The Mechanical Handling and Storing of Material

COKE FROM COKE OVENS 387 opening is a large floor in the same cylindrical casing, manipulated by a winch and chains in such a way that when the door is closed the inside of the casing is a complete ring, but when open the door projects inwards and reaches to the centre of the turntable, and being fitted with plough-shaped castings on the back, acts as a scraper to remove the coke from the revolving table. Under the doorway is arranged either a fixed or jigging screen, and the coke coming from the table falls on to the screen and passes thence, properly screened, into the railway wagon. A receptacle below the screen, which is emptied periodically, receives the breeze and small. Above the revolving table, as well as down the sides of the cylindrical casing, is a net of water pipes, perforated so as to act as sprays for quenching the incandescent coke, and a small hose for spraying water by hand is also provided, to play in any direction that may be necessary. The method of working the machine is as follows : First, the huge apparatus is driven Fig. 548. Plan of Goodall Machine shown in Fig, 54.7. along the rails and placed opposite the oven to be dis- charged; the oven door and the receiving slot having first been opened, the push- ing then commences. As soon as the red-hot cake of coke enters the machine the water is turned on and the quenching begins. When the coke has reached about one-third across the table, the latter is caused to re- volve in the direction of the clock. The coke then rests on the table, and the continued motion of the latter, combined with the continuous forward motion of the cake of coke, gently promotes the distribution of the contents of the oven over the revolving table; the quenching operation proceeding all the while by water being sprayed on to the coke both from above and sideways until at last all the coke is on the table, which is now stopped and the machine moved a few feet out of the way so that the oven door may be put on at once. The water is now shut off, and a reasonable time allowed for steaming and drying, say ten minutes, after which the table with its load of coke is slowly revolved, and the attendant with his hand hose sprays water on any red places until the whole of the coke is quenched. Surplus water drains away immediately through the perforated plates in the table, and so avoids over-wetting of the bottom coke. The small breeze which passes through with the quenching water collects in large bins between the rail track, divided off transversely by walls; here the breeze settles at the bottom and the water percolates through to a drain, so that the remaining breeze may be collected from time to time. 1 he quenching being completed after about ten minutes, the flexible water connection between the fixed main and the machine is disconnected, and the same is oropelled along