Improvements in the Production of Illuminating Gas and Bye Products from Liquid Hydrocarbons, and in Apparatus therefor.
Year: 1893

page_text: Date of Application, 5th July, 1893
Complete Specification Left, 2nd Apr., 1894-Accepted, 30th June, 1894
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in the Production of Illuminating Gas and Bye
Products from Liquid Hydrocarbons, and in Apparatus
therefor.
I, WILLIAM YOUNG of Priorsford Peebles in the County of Peebles Consulting
Chemist do hereby declare the nature of this invention to be as follows:-
This invention relates to the production of illuminating gas from liquid hydro-
carbons, and it has for its principal object the production of illuminating gas from
crude tar either alone or in conjunction with more refined tar or oil and comprises
improved arrangements whereby existing coal gas apparatus can be employed for
the decomposition of such tars and oil in accordance with the principles of the
invention described in Letters Patent granted to the present applicant and
Alexander Bell and dated 5th July 1892 No. 12421.
When the tars produced in gas works are the hydrocarbons to be converted into
illuminating gas, a convenient arrangement consists in placing a tank in any
position convenient to the retorts at such an elevation as will enable it to receive
the tars condensed in the hydraulic main. The tars precipitated in the condensors
are pumped up into this tank.
The tars are conveyed from this tank through a pipe provided with regulating
valves to the syphon tubes attached to the stand pipes from the retort.
The retorts employed may be the whole number in an oven but it is preferred
to use only the lower retorts as these are upon a more solid foundation and are less
liable to fracture and with the tar tank at a given elevation the tars can be made
to flow for a greater distance down the stand pipe.
When the retorts are placed horizontal it is necessary to place a block of son.
substance such as firebrick in the mouth to cause the tar to flow forward and
prevent it lodging in the mouth and an inclined iron plate may be used for a like
purpose.
When the price of benzole is high the tars before being run into the retort are
first distilled to recover the naptha.
The temperature externally applied to the retort is necessarily the same as that
employed for the carbonizing of the coal, that temperature being considerably in
excess of that suitable for the decomposition of the tars into gas. The tar when
first admitted through the syphon pipe down the stand pipes into the retorts is run
in very fast so as to rapidly reduce the internal temperature, and subsequently run
in slower as the temperature falls but at all times it must be run into the retort at
such a rate that only a part of it is gasified the larger proportion leaving the retort
as vapour to be again condensed in the hydraulic main and condensors performing
the double function of preventing pitchy deposits and washing the gas and
rendering it more permanent.
The condensed vapours from the tars together with the tars produced from the
coal carbonized in the same plant is again distilled to recover the naptha and
thereafter run to the retorts a second time, the process of alternately decomposing
the tars condensing the resulting products and recovering the naptha going on
continuously till the tars are all ultimately converted into gas naptha and coke the
coke being periodically withdrawn from the retort.
When the more refined tars and oils such as natural petroleum and those distilled
from shale at low temperatures are to be decomposed in conjunction with tars, a
second tank is preferably employed to contain the finer tars or oil. This tank is
provided with a pipe with regulating valves similar to that from the coal tar tank

page_text: and delivers the oil into the same funnels attached to the syphon pipe feeding the
retorts with tar.
At first when heat upon the retorts is high in temperature the tar is alone
admitted and rather quickly so as to reduce the internal temperature of the retort,
the tar being more difficult to decompose than the richer oil it is not over decomposed
when so treated and as it contains a large excess of carbon it rapidly closes up any
leaks that may be in the retorts, whereas with a richer less carbonaceous oil, over
decomposition would take place and the retort would leak badly.
So soon as the internal temperature of the retort falls to that suitable for the
decomposition of oil the supply of tar to the retort is reduced and a quantity of oil
admitted, the presence in the retort of the vapour and gases from the tar has a
conservative action upon the oil vapours protecting them from over decomposition
even at the high heat employed.
