Improvements in the Construction and Arrangement of Mechanical Retorts for the Treatment of Animal, Vegetable, and Mineral * Matters.
Year: 1889

page_text: Date of Application, 12th Apr., 1889
Complete Specification Left, 11th Jan., 1890-Accepted. 15th Feb., 1890
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION:
Improvements in the Construction and Arrangement of Mechanical
Retorts for the Treatment of Animal, Vegetable, and Mineral
* Matters.
I, ROBERT HAIG of the Mechanical Retorts Company Limited, Murray Street,
Paisley in the County of Renfrew, North Britain, do hereby declare the nature of this
invention to be as follows:-
This Invention relates to certain improvements in the construction and arrange
ment of the mechanical retort described in the specification of Patent, No. 11,584
dated 11th September A.D. 1886, granted to Thomas Rouet.
In accordance with my said improvements I introduce the material through the top
cover of the Retort; and as near the centre thereof as practicable, so that the said
material falls within the Retort upon the top revolving plate, near the centre thereof;
and is deflected therefrom to and over the outer edge of the said plate from whence
the material fulls down upon the fixed plate below and is deflected therefrom to and
over the inner edge of the plate, and is allowed to fall on the next lower revolving
plate and so on with regard to every pair of plates in the Retort.
Also in accordance with my said improvements I dispense with the holes at the
side of the retort and extract all the volatile matters through an opening or openings
at the bottom of the said Retort.
Dated this 11th Jan C
1000
JOHNSONS,
115, St. Vincent Street, Glasgow, Petitioner's Agents.
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in the Construction and Arrangement of Mechanical
Retorts for the Treatment of Animal, Vegetable, and Mineral
_ Matters.
I, ROBERT HAIG of the Mechanical Retort Company, Limited, Murray Street,
Paisley, in the County of Renfrew, North Britain, 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
This Invention relates to certain improvements in the construction and arrange-
ment of the mechanical retorts described in the Specification of Patent No. 11584,
dated 11th September A.D. 1886 granted to Thomas Rouet.
With the said circular retorts, the material under treatment is kept in continual
progression or agitation, by means of the ordinary deflecting rakes or scrapers as
are at present in use, from its entrance into the top of the retort until it has
traversed the retort and is discharged from the bottom thereof.
In accordance with my improvements upon this class of retorts, I introduce the
material through the top cover of the retort as near the centre thereof as practic-
able so that the material falls within the Retort upon the top revolving plate
near the centre thereof, and is deflected therefrom to and over the outer edge of
the said plate, from whence the material falls down upon the fixed plate below,
and is deflected therefrom to and over the inner edge of the plate, and is allowed
to fall on the next lower revolving plate, and so on with regard to every pair of
plates in the retort.
Also in accordance with my said improvements, I dispense with the holes at
the side of the retort as at present employed for the escape of the volatile matters
and in lieu thereof, I extract all the volatile matters through an opening or
openings at the bottom of the Retort.

page_text: In order that my said improvements may be more readily understood and easily
carried into effect I will proceed to describe them with reference to the accom-
panying drawings, Figure 1, sheet 1 of which is a sectional elevation of a Retort,
Figure 1 sheet 1, being an elevation of the hopper and Figure 2 sheet 2, a part
front elevation of the Retort.
Referring to the said Figures A is the Retort which is provided with central
spindle B, driven by suitable gearing C, at its lower end and carried in a suitable
stuffing box and gland 1) at its top end; this spindle B has mounted on it a
series of revolving plates E, the series of fixed plates F, being suitably mounted
to the sides of the retort.
On the material being introduced through the hopper G, it falls into the pipe
or passage g, along which it is caused to pass by means of an ordinary spiral
thread and shaft mounted therein and driven from the outside by suitable means,
after passing along this pipe g, the material falls down through the opening H,
into the Retort and upon the top revolving plate E, as near the centre thereof as
practicable, and is deflected therefrom to and over the outer edge of the said
plate, from whence the material falls down upon the fixed plate F, below, and is
deflected therefrom to and over the inner edge of the plate, and is allowed to fall
on the next lower revolving plate E, and so on with regard to every pair of
plates in the Retort.
The deflecting of the material from the one plate to the other may be effected
in any convenient manner, for example, I may use the ordinary deflecting rakes
or scrapers, such as are at present in use in this class of Retort.
r
The discharge outlet, for the residual product or products at the bottom of the
retort is shown at J, and in connection therewith I have shown in dotted lines
(Figure 1) an endless travelling band or table K; the outlet for the. volatile
matters or products being shewn at L (Figures 1 and 2) in which case it is in
the centre of the bottom plate of the retort, or. in lieu thereof, the volatile matters
or products may be extracted through an opening or openings in the side of the
retort in proximity to the bottom thereof.
The said Retort is enclosed within the ordinary brickwork M, and provided
with the necessary heating furnace N.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said Inven-
tion and in what manner the same is to be performed I declare that what I
claim is.
First. In circular retorts for the treatment of animal, vegetable and mineral
matters, introducing the material contrally through the top cover of the retort,
substantially as and for the purposes herein before described and shewn in the
accompanying drawings.
Second. In circular retorts for the treatment of animal, vegetable and mineral
matters extracting all the volatile matters through the bottom of the retort, or
through the side in proximity with the bottom thereof, all substantially as herein-
before described and shown in the accompanying drawings.
Dated this 10th dor of
T1000
JOHNSONS,
115, St. Vincent Street, Glasgow, Applicant's Agents.