Improvements in Artificial Fuel and in the Process of Making the same.
Year: 1890

page_text: COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Artificial Fuel and in the Process of Making
the same.
We, WILLIAM BAINBRIDGE MCCLURE, Gentleman, of Hamline, St. Paul, Ramsey
County, Minnesota, EDWARD CORNING, Coal Dealer, of No. 55, Western Avenue,
St. Paul, Ramsey County, Minnesota, THOMAS HODGSON, Coal Dealer, of No. 9, North
Pearl Street, Buffalo, Erie County, New York, JOSEPH EUGENE MWILLIAMS, Coal
Dealer, of Summit Avenue, St. Paul's Park, St. Paul, Ramsey County, Minnesota,
and JOHN WILLIAMSON WHITE, Lawyer, of No. 460, Portland Avenue, St. Paul,
Ramsey County, Minnesota, all in the United States of America, 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 improved artificial fuel of this invention is composed of the following ingredients,
namely, finely pulverized culm or coal dust, sand, finely pulverised calcined lime dust,
melted solid asphaltum, and naturally liquid asphaltum or its equivalent. The pro-
portions in which these ingredients are combined may be more or less varied, but the
following description will suffice to explain substantially about the proportions which
produce a very perfect result, the properties of the different ingredients, and the
character of the composition as a whole.
Thus according to the process of making the fuel which will be hereinafter described,
we have taken to produce 1 ton of 2000 pounds of the fuel about 1660 pounds of
culm or coal dust and finely pulverized the same and then added to, and thoroughly
mixed with, it 100 pounds, more or less, of sharp clean sand, and about 40 pounds
of finely powdered well burned lime dust, all in a dry state, the coal dust being
preferably heated. To this mass, after the ingredients have been thoroughly mixed
together, we have added or incorporated and thoroughly mixed therewith, subject to
heat, about 125 pounds of naturally solid asphaltum reduced to a melted condition at
a temperature say of 300° Fahr. having added to it about 75 pounds, more or less, of
naturally liquid asphaltum, such for instance as found in Southern California Cuba
and Venezuela and which serves to refine the naturally solid asphaltum by throwing
down the abundant earths held in the substance of said solid asphaltum, while the two
asphaltums combine well with coal dust for fuel. Instead of the liquid asphaltum,
however, and as a substitute for it residuum oil, commonly known as petroleum
tar, might be used but the naturally liquid asphaltum is preferred as being more
effective.
After the compound has been thus or equivalently made, the same is subjected,
before cooling, to pressure in a press to form it into compact and conveniently-sized
blocks which blocks may afterward be set and cooled by passing them through cold
water, whereby, as compared with drying them in an oven, all the volatile parts of
the compound are retained. In this compound, the asphaltum generally serves as a
combustible binder of the whole mass and the burned or calcined lime dust forms
with the asphaltum a hard cement-like substance, preventing breakage in transportation,
is nearly free from smoke and makes the blocks clean to handle, while the sand in the
compound forms an incombustible separator of the particles of coal dust, so that when
using the fuel the fire reaches each atom of coal dust and the atom goes into flame-
like gas with little smoke. The whole compound, in fact, while giving out great
heat, makes almost a smokeless fuel.
We will now proceed to describe, more particlularly, the process of making this
improved artificial fuel. The process is made up of certain steps whereby the
ingredients constituting the composition are thoroughly incorporated and prepared
and the volatile parts of the compound retained. In carrying out the process, we
do not confine ourselves to any particular mechanism for accomplishing the same,
or yet to any precise proportions of the ingredients, but the following will serve to
D

page_text: shew, by way of illustration, how the process may be carried into effect, reference
being had to the accompanying drawing or diagram.
We take, for instance, the culm or coal dust and place it in a
grinding mill A, of
ordinary or any suitable description, and finely grind or pulverise the same. This
fine coal dust we have then passed, as by a spout & controlled by a suitable gate, into
an ordinary mixer B provided with suitable stirrers and as the coal dust leaves the
grinding mill or enters the mixer B we have fed in or added to the pulverized coal
dust the sharp clean sand and finely-powdered well-burned lime dust and thoroughly
mixed the whole together, that is the coal dust and lime dust, both in a dry
state, and the sand. The mixer B has a furnace or heater s applied to it for the
purpose of heating the mass in it, sepecially the coal dust, before mixing the same with
the fluid and heated asphaltum, so as not to chill or cool the latter, and thereby to
produce a more thorough and solid or weighty compound when pressed into blocks of
any given size.
After the ingredients of the mass in the mixer B, that is the coal dust lime dust
and sand have been evenly mixed and heated, said mass is next passed by any suitable
devices, as, for instance, by a spout c controlled by gates, into a steam-heated mixer C
where it is met by a supply of the fluid asphaltum drawn from a furnace D. The whole
is then thoroughly mixed together in the steam mixer C. From the steam-heated
mixer.C the whole mass of coal dust, lime dust, sand, and asphaltum, is then passed,
as by a conveyer or spout a, into a press E of any suitable kind adapted to press the
mass into blocks, as other artificial fuels have been formed; but these blocks, instead
of being dried in ovens, are then and immediately after leaving the press, treated to
a cold water bath, to retain the volatile parts of the compound which is important
and which may be done by passing the blocks, as they come from the press, on to an
endless travelling, sagging or bellying conveyer G through cold water in a tank H.
By thus setting and cooling the blocks ready for handling, not only are the
volatile parts retained in the composition, but time labor and expense are saved.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of the said inven-
tion and in what manner the same is to be performed, we declare that what we
claim is;
1. The within described composition of matter to be used as an artificial fuel,
consisting of pulverized culm or coal dust, sand, pulverized burned or calcined lime
dust, and melted naturally solid asphaltum having mixed with it naturally liquid
asphaltum or its equivalent, substantially as specified.
2. The within described process of making artificial fuel composed of coal dust,
sand, pulverized calcined lime dust and asphaltums, which consists in first finely
pulverizing the coal, then mixing with it, free from moisture, the sand and lime dust,
then mixing the whole mass, subject to heat, with the asphaltum in a fluid state, then
pressing the entire mass into blocks, and subsequently subjecting said blocks to a bath
of cold water, as set forth.
3. In the process, herein described, of making artificial fuel pressed and moulded
into blocks and composed in part of a mixture of coal dust and asphaltum, setting and
cooling said blocks by subjecting them, after they have been pressed, to a bath of cold
water, as and for the purposes set forth.
Dated this 3rd dow of Cad
1000
W. B. McCLURE.
E. CORNING.
T. HODGSON.
J. E. MCWILLIAMS.
J. WILLIAMSON WHITE.
By A. M. & Wm. Clark,
53, Chancery Lane, London, W.C., Patent Agents.