US1772189A - Method of producing carbonized briquettes - Google Patents

Description

Aug. 5, A1930. c. v. MCINTIREy )$772,189

MTHOD`OF PRODUCING CARBONIZED BRQUETTES Filed Jui-y 15l 1924 Mw f, WM(

Bx' d ATroRNEY Patented Aug. 5, 1930 UNITED .STATES )PATENT OFFICE CHARLES V. MCINTIRE, OF EAST ORANGE, N

IEW4 JERSEY, ASSIGNOR TO CONSOLIDATION COAL PRODUCTS lCOMPANY, OF WILMINGTON, DELAWARE, A CORPORATION OF DEL- AWARE Application filed July 15,

The general object of the present inventionl is to provide an improved methodfof producing briquettes.t v l More specifically, the object of my inventionv is to provvide an'improved method of treating briquettes lformed from the char or so called semi-coke produced by the low temperature carbonization of coal and' a suitable binder such as asphalt or pitch, to vol'atilize a large portion of the binder and thereby produce finished briquettes Which will burn-freely but With practically' smokeless combustion,

temperature 'carbonization may have contained 36% or more of volatile matter. Of the binder addedtothe semi-coke, approximately 50% will be of an oilyvolatile nature andthe remainder Will be carbon. rIhebriquettes as they come from the briquetting machine, Willalsocontain something like 5 to of moisture.- ;'v

The briquettes produced as above described as they come from the briquetting machine` contain an uridesirably large amount of volatile matter and their combustion'is attended with an excessive and highly objectionable o smoke formation. To eliminate excess volathe Vbriquettes Without objectionable.l smoke, it h-as heretofore been proposed ,to subject the briquettes to a 'carb'nlzing4 actionl in a closed retort at a temperature equal to-or .approaching that employed' in the so-calledhigh temperature carbonization of coal. In accordance with the present invention, I Isubject'the'm to a heat treatment at a temperature preferablywell-'belowA that last men-I tioned, in an internally heat ed, ,retort o as' tile -matter and to make it possiblejto burnA METHQD or rnonucrncr CARBONIZED BnIQUn'r'rEs i924.-` seriai No. 726,216.

to eliminate the-smoke producing volatile constituents While at the-same vtimeleaving a sufficient" amount .of volatile material in the finished briquettes kto make the latter easy to ignite and to' enable them to burn about as freely, and Withthe same character of flame, yas anthracite coal. l`

The one ligure of the'dravving is a somewhat diagrammatic elevation partly in section of onevform of apparatus suitable for carrying .out the invention.

'Ihe retort A shown in the drawing is of the Vertical-continuous type comprislng an upper heating portion or retort chamber Af proper, of lprogressively increasing diameter from top to bottom, vand a lower cooling chamber A1". The briquettes are passed into ther upper end of the retort Al from a chuteA B, pasta gate or valve C Which'may be arranged'and operated in a known manner to supply briquettes at the required rate, and

to prevent the escape of gases from the retort into thechuteB. Advantageously, as shown, the retort structure comprises a casing shell of metal and a lire brick liningA2 for the heating chamber A', the lining being suffic iently `massiife to avoid 'objectionable heat radiation losses., VThe brick .Work lining A2,

as shown, is supported at its lower end byV Water cooled supports D. E represents dis-.

charge rolls the operation of which controls therate of discharge from the .retort chamber proper into the cooling chamber A10, from Which the finished briquettes when sufficiently cooled are discharged through a valve cony trolled1 outlet A11.

Adjacent the lower end of the retort chamber A are ports G through which air and a combustible gas are introduced into the retort. At higher levels though still substantially belowthe top of the retort are other ports F through which airalone is introduced into the retort.. Preferably the air supplied l to the ports-G andl` is preheated, and as shown in the drawing, the air supplied to the ports Gand F comes from the outlet pipe II" Otan air preheater H whichr is a heat exchanger for transferring-heat .from the gasesleaving the top ofthe retort through the gas outlet I, to air supplied to the heat exchanger H through a pipe H2 under pressure as by means of a blower (not shown). Gases coming from the retort outlet to the preheater H escapefrom the latter through conduit H3. As show n, the pipe H is connected to distributing piping K from .which there is a separate valved outlet K to each of the ports G and F. Gas is supplied to the ports G from distributing piping L .which has a separate valved outlet L to each port Gr. The combustible gas supplied to the pipingLmay consist in part of a portion ot the gases leaving the heat exchanger through the outlet-H3, and in part of a somewhat richer gas,`or of a gas from some independent source. As shown in the drawings, valved pipe M Jforms a means for supplying'a richer gas to the piping L, and a valved branch H4t from the pipe H3 forms a means for supplying gas to the piping L from the gas outlet of the heat exchanger H.

#In the contemplated operation'of theapparatus shown in the drawing, air and combustible gas are supplied to the retort through the ports G as required to heat the briquettes to a maximum temperature of something like 13000 F. this maximum temperature being obtained at or about the level ofthe lowermost ports G. The briquettes entering the retort-through the chute B at atmospheric temperatures, or somewhat above when they come directly from the briquetting machine,

are heated up more or less gradually as they pass downto the zone of maximumtemperature. As the briquettes are thus. progressively heated up, the most of the volatile constituents of the briquette binder are drivenyout of the briqu'ettes, as is an appreciable portion of the volatile constituents of the semi-coke. A characteristic'advantage of the invention is found in the fact,however, that by heating briquettes in accordance with the present invention, I am enabled to free them almost entirely from smokev forming constituents while they still retain some 8 to 10% of volatile matter.

