OR IMPROVED MACHINERY OR APPARATUS FOR CHARGING GAS RETORTS to be as follows:
Year: 1885

page_text: I THOMAS JEFFERISS of The Meadows Albion Road Handsworth in the County
of Stafford Mechanical Engineer do hereby declare the nature of the said. Invention
for "NEW OR IMPROVED MACHINERY OR APPARATUS FOR CHARGING GAS RETORTS
to be as follows:-
"
My invention consists of the machinery or apparatus hereinafter described by
the use of which gas retorts may be rapidly efficiently and economically charged.
I will describe my invention as arranged for simultaneously charging three gas
retorts arranged in a vertical row but my invention may be arranged for charging
one or simultaneously charging two or other number of gas retorts.
The chargers consist of tubes elliptical or circular in cross section and somewhat
smaller in diameter than the retorts to be charged.
The chargers are of such a length that the quantity of coal which will half fill
one of them is sufficient for the charge of a retort. ..
Three of these chargers situated in a vertical row are supported on a carriage
travelling on a tramway in front of the retorts the front ends of the said three
chargers being respectively at the same levels as the mouths of the three retorts to
be charged Besides being capable of transportation by means of the carriage on
which they are supported the said chargers are capable of two motions on the
carriage itself namely a to and fro motion by which they can be made to advance
to and recede from the retorts and also an angular motion whereby their rear ends
can be raised so as to incline the chargers at an angle of about forty five degrees
to a horizontal plane.
At the rear of the chargers is a hopper of a capacity equal to the quantity of
coal required for three charges. The rear ends of the chargers can be brought
opposite openings in the said hopper and by withdrawing the slides temporarily
closing the rear ends of the chargers they can be put into communication with the
hopper. The hopper is raised with the rear ends of the chargers. The said hopper
is filled from shoots in a continuous hopper running along the retort house.
The raising of the rear ends of the chargers and hoppers is effected by means of
chains passing over pulleys and wound and unwound so as to raise and lower the
rear ends of the chargers by means of a gas engine or steam engine stationed on
the carriage of the chargers.

page_text: The front ends of the chargers are provided with flaps for temporarily closing
them.
The machinery or apparatus is used as follows. The hopper having been filled
with coal the rear ends of the chargers are brought against the openings in it.
The rear ends of the chargers and the hopper are raised the front ends or mouths
of the chargers being closed. The slide of the top charger being withdrawn one
third of the coal in the hopper falls into the charger and occupies the front half of
the charger. The second and third chargers are half filled in the same way. The
rear ends of the chargers are now depressed to nearly but not quite the same level
as the front ends.
A stream of coal gas mixed with air is passed into each charger
at its rear end the rear half of each charger being thus filled with an explosive
gaseous mixture. The front ends of the chargers are opened and the chargers are
advanced until their open front ends have entered about a foot more or less into
the mouths of the retorts respectively. The gaseous mixture in the rear half of
each charger is ignited and by the explosion the coal is projected from the chargers
and distributed in uniform layers on the bottoms of the retorts. The ignition of
the detonating gaseous mixture may be effected by any of the appliances used for
igniting the detonating gaseous mixture in gas engines.

