US1034214A - Process of coking coal and producing gas. - Google Patents

Description

H. L. DOHERTY.

PROCESS or some GOAL m1 monucms GAS.

. APPLICATION FILED JUNE 22/1909. 1,034,214; 1 Patented July 30, 1912.

4 SHEETS-SHEET 1.

Q/vih m'ooeo: Henr LDoherfy, {gvwevwot H. L. DOHERTY. PROCESS OF GOKING COAL AND PRODUCING GAS.

APPLIOATION FILED JUNE 22, 15109. 1,084,214. Patented July 30, 1912.

4 SHEETSSHEET 2,

Fame L.Dohery, Svwawioz efiv fialtozumg J (ea/ 2 H. L. DOHERTY. PROCESS OF COKING COAL AND PRODUCING GAS.

' v APPLIOA TION FILED JUNE 22, 1909. 1,034,214.

Patented July 30,1912.

4 SHEETS-SHEET 3.

I Henry LDoherU awuw top H. L. DOHERTY.

PROCESS OF GOKING COAL AND PRODUCING GAS.

APPLICATION FILED JUNE 22, 1909. 1,084,214. Patented July 30, 1912 4 SHBETSSHEET LJ Henry LDohert-y, lawman flea Wyn L2 coca I HENRY L. DOHEETY,

OF NEW YORK, N. Y.

PROCESS OF COKING (lOAL AND PRODUCING GAS.

' Application filed June 22,

Specification of Letters Patent Patented July 30, 1909. Serial No. 503,733.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, HENRY L. Dom-urn, a citizen of the United States, residing at New York city, in the county of New York and State of New York, have invented new and useful Improvements in Processes of Col:- ing Coal and Producing Gas, of which 1hr following is a specification. J

This invent-iondrelate's to processes for carboniaingslack" coal, and producing gas,

and, in particular, to such processeswhere the heat for the carbonizing of the coal derived from the combustion of a portion of the gas formed during the treatment of a previous portion oi the coal.

The objects of my invention are the furnishing of a process, whereby, the slack coal may be continuously carbonized or coked with the expenditure, in the coking process,

of a minimum proportion of the total heat of the original coal and a large proportion Oftllfi. volatile nitrogen of the coal recovered as ammonia, and in apparatus of such de- Sign that. great flexibility of control over the coking process may be exercised, whereby the quality of carbonized coal or coke produced may be varied at will, and the coking carried on with t-lieexpcnditure of a minimui'n amount or labor.

3O In the hereinafter described process, I accomplish the above objects by subjecting the raw'coal toa flame of burning producer gas and air preheated by the sensible heat of the gases leaving the oven, the products of such combustion being passed in contact with the carbonizing coal and the hot carbonized coal or coke in one direction, while the steam from the quenching of the coke 'is passed in the opposite direction, also in contact with the coke, thegases resulting froni the reaction of the reactive constituents of the combustion gases and the coke, and from the. reaction of the water vapor and cokmbeing drawn off from the coke-oven iii/a common current and passed through a l'ecuperator ao plying my process, but any form or" appaminswhiehwill permit of the carrying out,

of the essential steps of my process may, of course, be substituted for the one shown.

Figure l is a vertical longitudinal section through the coke-oxen A A, of Fig. 2 said 15 of Fig. 42. is a of the coke-oven and connec Fig. 3 a vertical cross section through a retort or coking chamber and its feed-hopper and gas burner on the line I D of Fig. 1 and line E E of Fig. 2. Fig. a is a horizontal projection of a sect-ion by two inclined planes Whose traces on Fig. 1 are shown by the lines F F and Ft}. 5 is a part section through the recuperator on a yertical plane through the line C C" of Fig. 6, the air and gas blowers being shown in side elevation. Fig. 6 is a dimgrammatic plan of the apparatus.

In the drawings, 1, designates the coke oven proper, 2 the recuperator, "-3 the gas blower, 4 the air blower, 5 and motors for driving the blowers.