The relative rates of flow of the tars and richer oils is regulated to the desired
quality of the gas, but at all times a large quantity of the oil and tar vapours must
leave the retort undecomposed so as to prevent pitching up of the pipes &c. Those
vapours are condensed out of the gas in passing through the hydraulic main and
condense and wash out all sooty pitchy matters and absorb the condensable volatile
hydrocarbon from the gas.
Care must be taken to so regulate the quantity of oil used with the tar that
when condensed out of the commingled coal, coal tar and oil gas the condensable
matter has a specific gravity differing somewhat from water so that it may be
separated from the accompanying ammoniacal liquor and return to the cistern
supplying the retorts.
Instead of having two cisterns the one for the coal tar and the other for the
finer oil the two may be commingled and supplied from one cistern. Better results
are however obtained by working them as described separately.
Dated this 4th day of July 1893.
CRUIKSHANK & FAIRWEATHER,
62, St. Vincent Street, Glasgow, Agents.
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in the Production of Illuminating Gas and Bye
Products from Liquid Hydrocarbons, and in Apparatus.
therefor.
I, WILLIAM YOUNG of Priorsford, Peebles in the County of Peebles, Consulting
Chemist, 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 relates to the production of illuminating gas from liquid hydro-
carbons and it has for its principal object the production of illuminating gas from
crude tar either alone or in conjunction with more refined tar or oil and it comprises
improved arrangements whereby existing coal gas apparatus can be employed for
the decomposition of such tars and oils in accordance with the principle of the
invention described in Letters Patent granted to the present applicant and
Alexander Bell and dated 5th July 1892, No. 12421.
When the tars produced in gas works are the hydrocarbons to be converted into
illuminating gas, a convenient arrangement consists in placing a tank in any
position convenient to the retorts at such an elevation as will enable it to receive
the tars condensed in the hydraulic main. The tars precipitated in the condensers
are pumped up into this tank.
The tars are conveyed from the tank through a pipe provided with regulating
valves to the syphon tubes attached to the stand pipes from the retort.

page_text: The retorts employed may be the whole number in an oven but it is preferred to-
use only the lower retorts as these are upon a more solid foundation and are less
liable to fracture and with the tar tank at a given elevation the tar can be made to
flow for a greater distance down the stand pipe.
When the retorts are placed horizontally it is necessary to place a block of some
substance such as fire brick in the mouth to cause the tar to flow forward and
prevent it lodging in the mouth and an inclined iron plate may be used for a like-
purpose.
The fire-clay walls of the retort are liable to absorb the tars more particularly
in the cooler parts passing through the outside walls, and the tars so absorbed
during the process of coking swell and have a tendency to crack or rupture the
fire-clay walls. To overcome that difficulty there is inserted a sheath or lining of
iron or steel so as to convey the liquid tars past those parts of the retorts liable to
such effects.
When the retorts are highly inclined and have charging doors at the higher and
discharging doors at their lower ends such sheaths or linings of iron are inserted in
both ends and there is provided in the lower part of the lower mouth piece an.
outlet provided with a stop cock to draw off the pitch into a trunk main.
When the price of benzol is high the tars before being run into the retort are
first distilled to recover the naphtha.
The temperature externally applied to the retort is necessarily the same as that
employed for the carbonizing of the coal, that temperature being considerably in
excess of that suitable for the decomposition of the tars into gas. The tar when
first admitted through the syphon pipe down the stand pipes into the retorts is run
in very fast so as to rapidly reduce the internal temperature, and subsequently run
in slower as the temperature falls but at all times it must be run into the retort at
such a rate that only a part of it is gasified the larger proportion leaving the
retort as vapour to be again condensed in the hydraulic main and condensers,.
performing the double function of preventing pitchy deposits and washing the gas.
and rendering it more permanent.
The condensed vapours from the tars together with the tars produced from the
coal carbonized in the same plant is again distilled to recover the naphtha and
thereafter run to the retort a second time, the process of alternately decomposing
the tars, condensing the resulting products and recovering the naphtha going on
continuously till the tars are all ultimately converted into gas, naphtha and coke
or pitch, the coke being periodically withdrawn from the retort, or the pitch run.
off continuously into suitable receivers.
