Illuminating Gas from Coal.
Year: 1887

page_text: Date of Application, 18th Nov., 1887
Complete Specification Left, 17th Aug., 1888
Complete Specification Accepted, 21st Sept., 1888
Illuminating Gas from Coal.
I, JOHN HENRY RICHARDSON DINSMORE, of Emlyn Street, Liverpool, in the County
of Lancaster, Engineer do hereby declare the nature of my said invention to be as
follows:
This Invention relates to the manufacture of illuminating gas from coal in closed
vessels, or retorts, but more particularly to those processes of manufacturing illumina-
ting gas in which it has been proposed to render permanent practically all the heavy,
or tarry vapours as well as the light volatile products given off from coal by distillation
and useful for the production of light and heat. To obtain this result double, or
multiple retorts have been proposed in which the gas distilled in one retort was to pass
through a second or third retort; such retorts being arranged and constructed in
various ways and forms.
My present Invention has for its object chiefly to effect the results above mentioned
and at the same time to avoid the deposition of carbon, or pitch in the ascension
pipes of gas retorts, or at any parts of the retorts themselves that cannot be readily
removed and so avoid these and other disadvantages attending, or incident to the
ordinary and other processes heretofore proposed of gas manufacture and this I effect
in the manner I will now proceed to describe.
The coal is distilled by heat in a retort and passed through a cooled passage and it
is then passed through a heated duct. After this it may be passed through a second
cooled passage and second duct and then through a third cooled passage, from whence
it passes through the ordinary ascension pipes. The ducts are inclined. Therefore
according to this Invention the gas coming from the retorts is subjected alternately to
heating and cooling effects and the tarry products are arrested by the cooled passages
and return to the duct, or retort and are so converted into permanent illuminating gas.
I prefer to heat the retort and ducts to what is known in making illuminating gas, as
a medium temperature and arrange the retort and ducts together say one over the
other in a convenient way; a retort with the ducts and cooled passages forming a gas
making apparatus.

page_text: An example of an arrangement of distilling retort, cooled passages and heated
ducts may
consist as follows:-A retort in which the coal is distilled of its volatile
products is arranged in a bench in the usual way. From this retort a pipe, or passage
may lead the gases and vapours as they are evolved to a cooled passage. The cooling
of the passages may be effected by any suitable means, such as water or cold air. The
first cooled passage conducts the gas back to a first heated duct through which it then
passes. At the end of this duct I provide a second cooled passage. From this the
gas is led back again into a second heated duct and is led to a third cooled passage
from whence it is led either to an ordinary ascension pipe, or first through another
duct and cooled passage and so on. These ducts and passages are preferably all so
constructed that access can be had from the outside to all internal parts of them where
deposits of carbon and pitch are likely to take place.
By the herein described method of subjecting the gas to alternate heatings and
coolings the tar, or tarry vapours are arrested and the retorts being arranged at an
incline the tar will flow down into the heated ducts or retorts and be thereby converted
into permanent illuminating gas in the apparatus. That portion of the tarry vapours
which is not arrested by the first cooled passage will become arrested by the second,
or third, or other and hence by the interposition of these cooled passages practically
all the tarry vapours may be arrested and ultimately converted into permanent
gases.
The number of ducts and cooled passages used in any particular application of the
Invention may be varied according to the requirements and kind of coal employed in
the manufacture of the gas.
The retorts and ducts may be set in multiple in any convenient way, or arrange-
ment.
Instead of the gas being passed up the ordinary ascension pipes directly it leaves
the last heated duct, or water cooled passage it may be led downwards by a pipe the
end of which is sealed in a water seal, and from this pipe the gas may be led away.
A cock, or valve is provided in connection with the pipe so that the matters flowing
through the pipe may be either caused to pass through the water seal, or the pipe
by which the gas is led away. By this means the air that exists in the retort and
ducts when a fresh charge is put in the retort may be forced through the water seal and
thereby not mixed with the gas. When the air is thus removed the gas is led away
by the gas delivery pipe to be used, or treated as desired.
Dated this 17th day of November 1887.

