US805501A

US805501A - Method of producing chemicals in electric furnaces.

Info

Publication number: US805501A
Application number: US91114A
Authority: US
Inventors: Edward R Taylor
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 1901-04-04
Filing date: 1902-01-24
Publication date: 1905-11-28
Anticipated expiration: 1922-11-28

Description

PATENTED NOV. 28, 1905.

. E. R. TAYLOR. METHOD 0F PRODUCING CHEMICALS IN ELECTRIC FURNACES.

APPLICATION FILED JAN. 24, 1902.

PATENTED NOV. 28,V 1905.

E. R. TAYLOR. METHOD OI' PRODUCING CHEMICALS IN ELECTRIC FURN ACES.

APPLICATION FILED JAN. 24, 1902.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

,UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

EDWARD R. TAYLOR, OF PENN YAN, NEW YORK-` Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Nov. 28, 1905.

Original application filed April 4, 1901, Serial No. 54,328. Divided and this application filed January 24, 1902. Serial No. 91,114.

operations, in a novel process of making bisulfid of carbon with the aid of such electrodes, and in certain features of such process available in effecting other reactions and reductions in electric furnaces, as hereinafter set forth and claimed.

A leading object of this invention is to provide an electric furnace with self-renewing electrodes adapted to perpetuate themselves in the continuously-working furnace and to feed themselves by gravity.

Two sheets of drawings accompany this specification as part thereof.

Referring to the drawings, Figure 1 is a vertical section of an electric furnace suitable for carrying into effect the present invention, showing the same charged and in operation; and Fig. 2 is a vertical section through such furnace empty in a plane at an angle of fortyfive degrees to that of the plane of Fig. 1. Fig. 3 represents a horizontal section through one side of the empty furnace on the broken line 3, Fig. 1. Fig. 4 represents a horizontal section through the empty furnace on the broken line 4, Fig. 2, indicating the planes of Figs. 1 and 2, respectively, by

broken lines

1 and 2. Fig. 5 represents a section through one of the electrode-conduits, on a larger scale; and Fig. 6 is a perspective view of one of the electrode-conduits detached.

Like letters and numbers refer to like parts in all the figures.

The furnace above referred to and hereinafter incidentally described is the subject-Inatter of a companion specification forming part of an application for United States patent led the 4th day of April, 1901, Serial No. 54,328, and renewed the 2d day of January, 1902, Serial No. 88,042, Letters Patent No. 706,128, dated the 5th day of August, 1902. lts feay tures of construction comprise a preferred upright or stack form, with three diameters at successive heights, as shown in Figs. 1 and 2; a round (or equivalent) shape in cross-section, as represented by Figs. 3 and 4, with

horizontal shoulders

1 and 2, connecting the base a, body b, and dome c; an iron shell 3 common to all; a chambered refractory lining 4, of firebrick or its equivalent, extending upward to a suflcient extent above the top of said body stuffing-boxes 5 in diametrically opposite pairs on said shell 8, through which insulated conductors CZ, e, f, and g extend into the furnace able insulation 6 between said shell 3 and lining 4 throughout; a central working chamber 7 within said base a; a commodious feeding-chamber 8, extending downwardly to the working chamber and in free communication therewith; an inlet /t to said feeding-cham ber through said dome c;

spaces

9, 10, 1l, and 12, concentric with said feeding and working chambers and with each other within the refractory lining of the walls; hoppers z' and j, Fig. y2, upon said

