IMPROVEMENTS IN THE MEANS OF ECONOMIZING AND APPLYING HEAT OBTAINED PROM KNOWN PROCESSES
Year: 1844

page_text: TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, JEAN ALBERT
PALMAERT, of Brussels, Colonel of Staff, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her present most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her
Royal Letters Patent under the Great Seal of Great Britain; bearing date at
Westminster, the Twenty-ninth day of August, in the eighth year of Her reign,
did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant unto me, the said
Jean Albert Palmaert, Her especial license, full power, sole privilege and
authority, that I, the said Jean Albert Palmaert, my executors, admñiors, and
assigns, and such others as I, the said Jean Albert Palmaert, my executors,
administrators, or assigns, should at any time agree with and no others, from
time to time and at all times during the term of years therein mentioned,
should and lawfully might make, use, exercise, and vend, within England,
Wales, and the Town of Berwick upon Tweed, and in all Her Majesty's Colonies
and Plantations abroad, and in the Islands of Guernsey, Jersey, Alderney,
Sark, and Man, an Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN THE MEANS OF ECONOMIZING
AND APPLYING HEAT OBTAINED PROM KNOWN PROCESSES," being partly a commu-
nication from a foreigner residing abroad; in which said Letters Patent is
contained a proviso obliging me, the said Jean Albert Palmaert, by an instru-
ment in writing under my hand and seal, particularly to describe and ascertain
the nature of the said Invention, and in what manner the same is to be per-
formed, and to cause the same to be inrolled in Her Majesty's High Court of
Chancery within six calendar months next and immediately after the date of

page_text: the said in part recited Letters Patent, as in and by the same, reference being
thereunto had, will more fully and at large appear.
NOW KNOW YE, that in compliance with the said proviso, I, the said Jean
Albert Palmaert, do hereby declare that the nature of the said Invention, and
the manner in which the same is to be performed, is particularly described and
ascertained in and by the following description thereof, reference being had to
the Drawings hereunto annexed, and to the letters and figures marked thereon
(that is to say):
The Invention, for which I have obtained. Her Majesty's. Letters Patent as
aforesaid, has for its object the economization and employment of the heat
arising from or obtained from coke ovens during the manufacture of coke.
The beneficial application or employment of the waste heat arising from coke
ovens is a subject which has occupied the attention of manufacturers for some
years past, but they have principally directed their attention to the economi-
zation of the heat which escapes by radiation during the carbonization of pit
coal. As to the gaseous products arising from this operation, they have only
been made use of for interrupted operations, and therefore they have never yet
been completely burnt during, all the time they are being disengaged, nor has
it been possible to obtain a means of heating of such such regularity as could
be beneficially applied for generating steam for a steam engine, so as to make
it act in a uniform and regular manner. The irregularity of the process of car-
bonization is sufficient to account for the difficulty which exists of causing the
gases to assist regularly in heating the boiler. In fact the nature of the gases
varies at different stages of the operation. At the commencement it is a
mixture of the vapour of water, of sulphureous products of carbonic oxide, and
of different carburets of hydrogen. Now, a mixture of this description could
only burn in contact with the air while the two last gases are predominant or
in excess, and even then only at a high temperature. This state of things can
never take place in the apparatus at present constructed and in use, because in
the first place the gases which are first generated are very slightly inflammable,
and in the next place the oven is cold at the commencement of the operation.
In consequence of this an enormous quantity of gas will escape unconsumed in
the shape of a thick smoke during the first few hours of the operation, and the
gases will not burn in contact with the air until they become more hydro-
genated, and until the ovens and flues become red hot, which will not take
place for nine or ten hours after the oven is charged. These difficulties are
overcome in the following manner:-I take care to charge the coke ovens
alternately, so that they are all at different periods of carbonization. All the
gases and vapours which are disengaged I direct into a common receiver, so.

