US52397A - Improved artificial fuel - Google Patents

Description

UNITED STATES P TENT OFFICE.

ALFRED DE LENTILHAG, OF TAMAQUA. PENNSYLVANIA.

IMPROVED ARTIFICIAL FUEL.

Specification forming part of Letters Patent No. 52,397, dated February 6, 1866.

To all whom it may concern.-

Be it known that I, ALFRED DE LENTILHAO, a subj ct of the Empire of France, but now residing at Tamaqna,in the county of Schuylkill and State of Pennsylvania, have' invented or discovered a new and useful process and composition for making artificial fuel and util izin g therein the fine coal or screenings which at present is regarded as not only valueless, but as an incumbrauce; and I do hereby declare that the following is a full, clear, and exact description-of the same, first promising that I am aware that many attempts have been made to utilize and burn culm, or fine coal, and that it has been essayed to mix it with coal-tar and press it into bricks or lumps and then drythem in ovens.

The best evidence that all theseattempts have been fruitless and resulted in nothing beneficial or useful is in the factthat no cheap artificial fuel of this or indeed of any other kind is to be found in the market, and the acres of culm, or fine coal, still accumulates and has no value.

My invention consists partially in the proeess-and partially in the composition by which I make the artificial fuel in questiOm-andmay be stated as follows First, the clean coal-dust is reduced to afine condition by-rollin'g', crushing, or grinding; second, this fine coal-dust is mixed with a liquid paste or gluten; third,

. from four to six per cent. in weight of hot coal- To enable others skilled in the art to make and use my invention, I will proceed to describe the same as l'have successfully practiced it.

I first sift the coal-dust, (preferring that of the anthracite or hard coal,) so as to separate the slate and other crude matterfrom it. The clean coal-dust is then reduced to a fine condition by passing it between rollers or in any pasty mixture above described is putinto molds of any suitable form and size and submitted to heavy pressure sufiicient to give it the firmness or solidity that will hold it together while being removed and vplaced on hurdles or drier-s, where thebrieks or blocks remaiufor one or two days until dried. The dried bricks or blocks are then placed in sheet or other iron boxes, -hermetically closed, and put into a cooking-oven, where they are baked from three to four hours,- and when taken out and cooled thefuel is ready for use.

vIn this process the; sulphur and iodine are driven'ofl' and thefu'el' is nearly pure carbon,

and may be termed coke from anthracite coal}? I which is a new product from thatkind of coal. 7

The fuel thus made is hard, firm, and com;- pact, not friable, and throws off no smokeor gas, and leaves no residuum in burning. butclean ashes. It caube handled without soil-1 ing the hands, and is particularly useful in makingor refining iron, as it does not make slag or clinker or run down into a solid mass, through which it is difficult to drive a blast of air to promote combustion. Being divested of all of its injurious properties, this fuel will not burn out grates, stoves, and furnaces, as crude coal will do. Having thus fully described my invention, what I claim therein as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is-

An artificial fuel composed of fine coal-dust, vegetable gluten, and coal-tar, pressed into bricks o-r'bloeks,dried,then placed in hermetically-sealed iron boxes and baked or coked in a hot oven, substantially as and for the purpose described.

A. DE LENTILHAO. Witnesses: x

A. BLSTOUGHTON,

J. F. GIRARD.