OIL RETORT

Evening Star, Issue 20151, 16 April 1929, Page 9

OIL RETORT

'AX AUSTRALIAN INVENTION. A company has been formed in- Sydney to take over the patent rights of a retort for the extraction of oil ami various by-products from coal, shale, ami carbomiciotts material (says tho Sydney ‘Morning Herald’). Tho inventor is an Australian, Mr J. W. H. Ainscow. .Mr E. N. Rowley, n director of tho company, states that the invention will revolutionise the coal-mining industry. In tho case of coal lie claims that a residue cf high (piahiy cuke will bo secured, and that the whole process, including the formation or this coke residue, will -occupy only a few hours.Small and slack coal also could ha treated without wastage. The retort is a low temperature, automatic, continuous apparatus; and it is claimed that, owing to the low capital cost of its construction and the simple method of operation, the process hs extremely economical.

“ Maitland coal by this improved-pro-cess yields over fifty gallons of oil per ton. and oil shale over ]f)o gallons.’’ Mr Kowley proceeded. 1 Further. a. special test with brown con] gave good results. “The new method is as follows: .After being fed into a hopper at ono end of it, the coal, oil shale, or other material is convoyed slowly through a lo'ng retort, which is divided into a, number of sections by closures J'ornicd by tlie material itself as it is drawn through contracted passages between the sections. Heat is applied to each section in varying temperatures by patented oil burners. The material is carried through the retort by an. endless conveyer of special design; ami the gaseous products from each section are drawn off separately and condensed. At the pit mouth it will bo possible to erect retorts each capabl; of treating 100 tons of coal or shale a day; and it has been ascertained that from this quantity each retort. will produce, in addition to sulphate of ammonia, plienlys, and gas( 5,000 gallons of oil a,' day from coal, and double that amount from shale. Practical trials show that the expense of working the retort is low, the only labour required boing.au engineer and an assistant. Moreover, as the transportation of bulk coal will be avoided—only the extracted oil, spirit, and by-prodnets will have to be carried—another great saving will thus he effected.”- t