PROVEMENTS IN THE CONSTRUCTION OF COKE OVENS
Year: 1871

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Henri Eaton, of No. 20, Russell Street, Swansea,
in the County of Glamorgan, Merchant, for the Invention of
PROVEMENTS IN THE CONSTRUCTION OF COKE OVENS."
"
IM-
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Henri Eaton at the
Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on the
14th July 1871.
I, HENRI EATON, of No. 20, Russell Street, Swansea, in the County
of Glamorgan, Merchant, do hereby declare the nature of the said
Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN THE CONSTRUCTION OF COKE OVENS," to be as
follows:-
My Invention consists in the peculiar formation of an oven which
enables me to make a hard dense coke for melting or other purposes by
a strong concentration of heating power and a slow mode of carboni-
zation. By this process a great saving is effected in the labour as well
as in the construction of the oven, and there is scarcely any loss of the
carbonic power contained in the coals used.
The oven consists of any number of cells built in fire-bricks or any
other suitable material radiating from a flue which connects the insides

page_text: of the ovens, and which may be called the general flue, and this flue is
again connected with a main chimney shaft which forms the centre
of the apparatus and which is divided into four distinct parts (more or
less).
The cells, as will be readily understood, are wider at the outer end
then at the end next the main flue, thus allowing the coke a free exit
when carbonized, and this is further obtained by making the bottom of
each cell incline towards the outer end, and which also has the advan-
tage of causing the supply of coal to be continuous.
Each cell has a separate flue into the before-mentioned general flue
which receives the gas from ten of the cells (more or less) and each of
these general flues is again connected by another small flue with the
central chimney shaft. The outlets of the cells are fitted with cast-iron
doors hung to iron posts masoned into the walls of the cells.
When the process of making the coke is about to commence the coals
are thrown into the cells through the before-mentioned opening in the
top of the said cells, and so soon as the coals are in process of carboni-
zation the gas which escapes from them is forced through the small
opening into the general flue and becomes mixed with the gas issuing
from the other cells, and escapes through the general fluo into the
chimney shaft.
As every part of the block is closed to the atmosphere there is no
draught, the carbonization being produced by the concentration of the
heat in the block retaining itself by the constant supply of coals to the
various cells.
It will thus be understood that when once the oven is in operation
it works without requiring any regulation by dampers or other similar
means, and when all the gas is expelled the coke does not waste in the
oven, the openings being closed with clay or other suitable material.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent, 8
filed by the said Henri Eaton in the Great Seal Patent Office on
the 28th December 1871.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, HENRI
EATON, of No. 20, Russell Street, Swansea, in the County of Glamorgan,
Merchant, send greeting.
3

page_text: WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her
Letters Patent, bearing date the Fourteenth day of July, in the year of
our Lord One thousand eight hundred and seventy-one, in the thirty-
fifth year of Her reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give
and grant unto me, the said Henri Eaton, Her special licence that I,
the said Henri Eaton, my executors, administrators, and assigns, or
such others as I, the said Henri Eaton, 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 CONSTRUCTION OF
COKE OVENS," upon the condition (amongst others) that I, the said Henri
Eaton, my executors or administrators, by an instrument in writing
under my, or their, or one of their hands 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 Henri Eaton, do hereby declare the
nature of my said Invention, and in what manner the same is to be
performed, to be particularly described and ascertained in and by the
following statement, that is to say :-
The object of my Invention is in the first place to construct coke
ovens in such forms as to enable me to produce a strong concentration
of heating power, and a slow mode of carbonization together with such
other detail improvement as hercin-after described.
The ovens I propose to build may be of any form or shape, but as a
rule I prefer the circular plan which enables me to construct a block of
one or more ovens which may be brought into operation together or
independently. Each portion of the block forming the oven consists
of any number of cells regulated in number and dimensions by the size
of the entire block. The cells are formed by dwarf walls varying in
height and thickness with the size of the block built in fire-bricks or
any other suitable material. The walls are made to radiate outwards
from a general flue which may be divided into one or more sections
as shown on the Drawing annexed. This general flue and each of
these sections is again connected by another small flue with a main

