Improvements in Coal Washing, and Apparatus therefor.
Year: 1893

page_text: Date of Application, 7th Oct., 1893
Complete Specification Left, 15th May, 1894-Accepted, 16th June, 1894
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Coal Washing, and Apparatus therefor.
We JOHN JAMES PATTISON Mining Engineer and CHARLES BLACK YOUNG
Colliery Agent both of the Morley West End Colliery Company Limited Batley
in the County of York do hereby declare the nature of this invention to be as
follows:-
The object of our invention is to separate the clay slate and other earthy matters
from the coal with which they are mixed.
Our invention consists of a long trough, semicircular or partly circular in section,
along which the unwashed coal mixed with clay slate is passed with a stream of
water; the trough having a slight inclination to give the current of water a
suitable velocity. The trough is supported either by means of guides or rollers
on the underside, or from end pins, or a longitudinal shaft, in such a manner that
an oscillating motion from side to side can be imparted to the trough. This notion
may be effected from a cam or cams, (cranks, or eccentrics), through the inter-
vention of levers and links or by other suitable meaus.
At intervals along the trough stop boards or plates are fitted to prevent the
passage downwards along the trough of the heavier material. The oscillating side
motion alternately raises the particles of clay slate and coal and allows them to
fall; the pieces of coal, owing to their lower specific gravity rising higher and
falling more slowly than the pieces of clay slate, are carried forward by the
current of water along the trough to a settling tank or other receptacle at the end
of the trough. The specifically heavier clay slate sinking below the coal is caught
by the stop boards or plates, the larger pieces near the upper end of the trough and
the smaller finer pieces at the lower end.
When the last section of the trough is nearly filled up to the top edge of the
stop board or plate, the oscillating motion is stopped, and the clay slate emptied
either by taking out the stop boards or plates and allowing the current of water
to wash out the clay slate into a separate receptacle placed at the end of the
trough, or through a separate opening or passage for the purpose, or the trough
may be tilted over on its axis.
Instead of one long trough with stop boards or plates, a series of short troughs,
inclined or not, and suitably oscillated, may be placed so that the current of water
with the still mixed coal and clay slate passes over from one to the next
succeeding trough.
Dated this 4th day of October 1893.
J. CLARK JEFFERSON,
2, East Parade, Leeds, Agents for Applicants.
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Coal Washing, and Apparatus therefor.
We JOHN JAMES PATTISON Mining Engineer and CHARLES BLACK YOUNG
Colliery Agent both of the Morley West Eud Colliery Company Limited Batley
in the County of York 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 our invention is to separate the clay slate and other earthy matters
from the coal with which they are mixed.

