US669058A - Electric amalgamator. - Google Patents

Description

No. 666,056. Patented Feb. 26, I90I.

Ln. BARRICKS.

ELECTRIC AMALGAMATOR.

(Application filed Aug. 6, 1900.! (No Model.)

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NTTED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

LOUIS H. BARRIOKS, OF SAN FRANCISCO, CALIFORNIA, ASSIGNOR OF ONE- HALF TO JESSE G. TUNNIOLIFFE, OF SAME PLACE.

ELECTRIC AMALGAMATO R.

SPECIFICATION forming; part of Letters Patent No. 669,058, dated February 26, 1901.

Application filed August 6, 1900. Serial No. 26,020. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern.- channeled to receive the lower edge of the Be it known that LLOUIS HENRY BARRICKS, partition. The bottom of the box extends fora citizen of the United States, residing in the ward of the partition for a comparatively city and county of San Francisco, in the State short distance and is then upturned to form 55 of California, haveinvented an Improvement a vertical wall 20, which forms between itself in Electric Amalgamators; and I hereby deand the partition a compartment of considerclare the following to be a full, clear, and able vertical area exposed to the partition,

exact description of the same. and the upper edge of the wall is extend- My invention relates to animprovement in ed horizontally at 22 and provided with a re- 10 electric amalgamators. taming-flange 23 to holdback the mercury of It consists of electrolytic boxes having contact of shallow horizontal depth, and into vertical porous partitions, pivotal sectional which latter compartment the end of the lip sluices, and supports adapted to an incline, D dips,as shown. I make the boxiu this manwhereby the boxes, rifiies, and sluices may be ner for the reasons: x 5 arranged in series, and of details of construc- First. Either 6 or 7 may be recharged or innon shown by the following drawings. spected at any time without discontinuing the Figure 1 is a longitudinal vertical section. operation of the sluices or shutting off the wa- Fig. 2 is a detail sectional view of the sluiceter. This is important, as the salt is used box, trough, and connections. Figs. 3 and l rapidly,and it is necessary that more be added :0 illustrate detailed views of the anode and to the solution from time to time.

cathode. Second. The shape of the reservoir or mer- A represents an incline of wood or iron. 13 cury rifiie 7 gives large surface of contact with represents supports or,as Iteru1 them,kneethe pulp, metal, and water passing onto it brackets, adapted to and secured upon this from the sluices. It is immaterial as far as 25 incline and carrying upon their longer horithis part of its efficiency is concerned how zont-al edges the solution and mercury troughs deep this reservoir may be, but it figu res con- E, and their upper vertical portions having siderablyin the amount of mercury necessary each as lot 2 and side and bottom set-screws 3 and consequent cost. Hence the lip 8 of this to take a journal-box Q. These brackets are reservoir is made quite shallow. 8o 0 arranged in pairs. Third. In the samemannerand for the same 0 is a sluice-box having journals or pivots reason I get a large surface of contact with 4, attached to the sluice by bolts, as 11, and the porous plate F and shallow horizontal fitting the journal-boxes Q, which latter have depth, for in this case is wan ted sim ply a large set-screws 5, by which the journals 4 are area of contact wit-h the percolating salt so- 5 locked at the desired adjustment. In the botlution for electrolytic purposes, as will be tom of the sluice is a metal plate or riffle havshown. ing a lip I). The solution compartment or cell is insu- The sluice-box O, with journalboxes Q in lated by glass or other suitable material on place, is set between a pair of brackets B the bottom and three sides. It may also carry 40 and Q,locked in position in 2 by the set-screws an insulated cover to keep the solution clean.

3, the lower edge of the sluice resting on the An anode of lead 9 or equivalent substance box E and the lip D extending down into the is placed in the solution-box 6, having suitmercury contained in E. The set-screws 5 able wire or other connections with a circuit.

and 3 allow the incline of the sluices to be The porous plate F is hermetically sealed on 5 45 regulated in accordance with the head of wathe sides and bottom to the box E.

ter, weight of material, fall, &c. The box E, I prefer to make of cast metal I have shown a solution-box and mercuryin the shape shown and having grooves, into reservoir E, having averticalporouspartition which this porous plate is to be cemented.