67 is a chamber inclosed by the outer walls, 63, G4, 65 and 66, of the oven, in which are suspended coking chambers or retorts, 7. In Fig. 3 is shown a section through one or the retorts. The retorts have a steel jacket 8, with a thick lining built up of thick ringshaped blocksot fireclay,9. The steehsheli has a flange 10 at its top which rests on a heavy steel. plate 11. Heavyhangers, 12, are fastened to the plates 11 and suspended from the I-beams l3 and 13" and 13 and 13'. These beams are supported on the Walls of the oren. The weight of the col;-

saine. Appropriate 'buck-staves bind the walls togethery T from the top-gi' the retort; This air cl her is cbsed'atqthe bottom by 'a' la of reclay, go avhich is eievat oweredby.thelere imechanism 21. 5 .able iiwyeen gfl gsgremded w roper on the line nisin l7, and having a cover 29-. A n,air-- chamber, 19, separatesthecoal -hopper 35 ing chambers is thus borne by the Walls of the coke-oven and not lfi the arch oith'e plug '20 raised while the cone 16 is being lowered. A water jacket, '51, is provided for the bottom of 19 to protect it from the high temperature in the combustion chamber 18; The hopperbottom, 23, of 19 opens directly into the opening 24 in the cover of the retort. A stepped-grate, 25,which is itself supported by the stepped- walls 26 and 27 and the side walls 65 and 66 of the oven,together with the inclined plates 28 and 28, supports the 'mass of coke in the oven. Sets of chutes-one set for each end of the ovendesignated by 30 and 30', are arranged to receive the coke as it discharges from the grate 25.

The portion of the oven, 31, below the plates 28 and 28 may be called the quenching chamber of the oven. 'The quenching device consists of a system of water pipes terminating inspray nozzles. A separate system, connected with the same main water pipe partments formed by the side walls 65 and 66 and the walls 26 and 27. The arrangement of the nozzles for the middle compartment is shown in Fig. 1. The pipe 32 leading off from 32 has a "number of branches, 32", 32", 32'", 32, respectively terminating in spray nozzles, 33, 33,33, 33", 33", The number of nozzles used should be sufficient to give a uniform distribution of the water. While I may use any suitable form of nozzle, the one that I prefer is that revealed and claimed in my Letters Patent No. 901,597 dated Oct 20, 1908. This form of spray has a solid head perforated with fine holes, or passages,bored at an angle with the axis of the spray-head and so arranged in position and angle that the fine streams discharging through the said inclined. passages intersect and impinge on each other, whereby, a very fine spray or fog is produced.

The sets of chutes, 30 and 30, are closed by sets of gates, 34 and 34, arranged with sets of racks, 35 and'35', gearing with pinions 36 and 36. Thepinions 36 are mounted on a common shaft 37 and so are operated in unison by turning the hand wheel 38. The pinions 36 are similarly mounted on a shaft 37 operated by the hand wheel 38'.

Sets of poke-holes, 39 and 40 and 39 and 40, permit of access to the bed of coke for the purpose of barring down, when the coke hangs and will not discharge by gravity upon the rising of the gates 34 and 34. Doors 41 are provided, furnishing a means of access to the compartments beneath the grate, 25.

The retorts are each provided with one or more burners 42, which consist of short tubes of fire-clay, or other refractory inaterialapio sed at their outer ends and having their uugr-=ends in free communication with their corresponding .combpstion chambers 32, is placed in each of the com- I 18. The burners 42 have an interior axial tube 43 which extends to the outside of the burner, and leaves an annular passage 44, between itself and the walls of the burner. The tubes 43 in connection with each row of retorts are connected with a gas-dis tributing pipe, 45, while the annular pas-- sages, 44, are connected with an air-distributing pipe, 46. The burners of the other row of retorts are similarly connected to similar gas and air-distributing pipes 45 and 46', respectively. The gas-distributing pipes of each oven are connected, through the cross-pipe 47, to a common gas-supplypipe 48 which conducts the gas back from the'exhauster 3 to the oven. The air-distributing pipes, 46, are correspondingly the cross-pipe 49, to aconnected, through common air supp y-pipe, 50.

