CERTAIN IMPROVEMENTS IN CARBONIZING AND DISTILLING PEAT, COAL, WOOD, AND OTHER ANIMAL, VEGETABLE wn Men ...
Year: 1853

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Jean François Felix Challeton, of Paris, in
the Empire of France, and of 16, Castle Street, Holborn,
(City) London, for the Invention of "CERTAIN IMPROVEMENTS IN
CARBONIZING AND DISTILLING PEAT, COAL, WOOD, AND OTHER ANIMAL,
VEGETABLE wn Men ...
"
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said François Felix
Challeton at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his
Petition, on the 21st October 1858.
I, JEAN FRANCISQUE FELIX CHALLETON, of Paris, in the Empire of
France, and of 16, Castle Street, Holborn, (City,) London, do hereby
declare the nature of the said Invention for "CERTAIN IMPROVEMENTS
IN CARBONISING AND DISTILLING PEAT, COAL, WOOD, AND OTHER ANIMAL,
VEGETABLE, AND MINERAL SUBSTANCES," as follows:-
This apparatus for distilling and carbonising in a progressive and
continuous manner turf, coal, schist, bitumen, wood, bones, and other

page_text: substances, animal, vegetable, or mineral, in order to extract from them
gas, oil, pitch, animonia, acetic acid, and other substances which they
contain, and also the purification of the gas which proceeds from the
carbonisation, consists of a furnace, Sheet 1, in which carbonisation and
distillation are effected, and a condensing apparatus, Sheet 2. The
furnace is constructed of fire bricks, and encloses a metallic retort,
Fig. 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, Sheet 1. At its extremity A, the space between
the furnace and the outer walls of the retort is filled with masonry of
a considerable thickness. Immediately after is a space corresponding
with the chimney; this space is separated from the fire place by a fire
brick wall pierced with holes & surrounding the retort; these openings
serve to render the draft uniform in the furnace. This arrangement is
shown in the end section A, Fig. 4, Sheet 1. The extremity B, Fig. 5,
is also composed of a fire brick wall prepared with register doors, which
permit the regulation of the draft and to admit sufficient air for the
combustion. Upon one of the external side walls of the furnace are
several wheels, of which the axles have gearing wheels in the interior of
the furnace, gearing with the crank of the car, by which it is successively
moved inside the retort, Figures 1, 2, 3, 6, Sheet 1. The arrange-
ment and the mode of action of this system are represented by the
transverse section, Fig. 6, Sheet 1. On the sides walls are pipes c, c,
to convey the gases & steam, Fig. 2, and communicate with the inside
of the fireplace by a number of spouts, Fig. 2, 3, 5, 6. The upper
part of the furnace is pierced with openings to allow the passage of
pipes, conductors of the volatile products of carbonisation; spaces will
also be found for doors, Fig: 1, 2, 3, 5. At the lower part of the furnace
is the fireplace, of which the hearth and walls are of fire brick; it is
partly covered above by the lower part of the retort, and communicates
ou each side with the spaces between the latter and the side walls and
upper part of the furnace, so that the flames of the fuel or gas com-
pletely surround the retort, below the fireplace on two tubes conductors
of gas, which communicate with it by distributors conveniently arranged.
These guses are produced. by the carbonization, and are brought.from
the gasometer to the fireplace. Below the grate is a channel com-
municating with the exterior by means of register doors opening and

page_text: closing to admit fuel or to remove the ashes; these arrangements are
shown in Fig. 1, 2, 3, 6, 7, Sheet 1. In the furnace is a metal rétort,
divided into several compartments by register doors, which isolate each
of the divisions of the retort, Fig. 1, 6, 8, Sheet 1. On the upper wall
of the retort, and in each compartment, is an opening corresponding
with a pipe through which pass the products of the carbonisation and
distillation. Its upper face has also near each door small channels
which receive the projecting edges of the doors. One of the side walls
of the retort has an opening in each compartment, through which passes
the axle of the toothed wheel which moves the car. The lower part of
the retort rests on wrought iron supports. Inside are rails (divided for
the passage of the doors), upon which the car runs, Fig. 1, 3, 6, Sheet 1.
One or more compartments of the retort are outside the furnace, and
serve as dampers; a jet of alkaline steam passes inside through a pipe
inside this damper, for the purpose of condensing the sulphurous acid
gas which may be retained by the coal, and purifies it by depriving it
of smell; sce Fig. 1 and 2. The register doors which separate each
compartment slide in grooves; at the upper part they have T shaped
edges, which are immersed in troughs to receive a lute, and raised by
small cranes, see Fig. 1, 2, 6, 8. The car, Fig. 9, is a truck on rollers,
on which is placed an iron box to contain the matter to be carbonised
or distilled. On one side of the truck is a ratchet gearing with the
toothed wheel which moves the car from one compartment to another.
At each end is a trap door to facilitate the loading and unloading,
Fig. 1, 6, 9. During carbonisation a car is in each compartment of
the retort; they are advanced progressively, and as they pass against
the heat they go from a low temperature to a higher, until the car-
bonisation be complete, when the car is conducted into the damper
condensing apparatus.
Sheet 2, Fig. 1, is a double cased vessel vessel plunged in water;
nto this vessel the pipes T, T, T", T, conduct the gas generated
n the several compartments of the retort during carbonisation; a
irst condensation takes places inside this vessel; the products are
collected in the interior, and transmitted to the exterior by a pipe
with a cock at its lower end. The non-condensed gaseous products