page_text: Improvements in and Connected with the Manufacture of
Illuminating Gas from Coal.
I, JOHN HENRY RICHARDSON DINSMORE, of Emlyn Street, Liverpool, in the County
of Lancaster, Engineer, do hereby declare the nature of my said 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 manufacture of illuminating gas from coal in closed
vessels, or retorts, but more particularly to those processes of manufacturing
illuminating gas in which it has been proposed to render permanent practically all
the heavy, or tarry vapours as well as the light volatile products given off from coal
by distillation, and useful for the production of light and heat. To obtain this result,
double or multiple retorts have been proposed in which the gas distilled in one retort
was to pass through a second or third retort: such retorts being arranged and
constructed in various ways and forms.
My present Invention has for its object chiefly to effect the results above
mentioned to produce a large volume of gas of a higher illuminating power than
is generally produced at gas works, and at the same time to avoid the deposition
of carbon or pitch in the ascension pipes of gas retorts, or at any parts of the
retorts themselves that can not be readily removed, and so avoid these and other
disadvantages attending, or incident to the ordinary and other processes heretofore
proposed of gas manufacture, and thus I effect in the manner I will now proceed
to describe.
The coal is distilled by heat in a retort and passed through a heated inclined
duct or ducts, and is, at certain points before it reaches the termination of such
ducts, passed over artificially cooled surfaces, such as cooled passages, but whether
there is employed a plurality of cooled surfaces, or only one, the effect is that
tarry products and vapours are condensed and arrested, and through the ducts being
inclined, gravitate down them and are converted into permanent gas. In either
case, that is, when either one or a plurality of cooled surfaces exist, and such cooled
surfaces are placed at a certain point or points in the heated ducts, a reheating
effect is obtained: that is to say, the tarry vapours are condensed and gravitate
back into the heated duct, and being so heated are converted into gas and are
again subjected to heat but in the case where the plurality of cooled surfaces are
employed the gas is subjected to a plurality of cooling and heating effects, and
thereby the latter mode of treating the gas is more efficient for distilling coal from.
which a large quantity of heavy or tarry vapours are given off than the former:
but of course it is efficient for distilling coal from which only a small quantity of
tarry vapours are given off.
:
The cooling surfaces may consist of passages, through which the gas passes, such
passages being kept in a cool state by causing water or cold air to pass over them,
or they may consist of tubes or hollow bodies placed between passages through which
the gas passes.

