USRE5283E - Improvement in gasifying fuel for heating - Google Patents

Description

BEST AVAILABLE CO Y UNITED STATES WILLIAM ELMER, OF NEW YORK, N. Y.

IMPROVEMENT IN GASIFYING FUEL FOR HEATING, &c.

Specification forming part of Letters Patent No. 87,156, dated February 23, 1869; antedated February 13,

Y 1869; reissue No. 5,283, dated February 18, 1873.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, WILLIAM ELMER, of the city, county, and State of New York, have invented a new and useful Method or Process for Gasifying Fuel for Heating Purposes; and I do declare that the following is a full and clear description of. my said invention.

In order that my said invention may be fully understood, I deem it necessary to make some general remarks in regard to the composition and nature of fuel, and the results that are produced by subjecting substances used as fuel to the process of distillation out of contact with the atmosphere, and the action upon the product of such distillation of very high heat.-

All the various hydrocarbon substances ordinarilyused-for fuel, such as coal, wood, peat,

ments.. .Wood andpeat composed of car- 7 bon, hydrogen, oxygen, nitrogen, water and inorganic substances. Goalof various hinds containscarbon, hydrogen, oxygen, nitrogen, sulphnr,. and inorganic constituents. When fuel is burned in the ordinary way, a large amount of carbon escapes combustion and is carried oil by the flue inthe form of smoke, free carbon, or soot, and'is lost as a heat-producing agent; the loss of heat carried off by the products of combustion and otherwise is also very large. This is seen in burning bitnminous coal, which, as ordinarily burned, hula lower heating power than anthracite notwithstanding the hydrogen it contains, "for I reason that the hydrocarbon vapors smoke as free carbon not only escape n n, but become-the vehicle for conaway a large; amount of heat, which, v with the heat contained in the pro- I ducts of comb'nstiomlis carriedof! by the flue. The loss of heattpassingofl' by the flue from an-ordinary grate-fire 1s aboutfive-eighths,

' ofthe whale amount bycombustion. An amate rs a at e pendedal-thbconversio net-into gases be for? can i ich0Xy8QB= ucsthe actual amount ofcar'bon and hydro:

an available. combnstiomlthe very ele- (it-generating heat.- N itrogen compounds also 80c, are composed mainly of the same eleand thatfrom stoves and furnacesthree-eighths' Lg The. compounds: "a constituent,

meats which. alone, by combustiOm-are capable.

reduce both the carbon and hydrogen. The water contained in wood and peat is very objectionable on account of the heat that is necessarily expended in converting the water into vapor, which also becomes the vehicle for the transmission of heat. Loss of heat occasioned by the presence of sulphur in coal is just in proportion to the amount of hydrogen and carbon entering into combination with the sulphur. The inorganic'substances constitute the ashes when fuel is burned.

Now, of all the elements constituting fuel, hydrogen and carbon are the only substances which in their union with oxygen by combustion can take part in the production of heat; and while the amount of heat evolved by the former is always the same, that generated by the latter depends upon the nature of the compound produced by the combustion, or theproportion in which it combines with the oxygen.

When carbon is fully oxidized and converted.

into carbonic acid, the amount of heat is much greater than when it is converted into carbonic oxide, so that carbon has two degrees of caloric power, corresponding to the two degrees of oxidation. In the combustion of carbon, if th supply of oxygen be insufficient to the production of carbonic acid, a slow combustion takes place, resulting in carbonic oxide.

In order to economize this loss of fuel and heat, and at the same time to obtain the largest amount of heat from different fuels they are capable of yielding, I propose to separate and gasify the elements in fuel on which the production of heat depends from the objectionableor non-available elements.

To, accomplish. this object, I first distill the product of this distillation, consisting of hydrocarbon compounds, the vapor of water, 8a",

1 conduct immediately, and without. materialloss of its heat, into a second retort or series of retorts that is heated up to at least 2000, and preferably to from 2500 to 3000 Fahrenheita temperature in which the said com; pound'aare decomposed, the hydrogen being set nee principally, and such portion as is not 3 0 set free being combined with only a single equivalent of carbon, forming a light hydrocarbon, highly useful as a heat-giving gas. The oxygen that is liberated in this decomposition will unite with a portion of the highly-heated carbon, forming carbonic oxide-a gas as inflammable as hydrogen. These several gases all commingleby a well-known law, and unite to swell the aggregate useful result. It is essential in this process that a degree of heat be employed in the second or gas-making retort or retorts sufficiently high, as above stated, to effect the object aimed at-namel y, the decomposition of the several compounds present, of which hydrogen is an element, and thereby either setting free all of that gas contained in the fuel, or leaving such portions as are not entirely separated united with only a single equivalent of carbon in the form of a light hydrocarbon gas, while the resulting union of the oxygen present and carbon to form carbonic oxide is the necessary result of the liberation of oxygen in the presence of highly-heated carbon set free by the decomposition of the hydrocarbon compounds. If a lower degree of heat is applied than will effect this complete decompositiom'the result will be that the several compounds remaining undecomposed will on cooling condense into fluids, presenting themselves as ammonia, tar, water, &c., in-which will be locked up a large quantity of hydrogen, whilethe gas that-will pass over will be 'bicarburered hydrogen or illuminating-gas, and this will be recognized as the ordinary process of making the lastnamed gas.

