US1593208A - Process of coking coal - Google Patents

Description

July zo, 1926.A

1,593,208 H. H. CULMER y PROCESS OF COKING COAL Filed Jan. 19, 1920 sheets-sheet 1 Zij-Z.

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1,593,208 H. H. cULMER PROCESS OF COKING COAL July 20 1926.

Filed Jan. 19. 1920 2 Sheets-Sme?I 2 Patented July 2o, 192e.

HARRY H. CULMER, F CHICAGO, ILLINOIS.

PROCESS COKING COAL.

Application l'ed January 19, 1920.v Serial No. 352,309.

My invention relates to improvements in the process of coking coaland refers more particularly to a process in which the coal chargein the coking oven is vented to allow the heat of the oven to permeate Vmore quickly into the body of the eoal at the\same time allowing a free circulationand escape of the tarsl and gaseous vapors produced, also reducing the time necessary for the completion of the process as compared with former processes and producing a more uniform product.

Among its salient objects arey to provide a process in which the coal char ein the coking oven is vented longitudinally, later ally or in both directions to permit' the o ven heat to reach the body of the coal more-v quickly-toV provide a means of ventingtflie coal charge so that the venting meansl will not interfere with the removable coke after the completion of the process; to provide a process in which the. ytar and gases driven off from the coal charge by the heat are allowed to escape through the vents inthe coal, obviating the difficulties encountered with an almost impervious zone of tar andA pitch. l

Other objects of the present invention are to provide a process in which the moisture, tar and gaseous vapors are permitted free egress at all times duringy the coking of the coalso as not to disturb @the bond f the coke at the time it is melting and setting together and preventing bubbles being blown,'inthe plastic zone, causing porous coke; 'to provide a substance which is cheap and of such a nature that it eifectually keeps open the ducts during the coking process in the presence of the high degree 0f heat to which it is subjected; to provide a process in which the coal is put into the furnace or oven in a plurality of combustible or carbonizable containers so that when the oven heat has reduced 'the container Wall, there will remain a number of, vents or ducts through the coal which permit the, heat to penetrate quickly to the body of the coal; at the same time coking the coal into coke cubes substantially the size of the containers, thereby supplying a convenient sizel product and one that is very uniform in texture.

I have found that, in any type of oven or retort, there is produced in the coal charge a semi-solid mass ,durin thev period in which the oils and tars are liberated and charge.

wall. This sealing of the voids between the f particles of coal does not allow the oils and gases to escape from the coking zone and causes 'the gaseous lheating vapors-to be This plastic Zone gradually backs away from the y he'at at -the same time effectually sealing the drawny back` through the hot coke.

heat fromfcoming in contact with the fresh coal. The heat expended in this plastic Wall retards the heat from attacking the fresh coal charge and accounts for the time neces'4 sary to.. complete the coking of the entire Due to I`this zone of tar, intense heating has to be resorted to in order to coke thefresh coalbehind the plastic zone or Wall. y

Occasionally steam, light'oils .and gases driven offin the heatingof the coal will burst this plastic wall and cause the foamy or hone comb structures therein. If these gases could escape without causing pressure against the incoming heat and proper means were provided for carryingl off' the oil, tar

and gaseous vapors as they are formed, a stronger, firmer and -f more compact coke would result.

By arranging vents in the coal charge at intervals,- the pressure caused by the steam and gaseous vapors confined in the untreated coal is -allowed to escape and the heat of the furnace permitted to penetrate quickly to the body-of the coal. The pressure produced in the untreated coal is caused by steam and gaseous vapors` which the heat A drives oif from the coal while the tar zone is'being formed. In this tar zone or plastlc Wall, the voids are cemented with tar and *other forms of heavy hydrocarbons and these must be driven out by the heat and bubbles of gas and vapor passin through the plastic zone. It is this condltlon that 1s the main cause of*l spongy -coke being formed. lDucts or vents of some nature are necessary Whether the gases are taken from the body of the fresh lcoal or caused to escape back through the het coke zone and by providing constant means of egress-for the moisture, oil and tar vapors, uickacess isk given the heat to the untreateA coaL,

fective method of accomplishing the desired.'v

result, and one vwhich obviates the objections of cleaning", refitting and replacing i tubes and ducts after eachcoking run.

AIn the drawings Fig. 1 is a planview of the stray;7 mat before folding to fori'n a container. f

Fig. 2 is an edge view ofx themat shown in Fig.' 1.

Fig. 3 is a side view of the mat shown .i

y Fig. 1, folded to form a container where a n band is used for holding the upturned edges in place.

Fig. 4 is a top view of container shown in Fig. 3.

Fig. 5 is a side view of container where a staple is used .for holding the upturned edges in place.

