Schaumburg oven

The development of coking practice from working in large heaps (as used in charcoal burning) to the coke-oven, saw an intermediate kiln process developed in the mid nineteenth century. This is the process observed at the Sijing cokeworks and also in this illustration from a book in my collection. 'The History of Coke Making and of The Coke Oven Managers' Association', published in 1936.

Contemporary reports suggest that the coke burners had to work hard to keep the channels free of ash and fallen pices of coal and also that in times of high wind it was difficult to control the process. The kiln approach was generally discarded because of the tendency to combust a considerable part of the charge in the areas of the air channels.