The recuperator may be of any suitable design. In the one shown in the drawings, it consists, simply, of a system of vertical pipes, 52, located in a chamber, The

gas is drawn oil from the oven through the conduit 54, and is distributed through the cross-pipe 55 to the horizontal header-pipes 56. From 56 the gas is distributed to the vertical tubes 52. Horizontal header-pipes 57 connect the tubes at the bottom of the re-' euperator, and the pipes 57 are, in turn,connected with the cross-pipe 58. The suction pipe 59 of the eXhauster-blower 3 opens out of 58. Set in the'discharge-pipe 60 of 3, is the by-pass 48 leading back to the oven. A valve, 61, is also provided on' 60, and another, 61, on 48. By manipulating 61 it-is evident that the as may be supplied to 48 at any pressure esired within the capacity of the blower 3. The pipe 60 may be connected to a holder or directly to a distributing main, as may be desired.

The air for the combustion in the retorts is compressed by the blower 4 and passesv through the pipe 62 to the bottom of the chamber 53, through 53 in contact with the gas pipes 52 and discharges fromv the upper part of 53 through the pipe 50, through which it passes to the coke-oven.

Heat insulating jackets are, preferably,

provided for the various pipes conducting the hot gas and air from the recuperator to the coke-oven.

In starting the oven cinder or coke on to the grate until a bed has been built up Well abovethe apex of the. grate 25., A fire is then'kindld and coke.

in operation, I charge gradually charged on the ignited bed until 7 a bed of fuel has been built u "to the bottomsof the retorts. During t is operation the doors 41 are left open and the exhauster '3 run at a slow speed, When a suflicient thickness of ignited coke has been built up the gas passin become a fair through the exhauster 3 has good producer gas. The valve 61 whie was "at firstplosed is-now on ow opened mo. part of the passes back to the burners 49. where it is ignited and burncd by ineansof air supplied by the blowcr i. {joke is now gradually charged .1. s .4 I c. i 5) nil/o luc lQLUJAo llllul toe ploper 1 cl lei cl been atluinod. "Zi lion the rerorts and cou'ienls have been brought up to a suilable carbouizing iemperaiurc zhedoors 41 are closed. During he preliminary firing, Sullicient win, if necessary, is sprayed onto the grate to prevcni damage to the same I from the high heat in the fuel bed. The combustion gas from the burners in passing downward through the columns of hot coke in the srciorcs is changed to producer gas by the, now, Well known reaction revealed in 1y Leti'crs Patent 828,105 of Aug. 21, 1906, Mcterial-cinder or coke according to which was used-is now Withdrawn at the bottom of the oven and, the charges in the rei'orts settle, raw coal is charged in at tho bop. is immediately subjecled to ihc carhonr no; andv coking; action of the flame and the hob Walls oi the rclorc. and is soon coiled, the. voluiilc limiter distilled off mixing with bhc combustion gases from ,the burners and passing down through the reiorl's in coinoct with the ignited coke. The

1 is that the heavy vapors which, ordi- .iply distil oil from the coke uncracked, up into compounds of lowcr molecular v glib, such as methane.

sauna liincunosz of the CU formed in tile i g'nii cd CQlZG according to the reaction,

CU +C QCO 'lho resuls is that the gas issuing at the bot/win of the retort is a mixture of pro-- duccr i is and distillaliou gases; llic rich-- .l ilcpciuls upon the quanc lorls rclalivc to the quail cool czlilnmllc l, Ol---1)l.l in unolher nay-upon lllc tcinpcralurc of corluinizaiion. ii' hen a hard colic desired, a nip'h lciopcraturc in ihe reioi'ls necessary. Cc ienlily, inorc must bc burned in lhc 1 Loris for the same quantity of coal lf)ll=i. than when a low-temperature prod uchcuch coke of a quality corresponding lo dul known commercially as coalite, made; and, as a result, the ratio of pro duccr gas to distillation gas is increased.

