Improvements in the Manufacture of Gas.
Year: 1899

page_text: Date of Application, 5th Aug., 1899-Accepted, 30th Sept., 1899
[Communicated from abroad by JOSEPH ALBERT FAUX, of Pittsburg, in the
County of Alleghany, State of Pennsylvania, one of the United States of
America, Gas Engineer.]
Improvements in the Manufacture of Gas.
I, WILLIAM BURGELAND JOHNSON, of 4, Clayton Square, Liverpool, in the
County of Lancaster, Engineer, 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, reference being had to the
accompanying drawings forming part of this specification, in which:
Fig. 1 is a side elevation partly broken away showing a gas making system
constructed in accordance with my invention. Fig. 2 is a top plan view of the
same. Fig. 3 is an enlarged vertical section of the upper portion of the generator
and charger. Fig. 4 is a horizontal section on the line IV-IV of Fig. 3.
Fig. 5 is a bottom plan view of the distributing disc of the discharger, and Fig. 6
is a plan view, partly in section, showing a duplex arrangement of the plant
with certain modifications.
My invention relates to the manufacture of gas by what is known as the inter-
mittent system; and more especially to the making of combined coal and water-
gas, and its object is to more completely utilize the gaseous contents of the coal, to
prevent escape of gaseous vapours during the regenerating of the fuel bed, to more
completely heat the coal layer upon the fuel bed during the gas making periods,
to positively draw the heat from the fuel bed upwardly through the layer of
coal, and to quickly remove the vapours and gases generated from the coal at
a low temperature.
In the drawings, 2 represents the generator, the chamber of which, as shown,
is in the form of the inverted frustrum of a cone. The generator is provided
near its lower end with the usual grates 3 and with air inlets 4 and a steam
jet inlet 5 below the grates. The top 6 of this generator is of dome form, with
an annular passage 7 therein, having a series of ports 8 leading into the generator
above the fuel bed. Above the central opening in the top of the producer is
the charging hopper 9 which I have shown as mounted upon wheels 10 so that
is desired, it may be detached and moved to one side, the charging opening
then being closed with a suitable cover, if water gas alone is desired.
lower end of the hopper is provided with a flanged ring 11 which is secured to
the top ring 12 of the producer by suitable bolts 13. I have shown three of
these bolts as entering slotted lugs 14 upon the ring 11 while the fourth is pro-
vided with a T head 15 entering the recess in the plate 12. By loosening these
bolts, the hopper may be moved towards the right, thus simultaneously drawing
the lugs from the bolts.
The
To facilitate the removal of the hopper, I preferably support it upon side
standards 16, a flange 17 upon the hopper resting upon nuts engaging screw
threaded portions of the standards. These standards are pivotally connected
at 18 to the horizontal bars 19 which connect the wheels 10, so that after the

page_text: hopper is moved to one side, it may be tilted upon these standards to give access
to the interior. A brace 16 is removably secured to one standard and the corre-
sponding bar 19 to hold the hopper in its normal position.
The hopper is preferably made air tight, and the charging hole 20 is provided
with a cover 21 which is forced into place by a screw 22, as common in manhole
covers. A vertical shaft 23 extends through a stuffing box 24 in the top of the
hopper and has a swivel connection at its upper end to an actuating lever, by
which it may be raised and lowered. The intermediate portion of this shaft
has a spline connection with a bevel wheel 25, intermeshing with a similar bevel
wheel 26 carried upon a shaft 27 passing through a stuffing box 28 in the side of
the hopper and provided with a handle 29. The bevel gear is supported upon a
spider 30 having a central plate 31 which is provided with a dust proof case 32
enclosing the gearing.
To the lower end of the vertical, shaft 23, is secured a spreading disc 33 which
is preferably made with a convex upper face as shown. This disc is provided
with a series of vanes or ribs 34 upon its top, and with a series of central radial
slots 35 between these ribs. The lower face of the disc is provided with a series
of short radial hips or ribs 36 which are bevelled upon one side and straight
faced upon the other, and are located adjacent to the slots as shown in Fig. 5.
With the above described charging apparatus, when the hopper has been filled
with crushed or ground coal and the charging, opening closed, the shaft 23 is
lowered and simultaneously rotated by means of the handle 29 until the disc is
within the charging opening of the producer, as shown in dotted lines in Fig. 1.
As the coal in the hopper falls upon and through this rotating disc, it is thrown
outwardly in all directions, and thus spread evenly and uniformly upon the
fuel bed. The shaft 23 is then raised into its normal position so as to protect
the disc and actuating connections from the heat generated in the producer.
The gas is drawn from the producer through the ports
into the passage 7
and thence through an outlet 37 into the upper end of a fixer 38, and to give
an even draft throughout the ports 8 I preferably provide a baffle plate 39 in
front of the outlet 37 as shown in Fig. 2.
The fixer 38 is connected at its bottom with a second fixer 40 and these fixing
chambers may be made in the usual manner and filled with checker bricks.
From the fixer 40 the gas rises into a vertical pipe 41, having its upper end
closed by a valve 42 and from the pipe 41 the gas is led through the pipe 43
downwardly into a valve chamber 44 from which the pipe 45 leads to a con-
denser 46. The gas entering the top of the condenser, passes down through the
series of pipes therein, and is taken out at the bottom through a pipe 47 which
connects to an exhauster 48.
From the exhauster the gas is forced through pipe 49 back into the bypass 50
which directly connects the condenser with a scrubber 51. The by pass as well
as the pipes 47 and 49 are provided with suitable closing gates or valves 52 so
that when it is desired to repair the exhauster, the valves in pipes 47 and 49
being closed, and the valve in pipe 50 being open the gas will pass direct from
the condenser to the scrubber. The valve is the bypass is of course closed during
normal operation.
53 is a blowing engine to which a supply pipe 54 leads from the top of the
condenser, the air being taken in at the lower end of the condenser through a
pipe 55. The air being warmed as it rises through the condenser by its contact
with the pipes through which the gas is passing, is forced by the blower into
a pipe 56, from which a branch 57 is led to the gas producer and connected to
the air inlets 4. Other branches 58 and 59 lead from the main 56 to the fixers,
the pipe 58 leading into the upper end of the first fixer, while the pipe 59 leads
into the lower end of the second fixer, and is continued upwardly to an air
inlet 60, in the central portion of this fixer.
Within the valve chamber 44 is a cone shaped valve 61, which is supported by
vertical rods 62, extending upwardly through the top of the chamber, and con-

