IMPROVEMENTS IN KILNS FOR BURNING CEMENT AND LIME
Year: 1871

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to William Goreham, of Swanscombe, in the County
of Kent, for the Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN KILNS FOR BURNING
CEMENT AND LIME."
Sealed the 13th June 1871, and dated the 15th February 1871.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said William Goreham at
the Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on
the 15th February 1871.
I, WILLIAM GOREHAM, of Swanscombe, in the County of Kent, do
3 hereby declare the nature of the said Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN
KILNS FOR BURNING CEMENT AND LIME," to be as follows:-
The object of this Invention is to so construct kilns for burning cement
and lime, that the process of burning may be carried on continuously.
For this purpose I construct the kiln of an oblong or it might be of an
annular or other form and in transverse section; I prefer to make it of
a form similar to the ordinary circular cement kilns now used, that

page_text: is to say, wider at the centre than at the top and bottom. Across the
upper part of the kiln are transverse partitions at intervals of a few
feet apart from one another. Each of these partitions has a flue formed
through it which opens into a longitudinal flue or flues formed along
the side or sides of the kiln, and leading to a suitable chimney, or to
drying chambers. Openings are formed into the bottom of the flues
in the transverse partitions near each of their ends; these openings can
be closed when required by tiles or dampers passed in through openings
formed through the side walls, which openings in the side walls are
ordinarily closed up. At intervals along the side walls of the kiln, both
near its bottom and at intermediate heights, are openings, which by
vertical flues in the side walls communicate with the main flue or flues
leading along the sides of the kiln, the vertical flues can be closed at
their top whenever desired by tiles or dampers placed over them, such tiles
or dampers being introduced for the purpose through suitable openings
in the side walls into the horizontal flue or flues; horizontal passages
leading through the side walls from the openings into the kiln before
mentioned are also formed, so that any one of the openings may either
be employed for admitting air to the kiln or for carrying the products of
combustion away from it, numerous small openings are also formed
through the side walls for the purpose of supplying air to the kilu to
support combustion.
It will be seen from the description above given that air can be
supplied to any desired part of the kiln, or the products of combustion
drawn off from it, and the heat thereby regulated so as to produce the
required uniform result. At the bottom of the side walls are other
openings formed at intervals apart from one another all along the kiln,
and through these openings the cement may be drawn away after being
burnt; these openings are at other times closed.
With a kiln constructed as above described the fire may be lighted
at one end or any part if annular of the kiln, and cement and fuel
added from the top in the ordinary manner until the first compartment
of the kiln has been filled; the next compartment may then be
similarly supplied from the top with cement material and fuel and
ignited from the first compartment, and so on in succession. When
the cement in the first compartment has been burnt air may be allowed
to pass through it to cool the burnt cement and support combustion in

page_text: -
the succeeding chambers, and may afterwards be drawn out through
the openings at the bottom provided for the purpose, and thus the
burnt cement may be withdrawn from one compartment of the kiln
while cement material to be burnt is at the same time being supplied
to another part, and thus the loading, burning, and drawing process
may be carried on continuously, and a great saving in fuel thereby
effected.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent,
filed by the said William Goreham in the Great Seal Patent Office
on the 14th August 1871.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, WILLIAM
GOREHAM, of Swanscombe, in the County of Kent, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her
Letters Patent, bearing date the Fifteenth day of February, in the year
of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and seventy-one, in the thirty-
fourth year of Her reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors,
give and grant unto me, the said William Goreham, Her special license
that I, the said William Goreham, my executors, administrators, and
assigns, or such others as I, the said William Goreham, my executors,
administrators, and assigns, should at any time agree with, and no others,
from time to time and at all times thereafter during the term therein
expressed, should and lawfully might make, use, exercise, and vend,
within the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland, the Channel
Islands, and Isle of Man, an Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN KILNS
FOR BURNING CEMENT AND LIME," upon the condition (amongst others)
that I, the said William Goreham, my executors or administrators, by
an instrument in writing under my, or their, or one of their hands
and seals, should particularly describe and ascertain the nature of the
said Invention, and in what manner the same was to be performed, and
cause the same to be filed in the Great Seal Patent Office within six
calendar months next and immediately after the date of the said
Letters Patent.
NOW KNOW YE, that I, the said William Goreham, do hereby declare
the nature of the said Invention, and in what manner the same is to be