lVhen coal is coked in the present used lypcs of extcrnally heated rctorls or ovens. an amount of heat equivalent to about too in iu'cniypcr cent. of the total heat of the :wv coal is required for coking. This is due se eral reasons. In the first place, ihc 1 lcu'uieralurc (18004000? If.) rcquirelfl urn; a hard colic necossiiates lhc use of refractory--h1alerial such fire clayni she construction oi -ihe. rotor ovens. This material has a comparuliveiy Lil re. etc, with free hydrogen. [it the v combustion at the burners reacts with the] necessary to make the walls of the carbonizing chamber very thick. The heat couductivity of fircclay is also low. The COl-ZG ilself also possesses quite a low coiuluctive power. Now, in coking in externally fired chambers all the heat necessary for the coking operation must pass to the coal through ihe highly resistant walls of the chamb'cr and is then transmitted to the interior of the mass in the chamber through the outer shell of the coke 'vvhich is first formed in contact with the hot Walls of the chamber. Owing to the low heat conductivity of the materials mentioned, it is absolutelynccessary to have a very high temperature in the combustion chamber In order to obtain a sufficient difference of heat potential to drive the heat into the interior of the charge at a. rapid rate. This, of course, means that the products of combustion must be allowed to leave the combustion chamber at a temperature considerably above that of the Walls of the coking, chamber or, say, 2000 to 2300 F. This means that a large portion of the total heatv developed is ordinarily wasted so far as the coking operation is concerned. Besides, the higher the temperature, the greater is the amount of radiation loss from the oven, since, according 0 Sl'cfans law, the radiation varies as the fourth power of The absolute temperature of (he body. In the ordinary methods of coking the heat losses by radiation and conduction to lhc an? amount to more than 520% of the total heat developed in the operation. U11. the other hand, by my nielhod'of coking, the heat is developed in actual contact with llic raw coal, and the gases of combustion pass through the mass enveloping each individual fragment of the some. The greatest distance that the heat must pass by conduction through a solid is measured by the shortestdistance that the center of the largfragmentis from the exterior surface of the lumpsay three inches. In such an oven as the ones at present usually used the heat must be transmitted through 4% inches of fireclay and about 9 inches of coal or coke to get to the interior of the charge. Further, since the temperature in the mass is only high enough to insure the desired cokin action, the radiation losses are re ducc' to a minimum. Xhis latter loss is further reduced in the apparatus which I have shown, b y tiie fact that the coking chambers one surrounded by an outer inclosed chzirnber. The heat, radiated from the coking chambers is principally taken up in the gaseousatmospherc surrounding the coking chambers and so passes to the necupcrator. from which it isretnrned to the I oven chamber is comparatively low. For all of these reasons the heat lossesin my method of coking are comparatively lowonly a fraction, in fact, of the customary losses in coking. I am therefore able to carry out the coking operation with the expenditure of a comparatively small propor-.

tion of the total heat of the raw coal. Instead of 10%, I can so operate my apparatus that I may use less than 5% of the total heat of the original coal, in the coking. This would correspond to the gasification by semi-combustion of, approximately, 5 to 6% of the carbon of the raw coal treated. Since this gasitied carbon is, in large part,'in the form of carbon-monoxid and the major part of the sensible heat of the gas is recovered in the recuperator and returned to the carbonizing chambers, nearly three-quarters of the original potential heat of the gasificd carbon remains in an' available form in the gas formed from it.

An important and novel feature of this invention is the method I use to reduce the temperature of the heating gases (combustion gases from the burners 42) and of the hot coke before they leave the coking ch'amhers. etl'eet of the mutual reaction between the 00., of the combustion gases and the carhon of the coke.

