US942213A - Fuel composition and method of producing the same. - Google Patents

Description

LYMAN RESSEGIUE PALMER, OF LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA.

FUEL COMPOSITION AND METHOD OF PRODUCING THE SAME.

ceases.

1\To Drawing.

T '0 all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, LYMAN REssneIUn PALMER, a citizen of the United States, residing at Los Angeles, in the county of Los Angeles and State of California, have invented and discovered a new and useful Fuel Composition and Method of Producing the Same, of which the following is a specification.

The object of this invention is to produce a superior fuel from carbonaceous matter of various kinds, such as anthracite coal, bituminous coal, lignite, and the like, and to provide satisfactory cheap, economical and advantageous means for briqueting such substances.

It is a principle of this invention to combine with the carbonaceous substance any substance or compound that will serve not only as a binder to unite the particles of the carbonaceous substance into a solid body when the mass is compressed into a briquet, but will also supply to the carbonaceous substance in a requisite manner, elements that will, under active combustion, free the thermal units contained in the mass and make the same immediately available for heating purposes with comparatively small condensation of the fuel gases in the form of smoke or soot.

A characteristic of lignite is that in the combustion of the same by ordinary methods, creosote is liberated and carried ofi in the air.

An object of this invention is to burn lignite without liberating deleterious or disagreeable gases.

A further object of this invention is to provide for naval and marine use, a safe fuel that is high in thermal units and that is not subject to deterioration through atmospheric or climatic action, or to change of condition or form at temperatures to which the fuel is liable to be subjected under usual conditions of storage.

By this invention it becomes possible to reduce slack coal, lignite, and other fuel to a form highly valuable for fuel purposes, and to make available within a given bulk or Weight a superior amount of heat units.

In carrying out this invention any of the carbonaceous substances above named may be first reduced by grinding or otherwise to a fine granular or pulverulent condition, so as to pass through a 20 mesh or finer screen. After being so reduced I treat it in such a Specification of Letters Patent. Application filed March 13, 1908. Serial No. 420,955.

Patented Dec. 7, 1909.

manner as to thinly coat the surface of the particleswith a combustible binder. After the coating of the particles has been accomplished the mass is compressed in the usual manner to briquets of the desired size.

The proportions of the carbonaceous substances and the binder will vary with the various characters of material treated. As, for example, in producing this new fuel from lignite found in North Dakota the proportions of the lignite and binder are about 90 per cent. of the lignite and 10 per cent. of the binder; while in producing the fuel from anthracite coal, the proportion of binder is increased, and in producing fuel from bituminous coal the proportion of binder is decreased as compared with that stated for lignite.

In order to distribute the binder through out the finely-divided carbonaceous matter, I use for a binder a composition containing an asphaltum or a pitch, or a composition of an asphaltum and a pitch, together with a suitable grease such as the low-grade lubricants from mineral oil that are semi-solid at ordinary atmospheric temperatures.

I will now describe the preferred manner of carrying out my newly-invented method of producing my newly-invented fuel composition from slaked lignite.

Take pulverized lignite, 85 parts, pulverized asphaltum 10 parts and pulverized black pitch or Burgundy pitch 5 parts by weight and mix the mass thoroughly. This may be done in a closed cylinder with suitable stirring devices inside. When thoroughly mixed the mass may be heated sufliciently to liquefy the asphalt and pitch. The heat may be applied by a superheated steam coil near the bottom of the cylinder to raise the temperature to about 400 degrees Fahrenheit. When the asphalt and pitch are liquefied, add to the mass a quantity of grease equal to about 3% of the asphalt and pitch. This may be done by heating the grease and injecting it in liquid form into the lower part of the hot mass, whereupon the grease unites with the asphaltum and fluxes the same and the particles of the lignite become completely covered with a thin coat of the binder formed of the asphalt, pitch and grease compounded together. When this has occurred, the mass is ready for briqueting by any of the ordinary methods. After briquets have been made, the fuel is ready to be burned in the ordinary method of burning coal. The compacted composition resulting from briqueting is character ized as a solidified mass comprising carbonaceous particles completely covered respectively with a thin coat of asphal-tum or its equivalent, and grease compounded together. My experiments indicate that a chemical change takes place upon adding the grease to the hot mixture.

