Abstract: A larry car (3) for transporting a charge of pre-heated coal along the top of a battery of coke ovens, from a storage installation including a group of metering bins (1) at one or more filling stations above the battery, to a corresponding group of charge holes for the oven chamber to be charged, the car including a corresponding group of coal transfer hoppers (4) each having valved inlet and discharge apertures (5,21), a sealed connection (2) between each metering bin and transfer hopper, an inert gas reservoir (10) connectable via a valved manifold (13,14) to each transfer hopper, a valved connection (7,8,9) for charging the reservoir, and a valved connection (15,16,17) to permit dusty gas to be displaced into the storage bunkers, and control means for the various valved connections to maintain continuous isolation of the interior of each transfer hopper from the atmosphere, to permit dust-laden gases to escape into the storage installation, and to cause inert medium to displace coal discharged from the tra

Abstract: A method of operating a conveying and storage system associated with a coal pre-heating installation, supplying pre-heated coal to a coking oven battery, the system including a series of conveyors (16, 17, 19, 20) for carrying coal from the pre-heating installation (10, 11) into a plurality of storage hoppers (21) and metering bins (22), a plurality of interconnecting pipes (29, 30, 31, 46, 47) ensuring maintained flow of gases through the system, there being an inert gas generator (26) for introducing inert gas into the series of conveyors, the method including the step of discharging a mixture of inert and combustible gases from the system into a gas collecting main (24) of the coking oven battery (23) to which pre-heated coal is supplied from the metering bins (22).

Abstract: A method of removing metallic impurities from sewage sludge wherein the sludge is first acidified in the presence of an oxidizing agent and held to take metallic impurities into solution. The sludge is then treated with a flocculating agent and thickened by removing liquid prior to dilution with an aqueous liquid free from metallic impurities and wherein the sludge is finally dewatered by a mechanical method.

Abstract: An explosion relief diaghragm or panel of the kind which forms a part of the wall of a vessel and which is adapted to give way in event of excessive pressure within the vessel as, for example, might be caused by an explosion, whereby the main structure of the vessel remains undamaged, and having its peripheral edge clamped between sealing gaskets, characterized by the provision of outwardly extending tongue-like portions at spaced intervals around said peripheral edge, and means adapted to sense the presence of each said tongue-like portion.

Abstract: A charging machine of the kind comprising a structure adapted to extend transversely of a coke oven battery on the roof thereof for movement longitudinally of the battery to overlie any selected oven chamber and supporting a number of hoppers adapted to be filled with coking coal, each such hopper having means for connecting the base thereof with an aperture in the roof of an oven chamber for transfer of coking coal from the hopper to the oven chamber, wherein said means for connecting the base of each hopper with an aperture in the roof of an oven chamber comprises a downwardly directed telescopically extendible sleeve, characterized by the provision of an annular seal outwardly spaced from and surrounding the lower end of said sleeve and adapted to engage with the oven roof surrounding an aperture in an oven chamber on lowering of said sleeve, there being gas tight resilient means connecting said seal with said sleeve, and arranged to urge the seal downwardly into engagement with the roof of the oven chambe

Abstract: A cryogenic storage tank characterised by the provision of a space between the outer walls of the tank and the ground surrounding same, and means for introducing heated air into said space at the lower regions thereof for flow upwardly therethrough.