V hen a fresh charge of-iaw coal has been introduced into a coking chamber, the high temperature gases from the carbonizing flame cause an extremely rapid distillation of the volatile matter of the coal. The temperature of the coal, however, remains at a comparatively low point until most of the volatile matter has been driven 03. This is due to the fact that the distilling vapors carry ofi' the heat from the coal as fast as the latter can pick it up from the combustion gases. It is only when the distillation has progressed to a considerable degree,

' that the coal gains heat faster than the distillation gases can carry it off, and the temperature tends to rise to a high point. Since the reaction,

(a) co +o:2co,

requires a considerable time of contact for its completion, the cooling effect of the reaction on the fresh charge which is under "the direct influence of the flame is scarcely appreciable. The low conductivity of the coking coal and the comparatively low velocity of the reaction, mentioned, permits the combustion ases, which are initially at a temperature of from 2500 F. upward, to penetrate a considerable distance into the fuel bed before their temperature has been reduced below that necessary to successfully complete the coking of the coaL- This temperatur may be-taken as ab0ut'2000 F. for

I do this by utilizing the cooling -,removal of the gases frbm contact with the harder qualities of coke. The coke is therefore subjected to a good finishing heat before the temperature of the combustion gases has fallen so low that thecooling action, in reference mentioned, predominates. Below this level in the carbonizing chambers, the coke is in process of cooling, the reaction proceeding at the expense of the remaining sensible heat of the combustion gases and the coke. I aim to make'my carbonizing chambers of such a depth, in relation to the speed of driving, that the combustion gases shall remain in contact with the coke for a sufiicient length of time to. reduce the temperature of -the latter to near the point at which the reaction ceases. In other words, I prefer to so design my apparatus that the coke may be cooled by reaction (a) to as low a temperature as is practically so at-- tainable, say 1300 F. To complete the coolingofthe. coke I bring in the action of water. --The water as it is sprayed onto the coke on the'grate is, in part, immediately vaporized, While the portion not so vaporized is carried as a dense fog by the inithe vapor passes up through the hotter coke above, which it discharged from the coking chambers onto the bed 'at a temperature of about 14004500 F., the water vapor is decomposed by reaction with the carbon by either,

The gases resulting from these reactions, and any undissoclated water va or, pass out of the coke bed and mingle wi the current to the coke, of the reaction of mixed, producer- 'gas'proper, and distillation gas from the retorts.

- Owing to the small quantity of heat which I have to develop tocarry on the carbonizetion by my herein-revealed method, the normal producer gas may be restricted to less than double the volume of the distillationgas. Since the distillation .gas would have a calorific value about five times that of the producer gas proper, a resultant mixed gas may be produced having a calorific power of about 2. times that of ordinary producer gas. Since the water gas may be made having about the same calorific value as the mixed gas, it does not materially modify the calorific power of the entire mixture. Where the recovery of the volatile Initro gen of the coal becomes an object, Imodify -the working of my a paratus to correspond with the conditions tion of ammonia. The e are, a moderate temperature in the fuel bed and the rapid avorable to the form'ai nosczii the coking chambers, and increase the speed f drivin -i 6., both draw and charge at more frequent intervals. On the contrary, to produce a hard coke, I increase the proportion of gas burned in the coking chambers, and decrease the speed of driving, whereby the coke formed remains much longer under the influence of the high temperature flame.

It is to be understood that the phrase substantially all of the carbon dioxid and water vapor as used inthe following claims refers to the dissociation of substantizilly all of that portion of said constituents which is rclucible under the conditions of temperature and pressure which prevail in the operation of my coke oven. As is Well known to those skilled in the art, there is always-a cergteinopartial pressure of'carbon diozzid and wliter vapor which is necessary for the equilibrium oft-he reacting system. I. of course, do not claim that I can dissociate the carbon .dioxid and water vapor beyond the proportion corresponding to this equilibrium pressure. The residual CO Inuy be taken as corresponding to the praciicul minimum in gas producer practice, say i to 5 per cent. by volume.

