Improvements in or relating to the Utilization of the Gases Issuing from Blast Furnaces and from Coke Ovens.
Year: 1898

page_text: Improvements in or relating to the Utilization of the Gases Issuing
from Blast Furnaces and from Coke Ovens.
I, ENRIQUE DISDIER Y CROOKE, of Alameda Mazarredo, Bilbao, Spain, Engineer
and Manufacturer, do hereby declare the nature of this invention to be as
follows:-
This invention has for object a better utilization than is at present effected, of
the gases from blast-furnaces and from ovens which are employed for the pro-
duction of coke therefor and in connexion with which bye-products are
recovered.
For this purpose according thereto the gases issuing from the blast-furnaces
are employed for heating the coke-ovens in lieu of the gases coming from the
coke-ovens, thus enabling the whole of the gases from the coke-ovens, after the
elimination of the bye-products, to be employed for actuating gas-engines, for
lighting, or for heating other than the heating of the coke-ovens, uses for which
they are well adapted on account of their large percentage of hydrocarbons, the
little water that they contain, and their freedom from solid matter in suspension.
One method of effecting this is as follows:-
After the gases coming from the coke-ovens have cooled, and the different
products have been recovered therefrom, these gases are sent into a gas-holder,
whence they are taken for driving the gas-engines or other purposes for which
they are to be used, whilst through the pipes and passages of suitable section of
the coke-ovens which serve to convey the gases to be burned, there are passed
the gases that issue from the blast-furnaces and which, when they have arrived
at the place where contact with air is effected, enter into combustion and produce
heat.
As the temperature of combustion of the gases coming from the blast-furnaces,
is much less than that of the gases coming from the coke-ovens in connexion
with which bye-products are obtained, it becomes necessary in the majority of
cases, to remdy this defect, which, according to this invention, is effected by
heating the gases of the blast-furnaces to a high temperature before they are
burned in the coke-ovens. This is done by means of special heat regenerators
or recuperators, which are arranged in the batteries of the coke-ovens or in
proximity thereto, and which may be heated principally by the heat carried
away by the products of the combustion of the gas after leaving the coke-ovens,
or partly by this and partly by unburnt gas, or entirely by unburnt gas. Simi-
larly, the air that is to support combustion is heated to a high temperature by
means of heat regenerators.
The gases of the blast-furnaces are, when necessary, preliminarily cleansed,
in suitable apparatus, before entering the coke-ovens. For this purpose dry
cleaning in large reservoirs or receptacles in which the speed is reduced and

page_text: wet cleaning by means it may be of scrubbers filled, for example, with a special
solid body, or either of these separately, as may be required, may be employed.
Dated this 2nd day of November 1898.
W. LLOYD WISE,
Lincoln's Inn Fields, London, W.C., Chartered Patent Agent.
Improvements in or relating to the Utilization of the Gases Issuing
from Blast Furnaces and from Coke Ovens.
I, ENRIQUE DISDIER Y CROOKE, of Alameda Mazarredo, Bilbao, Spain, Engineer
and Manufacturer, 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 greater number of the blast furnaces at present in use are worked with
coke and yield gases which are very poor in hydrocarbons and whose calorific
power seldom exceeds about 800 to 1000 calories per cubic metre. Consequently
such gases cannot be advantageously utilized for lighting purposes, nor for cer-
tain heating purposes, and there are serious drawbacks to their being directly
utilized as a motive agent in gas engines on account of their low calorific power,
and of the solid or liquid matters which they contain in suspension. Un the
other hand coke oven gases from which bye-products have been recovered, are
rich in hydrocarbons, are free from solid matters in suspension, and contain
hardly any water vapour, and have usually a calorific power of from about 4000
to 5000 calories per cubic metre, so that such gases can advantageously be used
for lighting and heating purposes and specially for use in gas engines for the
production of motive power. As is well known, a portion of such gases have
heretofore been used for heating the coke ovens in which they were generated,
so that only the remaining portion has been available as a medium for lighting,
and other heating purposes, or for use in gas engines for producing motive
power.
Now this invention has for object a better utilization than is at present
effected, of the gases from blast furnaces and from coke ovens which are en-
ployed for the production of coke therefor and in connexion with which bye-
products are recovered.
For this purpose according thereto the blast furnaces and coke ovens are so
combined and arranged that the gases issuing from the blast-furnaces are
employed for heating the coke-ovens in lieu of the gases coming from the coke-
ovens, thus enabling the whole of the gases from the coke-ovens, after the
elimination of bye-products therefrom, to be employed for actuating gas-engines,
or it may be for lighting, or for heating purposes other than the heating of the
coke ovens, uses for which, as herein before stated, they are well adapted on
account of their large percentage of hydrocarbons, the little water that they con-
tain, and their freedom from solid matters in suspension.
As the temperature of combustion of the gases coming from the blast furnace
is much less than that of the gases coming from the coke-ovens in connexion
with which bye-products are obtained, it becomes necessary to remedy this draw-
back, which is effected according to this invention by heating the gases of the
blast-furnaces to a high temperature, say from 700° to 900° C., before they are

