Improvements relating to the Manufacture of Gas, and to Apparatus therefor.
Year: 1895

page_text: This Print is in accordance with the Original Specification as it stands after
Amendment (under Section 18 of the Patents, &c., Act, 1883), as allowed by
the decision of the Comptroller General of the 5th day of January 1897.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
Improvements relating to the Manufacture of Gas, and to Apparatus
therefor.
i
I, HENRI RICHÉ, of Lisors par Lyons-la-Forêt (Eure), in the Republic of
France, Engineer of Arts and Manufactures, do hereby declare the nature of this
invention to be as follows:-
This invention relates to apparatus the object of which is to convert the whole
of the non-mineral elements of fire-wood into gas.
The
gas thus obtained may subsequently be used for driving gas engines of any
type or construction, the improved apparatus thus enabling motive power to be
readily and economically produced wherever it may be required, even at places
lacking ways and means of communication, and at which, as a consequence of that
fact, mineral fuel is not procurable, while, in some cases, even water is scarce.
The apparatus which forms the subject of this invention enables all the gas and
vapours produced by wood and distilling through a very thick layer of coal resulting
from previous distillation, and collected in the lower part of the apparatus, to be
entirely reduced and converted into incondensable combustible gas, free from acid,
alkali and tar, and, therefore, not requiring to be purified.
The "yield
in gas will be more considerable, in proportion as the wood
employed is greener and more damp. This is accounted for by the fact, that all
the hydrocarbons, yielded by wood in the course of ordinary distillation, are here
reduced to their molecular condition, i.e. converted into protocarburet,-being the
most steady and simple form thereof;-whence it follows that the percentage in
"fixed" carbon, thus obtained is proportionately higher, and that, if it be desired
to convert such carbon into gas, either simply water, or, preferably, superheated or
non-superheated steam, should be additionally introduced into the gas producer.
The residual carbon, resulting from very slow distillation, is fuel of a very
superior quality; so that whatever superfluous quantity there is of such residue,
may be removed from the apparatus; and the proceeds of its sale, as coal, will
amply compensate for, or counterbalance, the cost of wood; so that, in the end, all
the gas will be obtained free. Nor is wood the only material capable of yielding,
by dry distillation, both, gas and vapours on the one hand, and a carbonaceous
residue on the other. Crude petroleum, the residue from the distillation of such
petroleum, tar of every description, rosin, oil, fatty substances (no matter whence
derived), lignite, peat, and even ordinary coal, will behave likewise when used in

page_text: this apparatus; so that by carrying out the principle of inverted distillation, a
very considerable amount of rich and perfectly pure gas may be obtained; which
gas, requiring no further purification, is ready for immediate use as fucl, as
illuminating gas for incandescent gas light, or as a source of motive power.
Besides, by completing the distilling operation proper, by the addition of a certain
amount of water, the whole of the carbon in excess may be converted into gas, in
the forin of water-gas, so that no bye-product whatever remains behind unutilized.
The apparatus consists of a vertical gas retort, preferably of cast iron, tapering
downwards and open at its lower end. This retort is adapted to be charged with
wood from the top, where it is fitted with a hinged lid provided with a balance-
weight.
}
The products of the distillation of wood, viz. steam, tar, acid vapours and
alcoholic vapours, are obliged to pass through a very thick layer of charcoal,
previously prepared, and being necessarily situated below the wood, since the
apparatus is supplied with wood from the top.
The gases obtained escape through an aperture, provided at the lower part of the
retort, which fits within a cast iron receiver of spherical or other shape, adapted to
collect the gases.
The gases are discharged through a short branch or side-tube, leading into a
cylindrical chamber or barrel, whence they pass on, through the pipe connection,
into a gasometer. They are then removed from such gasometer, partly for the
purpose of heating the gas-producing retort externally, and partly with a view to
their employment as a source of motive power or otherwise.
The barrel is adapted to receive a certain quantity of water through a. pipe.
An overflow pipe at all times ensures the maintenance of the water at the required
level in the said barrel.
The ashes descend to the bottom of the receiver, where it terminates in a pipe
which dips in the water contained in the tank. The water in this tank answers the
double purpose of forming a water seal, and of enabling the ashes to be immediately
washed, in order to extract the carbonate of potash they contain.
For starting the apparatus, the furnace is used, whence the products of combustion
rise along the retort and pass through circular flues, arranged at the top of the
apparatus, so as finally to escape through a chimney of any suitable construction.
After thus commencing operations, the furnace is closed, and the heating is
performed by part of the gas which the apparatus itself has produced; such gas
being, for this purpose, sent through the pipe arranged to feed the blow-pipe
burners; which burners furthermore receive a current of forced air or wind
through the blast-pipe fed from a small pump, which, in its turn, is driven by the
motor engine. This wind or blast may, if desired, pass off into, a brick-work
reservoir, forming a heat-restorer after the manner of the apparatus in use at iron
foundries.
The apparatus is provided with two concentric linings, one of which being a
fire-brick structure, surrounds the retort, leaving only sufficient space for the
passage of the combustion gases; while the other is common brick-work, or may
be made of other suitable material. At the top of the apparatus there is further
provided a sheet-metal platform, surrrounded by a hand rail or the like, for the
safety of the occupants; the whole being surmounted or covered over by a lightly
constructed roof.
As before stated, when it is desired to convert the "fixed" carbon into gas,
either water, or steam (which may, or may not, be superheated), should be added
to the contents of the gas generator. For this purpose, water is conducted, through
a syphon, from the reservoir or tank, into a coil, wherein it is converted into steam
and superheated, and whence it passes on, through the pipe, into the retort. The
reservoir is fed by means of a pipe.
The apparatus is furthermore provided with elevator gearing, winding stairs, and
a collecting basin for the discharged water.
The above descripton is intended substantially to illustrate the manner of

