AN IMPROVED METHOD OF AND APPARATUS POR EXPELLING VOLATILE MATTERS FROM PEAT
Year: 1870

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Thomas George Walker, of the City and State of
New York, United States of America, for the Invention of "AN
IMPROVED METHOD OF AND APPARATUS POR EXPELLING VOLATILE MATTERS
FROM PEAT."
Sealed the 14th March 1871, and dated the 22nd November 1870.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Thomas George
Walker at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his
Petition, on the 22nd November 1870.
I, THOMAS GEORGE WALKER, of the City and State of New York,
United States of America, do hereby declare the nature of the said
Invention for "AN IMPROVED METHOD OF AND APPARATUS FOR EXPELLING
VOLATILE MATTERS FROM PEAT," to be as follows:-
I make use of a current of superheated steam brought directly into
contact with the peat or other material to heat the same and expel the
volatile material. The peat is introduced into a mixer or pug mill that
is surrounded with a jacket into which the steam and vapors pass from
the other portions of the apparatus so as to warm the contents of the pug
mill and at the same time the vapors are condensed and the water runs

page_text: away, and any combustible noxious gases may pass into the fire that
heats the steam. A boiler and furnace are provided and the steam from
the boiler passes through the fire space in a pipe or coil and acts upon
the peat at the bottom of the pug mill to blow the same in small pieces,
lumps, or in a reduced form through a pipe to the receiving vessel, and
by preference this pipe should also pass through the fire in order that
the peat may be additionally heated. The action of the superheated
steam is to heat the peat and sometimes carbonize the same so that the
moisture thereof passes off as soon as it arrives at the receiving vessel,
and the vapors circulate through a pipe to the jacket aforesaid sur-
rounding the pug mill. The peat is delivered by a piston that forces the
same out of the receiving vessel through a tube or nozzle. The pug
mill is to be provided with stirrers or a screw and the peat may be
delivered therefrom directly by the action of the superheated steam or
else it may pass into an intermediate steaming chamber, and thence be
driven by a screw into the tube in which the current of superheated
steam is directed upon it. The peat or other material may be in such a
condition that when it is heated in a closed vessel by superheated steam
or otherwise, and allowed to discharge therefrom in an heated state into
another vessel, the vapors will pass away from the same as aforesaid
and a piston is employed to force the peat out of such vessel as before
mentioned.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent,
filed by the said Thomas George Walker in the Great Seal Patent
Office on the 20th May 1871.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, THOMAS
GEORGE WALKER, of the City and State of New York, United States of
America, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her
Letters Patent, bearing date the Twenty-second day of November, in the
year of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and seventy, in the thirty-
fourth year of Her reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors,
give and grant unto me, the said Thomas George Walker, Her special
licence that I, the said Thomas George Walker, my executors, admi-
nistrators, and assigns, or such others as I, the said Thomas George
Walker, my executors, administrators, and assigns, should at any time

page_text: 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 "AN
IMPROVED METHOD OF AND APPARATUS FOR EXPELLING VOLATILE MATTERS FROM
PEAT," upon the condition (amongst others) that I, the said Thomas George
Walker, 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 Thomas George Walker, do hereby
declare the nature of my 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 Drawing here-
unto annexed, and to the letters and figures marked thereon (that is to
say):
I make use of a current of superheated steam brought directly into
contact with the peat or other material to heat the same and expel the
volatile material. The peat is introduced into a mixer or pug mill that
is surrounded with a jacket, into which the steam and vapors pass from
the other portions of the apparatus so as to warm the contents of the
pug mill, and at the same time the vapors are condensed and the water
runs away, and any combustible noxious gases may pass into the fire
that heats the steam. A boiler and furnace are provided, and the steam
from the boiler passes through the fire space in a pipe or coil, and acts
upon the peat at the bottom of the pug mill to blow the same in small
pieces, lumps, or in a reduced form through a pipe to the receiving
vessel, and by preference this pipe should also pass through the fire in
order that the peat may be additionally heated. The action of the
superheated steam is to heat the peat and sometimes carbonize the same,
so that the moisture thereof passes off as soon as it arrives at the
receiving vessel, and the vapors circulate through a pipe to the jacket
aforesaid surrounding the pug mill. The peat is delivered by a piston
that forces the same out of the receiving vessel through a tube or nozzle.
The pug mill is to be provided with stirrers or a screw, and the peat may
be delivered therefrom directly by the action of the superheated steam;

