US1082828A - Metallurgical furnace. - Google Patents

Description

L. A. SMALLWOOD, DEGD. A SMALLWOOD ADMINISTRATOR METALLURGICAL FURNACE.

APPLICATION FILED JUNE 18, 1910. r

' Patented Dec. 30, 1913.

I UNITED sTA'rEs PATENT OFFICE.

LEONARD A. SMALLWOOD, 0F BIRMINGHAM, ENGLAND; ALFRED SMALLWOOD ADMINISTRATOR 0F SAID LEONARD A. SMALLWOOD, DECEASED.

METALLURGICAL FURNACE.

Specification of ietters Patent.

Patented Dec. 30, 1913.

Application filed June 18, 1910. Serial No. 567,639.

certain cases, is also adapted for the roasting, calcining and smelting of ores. According to the present invention, I combine a single grate or other source of heat with dual combustion chambers in a more eflicient manner, the fuel-economy of a single grate or the like being coupled with the regenerative principle of reversing or alternately directing the flow of gases through the two combustion chambers, and I am thus enabled to obtain a degree of economy with the improved furnace whichis unattainable with either of said factors per $6.

In carrying the invention into efl'ect, the.

material treated is preliminarily heated by the waste gases of the furnace or by radiation, after which they are introduced into a primary chamber in which a particularly high intensity of heat is maintained. While it has been said thatthe preliminary heating is effected by the waste gases it will be readily understood that the said gases, issuing as theydo from the primary chamber, contain an exceptionally large quantity of heat with the result that the preliminary heating may be carried on until the temperature of the material treated is only a few hundred degrees short of that in the primary chamber. Since also the furnace products are first brought into contact with the material treated which are already at a high temperature, the process of combustion is accelerated rather than impeded, inasmuch as the billets, within the primary chamber being at an incandescent heat effectively consume the smoke and uncombusted products, so that when the furnace gases reach the preliminary heating chambers and cold material to be treated contained therein, they are so completely combusted that the working of the furnace is not appreciably afiected by the relatively cold materials with which the gases then come into contact, the :heat being readily diffused into contents of the chamber without the formation of smoke as is the case where the furnace products are brought direct from the firegrate into contact with the freshly intro- ;duced material.

The roasting, calcining or preliminary heating of ore is elfected in the chamber which the furnace gases enter through the smelting chamber and when smelting in the one chamber is complete the ffire box is placed in communication with the other chamber containing the heated material and .;such material the contents of the finished chamber are removed and replaced by fresh jore requiring preliminary heating. The gases issuing from the smelting chamber being at la very high temperature the unsmelted ore is heated in a material degree,-to within a few hundred degrees of fusing point, and on after passing preliminary durmg the smeltlng of the dampers being reversed and the full heat of the fire box directed to the ore at this temperature, fusion readily sets in and the process of combustion is in no way impeded "as would be the case if cold or practically lcold matter were placed upon the smelting hearth. It will thus be understood that the furnace is continuous, that is to say, while one quantity of material is being smelted a subsequent quantity is being preliminarily fheated so that upon the operation of smelting being complete, the ore to be smelted has already been preliminarily heated.

In the drawing, forming part of this specification: Figure 1 1s a sectional elevation-of a furnace constructed in accordance with the present invention, the section being taken on line XY of Fig. 2. Fig. 2 is a sectional plan through the chambers of the furnace shown in Fig. 1. Fig. 3 is a transverse sectional elevation of the furnace shown in Figs. 1 and 2, the section being taken through the central chamber. Fig. 4 is a detail of the door for the furnace shown in Figs. 1, 2 and 3.

In a convenient embodiment of this invention such as illustrated by the drawings, the process is conveniently carried on in three chambers,a central chamber A with which the fire boX communicates or in which the liquid or gaseous fuel is combusted, and

two other chambers B, G, one on each side of the said central chamber. With this arrangement the whole of the furnace gases may be directed to either or both of the said side chambers B, C, after they have traversed the central chamber A, and when the whole of the gases are directed to the one side chamber, preliminary heating may be carried on in the other side chamber by radiation through the side wall. In the case of billets and such like articles to be heated the final heating may be carried on in the central chamber, the latter constituting a secondary combustion chamber which the furnace gases enter after leaving the solid fuel fire box, but for all general processes of reheating the temperature of the side chamber is sufliciently high to complete the opera- 1 tion.

Thecentral chamber A may communicate with the side chambers B, G, by way of fiues (2 open adjacent one end of the chamber A, which pass underneath the floor it of the side chambers and communicate with such chambers by regulable apertures cl which are arranged at intervals throughout the length of the chamber on one or both sides thereof. It is to be noted by particular reference to Figs. 1 and 2 of the drawing, that apertures (Z are enlarged at the floor it of chamber B and C providing ledges 9 upon which may rest a stone block or other form of dampers 9, having a recess g in the upper face thereof. This provides a convenient and eflicient means whereby the apertures d may. be controlled, the dampers 9 being moved to open or close communication with either chamber B or C, by the aid of an iron rod, having a hooked end, to be inserted into the apertures g of the dampers to facilitate moving the same. Any other practical form of damper, rendering either of the chambers B or G inaccessible to the flow of gases, may be provided without departing from the spirit or scope of my invention. The central chamber is deeper than the side chamber to accommodate the fused metal and slag which are tapped off in the usual manner.

