremity of its respective arm, so
that on the screw being made to revolve the nut will either advance or recede, and the
rods and consequently the scoops will be either thrust in or drawn out of the retort by
the pressure of the arms.
To the opposite or back end of the retort there is also a kind of mouthpiece Q
which for the sake of distinction, I will call the "tailpiece," and from which the
ascension pipe R rises. The tailpiece is provided with a hand-hole and lid for cleaning
the said ascension. The tailpiece has an opening S which corresponds with an opening
in a short cylinder T that is pivotted to arms U and V attached to the tailpiece.
Above and below the opening in the tailpiece, the latter has saddle flanges W cast or
otherwise made to a true semicircular curve, so that when the cylinder T is brought

page_text: up close against them, the cylinder may turn though in close contact with the flanges,
and ensure a gas tight joint. The openings in the tailpieces and cylinders may be
exposed for the discharge of coke, by a handle attached to one of the arms, or the
whole may be acted upon by turning the shaft X either by a handle with worm and
worm wheel Y, or other means. The arms are attached to each other by connecting
pieces Z, and the upper and lower shafts X by a pitch chain a and wheels.
The action of the apparatus is simple and as follows. The hopper being charged
with coals, the revolving blades are each turned by a handle, or the whole together by
means of the worm and worm wheels, whereupon coal will fall into the scoops in the
mouthpieces. The rod of each scoop is then thrust to its full length by the operation
of the screw N, and turned over by partially revolving each handle L. The coal will
thus be deposited on the bottom of the retort ready for carbonizing. The rods are
then drawn out and the scoops or chargers returned to their former position. When
sufficient time has elapsed the scoops are again charged with coal and thrust forward
and turned over. In thrusting forward the second charge of coal the coal already
introduced, which by this time has been partly carbonized will be pushed towards the
opposite end of the retort, and by repeating the operation, the coal which has been
converted into coke will fall through the opening in the tailpiece into the cylinder.
This cylinder on being partly turned at intervals by the means previously described,
will allow the coke to fall out of the opening in it into a barrow or other convenient
receptacle. The cylinder is then returned to its former position where it remains until
sufficiently charged with coke to make it desirable to discharge it, whereupon the
cylinder is made to turn until the opening is fully exposed, when the coke will fall out
as before. By these means carbonization may be carried on continuously and the
necessity for opening the retort limited to very long intervals.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said
invention and in what manner the same is to be performed, 1 declare that what
I claim is,
1. The scoop or charger F with its rod K as herein described and shown on the
drawings.
2. The screw N and nut O with arms P as herein described and shown on the
drawings.
3. The tailpieces Q and cylinders T together with the levers or arms U and V as
herein described and shown on the drawings, and
4. The shaft pitch chain, wheels and connecting pieces for opening the whole of the
cylinders simultaneously as herein described and shown on the drawings.
Dated this 13th day of January 1888.
W. H. BENNETT,
Agent for the Applicant.