Improvements relating to the Manufacture of Gas.
Year: 1893

page_text: Date of Application, 22nd Sept., 1893
Complete Specification Loft 22nd June 1204 Accepted, 20th July,
4904
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
Improvements relating to the Manufacture of Gas.
I, EDWIN MANSFIELD, of 140 Great Clowes Street, Manchester, Gas Engineer,
do hereby declare the nature of this invention to be as follows :-
The improvements relate to the manufacture of gas for heating and lighting
purposes, and have for object the manufacture of gas from sawdust, shavings, straw,
pine-needles, cones, leaves, or other vegetable refuse.
To accomplish this, and to effect my improvements, I provide the mouth or
entrance of the retort with a hopper of sufficient dimensions to carry a suitable
supply of vegetable matter to be operated upon.
.
Within this hopper, or at the opening of the retort, I provide a door or flap of
such a nature as can be readily opened to easily permit.of the entrance of the
specially named materials into the retort for the purpose of destructive distillation.
This door may be opened and closed in any suitable manner, and the gas produced
may be carried off from the retort by means of the ordinary or other arrangement
of pipes, and then dealt with by way of purification, or as may be desired, before
reaching the gas-holder.
By preference I employ retorts inclined to the horizontal, and which inclination
1 have found most suitable for these particular substances to be at an angle of
from 34° to 40°; but the retorts may be arranged either vertically or horizontally,
and other variations in detail may be made without departing from the peculiar
character of the invention.
Dated this 21st day of September 1893.
WILLIAM GADD, C.E.,
64, Barton Arcade, Manchester, Agent.
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements relating to the Manufacture of Gas.
I, EDWIN MANSFIELD, of 140 Great Clowes Street, Manchester, Gas 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 improvements relate to the manufacture of gas for heating and lighting
purposes, and have for object the manufacture of gas from sawdust, shavings, straw,
pine-needles, cones, leaves, or other vegetable refuse.
To accomplish this, and to effect my improvements, I provide the mouth or
entrance of the retort with a hopper of sufficient dimensions to carry a suitable
supply of vegetable matter to be operated upon.
Within this hopper, or at the opening of the retort I provide a door or flap of
such a nature as can be readily opened to easily permit of the entrance of the
specially named materials into the retort for the purpose of destructive distillation.
This door may be opened and closed in any suitable manner, and the gas produced
may be carried off from the retort by means of the ordinary or other arrangement
of pipes, and then dealt with by way of purification, or as may be desired, before
reaching the gasholder.
By preference, I employ retorts inclined to the horizontal, and which inclination
D

page_text: I have found most suitable for these particular substances to be at an angle of
from 34° to 40°; but the retorts may be arranged either vertically or horizontally.
But that the improvements may be better understood, I will, with the aid of the
accompanying drawings, proceed more fully to describe means employed by me.
Fig. 2. a section on line A. A. of Fig. 1;
Fig. 3. a section on line C. C. of Fig. 1 ; and
Fig. 4. a plan view.
The same letters indicate corresponding parts wherever they occur.
a. a. are the retorts, and 6. b. their hoppers, provided with sliding or other doors
or valves c. c, such hoppers being constructed of greater capacity at the bottom
than at the top to prevent their being choked with the vegetable matter to be
operated upon.
d. d. are the pipes employed to carry off the gas as it is produced, and is a
bridge pipe connecting the same with a seal d', as is well understood.
In practice, the doors or valves c. c. are kept closed, except for the periodic
admission of fresh fuel charges to the retorts, and the manufactured gas is thus
deflected into the conveying pipes d. d, for passage to any subsequent apparatus for
purification or storage.
As shewn in the drawing, the retorts a, which are provided with doors a', for the
removal of ash, charcoal, or spent matter therefrom, are partly vertical, and partly
inclined, as being a convenient form for setting, but they may be wholly inclined,
or vertical, or horizontal, if desired.
The material for heating the retorts-by preference coal or coke-is introduced
into the furnace e. e. through the orifice g. 9., and the opening h. is provided for
the withdrawal of spent fuel, and for the removal of the firebars h', for
cleaning purposes, which latter process may be accomplished without destroying
the fire, by previously thrusting into the furnace temporary bars, which receive
support from the ledges or plates h².
In operation, both the openings g. h. are kept securely closed, and the necessary
atmospheric air for enabling combustion of the heating fuel, passes through
apertures h³, from without, the supply being regulated by sliding doors h.
The heated gas, in the form of carbon monoxide, passes from the furnace e.
through the nostrils f. f. into the combustion chamber k. k. where it meets with a
quantity of air, which passes in, from the outside of the apparatus, through
regulating doors l. 1. and a series of passages 11 12 13 14 15 16.
The heated gases, on coming in contact with this supply of air, take fire,
afterwards passing over the partition m. into the space n, whence they emerge, by
the series of passages n' n² n³ n n³, into the chimney fluc o, and so pass away
into the outer air.
By this means, the retorts are continuously enveloped in ignited gases for a con-
siderable portion of their surface, and the action of the heat is utilized to a great extent.
The apparatus may be employed in conjunction with purifiers, or not, as desired,
and variations in detail, such as the design and material of the setting and other
parts of the apparatus, the number and inclination of the retorts, and the methods
of regulating the supply of air or fuel, may be made without departing from the
peculiar character of the invention.
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 :-
.
Apparatus for the manufacture of gas from sawdust or other vegetable refuse,.

page_text: consisting of retorts,-whether horizontal, vertical or inclined-combined with
hoppers of greater capacity at bottom than at top, having doors or valves therein
to control the admission into such retorts of the material to be employed for
producing gas, together with the necessary pipes, all constructed and arranged.
for the purpose and in manner substantially as herein shewn and described.
Dated this 21st day of June 1894.
.
WILLIAM GADD, C.E.,
64, Barton Arcade, Manchester, Agent.