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Description

A @niet gram tem; @una EOBEE'r M. EEYEE AND ANDREW E. EEY'EE, OE NEW YORK, N. Y. ASSIONORS TO NATIONAL OAS-LIGHT COMPANY, OE SAME PLAGE.

Letters Patent No. 73,521, dated January 21, 1868.

IMPROVEMENTS IN` THE MANUFAGTURE OI ILLUMINATING-GAS,

tlge Srlgshult referat tu' in that @dan ntent mit 'nuttig part at tte tame.

TO ALL WHOM IT MAY CONCERN:

Be it known that we, ROBERT M. FEYER and ANDREW RUFRYER, of the city of 'New York, inthe county and State of New York, have invented a new and improved Method of Making Illuminating-Gas, which we have designated Fryers Gas-Apparatus; and we do hereby declare that the following is a full and exact description of the same, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, and to the letters of reference marked the-reep.

In the ordinary process of gas-manufacture, tue turee principal products of coal are gas, coke, and coal-tar. The amount of gas obtained from a ton of coal is, by the ordinary process, on an'average less than ten thousand' cubic feet, whereas the products ofa ton of coal may be inade to yield nearlyl double that amount. The small quantity of gas and thelarge quantity ofother products by the ordinary process are duetto the method usually employed in gas-making, of subjecting the coal and its products to but one process. The lower the heat to which coal is subjected, the less the coke left in theretorts, and the greater the heat, the greater also will be the l weight of coke left in the retortsl The products by the low heat would be, for the most part, vapors, while the quantity of gas would be small, but of the very best illuminating power. -Under a high heat,the quantity of gas would be much larger than under the low heat, but of a very poor illuminating quality. It is therefore evident, that in order to obtain a good illuminating-gas, and the full quantity that coal is capable of yielding, the process of subjecting the coal to distillation must be separated from the process of converting the products of distillation into illuminating-gas.

The nature ot' our invention consists in constructing a gas-apparatus in such a manner as will accomplish thisresult. v v

To enable others skilled in the artto makeand use our invention, we will proceed.A to describeits constru tion and operation.

' Figure 1 is afront sectional view.

Figure 2 is a rea-r sectional view.

Figure-3 is yfront perspective of the entire apparatus. l

Nos. 1, 2, and 3 are benches .constructed 'in the ordinary manner.

A A A are retorts placed in bench No. 1; B B B are pipes provided with seal-valves, hereafter described, leading from A A A to C; C is a horizontal connection; D is a. pipe forming .a return-bend from C to E; E is a horizontal connection; F F-F are traps o r c'ps, in combination with the seal-valves, for holding liquid; G G G are pipes leading from E to H H H; lH H H are retorts-.placed in bench No. 2; I I I are outlet-pipes from H H H; J J .I are pipes furnished with seal-valves leading from I I I to K; K is a horizontal connection; L is a pipe leading from K to M M; M M is a condenser; N is a horizontal connection; O O O are pipes connecting N with P I P; l? P P are inlet-pipes to retorts R RR; Q is a. pipe leading from M M to U; R R-R are retorts placed in bench No. 3; S S S arepipes leading from R R R to T; T is a horizontal connection;`U is a. pipe leading from T to V; V is the main surface-condenser; W W W are bends, forming traps between pipes J J J and c c c; X X X are automatic seal-valves; Y Y are pipes connecting traps F F F,

(No. 2 fr,ont;) Z is a'governor; a a a are inverted cups, the mouths of which are below the liquid contained in trap F F F; b is a support, to which cups c a c are attached; c e c are pipes leading from WW W to PP P; d Z d are guides or steadiments for the stems of valves X X X; e e are-the water-inlets tor the surfacecondenser; fareoutlets for the same; g is a pipe leading from V to Z; t is the water-space in condenser M M; z'is'a break, to prevent all the liquid from entering the first retort H; j j are vessels containing water, or other liquid, for sealing drip-pipes; 7c is a pipe leading' from Z to m; lis a balanced valve, in combination with the governor; m is an exhanster; n is a pipo leading from m to the purifier; o is a purifier; p is a pipe leading to the meter. v

. Construction of the Scal- Valves.

The upper ends ofthe pipes leading from the retorts are brought on a level with thebottom of the horizontal conuectionsn The upper ends of these pipes are surrounded by cups or traps, F F F, which are madeabout six inches deep, and kepttilled with liquid, which liquid is spontaneously supplied by the products from the coal in the process of distillation and gas-making. The valves are in the form of inverted cups, provided with stems both bottom and top, and which are guided byvsteadiments cl d d. The bottom of thcsc valves extends below the surface of theliqnid contained in traps F F. The weight of these valves is nearly balanced by the force ofthe enlmuster, while a slight pressure within the retorts is suicient to operate the valves. As the traps F F, in combination with the'se valves, are supplied With the liquid that they require directly from the products of distillation and gas-making, it is evident that the valves of the first bench of retorts will be supplied with a very light liquid, those of bench No. 2 with a heavier liquid and those of bench No. 3 with a liquidstill heavier. Therefore the valvesare sealed with a liquid having a density proportioned to the heat to which they are subjected.

