Improvements in Coking and in Coke Ovens and Plant connected therewith.
Year: 1889

page_text: Date of Application, 11th Nov., 1889
Complete Specification Left, 10th Sept., 1890-Accepted, 11th Oct., 1890
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Coking and in Coke Ovens and Plant connected
therewith.
I, THOMAS DENNIS ROCK of 62 Leadenhall Street, London E.C. Mercantile
Engineer, do hereby declare the nature of this invention to be as follows:
A combination of ovens, or coking chambers, in a block for the purpose of
structural solidity, facility of operation, and conservation of heat. Notwithstanding,
each oven, retort, or coking chamber, with its accompanying flues, chamber and
apparatus is entirely independent of any other, and capable of being put ont of use
for repair or alteration without affecting the use of any other oven, in proximity:
or, any one oven of the combined set can be used, whilst all the others remain idle.
Each oven, retort or chamber is practically a gas retort and the gasses are removed
away into a gas holder and brought back for consumption, at will, at any or either of
the ovens, or for any other application, under pressure.
One or more gas generators to be attached to each set of ovens to supply gas for
the purpose of starting operations as well as to facilitate the cessation, and limitation
of operations. Likewise, and specially to supplement the supply of gas in the
coking of coals, or mixtures of coals, which might be otherwise incapable of being
carbonized to useful effect.
Special arrangement of the flues or combustion passages surrounding each oven,
and for the purpose of distributing the heat with regularity, and retaining it as long
as possible in contact with the walls of the oven.
Main feature, a utilization of the heat latent in the finished coke as one means of
coking the next charge., and, by its retention in a chamber beneath the floor or
bottom of the oven. (or in any other position) without the admission of air, allowing
a considerable portion of its heat to be imparted to the fresh charge of fuel and itself
to be partially cooled, and consolidated, before its withdrawal from the oven, thereby
rendering unnecessary that excessive saturation with water which is so detrimental to
coke.
Horizontal chimney flue to take away the hot products of combustion to the stack,
and by the insertion of metal tubes. or other pipes in same and drawing or forcing
the air for combustion of the gasses through such tubes or pipes, winning back in the
temperature of the air much heat which would otherwise be lost.
Dated this Eleventh day of November 1889
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Coking and in Coke Ovens and Plant connected
therewith.
I, THOMAS DENNIS ROCK, of No. 62 Leadenhall Street in the City of London,
Mercantile 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: -
The object of this invention is to attain and to utilise the largest measure of heat
in carbonising coal and other substances, and thereby to render a greater range of
materials available for coking. Also, so to arrange and dispose the necessary plant,
as to facilitate and promote economy in the operations, and improvement in the
quality and condition of the coke produced.
In the first place I combine any number of ovens or coking chambers in a block
for the purposes of structural solidity and compactness, facility of operation and

page_text: conservation of heat; notwithstanding, each oven retort or coking chamber with its
accompanying flues, cooling chamber and apparatus, is entirely independent of any
other and is capable of being put out of use for repairs or alterations without affecting
the use of any other oven in the group. Or, any one oven of the combined set may
be used whilst all the others remain idle. Each oven, retort, or coking chamber is
practically a gas retort, and the gases are removed away either into a gas holder or
into a common supply pipe or gas main, as may be found most convenient, and
brought back for consumption at will, at any or either of the ovens, or for any other
application.
In the second place, I employ with each block of ovens, one or more gas generators
for the purpose of supplying gas for first starting operations, and likewise for
facilitating the cessation or limitation of operations, by maintaining the heat or
temperature by which the coking is accomplished, from the commencement to the
end of the process. Further, I thereby supplement the supply of gas in the coking
of coals or mixtures of coals, which may not contain suflicient volatile matter to enable
them to be carbonised to useful effect without such assistance.
In the third place, I utilise the heat resident in each finished charge of coke, as
one of the means of coking its succeeding charge, by retaining it in a chamber
adjoining the coking or carbonising chamber during the coking of the succeeding
charge, and by causing the gases to pass in proximity to such cooling charges,
previous to combustion. Moreover, the retention of the finished coke in such
chamber, from which air is excluded, improves its condition, and so far cools it as to
render unnecessary any or that excessive saturation with water, which is detrimental
to its subsequent utility, while none of the coke is burned or consumed.
In the accompanying drawing d show a block of coke ovens or retorts constructed
according to my invention. In this drawing similar letters refer to similar parts.
Fig. is partly a longitudinal elevation and partly a section. Fig. 2 is a plan.
Fig. 3 is a transverse section, taken through two opposite coking chambers or retorts.
Each one of these ovens or retorts, together with its respective cooling chamber, its
gas valves and other accessories, is independent in its working, and similar in its
construction to all the others, and may be cut off from the gas, air, and chimney
flues, and put out of action without interfering with the action of the others:
it will therefore suffice to describe one such carbonising chamber and its accessories,
together with its relation to the general system of flues and gas main.
In the various figures A is one of the coking chambers, having a cooling chamber B,
beneath it for the purposes above-mentioned and hereinafter fully described. The
coking chamber A is separated from the cooling chamber B by one or more horizontal
sliding or swinging doors, or by a moveable grating, or by any other suitable device.
In the particular block or set of ovens shown in the drawing, the two aforesaid
chambers are separated by the horizontal door C,which swings open in two parts, and
is actuated by suitable levers wheels or other mechanism. It must be understood
that it may be found advantageous to place the cooling chamber in some other
suitable position, such as at either end or side of the coking chamber, and when this
is done the separating doors will be modified accordingly. In certain cases no doors
or other devices for separating the coking and cooling chambers will be required.
D D' are air passages for supplying the necessary air for the combustion of the gases.
H is the combustion chamber for this particular coking chamber. The air supply
may be drawn or forced through a metal inbe F contained in the chimney flue G,
before being carried into the passages D D', on its way to the combustion chamber H.
Suitable openings with removeable air tight covers are provided at II' for charging
the carbonising chamber with the material to be carbonised, and the roof of the
carbonising chamber is constructed with a double arch J and suitable openings
therein, to permit of the ready escape of the gas evolved during the process.
Moreover, by this means I provide a layer of hot gas which covers the charge being
carbonised. and prevents radiation of heat in an upward direction. The valve, K, is
10 permit the gas evolved to pass into the common system of gas supply mains and
pipes M. It must be understood that I prefer to connect this common gas supply