page_text: Having thus specified generally the object, or objects and nature of the Invention
its description will first be proceeded with in reference to the annexed drawing by
way of explaining more fully the construction of apparatus, and operation and effects
according to the Invention. The drawing and the following description of it set
forth apparatus designed to apply the process of manufacturing gas, the mode of
operation of which has been above explained.
The drawing illustrates in sectional elevation an apparatus according to this
Invention having a plurality of cooled surfaces.
With reference to the drawing, A is a retort in which the coal is distilled in the
usual manner, B are ducts of any suitable material arranged at an incline and through
which the gas passes after leaving the retort A, 63 are cooled passages interposed in
the ducts B each having a jacket 62 and a door 61, D is the exit or ascension pipe and
bis the mouth of the duct which is also cooled and provided with a jacket 62. The
mouth and the passages b³ of the ducts B are provided with inlet and outlet pipes c,
through which water, or cold air is led to and from the space between the jacket 62
and the metal of the mouth b or passages 63. a is the retort mouth and a¹ is the
retort door. The temperature to which it is preferred to heat the ducts and retorts
in all cases is that denoted by a clear cherry red colour.
The example illustrated is suitable for those kinds of coal from which the volume
of heavy and tarry vapours is large. The reason for the particular applicability of
this form of the apparatus to this type of coal has been to some extent stated, but it
is fully explained below in this specification. It will be observed the ducts B are
smaller than the retort A: the proportion shown in the drawings being one from
which good results may be obtained. The setting or support of the retort A is
shown in the figure and consists of a front wall C and pedestal C.
When set in a bench in the usual manner, the retorts A, subject to the greatest
heat, would be shielded by brickwork or slabs of firebrick throughout their length,
or at intervals, as in ordinary practice. Any required number of retorts may be set
in a bench in the usual way, but care must be taken that they are arranged in such
a way that the temperature of all shall be about equal as in ordinary practice.
As above stated the temperature of the retorts are worked at that denoted as a
clear cherry red colour. I have found that retorts having a duct or ducts B through
which the gases are passed after leaving the distilling retort A, and heated to the
temperature specified, effect the best results, that is, the luminous qualities, com-
bined with the volume of gas, obtained from a given quantity of coal, give, together,
a more valuable product than by using other temperatures.
It will be observed that each retort A with its duct or ducts B is an independent
complete gasmaking apparatus, having no valves and comprising a plain receptacle
and open ducts, and direct access can be had to the retort A and ducts B from the
doors a¹ and . And through these door apertures the whole of the interior can be
scraped and cleaned and any deposited carbon or other matter adhering to the
interior surfaces of them can be removed.
The mode of operation of manufacturing gas I will now describe. The coal is
placed in the retorts A and distilled by heat in the usual way. "The gas evolved from
the coal leaves the retort and passes through the heated duct B. When the
gas
comes in contact with or under the influence of the cooled passages 63 that portion
of the tar or tarry vapour existing in the gas in a non-permanent state is condensed
and arrested, and the tar being in a fluid state will, owing to the inclination of the
ducts flow backwards down them. As soon as the tar comes in contact with the hot
surfaces of the ducts B it is converted into gas, and such gas will, in passing
through the successive heated duct or ducts, be rendered permanent. In the case
where the coal is being distilled in the retorts shown in the figure having a plurality
of cooled surfaces and heated ducts, an extended and repeated cooling and heating
effect is produced. That is, the gas coming from the retorts A is subjected to heat
three times and a chilling influence three times, hence the gas resulting from the
evaporation of the tar condensed in the first cooled passage flows down the lowest
duct R and is so converted into gas but instead of going straight to the ascension

page_text: pipe D it is subjected to the heat of the remaining two ducts B and is so rendered
permanent, and in like manner the tar in the gas not condensed by the first cooled
passage or still in a non-permanent condition will be condensed by the following
one and is treated in a like manner.
By subjecting the gas to heat and chilling effects in the manner herein described
after it has left the distilling retorts, the tar or tarry vapours are arrested, and
through the ducts leading from such retorts being arranged at an inclination to the
horizontal plane as set forth, the tar flows down them and is through the heat of
such ducts converted into permanent illuminating gas.
I would state in conclusion that I am aware, that prior to my Invention, it has
been proposed to pass gas made from coal in a retort through heated second retorts,
or ducts, and that it has also been proposed to arrange the main distilling retorts at
an inclination to the horizontal plane. I therefore make no claim to such mode
generally of making illuminatiag gas, or to the arrangement of such retorts.
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 what I claim is :-
First. The process substantially herein described which consists in subjecting gas,
after it is distilled, to a cooling or chilling influence and causing the gas subsequently
to pass through a heated duct or ducts.
Second. The process substantially herein described which consists in subjecting gas,
after it is distilled, to a cooling or chilling influence, then causing the gas to pass
through a heated duct and subsequently subjecting said gas to a cooling or chilling
influence.
Third. In apparatus for the manufacture of gas from coal, the combination with
a retort A, of heated ducts B having a cooling passage or passages interposed therein,
the gas distilled in the retort being passed through the said duct or ducts and
passage or passages, substantially as and for the purposes set forth.
Dated this 10th day of August, 1000.
JOHN HENRY RICHARDSON DINSMORE.
By Cheesbrough & Royston,
15, Water Street, Liverpool,
Patent Agents.