The apparatus shown and'described herein l claim in my appliciit-ion Ser. No. 523 313 filed June 22nd, 1909. 4

li' is, of course, to be u11derstoocl-th:itl

(lu not limit n'iy'inrention to the treatment true calnng coals, which produce a true COliG seer carbonizution. but use it in the curbonizing of any quality of cool. that it may be desirable to treat. For example. my inwntion may be applied to carbonizing lig'uiu. although this material will not yield :1 rue colic. he process of treatment, luiwevm'. remains substantially the, some as when treating culring coals. the principal dili'ereucc being that the product of the operation is with l 'uitc not a true coke.

iming rlcsc --J(l my invention, what I claim i 1. The process of coking coal and producing which c uuiriscs' subjecting-the coal in an in lus'c l chumbcr to the directaction of 32 gas flame: passing the products of combustion from said flame in Contact with a muss of prcwiously formed coke in said in- -iiilosed-chnuiher, the depth of said muss of previously formed coke being sullicient to insure the reaction with carbon of substantially all or the carbon-dioxid and water vaporfonued by the combustion in said gas flame, spraying the COlIO with mixer after the said cokehas been contacted with the products of combustion from said Home, withdrawing from the incloscd chmnb'er the, gases resulting from the contact of the cpmbustion gases and the hotcoke and the water and hot coke, and \vithdrmving the quenched coke from said chamber, substantiully as described.

2. The process of carbonizing coal and producing gas which comprises heating coal in an inclosed chamber in direct contuctwitlru heating flame to form distillation gases and carbonized coal, passing the coinbusti( n\ gases from said flame and'the gases distilled,

from the said coal in contact with a of previously formed incandescent carbonized coal in 'said inclosed chamber, the depth of said coke muss being suilicient tov insure the conversion by reaction with carbon of sub- 9 stantially all of the carbon-dioxid and water vapor formed from the combustion in said gas flame, to carbon monoxid and hydrogen, quenching the carbonized coal after it has been contacted with the said gases, with drawing from the inclosed chamber the gases formed by reaction between the combustion and distillation gases and the carbon of the carbonized coal and the gases from the quenching operetion, in a common current, and withdrawing the quenched curbonized coal from the inclosed chamber, substantially is described.

3. The process of carbonizing, coal and producing gas which comprises heat-ing the coal in an icloscd chamber in directcontact witl'r/tlie heating flame to form distillation gases and carbonized coal, pgrtially quenching the carbonized coal so-fornied by contacting the same with the combustion gases from the heating flame and the listillation gases from the coal, the contact l tween the said and said carbonized coal being suiiicient to effect the conversion by reaction with carbon of substantially all of the carbon dioxid and water vapor in said gases, into curbon-monorid' and hydrogen; completing the quenchingoi' said carbonized cool by spraying the partially quenched carbonized coal with water, withdrz'iwing from the said chamber the gases formed by the reaction between the said comlmstion and d' v 'llation gases and the bot carbonized coal and the gases formed by thc'iinul quenching in a common current. and withdrawing the quenched carbonized (foul from said chamber, subsb-zntiully as'describcd. I

l. The process of carbonizing coal and producing gas which comprises introducing said coal into an inclosed chamber, introducing into said chamber gas from the carbonizing of a previous portion of coal and heated air, burning said gas and heated air in contact with said coal, whereby said coal is carbonized, removing said carbonized coal from direct contact with the flame of burning gas when the carbonizing action heated air,

has proceeded to the desired degree, partially quenching the so-formed carbonized coal by contacting therewith the combustion gases from said flame and the gases distilled from a succeeding charge of coal, the mass of carbonized coal exposed to the uenching action of said gases at any given time being sufiicient to convert substantially all of the carbon dioxid' and Water vapor of said combustion and distillation gases to hydrogen and carbon 'monoxid, completing the quenching of said carbonized coal by spraying the same with water, withdrawing the gases formed in the two quenching operations in a common :urrent, passing the said gases through a recuperator, whereby the major ortibii er the sensible heat of said gases is transferred to the air current the. carbonized coal from the first portion of coal, when the coking operation has proceeded to the desired degree, whereby the said carbonized coal is removed from the direct action of the flame'of burning gas, partially ren ing the said carbonized coal by contacting therewith the combustion gaseg from said flame, and. the distillation gaseslfrom succeeding charges of coal, the