page_text: main and its branches with any suitable form of gas generator and a gas holder, for
the purpose of maintaining and equalising the pressure throughout the process, and
to supplement the supply of gas for carbonising purposes, further to store up any
excessive supply until it may be required for consumption. The gas holder and gas
generator may be of any suitable form, and may be connected with the common
supply system M at any convenient point: they are therefore not shown on the
drawings. I am enabled to begin the carbonising process by using the gas from the
generator, or from the gas holder. In some cases I may so regulate the charges that
there will be no necessity for a gas holder. Q is a door to permit of the removal of
the finished charge from the cooling chamber A. and it is so fitted as to exclude all
air when it is closed. R is a trolley on which the cooling charge rests, and by means
of which it may be readily drawn out of the cooling chamber. P is a valve for the
purpose of regulating the passage of gas from the common supply main and
branches M, into the combustion chamber H. L is a series of flues, surrounding the
carbonising chamber through which the hot and burning gases from the combustion
chamber must pass. The burnt gases pass from the series of flues L, through the
damper T and the flue V, to the main chimney flue G.
I generally prefer to cover each block of ovens with a good roof of corrugated iron
or other suitable material.
The action of my improved coke ovens is as follows: The carbonising chamber or
retort is first heated by turning on a supply of gas at P which passes into the
combustion chamber H, either directly, or after being brought into closer proximity
with a cooling charge as hereafter described. In the combustion chamber the more
or less heated gas mixes with heated air from the passage D, and, being ignited, is
carried through the system of flues L and V into the main flue G, thereby heating
the chamber with its charge. This charge may be put into the carbonising
chamber either before the heating commences, or when the chamber has reached any
desired temperature. The chamber being sufliciently heated and charged, the
carbonising process proceeds, and the resulting gases are driven through the valve K
into the common supply system M. When the charge is sufficiently carbonised, the
door or grating C is opened or removed, and the charge falls down into the trolley R
in the chamber B, whence it can be removed by the door Q whenever it is sufficiently
cool. Owing to the exclusion of air it will not be burned or consumed, and by giving
up its heat materially assists the heating of the next charge in the chamber A. More-
over. the temperature of the block of ovens generally, including the gas and air
passages, is considerably raised by the presence of these cooling charges. In some
instances I heat the gases before burning them by actually passing them through the
chamber B, or bringing them in close proximity to the cooling charge in any suitable
and convenient manner which may differ according to circumstances. It will be
seen that as each oven or carbonising chamber is only connected to the others
by the flues and gas supply system. it can actually be cut off from them by its
dampers and gas valves; and it follows that each oven may be discharged and
recharged in turn or whenever desired, and without interfering with the action of any
other oven in the block or set. Or it may be required to carbonise more than one
kind of material: in which case different parts of the block may be charged with
different material, and by this means any excess of gas derived from one kind of
material could be utilised for assisting in the carbonisation of material containing an
insufficient proportion of volatile matter.
If it is required to utilise the gas from the material being carbonised for other
purposes than the heating of the ovens or carbonising chambers, such a block or set
of ovens as I have described could advantageously be heated entirely by gas derived
from the generator or gas holder or from any other external source.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said inven-
tion and in what manner the same is to be performed, I declare that what I
claim is:
L

page_text: chamber for the purposes above set forth, and operated substantially as described in
reference to the chambers A and B.
Second: The above described arrangement of coking ovens, flues, passages, and
other accessories, by which each or any oven or group of ovens may be operated
independently.
Third: The utilization of the heat resident in the finished charge of coke
substantially as and in the manner described, for assisting in the heating of
the following charge and for healing the gases used in the process of car-
bonisation.