US330731A - Process of manufacturing coke - Google Patents

Description

(No Model.)

H. M. PIERCE.

PROCESS OF MANUFACTURING 00KB.

No. 330,731. Patented Nov. 17, 1885";

IlNrrnn Snares Farnmr @rricn.

HENRY M. PIERCE, OF EASHVILLE, TENNESSEE.

PROCESS OF MANUFACTURING COKE.-

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 330,731, dated November 17, 1885.

Application filed July 31, 1884.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, HENRY M. PIERCE, a citizen of the United States, residing at Nashville, in the county of Davidson and State of Tennessee, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Processes of Manufacturing Coke; and I hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the same, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, which form a part of this specification, showing the preferred means adapted to carry out the method.

The method commonly practiced in this country for the manufacture of coke consists in the use of small mound-shaped ovens about ten (10) feet in diameter at the base, and adapted to hold a charge of about four (4) tons, or one hundred (100) bushels. The firing is done at the top and the coking process proceeds fromabove' downward, first supported by combustion of the upper layer of coal, and afterward by the volatile matter and gases evolved from the deeper layers, and which becomes ignited and burns in the upper or vacant portion of the oven. The air to support combustion is admitted in limited quantities by means of ports or around the top of the coke-oven door. The difficulties encountered by this method are, first, loss from the per cent. of coal consumed in the early stages of the process; secondly, loss from the imperfectly-coked mass which remains in the oven; thirdly, the loss from or waste of the large percentage of the heatingpower of the volatile matters, gases, &c., which burn in the upper part of the oven and as a result thereof; fourthly, the unequal heating of the oven, and the unnecessarily slow progress of the coking.

To avoid the cost entailed by the use of small 0vens,,and in a measure the loss from the imperfectly-coked mass remaining in the bottom of the ovens, large kilns open at the top have been employed, and the coking process con ducted by cross-firing and by proceeding from below upward, for which purposes a series of horizontal air and draft flues were constructed in the bottom ofthe charge; but by this method, though the limitation of the charge was avoided, the loss from consumed coal still resulted, and the loss of the heating value of the gas and volatile products was augmented.

A third mode of procedure has been to em- Serial No. 139,263. (No model.)

ploy a series of vertical retorts surrounded by combustion-fines wherein the gas evolved from the cokingcharge was burned to heat the retort and perform the coking. By this means, while the heating value of the evolved gas, &c., was saved, the capacity of the oven and plant was limited with all its attendant cost and disadvantages, save the unequal heating of the charge.

Having above pointed out the methods commonly practiced and the means employed, I will now first indicategenerally the character of my invention, and then describe specifically the best manner now known to me of carrying it into effect. Its objects are to avoid loss of fuel by direct combustion of any portion of the charge, therefore I conduct the process by radiated heat; secondly, to utilize all the heating value of the evolved gases, consequently I utilize said gases as the fuel for producing the heat to heat the whole charge uniformly, and at the sametime avoid the deposit of tarry matter and the formation of an imperfectly-coked mass at the bottom of the charge and the attendant loss, so I apply the radiated heat at the bottom of the charge; and, finally, to avoid limiting the size of the charge to be treated, and this results as a sequence of applying the heat at the bottom of the charge. Therefore the method may be generally stated as conducting the coking process by means of radiated heat applied to the base or bottom of the charge or mass, said heat being produced by the combustion of the volatile vapors and gases evolved from the charge during the coking process.

I will next describe the apparatus which I have devised for the purpose.

In the drawings, Figure 1 is a perspective view of a battery of several coke-ovens, constituting a plant or works. Fig. 2 is a vertical longitudinal section of an oven and its appurtenances. Fig. 3 is a horizontal section on the line :20 m, Fig. 2, showing the charge or coking chamber. Fig. 4 is a similar section on the line y 3 Fig. 2, showing the main combustion-chamber and radiating or branch combustion-chamber.

Like letters refer to like parts wherever they occur.

A A A indicate a series of ovensof like character arranged in battery. Each oven is and injectors ofthe combustible gases.

by preference of a rectangular or.quadrilateral form, having its outer walls of brick or stone,with a lining of fire-brick, if preferred, and, if found necessary, a packing or deadair space between the outer wall and lining, as in constructing some classes of .blast-furnaces. In size it generally exceeds an ordinary cokeov'en, havinga capacity of, say, from forty to sixty tons, being practically limited only by the convenience of the manufacture. At the bottom, and extendinglongitudinally, (and preferably centrally fromend to end,) is an arched fiue,tunnel, or combustion-chamber, B, from which at short intervals extend transverse branches 1;, which terminate in lateral collecting-fines 0, leading. tosuitable chim neys, c. The number andarrangement of the branches 1) will be such as to form, practically, a hollow hearth or bottom for thewholeoven. The chimneys may be of triangular formand occupy the corners of the oven, thussaving space and giving to theoven an interiorform, which facilitates the withdrawal of the coke.

Directly over the combustion-chamberB and its branches 1) is laid the iioor of the coking chamber. At each end of the oven A are two or more doors, a a, through which the oven may be charged and the coke withdrawn when the coking process is finished, and separating the doors or occupying the space between the same at each end of the oven: is situated a chambcigalso of triangular cross-section, and forming a dead-air space extending from the floor to the roof of the cokingchamber.

It will be observedthat the triangular form of the chimneys c and chamber 0 economizes space, and at the same time frees theioven of corners or pockets, which: might. not be read ily accessible when removing the coke. :Each chimney may be provided witha steam-jet to induce a draft thereth rough when desired.

In the crown orarch of the ovenare twoor more gas-ports, a, which may be also usedas charging-ports for introducing coal when desired. These ports are provided withstoppers for closing thesame when not in use.