page_text: burned in the heating flues of the coke ovens. This is done by means of suitable
heat regenerators, which may be arranged in the batteries of the coke-ovens, or
in proximity thereto, and which may be heated by the heat carried away by
the products of the combustion of the gas after leaving the coke-ovens, or partly
by such heated products of combustion and partly by the combustion in such
regenerators of unburnt gas, or entirely by the direct combustion therein of
unburnt gas. Similarly, the air that is to support the combustion of the heated
blast furnace gases in the flues of the coke ovens is heated to a high temperature,
say from 7000 to 900° C. by means of separate heat regenerators.
The blast furnace gases are, when necessary, preliminarily cleansed, in suit-
able apparatus, before they are heated and delivered into the heating flues of
the coke-ovens. For this purpose dry cleaning in large reservoirs or receptacles
in which the speed is reduced may be employed.
The gases produced by the distillation of coal in coke ovens heated according
to this invention are wholly led, after being cooled and freed from their bye-
products, into a gas holder whence they are delivered to the place where they are
to be used for driving gas engines, or it may be for lighting, or for heating
purposes other than heating coke ovens.
Fig. 1 of the accompanying illustrative drawings shows, diagrammatically,
one arrangement of apparatus or plant for carrying out my method of utilizing
blast furnace gases and coke oven gases. Fig. 2 is a cross section corresponding
to the line of Fig. 1 but to a larger scale, through the combustion chamber
and heating flues of one of the coke ovens and a heating stove or regenerator.
Fig. shows in vertical section, and Fig. 4 in horizontal section on the line y y
of Fig. 3, one of the regenerative stoves used for heating the blast furnace gases
or the air for the combustion of such gases.
In the arrangement shown, there are combined with the ordinary blast fur-
naces 1, battery of coke ovens 2, bye-product recovery apparatus 3, and gas
holder 4 for containing the coke oven gases that have been treated for recovery
of bye products, a number of separate regenerators 5, 5" for heating blast furnace
gases and air, a gas main 6 for conducting the gases escaping from the blast
furnaces to the gas regenerators 5, an air delivery main 7 for supplying air to the
air regenerators 5", separate gas and air pipes or passages 8 and 9 for leading
the heated blast furnace gases and air respectively from the regenerators to the
combustion chambers 10 of the several coke ovens 2, a passage or flue 11 by
which the hot gases and products of combustion can be led from the coke oven
flues 10 to the several regenerators 5 and 5", a flue 12 by which the hot gases
and products of combustion after passing through the regenerators 5, 5" to be
heated can be led to a chimney 13, and valves or dampers 14, 14 and 15, 15"
whereby the several regenerators can be separately placed on the one side by
the valves 14, in connection with the gas and air mains 6 and 7, or by the
valves 14 with the chimney flue 12, and on the other side by the valves 15 with
the gas and air pipes or passages 8 and 9 leading to the combustion chambers 10
of the coke ovens, or by the valves 15" with the passage or flue 11 leading from
the heating flues 10" of such coke ovens which may obviously be of any suitable
construction. In the gas main 6 is or may be placed a dust separator 16 of any
suitable construction, to facilitate the separation of dust from the blast furnace
gases.
In the arrangement shown there are six regenerators 5, 5" three of which (5)
serve for heating the blast furnace gases and two (5) for heating the air to be
used for effecting the combustion of such gases, one of the gas regenerators 5
and one of the air regenerators 5 being simultaneously used for heating gas and
air respectively, whilst two of the gas and one of the air regenerators are being
simultaneously heated up by the hot gases escaping from the heating flues of the
coke ovens, the remaining regenerator being held in reserve for use when it is
desired to put one or other of the remaining regenerators out of use for repair
or otherwise. Or such regenerator may be used simultaneously with the others