Fig. 6 is a perspective view of a block of stacked containers with coal therein.

Fig 7 is a side view of coke oven with parts broken away, showingposition of vent mats and core. Fig. 8 isa lan view of cover for oven` shown in Fig.

Fig. 9 is a plan view or horizontal ve-nt mat shown in Fig. 7.

10 is a plan viewof retort shown in Referring to the drawings, 1 designates a mat made of straw or other combustible substance held together by stitching shown at 2. The slots 3 are cut into the edges of the mat and together with the folding of the mat along the lines 4, provide a means of upturning the edges to form square containers, considered as a whole at 8, and shown in the succeeding Figures 3, 4, 5 and 6. To hold these upturned edges in place, bands 5 of fabric, vpaper or like material -are'placed around the perimeter of the container. Staples 6 may be used instead of the bands to hold the upturned portions in place. These contai-nersY are lled with ground coking coal and are stacked into a coking furnace or oven of any common type (not shown).

It may be necessary to alter the shape of the container to better fit the interior of Y. the oven, but I have chosen vto show a\ fas ous vapors yand ditlculty has constantly arisen in freeing the coal body of these oils.

`tars and vapors without producing an uneven texture in the coke. Also in coking, the coal will form a plastic Wall in front of the heating zone, which retards to a great extent the action of the heat upon the -untreated coal. To remedy this, I put the ground coal in a combustible container and stack the containers in the manner shown in Fig. 6 in the oven. When the heat of the oven begins to melt the coal, the gaseous vapors given oif will seek the container Walls, which will act as ducts or vents and will readily pass off as vapor. In this way I do away with the forming of a plastic wall and cause the heating gases to penetrate quickly to the body of the coal. Also due to? the open vented portions produced by the container walls, the coke produced is of a very ne texture.

As the container walls are carbonized by the heating gases they tend to divide the coal body into blocks substantially the size ofthe containers. This aids materially in the removing of the cokeffrom the oven in that the blocks Will come out in separate units and may be stacked conveniently in bins or in waiting cars. y

In Fig. 7 I show a form'of oven which consists of a cylindrical retort 9 constructed of silica clay or like material, being provided withtwo cover ortions 10 and 11, which are held in place by clamps 12 and 13 respectively. Clamping screws 14 secure the clamps and covers to fianges upon the cylindrical retort. A hole 15 in either end of the cover portions provides means for inserting the vent core 16 andare` tapped vto receive pipes 17 which lead to a condenser core therethrough. This retort is mounted in a fire box, the walls of which are frag# mentarily shown at 20. The heating gases in the iire box reduce the coal in the retort, the heat penetrating vfrom the outer surface of the retort toward the center core. The vapors and gas produced in the coal escape through the horizontal mats which extend to the inner surface of the retort. As the heat penetrates into thel coal body, the gases and vapors which produce a semisolid or plastic wall, work inwardly from the surface of the retort toward the combustible core.

It will be noted .that the oils and vapors which combine to form this plastic wall do not produce an impenetrable mass, as the mats 18 furnish an outlet at all times for the generated vapors. As the heat works `vents inward, the coal at the outer part of the retort is coked and the mats are consumed or reduced. At all events they serve as a separating wall between the respective sections of thelcoal body. When the heating gases have finally consumed the central core and the coal body has been reduced to coke of a uniform texture, the covers ofthe retort may be taken'off and the coke removed. During the coking process, the vaporous 'by-products pass ofi' through pipe 17 to any suitable condenser where they arecollected.

I claim as my invention 1. A process for coking coal, comprising` charging a cokingoven wlth discrete masses of coal separated by a plurality of cari vbonizable but non-colring fillers, sl'ibjecting inthe 'coal charge, subjecting the 'charge to j heat to cause carbonizat-ion of the coal and .,llers, whereby the heated gases' released from the coal,v may penetrate the body of the coal and escape through the vents produced by the carbonization of the connected fillers.

3. A` process'for coking coal, comprising charging a colring oven with discrete masses of coal separated by a` plurality of car'- lhonizable but non-Coking yfillers arranged longitudinally and transversely in.the coal charge, subjecting the contents of the coking oven to suflicient heat toy carbonize the coal and fillers whereby the released gases may permeate the body 'of coal and passy through the vents produced by thel carbonization and disintegration of the fillers.

4. Apr/ocess for'coking coal, comprising charging a closed retort with discrete masses of coal separated by a plurality of passages filled with a carboniz'able but substantially non-coking material, subjecting the contents of the closed retort to sufiicient external heat t...carbo nize the coal and carbonizable material whereby the released gases and vapors may permeate the coal body through the passages formed by the carbonization oiffthe carbonizable materials.

HARRY H. CULMER.

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