Improvements in and Retort Apparatus for Treating Town Refuse or Excrementitious or like Matter, and Obtaining Useful Products therefrom.
Year: 1893

page_text: Date of Application, 30th Aug., 1893
Complete Specification Left, 28th May, 1894-Accepted, 14th July, 1894
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in and Retort Apparatus for Treating Town Refuse
or Excrementitious or like Matter, and Obtaining Useful Products
therefrom.
I, JOHN HANSON of Wakefield, in the County of York, Sewage Engineer do
hereby declare the nature of my invention to be as follows:-
My invention has for its object to provide means whereby town refuse or
excrementitious or like matter can be treated so that not only is nuisance prevented
but useful products are obtained the said products consisting more especially of
gaseous products and carbon which can be used for heating purposes.
According to my invention I provide a closed retort or vessel into which the
matter to be treated (I will refer to it as refuse) is introduced and in which it is
subjected to heat. The retort or vessel is provided with means whereby the
contents can be stirred or moved so that adherence of carbonized matter to the
sides of the retort or vessel is prevented.
This device may take the form of a shaft running through the retort and
provided with arms, this being more especially suitable where the retort or vessel
is charged and then closed until the charge has been treated and then opened for
the discharge of the contents. If the refuse is to be supplied, treated and expelled
continuously in and from the retort or vessel the said device may take the form of
an Archimedian screw (which may have pins in, or projections from its blades) and
the retort or vessel may be charged by a hopper which may open to a stage or
floor above the apparatus and the said retort or vessel be provided with an outlet
at the other end. When this arrangement is used vapours from the incoming
material will become gasified as they pass over or through the heated refuse
towards the outlet. The time of treatment in the retort or vessel is such that the
matter discharged therefrom is carbonaceous matter from which all matter likely
to give rise to offensive odours has been expelled-the said carbonaceous matter
being in a condition for use as fuel or for other purpose and fit to be placed in
sacks or stored for future use. The gases and vapours which are driven off from
the refuse whilst under treatment in the retort or vessel are led off by an outlet or
outlets therefor and may be stored in a gasometer for use as required for heating
purposes and in order to add to the value of the said gases steam may be passed
into the retort or vessel so that the said steam becomes decomposed and forms gas
which passes off with the other gases. Or the said gases may be led back to
beneath the fire which heats the retort or vessel to be there burnt so that they are
utilized to effect the treatment of the refuse, and in this case steam may be
injected either into the retort or vessel or into the pipe or passage by which the
gases pass therefrom so as to facilitate the passage of the gases and be burnt
therewith in the furnace. In this case the pipe or passage may be led through
the fire in the furnace so as to reheat the gases and steam before they issue below
the fire. The heated products from the furnace may heat the boiler by which the
said steam is generated. When the gases or vapours are thus led to beneath the
furnace of the retort or vessel the ash-pit thereof may be closed and the discharge
pipe for the gases be surrounded by an opening by which sufficient air to
support combustion is drawn in by the said gases.
Instead of the steam jet other means for creating a partial vacuum in the retort
or vessel can be used such for instance as a gas exhauster, fan or air pump.
If the arrangement be such that the steam or vapour is not decomposed as
aforesaid the steam may be condensed so as to separate from the gases and the