shoulders

1 and 2, respectively, provided with

plugs

18, 14, 15, and 16, which respectively open and close the inlets into

said spaces

9, 10, 11, and 12 for the admission of fusible material for a given reaction or reduction; a cap 7c, Fig. 1, to open and close said inlet t for an infusible or less fusible material for the reaction or reduction, and an outlet Z, leading from said dome c, for the discharge of gaseous material. The lower shoulder 1 of the furnace is further provided with lioppers m, Fig. 1, above the several stung-boxes 5, provided with plugs 17 for the admission of fragmentary conductive material adapted to constitute self-renewing electrodes in the working furnace, as represented at D and E, Fig. 1, and passages n extend downwardly from such inlets within the brickwork of the base of the furnace. Conduits o, (shown in detail by Figs. 5 and 6,)constructed of conductive material, are arranged in continuation of said passages n within the brickwork of the base and electrically attached, as in Fig. 5, to the several conductors d, @,f, and g. Each of these conduits is preferably composed of a trough-shaped casting 18, Fig. 5, of suitable metal, forming back and side walls, and a lining 19, Fig. 5, of carbon brick, and is furthermore preferably constructed with the lower part 20, Fig. 6, of its back wall and the lining thereof at an angle to retard the descent of the fragmentary conductive material through the conduit and to direct the same lOO ITO

inwardly toward the middle of the working chamber, the several conduits being arranged at the sides of' the furnace, as shown in Figs. 1 and 3, and preferably with the upper portions of their back walls slightly inclined inward, as in Fig'. 1.

'I o prevent or resist the passage of the electric current directly from side to side of the furnace or to aid in thus confining' the current to the electrodes at this point, protective walls q, Figs. l, 2, and 3 and Fig. 5, of nonconductive material, such as fire-brick, are interposed between the several conduits and the middle of the furnace and are preferably and conveniently directly superposed, so as to bridge the open side of each conduit, as in Fig. 5, from its upper end, where the electric conductor is attached to its back to the upper limit of its outlet, where the face of the conduit recodes, as shown at21 in Fig. 6, to conformit to the preferred spheroidal shape of the working chamber. (Compare Fig. 1.) Feeding themselves by gravity, the electrodesD E descend into the bottom of the working chamber from the outlets of said conduits o and flow toward each other, as represented in Fig. 1, being naturally thinnest where they come together, and thus affording' the necessary resistance at this point to convert the electricity into heat. The heat zone of the furnace is thus located at the bottom. To provide for further protection to the several conduits 0 and for the regulation or control of the operation of the furnace without interfering with the continuity of such operation, feed-pipes t', Fig. 1, are mounted on said lower shoulder 1 of the furnace between the last-mentioned hoppers m and the body I), and passages t are formed in the shoulder portion of the iron shell and in the brickwork of the base c, leading from said pipes s into the working chamber 7, as shown in Figs. 1 and 2. Either conductive or non-conductive material of any suitable kind that will feed through said pipes .s or their equivalent may be supplied thereto and fed by gravity through said passages t into the working chamber immediately in front of each or any of the electrodes at will. Such supplemental material is represented at C in Fig. 1.

The carbon, such as charcoal or coke, and the crushed sulfur for the bisulfid-of-carbon reaction are represented, respectively, at A and B in Fig. 1, the former as descending within said feeding-chamber 8 and the latter as filling the innermost, 12, of' said spaces within the brickwork of the furnace-walls. The introduction of the carbon into the working furnace is conveniently facilitated by a hopper u and bell 'n within the dome c above said gas-outlet Z. The crushed sulfur introduced into any or all of

said spaces

9, 10, 11, and 12 is fused therein by heat of the furnace that would otherwise be lost by radiation, such spaces surrounding the working chamber 7, as in Fig. 3 and Fig. 4, and descends by gravity toward the heat Zone, where it is vaporiZed simultaneously with the heating of the carbon, and the reaction is thus continuously effected. The two

outer spaces

9 and 10 preferably discharge into the working chamber in the plane of the heat zone through ducts 22, Figs. 2 and t, and the two

inner spaces

11 and 12 discharge above the heat Zone at different heights through outlets 23 and 24, Fig. 2, arranged in different vertical planes,so that the fused sulfur may run down the inner walls of the'furnace toward the heat Zone in separate streams,and thus distribute its coolingand prelfused by a sufficient current therethrough, and

other like difficultly-fusible matter may be fused in like manner. A ltap-hole Figs. 1, 3, and il, normally closed by a stopper e, provides for periodically discharging such fused residue or product. Such tap-hole w may preferably be arranged in a different plane instead of beneath one of the electric conductors, where it is shown for convenience of illustration. The furnace may be square or of other shape in cross-section. The

spaces

9, 10, 11, and 12 within the walls may be increased or reduced in number. There may be but one pair of electrodes or more than two` pairs, and other like modifications of the furnace will suggest themselves to those skilled in the art.

