US1127777A - Utilization of carbonaceous wastes. - Google Patents

Description

JOSEI H MOSES WARD KITCHEN, OF EAST ORANGE, NEW JERSEYf-" UTILIZATION OF CARBONACEOUS WASTES.

Specification of Letters ratent.

No Drawing. Original application filed April 8, 1909, Serial No. 487,694. Divided and this application flied July 22, 1913. Serial No. 780,528.

To all in]: am it may concern:

Be it known that I, Josnrn Moses \VARD Kli'cunu', a citizen of the United States, residing in the city of East Orange, county of 6 Essex, State of New Jersey, have invented new and useful Improvements in the Utilization of Carbonaceous Wastes, of which the following is a specification.

The present application is a division of and continuation from my application Sr. No. 7,694, filed April 3, 1909, which matured to Patent No. 1,094,390, which application mprised a number of specific inventive ideas which under Patent Office ruling were not allowed to be claimed in one application.

The basic idea of the present invention is to so treat, handle and burn certain carbonaceous matters that have been little or not at all used. and hence. which can be considered as fuel wastes, in such manner, that their utilization will be secured. Such wastes would include fine coal dust, bituminous slack, lignite, anthracite cinders, coke, and some very hard coals.

The invent on comprises the ideas of transferring the energv in such fuels into electric ener 'v, through the agency of the internal combustion engine. and through the agency of steam power developed from the burning of these fuels. The reclamation of one of the referred to fuel wastes would comprise a method of screening and sorting nconsumed carbon from anthracite ashes, 1e largest part of the hulk of which is com- )osed of unburned cinders from which heat has driven tar and sulfur. Another method of reclamation would be the coking of a bitum nous fuel, the utilization of some of the volatilized products of the coking process. and the use of the coked coal in my method.

The invention also comprises the method of preparing these fuel wastes in such manner as to secure a proper passage of air and other gases with uniform ty through such fuels when in mass, during their combustion: and to secure so perfected a combustion in their burning. as to develop the largest amount of available energy from such wastes in the production of motive force. It will be remembered that in the combustion of all fuels, they are first gasified prior to their burning.

In carrying out the purpose of this invention, I designedly use a thicklffuel bed, whether in producing gas to befiised in the internal combustion engine or in? roducing gas that is burned in a furnacefj or generating steam in a boiler from the lieat generated. Using such a thick bed 'of fuel, I gasify that fuel into a composition comprising a. considerable amountof carbon monoxid, which is burned through its admixture with an accurate proportion of the amount of air needed to secure a perfected combustion of the carbon monoxid gas. The heat thus generated from the burnin of the gas may be used to generate steam a one, or it may be used for expansive purposes in the internal combustion engine; or the two applications for the gas may be made in securing motive force. To secure the full aim of the invention the gas is finally converted into electric energv. and in that form is d stributed and applied in work. Such applicat ons of fuel gas are indicated in U. S. Patents 883.809, 992,780, 1,0l1,810 and 1.003.890 issued to me.

It will be understood that the. full invention consists of coactive steps in' reclaimiug a fuel waste. in preparing thatfuel waste in such manner as to secure its effective gasification. in providing for the complete burning of the fuel in its gaseous state, in securing its change into motive power, and the mutation of that motive power into a convenient form in which the energy may be distributed and applied in work with the greatest economy. which last form is preferably the electric current. All these steps are required to make the utilization of the fuel waste economically worth while.

Note should be here made that although all fuel is gasified before burning; in the present in ention. I secure a more complete performance of the gasifying process.

In older methods of securingfa perfected transfer of the energy in the fuel into motive power, great losses have occurred. Take, for example, the burning of bituminous coal. It has been the common practice to burn it in a thin laver, with the production of much smoke, the occurrence of considerable losses through grate siftings, and the escape of much unconsumed carbon monoxid gas. Also, there has usually been more or less loss due to dilution of the gases with too much air for combustion, with conthrown away in ashes.

are certain parts of special fuels tllllbfl'G.

quen tly are only partially burned in use: or else, because of particular characteristics, such fuels are not used at all. In the mining I and use of anthracite coal, great amounts of fine dust are formed and discarded. Immense amounts of anthracite cinders are These cinders are formed by the action of ashes surrounding the fuel particles, which exclude air from the unconsumed carbon of the fuel particles, and from which particles, volatile. tarry, sulfurousand hydrogen elements-have been driven by the environmental heat of the entire fuel-mass. Of the ashes from anthracite coal, on an average, about 50% of its bulk is unburned carbon in the form of a coked fuel of. many sized particles that are substmitially free from sulfur-ous, tarry and hydrogen compounds. This unconsumed carbon is hard in texture and somewhat dllicult to burn under atmospheric pressure alone; and it is a question whether it will ordinarily pay to reclaim einders from publicly handled ash accumulations for ordinary combustion purposes.

