AN IMPROVED RETORT OVEN, AND THE UTILIZATION OF THE SPARE HEAT FROM THE SAME
Year: 1862

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to John Stephen Joseph, of Rhostyllan, near Wrexham,
in the County of Denbigh, North Wales, for the Invention of "AN
IMPROVED RETORT OVEN, AND THE UTILIZATION OF THE SPARE HEAT FROM
THE SAME."
Sealed the 7th August 1862, and dated the 13th February 1862.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said John Stephen Joseph at
the Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on the.
13th February 1862.
I, JOHN STEPHEN JOSEPH, of Rhostyllan, near Wrexham, in the County of
Denbigh, North Wales, do hereby declare the nature of the said Invention
for "AN IMPROVED RETORT OVEN, AND THE UTILIZATION OF THE SPARE HEAT
FROM THE SAME," to be as follows:-
My Invention consists in constructing a large retort built up of fire-
brick or other suitable material, and surrounded by an outer structure of
fire-brick or other suitable material, in such a manner that a space is left all
round the retort, the ends of the latter passing through the ends of the enclosing
structure, and being provided with suitable doors. In order to support the
retort, I form piers of fire-brick or other suitable material underneath the the
same, I prefer to construct the retort of a catenary, parabolic, or elliptic
sectional form, so that the whole of the upper structure shall be in a state

page_text: of equilibrium, without any material support from the sides, but I also con-
struct the same in any other suitable manner. This retort oven I employ for
either making coke, charcoal, or for any other similar processes.
the top of the retort, I form suitable openings through which the combustible
gases formed inside the same by any of the above mentioned processes pass
into the surrounding space. I introduce small jets of atmospheric air, both
into the space between the top of the retort and the surface of the materials
inside the same, as also into the space surrounding the retort, and thus
cause the complete combustion of the before mentioned combustible gases,
thereby creating an intense heat, which having access to nearly the whole outer
surface of the retort, causes the process which is taking place inside the same
to be effected in the most rapid and perfect manner. The hot products of
this combustion are either allowed to pass away to a chimney, or by preference
I employ the same for generating steam in a boiler or boilers for making
illuminating gas in retorts, fixed either in the before mentioned space in the
oven, or enclosed in separate chambers, for firing pottery in separate ovens,
for heating drying stoves for general purposes, for calcining ores, for burning
bricks, or for burning lime in kilns. For each of the above named processes,
the hot gases are conducted to the furnaces, kilns, ovens, or stoves, through
suitable flues, and in order to regulate the amount of beat to be supplied to
these places, I form a communication between the retort oven and a chimney
shaft which communication can be opened or closed at pleasure, so as to allow
more or less of tho hot gases to escape.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent, filed
by the said John Stephen Joseph in the Great Seal Patent Office. on
the 12th August 1862.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, JOHN
STEPHEN JOSEPH, of Rhostyllan, near Wrexham, in the County of Denbigh,
North Wales, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her Letters
Patent, bearing date the Thirteenth day of February, in the year of our
Lord One thousand eight hundred and sixty-two, in the twenty-fifth year of Her
reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant unto me, the
said John Stephen Joseph, Her special licence that I, the said John Stephen
Joseph, my executors, administrators, and assigns, or such others as I,
the said John Stephen Joseph, my 'executors, administrators, and assigns,

page_text: should at any time agree with, and no others, from time to time and
at all times thereafter during the term therein expressed, should and
lawfully might make, use, exercise, and vend, within the United Kingdom
of Great Britain and Ireland, the Channel Islands, and Isle of Man, an
Invention for "AN IMPROVED RETORT OVEN AND THE UTILIZATION OF THE SPARE
HEAT FROM THE SAME," upon the condition (amongst others) that I, the said John
Stephen Joseph, my executors or administrators, by an instrument in writing
my, or their, or one of their hands and seals, should particularly describe and
ascertain the nature of the said Invention, and in what manner the same was
to be performed, and cause the same to be filed in the Great Seal Patent
Office within six calendar months next and immediately after the date of the
said Letters Patent.
NOW KNOW YE, that I, the said John Stephen Joseph, do hereby
declare the nature of the said Invention, and in what manner the same is to
be performed, to be particularly described and ascertained in and by the
following statement thereof, reference being had to the accompanying Draw-
ing, and to the figures and letters of reference marked thereon, (that is to
say):
My Invention consists in constructing a large retort, built up of fire-
brick or other suitable refractory material, and surrounded by an outer
structure of fire-brick or other suitable refractory material in such a manner
that a space is left all round the retort, the ends of the same passing
through the ends of the enclosing structure, and being provided with suitable
doors. In order to support the retort, I form piers of fire-brick or other
suitable refractory material underneath the same. I prefer to construct the
retort of a catenary, parabolic, or elliptic transverse sectional form, but I
also.construct it of any other such transverse sectional form, that will stand
firmly by itself, without requiring any material support for the sides. This
retort oven I employ for either making coke, charcoal, or for any other
similar processes, wherein combustible gases are disengaged. At or near the
top of the retort, I form suitable openings, through which the combustible
gases formed inside the same by any of the above mentioned processes pass
into the surrounding space. I introduce small jets of atmospheric air, both
into the space between the top of the retort, and the surface of the materials
inside the same, as also into the space surrounding the retort, and thus cause
the more or less complete combustion of the before-mentioned combustible
gases, thereby creating an intense heat, which having access to nearly the
whole outer surface of the retort, causes the process which is taking. place
inside the same, to be effected in the most rapid and perfect manner.