page_text: New or Improved Machinery or Apparatus for Charging
Gas Retorts.
"
I THOMAS JEFFERISS of The Meadows, Albion Road, Handsworth in the County
of Stafford Mechanical Engineer do hereby declare the nature of my Invention for
"NEW OR IMPROVED MACHINERY OR APPARATUS FOR CHARGING GAS RETORTS
and in what manner the same is to be performed to be particularly described and
ascertained in and by the following statement:-
My invention consists of the machinery or apparatus hereinafter described by
the use of which gas retorts may be rapidly, efficiently and economically charged..
I will describe my invention as arranged for simultaneously charging three gas
retorts arranged in a vertical row but my invention may be arranged for charging
one or simultaneously charging two or other number of gas retorts.
Tho chargers consist of tubes elliptical or circular in cross section and somowhat
smaller in diameter than the retorts to he charged.
The chargers are of such a length that the quantity of coal which will half fill
one of them is sufficient for the charge of a retort.
Three of these chargers, situated in a vertical row, are supported on a carriage
travelling on a tramway in front of the retorts, the front ends of the said threo
chargers being respectively at the same levels as the mouths of the three retorts to
be charged. Besides being capable of transportation by means of the carriage on
which they are supported the said chargers are capable of two motions on the
carriage itself, namely, a to and fro motion by which they can be made to advance
to and recede from the retorts and also an angular motion whereby their rear ends
can be raised so as to incline the chargers at an angle of about forty five degrees to
a horizontal plane. At the rear of the chargers is a hopper of a capacity equal to
the quantity of coal required for three charges. The rear ends of the chargers can
be brought opposite openings in the said hopper and by withdrawing the slides
temporarily closing the rear ends of the chargers they can be put into communi-
cation with the hopper. The hopper is raised with the rear ends of the chargers.
The said hopper is filled from shoots in a continuous hopper running along the
retort house.
The raising of the rear ends of the chargers and hopper is effected by means of
chains passing over pulleys and wound and unwound so as to raise and lower the
rear ends of the chargers by means of a gas engine or steam engine stationed on
the carriage of the chargers. The front and back ends of the chargers are provided
with flaps or valves for temporarily closing them.
The machinery or apparatus is used as follows:-The hopper having been filled
with coal the rear ends of the chargers are brought against the openings in it. The
rear ends of the chargers and the hopper are raised the front ends or mouths of the
chargers being closed. The slide of the top charger being withdrawn one third of
the coal in the hopper falls into the charger and occupies the front half of the
charger. The second and third chargers are half filled in the same way. The rear
ends of the chargers are now depressed to nearly but not quite the same level as the
front ends.

page_text: A stream of coal gas mixed with air is passed into cach barger at its rear end
the rear half of each charger being thus filled with an explosi gaseous mixture
The front ends of the chargers are opened and the chargers are advanced until their
open front ends have entered about a foot more or less into the moths of the
retorts respectively. The gaseous mixture in the rear half of each chugger is
ignited and by the explosion the coal is projected from the chargers and distributed
in uniform layers on the bottoms of the retorts.
The ignition of the explosive gaseous mixture may be effected by way of the
appliances used for igniting the explosive gaseous mixture in gas engines.
Figure 1 of the accompanying Drawing represents in side elevation and Figure 2
in plan, machinery or apparatus constructed according to my invention in which
three chargers are used; Figure 3 represents in side elevation; Figure 4 in plan
and Figure 5 in end elevation the arrangement of my invention in which a single
charger is used to charge three (or more) retorts the said arrangement Figures 3. 4
and 5 being drawn to a larger scalo than that represented in Figures 1 and 2.
I will first describe the compound arrangement represented in Figures 1 and 2;
a, a¹, a² are the three chargers consisting of tubes elliptical or circular in cross
section and somewhat smaller in diameter than the retorts to be charged. The
chargers are situated in a vertical row and are supported on the carriage n, n, the
wheels, of which travel on the tramway in front of the retorts p, p, p the front
ends of the three chargers a, a, a being respectively at or near the same levels
as the mouths of the said retorts (see Figure 1). At the rear of the set of
chargers a, a', a² is a hopper b for containing the coal for charging them. Supported
on the principal carriage n, n is a second or upper carriage m by which the
chargers a, a, a² and hopper bare directly carried. This upper carriage m is
provided with the wheels .q, q working on the overhead rails represented in the
drawing so that the said carriage is capable of a to and fro motion to advance it to
and withdraw it from the mouths of the retorts. The said upper carriage supporting
the chargers u, al, a² and hopper. b is also capable of an angular motion whereby
the rear ends of the chargers are raised so as to incline the chargers at an angle of
forty five degrees to a horizontal plane as indicated in dottines in Figure 1.
When the chargers are so raised the coal falls by gravity .ir front ends as
hereinafter explained. The raising of the rear ends of the chargers and the hopper
is effected by means of chains at x passing over pulleys or drums y, y which are
actuated by a belt or other gearing worked by means of a gas or steam engine at c
on the principal carriage n of the machinery. The hopper b is filled from a shoot b²
in a continuous hopper running along the retort house. At or near the front ends
of the chargers a, a, a² are slide valves d, d, for temporarily closing the said
ends; and valves c, c', c³ are situated at the rear ends of the chargers for permitting
the required amount of coal to pass into each charger from the hopper b.
The machinery or apparatus is used as follows:-The hopper having been
filled with coal the chargers a a¹ a² are filled therefrom in the following way. The
front valves d, d' d being closed, the rear valves c¹ and c² are also closed leaving
the rear valve c of the top charger a open. The rear ends of the chargers and the
hopper are next raised. All the coal in the hopper b at the level of the valve c is
thereby allowed to pass into the charger a. The valves c' and being opened in
succession the chargers a', a² are filled in succession with coal from the hopper b in
the same way, the coal accumulating at the front ends of the several chargers. The
valves c, c, c² being closed the rear of each charger is filled with an explosive
gaseous mixture, preferably of coal gas and air, through a valve of the kind
represented at Figure 3 The front valves d, d', d are next opened and the
chargers a, a, a are advanced so that their ends enter the retorts, a plate of the
kind represented at f, Figure 3; on each charger making a loose joint against
the face of the mouthpiece of the retort. The gaseous mixture in the rear half of
each charger is ignited in succession by an ignition apparatus of the kinds employed
in gas engines. By the explosion of the gaseous mixture the coal is projected from
the chargers and distributed along the bottoms of the retorts. The front ends of