When the more refined tars and oils such as natural petroleum and those
distilled from shale at low temperatures are to be decomposed in conjunction with
tars a second tank is preferably employed to contain the finer tars or oil. This
tank is provided with a pipe with regulating valves similar to that from the coal
tar tank and delivers the oil into the same funnels attached to the syphon pipe-
feeding the retorts with tar.
At first when heat upon the retorts is high in temperature the tar is alone
admitted and rather quickly, so as to reduce the internal temperature of the retort.
The tar being more difficult to decompose than the richer oil it is not over decomposed
when so treated and as it contains a large excess of carbon it rapidly closes up any
leaks that may be in the retorts, whereas with a richer less carbonaceous oil, over
decomposition would take place and the retort would leak badly.
So soon as the internal temperature of the retort falls to that suitable for the
decomposition of oil the supply of tar to the retort is reduced and a quantity of oil
admitted. The presence in the retort of the vapour and gases from the tar has a
conservative action upon the oil vapours protecting them from over decomposition
even at the high heat employed.
The relative rates of flow of the tars and richer oils is regulated to the desired
quality of the gas but at all times a large quantity of the oil and tar vapours must
leave the retort undecomposed so as to prevent pitching up of the pipes, &c.

page_text: Those vapours are condensed out of the gas in passing through the hydraulic main
and condense and wash out all sooty pitchy matters and absorb the condensible
volatile hydrocarbons from the gas.
Care must be taken to so regulate the quantity of oil used with the tar that
when condensed out of the commingled coal, coal tar and coal gas the condensible
matter has a specific gravity differing somewhat from water so that it may be
separated from the accompanying ammoniacal liquor and return to the cistern
supplying the retorts.
Instead of having two cisterns the one for the coal tar and the other for the finer
oil, the two may be commingled and supplied from one cistern. Better results are
however obtained by working them as described separately.
In the accompanying drawings which illustrate the invention Figures 1 and 2 are
respectively a vertical section and a plan of retort settings with the necessary
additional plant required to carry this invention into effect.
A, is the tank to receive the tars from the hydraulic main B through the pipe B'.
B2 is the pipe by which the tars precipitated in the condensing plant are pumped
into the tank A. Any ammoniacal liquor which may accompany the tars
separates, coming to the surface and overflowing by the pipe C and passing away
to the ammoniacal liquor tank. The tar collected in the tank A is conveyed by
the pipe D provided with valves D' to the funnel and syphon pipe D' connected
to the stand pipes of the retorts D³ down into the retorts E provided with the
sheath or lining F shown on an enlarged scale at Figure 3.
The tank H placed alongside of the tar tank is for the finer qualities of oil when
such are to be decomposed along with the tars. The oil from tank H is conveyed
by the pipe H2 also provided with a series of valves supplying each funnel and syphon
pipe D².
B is the main outlet conveying the gas and condensible products to any of the
ordinary forms of condensing arrangements by which the accompanying tars are
condensed and precipitated. As the tars accompanying the gases to the condenser
contain nearly all the benzol it is only necessary to distil those tars to recover the
major part of the naphtha.
Figures 4 and 5 are sections of the upper and lower mouthpieces of retorts placed
at a high inclination showing the sheath or lining of iron and the attachment of the
cock to the lower mouthpiece for drawing off the pitch as it accumulates during the
decomposition of the tar or other hydrocarbon fluid.
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―
The arrangement and adaptation in the manner hereinbefore described of
existing plant used in the production of illuminating gas from coal and the method
of operating the same to enable such plant to be utilized for the production of
illuminating gas from coal tar or other hydrocarbon liquid, and the obtainment of
benzol.
Dated this 31st day of March 1894
CRUIKSHANK & FAIRWEATHER,
62, St. Vincent Street, Glasgow, Agents.