IMPROVEMENTS IN MACHINERY OR APPARATUS FOR THE MANUFACTURE AND REBURNING OF ANIMAL CHARCOAL, AND FOR DISTILLING SHALE AND OTHER LIKE SUBSTANCES
Year: 1867

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to John Frederick Brinjes, of Fieldgate Street, White-
chapel, in the County of Middlesex, Engineer, for the Invention of
"IMPROVEMENTS IN MACHINERY OR APPARATUS FOR THE MANUFACTURE AND
REBURNING OF ANIMAL CHARCOAL, AND FOR DISTILLING SHALE AND OTHER
LIKE SUBSTANCES:"
Sealed the 6th September 1867, and dated the 12th March 1867.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said John Frederick Brinjes
at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents; with his Petition, on the
12th March 1867.
1, JOHN FREDERICK BRINJES, of Fieldgate Street, Whitechapel, in the
County of Middlesex, Engineer, do hereby declare the nature of the said
Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN MACHINERY OR APPARATUS FOR THE MARU-
FACTURE AND REBURNING OF ANIMAL CHARCOAL, AND FOR DISTILLING SHALE AND
OTHER LIKE SUBSTANCES," to be as follows:-
This Invention relates to a peculiar construction and arrangement of
machinery or apparatus intended to be employed in the burning of bones for
the manufacture of animal charcoal, and for the reburning of animal charcoal,
and is applicable also to the distillation of shale and other substances with a
view to the obtainment of products therefrom, and has for its object an
improved mode of or means for traversing the material or substance, under
treatment through the retort in which it is contained.

page_text: In carrying out this Invention it is proposed to employ one or a series of
horizontal cylindrical retorts, made to revolve continuously in one direction or
to receive a circular reciprocating motion on the axial centre line of the
retort. Each retort is provided on its inner circumference with a series of
longitudinal ledges or ribs which serve as lifters for elevating the material
under treatment and allowing it to descend in the form of a shower on to the
bottom of the retort again. As the material descends from these ledges it
falls upon a series of inclined deflecting plates, which are carried by a central
stationary shaft inside each retort, and is by them deffected towards the
discharging end of the retort. By placing these deflecting plates at greater
or less angle it is obvious that the passage or traverse of the materials throug
the retort or retorts will be expedited or retarded. The angle of these
deflecting plates may either be fixed or adjustable; in the latter case the
several plates may be hinged to the central shaft, and a rod connecting the
several plates together may pass through one or both ends of the retort and
be adjustable longitudinally by means of a screw or otherwise; so that on
moving the rod longitudinally the several discs will turn more or less on their
respective hinges, similar to louvres, and assume any angle desired; or, if
preferred, the deflecting plates may consist of discs fixed at any given angle,
but placed parallel to each other upon the central shaft, which shaft is capable
of turning more or less in its bearings or supports. By adjusting the shaft
and with it the oblique deflecting discs in a circular direction any angle of
deflecting disc may be obtained from the extreme angle at which the discs
have been originally secured on the shaft to a vertical position, in which latter
position the material under treatment would fall perpendicularly between in
lieu of upon the surfaces of the plates, and consequently no traverse of such
material would take place through the retort or retorts. According to another
modification a series of fixed inclined ledges may be placed transversely across
the inner surface, which inclined ledges will serve to deflect forward the
material which is carried up by the sides of the retort.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent, filed
by the said John Frederick Brinjes in the Great Seal Patent Office
on the 12th September 1867.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, JOHN
FREDERICK BRINJES, of Fieldgate Street, Whitechapel, in the County of 3
Middlesex, Engineer, send greeting..