The object of this invention is not to obtain an illuminatinggas, it not being adapted thereto, except as the gas-fuel I produce may be used as the basis of illuminating-gas by carburization; but my object is rather to obtain a convenient and useful fuel for heating purposes; and it will be seenthat the peculiarity of my process in practically manufacturing such gas-fuel consists in subjecting the vaporized and gasified compounds resulting from the distillation of crude fuel, as described, directly, and before they have the opportunity by cooling of condensing, to the action of that high degree of heat stated, which will decompose the several compounds present that contain hydrogen, thereby either liberating all of that gas that is present, or leaving such portions as are not set entirely free combined with only a single equivalent of carbon, formin-g'a light hydrocarbon gais-ani inflammable useful gas for heating purposes-at the same time producing carbonic-oxide formed by aunion of the oxygen liberated the decomposition of the aqueous va or w th the carbon deposited from 'the fuel-by the action of the high heat.

I will now proceed to describe'an apparatus that may be convenientlyemployed in carrying out and applyingmy process.

I employ a bench of three retorts, arranged in the usual way -that is,twe rater-ts set allel to each other overthe fire-chamber, and the third one directly over these two. Of course any number of retorts suflicient to carry out the process may be employed and ar ranged in any way most convenient. The upper retort may be large, while the other two may be of the usual size.

vide the two lower retorts through the center, by means of a partition fitted closely to the top and bottom by inserting it in a groove or channel extending the whole length of the retorts. This partition is provided with a flue or opening near the back end of the retorts. In all other respects it is gas-tight, and makes two retorts of one, having two separate lids, as most convenient.

The object of dividing the retorts by a partition is twofold: First, by this means the proper connections of the retorts with each other may be made at the front of the bench, by means of pipes attached to the mouthpieces of the retorts, instead of connecting them both at the front and back of the bench, as would be the case were it not for these partitions; and, second, to make one retort answer the purpose-of two, thus economizing both retorts and fuel.

The retorts are connected as follows: Apipe is inserted in the mouth-piece of the upper outer side of the month-pieces of one of the lower retorts, which may be called the second retort. To the outer side of the mouth-piece of theother or third retort is connected the standpipe or pipe for conducting the gas into the holder. The two lower retorts are connected with each other by means of a pipe inserted in the inner sides of the two monthpieces-that is, the sides nearest to each other.

For practical operations I would recommend a bench of six retorts instead of three, and that the retorts into which the materials to be gasified are placed be of very large dimensions, sufiiciently large to hold each half a cord of wood or a ton or more of coal or peat.

During the process of gasifyin g fuel it is necessary to keep the gas-making retorts at a white heat, or a heat of from 27 00 to 3000 not of iron.

Operation of a Beach of thre e Retorts.

The fuel to be gas ified is placed in the large retort, where all the volatile products it contains are given off, and as fastas these products are generated they are conveyed dipass to the back end of this retort upon one side of the partition, and through the flue or opening in the'partition andback on the other side of the partition to the front thencethrough the connecting-pipe into the other retort, and .to-the back end of this retort,.upon one side of the portion, through the opening and baclr.

In practice I find it more economical to diretort, and extends to and is inserted in the Fahrenheit. They must therefore be made of clay, in order to endure the high heat, and

rectly into one of the retorts below, and first on the other side to the front. laurimzflie passage of the volatile products through the retorts they are converted into permanent gashydrogen and light hydrocarbon. The two lower retorts are filled or partially filled with carbon, charcoal, or other forms of carbon, as coke, anthracite coal, 8m, the object of which is to decompose the carbonic acid that may be present, and to convert it into carbonic oxide; also, to decompose the aqueous vapor and other compounds present, and convert them into inflammable'gases. In the decomposition of the volatile hydrocarbon vapors a portion of the carbon they contain is deposited in the retorts; this carbon, together with the residue carbon in the large retort,

or so much of the latter as may be desirable,

may also be transformed into inflammable gases, by bringing highly heated steam in-contact with the carbon.

The great and many advantages of such a gas-fuel over crude fuel are too obvious toneed explanation.

Claims.

\Vhat I claim as my invention, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is

1. The process or method herein described of gasifying crude fuel by subjecting it, out of contact with the atmosphere, to the process of distillation described, and by subjecting the distillate, in a second retort or series of retort's, to atemperature sufiicientl y high, not less than 2000 Fahrenheit, as specified, to convert the distilled products into permanent intlaur mable gases, substantially as above set forth.

2. A clay gas-retort divided into two chambers by a partition inserted directly in the retort without any intervening flues or pipes,

constructed and arranged as and for the purpose herein specifically described.

In testimony whereof I have hereunto set my hand this 8th day of November, 1872.

Witnesses: WILLIAM ELMER.

J. P. FITCH, A. LIVINGSTON MILLS.