page_text: that the carbonic acid which escapes in abundance from the ovens that are just
ignited, becomes mingled with streams of hydrogenated gases more or less car-
bonized and issuing from the ovens that are in full work. Then the carbonic
acid which predominates in the gases arising from the ovens that are just
commencing operations, is converted into carbonic oxide, and the water into
hydrogen under the influence of the high temperature of the receiver, which is
constantly maintained at a light red heat. In order to render the operation
complete, and to effect the regular combustion of the carbonic oxide gas, and
of the carburetted hydrogen, it will be necessary to ascertain the volume of air
that is required. Calculations have been made from which the quantity of air
necessary to inject into the body of gases entering the receiver may be ascer-
tained, as also the speed at which it must be supplied, taking care always to
divide it into very small jets, so that the gases may be completely burnt. The
volume of air that will be required cannot be determined very exactly, owing
to the variation of the quality of the coals and of the composition of carbon,
oxygen, hydrogen, and foreign matters; it will therefore be necessary to make
some experiments before putting the apparatus into full operation; great care
must the reforebe taken not to regulate this quantity of air in a chance manner,
as that would expose the apparatus to the most violent checks. If the volume
of air is regulated as it ought to be, the heat produced will be sufficiently
great to actuate powerful engines with a regularity equal to that of the best

page_text: about three yards and a half. Fig. 8 represents a section of one of the ovens
taken longitudinally or in the line of its greatest diameter. Fig. 9 is a section
of the same taken transversely, or through the shorter diameter; and Fig. 10
The
represents a horizontal section shewing the ground plan of the ovens.
roof of the oven is circular or curved, and the height of the perpendicular sides
up to the point where the spring of the roof commences is about twenty inches;
from the floor or bottom of the oven to the summit is about forty-two inches.
The flooring of these ovens is constructed of two rows or layers of bricks; the
first or upper layer consists of fire bricks, and the other layer of ordinary bricks.
The roof is also constructed of fire bricks, and at the uppermost part thereof
five holes or orifices are made of about twelve inches in diameter at the inner
ends and about ten at their outer ends. The gases pass through these holes
or openings for the purpose of heating a small auxiliary boiler situated there.
The heat is reflected on to the upper surface and side of this small boiler by
means of an additional circular roof which is placed above and partially sur-
rounds this boiler, leaving a clear space round it for the gases and heat to
circulate; the gases then pass off' by conduits or ways into a longitudinal retort
or furnace. These conduits, which bring the gases resulting from the car-
bonization of the coke to the retort, are marked on the Drawing with the
letters B, B, B, B; they are made of fire bricks, and their openings or termi-
nations in the longitudinal retort are so arranged as never to be opposite
to each other. Pipes M, M, convey air (submitted to a pressure of four
atmospheres by means of the air pump shewn at Fig. 6), for the combus-
tion of the carbonic oxide gas and of the hydrogenated carburets. (Atmo-
spheric air may also be sapplied from the receivers y, y, see Fig. 11, through
the small orifices p, p, to the chambers,, for the purpose of burning or
consuming the gases in a perfect and complete manner.) The communication
between the ovens and the vent pipes or flues is arranged as follows:-The
longitudinal retort or flue K (Figs. 2 and 4) receives the gases generated in
the ovens 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, and 12, by means of branch pipes or conduits
B, B, B, B, and conveys them in a state of combustion into the tubes D' in
the large boiler, as seen in Figs. 3 and 4. The gases. circulate through the
entire length of these tubes, and then enter from their opposite ends into the
lateral flue D'; then they return along the pipe E, and ultimately escape into
the part O³ of the chimney, which is divided into four portions of about twenty
inches square each, so that each section should correspond to one of the side
pipes or flues E or E. The chimney is only divided in this manner a short
way up. The branch pipes or conduits B, B, of the other six ovens convey
the from the ovens into the flue D³ below the boiler, as seen in the cross
gases