One object of this invention is to provide in part, a plan or method through which clnders as well as other fuel, wastes, can be utilized in a manner economically worth while practising.

There a re also certain very hard fuels that are diliicult to burn. Such hard fuels, and anthracite cinders and coke, if they are properly and thoroughly admixed with finer and softer fuels, more rich in easily volatilized elements, will produce an admixed mass of a character which allows for a thorough gasification of the admixed mass, and its subsequent complete burning.

My invention comprises the idea of preparing or reclaiming a porous hard fuel like anthracite cinders or coke, mixing such prepared or reclaimed carbonaceous matters with softer and finer fuel like bituminous slack, or fine anthracite dust. I also admix hard uncoked fuels of somewhat large size as to their fuel-particles, with softer and finer fuels. In a thick fuel-bed mass of. such admixed fuels, during the heating and gasifi -ation of the mass, the harder coal becomes gradually coked as the harder particles gravitate to the fire-grate level, an envelopment of ashes around the hard fuel particles preventing air from freely reaching the hard particles; which condition tends to coke those harder particles, rather than to immediately entirely consume them. In

. this way the entire fuel mass is rendered more porous, and better suited for the purposes of complete gasificati'on' of the entire mass, and ultimate complete combustion of the part of the fuel mass that is at a low level in the furnace. By handling a thick fuel-mass in this way, and admitting only enough air for complete combustion of the lowerzones of the fuel mass, under and through it, the fuel mass is completely burned at the lower zone level, but with development of heat. -which acting at a high level, results in the evolution of a large amount of burnable CO gas in the. upper zones of the fuel mass. and which after its passing through and leaving the fuel-mass,

can be completely consumed by a positive and accurate admixture of air-for-combustion with the still unburned gas. If the gas is to be used in the internal combustion engine, its contaminating tarry and sulfurous vapors are removed. preferably by superheating the gas. and then washing it.

If the gas is to be directly used in generating steam, it is merely luirned in its crude, i'lnpuriiied form, in or under the steam boiler. It, however, is then burned with a correct proportion of air-for-cuml ustion: and preferably, with air that is maintained in a mechanically produced state of compression. as is illustrated in my U. S. Patent No. 1,026,308.

Besides large wastes which occur in connection with the use of anthracite fuel. there are enormous deposits of bituminous and liL-nite coals that are not used at present. but which can be utilized through the performance of the present invention. The utilization of such fuels would include the process of coking a part of them, utilizing the gases produced by such coking as fuel gas after preferably preliminary treatment of superheating andivashing. This gas can be applied in various lines of work such as heating and motive power production. In carrying out this utilization method in the best manner, a considerable amount of specially designed apparatus is required for use in securing the aimed for result: such as means forscreening and sorting fuel, conveniences for thoroughly admixing fuels, special gasifving apparatus, gas pumps, mechanical draft producers, a superheater for cleaning the gas, and various heat eeonomizing devices. A specific description of these various structures is not needed in describing the present invention; but the inventive ideas claimed for the present invention, comprise coiiperative performances of certain combinations of steps the interdependent coifperation of which are needed to secure the aimed for result. It should be noted that in order to secure an economical utilization of what is herein designated as fuel wastes, special means and methods have to be adopted to secure sufficiently satisfactory results; whereas, under ordinary practices, it would usually not be worth while to reclaim and use such wastes. In cinders and in ordinary gas house coke, there is such a lack of concentration of heat forming constituents. that it is ordinarily not worth while using them alone; inasmuch as the volatilization of such fuel-Wastes under ordinary methods, produces gas that is poor in heat values. But by adding low cost fine fuel dusts, rich in. heat values, in properly proportioned admixture, with the more porous and harder fuels, we secure av fuel mass that gasilies well and produces a richer gas, and more intenseheat when burned. In some cases, the process of coking the fuel and gas produced from it, may be continuously effected in a producer, or the furnace in which the admixedfuels are being gasified.

While the present invention may be used in generating producer gas for the various uses of that gas, it is of particular value in the generation of heat-to be used in gefrew ating steam. in developing the electric current in the thermo-pile, and in various other applications in which sensible heat may be economically applied.

In particular, I draw attention to my method for securing an eliicient burning of the gasified fuel. As such gasitied fuel is usually deficient in its proportion of heat forming constituents, because of admixtures with nitrogen and carbon dioxid gas, it is particularly important that in its burning no more air-i'oncomluistion be admixed with it in its burning, than is necessary for union with the unturned-constituents in the gas. Dilution with excessive air is very widespread source of economic loss in the burning of fuels for motive power generation, and other uses. Such dilutions result in gaseous admixtures hai inga less intense degree of heat than would be the case if the dilution were avoided. This is an ill that should be prevented, inasmuch as burned. gases of low intensity of heat do not trans niit such low degrees of he t so thoroughly and so quickly as they would it they were of a higher intensity. If gases poor in thermic constituents are much diluted with air, they cannot be burned at all, unless i ighly preheated from an outside source, because the excessive air dilution prevents the attainment of, or holding of the temperature in the gas that is suiii'ciently higirto allow of combustion. In this case it is very much like throwing water on flame. There is cooling eliect. he securing of combustion necessitates the attainment of a so-called critica temperature, which i usually in the neighborhood of 1300 F. which varies according to the character of the terial being burned.

