690

THE COLLIERY GUARDIAN.

April 5, 1918.

of the hold for stacking. The sets of rails are portable
and can easily be moved from one position to another,
and additional rails are generally available for exten-
sions. As regards the rate of shipping, in some cases
expert trimmers handle three blocks at a time when
stacking, and up to about 100 tons can be loaded per
hour, or a cargo of about 2,000 tons in a day. The
wharfage charge for patent fuel at South Wales docks
is 2d. per ton, and the charge for stacking or stowing in
vessels is Is. per ton.

Other works are situated alongside the Glamorgan-
shire Canal—about two miles from the Bute Docks at
Cardiff; and at these works the briquettes are loaded
into barges from wharves adjoining. In one case an
elevated conveyor extends from the works along the
wharf, the briquettes being automatically delivered
therefrom into barges by means of portable canvas
chutes, extending at right angles from the wharf con-
veyor. The barges are then towed to the dock and
vessels are loaded therefrom by means of floating
cranes, the briquettes being hoisted on trays. In
another case a special type of elevator is adopted for
loading from the barges—forks, attached to the chains
of the elevator, lifting the briquettes individually

Fig. 3.—Discharging Briquettes from Vessel’s Hold. (Utilising Gravity Roller Tracks.)

from a feeding plate, and discharging them down
a chute into the hold. An automatic counter,
actuated by a trigger, which is operated by the
briquettes as they pass from the elevator, serves to
record the quantity shipped. The elevator frame is
adjustable to suit the height of the vessel’s deck, and
loading can be effected at the rate of about 100 tons
per hour with such an equipment.

Discharging Cargoes of Patent Puel.

Objection is sometimes taken that the time occupied
in discharging patent fuel is greater than in the case of
coal, and this is doubtless so if the blocks are handled
individually, For example, at certain South American
ports about 200 tons of briquettes are discharged per
day of ten hours from each hold of a vessel, so that if
three holds are worked at one time the maximum rate of
discharge is about 600 tons per day. At these ports,
where the briquettes mostly received weigh about
241 lb., and measure 11 in by 8 in. by 6 in., the pro-
cedure of discharging is as follows:—The briquettes
are taken from the stack in the hold and loaded on to
trays measuring about 6 ft. 4 in. by 3 ft. 9 in., each tray
load consisting of about 65 briquettes. The trays are then
hauled along the hold, by sliding on portable rail tracks,
to the hatchway, and are attached by slings to the
hoisting rope of the ship’s winch, two winches being
operated, and about nine to 12 men employed in each
hold. In comparison with the handling of coal at the
same ports where skips of a capacity of about from
12 to 18 cwt. are generally used, 300 tons per day are
discharged from each hold, with about the same extent
of labour.

The opinion at some ports, and at the South American
ports generally, is that briquettes must be handled
individually to avoid the possibility of breakage
and even chipping—the South American railway
companies, which are the principal users, objecting to
deliveries of briquettes which are chipped. This appears
to be a quite unnecessary objection, especially when it is
borne in mind that best large coal will, on reaching the
port of discharge, have become broken to the extent of
25 per cent., and that this breakage will be increased
by the time it actually reaches the fuel stages or loco-
motive tenders. There seems no reason why allowance
should not be made for breakage during transit in the
case of briquettes as with large coal, and it may
generally be stated that well-made patent fuel will
result in less breakage in transit with equal handling
to coal.

This is realised at some ports where the briquettes are
discharged in a similar manner to coal, only instead of
being shovelled into skips, are thrown in, and the skips
are discharged by dumping in the ordinary way, either
on to the storage ground or into wagons. At other
ports large baskets are used instead of skips, and, of
course, there is less liability of breakage. Yet another
method which has been adopted is to discharge the
briquettes by means of a large net about 12 ft. square,
provided with a ring at each corner fordrawing together
and slinging to the hoisting rope. The method adopted
is to have two nets for each hold, so that when one is
filled and being hoisted the other can be used. The net
is spread out in the hold, and the blocks of fuel are
thrown into it. When fairly loaded the corners are
drawn together and it is hoisted, discharge being
effected by releasing one or two of the corners. In this
manner about 100 tons per hour can be discharged.
The breakage, or rather chipping, in the case of
briquettes discharged by means of skips, baskets
or nets, is, of course, more than when they are
handled separately; but the chipped pieces are quite

usable, and it must be remembered that the large size
briquettes have, in any case, to be broken up for use.
If, however, the individual handling of briquettes is
insisted upon, the necessity of increasing the rate of
discharge arises, and some form of portable equipment
must be considered. A simple form of portable elevator
of light construction can be adopted, and rigged over a
vessel’s hatchway. This certainly facilitates the dis-
charge and increases the rate of handling, the method
being a continuous one instead of intermittent,—as in the
case of handling a quantity at a time on a tray by
the ship’s winch or shore crane—each briquette, or
perhaps two or three at a time, being carried by the
forks or trays of the elevator. Objection, however, to

such a method is that of capital outlay, especially when
the vessel’s winches can be utilised for hoisting, or shore
cranes are available at the ports of discharge. This
applies more particularly in the case of long distance
voyages and when the equipment is carried by the ship,
as it is not frequently in use ; but not in the event of

GRAVITY ROLLER TRACK (STANDARD LENGTH)

G,	Stacking ground.