In the application of gaseous fuel fittings to a furnace of this description, the gas is admitted by way of a series of ducts e at the one extremity a of the central chamber A, opposite from the openings of fiues d thereto and the necessary quantity of air is introduced by fiues in the side walls intermediate chamber A and chambers B and C, which fiues open into the central chamber by apertures or perforations f arranged at intervals throughout the length of the chamber. The doors T may conveniently be composed of fireclay sections t held in a suitable frame If as shown in Fig. 4.

The gases which enter either or both of the chambers B and C may find egress through fiues I) which communicate with suitable stacks, not shown in the drawings, and by manipulation of dampers g the full heat of the fire box may be conveyed to. encounter the ore in either chamber, or both chambers as previously stated.

The operation of the device is as followsz-Assuming that the dampers of apertures d are positioned to close said apertures in chamber C, the main or primary heating chamber A is heated in any suitable manner, either by solid fuel or by gas, and inasmuch as the dampers controlling secondary chamber B are open, the waste gas from the main or primary chamber is convey-ed through such secondary chamber, and furthermore, heat that may radiate through the walls from the main or primary chamber to the secondary chamber C. If the contents of chamber A are being subjected to a finishing heat, then the waste gas may be used in secondary chamber B to partially heatthe material before it is subjected to the finishing heat in chamber A. Meanwhile materials can be placed in chamber G, such material being acted upon by the heat radiated through the wall between the chambers A and C, and receives the initial heat. When the finished material in chamber A has been removed, the material in chamber B is placed in chamber A and the waste gas from the latter conveyed through chamber C, by opening dampers at controlling the apertures cl in chamber C and closing the similar apertures in the chamber B. The chamber B may then receive the material to be initially heated by radiation through the wall between chambers B and A. The treatment of materials may thus continue by reversing or alternately directing the flow of gases through the secondary chambers.

I claim:

1. A metallurgical furnace comprising in combination, means forming a primary chamber and secondary chambers at each side thereof, with a heat radiating wall between the primary chamber and each secondary chamber, said walls being provided with a longitudinal flue having ports leading into said primary chamber, both said.

primary and secondary chambers being adapted to receive the material to be treated, and having openings for communication with said secondary chambers adjacent the other end, and means for rendering either of said secondary chambers inaccessible to the flow of gases from said primary chamber, substantially as and for the purpose set forth.

2. A metallurgical furnace comprising in combination, means forming a primary chamber and secondary chambers at each side thereof, with a heat radiating wall between the primary chamber and secondary chambers, said walls being provided with a longitudinal flue having ports leading into said primary chamber, said longitudinal fines having their bottoms substantially level with the bottoms of the secondary chambers, both said primary and secondary chambers being adapted to receive the material to be treated, said primary chamber having means for admitting gases thereinto adjacent one end and having fines for communication with said secondary chambers, open to said primary chamber, adjacent the end opposite from the said end adjacent to which the gases are admitted, and extending under the floors of said secondary chambers and open thereinto, and dampers for controlling said fiues in said secondary chambers, substantially as and for the purpose set forth.

3. A metallurgical furnace comprising in combination, means forming a primary chamber and secondary chambers at each side thereof with a heat radiating wall between the primary chamber and each secondary chamber, said walls being provided with a longitudinal fiue having ports leading into said primary chamber, the ports in one longitudinal flue being disposed opposite the ports in the remaining longitudinal flue, said primary and secondary chambers being adapted to receive the material to be treated, and said primary chamber having means for admitting gases thereinto adjacent one end and having fines for communication with said secondary chambers, open to said primary chamber adjacent the end opposite from the said end adjacent which the gases are admitted and extending under the floors of said secondary chambers and open thereinto, and means for rendering either of said secondary chambers inaccessible to the flow of gases from said primary chamber, substantially as and for the purpose set forth.

4. A metallurgical furnace comprising in combination, means forming a primary chamber and a secondary chamber at each side thereof, the wall between said primary chamber and each of said secondary chambers being of a heat radiating character, all of said primary and secondary chambers be ing adapted to receive material to be heated, said primary chambers having means for admitting fuel thereinto, and passages con necting said primary chamber with each of said secondary chambers, the outlets from said passages into said secondary chambers being distributed between the vertical walls thereof, and individually operable dampers for controlling said outlets.

5. A metallurgical furnace comprising in combination, means forming a primary chamber and secondary chambers, one of said secondary chambers being at each side of said primary chamber and a heat radiating wall being placed between each two of said chambers, both said primary and secondary chambers being adapted to receive material to be treated, said primary chamber being provided with means whereby fuel may be introduced therein, the walls of said furnace being provided with passages connecting said primary chamber with each of said secondary chambers, the outlets from said passages into each of said secondary chambers being distributed over the floor thereof, and said passages running underneath the floors of said secondary chambers, and individually operable dampers for controlling the outlets.

In witness whereof I have hereunto set my hand in the presence of two witnesses.

L. A. SMALLWOOD.

Witnesses:

ARTHUR H. BROWN, HOLLIS F. BROWN.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents, Washington, D. G.

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