CERTAIN IMPROVEMENTS IN THE "MANUFACTURE OF COKE AND IN' THE OVENS FOR PRODUCING THE SAME
Year: 1845

page_text: TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME I JABEZ
CHURCH of Colchester in the County of Essex Gas Engineer send greeting
WHEREAS Her present most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria by Her
Royal Letters Patent under the Great Seal of Great Britain, bearing date at
Westminster the Twentieth day of December in the ninth year of Her
reign did for Herself Her heirs and successors give and grant unto me,
the said Jabez. Church .my exors admors and assigns Her especial licence full
power sole privilege and authority that I the said Jabez Church my exors
admors and assigns or such others as I the said Jabez Church my
exors admors or assigns should at any time agree with, and no others,
from time to time and at all times during the term of years therein expressed
should and lawfully might make use exercise and vend within England
Wales and the Town of Berwick-upon-Tweed my Invention of " CERTAIN
IMPROVEMENTS IN THE "MANUFACTURE OF COKE AND IN' THE OVENS FOR PRODUCING
THE SAME" in which said Letters Patent is contained a proviso that I the said.
Jabez Church shall cause a particular description of the nature of my said
Invention and in what manner the same is to be performed to be inrolled
in Her said Majesty's High Court of Chancery within six calendar months
next and immediately after the date of the said in part recited Letters Patent
as in and by the same reference being thereunto had. will more fully and at
large appear
NOW KNOW YE that in compliance with the said. proviso I the said
Jabez Church hereby declare that: the nature of the said Invention and in
what manner the same is to be performed are fully described and ascer-.
19915,

page_text: tained in and by the present Specification thereof reference being had to the
Drawings hereunto annexed in which similar parts are indicated by similar
letters of reference.
And for the better understanding thereof I shall first describe generally
the machinery and processes which I make use of in the manufacture of coke
and then point out specifically those parts which I claim as the "improvements "
invented by me.
Figure 1 of the Drawings hereunto annexed represents a front elevation and
Figure 2 a side elevation of the sort of oven I employ.
Figure 3 is a transverse section of the oven on the line X X of Figure 2.
Figure 4 is a plan on the line Y Y of Figure 3 and Figure 5 another plan
on the line Z Z of Figure 3.
Figure 6 is an elevation and Figure 7 a section of the principal parts of the
oven front on a larger scale than in the other Figures. A is the mouthpiece
of the oven and Q Figure 3 the floor. B is a temporary wall of brickwork
which is raised up in front of the coals as they are thrown in. C is a door of
cast iron (called the "regulator") in which there are a number of oblong
apertures D D for the admission of air to the interior of the oven. E E
are vertical slides, by means of which the apertures D D all or any of them
may be closed or shut wholly or partially (as shewn in Figure 6. F F are
two additional air passages made in the side walls and carried in an upwardly-
inclined direction towards the interior of the oven in order that the air
supplied through them may not impinge directly on the surface of the coal.
GG are circular slide valves by which the passages F F are opened or
shut as required. I I are iron bands which encircle the exterior of the
oven for the purpose of strengthening the same and are bolted by their ends
to the sides of the mouthpiece. N is the chimney and O the flue leading
into it from the interior of the oven. KK are two openings through
which after the coal has been carbonized or converted into coke cold air is
introduced for the purpose of cooling down the coke and R R¹ (Figure 4)
are two valves commanded by handles L L by which these passages are
opened and closed these valves being represented in the one case as closed
and in the other as open. M M M are horizontal passages carried under-
neath and around the oven (but not communicating in any way with the
interior of the oven) through which the cold air circulates after its admission
through the openings K K and m m are smaller vertical passages by which
the main passages M M communicate one with the other. H H are vertical
pipes with hinged caps or covers which are opened when required by the.
dependent chains / h to allow of the escape into the external atmosphere of