I have in some instances taken the proportions of ingredients above stated and have heated the ligniteby itself and have then melted the asphalt and then added the pitch to the same and melted the pitch and then mixed the melted asphalt and pitch with the lignite, and have then melted the grease and poured the same onto the hot mass of lignite asphalt and pitch; whereupon an ebullition took place and the mass increased in bulk and took on a yeasty appearance, except as to color and shortly subsided. No additional heating and adding of grease will cause a return of the yeasty condition first noted. I find that briquets thus made from lignite show the following results as compared with the lignite :thermal units, centigrade, 2333 for the lignite and 3687 for the briquets; ash left in furnace, lignite 183% briquet 17%; ash of the lignite retains shape of the lignite and contains carbon; ash of the briquet is a light powder easily carried away by draft. The lignite produced most heat at the beginning of combustion. The briquet maintained more uniform heat throughout combustion. Gases of the lignite do not oxidize readily; those of the briquet oxidize easily. The lignite emits creosote during combustion, the briquet does not.

I have taken bituminous coal 92-;- parts by weight and asphaltum 7 71; parts by weight with a suitable amount of grease added to the melted asphalt in the manner above detailed and have then mixed the same with the bituminous coal and have thereby pro duced from bituminous coal a fuel that under combustion emits at the initial stage of combustion a small volume of smoke as compared to that which the coal treated produces in its natural state under the same conditions and the emission of such smoke quickly ceases and thereafter the mass will burn after the manner of anthracite coal. The same quantities of natural coal and a briquet of the composition manufactured from such coal and the other ingredients named, will when burned under the same conditions continue to burn for a period of 21 minutes for the coal and a period of 45 minutes for the briquet.

To make the new composition from anthracite coal the proportion of binder may be considerably increased.

I do not limit myself to exact proportions; some materials will require a greater proportion of the binder than others. Nor, do I limit myself to the use of any specific form of bitumen or asphalt or to any specific kind of pitch, the essential feature being that with the melted asphalt or asphalt and pitch, a quantity of grease is applied to flux the asphalt and cause the same to flow over and thoroughly coat the solid particles of carbonaceous matter.

The binder compound may be made of asphalt and the grease without the pitch, or of pitch and the grease without the asphalt; suitable proportions of carbonaceous matter and binder being used within the judgment of the workman versed in the art as heretofore practiced; the use of the grease bein the essential feature of this invention ant discovery. The use of the grease results in forming a composition that can be formed into firm briquets with comparatively slight pressure, that exerted by a bench vise operated by hand being suflicient for briquets one and one half inches in diameter. A further result is a notable increase of heat units made available.

I regard the asphalt and the pitch as substantial equivalents. One may have some points of advantage over the other, and vice versa. The purpose of using the pitch and asphalt as stated is to get a cheap strong binder with minimum cost.

By using the flux the compacted briquet is caused to burn evenly without falling apart and without burning out the binder before the body ingredient is practically consumed.

I claim l. A fuel composition characterized as a solidified mass of particles of carbonaceous material, said particles being covered with a thin coat of asphalt-um and grease compounded together substantially as and for the purpose set forth.

2. A fuel briquet consisting of a solidified and compacted mass characterized as consisting of particles of carbonaceous mate rial and asphaltum and grease compounded together in the proportions substantially specified.

8. The method of producing fuel composition which consists in mixing together pulverized coal or other carbonaceous material and asphaltum, or pitch, or both, and submitting the mixture to heat, then injecting heated grease into the lower part of the mass, causing the asphaltum to flux and combine with the carbonaceous material and then pressing the mass into blocks or briquets.

4. The method set forth of producing a fuel composition by means of the injection of hot grease into a mixture of carbonaceous material and asphaltum.

5. A fuel briquet composed of the admix ture of 85 parts of carbonaceous material,

15 parts of asphaltum, 5 parts of pitch submitted to a temperature of 400 degrees Fahrenheit until liquefied, fiuxed by the injection of three per cent. of melted grease, and formed into blocks.

6. The method of producing a fuel composition which consists in pulverizing and fusing asphaltum by the injection of heated grease and then mixing the same with carbonaceous material.

7. The method set forth of producing a fuel briquet which consists in pulverizing