US859086A - Process of making phosphorus. - Google Patents

Description

UNITED STATES Plgns'r o FIGEQ GILBERT C; LANDIS, OF YORK, .PENNSYLVANIA, ASSIGNOR TO AMERICAN PHOSPHORUS COMPANY, OF CAMDEN, NEW JERSEY, A CORPORATION OF NEW JERSEY.

- PROCESS OF MAKING PHOSPHOBUS.

No. s'sepee.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, GILBERT C. LAN-DIS, a citizen of the United States, residing in York, Pennsylvania,'

have invented certain Improvements in Processes of Making Phosphorus, of which the following is a specification.

Heretofore, in the manufacture of phosphorus in an electrical furnace two methods have usually been employed, one toreduce'the ingredientsto a powder which would be passed through a screen of about 80 mesh; thefother to reduce the material into small lumps and powder, the largest lumps being of such size as to pass through a screen of about a quarter inch mesh. Thislast method is the one in use at the present time and a temperature of about 3500 degrees Fahrenheit is necessary to'obtain a continuous operation of the furnace. Thisexcessive temperature will in many instances cause secondary reaction which ,will kill a portion of the phosphorus vapor and, in-

-" place of obtaining elementary phosphorus, compounds of the material it can be reduced at a temperature in the furnace of about 2700 degrees Fahrenheit. At this temperature the furnace can run continuously and the phosphorus will come over into the containare d, one independently of the other, and each calcined at a red heat, preferably in a rotary calcin ers in its ultimate state. i

In carrying out my invention the ingredients, such-- for instanceas phosphates, sand, silicate and coke,

ing furnace. Then each ingredient is ground so that it will pass through a screen of about 80 mesh, when a proper amount of each ingredient is weighed out and the several ingredients are put into the mechanical mixer and thoroughly mixed. A suitable bond is added so as to unite the several ingredients. "After the material is thoroughly mixed it is formed into briquets of any size desired, preferably oblong in shape and about an inch in length. If a bond is used containing water then the briquets are thoroughly dried before being put into the electrical furnace. The briquets may, how ever', be mixed dry with a suitable bond, or a bond of tar may be used, if desirable.

Thus each briquet is formed of material of the same size. and as the several. ingredients are thoroughly mixed and incorporatedin the briquet I obtain Specification of Letters Patent. Application filed April 9,1907. Serial No 867,211.

Patented July 2, 1907.

best possible result when the material is fed in this form into an.electrical furnace, as the electrical current will act upon the surface of each briquet gradually reducing the briquet, one particle of material not being reduced quicker than another and as the mate- I rial is held in the briquet until it is completely reduced there is very little of the powder carried over in an unreduced state and, owing to the fact that I am enabled to reduce the current, I prevent oyerheating to a considerable extent, consequently making a much better product than heretofore and at a greatly reduced cost-without unusual wear upon the furnace n g, h ch is generally of carbon in electricalfur naces. i

If there is not-sufficient carbon in the material undertreatment by the old method the carbon of the :7 0 lining is liable tobe eaten away, destr oying the furnace to such an extent that it will have to be shut -down and a new lining provided, but by combining the ingredients in 'the manner shown I am enabled to quickly reduce the material with the least amount of disintegration of the furnace lining.

I claim: g 1. The process herein described f making phosphorus. said process consisting in reducing a compound in which phosphorus is present to fine granular form in which all .of the material is of substantially the same size, thoroughly mixing the compound and forming it into briquets, lntroduclng the briquets into an electrical furnace, and acting on the material of the briquets by an electric current, substantially as described.

2. The process herein described of making phosphorus, said process consisting in' first crushing the phosphates, sand 'or silicates and coke independently, and calcining each at 0. red heat, then grinding the several ingredients so as to reduce them to small particles of substantially the same size, mixing the several ingredients thus ground, adding a suitable bond and 'forming briquets of the material, and then introducing the said briquets into an electrical furnace whereby the current will have the same action upon all the particles forming the briquet so as to uniformly reduce the material, substantially as described. 3. The process herein described of making phosphorus, said process consisting in crushing the phosphates, sand or silicates and coke, then calcining each at a red heat, grinding each ingredient so that it will pass through an mesh screen, selecting a given quantity of each ingredient and thoroughly mixing the severalingredients, add- I ing' a suitable bond to the mixture, and forming the said mixture into a briquet, drying the briquet so as to free the water contained in the'bond, then feeding the briquet to an electrlcalfurnace so that the electric current will: act to uniformly reduce the material, forming phosphorus,

too

. substantially as described.

GILBERT C. I ANDIS.

War. A. Bun.