page_text: the air employed in the cooling-down process (S S in Figure 5 represent the
bases of these tubes) P P (Figure 4) represent parts of the oven between
the external walls and the cooling air passages which are filled up with
concrete. The mode of operation is as follows A quantity of coal is thrown
in sufficient to cover the floor (Q) of the oven to the depth of about two feet
as shewn in Figure 7 and spread so as to present an even surface at top with
the exception only that the mass is made to incline a little from the front and
sides towards the middle. As the oven is being charged with coal the wall
of brickwork B is gradually built up in front. A shovelful of burning coal is
then thrown in at top and as soon as the main body of coal has become fairly
ignited the oven door or "regulator" C is closed and the edges of it next
the mouthpiece as also all the joints of the temporary brickwork well luted.
The passages D D and F F through which the air necessary for the
support of combustion is supplied are in the first instance left entirely open
(the passages M M m m employed in the cooling-down process being at the
same time entirely closed) but according as the coking of the coal advances
these passages D D and F F are gradually closed by means of the slides
E E and valves G G till at length on the conclusion of the process (of
which the cessation of all flame on the surface of the coke may be taken as a
good practical criterion) they are wholly shut. The valves R. R¹ are then
opened for the admission of air to cool down the coke and the caps of the
exit pipes H H pulled off and. not till the coke has been thoroughly cooled
is it removed from the oven. The ordinary process of withdrawing the coke
from the ovens in a hot state and then throwing cold water upon it is thus
entirely superseded. The coke produced by this new process of manufacture
is of a very superior quality and the quantity produced from a given quantity
of coal is also much greater than usual. The time ordinarily employed in car-
bonizing or coking eight tons of coal (including the time occupied in the cooling
process) varies from eighty to ninety hours according to the quality of coal
employed and the temperature of the atmosphere at the time. When it is desired
to obtain a coke more than usually free from sulphur and other metallic admix-
tures I further subject the coal at completion of the process of carbonization to
the action of a current of electricity in manner following:-As soon as the
flame on the surface of the ignited mass of coal begins to die away I close the
apertures D D and F F as herein-before mentioned. I then introduce
through the temporary brickwork in front an iron rod into the coke near to
the bottom and I pass through the back of the oven just under the chimney
flue O, a second rod over the surface of the coke so that it shall rest upon
and be in a state of perfect contact with it. The former rod is connected
.

page_text: with the positive pole of a powerful electric battery and the latter with the.
negative pole each by means of a stout copper wire, leaving the body of coke
in the oven to complete the electric circuit. Care is of course taken that the
iron rods and connecting wires shall be completely insulated from all sub-
stances of a nature calculated to divert or "intercept the electric current.
Supposing the mass of coke to amount to about six tons I find by practice
that the time to which it may be beneficially subjected to the electric action is
about two hours. On repeatedly analizing equal portions of coke made from
the same description of coal one of which has been subjected to the electric
action and the other not-I have found that the former is freer from sulphur
and other metallic admixtures in the proportion of about twelve to one. -
And having now described the nature of my said Invention and in what
manner the same is to be performed 'Í declare that what I claim as the
improvements comprehended under and constituting the same are
First the regulating the supply of air to coke ovens during the manufac-
ture of coke by means of such regulators and valves as aforesaid in manner
herein-before described.
Second The cooling of the coke within the ovens and before removal there-
from and without exposing it to the air as before described.
Thirdly the application of electricity to the purifying of coke from sulphur
and other metallic admixtures as before described.
And
Fourthly the construction of coking ovens in manner and for the purposes
aforesaid.
In witness whereof I the said Jabez Church have hereunto set my
hand and seal this Eighteenth day of June in the year of our
Lord One thousand eight hundred and forty-six.
JABEZ (L.8.) CHURCH.
AND BE IT REMEMBERED, that on the Eighteenth day of June, in
the year of our Lord 1846 the aforesaid Jabez Church came before our
said Lady the Queen in Her Chancery and acknowledged the Specification
aforesaid and all and every thing therein contained and specified in form
above written and also the Specification aforesaid was stamped according
to the tenor of the Statute made for that purpose.