page_text: nected to a lever 63, having link connections 64 to a hand lever 65. The link 64
is extended upwardly, and connected to the actuating lever of valve 42 so that
one valve is closed whenever the other is opened. The chamber 44 is preferably
provided with a layer of water or other liquid to collect the sediment which may
be drawn off as desired through valved pipe 66. Pipe 45 is provided in its
elbow portion with a valve 67 and other regulating valves may be placed in
the branches leading from the air pipes and wherever desired.
In carrying out my improved process in the above apparatus, when I wish to
make a combined coal and water gas, assuming that the producer is filled with
a body of coke, which extends from the grates upwardly to a point near the lower
end of the dome, a thin layer of crushed soft. coal having been spread upon the
previously heated coke bed, and the distributing disc drawn upwardly into the
lower end of the hopper, the exhauster acting through the connected fixers and
the condenser, draws off the gases and vapours rising from the thin coal film,
and these gases are taken off through the several ports, and collected in the
annular passage, whence they pass to the first fixer.
The action of the exhaust is to draw the heat of the fuel bed upwardly through
the coal film, and the gases rising from this film are thus taken off quickly and
at a comparatively low temperature. During this period the air blast is cut off
and steam being supplied beneath the grate, rises through the heated fuel bed
and is broken up into water gas, this gas combining with the coal gas, and the
mixture passing off into the fixer. The mixture of gases passing through the
heated checker work of the fixer is converted into a fixed gas and thence passes
through the condenser and the scrubber where the foreign matters are eliminated.
When the heat of the fuel bed has been lowered during this operation to a
point where water gas is not generated, then by operating the hand lever 65
the valve 42 at the upper end of the second fixer is opened, and the valve 61
within the chamber 44 is simultaneously closed. The steam admitted below the
grate bars being shut off, air is blown through the ports 4, and combining with
the fuel raises the fuel bed to a high temperature, while the heated products of
combustion passing through the fixers heat the checker bricks therein, and are
When the fuel
passed into the outer air at the upper end of the second fixer.
bed has been thus brought to the desired temperature, the hand lever 65 is
operated to close the valve 42 and simultaneously open the valve 61, a fresh
supply of coal is spread over the fuel bed, and steam is again admitted below
the grate, thus resuming the gas making period. These periods are of course
alternated in the usual manner.
I desire to call special attention to the fact that owing to the drawing of the
heat from the fuel bed upwardly through the film of coal, and owing to the
large area of this film of crushed coal compared to the grate area, and the
thinness of the film, the coal therein is thoroughly carbonized during each gas
making period, which occurs immediately after the coal is fed. This is a very
important part of my invention since the coal is thoroughly carbonized, and the
gases quickly drawn off at a comparatively low temperature, thus obtaining sub-
stantially all the gaseous constituents of the coal which combine with the water-
gas, and
pass over to the fixing chambers. The making of the coal film of larger
area than the grates is therefore highly important, as well as the drawing off
of the gas at several different points, and the use of an exhauster, which acts
to positively draw out the gases generated. I consider each of the above features
as novel in the intermittent water gas system, and intend to cover the same
broadly in my claims.
In the form of Fig. 6, I show a duplex system having two producers 24, four-
fixers 381 and 40', the two fixers 40¹ being connected to a common condenser 40¹
which is connected to a scrubber 511, the exhauster being shown in this form
5 as located in the pipe leading from the scrubber instead of between the scrubber
and condenser as shown in my first form. 53 is the blower, which takes the.
warmed air as before from the condenser 46' and forces this air into a heater 68,
:

