IMPROVEMENTS IN CARBONIZING COAL
Year: 1884

page_text: I JACOB GEOGHEGAN WILLANS of 68 Priory Road West Hampstead in the
County of Middlesex Steel Manufacturer, do hereby declare the nature of my
invention for IMPROVEMENTS IN CARBONIZING COAL, to be as follows:-
My Invention relates to the Carbonizing of Coal in Gas Retorts or in Coke
Ovens. It consists in causing the vapour of water to be disseminated through the
Coal during the heat in the following manner.
I have a substance containing water underneath the Coal or I have it inter-
mixed with the Coal.-In either case water will be vapourized and disseminated
through the Coal during the heat. The substance containing water underneath
the Coal may be slaked lime or other mineral substance containing combined or
included water or it may be a carboniferous substance such as moist or wet peat or
wet coal dust.
The substance containing water intermixed with the Coal may be Lime and
Alumina compound afterwards separable from the Coke or it may be of a
carboniferous character preferably peat or other vegetable substance containing so
much water as would render it uninflammable alone in an ordinary fire grate.

page_text: I JACOB GEOGHEGAN WILLANS of No 68 Priory Road, Kilburn in the County of
Middlesex Steel Manufacturer do hereby declare the nature of my invention for
IMPROVEMENTS IN CARBONIZING COAL and in what manner the same is to be
performed, to be particularly described and ascertained in and by the following
statement:
My invention relates to the carbonizing of coal in gas retorts or coke ovens.
-It consists in causing the vapour of water to be disseminated through the coal
during the heat in the following manner-
I charge into the retort or oven either previously to charging the coal or inter-
mixed with it a substance or substances which will by the action of heat give off
watery vapours which will thus be disseminated through the coal.
The substances which I charge previously to charging the coal are slaked lime
or other mineral substances containing combined or included water such as hydrate
of lime and alumina compounds serpentine bauxite or iron ores containing hydrates.
Carbonaceous substances such as moist or wet peat or fine wetted coal-dust may
. be substituted on the floor of the oven in place of any of the above minerals―
Fragments of moist peat or tanners bark both containing as much water as to be
uninflammable in an ordinary fire grate may be advantageously mixed with the
coal before it is charged into the retorts or ovens.
In applying my invention to coke ovens: as soon as the oven is ready for a fresh
charge of coal I lay on its floor to a depth of about four inches one or more of the
foregoing water carrying materials. I then charge the slack over it and proceed
with the coking in the usual manner.
When the red heat reaches the lowest layer of coal the watery vapour from the
material will ascend through the red hot coke and remove more or less of the
sulphur which would otherwise remain in the coke.
-
.
If the moist peat or bark be added mixed with the coal there will be no
necessity to have any of the above materials on the floor of the oven.
Lime or finely divided carbonaceous matter if not withdrawn from the oven
after the coking may be used repeatedly by re-watering them in the oven.
When applying my invention to gas retorts I mix with the coal about one tenth
its weight of fragments of tanner's bark or moist peat each by preference to contain
at least as much water as would amount to 60% in the hygrometric state. In
place of peat or tanner's bark I also charge into the retort immediately previous to
charging the coal about one twelfth the weight of the coal of an intimate mixture
of slaked lime and unburnt clay the proportion in the mixture being about 90%
freshly burnt lime unwatered and 10% steam dried unburnt clay. I then add
sufficient water to the mixture and grind it up in a mortar mill to a most intimate
state of mixture the material to be afterwards dried at a steam heat and charged
into the retort before the coal in pieces varying in size from that of road metal to
half bricks The mixing of clay with the lime will lessen the alaking properties
of the lime and also prevent its creating so much lime dust in the withdrawing of
the retorts The lime and alumina compound will also be of utility as hydraulic
lime when withdrawn from the retort.
Watery vapour disseminated through the coal continuously during the heat will
increase the production of gas & ammoniacal liquor-The peat or the bark must
contain as much water as would render them uninflammable in an ordinary fire
grate I prefer that they should contain as much water as 60% at least given
off under a red heat. I am aware that air dried peat has been used in gas retorts

page_text: for gas-making purposes I am also aware that clay and lime have been applied in
gas retorts for the direct absorption of sulphur but my invention is for conveying
water into the retort by means of the peat as a carrier. I prefer to use a wet peat
as dug from the moss this peat to be condensed into a moist cheesy condition by
passing through a mortar mill or pug-mill.
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 claim is the application of water in a coke oven or gas retort during the
carbonisation of coal such water arising from the use in the condition & manner
described of the before mentioned water carrying materials, but I do not confine
myself to the proportions given.