In a previous specification, forming part of Letters Patent No. 702,117, dated the 10th day of June, 1902, i set forth and claim an improvement in methods of producing chemicals in electric furnaces, one feature of which consists in passing a suitable electric current through the charge by means of relatively permanent electrodes, continuously feeding upon such electrodes and between the same and the charge fragmentary conducting material and regulating the electric current by means of such fragmentary material. In that process the fragmentary conductive material is inert and functionless apart from the relatively permanent electrodes which it serves to supplement. In the present process such relatively permanent electrodes are wholly dispensed with and the electric current is passed through the charge by means of the fragmentary conductive material, which itself in this process forms self-renewing' electrodes within the furnace. Moreover, in the production of bisulfid of carbon by said patented process the sulfur is fed upwardly to the heat zone within the working chamber and there vaporiZed, the carbon is fed downwardly upon the sulfur, and the fragmentary conductive material is introduced between the two. In

the present process the fragmentary conductive material is fed into the bottom or hearth of the working chamber and the sulfur is or IOO IIO

may be introduced wholly above the heat zone so located.

Thel present invention consists exclusively in the within-described novel methods of constituting self-renewing electrodes, of continuously effecting reactions and reductions by means of such electrodes, and, specifically, of making bisulfid of carbon by means of such electrodes, as hereinafter claimed.

The method of fusing the residue from the carbon and ,sulfur and like diiiicultly-fusible matter within the furnace and periodically discharging such fused'residue or product is hereby disclaimed in favor of my specification forming part of a divisional application filed the 9th day of June, 1902, Serial No. 110,899.

The furnace as a machine or apparatus, with every novel feature thereof, is hereby disclaimed in favor of said companion specification forming part of said renewed application, Serial No. 88,042.

Having thus described said improvement, 1 claim as my invention and desire to patent under this specitication l. The method of operating an electric furnace which consists in introducing into the furnace at the respective sides of a charge streams of fragmentary conductive material adapted to serve as electrodes,feeding such streams downwardly into the bottom of the working chamber of the furnace and toward each other, and passing a suitable electric current through the charge by way of said fragmentary conductive other by gravity,feeding downwardly between and upon such electrodes material for a given reaction or reduction, and passing a suitable electric current through the charge by way of said fragmentary conductive material.

8. The method of making bisuliid of carbon in an electric furnace which consists in continuously charging the furnace from above with a suitable form vof carbon and with crushed sulfur, continuously feeding into the working chamber of the furnace at the sides of the charge and downwardly intothe bottom of said working chamber fragmentary conductive material adapted to constitute selfrenewing electrodes in the working furnace, passing through the charge by way of said fragmentary conductive material a suitable electric current, thereby heating the carbon and vaporizing the sulfur, and continuously removing the bisuliid vapor, substantially as hereinbefore specified.

4. The method of making bisulfid of carbon in an electric furnace which consists in continuously charging the furnace from above with a suitable form of carbon and with crushed sulfur, continuously feeding into the working chamber of the furnace at the sides of the charge and downwardly into the bottom of said working chamber fragmentary conductive material adapted to constitute selfrenewing electrodes in the working furnace, passing through the charge by way of said fragmentary conductive material a suitable electric current, thereby heating the carbon and vaporizing the sulfur, melting a portion of the sulfur outside of the working chamber and feeding the same downward in contact with the walls of said working chamber, and continuously removing the bisuliid vapor, substantially as hereinbefore specified.

EDWARD R. TAYLOR.

Witnesses:

M. F. HoBART, O. M. HoBAR'r.