IMPROVEMENTS IN MEANS OR APPARATUS FOR RE-BURNING ANIMAL CHARCOAL
Year: 1862

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to James Paterson, of the Middle Temple, in the County
of Middlesex, Barrister-at-Law, for the Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN
MEANS OR APPARATUS FOR RE-BURNING ANIMAL CHARCOAL."--A Communi-
cation from abroad by George Alexander Drummond, residing at Mon-
treal, Canada East.
Sealed the 15th August 1862, and dated the 19th February 1862.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said James Paterson at the
Office of the Commissioners of l'atents, with his Petition, on the 19th
February 1862.
I, JAMES PATERSON, of the Middle Temple, in the County of Middlesex,
5 Barrister-at-Law, do hereby declare the nature of the said Invention for
"IMPROVEMENTS IN MEANS OR APPARATUS FOR RE-BURNING ANIMAL CHARCOAL,"
communicated to me from abroad by George Alexander Drummond, a person
resident at Montreal, Canada East, to be as follows:-
The improvements relate to means or apparatus for re-burning animal
charcoal.
For this purpose the retorts, which are of a cylindrical form, may
either revolve continuously in one direction, or partly in one direction and
then in the other, and instead of being placed with their axes in a horizontal
direction they are inclined, and they receive the charcoal to be re-burned at
their higher ends through suitable channels, and then by the revolution of,
such retorts the contained matter will progressively traverse to the lower ends
thereof, where there are vanes or cups or other suitable means adapted to

page_text: take up such matter, and discharge it into a receiver projecting inwards from
such lower ends, and having a communication with the cooling apparatus.
Series of such retorts are also arranged to work together, each being caused
to revolve, and being inclined from the feeding to the delivery end as stated,
with the delivery end of the first discharging by a suitable way into the feeding
end of the next, and so on with the succeeding retorts of the series.
The feed and discharge pipes are connected to the respective ends of the
retorts in manner to admit of the retorts revolving.
The charcoal from each retort, or from the last of a series of them, is con-
ducted into suitable coolers before exposure to the atmosphere, and a jet or
jets of water are employed to operate upon the external surfaces of the cooling
chambers, or the passage or passages to them to facilitate the cooling process.
The lifting means at the ends of the retorts may be separate, and operated by
mechanical means. I arrange the retorts when in connected series so that
the last of the series is that to receive the most heat, and the next less, and so
on to the first which receives the least.
The gas or vapour generated during the process is allowed to flow back and
escape by the feed pipe, so as to avoid re-admixture with the manufactured or
re-burned charcoal. The retorts in place of being cylindrical, that is, with
their opposite surfaces parallel to each other, may be of a conical form, and
their cross section may be of any suitable figure. They are also sometimes
formed with a lining of fire-brick or fire-clay, or other suitable earthy matter,
which when burnt will resist the action of heat, and prevent the charcoal
during re-burning from coming in contact with their metal surfaces.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent, filed
by the said James Paterson in the Great Seal Patent Office on the 19th
August 1862.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I JAMES
PATERSON, of the Middle Temple, in the County of Middlesex, Barrister-at-
Law, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her Letters
Patent, bearing date the Nineteenth day of February, in the year of our
Lord One thousand eight hundred and sixty-two, in the twenty fifth year
of
Her reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant unto
me, the said Janes Paterson, Her special licence that 1, the said James
Paterson, my executors, administrators, and assigns, or such others as 1, the

page_text: said James Paterson, my executors, administrators, and assigns, should at any
time agree with, and no others, from time to time and at all times there-
after 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
MEANS OR APPARATUS FOR RE-BURNING ANIMAL CHARCOAL," communicated to me
from abroad by George Alexander Drummond, a person resident at Montreal,
Canada East, upon the condition (amongst others) that I; the said James
Paterson, 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 James Paterson, do hereby declare
the nature of the said Invention, and in what manner the same is to be
performed, to be particularly described and ascertained in and by the fol-
lowing statement thereof, that is to say :-
The improvements relate to means or apparatus for re-burning animal
charcoal. For this purpose the retorts, which are of a cylindrical form, may
either revolve continuously in one direction, or partly in one direction, and
then in the other, and instead of being placed with their axes in a horizontal
direction, they are inclined, and they receive the charcoal to be re-burned at
their higher ends through suitable channels, and then by the revolution of
such retorts the contained matter will progressively traverse to the lower ends
thereof, where there are vanes or cups, or other suitable means adapted to
take up such matter, and discharge it into a receiver projecting inwards from
such lower ends, and having a communication with the cooling apparatus.
Series of such retorts are also arranged to work together, each being caused
to revolve, and being inclined from the feeding to the delivery end as stated,
with the delivery end of the first discharging by a suitable way into the
feeding end of the next, and so on with the succeeding retorts of the series.
The feed and discharge pipes are connected to the respective ends of the
retorts in manner to admit of the retorts revolving. The charcoal from each
retort, or from the last of a series of them is conducted into suitable coolers
before exposure to the atmosphere, and a jet or jets of water are employed to
operate upon the external surfaces of the cooling chambers, or the passage or
passages to them to facilitate the cooling process. The lifting means at the
ends of the retorts may be separate, and operated by mechanical means. I

