Improvements in or relating to the Production of Charcoal or Coke from reat, Lignite and the like and the Recovery of Bye-products.
Year: 1898

page_text: Reprinted as amended in accordance with the decision of the Comptroller General
dated the 13th day of March 1902
Date of Application, 22nd Mar., 1898 -Accepted, 18th Mar., 1899
"Improvements in or relating to the Production of Charcoal or Coke
from reat, Lignite and the like and the Recovery of Bye-products.
MARTIN ZIEGLER, of 10 Göbenstrasse, Berlin, W, in the Empire of Germany, Civil
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 :-
This invention relates to the production of charcoal or coke from peat, lignite and
the like, various bye-products such as tar, ammonia, acetic acid, methyl alcohol being
also obtained and the heat generated being utilised in a complete manner.
The principal features of the invention consist in the construction of the oven or
kiln in the method of drying the peat to be converted into coke or charcoal and also
to the special form or arrangement of the apparatus which enables the tar produced
and the heat of the gases generated to be utilised to the fullest extent.
In the accompanying drawings,
Figs. 1 to 5 illustrate an oven according to the present invention,
Figs. 1, 2, 3, being vertical sections through the retort oven,
Figs, 4 and 5 being horizontal cross sections,
Figs, 6 and 7 show respectively in vertical section and in plan, partly in section, an
arrangement of plant comprising ovens, drying apparatus for peat or the like and
apparatus for the further treatment of the bye-products obtained.
Fig. 8 is a section on the line x-x of Fig. 7, and
Fig. 9 is a section on the line y-y of Fig. 7.
Fig. 10 shows separately the apparatus for separating the products of distillation.
The essential feature of the improved peat coking ovens shown in Figs. 1 to 5 lies
in the construction of the drying chambers. They may be described as being formed
by two vertical partitions-not reaching the bottom of the chair.ber-connected
together at their lower ends, placed or formed in the centre of a vertical retort or
chamber having, say a circular cross-section and a semi-spherical or oval base or lower
portion, flues for the combustion gases for heating the retort being arranged between
said partitions. In this way a very quick and complete heating of the material con-
tained in the retort is possible.
This shape of the retort may be called trouser-shape. Such a double retort consists
therefore as may be seen from the drawing, of the following parts: At the bottom
there is a, preferably, cast-iron boiler shaped hollow body or vessel H to a great extent
built into the brick work of the apparatus. On the free or exposed side this vessel
has a branch provided with a valve b or other closing device for use in removing the
coke.

page_text: The walls o arranged in the interior opposite each other at the lower part of the
partition leave a passage between them in which there is arranged an angle iron form-
ing two separate longitudinal air-passages.
Similar air-passages", "
are also
arranged in between the outer surfaces of the parts H and M, and their setting or
brickwork support. These latter passages serve to effect a gradual cooling of the
finished coke, in the lower part of the retort. The air thus strongly heated is
preferably supplied to the furnaces »rs hereinafter described.
On the central parts M, M, there are formed or arranged retort shafts R R, made of
refractory material, and having. preferably, a flattened oval cross section, see
Figs. 4, 5 and 7. The upper portion of the shafts at S S (Figs, 1 and 3) may be of
cast iron.
As already stated there is formed about the centre between the two retort shafts &
free slot-like space in which there are arranged flues as ² 83858 for heating the
inner walls of the retort. The arrangement of these flues is more clearly seen in
Fig. 2. There are of course other flues or passages arranged round the outer walls of
the retort bodies R R S S.
The two shafts of the retort are closed at the top in an air tight manner, and have
filling holes, l, provided with air-tight covers. Each of the two retort shafts has three
outlets for the products of the distillation or treatment, i.e.: o, p² and I and o, p¹ and q,
the latter being common to the two shafts. The lower outlets o are just above the
centre of the shafts Above these there are outlets p¹, p³, and between them the
Between the two
outlet q (Fig. 4) communicating with a central discharge pipe.
outlets q¹ and q², leading from the two shafts to the common outlet q, there is a
pivoted valve p3 by means of which either of the openings ¹ or q³ can be closed or
shut off. The discharge outlets p¹, p², q communicate through vertical pipes with
the receiver 6¹ in which is deposited the greater part of the tar carried away by the
escaping gases. The central discharge pipe q communicates also with a chimney x
provided with a damper ¹, through which chimney the products of combustion
issuing from the shafts through the passages q¹ or q² can escape into the atmosphere,
when the valve p³ is operated.
The retorts are preferably heated by means of the tar and the combustible gases
produced in the oven itself after its initial heating. The supply of fuel is preferably
effected at several points 8, 81 of the furnace, of which some are situated at the
bottom and the others about the centre. The outer walls of the retort shafts are
heated from the fire places r, r, only those combustion gases being generated in the
fire places 8 & which pass through the intermediate flues 82 $30 (Fig. 2) and
heat the partition-walls of the retort shafts. The tar is supplied from the tar
receiver and the supply of gas from the gas-pipe g. The air required for combustion
is taken from the passages in in the lower portion of the retort, said air being thus
already strongly heated.
The escaping combustion gases come together in the passage K (Fig. 7).
At the end of the series of retorts there are as shown in Figs. 6 and 7 two or more
The coun-
Cornish or other boilers C, C¹, for the purpose of distilling the tar water.
bustion gases coming from the retorts and having served to heat them, pass through
the passage K to these boilers, and, according to the position of the valves a a¹ (Fig. 7).
heat either the boiler Cor the boiler C¹. The combustion gases coming from these
boilers and now cooled to say about 200° Care further utilised for drying the peat or
similar material.
For this purpose there is formed adjacent to the two boilers C C¹ a passage, divided
by a partition T into two halves or passages (Fig. 7) By means of valves a² a³
the combustion gases may be caused to pass through one or the other of these
passages to escape through the chimney Z.
The air dried peat is at first brought, say, by means of an elevator on to a platform,
from which it is supplied to a hopper A. In the hopper it is dried by means of hot
air taken from the passage V, which is shown in the drawing under the retorts.
(Figs. C. 7 and 9).