page_text: during their passage into the vessels pass into the worms S, S", S', which
dip into water and have at their lower ends receptacles into which flow
the products condensed, and which can be drawn off by cocks con-
veniently placed. After having passed into the worms the gas passos
into rectangular vessels B, B', which contain acidulated water to fix the
ammoniacal products which accompany the gas. The bottoms of these
vessels are covered by a false bottom pierced with holes, similar to the
rose of a watering pot. This double bottom serves to divide the gas
into bubbles, and thus to deprive it more effectually of the ammonia.
All kinds of acid may be employed, also metallic solutions, such as
chloride of manganese, sulphate of iron. The liquids in the vessels B, B,
Fig. 1, are renewed by pipes & cocks conveniently arranged. After
repeated washings the gas passes in a chamber or vessel C, Fig. 1,
containing a layer of lime water; the space between the level of the
water and the top of the chamber is supplied with grating or lattice
work (Fig. 2), on which is placed moss or hay, and above a layer of
quick lime to absorb the acids which may be mixed with the gas; after
these operations the gas arrive in the gasometer in a pure state. When
the gras is not required for lighting, but merely as fuel, the latter
operation may be omitted. On the walls of the compartment E of
the retort are two cauldrons, one to receive the tar, and the other the
ammonia water, caused by the condensation and purification of the gases
produced during carbonization. The cauldron for distilling the tar is
provided with a cover communicating by a pipe with a room in which
are condensed the products of this fresh distillation, which is effected
by the waste heat of the cooling fuel. The arrangement of this
cauldron and worm is shown in Fig. 3. Fig. 4, represents the entire

page_text: SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent,
filed by the said Jean François Felix Challeton in the Great Seal
Patent Office on the 21st April 1854.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I,
JEAN FRANÇOIS FELIX CHALLETON, of Paris, in the Empire of France,
and of 16, Castle Street, Holborn, (City,) London, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her
Letters Patent, bearing date the Twenty-first day of October, in the
year of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and fifty-three, in the
seventeenth year of Her reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and succes-
sors, give and grant unto me, the said Jean François Félix Challeton,
Her special licence, that I, the said Jean François Félix Challeton,
my executors, administrators, and assigns, or such others as I, the said
Jean François Felix Challeton, 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 "CERTAIN IMPROVEMENTS IN CARBON-
IZING AND DISTILLING PEAT, COAL, WOOD, AND OTHER ANIMAL, VEGETABLE,

page_text: AND MINERAL SUBSTANCES," upon the condition (amongst others) that
I, the said Jean François Félix Challeton, by an instrument in writing
under my hand and seal, 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 Jean François Felix Challeton,
do hereby declare the nature of my said Invention, and in what
manner the same is to be performed, to be particularly described and
ascertained in and by the following statement (that is to say):
My improvements consist of the apparatus herein-after described,
serving, firstly, to carbonize and distil in a progressive and continuous
maner peat, coal, cannel, or parrott coal, and other bituminous
substances, wood, bones, and other mineral, vegetable, and animal
substances, so as to extract the gases, oils, resinous and ammoniacal
substances, acetic acid, and other matters which are contained in them;
secondly, to purify the gases produced by the above carbonization.
These apparatus consist of a furnace in which the carbonization
and distillation is effected, and of condensing apparatus, represented
in Sheet I. of the annexed Drawings. The furnace is constructed
of fire bricks, and contains in its interior space a metallic retort; it
is shown in partial longitudinal section, Figure 1, outside elevation,
Figure 2, and longitudinal section of furnace, part showing details not
shown in Figure 1. Figure 5, is an end view facing B; Figure 6, a
cross section through one of the doors; and Figure 7, a plan of the fur-
nace. At its extremity A, the space between the internal retort and the
furnace is filled up with brickwork of some inches thickness; inne-
diately after it there is an empty space round the retort, corresponding
in area to the draught chimney, which is built over space.
This space
is separated from the remaining portion of the furnace by a partition of
fire bricks (Figures 1, 3, 4), which is perforated in a regular manner
all round the retort; these holes are for equalizing the draught in the
whole furnace. This arrangement is shown in section at the extremity A
of the furnace, Figure 4. The extremity B of the furnace, shown in