page_text: Our invention consists of a long trough, semicircular or partly circular in section,
along which the unwashed coal mixed with clay slate is passed with a stream of
water, the trough having a slight inclination to give the water a suitable velocity.
The trough is supported either by means of guides or rollers on the underside, or
from end pins, or a longitudinal shaft, in such a manner that an oscillating motion
from side to side can be imparted to the trough. This motion may be effected from
a cam or cams (cranks or eccentrics) through the intervention of levers and links
or by other suitable means.
At intervals along the trough stop boards or plates are fitted to prevent the
passage downwards along the trough of the heavier material. The oscillating side
motion alternately raises the particles of clay slate and coal and allows them to
fall; the pieces of coal, owing to their lower specific gravity rising higher and
falling more slowly than the pieces of clay slate, are carried forward by the current
of water along the trough to a settling tank or other receptacle at the end of the
trough. The specifically heavier clay slate sinking below the coal is caught by
the stop boards or plates, the larger pieces nearer the upper end of the trough and
the smaller finer pieces at the lower end.
When the last section of the trough is nearly filled up to the top edge of the
stop board or plate, the oscillating motion is stopped, and the clay slate emptied
either by taking out the stop boards or plates and allowing the current of water
to wash out the clay slate into a separate receptacle placed at the end of the
trough, or through a separate opening or passage for the purpose, or the trough
may be tilted over on its axis.
Instead of one long trough with stop boards or plates, a series of short troughs,
inclined or not, and suitably oscillated as above mentioned may be placed so that
the current of water with the still mixed coal and clay slate passes over from one
to the next succeeding trough.
And in order that our invention and the manner in which the same may be
perforined may be more readily and clearly understood, we have annexed hereto
the accompanying sheet of drawings illustrating our invention.
Fig. 1 is a longitudinal section
Fig. 2 is a plan and
Fig. 3 is a cross section of a coal washer constructed in accordance with our invention.
a is the washing trough conveniently formed of sheet iron or steel plates bent to
the shape illustrated in Fig. 3, i.e.; with parallel sides running into a circle, the
centre of which preferably coincides with or lies near the centre of the shaft b,
though the cross section may be approximately circular or rather semi-circular or
forming part of a circle. The trough a is supported in an inclined position as
shewn most distinctly in Fig. 1, the inclination most suitable lying between 6°
and 15° though the inclination may vary according to the size of material to be
washed and the amount of water at disposal for washing.
Instead of suspending the trough from a shaft such as or pins, it may be
supported on rollers arranged in a circle as indicated at o Fig. 3.
is
bis the shaft from which the trough is supported or swung by means of brackets d
or other convenient supports such as tie rods or suspension rods. The shaft
carried in bearings e fixed to the cross beams e of the wood framework f, though
any other suitable and convenient construction of framework may be employed.
Instead of a continuous shaft such as 6, the trough may be supported from coaxial
pins or hinges supported from hinge bearings.
g is a lever keyed or otherwise fixed to the shaft b, and which is rocked to and
fro in an arc by means of the connecting rod from a cam, eccentric, or cam not
shewn in the drawings. Or the connecting rod may be attached direct to the
trough a by means of a pin joint such as i indicated by dotted lines in Fig. 3.
jj are the stop boards or stop plates which are fitted loose against (or between)
supports such as k, so that they can be readily removed and replaced. The tops
of the stop boards may be formed straight as shewn in the drawing, or curved as
indicated by the dotted line / in Fig. 3.

page_text: The mixed coal and clay slate are led to the trough a along with a current of
water from a spout or shoot m (indicated by dotted lines in Fig. 1), and the upper
end of the trough a may conveniently have a short spout or shoot n formed thereon.
During washing the trough is oscillated or rocked as above mentioned from the
connecting rod h, the stop boards j being in place as shewn in the drawings. As
above explained the current of water carries forward the pieces of coal, whilst the
pieces of clay slate are stopped by the stop boards j. The clay slate collects first
behind the stop boards nearest the upper end of the trough, and fills the trough up.
to the level of the succeeding board; and as these portions of the trough are
successively filled, the collection of the clay slate takes place behind the boards at
the lower end of the trough. When the last division has been filled with clay
slate up to the level of the top of the last stop board, the oscillation of the trough
and the feed of the mixed coal and clay slate is stopped or the feed only, and the
boards are then removed to allow the water to wash out the clay slate. Provision
is made by means of a double spout at the lower end of the trough and a hinged
deflector, whereby the coal is delivered down one side of the spout and clay slate
down the other side. Other arrangements may however be used for this purpose..
The wash water is generally led away to settling tanks. When the clay slate has
been thus removed, the stop boards are replaced and the oscillation of the trough
restarted, and the washing is then recommenced.
It is advisable to place two such troughs as a side by side and to work them
alternately, i.e. the washing operation proceeding in the one whilst the clay slate
is being removed from the other, so that the washing can be continued
uninterruptedly.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of our said inven-
tion and in what manner the same is to be performed we declare that what we
claim is :-
1. The method of washing coal by passing the same along with a current of
water down an inclined trough suspended from a shaft or pins placed concentric or
coaxial with the centre or axis about which the bottom of the trough is curved, or
supported on rollers placed with their axes parallel to and concentric with the
curved bottom of the trough and oscillating the trough from side to side about the
said axis of suspension.
2. Coal washing apparatus consisting of a trough having a curved bottom,.
provided at intervals with removable stop boards and suspended in an inclined
position from a shaft or pins concentric or coaxial with the centre or axis about
which the bottom of the trough is curved or supported on rollers placed with their
axes parallel to and concentric with the curved bottom of the trough and oscillated
from side to side about said axis of suspension.
3. Our improved coal washing apparatus constructed substantially as herein.
set forth or illustrated in the accompanying drawings.
Dated this 11th day of May 1804
J. CLARK JEFFERSON,
2, East Parade, Leeds, Agent to the aforesaid two Applicants..