IMPROVEMENTS IN COKING AND IN THE UTILIZATION OF THE GASES FROM COKE OVENS
Year: 1884

page_text: I THOMAS NICHOLSON 3 Hamilton Street Hoole, in the County of Chester, out
of business do hereby declare the nature of my invention for IMPROVEMENTS
IN COKING AND IN THE UTILIZATION OF THE GASES FROM COKE OVENS and in
what manner the same is to be performed, to be particularly described and
ascertained in and by the following statement :—
The nature of the economy I effect is in the extraction of the gases evolved in the
process of coking or calcining, the taking from them their tar and ammonia, and
the using of them afterwards for both lighting and heating purposes. To carry out
my invention I construct, or adapt Ovens, or Kilns, with interstices in and flues
underneath, the bottom. To the top of these I add pipes to receive the gases, and
convey them through boxes, partly filled with coke and gas liquor, into a main
pipe, connected with a condensing plant similar to that employed at gas works to
collect the tar and ammoniacal liquor. After the tar and ammoniacal liquor have
been extracted I return the gases through another set of pipes, and use them to
give light and heat. A portion of these condensed gases I use to ignite the charge,
and to sustain the greatest beat, at the bottom of the ovens, kilns, and furnaces.
The remainder I pass on to be used under steam boilers, or elsewhere, as may be
required.
To obtain illuminating, as well as heating, gas, I add an additional range of
pipes, and collect the gases separately. The position of the pipes is immaterial so
long as they receive the gases unburnt.
I prefer a long, narrow, oven, but, both the ordinary Beehive, and Square ovens
can be altered at little cost to suit my purpose.
To avoid a vacuum, which would create outside pressure, and be liable to
introduce air, I keep the top of the oven filled with steam. In cases where it is
not convenient to introduce steam directly into the oven, the introduction of a
small quantity of water, will answer the same purpose.
In the manufacture of coke it is desirable to produce as much ammonia as
possible, and at the same time to extract the sulphur from the coke, and to this
end 1 cool off the coke, by causing steam to pass upwards through the charge, when
the process of carbonization is completed.
The usual method of coking is to make the ovens work downwards, but, in
carrying out my invention, I reverse this, and make the ovens, as well as all kilns,
or furnaces, work from the bottom upwards and I draw off the gases above the
material in process of carbonization. In this way I avoid the double draft, which
has been found objectionable in other ovens with bottom flues.

page_text: This invention can be adapted also to kilns, or furnaces, for burning lime, or
bricks, or smelting ores, and other such like purposes.
By these several arrangements I get
--
1 More work from the ovens, kilns, or furnaces in a given space of time.
2 An extra profit from the gases and their products.
3 Illuminating gas as well as heating gas,--and in the case of coke ovens.
4 More Coke, and less Breeze.
The annexed drawings show the full operation.
After charging the ovens in the usual way the opening, A, is closed, and the
gases, as evolved, pass through the pipes B, (drawn by any ordinary Exhauster)
into, and through the boxes, C, which are partly filled with coke, or other rough
material, and gas liquor to cleanse them, and to prevent their clogging the exit
main, D. They then pass through the, D, main, to an ordinary condensing plant,
consisting of an Exhauster, Condensers, and Scrubbers and afterwards return by
the main pipes E, to the ovens, and onwards wherever they may be required.
To the pipes, E, I add smaller pipes, F, which convey the gas to the bottom flues, G,
where they are ignited to fire the charge, and to give more heat to the oven
generally.
Pipe H carries steam from the boilers to the ovens, and by the pipe, I, steam is
kept playing upon the top of the charge to fill the space in the top of the oven,
and to prevent the gases burning. To complete the process of coking, the steam
must be withdrawn from the top of the oven during the last few hours, but, when
that is done I open the valve, K, Fig. 3. and admit steam to the bottom flues,
through which it enters the coke, and is drawn upwards by the force of the Exhaust,
carrying with it any sulphur and ammonia that remains in, and at the same time
cooling off, the charge.
When this has been done, valve L, is closed, and the oven is discharged in the
usual way.
Where illuminating gas is required I add the pipes, M, and, Ñ, I then
pass the illuminating gas into the main flue D, as already described, and then
close the valve, L, and open the valve, O, to cause the non-illuminating gases, to
pass into the gas main, N, and on through a condensing plant, and return main
which are merely a counterpart of those already shown. The annexed drawings
show an oven of the Beehive form, but, ovens of other shapes, and lime kilns, and
calcining furnaces, can be arranged to work in the same way.
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,-
1 The ignition of the charge at the bottom by the application of burning gas
after condensation.
2 The filling of the top of the ovens, kilns, or furnaces, with steam, to exclude
air, and prevent destruction of the gases.
3 The cleansing of the gases by the boxes before mentioned.
4 The collection of the illuminating separately from the heating gases.
5 The cooling off the charge when necessary by causing steam to pass through it
from the bottom upwards.