page_text: section, Fig. 3; and after having passed along this flue they rise up and enter
the side flue D, and from thence pass along the long flue E' into the com-
partment O' of the chimney. When the steam engines are not working, and
consequently when it is not necessary to produce steam, instead of causing the
gases to pass into the lateral flues D', D3, the bottom flue D³, and the tubes D',
they are conveyed directly into the flues E' and E, and from thence into the
chimney, without acting upon any of the boilers. To effect this object the com-
munication between the ovens and the flues D', D', and D, and the tubes D',
must be cut off, which is done by closing the damper T, at the end of the
longitudinal flue K, thereby preventing the gases from entering the tubes D',
and also closing the dampers of the ovens 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, to cut off the com-
munication between the ovens and the flues D² and D³; then by opening the
small damper T2 also situate at the end of the longitudinal flue K, as seen in
Fig. 4, the gases of the ovens 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, and 12, are carried direct into
the side flue E2, and from thence to the chimney; at the same time the damper
or register T" of the other arms must be opened, so as to allow the gases to
issue directly into the flue E'. The draft of each oven may be regulated by a
damper or register T adapted to the vent way, as seen in Fig. 3. The draft
in all the ovens may be prevented by closing the large damper T, at the end of
the longitudinal flue K. This damper may also be employed to regulate the
heating of the boiler. The boilers are made of sheet iron, of a cylindrical
form, and may be made to act at either high or low pressure. While the
engine is working regularly the level of the water in the boiler must always
be maintained at some height above the tubes D'. The space for steam is
greatly augmented by the dome R placed above, and which also serves as a
place from which the steam may be taken. The boiler may be cleaned
by means of the reservoir K", which is not heated. Small auxiliary boilers
I are placed as before mentioned under the arch of the roof of each oven,
and at a very short distance therefrom. These boilers rest at one end
upon a support set in the masonry or brickwork, and the other end is sup-
ported upon the plate J, see Fig. 3. They may be placed either inside
the oven or altogether outside, as shewn in the Drawing. They are
furnished with tubes L for the conveyance of the steam, and for sup-
plying them with water, which is effected by the water in the large boiler
being always at a higher level; these tubes are inclined as represented in
Fig. 2, and are each of them furnished with a stop-cock. Of course, when
it is not required to generate steam the gases must be prevented from acting
upon the small boilers I, which is done by simply closing the vent holes by
means of the damper T", which also opens a direct communication with the

page_text: flue, as already described, and is clearly shown in Fig. 3*. Q, Q, Fig. 3, are
pipes for supplying the two first auxiliary boilers of each set; R, R, are stop-
cocks for emptying these auxiliary boilers when required; P are the doors of
the ovens made of cast iron, and furnished at their inner sides with fire bricks;
E is a cast iron foundation on which the ovens are built; W, W, is a recep-
tacle for the soot from the chimney which is cleansed from below, the soot
being discharged through a door or opening W' into the arched chamber X,
from whence it may be removed when convenient. Fig. 5 represents a plan
view; and Fig. 5', a transverse vertical section of another arrangement, in
which only four coke ovens are employed; V is a chamber into which the
gases arising from the four ovens are conveyed by pipes; the ovens are fur-
nished with small auxiliary boilers, which are heated by the passage of the
gases as in the former instance. These gases pass from the chamber V, through
the vertical tubes Z, thereby heating the water in the main boiler, and they
ultimately escape into the chimney O'. In this arrangement it will be seen
that two small cylindrical boilers are adapted to each oven. Fig. 7 represents
another mode of generating steam in this boiler; the gases do not pass into
the tubes n', but between them, and after having heated the tubes which are
filled with water, they ultimately escape into the chimney O', where they assist
in keeping up the temperature of the steam in the steam box. This boiler
may be employed in the place of the one shewn at Fig. 5', and even upon the
same foundation without any alteration.
Having now described this Invention, and the manner of carrying the same
into effect, I wish it to be understood that I lay no claim to the exclusive right
of generating steam in steam boilers, as various attempts have been made to
effect this object. But that which I claim as the Invention secured to me by
the hercin-before in part recited Letters Patent is, the peculiar mode in which
this object is effected, (viz.) by connecting a series of ovens together, and
conveying the gases arising therefrom into one common flue, where the un-
consumed carbon driven off from a fresh supply of coal in one or two ovens
is burnt or consumed by the heated gases arising from the ovens in a more
advanced stage of carbonization; and I also claim the employment of small
auxiliary boilers, in the manner and for the purposes above described.
In witness whereof, I, the said Jean Albert Palmaert, have hereunto set
my hand and seal, this Twenty-seventh day of February One thousand
eight hundred and forty-five.
COLONEL J. (L.S.) PALMAERT.

page_text: AND BE IT REMEMBERED, that on the same Twenty-seventh day of
February, in the year above mentioned, the aforesaid Jean Albert Palmaert
came before our Lady the Queen in Her Chancery, and acknowledged the
Specification aforesaid, and all and every thing therein contained in form
above written. And also the Specification-aforesaid was stamped according to
the tenor of the Statute in that case made and provided.
Inrolled the Twenty-eighth day of February, in the year above written.
Inrolled the Twenty-eighth day of February, in the year above written.