US749091A - Wood-carbonizer - Google Patents

Description

No. 749,091. PATENTED JAN. 5, 1904.

F. M. PERKINS. W001) OARBONIZER. 9

AIPLIOATION FILED PEB.19, 1903.

N0 MODEL. 2 SHEETS-SHEET 1.

PATENTED JAN. 5, 1904.

F. M. PERKINS.

WOOD GARBONIZER. APPLICATION FILED I EB. 19, 1903.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

N0 MODEL.

l l l l l l l L Patented January 5, 1904.

PATENT OFFICE.

FREDERICK M. PERKINS, OF BOSTON, MASSACHUSETTS.

WOOD-CARBONIZER.

SPECIIFIGATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 749,091, dated January 5, 1904. Application filed February 19, 1903- Serial No. 144,166. (No model.)

To all whom, it may concern:

Beit known that I, FREDERICK M. PERKINS, of Boston, in the county of Suffolk and State of Massachusetts, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Wood-Carbonizers, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to improvements in wood-carbonizers such as are used in the manufacture of charcoal, and has for its objects to provide a permanent structure in which the wood may be carbonized to obviate the necessity of burning a portion of the timber while carbonizing the remainder, to provide means whereby the liability of accidentally burning the timber after it has been carbonized and made into charcoal will be reduced to a minimum, and to otherwise improve devices of this kind, as will be understood by the complete description of the invention.

The invention consists of the novel construction, arrangement, and combination of parts, as will be fully described hereinafter and claimed, and'it is carried out substantially as illustrated on the accompanying drawings, which form an essential part of this specification, and whereon like characters of reference refer to like parts wherever they occur on the different parts of the drawings.

On the drawings, Figure 1 represents a horizontal section of one arrangement of my improved carbonizer. Fig. 2 represents a vertical section of the carbonizer on the line A B shown in Fig. 1. Figs. 3 and 4 represent, respectively, a horizontal section and a vertical section similar to those shown in Figs. 1 and 2, but of another arrangement of the carbonizer.

Heretofore it has been the practice when carbonizing wood in the manufacture of charcoal to form a stack of the timber which is to be converted into charcoal, placing a certain amount of dry-kindling material-at the lower part of the stack. The entire stack was then covered with a coating of earth and sod, leaving an aperture or apertures at the bottom for the admission of air to the interior of the stack and an apertureat the top for the escape of the smoke from the fire used in carbonizing the wood andfor the escape of the gases and vapors distilled from the timber the charcoal ready for use.

while being carbonized. The kindling ma.- terial was then ignited and allowed to burn until it and a snfficient portion of the stack of timber had been consumed to create heat enough within the mass ofthe stack of timber to properly carbonize the remaining portion of the timber. The apertures or a greater part of them were then closed, thus extinguishing the blaze from the fire, and the heat was consequently confined within the stack and allowed to dry and char the remaining timber until the entire mass was converted into charcoal. After the stack had remained sufficiently long to cool below a temperature at which combustion would occur the earth and sod were removed, leaving In this method of manufacturing charcoal it will be seen that there was a loss in the amount of charcoal which might be made from a given amount of timber, as a portion was consumed in creating heat to carbonize the remainder, and in many cases this timber was more expensive than other material which might be used to create the necessary heat. By this method considerable time was consumed in covering and uncovering the stack with earth and sod.

In manufacturing charcoal in a manner as above described it often happens that there is too great a heat generated or that the covering is removed prematurely, and in either case it results in the burning of the entire stack and the loss of the charcoal which has been made.

My improved carbonizer consists of a permanent structure 1, made of fireproof material, such as fire clay, brick, or analogous material. Within the structure 1 is a carbonizing-chamber 2, which is preferably circular in cross-sectional area, but. may be made in any desired shape. Entrance to the chamher 2 is obtained by means of a suitable door 3, which may be looted, if so desired, to prevent the admission of air to the chamber.

Referring to the arrangement of my device, as shown in Figs. 1 and 2, a combustion chamber or furnace 4 is made within the walls of the structure 1 and has a flue or duct 5, which extends Within the walls of the structure 1 from such combustion-chamber to and nearly around the upper part of the structure 1. Branch fines or ducts 6 6 from the flue 5 are formed within the walls of the structure 1 in such a manner that they extend downward to the lower part of the wall of the structure, where they communicate or open into the carbonizing-chamber 2 near the door of said chamber. The wall of the branch flues and, if so desired, that part of the flue 5 which is toward the carbonizing-chamberis preferably made of sheet metal 7, so as to radiate the heat to said chamber as rapidly as possible. The openings of these branch lines are preferably distributed around the lower part of the walls as much as possible, for a purpose to be understood by the complete description of the device. Afiue 8 forms communication between the upper part of the carbonizingchamber 2 and the open air, and this fine may extend through a chimney 9 of suitable height, or said chimney may be dispensed with, according to the location of the carbonizer and the conditions of the surrounding country.

