US196714A - Improvement in coking coal and desulphurizing the coke - Google Patents

Description

To `all-whom "it mag/:concern:

air cannot be l`force LEVISTEVENS, OF WASHINGTON, DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA.

' i lMFRovE-'MENT .IN 'come com. AND DEs'uLPHumzlNc THE COKE.

-Specificationfoi'ining part of Letters Patent No. 196,714, dated October 30, 1877; application led s .v A, i i `October 15, 1877'.

Beit known that r, L-vrsmvmvs, of Washington, District. of Columbia, havey invented anlmproved Processfor Coking Coal and Desulph'urizing Coke; L and I do hereby declare that-the 'following` `description and accompaffnyin drawing are sufficient to enable vany person skilled int-the art or science 1towhich it mostnearly appertains to make and use my said inventionwithout further invention or experiment. 'f

' In coking'certain coals-as, .for example, a

- large portion ofithecoal found in the `State Aof t Illinois-the col 111er'g-jtvofore produced'by any `ordinary mcthodis of such iable nature that if usedlfor., metallurgie purposeslin furnaces,

,j it cannot' s ustainfthejweight of j, the charge` powdenf through whichi uniformly, and only iinperfect combustionfis producede-'-v These coals also containan, amount of sulphur l that must be removed before they can be used .successfully in blastfurnaces. y e, f My invention relates to an improved method of coking said Y coals and other sulphurous 7 coals. i

Myginventi'on consistsin passing the entire volune lof thegases fromca fresh charge of coal whilecokingin kone chamber into and Q through a highlyfheated body of coke 'contained in another chamber, resulting from a previous `charge of coal, wherebysaid coke takes up `carbon from the gases, retains the same, and is thereby rendered` iirmand compact,l the chambers being alternately charged and discharged, and the course vof the gases being reversed. y

4 My invention yfurther consists in introducing lsteaml at,l about *1,0000 Fahrenheitinto theovensjor chambers for a certain length of time afterlthe coalgis coked,v for the purpose of desulphuriz'ingthe same.

' I amvaware thatcoke-ovens havebeen constructed in ysuch amanner that the burning gases on top of the coal heated it downward7 A and as the gases fromthe coal below were eX- pelled some portions of them were arrested Vand deposited inthe heated coke above. My lmethod differs from this, in that I pass the whole volume of gases expelled from one entire charge through the mass of coke in anadl'joining oven, the coke therein being highly "..sulphur from a heavy sulphurous coal is expelled. To overcome this reduction of heat in the coke, I have found it necessary to heat the steam before it comes in contact with the t, Icoke to about 1,0000 Fahrenheit. With steam at this temperature the heat of the coke is but slightly, if any, reduced.

Referring to the accompanying drawing for a more complete explanation of my invention, the drawing represents, in perspective, and partly in section, two ovens built together to economize material and to utilize heat to the best advantage.

In coking coal that contains a large percentage of volatile hydrocarbons it is necessary to sustain a high temperature in the ovens, and to construct them with separate chambers that are charged alternately with coal in such a manner that one of the chambers-namely, the one containing the coke-is kept charged and at a high temperature, whereby the coke therein is kept in a condition to receive the deposit of rich carbon gas from theY cinI/J the next chamber.A By this means the carbon from the volatile products of the coal in the adjoining chamber is arrested and deposited onA the coke, improving it in /quantity and quality.

A A represent two chambers; Bfte partiand is perforated with holes corresponding to holes H in partition-wall B.

The operation is as follows: The chamber A being charged with coal that becomes' heated, the gases pass through the perforated wall B into the chamber A (the damper C being raised and the damper C closed) and heat it, and then pass through the iue shown at G, controlled by the damper C, into the ue E, at the point where air is admitted through the opening F to burn said gases. They then pass around the ovens, as indicated by the arrows, to the main flue M, through a iue controlled by the damper D', and escape to the chimney. After the chamber A' has been in operation for about twelve hours, the chamber A is charged with coal through the opening L, the dampers C and D are closed, and dampers C and D are opened, changing the course of the gases from the chamber A to A', where the coke therein receives the deposit of carbon until steam is admitted to desulphurize said coke, and it is then discharged, leaving the chamber-A ready for a new charge of coal, when the position of the dampers is again reversed, and brought to the position shown in the drawings.

After the coal is thoroughly coked, as stated above, and for about an hour before it is discharged, I introduce steam heated to about 1,0000 Fahrenheit into the pipe I, from superheaters set in a separate furnace, patented January 20, 1873. The temperature of the coke being about 1,8000 Fahrenheit, the introduction of steam at this high temperature will not reduce the temperature of the coke very materially. Steam under these conditions is readily decomposed, furnishing hydrogen and oxygen, that readily combine with the sulphur and carry it olf. The ovens can be arranged in many ways so that two of them can be made to operate together. The gases can also be introduced in various ways and produce similar results without departing from the nature of my invention. Any device that will cause the gases from either oven, when charged with coal, to pass through a corresponding oven that has been charged a sufficient length of time for the gases of the coal to be expelled, the coke therein contained being heated to incandescence, will produce the desired result of arresting in the coke a large percentage of the rich carbon gases that would-otherwise be lost, and rendering it heavier and more compact thlan now produced by any ordinary modes of co mg. Y-

Having thus described my invention, what I claim is 1. The herein-described process ofwcogking coal, which consists in assing the gases evolved from the coking coll contained in one chamber into and through the coke containedv in an adjoining chamber, produced from a previous charge, and kept at a high temperature, whereby said coke takes up carbon from the hydrocarbon gases of the coking coal, and is thereby rendered compact land iirm, in the manner substantially as described.

2. The process of coking and desulphurizing coal, which consists inpassingthe gases from the coking-chamber into highly-heated coke contained in an adjoiningchamber and subsequently passing' steam heatedto about 1,0000 Fahrenheit into said highly-heated coke,

whereby the latter is desulphurized, substantially as described. y

LEVI STEVENS. Witnesses:

JN0. D. PATTEN, A. MOORE.

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