page_text: Figure 8, is similarly closed by a wall of fire bricks, which is perforated
by apertures with doors D, Figure 5, thus allowing to regulate the
draught and quantity of air admitted, as required. On one of the
external side walls of the furnace are fixed the bearings of several hand
or fly wheels F; the shafts of these wheels pass through the wall, and
carry each inside the furnace a spur wheel gearing into a rack attached
to a carriage G, which can thus be moved backwards and forwards
inside the retort (see Figure 1, 6, & 9). The arrangement and
action of this apparatus is shown by the cross section, Figure 6. Along
the side walls are fixed pipes C, C, which have to take up the gases
and vapours produced (see Figure 2). These pipes communicate with
the inside by means of a certain number of branch pipes H, passing
through the walls (Figures 2, 3, and 6). The upper portion of the
furnace is perforated with apertures through which pass the pipes I,
for the exit of the volatile matters produced by carbonization; there
is also room left for the doors, as shown in Figures 1, 2, 3, and 5.
The lower portion of the furnace consists of the hearth, whose sole or
bottom and sides are formed of fire bricks; this hearth is partly covered
over by the bottom of the retort, and communicates on each side with
the space left between the retort and the side and top walls of the
furnace in such manner that the retort is completely enveloped in
the flames. Below the hearth there are two conducting pipes K,
Figure 6, which communicate with it by means of distributing branch
pipes, which are arranged in any convenient manner, so as distribute
the gas which is taken from a gasometer filled with the products of
carbonization. Under the bars of the furnace runs a flue, communi-
cating with the outside by means of doors I, for introducing the fuel
and withdrawing the ashes, which might hinder the combustion
(Figures 1, 2, 3, 6, and 7). In the interior of the furnace is fixed a
etort M, whose bottom is slightly inclined, and which is divided into
compartments that can be shut off from each other by sliding doors.
This arrangement (which is shewn in Figures 1, 6, and 8,) will be
escribed hereafter. On the top of the retort there are openings for the
ipes which lead off the products of distillation and carbonization. The

page_text: upper face of the retort also has troughs (N, Figure 1), running along
the slots for the sliding doors, which troughs receive the parallel flanges
branching off the body of the door at its upper portion. One of the
sides of the retort is perforated in each compartment so as to admit the
shaft of the wheel by which the carriage is driven. The lower portion
of the furnace rests on wrought iron stands, to which the sole plate of
the furnace is firmly fixed. The sole plate carries a line of rails, which
is broken at each sliding door, and on which rolls the carriage (Figures
1, 8, and 6). One or more compartments E, Figures 1 and 18, are left
outside the furnace for the purpose of extinguishing in them the matter
under treatment. This is effected by a jet of alcaline vapour which is
introduced into the extinguishing chamber, and serves to condense the
sulphurous gas which might be present in the coal, for the purpose of
thus purifying and deodorizing the latter. The separating doors of the
retort slide in grooves; at their upper portions they are formed into
Tlike flanges, which are luted into the troughs on the top of the retort.
Figure 8. shows the door in section, with the T flanges luted into the
troughs on the top of the furnace and of the retort. These doors are raised
by means of hoists or winches O; Figures 1 and 18. The carriage shown
in Figures 9, and 9, consists of a truck or waggon rolling on wheels
made of metal or fire clay. The box of this truck is made of wrought
iron, and contains the matter which is to be carbonized or distilled. A
rack is fixed on one of the sides of the truck so as to gear into the spur
wheel by means of which the carriage is made to move from one
compartment into the other. Figures 1, and 9, show at each extremity
of the truck a flap door P, hinged horizontally, for facilitating the
loading and unloading of the truck, whilst the carbonizing process is
carried on; each compartiment contains a waggon; these waggons are
shoved forward progressively, and as they travel in the opposite direction
to that of the heat they pass successively from a low temperature to a
higher one, until the carbonization is complete, upon which I draw the
waggon into the extinguishing chamber. The waggons are assisted
in their forward motion by a slight incline given to the sole of the
furnace.

page_text: Having thus described the nature of my Invention, I wish it to be
distinctly understood that I claim the arrangement of a carbonizing
and distilling furnace, substantially as described and represented on
Sheet 1, Figures 1 to 9, or any mere modifications thereof.
In witness whereof, I, the said Jeane François Félix Challeton,
have hereunto set my hand and seal, this Seventeenth day of
April, in the year of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and
fifty-four