Im- PROVEMENTS IN THE MANUFACTURE OF PEAT, IN THE METHODS OF DRYING AND CHARRING IT, AND IN STRUCTURES AND APPLIANCES TO BE EMPLOYED FOR SUCH PURPOSES, BEING PARTLY ALSO APPLICABLE TO THE MANUFACTURE OF ARTIFICIAL FUEL
Year: 1874

page_text: PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by Wilhelm Radeke at the Office
of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on the 25th.
March 1874.
I, WILHELM RADEKE, of No. 28, Gracechurch Street, in tlie City of
London, do hereby declare the nature of the said Invention for "Im-
PROVEMENTS IN THE MANUFACTURE OF PEAT, IN THE METHODS OF DRYING AND
CHARRING IT, AND IN STRUCTURES AND APPLIANCES TO BE EMPLOYED FOR SUCH
PURPOSES, BEING PARTLY ALSO APPLICABLE TO THE MANUFACTURE OF ARTIFICIAL
FUEL," to be as follows:-
According to my Invention I adopt the following methods to manu«
facture peat into a dry fuel and charcoal.
I first break up the fibre of the peat; this may be done by any known
or suitable pulping mechanism which will thoroughly macerate and pulp.
it, such as for example, Clayton, Son, & Howlett's pulping machine,"
Carr's peat disintegrator or cylinders running at different speeds'; and in
connection with such machinery the peat may also be suitably subjected.
to the action of pulping mechanism by which it is freed of part of its.

page_text: water, then shaped. The peat is deposited on ridded trays and is carried
into the hereafter described drying shed to evaporate the residue of its
moisture.
The drying shed I prefer to construct of brickwork or mud, and to be
of long and comparatively narrow structure with one or more doors and
suitable light inlets. The roof would be inside, arched or funnel shaped,
with one or more ventilating flues or outlets through which an upward
current of air can be established. Through one or more of the walls of
the shed I carry from outside a single or double row of flue pipes,
which I lay up and down all over the bottom of the shed. At a con-
venient place outside I connect these pipes with one or two furnaces,
which may be the furnaces employed for charring, and hereafter mentioned.
The end of the flue pipes inside the shed I pass through the wall, and
lead it either into a smoke fluc. or I attach to it an exhaust or blower, by
which I exhaust the hot air through the pipes which are fitted with
valves to regulate the degree of heat. Between or under these hot air
pipes I lay perforated pipes, which either inside or outside the shed are
connected with a not perforated wider pipe. This pipe is fitted with
valves to regulate the passage of air during the different stages of
drying. I carry it on outside and connect it by a funnel elongation with
a wider pipe or tunnel-shaped structure; such tunnel-shaped structure.
I run out into another funnel clongation, which however is horizontally
reversed in position to the previous funnel clongation. I prefer the said
tunnel structure to be in its diameter correspondent with the width of
the shed or to be wider. Thus I have formed a vacuum between two.
funnels lying in opposite direction, each with a narrower pipe at the
end. To the outside pipe I attach a powerful fan or blower by which I
force cold air between or under the hot air pipes in the shed.
The object of the mechanical pressure is to create a high velocity of
air inside the shed, which on being forced through the vacuum and out
of the funnel pipe must increase in proportion as the transverse section
of the outlet pipe is smaller than the vacuum surface. Sucli sets of
cold air pipes, with or without perforated end pipes, may further be led
into the shed through any desired part of its walls.
"
To each or one of the ventilating flues or outlets at the roof I also
sometimes attach an exhaust, by which I carry off the air from inside.
the shed; or the velocity of out flowing air may be aided by special.
:

page_text: cowls, sucli as for example "air pump ventilators" acted upon by
means of an artificially created current of air.
Understanding that peat would not allow, especially not in summer,.
nor during the first stages of its spontaneous evaporation, of the aid of
high artificial heat and yet desiring to assist by such natural means, i. c.
difference of temperature, the velocity of outflowing air, I sometimes
conduct to a point above the space occupied by the stacked peat a jet
or current of artificial heat, which will thus increase the velocity of
outflowing air. This can be done by a flue pipe connection.
Supported by low walls I fix, sometimes over a grating, rails, along.
which run movcable trollics or shelves, which carry the peat on ribbed
trays.
The drying shed is likewise applicable to the drying of artificial fuel.
When the peat has thus contracted into a solid fuel I charr it in the
following mode:-
I errect at a convenient distance apart from each other two furnaces.
The flues of these furnaces I lay on an incline, the highest part of the
incline forms the centre between them, where with a suitable partition
between them the flues run into one common smoke flue or chimney.
Along the incline I set inclined or horizontally iron retorts, by pre-
ference round or oval shaped pipes, in which I intend to charr the peat.
The upper part of these retorts is set in fire-bricks or other refractory
substance, and the under part is suitably supported by tiles to allow
the heat to blaze around it. The projecting neck ends of the retorts are
provided with flanges to fix mouth picces from which run outlet pipes
having a valve, and which are connected with a larger pipe, into which
escape the gases and volatile matters produced during the process of
charring. The gases and volatile matters may thence be led either
under a gasometer, and thence into the furnaces as fuel, or, where it is.
desired to utilize them for the distillation of chemicals, they may be led
into a condenser and such other appliances which, as is well understood,
there may be required for such purposes.
During the process of charring quantities of small charcoal are readily
produced, which in the thus small state are treated as refuse or com-
paratively useless waste. To save them and to convert them into a
solid fuel I proceed as follows:-I reduce them to a powder, and then

page_text: compound it with pulped peat in its wet state, adding sometimes lime,
farina, bituminous or resinous substance, or the grease or volatile
matters obtained from charring peat. I treat wood charcoal likewise.
Such compound is compressed and allowed to dry, and it may
subsequently be recharred.