IMPROVEMENTS IN APPARATUS FOR REVIVIFYING ANIMAL CHARCOAL OR BONE-BLACK
Year: 1884

page_text: COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
I WILLIAM ROBERT LAKE, of the firm of Haseltine, Lake, and 0° Patent Agents,
Southampton Buildings, in the County of Middlesex.do hereby declare the nature
of my Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN APPARATUS FOR REVIVIFYING ANIMAL
CHARCOAL OR BONE-BLACK" and in what manner the same is to be performed,
to be particularly described and ascertained in and by the following statement :—
In the process of revivifying animal charcoal, there have heretofore been used
vertical cylindrical retorts, provided with an interior flue having perforations at
intervals for the purpose of providing for the escape of the gases and vapors driven
out of the bone-black during the process of re-burning it.
"
These retorts are arranged within a furnace chamber, and are mounted upon the
upper ends of a circularly-arranged group of cooling pipes which are below the
furnace chamber. In some cases, by means of suitable gearing, each group of
cooling pipes and the retort which surmounts it, are made to slowly revolve upon
a vertical axis, thus effecting the uniform exposure of the retort to the heat of tho
furnace.
The bone black introduced at the top of the retort falls through the annular
space between the cylinder and the inner flue, and thence into the cooling pipes,
from the lower ends, of which it is gradually and continuously discharged.
In carrying my said Invention into practice I retain the cylindrical retort with
the central ventilating flue for performing the preliminary operation of drying the
bone-black, but provide for the subjection of the bone-black, after it has been
dried, to the higher degree of heat required for completing the revivifying operation,
by making the lower part of each retort consist of a group of circularly-arranged
vertical tubes, the upper ends of which are inserted into the base of the ventilated
cylinder, so that they receive the bone-black which falls through the annular space
in the said ventilated cylinder; or I may substitute, in place of the circularly-
arranged vertical tubes, a longitudinally corrugated pipe.
My Invention, besides being applicable to stationary retorts, may also be applied
to that class of retorts which revolve on their vertical axes, in which case the
.מ

page_text: heating tubes are arranged in alignment with, and discharge their contents into,
the usual system of vertical cooling pipes, which are beneath the furnace, and to
which rotation is imparted by suitable gearing, in the usual manner.
By either of these devices, the amount of heating surface in the lower section
of the retort is greatly increased, and the bone-black is separated, or noarly
separated, into comparatively small masses, and is subjected to a high degree of
heat without being exposed to the air.
The accompanying Drawings represent a portion of a bone-black kiln embodying
my Invention,
Figure 1 is a vertical section of a portion of the said kiln, showing a portion
of the furnace chamber and flue, and showing two of the rotating rotorts, arranged
respectively over two groups of circularly-arranged cooling pipes.
Figure 2 is a central vertical section of one of the rotating retorts, a portion
of the furnace bottom through which the lower end of the retort projects, and
a portion of the floor upon which the ordinary non-rotating cylinder, which
surmounts the retort, is supported.
Figure 3 is a central longitudinal section illustrating a modification of my
retort, which consists in constructing the lower section thereof of a longitudinally-
corrugated pipe.
Figure 4 is a top view of the corrugated pipe.
Figure 5 is a transverse section thereof on the line, x, Figure 3; and
Figure 6 is a transverse section thereof on the line y, y Figuro 3, showing tho
mouths of the nozzles in the base, through which the bono-black discharged from
the lower end of the corrugated heating pipe is conducted into the cooling pipes.
The Drawing represents retorts of the class which, either in whole or in part,
are made to rotate upon their vertical axes.
It will be understood that the mechanism for rotating the retort may, if desired,
bo omitted, and that my Invention applies equally whether the retort bo of the
stationary or the rotating type.
The kiln is constructed with the usual fire chamber, A, and vertical heating
chambers are arranged therein, one of which, a is shown in Figure 1.
Beneath the floor, a', of the heating chamber is the cooling chamber, B.
The rotation of the vertical retorts is effected by the worm-gearing shown in
Figure 1. Each rotating system consists of the group, C, of cooling pipes, into
the upper ends of which, respectively, are inserted the nozzles, d, extending
downward from the base, D, of the retort.
The base, D has around its upper edge the vertical flange, d. The lower open
end of the hollow foot, c, of the central pillar, E fits within the flange, d', and
rests upon the top of the base D. At its upper end, the pillar, E is provided with
the laterally-projecting collar, E', the surface of which affords an annular bearing
for the lower end, of the ventilated cylinder, F, enclosing the central flue, G, the
lower end of which is supported upon the top of the pillar E.
The collar, E, and the top of the foot, o have like series of oquidistant holes
formed through them, for the reception of the opposite ends of the heating
pipes, H.
The lower end of the cylinder, F, is centrally perforated to admit the upper end
of the pillar, E, and also has an annular series of perforations, f, corresponding with
the perforations through the collar, E, to admit the upper ends of the pipes, H.
These pipes are provided at their upper ends with the outwardly projecting
flanges, h, which bear upon the flanges, f¹, formed around the upper edges of the
holes, f. The upper end of each of the pipes, H. and the flange upon which it is
supported, are enclosed by the annularly-grooved, centrally-perforated shield, f.
The retort shown in the Drawing is composed of what may be called three
sections, the lower section composed of the group of heating pipes, H, the middle
section consisting of the cylinder, F, and the upper section composed of the
cylinder I; the cylinder Fenclosing the ventilating flue, G, and the cylinder I
enclosing the smaller ventilating flue, g.