page_text: carrying out the principle of the invention in practice. It will, however, be
understood, that all the details and accessory parts, their shapes and dimensions,
and the materials used in their construction, may be. varied extensively and
optionally, without any departure from the said principle.
Dated this 1st day of June 1895.
HASELTINE, LAKE & Co.,
45 Southampton Buildings, London, W.C., Agents for the Applicant.
Improvements relating to the Manufacture of Gas, and to Apparatus
therefor.
I, HENRI RICHÉ, of Lisors par Lyons-la-Forêt (Eure) in the Republic of
France, Engineer of Arts and Manufactures, 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:-
This invention relates to a process, the object of which is to convert into gas by
simple distillation in a closed vessel, the total amount of the non-mineral elements
of the different fuels utilized for industrial purposes.
The characteristic feature of this process lies in the fact that all gases and
vapours produced by the dry distillation of the fuel, pass through a very thick layer
of incandescent carbon, a residue obtained from frequent preceding distillations and
occupying the lower part of the apparatus.
All kinds of fuel behave in the same manner in my process: The fire woods of
any species and age, wood refuse, sprig, peat, lignites, coal, the raw mineral oils or
the residues of their distillation, tars of all kinds, resins, oils and fatty substances
of all kinds, and even kitchen waste, sewage and night soil, yield in fact by the dry
distillation in closed vessels, on the one hand a carbonaceous residue and on the
other hand gases and vapours; by causing these latter fluids to pass through the
carbonaceous layer obtained from a large number of preceding charges, maintained
very thick and at a high temperature, a very superior yield in rich and absolutely
pure gas is produced which does not require to be purified and is ready for
immediate use in heating and incandescent lighting or for producing motive
power.
According to the nature of the fuel and especially according to its degree of
humidity the carbonaceous residue is more or less considerable; this residue, coke
or carbon, may at will be withdrawn from the apparatus, and, by its sale the cost
of the fuel in its natural state may be covered, or this surplus of carbon may be
completely gasified, under the form of water gas by injecting, at the top of the
gas generator, either water or ordinary or superheated steam; there will then
remain only the ashes of the fuel.
In order to afford a clear understanding of my invention, I shall first describe
the apparatus which specially serves for the complete gasification of wood, peat,
saw dust or sprigs. This apparatus will be well understood with reference to the
accompanying drawing, in which
Figure 1 represents the apparatus in vertical section on the line A B of
Figure 2.
Figure 2 is a horizontal section of the apparatus on the line C D of Figure 1, and
Figs. 3 and 4 show modifications.
As will be seen from the drawings the apparatus consists substantially of a gas
retort a arranged vertically or slightly inclined; this retort is heated from the
outside and charged with wood from the top, then hermetically closed by means of