Ordinarily, I regulate the relative amounts of air -and combustible gassupplied tothe retort so as to make the air supply insufficient for the complete combustionzof all the combustile gas in the retort at any level therein, and I am thus able to burnthe combustible material supplied through'the ports G and Vthat driven out of the briquettes in amount suficient to heat the briquettes to themaximum temperature desired with practically no y combustion of the solid carbonaceous framework o the briquettes. The elimination of the smoke forming constituents of the binder quettes.

from the briquettes, in the manner described, leaves the latter suiliciently strong and tough or elastic to avoid objectionable breakage in the handling and transportation of the briu The gases escaping from the retort through the outlet Igare a mixture of'prodoils in amount suliicientto justify byproduct recovery. As already stated, somewoiy:I the gas can well be employed inheatingthe retort. It will he obvious, however, thatnot all of the gas leaving the retort can befreturned to the latter, land'I consider it necessary in most; cases to supply some of the retort heating'requirementsby the combustion of asuhstantially richer gas than that withdrawn from the retort. The portion of the gas withdrawn from the retort and not returned to the latter may ordinarily be used with advantage ih heating -the primary retorts in whichA the semi-coke for the briquettes is' produced by low temperature carbonization.

- Having now described my invention, what I claimsas'new and desire to secure byLettersr` Patent,`is:

l. The method of'treating carbonizahle briquettes molded from semi-coke and a pitch-.

binder having readily volatile smoke forming constituents which comprises heating the briquettes progressively up to a temperature quettes continuously through a retort and furnishing the required heat by the combustion of gas within the retort in contact with the briquettes.

2. Thev method of treating carhonizahle biquettes molded from semi-coke and a pitch binder having readily volatile smoke formin constituents which comprises heating the br1' quettes progressively up to a temperature' high enough to volatilize substantially all of the smoke forming constituents inthe briquettes and low 'enough -to maintain the volatile content'exclusive ofmoistu'r of th'ebri-` quettes when carbonized over seven percent (7%) by passing the briquettes continuously'v through a retort in one direction,` withdrawing gases from, and maintaining an'atmosphere of burning gases yiiI-sa'id1 re'fo rt by supplying air and combustible' gasv to the 'retortin contact with the briquette'sto create a flow of the retort atmosphere 'counter to said'directio'n and the generation of 'suilicient heat to'efect such volatilization while restricting combustion to reduce combustionof the .non-f volatile portion of the briquettes to 'a negligible'v amount.

3;" The method of treatingea-rboni'zablebriquettes molded from semi-cokeand a hydro-- carbonaceous binder which comprises'heating the briquettes progressively up to a temperature high enough to Volatilize'substantially all of the smoke forming constituents in the'A briquettes and low enough'to avoid volatilizing aconsiderable portion of the volatile con-v 'quettes continuously through a retort and heating the retort by the combusti-on of gases CII in contact with said briquettes.

Ll. The method of treating carbonizable briquettes molded from semi-coke and a hydrocarbonaceous binder which comprises heating the briquettes progressively up Ato a temperature high enough to volatilize substantially all of the smoke. forming constituents in the briquettes and low enough to avoid volatilizing a considerable portion of the volatile constituents of the seniicoke by passing the bxriquettes continuously through a retort and generating the necessary heat by supplying combustible gas to the retort and burning the gas therein including the supplying of sueient air to the retort chamber to produce partial Combustion in Contact with the briquettes of the combustible gases supplied to the retort and volatilized out o't the briquettes therein.

5. The method of treating carbonizable briquettes molded from semi-coke and a pitch binder which vcomprises passing the briquettes continuously through a retort, carbonizing the said briquettes in said retort so as to avoid volatilizing a considerable portion of the volatile constituents of the semicoke, withdrawing gases produced by the carbonization from the retort, returning some of said gases to the retort, and supplying the heat for the carbonization by burning the returned gases therein in Contact with the briquettes including supplying air for combustion to the retort chamber in contact with the briquettes in amount suiiicient to avoid the consumption in combustion of an appreciable portion of the volatile constituents of the semi-coke.

6. The method of treating carbonizable bri'- quettes molded from semi-coke and a pitch binder which comprises passing the briquettes continuously through a retort, carbonizing the said briquettes in said retort so as to avoid volatilizing a considerable portion ot the volatile constituents ot the semicoke, withdrawing gases produced by the carbonization from the retort, returning some oi' said gases to the retort, supplying to said retort additional combustible gasf a higher B. t. u. value than the gases withdrawn from the retort, and supplying the heat for the carbonization by burningA the gases returned and supplied to the retort in Contact with the briquettes in the retort including supplying air .for combustion to the retort chamber in amount sufl'icient to maintain temperature conditions low enough to avoid volatilizing a considerable portion of the volatile constituents of the semi-coke.

7 The method of treating carbonizable briquettes molded from semi-coke and a pitch binder which comprises passing the briquettes continuously through a retort. carbonizing the said briquettes in said retort so as to avoid volatilizing a considerable portion of the volatile constituents of the semicolte, withdrawing gases produced by the carbonization from the retort, returning a portion ot' said gases to the retort, supplying the heat for the carbonization by burning the gases returned in contact with the briquettes in the retort including supplying air for conibustion to the retort chamber in amount snilicient to avoid volatilizing an appreciablev portion. of the volatile constituents of the semi'- coke, and preheating said air by transferring heat thereto from the gases withdrawn from `the retort.

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