page_text: chimney shaft which may also be divided into one or more divisions as
indicated on plan, so that each section may be worked independently or
together.
The cells, as will be readily understood, being wider at the outer
end than at the end next the general flue allows the coke a free exit
when carbonized, and this is further obtained by making the bottom
of each cell decline towards the outer end at an average angle from
45 to 55 degrees, this inclined plane also allows the coals to stow of
themselves.
Each cell has a separate flue into one of the sections in the general
flue which receives the gas from the cells and which is carried off by a
small fluc connected with the central shaft. The outlets of the cells
arc fitted with cast-iron doors the panels of which are filled in with fire-
brick or other suitable material, the doors being hung to iron posts
masoned into the walls of the cells.
When the process of making the coke commences the coals are thrown
into the cells through the opening in the top thereof, and so soon as
carbonization begins the gas which escapes from the coals is forced
through the small opening into the general flue and becomes mixed
with the gas issuing from the other cells, and is finally carried off as
before described.
.
Every part of the block is closed to the atmosphere, therefore there is
no draught, the carbonization being produced by the concentration of
the heat in the oven which is maintained by the constant supply of coals
to the various cells. When the gas is expelled the coke does not waste
in the oven as the openings are closed with clay or any other material
suitable for the purpose, and as the coke is removed out of the cells it is
smothered with water, and by this process a brilliant and metallic
appearance is given to the coke.
And in order that my said Invention may be fully understood I shall
now proceed more particularly to describe the same, and for that purpose
I shall refer to the several Figures and letters on the annexed Sheet of
Drawings, the same letters of reference indicating corresponding parts
in all the corresponding Figures.
Fig. I. is a plan of a circular block containing four ovens which are
defined by a thick line. A, A, A, A, represent cells; B, B, B, B, are
the dwarf walls separating the cells; C, C, C, C, are general flues for
receiving the gas from each oven; D, D, D, D, are the small openings from

page_text: the cells to the general flue C; E, E, E, E, are the small flues from each
the
oven or series of cells to the central chimney shaft; F, F, F, F,
divisions of the central chimney shaft into four parts; G, G, G, G, the
central chimney shaft divided into four parts; H, ¤, ¤, ¤, the cast-iron
plates covering the general flues, to be opened only for examination or
repairs; K, K, K, K, are the division walls separating the ovens.
Fig. II. is a part elevation of the outer ends of the cells; L, L, L, are
cast-iron posts masoned into the brickwork; M, M, are the cast-iron
doors, the panels filled in with fire-bricks; N, N, are wire ropes binding
the blocks together; O, O, are flat iron bars to secure the doors.
Fig. III. is a section of half the block; P is the bottom of the cell
declining outwards; R is a cast-iron plate covering the opening to each
cell.
All the other letters describe the various parts referred to in the other
Figures.
Having now described and particularly ascertained the nature of my
said Invention, and the manner in which the same is or may be used or
carried into effect, I would observe in conclusion that what I consider
to be novel and original, and therefore claim as the Invention secured
to me by the herein-before in part recited Letters Patent is, the peculiar
combination and construction of coke ovens as herein described and
more particularly illustrated by the accompanying Drawings, whereby
the greatest amount of concentrated heat can be produced in a limited
area, and in consequence of there being no smoke in the carbonization
of the coal, and the atmosphere being excluded, I am enabled to secure
a more productive yield and a harder and more dense coke than that
produced by any other known process, at the same time the coke thus
produced retains its brilliancy and metallic appearance.
In witness whereof, I, the said Henri Eaton, have hereunto set my
hand and seal, this Twenty-third day of December, in the year
of our Lord One thousand cight hundred and seventy-one.