US699456A - Art of treating ores. - Google Patents

Description

No. `699,456.v Patented `May 6, |902.4

A. M. DDRR & J. SPANG.

ART UF IREATING DRES.

rApplication led Feb. 19, 1902.)

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' #Wiley No. 699,456. Patented M'ay 6, |902. A. M. DORE &. J. SPANG.

ART 0F TREATING GRES.

(Application led Feb. 19, 1902.) (No Model.) A 3 Sheets-Sheet 2.

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A. M. DOBR & J. SPANG. ART 0F TREATING GRES.

(Application lad Feb. 19. 1902.)

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ANDREV M. DORR AND JOSEPH SPANG, OF BOSTON, MASSACHUSETTS,

ASSIGNORS TO CHEMICAL AND ELECTRICAL ORE REDUCING COM- PANY, OF VEST VIRGINIA.

ART OF TREATING CRES.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 699,456, dated May 6, 1902.

Application filed February 19, 1902. Serial No. 94,828. (No specimens.)

To @ZZ whom, t may concern:

Be it known that we,ANDREw M. DoRR and JOSEPH SPANG, citizens of the United States, and residents of Boston, in the county of Suffolk and State of Massachusetts, have invented a new and useful Improvement. in the Art of Treating Ores, of which the following is a specification.

Our invention relates to the treatment of copper and other ores which may be reduced by roasting and smelting; and its object is toh obtain from such ore a high-grade matte expeditiously and economically. To this end we subject the ore to a continuous reduction process which involves the three steps of roasting, smelting the roasted ore, and purifying the smelted ore,this being accomplished in the manner and by the aid of instrumenf talities which we will proceed to describe in detail.

In order that our invention may be more clearly understood, this specication is accompanied by drawings illustrative of the preferred form of apparatus which we employ in carrying out the invention. Said apparatus, however, is not here claimed, but forms the subject of a separate application in our joint names for Letters Patent.

In said drawings, accompanying and formingpart of this specication, Figure 1 is asec-l tional elevation of the complete apparatus.

Fig. 2 is a front elevation of the furnace. Fig. 3 is a perspective view of the moltenmetal receiver. Fig. 4 is a rear elevation of the furnace. Fig. 5 is atop plan ofthe same.

We will describe rst the apparatus and then the mode of procedure.

A is the body of the furnace, made of iirebrick or any approved material. v

B is the reducing-chamber, into which the ore is charged. h represents grate-bars of re-` fractory material at the bottom of said chambers.

.h is a door in the side of the furnace above the grate-surface, through which the cinders can be withdrawn.

The chamber Bris closed at top by a cover h2, carrying a hopper h3, through which coke and other material can be supplied to the chamber during the process of reduction,

said hopper having a removable cover Zrl at the top and a dumping-gate h5 at or near its bottom, so that after the material has been charged into the hopper the cover b can be closed before the gate h5 is opened, thus preventing cold air from entering thc chamber B through the hopper.

C represent-s charcoal-chambers formed in the furnace-Walls at or near the top of the chamber B and communicating with the latter, as shown. These charcoal-chambers are provided each with agrate c, adoor c,through which charcoal or other fuel can be supplied to the chamber above the grate c, and a door c2 below the grate, through which air can enter, said air on its Way to the reduction-chamber B being compelled to pass up through the burning fuel on the grate c and being thus highly heated before it can enter the rednction-chamber. These chambers Care, in eff ect, air-fines through which atmospheric air is drawn from the outside into the reductionchamber and is heated during its passage through such fines.

Y Below the reduction-chamberis the mattechamber D. This chamber, which is shown open at the front in Fig. 2, is When the furnace is in operation closed at this point by slabs c7, of fire-clay or other refractory material luted into place, as indicated in Fig. l, said slabs being provided with the usual peepholes, through which observations may be taken. The matte-chamber contains a moltenmetal receiver E, Figs. l and 3, made of or lined with a suitable refractory material, which receiver is supported above the bottom 4of the chamber on side supports d', which may, have the form of rails, as shown, the

Vbottom of thereceiver E being formed with corresponding rails e to fit on side rails d', arid then allowthe receiver to be readily drawn out from or pushed into the matte- Chamber. There is a communicating space in the matte-chamber above, below, and at the front of the receiver E, forminga passage through which the heat and fiamevand other products of combustion pass `over down in front of and thence underneath the receiver, which is thus subjected to intense heat on all sides. From the rear of the matte-chamber at a point below the receiver the prod ucts of combustion pass th rough an opening cl2 into a flue F, and thence to the suction-fan Gr, Fig. l, which discharges into the chimney-stack H. By this fan a downdraft is created and maintained in the red notion-chamber B and mattechamber D.

Extending down into the reduction-chamber B through thc cover Ware pipes t', through which the gas which we prefer to employ in our process-a highly-oxygenated hydrocarbon gas-is discharged into the said chamber. Ve prefer to make these pipes vertically movable or adjustable, so that the position of their discharge ends or nozzles relatively to the charge in the chamber can be varied at will. The pipes t', provided with regulating valves or cocks t", Fig. 5, connect with pipes j, leading from a gasometer J, containing the gas. Another pipe j leads from the gasometer to pipes or nozzles 7s., Figs. l and 4, which enter the matte-cham ber D from the rear and so as to discharge above the receiver E therein.

In the present instance the gas is obtained by forcing (by means of an air-,pump K, Fig. l, and a connecting-pipe l) atmosphericair through a receptacle L, containing a solution of ingredients which when air is passed through the same will impregnate and cornbine with said air, so as to oxygenate it and in effect to convert it into a strong oxygen gas, and as we find it desirable also to charge the same with a fuel gas or vapor we pass it (by a pipe m) on its Way to the gasometer through a holder M, containing gasolene or the like, whence it passes by pipe n to the gasometer.