page_text: a cover with indiarubber or other joint. The products of the dry distillation,
steam, acid vapours, alcoholic vapours, tar vapours and the like are compelled to
traverse a very thick layer of carbon, forming the residue from numerous preceding
operations and lying naturally in the bottom part of the apparatus. It results
therefrom a complete transformation into fixed gases which escape through the
opening e, provided at the lower part of the retort, which may be encased in a cast
metal reservoir serving to collect these gases, in order to be then discharged
through a lateral pipe 9 terminating in a drum h from which they travel to a
gasometer through the pipe connection ¹. The ashes fall into the lower part of
the reservoir fand are discharged through a pipe fi immersed in a water tank i and
forming an hydraulic seal.
The furnace serves for starting the apparatus; the products of combustion rise
along the retort and pass through the circular flues k provided at the top-part of
the apparatus, in order to escape through an appropriate chimney; after the
starting, the furnace j is closed and the heating is effected by a portion of the
produced gas; for this purpose this gas can be brought back from the gasometer
through a conduit l, feeding the burner blowers ; these blowers may also be
supplied with blast air conveyed through a conduit m.
In order to gasify the surplus amount of carbon, namely that which escapes the
action of the steam produced by the fuel itself, it is necessary that a certain
proportion of water or vapour be added; for this purpose the water taken from a
reservoir is conveyed through a syphons into a coil u, in order to be vaporized
and superheated therein and be subsequently passed into the retort by the aid of
the conduit v.
The constructional arrangement of the apparatus just described has to be slightly.
modified, if it is desired to reserve the possibility of extracting the surplus
carbonaceous-residue; Figures 3 and 4 clearly indicate the two principal devices
which I have adopted in this case.
Figure 3 represents a cast metal gas retort of the usual shape, cylindrical or
slightly truncated conical; these retorts have their extremities arranged entirely
outside the heating chamber t. Upon the upper extremity is fixed by the aid of a
lead joint the head 6 of the retort carrying the cover c which rests in the annular
cavity and forms an hydraulic seal. The head carries a series of lateral
branch pipes g g enabling superheated vapour or liquid fuels or the like to be
introduced. The whole of this device, instead of resting with its whole weight
upon the base, is suspended at its upper part by the aid of iron collars I, resting
upon the top plate of the furnace. I thus avoid the possibility of the retorts
becoming deformed by their own weight acting upon the lower part when red
hot; moreover the dilatation can take place freely.
At the lower part of the retort proper a cast metal piece d called the foot of the
retort is fixed by means of a lead joint e; this piece is entirely immersed in the
water of a lower basin Z, forming an hydraulic seal. The column of coke
descending to the bottom of the water basin is supported by the slope which it
naturally forms therein; vertical openings allow the gas to pass through the cast-
metal cylinder which holds the coke, and this gas, gathering in the space or
chamber above the water which it forces back by its pressure, flows through this
chamber with hydraulic bottom, toward the collecting conduit p where it arrives
through the pipe socket o and the cock K which, if required, serves to disconnect
one of the constituent retorts in case where a plurality of apparatus is arranged.
The gas chamber which is entirely immersed in the water, serves simultaneously
as a refrigerator and as a reservoir; for, if the retort is opened from the top, the
foot is filled immediately with water up to the level of the basin Z, and the
communication with the gasometer is interrupted.
The outside heating of the retorts can be effected in the same manner as in the
previously described apparatus by the aid of a series of blowers but it is preferable,
in view of the utilization of the caloric of the produced gas to let it immediately
escape at the base of the retorts through one or a plurality of truncated conical

page_text: orifices m each partly closed by conical stopper.carried by a hollow screw threaded
rod 93 the air necessary for the combustion enters through this hollow rod
which it cools and meets the gas at a right angle, thus developing the highest.
possible temperature; the flame can be regulated from the outside by using the
hand wheel 3.
In the two devices which I have just described, the gas leaving the retort at a
temperature near that of red heat traverses a water chamber which cools it.
considerably by charging it with humidity, the carbon or coke which can be taken
from the apparatus
itself wet.
It may be of great interest to manufacture dry coke and especially gas at once
very dry and very hot; for this purpose I employ the device which is represented
in Figure 4.
In its essential parts this device only differs from the preceding one by the-
foot d of the retort, this latter is supported on the base of the furnace by a
horizontal sheet metal plate P; it has an annular space e similar to that of the
top or head; this hollow space is filled with metal, lead, tin or the like, kept
molten by the temperature of the furnace.
The retort proper, suspended by its upper part, is immersed in this metal seal
so that the tight closure is perfect while at the same time the dilatation of the retort.
is duly taken into consideration. The coke descends through the curved pipe j and is.
discharged through the stopper o; the gas, on the other hand is discharged through
the pipe i and flows through the cock K into the collecting conduit p.
According to the efficiency of the apparatus that is to say the number of cubic-
meters of gas required to be produced per time unit, with deduction of gas used
for heating, I increase or diminish the number of constituent retorts which
I arrange in series or batteries.
It is well known that cast metal wears rather quickly in contact with fire and in
order to obviate this inconvenience I construct my apparatus in several pieces, the
part most subject to wear being made in a very simple shape and consequently not
expensive, I also avoid the wear by a special protecting jacket composed of a tissue.
or sheet of asbestos of slight thickness, fastened on the metal by the aid of a
mixture of silicate of soda and powdered glass; the glass melting in contact with.
the fire to a doughy matter binds the asbestos very efficiently to the cast metal and.
thus forms a very reliable protecting layer. In cases where large plant is required.
I replace the cast metal retorts by retorts made of bricks or fire clay.
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 :-
==
1. The process of reversed distillation in a closed vessel for producing gas by
passing through an incandescent column of carbon arising from numerous preceding
charges, of all vapours and all gases produced by the solid or liquid materials.
introduced through the top part of vertical or slightly inclined retorts; these
retorts being of cast metal, refractory earth or other material.
2. The arrangement by which the retorts are suspended at their upper ends, with.
bottom joint, either hydraulic outside the fire, or molten metal joint when exposed
to direct fire, this arrangement insuring on the one hand the tight closure of the-
joint and on the other hand admitting of the free dilatation of the retort proper.
Dated this and dow of March 1896
HASELTINE, LAKE & Co.,
45 Southampton Buildings, W.C., Agents for the Applicant..