H,	Loading chutes (movable).

Switch.

Railway tracks and wagons.

Roadway and road wagons.

D,

E,

F,

Fig. 4.—Distributing Briquettes from Ship to Wagons and Stock Piles.

A,	Main gantry.

B,	Gravity roller tracks.

C,	Side tracks.

an equipment being kept at

the

port where

such

briquettes are frequently discharged.

System of Distributing Briquettes.

A simple and comparatively inexpensive method of
transporting briquettes to and from the stack in the
hold—and adaptable, also, for taking to or from storage,
or loading or discharging wagons on shore—may be
referred to as gravity roller tracks. These tracks are
made in uniform lengths of 8 ft. or 10 ft., and can
be easily and quickly connected together for the neces-
sary distance of transport. Their construction consists
of a wrought iron frame supporting steel rollers, about
2 in. diameter, which are spaced at about 6 in. pitch and
are carried in ball-bearings. The roller tracks are made
in standard widths of from about 8 in. to 24 in.; the
weight of a standard 8 ft. length of track, 12 in. wide,
being about 115 lb., whilst that length of track, 24 in.
wide, weighs about 154 lb. The method of using this
gravity roller track is to support the lengths on trestles,
which can be adjustable in height, or other readily avail-
able means can be adopted—briquettes, for example,,
being themselves used as the supports. The necessary
gradient, or incline, towards the position of discharge

will depend somewhat on the distance of travel and the
weight of the loads—a gradient of 2A per cent, sufficing
for fairly heavy loads carried a comparatively short
distance, whereas the incline is increased to 5 per cant,
for light loads or long distance of travel. The supports
are placed under the joints of the standard lengths—
that is to say, 8 ft. or 10 ft. apart. If, however, they are
supported on boards, say 16 ft. in length, only half the
number of trestles or supports will be necessary.
Curved sections up to a right-angle bend can be provided
to alter the direction of travel and also branch or switch
sections, so that the loads can travel in alternative
directions as required. For long distance travel the
gradient of the track can be increased, as mentioned, or
two or three stages can be adopted, in which case the
loads are raised at the end of one stage to the higher
level stage either by band or by means of a portable
elevator. A portable elevator can also be used for
loading wagons, as illustrated in fig. 2, or stacking.

When this automatic gravity track system is used
in the hold of a vessel, the requisite procedure is to rig
the roller tracks trorn the hatchway to different stacking
positions in the hold, the elevation of the tracks being
raised as the height of the stacking progresses, as
indicated in fig. 3. Operating in the reverse direction,
viz., discharging, is dealt with similarly, except that
the gradient is of course towards the hatchway. By
this means the rate of handling between the stack and
the hatchway is increased. The system can be adapted
to meet various conditions on shore—for example,
loading to or from stock in a line parallel with the
quay, or to or from railway wagons. Fig. 4 illustrates
a general arrangement, which will be self-explanatory,
showing an application of this system on shore. It
indicates means of delivery from ship to storage or by
branch tracks to railway wagons or road vehicles.
Fixed gantries are provided, on which the roller tracks
are supported; and chutes serve to lower, and portable
elevators to raise, the loads. Deliveries from the
gravity-roller tracks can be effected, if necessary, in a
simple manner by means of portable and adjustable
chutes.

To lower loads a considerable distance a spiral chute
is advisable, as the friction controls the speed, but for
short distances a straight chute suffices, and if the
angle is greater than, say, 25 degs., the speed of the loads
can be checked by a form of brake introducing friction
against the side of the loads. This can be effected by
the side being hinged for a short section of the chute, a
weight or spring tending to press it inwards against the
loads. Chutes can also be used for transferring from
one roller track to another at a lower elevation. For
handling to and from the stack in the hold of a vessel
the briquettes can more easily be dealt with singly, or
preferalDly two or three at a time, but in handling on
shore—to or from a vessel, for example—it will sometimes
be found preferable to carry tray loads directly on the

In the case of heavy or bulky loads,

roller tracks. 1
beyond the capacity of a single track, a double track
can be used.

This gravity-roller system of handling briquettes has
been referred to at some length on account of its
adaptability to various requirements and because it
requires no power to operate it, except for auxiliary
equipment in the form of elevators when it is necessary
to raise the loads ; also because it entails only a com-
paratively small capital expenditure, and the working
and maintenance costs are low.

Stacking in the holds of vessels is, of course,
necessary on account of the space which would other-
wise be occupied, but for loading wagons and storage
on shore, the question of space may not not be of such
importance, and then, as already indicated, dumping
can be resorted to, as with coal.

Export of Patent Puel.

Germany has held third place in the coal-producing
countries of the world, but as regards patent fuel the
output in Germany has far exceeded that of any other
country. The production of briquettes in Germany in
1913 amounted to no fess than 271 million tons, which