page_text: WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her Letters
Patent, bearing date the Twelfth day of March, in the year of our Lord Oue
thousand eight hundred and sixty-seven, in the thirtieth year of Her reign,
did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant unto me, the
said John Frederick Brinjes, Her special license that I, the said John Frederick
Brinjes, my executors, administrators, and assigns, or such others as I, the
said John Frederick Brinjes, my executors, administrators, or 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 "IMPROVEMENTS IN MACHINERY OR APPARATUS FOR. THE MANUFACTURE AND
REBURNING OF ANIMAL CHARCOAL AND FOR DISTILLING SHALE AND OTHER LIKE
PURPOSES," upon the condition (amongst others) that I, the said John
Frederick Brinjes, my executors or administrators, 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 John Frederick Brinjes, do hereby
declare the nature of said 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,
and to the letters and figures marked thereon, that is to say:
My said Invention relates to a peculiar construction and arrangement of
machinery or apparatus intended to be employed in the burning of bones. for
the manufacture of animal charcoal, and for the reburning of animal charcoal,
and which is applicable also to the distillation of shale and other substances
with a view to the obtainment of products therefrom, and consists of an
improved mode of or means for traversing the naterial or substance under
treatment through the retort in which it is contained.
In carrying out my Invention I propose to employ one or a series of hori-
zontal cylindrical retorts, made to revolve continuously in one direction or to
receive a circular reciprocating motion on the axial centre line of the retort..
These retorts may be set in any convenient manner, but. I prefer to set them
in the manuer shewn in the Drawings of the Specification of my Patent of
November First, One thousand eight hundred and sixty-four, No. 2695. Each:
retort is provided on its inner circumference with. a. series of longitudinal

page_text: ledges or ribs which serve as lifters for elevating the material under treatment
and allowing it to descend in the form of a shower on to the bottom of the
retort again. As the material descends from these ledges it falls upon a series
of inclined deflecting plates, which are carried by a central stationary shaft
inside each retort, and is by them deflected towards the discharging end of
the retort. By placing these deflecting plates at greater or less angles it is
obvious that the passage or traverse of the materials through the retort or
retorts will be expedited or retarded. The angle of these deflecting plates
may either be fixed or adjustable; in the latter case the several plates may
-be binged to the central shaft, and a rod connecting the several plates together
may pass through one or both ends of the retort and be adjustable longitudinally
by means of a screw or otherwise, so that on moving the rod longitudinally
the several discs will turn more or less on their respective hinges, similar to
Jouvres, and assume any angle desired; or, if preferred, the deflecting plates
may consist of discs fixed at any given angle but placed parallel to each other
upon the central shaft, which shaft is capable of turning more or less in its
bearings or supports. By adjusting the shaft and with it the oblique deflecting
discs in a circular direction any angle of deflecting disc may be obtained, from
the extreme angle at which the discs have been originally secured on the shaft
to a vertical position, in which latter position the material under treatment
would fall perpendicularly between in lieu of upon the surfaces of the plates,
and consequently no traverse of such material would take place through the
retort or retorts.
According to another modification a series of fixed inclined deflecting
surfaces may be fitted or cast transversely across the inner surface of the
retort, which inclined surfaces will serve to deflect forward the material
carried up by the longitudinal ribs on the sides of the retort.
And in order that my said Invention may be fully understood, I shall now
proceed more particularly to describe the same, and for that purpose shall
refer to the several Figures on the annexed Sheet of Drawings, the same
letters of reference indicating corresponding parts in all the Figures.
Figure 1 of my Drawings represents a longitudinal vertical section of a
horizontal retort provided with one form or arrangement of apparatus or
appliances for traversing the material or substance under treatment along such
retort; Figure 2 is a transverse vertical section of the same; and Figure 3
is a horizontal section or sectional plan of the retort.
A is the body of the retort, and B, B, are the longitudinal ledges or ribs
serving as lifters or elevators, which are fitted to or cast on the interior of the
retort. C, C, are the inclined deflecting plates secured to the stationary