In burning the gasified fe crate, air a burning, or else I burn it in a confined space under pressures more or less higher than atmospheric pressure. In its burning under a steam boiler, such pneumatic premure may vary from a pressure represented by one water inch, up to eight or more water inches. In the internal combustion engine, the pressure may be up to 200 pounds per square inch or'more. In general, it may be said, that the poorer the gas that to be burned, the higher the pressure may be under which it is burned. Very rich gases, which are usiially expensive gases, can not be .-o economically used on this account in the internal combustion engine as gases poor in thcrinic units. A gas thermically poor. such as I produce, of a richness approximating that which would be represented by 100 B. T. The, is fully as effective in an internal combustion engine as a gas of a richnessof 500 B. T. U.s, the latter gas probably costing twenty times as much or more to malce. simply because the rich gas can not be brought to so high a degree of compression as the poorer quality of gas, without inducing a premature explosion or burning. For this reason, when fuel used is high in price, it may be economical to utilize it illl'Ollgll the internal combustion engine, notwithstanding the complexity attendin upon the preparation from the fuel (it a g suitable for that purpose. lint when iuci is low in price. it is more simple and economical to burn it in .w'fu under boilers for steam generation, rather than to carry out the full process of preparing the gas in such manner as to make it a satisfactory fuel for the internal combustion engine. @heap fuels are likely to be those which easily form smoke in their burning; and as my method is very advantageous in preventing smoke formation, the use of such cheap fuels Will usually be Found to be best through their utilization in the generation of steam. in all cases, however, 1 consider that the inuahle transfer of the energy resident in the fuel-Waste into a vendible and practically usable electric current, is no ultimate ideal aim of the invention. Energy in one form is in the fuel waste; but the same energy undergoing successive changes in the process i'nL JS of the invention becomes the aimed-for economically utilizaiolc product. it is in this way that the enormous deposits of fuel-wastes now in existence, can be most eiliciently and beneficially applied in prac tical uses in cities and other points of distribution.

Having nondescribed my invention, what I claim as new is:

The method here-1 nnlCil consists in, 1

l is relative sen eonstituei i1"- softer fuel containing a relatively large amount of easily volatili'zed constituents, (2) inserting a thick bed of admixed fuel in a furnace, (3) completely burning a part of said fuel by the aid of a forced draft of air, and volatilizing another part of said fuel, whereby through said volatilization a burnable'gas is evolved, and (4) admixing in accurate dosage air and the evolved burnable gas and burning the admixed air and burn'able gas, said last named step being performed under a controlled pneumatic pressure. a

2. The method of utilizing fuel wastes herein described, which consists in, (1) reclaiming a coked porous fuel from which easily volatilized burnable constituents have been driven by heat, (2) gasifyin the fuel under a controlled forced and un er a controlled induced pressure, (3) superheating the gas, (4) washing the gas, and (5) burning the gas under controlled pressure in combination with air in proper proportion to secure a complete combustion of the gas but without surplusage of such air.

3. The method of utilizing fuel wastes herein described, which consists in, (1) coking fuel, (2) producing a burnable gas from the coked fuel, (3) enriching the gas with burnable constituents, and (4) burning. the enriched gas with air under a mechanically produced pneumatic pressure.

,4, The method of utilizing fuel wastes herein described, which consists in, (1) forming a thick bed of 'fuel, (2) burning a part of the fuel and mechanically forcing the gaseous products of said burning through the balance of the thick bed of fuel, whereby burnable gas is generated, and (3') burning the burnable as in contact with air mechanically force but not in excess of air required to secure the combustion of the burnablc gas, said burning being effected under a controlled pneumatic pres sure higher than atmospheric pressure.

5. The method of utilizing fuel wastes herein described, which consists in, (1) forming a thick fuel bed of an admixed hard porous fuel and a finer more compact fuel-material containing richer and more easily volatilized burnable constituents than is contained in the hard porous fuel, (2) gasifying the thick bed of admixed fuels through the application of heat, (3) burning the gasified fuel in combination with air that is not in excess of the amount of air needed for combination with the burnable constituents in the gasified fuel, (4) generating from said burning a form of energvcapable of application in work, and (.5) distributing that form of energy in work.

6. The method of utilizing fuel wastes herein described, which consists in, generating roducer gas from such fuel wastes, burning said producer gas by forcing said gas in a state of high-heat against air, but without admixture of air with the gas before its burning.

JOSEPH MOSES WARD KITCHEN.

Witnesses:

BEATRICE Mmvrs Geo. L. WnnELocK.