page_text: The cylinder I, composing the upper section of the retort need not necessarily
revolve. It is preferable, however, that tho upper section, 7, of the flue shall be
supported upon and revolve with the lower section, G.
The vapors and gases driven out of the bone-black rise through the flues, G, g,
and are carried off through the exhaust pipes, G³, the lower ends of which loosely
enclose the upper ends of the rotating fluos, g.
The annular space i, between the shell of the upper cylinder, I, and the upper
section, g of the ventilating flue is, it will be seen, larger. than the corresponding
spaco, Fi, in the middle section of the retort. This construction, however, is not
unusual.
The ventilating flues, G, g, are provided with horizontal rows of holes, K. Each
row of holes is provided with an external hood, K', so that the bone-black will be
prevented from falling into the fluc.
Bone-black is introduced in the usual manner into the upper end of the annular
space, i, and falls through that space into the narrower annular space, F', and in so
falling becomes dry by the time it reaches the lower end of the middlo section, F,.
of the retort, whore it enters the heating pipes, H. In this space it is exposed to
the highest degree of heat, while being kept from contact with the air. From the
pipes, H, it falls through the nozzles, & into the cooling devices, which may consist
of the ordinary cooling pipes, C, or any other suitable cooling apparatus.
By the use of the group of pipes H, composing the lower soction of the retort,
the area of the heating surface of the lower section of the retort is greatly
increased, and the bone-black, in falling through this lower section, can therefore
be more effectually heated.
Substantially the same effect may be produced by the substitution, in place of
the group of pipes H, of the longitudinally-corrugated pipe J. In transverse
section, this pipe has the shape indicated in Figure 5. At its opposite ends it is
provided with transverse webs which extend across the spaces between the
Corrugations fand which are circular.
The periphery of the web at the lower end of the pipo fits within the circular
flange d' of the base.
The edge of the web at the upper end of the corrugated heating pipe is
provided with the vertical flange 11, which encloses the lower end of the ventilated
section of the retort.
The ventilated section of the retort is supported upon the upper end of the
corrugated heating pipe J.
The central ventilating fluo G is closed at the bottom, and rests upon tho
central portion of the upper end of the corrugated heating pipe J.
In operation the bone-black fed into the upper end of the ventilated section of
the retort is dried as it passes downward and is discharged from the lower end of
the annular space g surrounding the flue G, into the upper end of the corrugated
heating pipe J.
In passing downward through the corrugated heating pipe J, the bone-black is
exposed to a high degree of heat and is kept from contact with the air.
From the lower end of the corrugated heating pipe, the bone black falls through
the nozzles & into the cooling pipes C beneath the floor a' of the heating
chamber A.
The discharge outlets at the lower ends of the cooling pipes C are purposoly
made of moderate area, and are kept constantly open, thus ensuring a suitably
slow and continuous downward movement of the bone-black through the
retort.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said
Invention and in what manner the same is to bo performed I declare that what
I claim is:
First. A retort for a bone black kiln, composed essentially of an upper section,
which is ventilated for the purpose of carrying off the vapors and gases driven out
of the bone-black by the preliminary application of heat, and a lower section,

page_text: composed of a group of vertical pipes, in which the bone-black is subjected to a
higher degree of heat, and is at the same timo kept from contact with the air.
Second. In apparatus for revivifying bone-black, a series of retorts, each
consisting of the ventilated section F, surmounting a heating section composed of
the group of vertical pipes B contained within a suitable heating chambor, in,
combination with the similarly arranged group of cooling pipes C beneath the
heating chamber.
Third. A retort for a bone-black kiln, having an upper section which is
ventilated for the purpose of carrying off the gases and vapora driven out of the
bone-black by the preliminary application of heat; and a lower section composed
of a longitudinally corrugated pipe, in which the bone-black is exposed to a high
degree of heat while being kept from the air, preparatory to its discharge from the
lower end of such heating pipe.
Fourth. In apparatus for revivifying bone-black, a series of retorts, each of
which consists of a ventilated section F, surmounting a heating section composed
of the longitudinally corrugated pipe J contained within a suitable heating
chamber, in combination with a circularly arranged group of cooling pipes C,
beneath the heating chamber.