IMPROVEMENTS IN THE MANUFACTURE OF GAS
Year: 1865

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to James Crutchett, of Stroud, in the County of
Gloucester, at present domiciled at Washington, District of Columbia,
United States of America, for the Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN THE
MANUFACTURE OF GAS."
Sealed the 10th April 1866, and dated the 11th October 1865.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said James Crutchett at the
Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on the
11th October 1865.
I, JAMES CRUTCHETT, of Stroud, in the County of Gloucester, at present
domiciled at Washington, District of Columbia, United States of America,
do hereby declare the nature of the said Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN
THE MANUFACTURE or GAS," to be as follows:-
This Invention relates to the manufacture of gas for lighting and heating
purposes from coal and other materials. For this purpose I take coal and
reduce it to small particles or powder by any suitable mechanical means,
which powdered coal I inject in small quantities at regulated intervals into
the retort or oven by means of a jet of steam, compressed air, or by other
suitable mechanism arranged so as to throw it in at the front end or top of
the retort as the coal dust is fed forward or supplied from a hopper. The

page_text: pulverized coal may, if desired, be introduced into the retort or oven in com-
bination with petroleum or other oils, together with sawdust or other
carbonaceous materials forced or injected into the retort as previously
described. Or petroleum or other suitable oils may be injected into the gas
retort by means of a jet of steam or otherwise.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent, filed
by the said James Crutchett in the Great Seal Patent Office on the
11th April 1866.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, JAMES
CRUTCHETT, of Stroud, in the County of Gloucester, at present domiciled at
Washington, District of Columbia, United States of America, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her Letters
Patent, bearing date the Eleventh day of October, in the year of our Lord
One thousand eight hundred and sixty-five, in the twenty-ninth year of Her
reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant unto me, the
said James Crutchett, Her special licence that I, the said James Crutchett,
my executors, administrators, and assigns, or such others as I, the said James
Crutchett, my executors, administrators, and assigns, 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 "IMPROVEMENTS IN THE MANU-
FACTURE OF GAS," upon the condition (amongst others) that I, the said James
Crutchett, my executors or administrators, by an instrument in writing under
my, or their, or one of their bands 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 James Crutchett, do hereby declare the
nature of the said Invention, and in what manner the same is to be per-
formed, to be particularly described, and ascertained in and by the following
statement thereof, that is to say :-
This Invention relates to the manufacture of gas for lighting and heating
purposes from coal and other materials. For this purpose I take coal. and
reduce it to small particles or powder by any suitable mechanical means,

page_text: which powdered coal I inject in small quantities at regulated intervals into
the retort or oven by means of a jet of steam, compressed air, or by other
suitable mechanism, arranged so as to throw it in at the front end or top of
the retort as the coal dust is fed forward or supplied from a hopper. The
pulverized coal may, if desired, be introduced into the retort or oven in com-
bination with petroleum or other oils together with sawdust or other
carbonaceous materials forced or injected into the retort as previously
described. Or petroleum or other suitable oils may be injected into the gas
retort by means of a jet of steam or otherwise.
formed in the retorts has to be
During the long period in which
becomes heated to nearly 1000
In carrying out my improvements in the manufacture of gas for lighting
and heating purposes from coal and other materials, I will first shortly
describe the present well-known process of manufacturing gas from coal. The
coal used for the manufacture of gas is taken in bulk, lump, and slack, large
and small together, and several hundredweight is introduced to charge each
retort; these charges are left in the retorts for from four to eight hours at a
time, after which the large quantity of coke
withdrawn with great labour and difficulty.
the coke is forming (until the whole mass
degrees of heat) there arises products from the operation which tends
to clog the pipes and apparatus, causing extra labour and care in attendance,
in fact, whilst the charge of several hundredweight of coals is being gradually
heated the gas retort becomes a coke oven, and the charge of coal becomes
converted into coke to a much greater extent than into illuminating gas, and
after the coal becomes coke the longer it remains in the retort the poorer the
gas becomes which is generated, consisting largely of hydrogen, ammonia,
and sulphurets, and these require more purification than proper rich carburetted
hydrogen.
Another effect of the present and ordinary process of charging the retorts.
with several hundredweight of material at a time consists in the rapid cooling
of the retorts from a high temperature to a comparatively low one, which by
being repeated several times a day results in the much more rapid decay and
unfitness for use of the retorts, thereby entailing great expense for continuous.
repair as well as a large number of "benches "being out of use in all gas
works of any magnitude.
Now my improvements consist as follows viz., -I take coal and reduce it
to small particles or powder by means of rollers, crushers, or by any other
suitable mechanical means, which powdered coal I inject in small quantities
at regulated intervals into the retort or ovens by means of a jet of steam,.
compressed gas, or air, or by any other suitable mechanical arrangements, so
50%