F, dividing it into the part 6, containing a sa- The box E is attached to the knee-brackets by I00 50 line solution,and the part 7,holding mercury. bolts, as at 10.

As shown in Fig. 2, the bottom of the box is G is a spreader or sluice through which the pulp or ore, with water, is conducted to the boxes 0.

H is a tail-trough by which the tailings are led off into the sluices I.

The pulp or ore to be Worked may be gold, silver, platinum, mercury, or such metals as are usually worked by electrolysis.

The plate D, forming the cathode, is insulated from all electric connection with the part 6 except as through the mercury and porous partition.

In operation the sluices and troughs upon brackets are arranged in series upon an incline, as shown. Water carrying its suspended material passes through G into the sluice C, over the copper plate D and on to the mercury riiile, and then on through succeeding sluices and over like mercury riffies, as many as may be necessary and desired. During this operation a on rrent of electricity continuously passes from the positive electrode in the cell 6, containing a saline solution, through the porous cell and mercury, to the negative electrode D. The saline solution, slowly percolating through the porous partition, comes in direct contact with the mercury, where the salt is decomposed by the current and sodium is liberated in quantities proportionate to the current and the mercury purified and kept active in the well-known manner of sodium amalgam.

Having thus described my invention, What I claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is-

1. In an amalgamator, the combination with a sluice-box, of a box or receptacle including two compartments and a permeable partition separating one compartment from the other one of said compartments adapted to contain a saline solution and the other mercury, said mercury-compartmenthavingahorizontalextension from the upper edge of one of its walls and said extension having a retaining-flange to provide the compartment with an extended surface of mercury contact of shallow depth.

2. In an amalgamator,the combination with a sluice-box, of a receptacle having a permeable partition dividing it into cells of unequal size one of said cells adapted to contain a saline solution and the other mercury said box having its bottom extended in front of the partition to form a mercury-chamber of shallow horizontal depth and extended surface of contact with the partition, and the upper edge of said Wall extended horizontally and flanged to form an extended surface of mercury contact with the pulp and of shallow vertical depth.

3. In an amalgamator, a compartment receptacle having a vertical porous partition between the two, one of said compartments adapted to contain mercury and the other a saline solution, a sluice-box located above the receptacle and having an electrical conducting bottom plate, one end of which dips into the mercury, an electrical conductor for the other compartment and journal pins and boxes by which the sluice is adjust-ably supported.

4. The combination with a receptacle having a vertical porous partition forming two compartments one adapted to contain a saline solution and the other mercury, a sluice having an electrical conducting bottom dipping into the mercury-compartment, a conductor Within the first-named compartment, journals and pins upon which the sluice is supported, and screws by which the journalboxes are adjusted and the sluice-supporting pins locked.

5. In an amalgam'ator, the combination of an inclined frame with a series of brackets, and vertically-separated mercury and solution chambers carried thereon, each lower than the next preceding, of intermediate electrical conducting-plates the discharge ends of which dip into the succeeding mercury-chain bers, electrical conductors in the solutionchambers and supports for said plates carried by and adjustable upon the brackets.

6. In an electrical amalgamating device the combination of a series of receptacles each having a permeable partition forming two compartments one adapted to contain a saline solution and the other mercury, an inclined plane,and supports or knee-brackets attached thereto, pivoted and adjustable sluices having electricalconducting-bottomsdippinginto the mercury-compartment and a conductor within the other compartment.

7. In an electric a'rnalgamator, the combination of an inclined plane, supports attached thereto carrying upon their horizontal edges 2. vertically-partitioned amalgamatingtrough forming two cells one adapted to contain a saline solution and the other mercury, and one of said cells having an extended shallow end, vertical extensions of these supports or brackets above the trough, journal-boxes adjustably fitted thereto, a sluice-box having journals near one end fitting these journalboxes, means for adjusting the incline of the sluice-box, a metal plate Within and projecting beyond the sluice-box, and dipping into the mercury-containing cell, said plate forming the cathode and electrically connected with the anode Within the solution-containing cell through the porous partition and contacting fluids.

In Witness whereof I have hereunto set my hand.

LOUIS H. BARRIOKS.

Witnesses:

GEO. I-I. STRONG, S. H. NOURSE.

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