page_text: The hot products of this combustion, are either allowed to pass away to a
chimney, or by preference, I employ the same for generating steam in a boiler
or boilers for making illuminating gas in retorts, fixed either in the before
mentioned space in the oven, or enclosed in separate chambers, for firing
pottery in separate ovens, for heating drying stoves for general purposes, for
calcining ores, for burning bricks, or for burning lime in kilns. For each of
the above named processes, the hot gases are conducted to the furnaces, kilns,
ovens, or stoves, through suitable flues, and in order to regulate the amount
of heat to be supplied to these places, I form a communication between the
retort oven, and a chimney shaft, which communication can be opened or closed
at pleasure, so as to allow more or less of the hot gases to escape.
On the accompanying Drawing is shewn an arrangement of my improved
retort oven.
Figure 1 shews a transverse section on line X, X, Figure 2
through two ovens; and Figure 2 shews a sectional plan on line Y, Y,
Figure 1, similar letters of reference indicate similar parts in both the Figures.
The ovens A, A', which may be of any suitable length are formed with arched
fire-brick sides B, B', made of such a form that they will stand firmly with-
out any material support from the sides, and with flat floors C, C', these latter
are formed of slabs or quarries of fire-brick, the corners of which are sup-
ported by small piers or pillars of fire-brick D, D', as shewn more clearly in
Figure 2. Surrounding these retort ovens are the outer casings E, E', formed
of fire-brick, free spaces F, F, F, F', F', F', being left all round between the
inner surface of the casings E, E, and the outer surface of the sides B, B',
and floors C, C', of the ovens, which spaces form one complete chamber
surrounding the entire oven, all but the ends of the same. Openings G, G',
are formed in the crown of the ovens, through which the combustible gases
that are generated in the same pass into the surrounding chambers F, F.
Air passages H, H', are formed in the outer casings E, E', whence atmos-
pheric air is admitted in small jets into the interior of the ovens A, A', through
the small channels h, h', which, where they pass through the chambers F, F,
are formed in blocks of fire-brick h2, h3, connecting the outer casings E, E',
with the sides B, B', of the ovens. Other air passages I, I, J, J', are
provided for admitting atmospheric air in small jets into the upper and
lower parts of the surrounding chambers F, F', respectively through the
small channels i, i, j,j. The air passages H, H, I, I, J, J', may 'be
all provided with suitable dampers or valves for regulating the quantity
of atmospheric air admitted into the ovens, and surrounding chambers.
By the above described arrangements the combustible gases disengaged in
the ovens A, A', by the manufacture of coke, charcoal, or other similar process

page_text: carried on therein are first partially burnt in the spaces between the top
surface of the material that is being operated upon, and the crown of the
casing B, B', by means of the small jets of atmospheric air passing in through
the channels h, h'. On passing from the ovens A, A', into the surrounding
chambers F, F, through the openings G, G', the combustible gases are
further brought into contact with the jets of atmospheric air passing in through
the channels i, i, j, j, and being caused thereby to undergo more or less
complete combustion, generate a most intense heat in the whole of the chambers
F, F, surrounding the ovens, and thus cause the operation of coking, or other
process, which is being carried on in them to take place in the most rapid
and perfect manner possible. The gases having undergone more or less
complete combustion the hot products of the same pass out of the chambers
F, F, through openings K, K', at one end at the bottom of the same into
flues L, L', which conduct them into the main flue M, shewn by dotted lines
running at the back of the ovens, or in some cases I form the apertures
K, K', at or about the middle of the bottom of the casing E for this purpose.
From the flue M these hot products of combustion pass either away to a
chimney shaft not shewn on the Drawing, or they are conducted through the
flue N, shewn by dotted lines into other flues O, P, P, passing underneath,
and surrounding a steam boiler Q, serving by their great heat to generato
steam in the latter, and whence they are eventually conducted after being
deprived of the greater part of their beat, to a chimney shaft not shewn on
the Drawing. Or instead of employing the heat of these gases to generate
steam in a boiler, I employ the same for any of the various other processes
herein-before mentioned, and in some cases I place retorts for making
illuminating gas in the chambers F, F, themselves, and thus utilize the heat
there produced. The before described ovens may be constructed of any
suitable length, and the charges are introduced, and removed through suitable
openings at the end of the same, which openings are closed up when the ovens
are in operation. Or in some cases I form holes in the top of the ovens for
filling the same. Suitable dampers not shewn on the Drawing are provided
to the flues L, L, M, N, to regulate the flow of the hot gases through them
or to cut off the communication between the ovens, boiler, or chimney at
pleasure in a manner well understood, and requiring no further description.
Having now described the nature of my Invention, and in what manner
the same is to be performed, I wish it to be understood that I do not limit
myself to the precise details, proportions, or forms of my improved retort oven
as shewn on the accompanying Drawing, as these may be variously modified
without departing from the nature of my Invention provided the form of the

page_text: oven be such as to enable it to stand firmly without requiring any material
support for the sides, but what I claim is,
Firstly, the construction of ovens for making coke, charcoal, or other similar
processes, by which combustible gases are disengaged, which ovens are con-
structed of such a transverse sectional form as to require little or no support
from the sides, and which aro completely surrounded, except at the ends,
by a chamber in which the gases proceeding from the interior of the ovens
are caused to undergo more or less completo combustion by the introduction
of a number of small jets of air into the said chamber, other jets of air being
also introduced into the ovens themselves for the same purpose substantially
as herein-before described with reference to the accompanying Drawing.
Secondly, the employment of the spare heat generated by the combustion
of the combustible gases in my improved oven herein-before described for
raising steam in boilers, for making illuminating gas, for heating drying
stoves, for firing pottery, for calcining ores, or for burning bricks, or lime.
In witness whereof, I, the said John Stephen Joseph have hereunto set
my hand and seal, this Ninth day of August, in the year of our Lord
One thousand eight hundred and sixty-two.
JOHN STEPHEN JOSEPH. (L.S.)