N is a tank from which the gasolene is supplied to the holder M.

Having described the apparatus, we now proceed to describe our novel mode of treatment of the ore.

We Will suppose, for the sake of illustration, that the ore to be treated is a copper ore, and more particularly a sulfo-pyritic ore-such, for example, as is found in the United Verde mine, near Jerome, Arizona.

The manner in which we practically proceed in order to produce the best results is as follows: The ore to be Worked more advantageously should bebroken into lumps of one and one-quarter inches in size or thereabout. On the grate b in the reductionchamber B We first place a layer of coke. This sustains the charge, prevents the ore from dropping through the grate, and reinforces the heat. Ore is then charged into chamber B on top of the coke layer, charcoal in small quantities being mixed with it, which will ignite easily and will start combustion throughout the mass. After the full charge of ore is in a light layer of charcoal may be put on top'of it to assist in ignition; but this is not indispensable. Charcoal is also placed in the chamber C above the grates therein. The furnace should now be completely closed,

except the lower doors c2 of the charcoalchambers C, which remain open. Fires are then started in the two charcoal-chambers, and the exhaust or suction fan G is started and continues to run during the rest of the operation. The effect of this is to create and maintain a downdraft in the-furnace, and the air entering through the doors c2 is drawn up through the ignited beds of charcoal in the chamber C, thence passes into and down 4through the charge in the reduction-chamber B, and in so doing ignites the charcoal which is mixed with the ore.` As soon as the charcoal in or on top of the charge is fairly ignited gas is turned on through the pipes This gas mingles with the air, which still enters through the open doors c2 of the charcoal-chambers, and passes down through the ignited charge, thus setting up heat and combustion. Full head of gas is not turned on at this time, the supply being regulated so as to produce what may be termed a roasting heat7 or heat not sufficient to rapidly melt and reduce the ore, but to keep it as long as necessary in condition when the sulfur and other im purities may be volatilized and drawn off as vapors, the oxygen of the gas facilitating this result. This heat, by means of which the more volatile constituents of the charge are driven off as far as possible, is continued until the ore iinally reaches a pasty or semiliquid state and begins to drop through the grate into the receiver in the matte-chamber below. reached, the doors c2 are closed, so as to exclude atmospheric air as far as possible, and the full head of gas is turned on from pipe i. This produces a smelting heat or a heat of such intensity that the ore is rapidly smelted and runs down in liquid state into the receiver in the matte-chamber below. It Will take some little time-say about an hour and a half-to get all the metal down, and during this time coke may be and preferably is put into the retort (by means of the hopper b3) on top of the ore from time to time to assist in maintaining combustion and in reinforcing the heat. As soon as the metal fairly begins to run the gas-jets k at the rear of the matte-chamber are opened, and the admitted gas burns in the chamber above the receiver E, producing an intense heat, the products of combustion together with those drawn from the chamber B above passing down in front of the receiver under the bottom of the same and thence out from the furnace. The molten metal is thus subjected to intense heat sufficient to bring it to and maintain it in violent ebullition. This is the purification stage of the process, the effect of it being to burn out some of the iron and sulfur and other ingredients Which have been smelted down with the copper and to purify the matte and concentrate it. The liquid product While in this condition can be stirred or poled, as the operation is sometimes termed, this tending to enhance the purification and to produce uni- When this stage of the process is- IOO form matte and assisting in the elimination of sulfur. This heat to produce the best results should be maintained in the matte-chamber for about half an hour after the molten mass has reached the boiling-point. After this the slag (which iioats on the surface of the mass) can be skimmed off, the gas is turned off, the matte-chamber is opened, and the product can be removed either in the receiver E itself or by tapping it off from the receiver into a suitable mold or receptacle below, as shown, for example, at E, Figs. l and 2. Whatever remaining slag there may be lies as a scurf or layer on top of the matte and can be easily broken off after this matte has cooled. The matte thus Obtained is distinctively a high grade of matte, at least equal in quality to the best produced by the usual smelting processes. The entire time required to thus reduce the ore to matte is about four hours at the outside. In some cases only from two to two and a half or three hours are required.

In the above description of our mode of procedure it has been supposed to be used in connection with copper ores, bu t, as hereinbefore stated, it is applicable to any ore which is reduced by roasting and smelting. By our process we can successfully treat and have successfully treated not only comparatively f ree-running ores, which usually are successively roasted and smelted, but also the more refractory ores such, for example, as refractory sulfid ores-which, after being roasted, must be subjected to the concentrating process before being smelted.

Having described our invention and the best Way now known to us of carrying the same into effect, what We claim, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is

The process of producing matte directly from ores which consists in charging the ore into a suitable chamber, subjecting it there first to a comparatively low heat whereby it is roasted to drive o as far as possible its volatile constituents, and next to a high or smelting heat, discharging the ore as it is smelted into a matte-chamber below and subjecting the molten mass as it accumulates in said matte-chamber to an intense heat, whereby it is purified and concentrated, supplyinga gas rich in oxygen both to the chamber in which the ore is roasted and smelted, and, at the time the metal begins to iiow, to the matte-chamber, and maintaining a downdraft through both chambers, substantially as and for the purposes hereinbefore set forth.

In testimony whereof we have hereunto set our hands this 5th day of February, 1902.

ANDREW M. DORR. JOSEPH SPANG.

Witnesses:

CLEMnNs SPANG, A. J. Bossu.

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