page_text: The trucks serving to receive the finished coke or charcoal are pushed, after having
been filled, into this passage. The trucks are provided with air-tight covers to prevent
the material from becoming ignited.
The heat radiating from the incandescent coke strongly heats the air in the
passage V. The heat generated is utilised by forwarding the hot air by means of a
blower N and pipe N¹ into the hopper A filled with peat. The peat is thus strongly
dried.
From the hopper the dry peat is charged into the trucks W, by opening the slide
or door at the bottom of the hopper.
The open or frame-work trucks filled with the already dry peat are pushed into one
of the two passages for g. There the peat is finally dried by the combustion gases
coming from the boilers C or C¹, said gases having still a temperature of about 200°.
The operation takes place in such manner that the peat is being dried in one of the
passages for g while the other passage, closed by the slide to the combustion gases,
is being charged.
If the gases are too hot so that there is reason to fear the ignition of the peat the
temperature can be lowered by admitting cold air.
The dried peat is finally raised by elevators to the upper platform and thence fed
into the retort ovens.
It is clear that peat dried in the manner described must give a very concentrated
tar water which can then be easily treated.
The path followed by the vapours generated by the dry distillation of the peat is as
follows;-
These vapours pass through the outlet pipes arranged in the upper portion of the
ovens above the centre of the retort into the condensers &¹ and c (Fig. 7). These
condensers consist of wide chambers, of any suitable construction, into which the
vapours are admitted, which coming in contact with the cold walls of the chamber
become cooled, and consequently become condensed into tar and water.
The mixture of tar and tar water deposited in the condensers b' and c is drained off
into a reservoir, separated from each other in a suitable vessel, and the tar discharged
into a reservoir and the tar water filtered off.
The tar is delivered into reservoirs arranged near the ovens, whence it passes to the
fire places and is burnt with the aid of a spraying device. But of course the tar
may be also treated to convert it into heating oil, paraffine etc. The tar water is
then brought into a scrubber where it is used to sprinkle the coke contained in the
latter, so as to absorb from the gases all methyl alcohol and all ammonia not combined
with acetic acid.
It is discharged from the scrubber after having deposited on the coke all its tarry
ingredients. From here it is supplied into the distilling boilers C C₁, and the required
quantity of sulphuric acid added. The liquid is distilled in the boilers C C' alternately,
by means of the combustion gases escaping from the chimney K and having a
temperature of about 300° C.
The apparatus for distilling and fractional distillation is shown in Fig. 10. Methyl
alcohol and acetic acid pass through the cooling coil d into a vessel y baving double
walls, into which milk of lime or other suitable reagent can be introduced by means
of a pump Z, the methyl alcohol remaining in gaseous state, as the temperature in
the generator can be maintained at 70-80° C by means of the water of condensation
coming from the first condenser.
The temperature can be also maintained by introducing steam, which method has
the advantage of the steam simultaneously stirring up the liquid to which the milk of
lime has been added.
The vapourised methyl alcohol escapes through a second condenser and is finally
collected in suitable vessels. The solution of the acetate of lime is vapourised in
vessels, which may be arranged over the condensers in order to utilise the heat given
off from them until acetate of lime is obtained in a solid or dry form.
After the distillation is finished the remaining solution of sulphate of aminonia is