page_text: as to throw it in at the front end or top of the retort or oven as the coal dust
or other carbonaceous material is fed forward or supplied by a hopper or other
suitable feeder either in regulated quantities or in a small continuous current:
By injecting pulverized coal or other carbonaceous materials into gas
retorts or suitable ovens in small quantities by means of steam, gas, or
otherwise, as before mentioned, each ounce of material or small injection is
composed of, say, hundreds of thousands of particles, more or less, and by
means of steam or suitable injecting force these particles become instan-
taneously scattered over the whole surface of the interior, and as the retort
or oven is at the proper heat for gas generating every particle of the
carbonaceous material becomes at once operated on in a very short period
of time, and the gas thereby eliminated passes off by means of the proper
channels instead of, as in the present process, remaining for hours in a
chamber and being converted to a great extent into coke and inferior gas.
The pulverized coal may, if desired, be introduced into the retort or oven in
combination with petroleum or other oils, or sawdust, or other carbonaceous
materials by steam, compressed gas, air, or by mechanical means, as pre-
viously described, but injection by atmospheric air, if not carefully regulated,
would lead to explosive compounds and general deterioration of illuminating
quality, and if introduced by springs would be liable to clog the apparatus,
and prevent its regular working. In addition to the advantage of using steam
as a means of injecting the carbonaceous materials into the retorts or ovens
other good uses follow, viz., the steam current or flash cleanses the tubes of
all sediment, both by its force of column forward and partial vacuum fol-
lowing. Steam also becomes to some extent decomposed at so high a
temperature as the retorts should be heated to by combining with small
particles of carbon and oxygen, thus liberating a corresponding large volume
of hydrogen in proportion to oxygen engaged, which latter, although it forms
carbonic acid to the extent of oxygen liberated, this becomes nearly all pre-
cipitated by the steam in condensing after leaving the retort, whereas the
bydrogen liberated by the loss of oxygen absorbs the olefiant and rich carbons,
and thus forms a valuable additional volume of illuminating gas more than by
the present process.
Steam also by this process in condensing precipitates sulphuric and
ammoniacal products, thus leaving the general mixed gases less impregnated
and requiring less purification by lime and other means than at present,
and it is well known that the more gas is subjected to lime and other
purification the less power of illumination does the gas possess. The
pulverized coal or other carbonaceous materials may be carried forward

page_text: from the main reservoirs along troughs by spiral screws or scrapers, or belts,
or lines, and thus supply various hoppers from whence each retort or oven
receives its supply for injection or small current by means of valves, slides, or
other suitable mechanical arrangements. Each small dose, or charge, or current
as soon as delivered becomes acted on by steam or gas, which scatters the
charge or current into innumerable particles over the whole interior surface
of the retort or oven, and the generation of gas is instantaneously accomplished.
Manual labour is thus much diminished amidst the intense heat and dusty
atmosphere so inconvenient to those employed in gas manufactories. The
labour of drawing out of the retorts the large bulk of manufactured coke
every few hours (in a state of great heat) becomes very oppressive, whereas
by my improvements most of the coal or other carbonaceous material becomes
converted into gas, and leaves so much less coke and other residuum in the
retort, requiring the labour of removal, in addition to which, as by my
improvements, the retorts or ovens can always be kept up to the highest
state of heat required, the generation of gas goes on almost continuously, and
by saving of so much heat lost in manufacturing coke less fuel. becomes
necessary to generate pure gas in continuous succession, and thus less expense
is necessary for manufacturing gas by my improvements.
By my improvements much more and better gas from the same materials
will be generated with less labour and at much less cost of manufacture,
besides which the improved mode of manufacture requires less purification
by lime and other materials, thus causing less exposure of obnoxious
materials requiring removal from the gasworks, and avoiding the effluvia so
unpleasant to those occupying the more immediate neighbourhood of gas-
works.
Another advantage resulting from my improvements is the reduction in the
cost of gas, whether used for illumination, ventilation, or for heating purposes,
beside being a gas containing more olifiant and rich carbon in its body,
the rays of light and color will be more in accordance with the rays of solar
light and more pleasant and agreeable to the sight.
Having thus described the nature of my Invention, what I claim is,-
First, the manufacture of gas for lighting and heating purposes from pul-
verized or fine coal or other carbonaceous materials injected into retorts or
ovens in small quantities, either by separate successive injections or in small
continuous currents, as herein described.
Secondly, I claim the injection into retorts or suitable ovens or chambers
of pulverized powdered or small coal, sawdust, oils, or carbonaceous materials

page_text: by means of steam supplied to such retorts in separate charges, or in continuous
currents, as herein described.
Thirdly, I claim the injection of suitable carbonaceous materials, as
aforesaid, for the manufacture of gas into retorts, ovens, or heated chambers
by separate successive injections or currents by means of compressed atmo-
spheric air, compressed gas, springs, or other mechanical means, as herein
before described, whether the interiors of such retorts, be under a slight degree
of pressure or vacuum.
In witness whereof, I, the said James Crutchett, have hereunto set
my hand and seal, this Fourth day of April, in the year of our
Lord One thousand eight hundred and sixty-six.
JAMES CRUTCHETT. (LS.)