page_text: performed, to be particularly described and ascertained in and by the
following statement thereof, that is to say :-
The object of this Invention is to so construct kilns for burning
cement and lime that the process of burning may be carried on con-
tinuously. For this purpose I construct the kiln of an oblong or it
might be of an annular or other form and in transverse section. I prefer
to make it of a form similar to the ordinary circular cement kilns now
used, that is to say, wider at the centre than at the top and bottom.
Across the upper part of the kiln there may be transverse partitions at
intervals of a few feet apart from one another. Each of these partitions
has a flue formed through it, which opens into a longitudinal flue or
flues formed along the side or sides of the kiln and leading to a suitable
chimney or to drying chambers. Openings are formed into the bottom
of the flues in the transverse partitions near each of their ends. These
openings can be closed when required by tiles or dampers passed in
through openings formed through the side walls, which openings in the
side walls are ordinarily closed up. At intervals along the side walls of
the kiln, both near its bottom and at intermediate heights, are openings
which by vertical flues in the side walls communicate with the main
flues leading along the sides of the kiln. The vertical flues can be
closed at their top whenever desired by tiles or dampers placed over
them, such tiles or dampers being introduced for the purpose through
suitable openings in the side walls into the horizontal flues, horizontal
passages leading through the side walls from the openings into the kiln
before mentioned are also formed, so that any one of the openings may
either be employed for admitting air to the kiln or for carrying the
products of combustion away from it. Numerous small openings are
also formed through the side walls for the purpose of supplying air to
the kiln to support combustion. To examine the progress of the fire
and to test the state of the material whilst being burnt by probing it
with a rod so as to serve as a guide for regulating the dampers and
affording means of drawing the fire to any required part.
It will be seen from the description above given that air can be
supplied to any desired part of the kiln, the products of combustion
drawn off from it, and the fire led to any part thereof, and the heat.
thereby regulated so as to produce the required uniform result. At the
bottom of the side walls are other openings formed at intervals apart

page_text: from one another all along the kiln, and through these openings the
cement may be drawn away after being burnt. These openings are at
other times closed.
With a kiln constructed as above described the fire may be lighted at
one end or any part if annular of the kiln, and cement and fuel added
from the top in the ordinary manner in constant succession. As the
cement is burnt air is allowed to pass through to cool it and support
combustion in the burning mass, and when cooled the cement may be
drawn out through the openings at the bottom provided for the purpose,
and thus the burnt cement may be withdrawn from one part of the kiln
while cement material to be burnt is at the same time being supplied
to another, and thus the loading, burning, and drawing processes may be
carried on continuously, and a great saving in fuel thereby effected.
In order that my said Invention may be most fully understood
and readily carried into effect I will proceed to describe the Drawings
Figure 1 is a transverse section of a kiln constructed according to my
Invention; Figure 2 is a longitudinal section of a part of the same.
The straight dotted line 1, 1, in this Figure indicates the position of
the section on the right-hand side of Figure 1, and the bent line 2, 2,
indicates the position of the section on the left-hand side of the same
Figure. The kiln is either continuous and of an annular form, either
circular, oblong, or oval, or it may be discontinuous. In the one case
the firing, discharging, and recharging is carried on round and round the
kiln without intermission for an indefinite time, and in the other the
firing always commences at one end, where the fire is periodically
relighted, and it burns progressively to the other end, and then goes out.
In this construction of kiln I take care to have it long enough to relight
it at the first end before the fire has reached the other, so as to insure a
constant supply of cement. a, a, is the body of the kiln, which is filled
from the top with the unburnt cement and the fuel. The body is only
partially divided into separate compartments by the transverse arches
and flues (and these even may be dispensed with), so that there is no
obstruction to the workmen in loading and unloading the kiln, and these

page_text: operations are greatly facilitated by the body of the kiln being entirely
open at the top. c, c, are horizontal flues running along the side walls
of the kiln at any convenient height to conduct the hot gases from the
kiln to the high chimney by which the draft is maintained. The gases
on their way to the chimney may advantageously pass through drying
and heating chambers, where the material is dried to prepare it for the
kiln. With the flues c the vertical flues & and e communicate, but the
connection between them can be cut off by tiles or dampers inserted
through the openings f to cover the upper ends of the vertical flues.
Similar openings serve to place or remove dampers or tiles which are
used to cover the openings 6¹ in the transverse flues b. The flues d pass
to the bottom of the kiln, and there open into the body a. The flues e
enter the kiln at a higher level and about midway of the height of the
kiln. The passages d¹ and e¹ communicating with d and e serve to
admit into the kiln air to support combustion and to cool the burnt
cement. When these passages are open the corresponding flues & and e
are closed at their upper ends. When it is desired that the draft from
the kiln to the chimney shall pass by one or other of the flues & and e,
then the corresponding air openings d' and e¹ are closed. g, g, are the
openings by which the cement is drawn out of the kiln; when not
required for use they are bricked up. In starting the kiln a section or
portion of it is filled with cement and fuel, and the fire is lighted. In
advance of the fire the connections with the horizontal flues c are opened
by removing the tiles or dampers already described, which are managed
in such a way as to draw the fire to every part, avoiding an excess of
heat in any. In this respect the arrangement of the dampers gives a
perfect control of the fire. In advance of the fire fresh material is
supplied to the kiln, and the fire is gradually led on into it, whilst air is
admitted where the fire has burnt out both to cool the burnt cement and
to supply the combustion in front. The cement that has been burnt as
soon as it is cool is removed by the workmen through the openings g.
I sometimes employ a moveable cover to cover the top of the body of
the kiln at the part where the combustion is rapidly going on. I burn
lime in the way as I have already described in respect to cement, except
for the quality of lime known as flare lime; and in this case I make
furnaces of the passages d¹ and e¹ in place of putting fuel into the body
of the kiln.

page_text: I claim the construction of kilns for burning cement and lime
substantially as described.
In witness whereof, I, the said William Goreham, have hereunto
set my hand and seal, this Fourth day of August, in the year
of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and seventy-one.
W. GOREHAM. (L.S.)