Derby should read Darby by the way martin
www.moorebooks.co.uk
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----- Original Message -----
From: Martin Roe <[log in to unmask]>
To: <[log in to unmask]>
Sent: Wednesday, October 09, 2002 7:15 PM
Subject: Re: Coke production
> There appear to be as many different versions of the history of coke
> smelting of iron as there are books and papers written about it. One
popular
> version is that although Abraham Derby "invented" coke smelting it was his
> son or even grandson (Abraham Derby III) who sucessfully applied it much
> later in the 18th century. Apparently it was the Shropshire Clod coal that
> Derby used to make charcoal and this has a low sulfer content (needed for
> iron smelting) and it produced a coke with similar characteristics to
> charcoal.
>
> One important difference between coke and charcoal is that charcoal is
> easier to crush. This is suggested as a limiting factor for the size of
> charcoal fueled furnaces. Make your furnace to big and load it with to
much
> ore and your layers of fuel will collapse.
>
> Martin Roe
>
>
> Lead Mining in the Yorkshire Dales
> http://www.mroe.freeserve.co.uk
>
> The Industrial Heritage of Calderdale
> http://www.halifaxcouriertoday.co.uk/ftpinc/calderheritage
>
>
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