In the end walls of the oven,just, below the crown or arch, one or more at-each end, are gas-pipes cl, provided with valves d anddelivering into a receiving-main, D. ;In this pipe (1, just beyond the valve 61, is arranged a steam-jet, e, which may besupplied with steam from any suitable source; and. extending from the receiving-main D ata pointopposite the pipe (1 is a valved cross-pipe,, d which connects with a delivery-maimE, from which a branch gas-pipe, (i provided with a steam-jet, projects into the. combustion-chamber B. The function of the steam-jets in the pipes d and d is respectively to act as ejectors This construction is preferably applied to each end of the furnace, as shown in Fig.2, so that the heat may be uniformly distributedathrough the passages 12.

hen asingle oven A is employed, the receiving-main D and delivery main E may be dispensed with, and the pipes d d? d may be consolidated andhave but a single steam jet and valve.

The above description, which has been limited to a single oven, is to be understood as applying to each oven of the series shown.

I will next describe the arrangement and connection of ovens when a series or plant is employed.

Any number of ovens A, according to the size of the ovens and the capacity of the desired-works, are arranged in line in j uxtaposition, and the gas exits or pipes cl of each oven are connected with receivingmains D, which extend the length of the battery. There are also delivery-mains E (one for each side of the battery, as is theqcase of: the receivingmains D) extending the length of the battery parallel with and below the receiving-mains, and thesemainsoare connected withthe gaspipes 01 .Where thevolatile vapors and gases evolved from thecoking coal are to be used in the condition in which theycome from the ovens, the receiving-mains D may be connected directlywiththe delivery-mains Eby the bypathsFalone; but as it is sometimes desirable to eliminate from the gases evolved in the oven the ammonia, &c., a condenser or scrubber, Gr, may be interposed between the receiving-main D and the :deliv-ery-mainE, so that the gas, .&c., can be :used innaturalcondition or after treatment, as preferred.

The devices being substantially of the character' hereinbefore specified, the process will be conducted as follows: The ovens are duly charged with the coal toxbe coked, and where the plant is first or originally put in operation the charge is heated. by radiated heat from a fire kindled in the combustion-chamber B,

. thesgas-ports aare opened, and, the fire being urged, the vapors, gases, 8rd, are permitted to escape at 0/ until they are found to be of i an inflammable character. When this occurs, the va-lvesdofpipes d are opened and the ports a closed, which permits-the evolved gases, v&c.,.toenter the receiving-main D. Jet 6 may then be started, (thevalve in crosspipe d being' open,).and the gas forced .directly fromthe oven through pipes d d d into. the combustion-chamber B, (at each end' of.the..oven,).where, being ignited, it. burns, developing-an intense heat, which is distributeduthrough. the-various branch flues b under. the whole coking-chamber, and radiates: intothe. base thereof, the gases evolved from 1 the charge serving to convey the heat into the upper layers thereof, so that the coking process progresses upward from 1 below rapidly and uniformly until the whole charge iscoked. Toward 'the close of the coking process, if it is desired to expedite matters and insure the perfect coking of the: upper layer, the steam-jet e .and damper d in pipe d may ,beclosed so as to. out off the voven from the receiving-mainD. The portsa may be then opened, and the gas remaining .in' the top or upper part of the .kiln may be ignited therein,

so as to apply a more direct and immediate heat to the upper layer of the charge; or where the ovens are worked in batteries, as shown in Fig. 1, the valves of the cross-pieces d may be closed, and the gas, after entering the receiving-main D, may pass the length thereof and into delivery-mains E, either directly by the by-paths F or after passing through the condensers, scrubbers, &c., at G.

As each chimney c is provided, with a steam-jet and a damper, (which are not shown, as they can be of any common and well-known character,) in case the coking should be progressing more rapidly at one part of the coking-chamber than at another, the jets can be temporarily turned off and the chimneys closed on that side or portion, and the whole or larger part of the heating-flame turned under that portion of the coking-chamber where the process is progressing more slowly, and thus the balance or equilibrium can be restored. This advantage is one of the incidents of heating by radiation through baseflues of the general character specified.

As the various pipes and mains d, d (P, D,

and E are provided with suitable valves,

steam jets, and connections, as hereinbefore specified, it is apparent that any one or more of the ovens can be cut out of the series when it is to be charged or the coke withdrawn; that when the battery has once been put in operation that operation can be continuously maintained without other fuel than the gas evolved from the coal in the coking process, and that any oven may be heated either by the gas evolved therein or by gas from the other ovens of a battery, and consequently the ovens, though arranged in battery, may be operated independently.

I do not herein claim the apparatus described, as the same is made the subject-matter of a separate case, Serial No. 160,933, filed April 1, 1885.

Having thus set forth the nature, advantages, and operation of my invention, what I claim, and desire to secure by Letters Patent,

1. As an improvement in the manufacture of coke, the method of conducting the furnace operation which consists in first carrying on the coking process by radiated heat until a stage near the completion of the process, and then firing the evolved gas in the chamber above the charge and completing the coking by the heat therefrom, substantially as and for the purposes set forth.

2. As an improvement in the art of manufacturing coke, the method of conducting the furnace operation which consists in heating the charge by radiation until inflammable gases are given off, then leading said gases beneath the floor of the coking-chamber and burning them therein, thereby coking the under layers of the charge by radiated heat, and finally shutting off the flow of gases to the under combustion-chamber and burning them in the top of the kiln, thereby coking the top layers of the charge by direct heat, substantially as described.

In testimony whereof I have affixed my sig nature, in presence of two witnesses, this 28th day of July, 1884.

HENRY M. PIERCE.

Witnesses:

R. W. BAGOT, STEWART CHURCH.

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