page_text: ratus arranged according to the improvements; Figure 3 represents a
transverse sectional view of one of the retorts.
No. 1 and No. 2 are two retorts in a setting heated from the one fire-place Z,
as shewn, but the number of retorts in the setting may be varied. It will be
seen that each retort is set in a direction inclining from the feed to the
discharge end. A, B, is the upper surface or top plate of the kiln, formed by
preference of cast iron, adapted to receive and support the charcoal to be
operated upon; C is a hopper in position to be readily supplied with charcoal
from the surface A, B. This hopper is provided with a valve through
which it discharges its contents into the pipe G and thence into the cylinder
No. 1. The valve regulating the discharge from the hopper C may be
operated by a rod passing horizontally along the front of the kilns, and have a
reciprocating motion given to it. The charcoal received by the passage G
into the retort No. I is, by the rotation of that retort aided by its inclined
position, progressively carried forward to the lower end thereof, when by coming
on to the projections or vanes E, E, it is by them lifted up and discharged
into the mouth of the pipe F. These projections or vanes E are shewn as
cast or fixed on the end or mouth of the cylinder, but they may be cast or fixed
to the cylinder itself. Each of them is applied at an angle to a radial line
and the upper surface is inclined towards the head of the cylinder, but it may
be curved or provided with sides to facilitate the taking up of the charcoal
and its discharge into the pipe F, and thence by the pipe G¹ to the upper end
of the retort No. 2. The feed pipes G and G³ should be sufficiently long to
discharge the charcoal into the interior of the cylinders, and I make them so
much smaller than the mouthpiece thereof as to insure clearance, and also to
permit an exit for vapour and gases if desired. The charcoal received into the
cylinder No. 2 is, in the revolution of that cylinder, aided by its inclined

page_text: direction carried forward to the lower end thereof, and then such charcoal is
lifted by vanes or projections E' similar to those described in respect of
cylinder No. and discharged through the pipe F¹. I and I are expansion
joints, and K and K¹ are followers on the pipes F and F. These pipes may,
if desired, be covered with non-conducting materials to retain heat or they
may be cast double for the same purpose. They are kept in their places by
supports not shewn in the Drawing, and are kept in contact with the mouths
of the cylinders by connections on the flanges thereof to which one or two
friction wheels or rollers R, R, are in some cases added. H, H, are grooved
friction rollers on the ends of the retorts adapted to roll on supporting rails
1., L, which are supported in brackets from the front plate of the furnace;
M, N, is a chamber and flat or thin coolers attached as usual provided with
slides at bottom and top for the receipt and discharge of the re-burned and
cooled charcoal from the chamber No. 2. To the exterior of this chamber is
applied water in fine streams or jets to hasten the cooling and permit their
being made of thicker and more durable materials than usual. 0, 0, are
hand and peep holes at various points from which the operation may be
examined and repairs executed. P is a shaft driven by a steam engine or other
power, and upon which is formed or affixed a serew P1, the thread of which
takes into the teeth P on the ends of the cylinders Nos. 1 and 2 as the means
preferred for giving rotary motion to them. This shaft P may continue along
the front and work any number of sets of retorts or cylinders. These cylinders
as will be seen, are enclosed in brickwork, and have suitable flue spaces left for
the conveyance of the heated gases from the fire below.
The operation of the apparatus is as follows:-The hopper C is kept
supplied with charcoal partially dried and heated on the surface A, B. By
means of the valve D the supply may be regulated to the cylinder No. 1.
This cylinder No. 1 by being inclined and kept in slow rotation causes the
charcoal to traverse its interior and heated surface till it reaches the projections
or vanes E, E; when entering between these vanes it is carried round till
above the mouth of the pipe F, when the angle the vanes assume causes it to
drop into the mouth of the pipe F, whence it is conducted as stated to the
cylinder No. 2. The charcoal then in like manner traverses the second
cylinder and is discharged therefrom by the pipe F into suitable coolers or
thin vessels adapted to expose a large surface for cooling, and which are
provided with valves or slides by which the contents can be discharged thence
at pleasure. The advantages of this combination and method of working are
that the charcoal gradually passed in a thin body over the heated interior of
the retorts is more equally heated, and the gases which are eliminated by the

page_text: operation are permitted a readier escape, whilst the operation generally is
performed in a superior manner. By the continuous discharge into coolers
before contact with the atmosphere the destruction of the carbonaceous matter
is prevented. By the use of two or more cylinders in connection with cach
other, and so arranged that the last, or that in which the operation is finished,
receives tlie greatest heat of the fire, and the first, or that which receives the
charcoal first in the series, the least heat, a considerable saving of fuel is
effected.
The retorts, in place of being cylindrical, that is, with their opposite surfaces
parallel to each other, may be of a conical form, and their cross section may
be of any suitable figure. They are also sometimes formed with a lining of
fire-brick or fire-clay or other suitable earthy matter, which, when burnt, will
resist the action of heat, and prevent the charcoal during re-burning from
coming in contact with their metal surfaces.
Having thus described the Invention as communicated to me, I would
have it understood that. I do not confine myself to the precise details as referred
to so long as the peculiar character of the improvements is retained substantially
as explained.
In witness whereof, I, the said James Paterson, have hereunto set my
hand and scal, this Thirteenth day of August, in the year of our
Lord One thousand eight hundred and sixty-two.
JAMES PATERSON.
L.S.)