page_text: or else it may pass into an intermediate steaming chamber, and thence
be driven by a screw into the tube in which the current of superheated
steam is directed upon it. The peat or other material may be in such
a condition that when it is heated in a closed vessel by superheated
steam or otherwise, and allowed to discharge therefrom in a heated state
into another vessel, the vapors will pass away from the same as aforesaid,
and a piston is employed to force the peat out of such vessel, as before
mentioned.
In the Drawing Fig. 1 is a vertical section illustrating my improve-
ment; Fig. 2 is a vertical section, and Fig. 3 is a sectional plan of the
pug mill in a modified form.
b
The peat is introduced into a mixer or pug mill a that is provided
with mixers or stirrers 6 upon a revolving shaft c. The peat is introduced
through the opening d, and e is a division to prevent the steam or
vapors that are above the peat passing out of the supply mouth. The
steam passes from the chamber to the pug mill a through the tube 8,
and this tube s may open into the upper part of the casing above the
peat, so as to come directly into contact with the same, and any particles
of peat dust carried over with the steam are deposited upon the moist
peat, and the vapors thence pass by the opening r into the space between
the casings a and heat the contents of the pug mill, and any water of
condensation or vapors pass away by the pipe t into the vessel u and
thence by the trap w. The vapors arising from the contents of the pug
mill also pass off through the opening r into the space between the
casings of the pug mill. The noxious gases and vapors should pass from
the vessel u by the pipe v into the ash-pit of the furnace f, so as to be
consumed, these vapors and gases will generally aid the combustion in
the fire. A coil of pipe in the pug mill may take the place of the steam
jacket, the steam passing through the same. The steam boiler g is
heated by this furnace f, and the steam therefrom is lead through the
pipe h, and this pipe / passes through the furnace where it may be
coiled, and in this manner the steam is superheated. The issuing jet of
steam is directed upon the peat at the mouth of a pipe i, so as to blow
the peat in small pieces or lumps through this pipe i or delivery trunk to
the receiving vessel. This pipe is shown as passing through the
furnace which is preferable so as to obtain a high temperature in the
peat and the action thereof and of the superheated steam is sometimes
to carbonize the peat, but under all circumstances to heat the same so
•

page_text: thoroughly that the moisture will pass off as soon as the peat arrives at
the receiving chamber 1, and from this receiving chamber the vapors
circulate to the jacket of the pug mill by the pipe 8 as aforesaid. I
prefer to deliver the peat from the tube i into a larger tube or chamber ķ
and thence allow it to pass into the chamber 7, as it affords opportunity
for the steam heat to more thoroughly penetrate and dry the lumps
before they are delivered. The plunger m reciprocated by the connecting
rod o and crank p is employed for forcing the peat out through the
delivery tube n, and this tube n is made parallel at the receiving end and
slightly increased in size towards the delivery end so that the peat may
not crack up into small pieces by the sudden delivery or relief from
pressure as it is forced out from the apparatus but may remain in the
form of elongated blocks, cylinders, or prisms.
The peat may be delivered from the pug mill by the action of a
screw or propeller, I however prefer to use curved delivery blades u¹
upon the lower end of the shaft c (Figs. 2 and 3), which press the peat
through openings 8, 8, so that the peat is divided up into small lumps
by the current of superheated steam from the pipe h blowing such
peat through the pipe i. To regulate the speed of delivery and also to
subdivide the strips of peat as they issue through the orifices 8, 8, I make
use of screws 9, 9, with tapering points coming opposite said openings.
Stones, roots, and foreign substances that do not easily pass through
the opening 8, will be pressed into the pocket w¹ and there accumulate
and displace the peat in such pocket, and by removing the cover x
the pocket can be cleaned out, whenever necessary. The superheated
steam may be directed upon the peat in any suitable vessel to heat
the same, and as the peat is discharged from the first vessel into a
second vessel in a heated state the vapors will pass away from the same
as aforesaid. The superheated steam can be so regulated in its tem-
perature as to simply dry the peat, or it may be sufficient to carbonize
the same and give it the appearance of coal. It is preferable that a
slight pressure be maintained in the jacket or heating coil of the pug
mill as the transfer of the latent heat of the steam to the peat as the
steam condenses will thereby be promoted.

page_text: Second. The method specified of subjecting peat or clay to a ten-
perature higher than that of boiling water, and then discharging the
same into a receiver where the vapors pass off previously to its delivery
from such receiver, substantially as set forth.
Third. The steam space around the mixing or pug mill receiving the
escape steam and vapors from the delivery chamber or receiver for
utilizing the same by heating the peat or clay as introduced in the pug
mill, substantially as set forth.
Fourth. A current of superheated steam directed upon the material as
it is passed in a layer or reduced form from one vessel into another for
depriving the same of moisture or carbonizing it, substantially as set
forth.
Fifth. A tube around which heat is applied and through which peat is
forced in a divided form by the action of a current of steam, substantially
as set forth.
In witness whereof, I, the said Thomas George Walker, have here-
unto set my hand and seal. this Twenty-second day of April,
In witness whereof, I, the said Thomas George Walker, have here-
unto set my hand and seal. this Twenty-second day of April,
A.D. One thousand eight hundred and seventy-one.
Witnesses,
CHAS. H. SMITH,
HAROLD SERRELL,
THOS. GEO. WALKER. (L.S.)
121, Nassau St., N.Y...
"
"
دو
" "