Improvements in Apparatus for Automatically Conveying Coke from the Retort Furnaces or Ovens to the Coke Yard.
Year: 1898

page_text: Date of Application, 30th Dec., 1898-Accepted 4th Feb., 1899
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Apparatus for Automatically Conveying Coke from
the Retort Furnaces or Ovens to the Coke Yard.
I, FEDOR KELLNER, of Mulhausen, Alsace, in the Empire of Germany, Engineer,
and Managing Duector of the Mulhausen Gas Company, 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:-
-
Coke has hitherto been conveyed from the retort furnaces or ovens to the
coke-yards of gas works by means of hand barrows or trolleys which travel on
rails and on reaching the yard are tilted to discharge then contents.
Of late, it has been attempted to substitute machinery for this manual labour
To this end an iron feeding hand was aanged along the retort furnaces, 80
that it might receive the coke as it fell down and conduct it to the yard
As a rule, retort furnaces with horizontal retorts are so constructed that the
floor of the retort house is on a level with the yard In the new type of furnaces
however in which the retorts are inclined, the retoit house floor is raised about
three metres above the level of the yard Now in accordance with the present
invention it is this raised floor which is made serviceable as a convenient sus-
pended track for the tilting carts or trolleys to move upon in transporting the
coke from the retort ovens to the coke yard, whereby this is effected automatic-
ally, in a most simple and ready manner and without any occasion to resort
to either manual labour or machine power
"
The main characteristic feature of the suspended track alluded to is that its
rail forms a line "returning into (or rejoining) itself, which, in front of the
retort ovens or furnaces, extends horizontally; then dips downwards at a certain
angle in the direction of the coke-yard, and finally 11ses again to its horizontal
pait
Where this form of suspended rail, reaching back to itself, 18 adopted, a
suitable tilting cart may be piopelled along the horizontal portion of the rail
for collecting the coke from the ietort ovens, and then be allowed automatically
to run down the declivity and traverse the coke vaid, where certain apparatus
provided for the purpose will cause it to deliver its contents, whereupon such
cart or trolley should be adapted to re-ascend of its own accord the gradient
leading back to the horizontal portion of the line, being, if necessary, assisted
by an operative or attendant in this last stage of its journey
The accompanying drawing illustrates one example of the practical perform-
ance of the invention
Figures 1 and 2 being, respectively, an elevation and a plan of the novel arrange-
ment, while
Figures 3 to 5 represent mechanism for discharging the trolley.
The rail c supported by pillars a in the coke-yard, and secured to the retort-
ovens by means of brackets bor in any other suitable manner, forms a closed-in
line (or circuit) as already stated for the distance from c¹ to 3, that 18 along
the ovens d, it extends horizontally, it then leaves the oven-house at one end,
and, for the distance to ³, forms a declivity through the yard, and lastly it
rises again to the horizontal part commencing at c

page_text: For the purpose of collecting the coke, the tilting trolley is moved along the
retoits, e the horizontal length of rail, from c¹ to ³, then owing to the existing
dip, it will run through the yard, from to, automatically, it is here dis-
charged by coming in contact with an abutment or stop a¹ provided for the
purpose on one of the pillars a, it next tiaveises, automatically as before, a
portion of the gradient leading from c³ to e¹; and lastly it is once more helped
on to the horizontal stretch of nail This final operation is performed without
difficulty an arresting device being provided for preventing the trolley from
running back, while it is very easily controlled by an attendant stationed upon
the second retoit house floor y yaised above the level of the yard
The same journey is repeated as many times as may be required.
By means of a bent frame on yoke f the trolley supports its guide-rolleis g,
while it is fitted with a hinged bottom (or tiap door) h, which, noimally, is kept
closed by means of a bell-crank lever pivotted at al Before the end of the
dip or declivity of the rail c 18 reached, a stop a¹, projecting from one of the
pillais a, impinges upon the long aim of the bell-crank level, and turns the
same to one side for a sufficient distance to cause the bottom tiap-door to open
and the cartload of coke to be discharged (See Figures 3 to 5 )
Where two or a series of vehicles, connected by a wire-rope, are made to travel
along the suspended track, means may be provided for the one carnage loaded
with coke, which happens to be on the declivity at the time, to draw the other,
empty calliage on carnages up the gradient, from c³ to c¹
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said
invention and in what manner the same is to be performed, I declare that what
I clann 18.-
An arrangement for automatically conveying coke from the retort-ovens or
furnaces to the coke-yard, the main feature of which 18 a suspended rail which in
font of the retorts extends horizontally, while it traverses the yard with a down-
ward slope and finally rejoins itself, or its starting point, suitable tilting car-
riages being an anged to travel along its horizontal portion for the purpose of
collecting the coke, then automatically passing through the yard down the
gradient, to discharge the coke in such yaid, and lastly returning to the horl-
zontal part of the track
Datod 1. 90th day of Daml
1000
HASELTINE, LAKE & Co,
45, Southampton Buildings, London, W C., Agents for the Applicant