page_text: the chargers being withdrawn from the retorts the hopper is brought under tho
continuous hopper and a fresh charge of coal supplied to the said hopper b and the
operations herein before described are repeated.
I will now describe the arrangement represented in Figures 3, 4 and 5 in which
a single charger is used for charging in succession the several retorts; a is the
charger and b is the hopper at its rear end containing sufficient coal for one charge,
the said charger and hopper being supported upon the cross travelling. platform j
and the latter upon the carriage n the wheels k, of which travel on the tramway
as before described; c is the rear valve for closing the charger at that end and dis
the front valve for closing the charger at that end, each of the said valves being
worked by a lever fixed on the spindle i; g is the valve for admitting the explosive
mixture of gas and air into the rear end of the charger a the ignition apparatus
being arranged near the said rear end of the charger for igniting the gaseous
mixture. The charger a is raised and lowered so as to bring its front end opposite
any one of the series of retorts P, P, P by means of the pairs of chains t and s
connected respectively to the front and rear ends of the charger. The rear pair of
chains 8 is wound upon and unwound from the drums 82, 82 and the front pair
of chains t, t is wound upon and unwound from the drums t, t. These drums are
worked from the gas or steam engine at h on the carriage n through the driving
pulleys 83, 3; bands 8, t; pulleys 95, t and worm gearing 80, to. By driving the
band s and throwing the band t out of gear the rear end of the charger a only
may be raised as indicated in dotted lines in Figure 3 for filling the frout end of
the charger with coal from the hopper b. The filling and discharging of the single
charger a Figures 3; 4 and 5 are effected in the manner described with respect to
the chargers a, a', a Figures 1 and 2.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said
invention and in what manner the same is to be performed I declare that
I claim as my invention of “ New or improved machinery or apparatus for
charging gas retorts
"
Constructing and arranging and operating one or a series of chargers of the kind
and furnished with the appliances hereinbefore described and illustrated in the
accompanying Drawing, whereby a measured charge of coal is projected and
distributed uniformly on the bottom of the gas retort by the ignition and explosion
of an explosive gaseous mixture preferably of coal gas and air substantially as
described and illustrated.
D
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