page_text: water of condensation be returned to the boiler. By my invention I can treat a
large quantity of refuse in a comparatively short time so as to prevent nuisance
and obtain gases and carbon which can be used for heating the refuse for raising
steam for use as aforesaid or for other useful purposes.
Dated the 30th day of August 1893.
J. H. JOHNSON & Co.,
47, Lincoln's Inn Fields, London, W.C., Agents.
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in and Retort Apparatus for Treating Town Refuse
or Excrementitious or like Matter, and Obtaining Useful Products
therefrom.
I, JOHN HANSON of Wakefield, in the County of York, Sewage Engineer do
hereby declare the nature of my invention and in what manner the same is to
be performed to be particularly described and ascertained in and by the following
statement:-
My invention has for its object to provide means whereby town refuse or
excrementitious or like matter can be treated so that not only is nuisance prevented
but useful products are obtained, the said products consisting more especially of
gaseous products and carbon which can be used for heating purposes.
I will describe my invention with reference to the accompanying drawings which
represent an apparatus constructed in accordance with my invention but I do not
limit myself to the precise details which I have illustrated.
Figure 1 is a plan with the top removed and with part of one of the retorts in
section.
Figure 2 is a section on the line 1. 2 Figure 1 and
Figure 3 is a section on the line 3. 4 Figure 1.
According to my invention I provide a closed retort or vessel A or closed retorts
or vessels (I have shewn three in the drawings but I may use onc or more as
desired) into which the matter to be treated (I will refer to it as refuse) is
introduced and in which it is subjected to heat. The hoppers at a are for the
introduction of the refuse and the shoots a² are for its discharge after treatment.
Each retort or vessel is provided with means whereby the contents can be stirred
or moved so that adherence of carbonized matter to the sides of the retort or vessel
is prevented. This device may take the form of a shaft running through the
retort and provided with arms this being more especially suitable where the retort
or vessel is charged and then closed until the charge has been treated and then
opened for the discharge of the contents. If, as I prefer, the refuse is to be
supplied, treated, and expelled, continuously in and from the retort or vessel in
accordance with the arrangement shewn in the drawing the said device may take
the form of an Archimedian screw B (which may have pins in, or projections from
its blades) or which may consist of separate blades helically arranged. The shafts
carrying the screws or the like may be rotated from a shaft C provided with
pulleys cover which pass bands c² passing also over pulleys on the shafts 6' of
the Archimedian screws B or the like so that the refuse with which the retorts or
vessels are charged by the hoppers a (which open to a stage or floor above the
apparatus) is moved along the said retorts or vessels until it is discharged by the
outlets a² at the other end. When this arrangement is used vapours from
the refuse will become gasified as they pass over or through the heated refuse
towards the outlet. The time of treatment in the retort or vessel is such that the
matter discharged therefrom is carbonaceous matter from which all matter likely
to give rise to offensive odours has been expelled the said carbonaceous matter
being in a condition for use as fuel or for other purpose and fit to be placed in sacks
or stored for future use. The gases and vapours which are driven off from the

page_text: refuse whilst under treatment in the retorts or vessels are led off by an outlet or
outlets therefor (the pipes D) and may be stored in a gasometer for use as required
for heating purposes, and, in order to add to the value of the said gases, steam may
be passed into the retorts or vessels so that the said steam becomes decomposed and
forms gas which passes off with the other gases. Or the said gases may be led
back to beneath the fire which heats the retorts or vessels to be there burnt so that
the said gases are utilized to effect the treatment of the refuse and in this case
steam may be injected either into the retorts or vessels or into the pipes or
passages D by which the gases pass therefrom so as to facilitate the passage of
the gases and be burnt therewith in the furnace. In this case the pipe or passage
may be led through the fire (as at d) in the furnace so as to re-heat the gases and
steam before they issue below the fire at d. The heated products from the furnace
may heat the boiler E by which the said steam is generated, the said steam being
led by the valve controlled pipe e and thence passing by the nozzles e³ into the
pipes D. When the gases or vapours are thus led to beneath the furnace of the
retort or vessel the ash-pit thereof may be closed and the discharge pipes d² for
the gases be each surrounded by a pipe opening to the outer air at one end and
into the ash-pit at the other end by which sufficient air to support combustion is
drawn in by the said gases. The pipe is shewn for this purpose.
Instead of the steam jet other means for creating a partial vacuum in the retorts
or vessels can be used such for instance as a gas exhauster fan, or air pump.
If the arrangement be such that the steam, or vapour, is not decomposed as.
aforesaid the steam may be condensed so as to separate from the gases and the
water of condensation be returned to the boiler.
By my invention I can treat a large quantity of refuse in a comparatively short
time so as to prevent nuisance and obtain gases and carbon which can be used for
heating the retort or vessel for treating the refuse for raising steam for use as
aforesaid or for other useful purposes.
I have shewn in combination with the apparatus a chamber at the discharge ends.
of the retorts provided with double sieves or screens ff2 the one at f2 being finer
than that at f. The material from the retorts falls onto the upper sieve and the
finer portions pass through both sieves into the truck g beneath. The portions
which pass through the sieve ƒ but not through the sieve f2 fall from the open
end between the sieves into the truck 92 and the portions which pass through.
neither sieve fall from off the upper sieve into the truck g³. The sieves are hung
on chains and are driven from the shaft C by an eccentric F and connecting
rod for they may be vibrated in any other convenient way. 63 are shoots for
directing the treated refuse from the outer retorts or vessels onto the sieve.
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. An apparatus for treating town refuse or excrementitious or like matter and
obtaining useful products therefrom constructed or arranged substantially as
herein before described and illustrated by Figure 2 of the accompanying drawings.
2. In apparatus for the purposes described the combination in a heating chamber
or furnace of a retort or retorts each provided with an inlet and an outlet and a
device by means of which the material is moved along from the inlet to the outlet
and a pipe or passage for vapours or gases leading to a place of storage or
utilization or to under the fire grate or grates directly or through the fire, in
combination or not with means for injecting or passing steam into the said pipe or
passage or into the retorts or both substantially as herein before described.
Dated the 28th day of May 1801
JOHNSONS & WILLCOX,
47, Lincoln's Inn Fields, London, Agents.