page_text: for heating air or gas when desired. The number and also the dimensions of
the regenerators can however be varied, and will depend upon the number of
coke ovens with which they are used. For a battery of one hundred coke ovens
of ordinary size, six stoves, as shown, will usually suffice for heating the gas
and air to a high temperature as hereinbefore described.
The regenerators 5, 5" are of ordinary construction and resemble the stoves
commonly used for heating the air supplied to blast furnaces. In the example
shown in Figs. and 4, the regenerator or stove comprises a vertical cylindrical
casing 17 having a lining 17ª of refractory material and divided by, a vertical
partition 18 into two parallel vertical compartments 19, 19ª that are connected
at the top and one of which, viz. 19, is of larger cross sectional area than the
other. The larger compartment is charged with refractory brickwork 20
arranged in the usual manner and is provided with an outlet 21 at the bottom
for exit of heating gases or products of combustion, and at other points with one
or two inlets 22 (two are shown) for the gas or air to be heated, the other or
smaller compartment 19, which is without any brickwork filling, being provided
at the bottom with an inlet 23 for hot gases or products of combustion for heating
the regenerator, and at a point higher up with an outlet 24 for the gas or air that
has been afterwards heated by passing through the heated chambers in the
reverse direction. When it is desired to heat the regenerator partly by the hot
gases escaping from the heating flues of the coke ovens and partly by the com-
bustion of previously unburnt blast furnace gases, or entirely by unburnt blast
furnace gases, there are provided at suitable points, say between the above men-
tioned inlet and outlet 23 and 24 respectively to and from the smaller con-
partment 19ª of the regenerator, two smaller passages 25, one for admission of
the combustible gas and one for admission of air to support the combustion of
such gas. The valves or dampers 14, 14" and 15, 15ª for controlling the passage
of the various unburnt and burnt gases and air can, as well understood, be
variously constructed and arranged.
26 is a pipe whereby the gases produced by the distillation of coal in the
coke ovens are led to the bye-products recovery apparatus at 3; 27 is a pipe by
which the purified coke oven gases are led to the gas holder 4; 28 is a pipe
whereby the gases can be led to a gas engine or engines in a power house at 29;
and 30 is a pipe by which the gases can be led away for lighting or heating
purposes, or for driving engines other than those in the power house at 29.
30 are the ordinary hot air stoves for the blast furnaces 1, and 31 is a pipe by
which the blast is led from a blowing engine or engines to the said air heating
stoves 30, the said blowing engines or engines being, if desired, worked either
by the combustion therein of the coke oven gases, or by steam. 33 are pig iron
beds, and 34 indicates where stores of iron ore, limestone and coal are deposited.
By combining and working blast furnaces and coke ovens in the manner
hereinbefore described, a much greater useful effect can be obtained from a
given weight of coal to be used for smelting purposes then has heretofore been
possible with the previously known ways of utilizing the blast furnace gases
and coke oven gases, whereby a considerable economy can be effected in the cost
of manufacturing iron.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of the said in-
vention and in what manner the same is to be performed, I declare that what I
claim is:
1. The herein described method of utilizing the gases issuing from blast fur-
naces and from adjacent coke ovens in connection with which bye-products are
recovered by heating the blast furnace gases to a high temperature and heating
the coke ovens by the combustion of such heated gases in conjunction with
highly heated air, and using the gases of distillation from the heated coke ovens,
after the elimination of bye-products therefrom, for actuating gas engines, or it
may be for lighting, or for heating purposes, substantially as set forth.

page_text: 2. The use for carrying out the method specified in the preceding claim of
apparatus or plant constructed, arranged and operating substantially as herein-
before described with reference to the drawings annexed.
Dated this 20th day of Ap
For the Applicant,
W. LLOYD WISE,
46, Lincoln's Inn Fields, London, W.C.,
Chartered Patent Agent.
For the Applicant,
W. LLOYD WISE,
46, Lincoln's Inn Fields, London, W.C.,
Chartered Patent Agent.