Improvements in the Manufacture of Illuminating Gas and Apparatus for that purpose.
Year: 1890

page_text: Date of Application, 23rd Jan., 1890
Complete Specification Left, 24th Nov., 1890-Accepted, 23rd Feb., 1891
TRUYOLUNA SIECITIATION.
Improvements in the Manufacture of Illuminating Gas and Apparatus
for that purpose.
I, REINHARD MANNESMANN, of Landore, R.S.O., South Wales, Engineer, do
hereby declare the nature of this invention to be as follows:-—
My invention relates to the manufacture of illuminating gas from bituminous
coal, which I effect in the following manner. I provide a producer, in the form of
an upright retort, with a suitable valve at the top for feeding it from time to time
with bituminous coal, and ashpit at the bottom, a passage from about the middle of
the retort to a chimney, also an outlet for gas near the top, and a communicating
passage from near this outlet to near the bottom of the retort, this passage having
in it a fan or blower for causing circulation. All these openings and passages are
provided with suitable valves, by which they can be closed. The retort being
charged with bituminous coal kindled at the bottom, I for a time admit air to the
ashpit and open the passage to the chimney. The fire at the bottom of the retort
being supplied with air extends upwards in the fuel, converting the lower portion
into coke in a state of incandescence. I then close the air inlet to the ashpit and
the passage to the chimney, and, opening the gas outlet and the communicating
passage, put the fan or blower in motion. I thus cause a portion of the produced
gas to pass through the incandescent coke and through the coals above, conveying
heat to them, by which gas is distilled from them. The surplus gas besides that
which is kept in circulation is drawn off to be cooled, purified and otherwise treated
in the usual way. By this operation a farther quantity of the coals is converted
into coke and the coke that was incandescent is partly cooled down.
stage, the operation is repeated, by closing the gas outlet and communication and
opening the air inlet and the chimney passage so as again to restore the lower part
of the contents of the retort to a state of incandescence, and, fresh coals being
supplied, the gas production and circulation are repeated.
Dated this 22nd day of January 1800
At a certain
ABEL & IMRAY,
Agents for the Applicant.
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in the Manufacture of Illuminating Gas and Apparatus
for that purpose.
I, REINHARD MANNESMANN, of Landore, R.S.O., South Wales, 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 usual method of producing illuminating gas from coal requires apparatus of
considerable size, and involves great cost of production. The cost of the gas
produced is therefore out of all proportion to that of the coal used for preparing
the same.
My invention has for its object to avoid this disadvantage in greatly reducing the
cost of production of the illuminating gas, which I effect by doing away with the
existing method of heating the retorts externally, and, in lieu thereof, effecting
the direct heating of the coal from within the retorts by burning a portion thereof
and storing up the heat generated in incandescent coke, the heat of which is trans-
mitted by means of a portion of the produced gas itself to the fresh gaseous coal,
the illuminating gas being thus made to act as carrier of heat.

page_text: For carrying out this process, a vertical retort or producer may be employed,
which is provided with a suitable closing device at the top end through which it is
charged with coal.
The lower end of the producer is furnished as usual with an ashpit; a channel
leads from the lower end which communicates by a regulating valve or slide with
the upper part of the retort or producer.
All the openings and passages are provided with suitable valves by means of
which they can be closed.
After the retort is charged with coal and is ignited at the lower end, air is
periodically admitted to the ashpit and at the same time the flue leading to the
chimney is opened. The fire consequently extends upwards, at the same time con-
verting the lowest part of the charge into incandescent coke. The air supply to
the ashpit is then closed as is also the chimney flue, and the gas outlet and the
communicating channel between the upper and lower end of the producer are
opened whereupon a circulation of a portion of the gas produced is caused to take
place by means of a fan, injector, or other propelling apparatus through the com-
municating channel in the direction from the top to the ashpit. By this means a
portion of the illuminating gas is forced to pass through the incandescent coke,
whereby it is made to take up beat therefrom and in ascending it gives off' such
heat again to the upper cold part of the charge, thus heating the same and
eventually distilling off the volatile constituents.
A portion of the gas thus produced is again drawn off as before for effecting a
second circulation for the transmission of heat from the coke into the upper part of
the charge, while the remaining portion is led off into the gas main, and is there
cooled, purified or otherwise treated in the usual manner. By means of this
circulation of gas a further quantity of the coal is converted into coke, and the coke
which was previously incandescent is partially cooled.
The above described operation is then repeated, the gas outlet and the communi-
cating channel being first closed and then air admitted to the ashpit and the
chimney flue opened.
The lower part of the generator charge is thus rendered incandescent again and
the heat thus accumulated is then again transferred by the circulation of illuminating
gas to fresh coal at top, as above described.
Fig. 1 of the accompanying drawings shews a vertical section and Fig. 2 a
sectional plan of an arrangement of the above described apparatus for producing
illuminating gas wherein two retorts or producer chambers A A' are employed in
combination with one and the same gas main B and chimney flue K the said gas
producers being so arranged that while in one of them the one stage of the above
described operation is being carried out, the other stage is being carried out in
the other producer.
The charging hopper C C₁ for feeding fuel periodically into the producer is
closed by a valve D'D', and the upper end of the producer communicates by a
branch tube E E' with a tube F common to both producers, communicating at its
lower end by two branches G G with the ashpit or lower end of the producer.
At H H the producer has an annular cavity, which communicates by a tube I I'
with a valve chamber J, communicating by a pipe K with a chimney flue, the
openings of the tubes II' in the valve chamber J being controlled by one and the
same valve L, carried by an arm L' which in one position, closes the communication
between the producer A¹ and the chimney flue K, as shewn on the drawing, leaving
the communication between A and the chimney open, while when in the opposite
position the valve closes the communication between A and K leaving that between A¹
and K open.
In the tube F are arranged two flap valves M M', mounted on spindles, by
turning which they are made alternately to open the communication between A' and
the tube F, as also with the gas main B and to close the communications with A as
shewn on the drawing, while in the opposite position of the valves, the said
communications will be reversed.

page_text: NN are pipes leading air under pressure to the lower ends of the producers.
From the above description it will be seen that when the valves are in the
position shewn on the drawings, air is being supplied through N to the bottom
of producer A this being at the same time in communication with the chimney
flue K.
In producer A¹ on the other hand, the air supply and chimney draft are cut
off, and the gases given off from the top of the producer, are partly made to
circulate through tube F to the bottom of the producer by means of an injector or
other suitable propelling apparatus, not shewn, while the other portion of the gas
produced is led off into the main B. After a certain time, the valves are reversed,
so as to reverse the above described operations in the two producers.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of this inven-
tion, and in what manner the same is to be performed, I declare that what
I claim is:-
1. In the production of illuminating gas from a charge of carbonaceous material,
the method of using a portion of the illuminating gas itself as a vehicle for trans-
ferring from a store of heat such as that contained in the incandescent coke
produced in the charge, to the fresh carbonaceous matter to be distilled, substan-
tially as described.
2. The method of producing illuminating gas from a charge of carbonaceous
material, without external heating of the charge, by effecting a partial combustion
thereof so as to produce a store of heat within the charge, part of the illuminating
gas produced being employed for conveying the heat from such store to the fresh
carbonaceous matter to be distilled, substantially as described.
3. In apparatus for producing illuminating gas, the use of appliances whereby
the heat stored up in incandescent coke or the like can be transferred by the
illuminating gas to the fresh carbonaceous matter to be distilled, substantially as
described.
Dated this 24th day of November 1890.
ABEL & IMKAY,
Agents for the Applicant.