mass of carbonized coal which is at any given time subjected to said quenching ac- ."tion being suflicient to provide enough contact surface to efiect the c nversion by re-.

action with carbon of substantially all of the carbon dioxid and water vapor of said combustion and distillation gases to carbon monoxid and hydrogen, removing from contact with the partially quenched carbonized coal the combustible gas resulting from the reactions between the reactive constitu ents of the said combustion and distillation gases and the hot carbonized coal, completing the quenching of the partially quenched carbonized coal, by spraying the same with water, withdrawing the combustible gases formed by reaction between the water and the partially quenched carbonized coal,passing the combustible gases from the first quenching operation and the combustible gases from the second quenching operation through a recuperator, whereby the major ortion of the sensible heat of the said gases is transferred to the air current supplied for sustaining'the combustion in the carbonizing chamber, removing the'quenched carbonized coal from the said chamber, and charging a fresh portion of raw coal onto the bed of carbonized coal in said chamber, substantially as described.

6. The process of coking coal and producing gas which comprises charging said coal onto a column of previously coked coal in an inclosed chamber, introducing into said chamber gas from the coking of a preyious.-

charge of coal, and heated air, burning the said gas and heated air in contact with said coal. whereby the volatile matter of said ,coalis distilled therefrom and the said coal converted into coke, charging a second portion of coal onto the coke from the first charge of coal, when "the first charge has been coked to the desired degree, whereby the coke from the first charge is removed from the direct action of the flame of burn ing gas, partially quenching the said ,coke by contacting therewith the combustion gases from said flame and the distillation gases from the succeeding charges of coal, themass of coke that is contacted with the said gases at any time being such that the major portion of the carbon dioxid and the major portion of the water vaporpf the I said gases .are converted by the incinidescent carbon of the coke to carbon monoxid and free hydrogen. and heavy hydrocarbon vapors of the distillation gasesare also dis sociated into permanent gases of lower molecular weight-withdrawing the gases resultmg from the contact of the combustion and distillation gases and the coke from contact with the lattenwithdrawi'ng the partially quenched coke from the coking chamber onto a bed of coke on'a grate in 'a quenching chamber, spraying water onto the lower part of said bed of coke. contacting the water vapor so formed in the lower part of said bed of coke with the hot coke in the suberincumbent layers. less of such water vapor reacts with a portion of the carbon of said coke to form combustible gas. withdrawing the combustible gases formed from the reactions between the combustion and distillation gases and the coke and the water vapor and the coke from them through a the sensible heat of returning to said cokingchamber a portion whereby more or esser.

of the combustible gases after they have passed through said recuperator, withdrawing the quenched col etrom said fuel bed, and charging a fresh portion of coal onto the top of said fuel bed, all substantially as described. i

7. The process of carbonizingcoal and pro ducing gas which comprises subjecting the 'coal in an inclosed chamber to the direct action of a flame ofburning gas to carbonize said coal, passing the. products of combustion from said flame in contact with a mass ot previously formed carbonized coal in said chamber, spraying the carbonized coal with water, after the said carbonized coal has been contacted with the products of combustion from said flame, withdrawing from the inclosed chamber the resulting from the contact of the combustion gases and the hot coke and the water and hot coke, and withdrawing the quenched coke itself, substantially as described.