page_text: discharged through a pipe and through a filter into a vessel, vapourised and filtered,
the sulphate of ammonia being precipitated and removed. The vessels C C¹ have
double walls and separate heating pipes whereby the vapourisation is effected very
effectively by means of the escaping hot gases which have a temperature of
about 250° C.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of this
invention, and in what manner the same is to be performed I declare that what
I claim is.
1. Apparatus In Apparatus for the production of coke or charcoal from peat and
the like comprising an oven consisting of vertical retort shafts arranged each two side
by side and communicating at the bottom and having an oval or similar cross
section the lower portion of the shaft being made of refractory material and the
upper part preferably of cast iron flues being arranged between the adjacent
parallel walls of the shafts having a boiler shaped base and provided with air
passages between the base and its setting substantially as described. 2. In
an--oven-of-the-character--described the arrangement of air passages on the
central and lower parts H and M of the retort chambers by means of which the
coke or charcoal contained in the bottom portion is cooled and the air required
for combustion is heated substantially as described.
3.
In-an-oven-of-the-character-described--an-outlet-pipe-common--to-both--outlet
openings-(91-92-of-the retort-chambers and communicating with the chimney Hue X,
a-damper (p³-being-arranged-in-said-outlet pipe-enabling-the-guses-to-be-discharged
inte-the-chimney-substantially-as-described.
4. The process of manufacturing-peat-er--similar--eeke--or-chureoul--with--the
simultaneous-recovery of bye-products-characterised-by-the-utilisation of-the-whole
heat generated in and around the retorts the combustion gases escaping frem-the
retorts passing through-one of two-adjacent-passages-either of which can be shut off
as-desired-and-which-ean-be-successively-placed-in-communication--with-a-distilling
vessel or boiler-and-a-drying-chamber-for-drying-peat--or-the-like-and-the--heat
radiated by the incandescent-eoke-or-chureoal-produced-being-employed-for-drying
the-peat said-heat being directed through a passage-into-a-receiver-or-hopper-con-
taining-dried-pent-substantially-as-described.
5. In the apparatus for-practical-application of the process described-the-con-
struction-or-arrangement of the flues shown in Figures-1-and-2-and-characterised
by-their-being first-placed-in-communication-with-distilling vessels-or--boilers and
then-with tunnels-or-passages-in-which-the-peat is dried-both-the boilers-and-tunnels
being arranged-in-couples-so-that-one-part-can-always-be shut-off-to-enable-it-to-he
eharged-the-other being connected-with-the-hot-gases substantially-as-described.
6. In-apparatus for the practical application-of-the-process described the arrange-
ment-of-a-passage-(V)-for-trucks-filled-with incandescent-cole-and-closed-in-an-air
tight-manner-for-the-purpose of utilising their-heat-a-blower-and-pipes-supplying
the heated-air-to-the-hopper-or-receiver-(A)-containing air dried-pent substantially
as-described.
7. In-apparatus of the churneter-described-on--arrangement--for--utilising the
heated-guses-escaping from--the-retorts-characterised-by-chambers--'--and---inte
which the gases-are-led-in-order-to-be-condensed,-substantially-as-described.
-In-the-process-of-manufacturing-pent-or-like-coke-or-charcoal and the recovery
of-bye-products separating the products-contained-in-the-tar-water-such as ammonia
acetie-acid-and-methyl-alechol-by-the-products-of distillation--eseaping during the
treatment-of-the-tar-water-with-sulphuric-acid-being-introduced; after-being-cooled
the-aeetie-acid--contained-in-the-products of-distillation-is-separated by means of
lime or other suitable reagent-the-oscaping-methyl-alcohol-being-led-into--a cooling
eoil and then collected substantially-as-described.
into a coil-or-the-like-into-n-receiver-maintained-at-the-temperature-of-20°-in-which
9. The construction of the-useetie generator consisting of a vessel with deuble-walls
adapted-to-be-maintained-at-a-temperature-of $08-by-the-cooling water from the

page_text: cooling coil-being arranged in the hollow-jacket-substantially as described and
illustrated-in-Figure-10 of the accompanying drawings.
10.2. The combination and arrangement of parts constituting the complete apparatus
for use in the production of peat coke or charcoal or the like and for the recovery of
bye products substantially as described and illustrated in the accompanying
drawings.