The Mechanical Handling and Storing of Material

THE HANDLING OF HOT COKE IN GASWORKS 155 ment of the conveyor. The trough is made of cast iron, and consists of sections of about 4 ft. 8 in. in length, joined together by flanges. The Merz conveyor at the Cassel Gas- works is 190 ft. in length, travels at the rate of about 30 ft. per minute, and when in full work consumes about 5 H.P.; it has been at work for about sixteen years, and so far has given very little trouble. Fig. 211 gives a photographic view of this conveyor. Dempster’s Hot Coke Conveyor.—T his conveyor, designed by Messrs R. Dempster & Sons, Ltd., of Eiland, Yorkshire, and illustrated in Fig. 212, is so constructed as to keep the chains, rollers, and bearings out of reach of the hot coke and of the quenching water. The trough is built of plates and angle-bars, with renewable cast-iron liner plates at the bottom, which are prevented from shifting by flat steel strips bolted on the inside of the angle-bars; the cast-iron plates are thus free to expand and contract along the trough. On the outside of the trough, at about 3 ft. pitch, are bolted small iron brackets carrying turned steel spindles ; working on these spindles are flanged cast-iron rollers which support and guide the chains. I he chains used are composed of interchangeable malleable cast-iron links, with parallel sides, connected together by square-headed hardened steel pins which do not project at the sides. The rollers being attached to the trough instead of to the chain, the weight of the chain is diminished whilst the rollers and lubricators are easy of access even when the conveyor is running. The rakes or scrapers are of cast steel, Fig. 210. General Arrangement of the Merz Hot Coke Conveyor. •and are designed to minimise the breakage of the coke by reducing the tendency to crush it between the scraper and the trough. In order still further to prolong the life of the ■chains, the terminals are fitted with the Toogood equalising gear, to be described >(Fig. 260). This conveyor may also be worked on an incline of say 30° to 40°, thus ■acting also as an elevator. Such a conveyor, having a trough 2 ft. in width, and rakes at 3 ft. pitch, travelling at 35 ft. per minute, would easily deal with the coke from ten 'beds of 20 ft. inclined retorts, provided the conveyor were made with a run of about ■50 ft. outside the retort house, or from the last bed of retorts. In all conveyors of the push-plate type it is essential to lead the delivery end up ■an incline; this is generally clone for convenience in delivery, but its principal use is