page_text: The air passes through the pipes in this heater, and exhaust steam is fed around
these pipes by suitable connections 69 leading from the exhauster, the blower,
and any other engines employed in connection with the plant. From the heater GS
the air enters the main 56 from which branch pipes lead to the generators 2
and the first fixers 38¹. The air for the second fixers 40' is taken off direct from
the blower through a branch pipe 70. The operation of this system is the same
as that of the first form.
I prefer to use heated air for feeding the generator or generators for the
reason that the zone of combustion is thus brought nearer the grate, and the
cake is better utilized, preventing waste from á layer of dead coke at the bottom
of the fuel bed.
To prevent tar collecting in the outlet pipes leading from the second fixer
and in the valve connections thereof I may use a branch pipe 71 by which a
small portion of the gas passing from the scrubber is led back into the upper
end of the second fixer, thus lowering the temperature of the gas passing from
this fixer sufficiently to prevent the deposition of tar and the formation of carbon
in the outlet pipes.
The advantages of my invention will be apparent to those skilled in the art.
The use of a vacuum apparatus or extrauster in connection with the intermittent
system positively draws away the gases rising from the coal film, and ensures
its carbonization. The large area of the coal film also assists in this action,
as do the several ports for the outlet of the gas. The drawing of the heat from
the fuel bed upwardly through the coal film ensures rapid carbonization and
complete release of the gaseous contents of the coal during the gas making
period. The gases are not fixed in the generator but are taken off at a com-
paratively low temperature.
The feeding apparatus is of advantage as it ensures a uniform distribution of
the coal fim, while the spreader is protected from the heat during the generation
of the gas.
The connecting of the outlet valve for the second fixer with the closing valve
between this fixer and the condenser insures correct operation of these valves
and renders their operation easy.
The using of a small portion of the gas passing from the scrubber for cooling
the connecting pipes from the fixer prevents formation of tar in these pipes,
and that without the use of some foreign mediums.
⚫ Many changes may be made in the form and arrangement of the producer,
the feeding apparatus, the series of ports, and their connection as well as in the
connection of the exhauster, and the other parts, without departing from my
invention.
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
1. The method of making combined water and coal gas, consisting in
spreading a layer of coal upon a previously heated fuel bed, supplying steam
below the fuel bed, drawing the steam and heat upwardly through the coal film 4
by an exhauster or similar apparatus and then regenerating the fuel bed, and
continuing these intermittent steps, substantially as described.
2. The method of making combined coal and water gas, consisting in main-
taining a fuel bed of greater area at its top than its bottom, spreading a coal
film upon the top of the fuel bed, supplying steam below the fuel bed, sucking 5
away the combined vapours and gases from a point above the fuel bed and then
regenerating the fuel bed substantially as described.
3. The method of making combined coal and water gas, consisting in spread-
ing a coal film upon a fuel bed, supplying steam below the fuel bed, sucking
away the combined gases at several different points above the fuel bed, passing 5
them to a fixer, and then regenerating the fuel bed, substantially as described.

page_text: 4. The method of making combined coal and water gas, consisting in spread-
ing a film of crushed coal upon a fuel bed of greater area at its top than at
the bottom, supplying steam below the fuel bed, sucking away the combined
gases at several different points above the level of the fuel bed, passing them to
a fixer, and then regenerating the fuel bed, substantially as described.
5. A producer for coal and water gas, having a greater area in the upper part
of the fuel chamber than at the grate surface, and an exhauster connected to
the producer above the fuel bed, substantially as described.
6. A producer for coal and water gas having a series of ports leading from
above the fuel bed, and an exhauster connected to said ports, substantially as
described.
7. A producer for coal and water gas, having a chamber of larger area at its
top than at its grate surface, air and steam inlets below the grate, a series of
ports leading from above the fuel bed, and connected to an exhauster, and an
apparatus for spreading a thin layer of coal over the fuel bed, substantially as
described.
8. A gas producer system having a branch pipe leading from beyond the
scrubber backwardly into the fixer to lower the temperature of the gas in the
pipes leading from the fixer, substantially as described.