8. The process of carbonizing coal and producing which comprises charging the said slack coal ontb a column of previously formed carbonized coal in an vinclosed chamber, subjecting the said coal to the direct action of a flame of burning gas, the gases of said flame being under sutiicient pressure to insure their penetrating of the layer of freshly charged slack coal, condu ting the combustion gases from said flamethrough the said column of carbonized coal, withdrawins; from contact with the carbonized coal the gases resulting from the reaction of the carbon of the same and the said combustion gases, spraying the lower portion of the column of carbonized coal with. water, whereby. the carbonized coal in the said lower portion of the chamber is quenched and the said water vaporized, conducting the so formed water vapor through a portion of the superincumbent column of carbonized coal and withdrawing the formed by the contact of the said carbonized coal and water vapor and the contact between the carbonized coal of the upper portion of said column and the combustion gases from said inclosed chan'ibcr, sul'istantially as described.

9. The process of carbonizing coal and producingic'as whi h comprises subjecting the said slack coal in an incloscd chamber to the direct action of a flame of gas burning above the surface of the coal bed. the gases of said llame being under sutiicient pressure to insure their penetration of said mass of slack coal, passing the comlntstion from said flame in contact with a bod of previously formed carbonizedt'ucl, and withdrawina the finished carbonized fuel and the gases produced by thesaid operations from the incloscd chamber, substantially as described.

10. The proccss of coking coal and producing gas which comprises charging the slack coal onto a of coke from previously cokcd slack in an inclosed chamber, introducing under pressure into the top of said chamber above the surface otthe slack coal at current of combustible gas and a can rent of air, whereby the said slack coal subjected to the direct action ,of a flame of burn ing gas, conducting the combustion gases from said llamc through the upper portion oi. said mass of coke, spraying the lower portion of said mass of coke with we ter, when-{by the said Water is partly raporized, condut ing the sciormed water rapor and the residual liquid water through the lower portion of said mass of coke, and

withdrawing the quenched coke and the gases formed by said operations from. the inclosed chamber, substantially as described.

1L The process of coking coal and producing which comprises repeatedly charging portions of said slack onto a colman of ignited coke maintained in an inclosed chamber, introducing under pressure above the surface of the freshly, charged slack, preheated air and a portion of the gas previously withdrawi'i from said inclosed chamber, the pressure under which the said. iuids are introduced being suflicient to insure the penetration of the charge of fresh slack by the flame of burning gas, conducting the combustion gases from said flame through the upper portion. of said column of coke, contacting the lower layers ofsaid column with misted water whereby a portion of said water is vaporized in Contact with said lower layers, conducting the water vapor bearing the residue of the misted water through the portion of the said coke column super-incumbent to said lower layers, 4

whereby the residue of said water is also converted into vapor and the water vapor caused to react to a greater or less extent with the hot coke to form principally'oarbon monoxid and hydqgen, continuously withdrawing; from an ii'itermediate level of said coke column the gases formedtherein', and repeatedl withdrawing portions of the quenched coke from the bottom of said column, substantially describe-d.

12. The process of carbonizing coal and producing gas which comprises maintaining a body of fuel in an incl'o'sed chamber, maintaining a flange of burning gas in con tact ith the surface/0f said fuel body-0 carbonize said fuel, passing the products of combustion from said flame in contact with a mass of previously formed carbonized fuel in said chamber, whereby carbon di- ()Xltl of said combustion products is caused to react with a portion of the carbon of said arbonized fucl,- advancing said fuel body through said chamber at a rate materially greater than the rate of consumption of said fuel therein spraying the carbonized tueladranced beyond the combustion region of said chamber. with \i'ater, to cool said Signed at New York city, in the county fuel, to vaporize said watel apd to 01m aof New York and State of New York, thls 1o ter gas, withdrawing from smd chamber the 21st day of June 1909.

ases resultin rom the contact of the com- 1 Eusfiun gnses with the carbonized fuel and- HENRY DOHERI the gases resulting from he C(HltilCt of the W'itnesses:

"water and carbonized fuel, and withdrawing F RED B. MULCOX,

the quenched.c0ke. Tnos. I. CARTER.

Images