A Operation.

Retorts A A A are subjected to a heat of about 700 Fahrenheit. In these retortsthe coal or other gas- `materials are placed, and subjected to that heat, and distilled. Theproducts at that heat would be, for the most part, vapors, and in that form passes olf through pipes B B Bhorizental connection C, pipe D, connection F, and pipes C C C to retorts H H H. Any vapor thatmay have condensed in its passage through pipes B 13 B, connection O, and a part of pipe D, will ilow back to retorts A A A, and there be re-distilled in rctorts II H H. The products of the irst bench are subjectedto a heat of about 900 Fahrenheit, and partially converted into gas. These products pass o through outlct-pipes'I I I,uprightpipes J J J, connection K, pipe L, to the condenser M M. vkThe gas passes on through Q to U, while the products that have not been converted into gas are Condensed, part of which is conducted to pipes P P P, through pipes Vl" W'y W, and the balance, which is condensed in condenser M M, falls to the bottom of herizontal connection N, thence, through pipes O O O and P P P, to the last retorts R R It, where these products, in the form of fluids, are subjected to a heat of about 1400 Fahrenheit, and converted Vinto gas, which passes olf through pipes S S S and connection T and pipe tothe main surface-condenser, and soon-te the gas-holder.

The lower bends of the pipes forming" the surface-condenser are provided with drip-pipes, through which any liquids may pass that are condensed therein, the lower-ends being sealed to prevent the admission of air or the escape of gas.

In this process no hydraulic main is employed. To obviate the necessity of this, we employ seal-valves, above described. When a lid of a retort is removed, the pressure is of course removed, and the valve falls, ot its own Weight, closing the communication between that retort and the others, thereby obviating the danger of admitting atmospheric air into thc severalretorts, causing combustion within them. i

In the ordinary process of gas-manufacture there is not only a-great Waste of heat by the necessary process of charging and discharging retorts, but also of the best products of coal. To charge the retorts, the lids must be` removed, which not only cools the retorts, but a large quantity of gas `is wasted. The retorts are kept up to a very high heat, and the moment coal is thrown in them it gives off gas, and continues to do so until the, lids are replaced, which requires time. l v

In our process retorts A A A are the only ones charged, and they are kept at a low heat; therefore the following advantages: first, we will have a much smaller quantity ot' coke to remove than by the ordinary process, therefore will require less time; second, owing to the low heat, coal, when thrown in the retorts, does not immediately give olf gas, hence there is time to close the lids without the waste of gas; third, the retorts of benches Nos, 2 and 3 need never be opened, except in case of' damage or for repairs, therefore are not cooled, and a uniform heat may be maintained. v i.

By first distilling the coal under a low heatyvery little coke is left in the retorts, and by converting the products of distillation into gas by different heats, a full quantity of gas is obtained The amnioniacal liquid is condensed, in the condenser, and may be saved, if desired, instead of being Wasted by running oil' with 'the water of a hydraulic main, as is the case in the ordinary process. Y

l Any number of retorts may be employed that may be desired, but we have described our invention by the use of three benches of retorts, each containing three retorts. It is obvious,^however, that one retort in each bench would answer the same purpose. The rctorts may be of iron or other material.

What We claim as our invention, and desire to secure By Letters Patent, is-

1. The process, above described, for manufacturing illuminating-gas, which consists in distilling the coal ata low heat, and converting the ldistillateand condcnsablc products into gas,in separate benches or retorts, substantially as described. l y

2. The process of converting the volatne'products or uids, given off from the first bench of retorts, into gas, by subjecting the distilled products to the different temperatures required to convert the same into gas, substantially as set forth in the foregoing specification.

3. The constructionA and use of the automatic seal-valves, which are employed for the saine purpose, and instead of the ordinary hydraulic main'of gas-works, substantially as. above set forth. l

4. The manner of distributing the distilled products or fluids given oil'lfrom the first bench of retorts, equally to the several gas-producing retorts, by means of the several traps and connections, substantiallyas above set forth. i j

5. The manner of separating the gas, generated in the second bench of retorts, from such Huids as escape conversion into gas in these retorts, and the method of passing the gas thus generated into pipes leading to the gas-holder, While the iluids are conveyed directly into the third benchof retorts, where they are subjected to 'a higher heat, necessary to convert the same into gas.

6. We nally claim the combination of the whole gas-generating apparatus, as described in the foregoing specification, and for' the purpose therein named; and this we claim whether the constructed apparatus be precisely in thcform described by us, or otherwise, if it produces substantially the same results.

' ROBERT M. FRYER,

ANDREW R. FRYER.

Witnesses:

JAs. A. FERGUSON, JOHN C. MALLonr-y

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