page_text: shaft D, which is supported in a central position by the brackets E, E, or
other equivalent contrivance at each end of the retort. F is a crank handle
fitted on to the outer ends of the shaft D, by which the position of the shaft
with its deflecting plates may be readily adjusted to give the desired speed of
traverse of the substances through the retort. For this purpose I propose to
employ a quadrant G having holes made therein, and to fix the handle F at
any given or determined position along such quadrant by the aid of a pin f
passed through the handle and inserted into one or other of the holes in the
quadrant. The substances to be treated are fed into the retort from a feeding
hopper at H, and are discharged at the opposite end of the retort either into
a second retort or into my improved spiral or volute cooler I, as shewn in
Figure 4. The deflecting plates C in Figures 1, 2, and 3 are shewn at their
greatest angle, but it is obvious that if the shaft D be turned more or less
within an arc of 90°, any variation of this angle with a horizontal plane may
be obtained, until, in fact, by bringing the deflecting plates into a vertical
position they would cease to act as deflectors, and would allow the material to
fall from the ledges B direct on to the bottom of the retort, in which case
there would be no progression. In lieu of fixing the plates C to the shaft D
and turning that shaft more or less in its supports in order to vary the acting
angle of the plates C they may be hinged to the shaft and their angle varied
by a longitudinal rod in connection with the series of hinged deflectors. In
Figures 4, 5, and 6 I have represented a longitudinal transverse and hori
zontal section of a retort provided with adjustable deflecting plates C binged
at c to the sides of the retort, in lieu of being carried by a central shaft, as in
the arrangement shown at Figures 1, 2, and 3. These plates C, of which I
prefer to use two rows or series on diametrically opposite sides of the interior
of the retort, are also hinged to the longitudinal rods d, d, and their angle is
adjusted by moving such rods to or fro by the aid of a slotted cross head on
the end of the screw spindle e, actuated by a handwheel f and nut g, or by
any other equivalent mechanical contrivance. As the retort revolves or turns
to and fro on its axis the material is lifted up by the ledges B, and then
allowed to drop on to the inclined surfaces or deflecting plates C, which cause
it to slide forward the extent of each plate, after which it is again elevated,
dropped, and progressed as before; and this is repeated until the entire length
of the retort has been traversed.
In Figure 4 I have represented my improved spiral or volute cooler (for
which I obtained Letters Patent bearing date the Fifteenth of March, One
thousand eight bundred and sixty-five, No. 730,) in combination with my
present improvements, and a front elevation of the same is given at Figure 7.

page_text: Figure 8 shews the deflecting plates C as being cast on the interior of the
retort A. When the retorts are caused to receive a circular reciprocating
motion on their axes then the ledges B, in place of being at a slight angle to
the interior of the retort, as shown in my Drawings, would have to be in a
radial position as regards the centre of the retort.
Having now described and particularly ascertained the nature of my said
Invention, and the manner in which the same is or may be used or carried
into effect, I would observe in conclusion that what I consider to be novel and
original, and therefore claim as the Invention secured to me by the herein-
before in part recited Letters Patent is,―
First, the general construction and arrangement of machinery or apparatus
for the manufacture and reburning of animal charcoal, and for distilling shale
and other like substances, as herein-before described and illustrated by the
annexed Sheet of Drawings.
Second, the application and use to and in retorts employed in the manu-
facture and reburning of animal charcoal and in the distillation of shale and
other like substances of fixed or adjustable inclined deflecting plates in
combination with longitudinal ledges or lifting ribs, substantially as and for
the purpose herein-before described.
Third, the attachment of the inclined deflecting plates to a central shaft or
spindle in the retort, and the mode of adjusting the acting angle of such
plates, substantially as and for the purpose herein-before described.
Fourth, the hinging of the inclined deflecting plates to the interior of the
retort, and the mode of adjusting the angle of such plates, substantially as and
for the purpose berein-before described.
In witness whereof, I, the said John Frederick Brinjes, have to this
my Specification set my hand and seal, the Twelfth day of September,
One thousand eight hundred and sixty-seven.
JOHN FREDERICK BRINJES.
L.S.