The operation of the carbonizer as above described is substantially as follows: The wood to be carbonized is placed within the carbonizing-chamber 2, preferably standing on end. A fire is built within the combustion chamber or furnace 4, and the heat and other products of combustion are conveyed fromthe furnace 4 through the flue 5 and branch fines 6 6 into the carbonizing-chamber. The heat within the carbonizing chamber increases by this introduction of heat through the lines 6, whichenters the lower part of the carbonizing-chamber and passes up through the wood within, causing the gases and vapors to be distilled from the fibers of the wood, which gases and vapors pass from the carbonizing-chamber through the flue 8 and the chimney 9 when the chimney is used. After the gases and vapors have all been distilled from the wood and have passed ofi the flue 8 is partially closed by means of a damper a; or other equivalent and well-known device, but which has been shown on Fig. 2 as a rotary damper and on Fig. 4 as a sliding damper. By thus confining the heat within the chamber 2 the wood will become charred, and thus form charcoal, which may be removed through the door 3.

The fire in the furnace being outside the carbonizing-chamber, the flue and branch fines from said furnace being sufficiently long and the branch flues extending downward to the lower part of the carbonizing-chamber will prevent the flames from the furnace from ever reaching the wood within the carbonizer, but will cause the heat and the heated products of the fire to be conveyed to the carbonizing-chamber,and th us carbonize the wood contained therein. This will obviate the liability of the contents of the carbonizing-chamber from becoming ignited and being consumed, and the wood will be carbonized more evenly.

In Figs. 3 and 4 I have shown an arrangement of my improved carbonizer in which the furnace 4 is placed outside the wall of the structure 1 and has a due 10, which extends from the interior of the furnace to the wall of the carbonizer and through the wall to the lower part of the carbonizing-chamber. Said flue is preferably divided into a number of branch flues 11 11, extending under the floor of the carbonizing chamber to openings through said floor. The openings in the floor of the carbonizing-chamber are distributed over different parts of the floor and are preferably provided with protections 12 to prevent the charcoal from entering the branch fines as much as possible, but to allow the free passage of the heat from said branch flues into the carbonizing-chamber. The operation of this arrangement of my carbonizer is substantially the same as that of the arrangement shown in Figs. 1 and 2, and therefore will need no further description.

From the above descriptions of the two arrangements of my carbonizer which I have shown in the drawings it will be seen that the flame which is used to generate the heat by which the gases and vapors are distilled from the wood to be carbonized and by which the wood is then charred into charcoal is never brought into contact with the wood, and consequently there is very little liability of the wood within the carbonizing-chamber from ever being accidentally burned.

By having the fire used to carbonize the wood located in a furnace outside the carbonizing-chamber the entire amount of fuel which is consumed may be of the cheapest kind irrespective of the quality of the wood which is being carbonized, and I am able also to convert all of the wood which is placed within the carbonizing-chamber into charcoal, as none of it will be consumed in the process of carbonizing.

Having thus fully described the nature, construction, and the operation of my invention, I wish to secure by Letters Patent and claim- 1. In a wood carbonizer, a carbonizingchamber to receive the wood to be carbonized, a furnace within the walls of the carbonizingchamber and within which heat is generated to carbonize the wood in said chamber, a fine from said furnace having branch flues communicating with the carbonizing-chamber, said flue and branch flues also located within the walls of said chamber, and an exhaustfiue from the carbonizing-chamber.

2. In a wood carbonizer, a carbonizingchamber to receive the wood to be carbonized, a furnace located outside the carbonizingchamber in which heat is generated to carbonize the wood in said chamber, a flue from said furnace having branch flues formed on the inner walls of the carbonizing-chamber and extending to the lower part of said walls.

where they communicate with the carbonizing-chamber, thin metal plates forming the structure, branch flues from said flue extendpartition between the branch flues and the ing downward at intervals around the inner v carbonizing-chamber to radiate the heat into surface of the carbonizing-chamber and com- I 5 said chamber from said flues, and an exhaustmunication with the lower portion of said 5 flue from said chamber. chamber, and an exhaust-flue from the car- 3. Inawood-carbonizer,apermanentstrucbonizing-chamber.

bonizing-chamber for the wood-to be ca rbonnature in presence of two witnesses. ized, a furnace outside the carbonizing-cham- FREDERICK M. PERKINS. IO ber within which heat is generated to carbon- Witnesses:

ture of fireproof material containing a. car- I In testimony whereof I have afi'ixed my sigize the wood, a flue from said furnace and ex- I MORGAN PERKIus,

tending partly around the upper part of said HENRY OHADBOURN.

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