US900466A - Method of smelting ores. - Google Patents

Description

R. BAG-GALEY. .METHOD 0F SMELTING GRES. APPLLOATION'FILD FEB. 8,1906.

900,466. Patented Oct. 6, 1908.

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' R. BAGGALEY. MLTTJeron` or SMELTING DRES. v

x APPLICATION FILED QPEB'. 8, 1906. 900,466.

` Patented oet. 6,1908.

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1,1. BAGGALEY; METHOD 0F -SMELTING ORES.

APPLICATIOI-T FILED PEB. 8,1906.

Patented Oct. 6, '1908.v

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INVENTOR 44 A2.

TH'E MORRIS Fsrsns co., wAsmNa-ron. n. c.

R. BAGGALEY.

' METHOD OP SMELTING GRES.

APPLICATION FILED FEB. 8, 1906.

Patented 0ct. 6,19o8.

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v primarily for use in thepracticeof a` process `yielding valuable metal.

" entre BAGG'ALEY, 'or PITTSBURG, PENNSYLVANIA.

'METHOD orsMEI/i'rmeonns.

Toiall whom #may concern.' i i Be it known that I, RALPH BAGGALnr, of Pittsburg, in the `county of-Allegheny and State of Pennsylvania,have 'invented a new and useful V"Method of Smelting "Ores, of which the followinivis av full, clear, fand eX- lact description, re erence'being hadtothe accompanying. drawings, forming part i of y this specification, in which-.-`

Figure l is a longitudinal `section of a furnace suitable for `practice of my inven tion, the section being ontheline I Iof Fig. 2; Fig. 2 is across-section on the line II-II of Fig. l; Fig. 3 illustrates the powerV mechanism that maybe advantageouslyutil ized in actuating the .damper doors2 of Fig. 2 which preferablyextend the entire` interior length of the crucible.` Fig.V 4 is acrosssection on the line yIIL-IV of., Fig. 5, 'show-f ing apparatus 'of modified construction.

Fig. 5 is a longitudinal section Ionjtheline Fig.. 6V shows the power V-V of Fig. 4; mechanism that may be used to actuate the water-cooled dampe'rs 2 of Figs. 4L' and 5.

The object of.my.-invention is tofrnakeit possible to dissolve ores in open-top fur' naces whether suchfurnaces be constructed of heavymetal` blocks, ofrefractory mate rial of any kind, yor of wateihjackets of any kind. My presentinvention'has been designed of` smelting ore wherein the followingjrsteps are employed. 1st. Producing a molten bath of clean matteor offmolten-ores, the distinctive feature Aof .which bath, is` ,high

fuel Values. 2nd. Dissolving thereafter in this molten bath throughfthe intense heat produced by the converting process Vores whose distinctive constituents1 are silica, for

releasing and` fluxing the iron ,contained-Ain,

the molten bath,1 andmineral values, for

The process employs no carbonaceous fuel of any kind, or practically no such'fuel beyond the small amount necessary.; tostart the process into operation. fr When once started it depends alone foritssuccessupni the heat produced bythe oxidationvof: the

various elements and compounds that partlyv constitute the molten "bath, suchfforinstance as iron, sulfur, arsenic, thereof and many. other things.l It is therefore necessary in'order topractice this'art successfully to conserve carefully theh'eat' which is thus produced, and I havediscov` if "specification of'nettrs' restent.

,and compounds i Patented oc1;.e,190s.v

, tendenti mea retriary 8,1906. l seriaiNo. 300,071. i

ered'that is practically impossible to use an open-top furnace of any kind for the purpose, because itjpermits the .continuous and almost instantaneous escape of the heat ,through'the hood and out ofthe stack.V By

-wayof illustration I may'state, that the converting processv as' successfully conducted heretofore could not be practiced in a converter that. was'open at the top to the full area of thev converter at its widest part, for

in such a converter the escape of the heat would .beso rapid that the process itself `would fail. Onthe contrary, it is absolutely essential to success that the converter shall `have a lnarrow contracted nose or throat which will hold the heat produced by the process to thel utmost limit before permitting it'to escape into `the stack. This conservation of the internal heat is carried to such an extent in present practice, that a pressure ofthe gases is often produced on the interior of the converter.

'i l.The process vabove mentioned involves even more exacting conditions, and demands 'even greater conservation of the heat produced vinthe furnace than does the ordinary converting process, becausethe molten bath in it is compelled to heat upand to dissolve ores that may be 'primarily cold, or if preheated atally they are` still Vat a temperature much less `than thefusion point.

I have found-that because of the rapid escape of theheat from an open-top furnace in which the process above referred to, is being practiced, a continuous congealing of the matte and slag will occur on the side and end walls of such open-top furnace and because vof this trouble it is vonly ya question of time until'theseiaccretions close up the Crucible andthus bring` the processto a full stop.

rIhis dificulty'is intensely aggravated Where Water-,jackets are used, because the flow of water 4continuously' abstracts and dissipates the internal heat of thefurnace and greatly reduces the `temperature `of the bath. My .presentinventionmakes it Vpossible to use an `open-top` furnace of almost any -kind and constructed of almost any material. It comprises means abovethefcrucible `to regulate or govern the escape Vofthe internal heat through the stack, downtake, or otherwise.

Many different means maybe utilized to ac- Y complish this result.

v v My` preferred "form of construction is that shown in Figs. 1, 2"and V3. The furnace shown in these figures is built of heavy metal blocks 3, as described in an application filed the crucibles of open-top furnaces as broadly by C. M. Allen on March 31st, 1904, Serial No. 200,943. Such heavy metal blocks will continuously absorb, retain and conserve the internal heat of the crucible and will not wastefully dissipate it as water-jackets are liable todo. The furnace has damper-doors 2', 2, mounted on trunnions 4 arranged to swing, through the action of a cylinder 5, and rack and pinion (i, or other suitable power-mechanism, into the positionsV shown in dotted lines of Fig. 2, which will have the effect of almost closing the upper portion of the furnace and of thus preventing the escape of its internal heat. The dampers have wings 7 arranged so that while they are in this position, their upper surfaces will constitute a hopper, through which ores may be fed into the molten bathbelow to be dissolved.

The furnace has the usual twyers 8, slagoutlet, 9, tap-hole 9 for metal or matte, and charging-openings l0.

llVhen the furnace is in operation, the dampers are moved towards or from each other to vary the width of opening at the upper part of the furnace in conformity to the heat requirements of the bath, which is thus maintained at the temperature proper for effective work in dissolving the additions of ore, but these changes are effected without substantially changing the air-pressure of the blast.

Figs. 4 and- 5 illustrate other mechanical means for producing'the same result, and in this instance the invention is applied, by way of illustration, to a water-jacketed furnace; although I do not recommendA the use of water-jackets for this purpose, for the reasons hereinbefore stated. Still I have found that water-jackets may be used, if ample provision, such as that contemplated in my present invention, is made for preventing or controlling the escape of the internal heat. In practicing this art in awat-er-jacketed furnace, a much thicker skull or lining forms upon the interior walls of the furnace than where metal blocks are used, because of the rapid extraction of heat by the water.

In Figs. 4 and 5, the dampers 2 are watercooled hollow boxes pivoted at their upper ends and adapted to swing inwardly as shown in dotted lines, water being supplied to them by pipes ll which extend axially through the trunnions 4.

I consider the method above described of controlling the escape of internal heat from new,V and I do not wish my invention to be limited to the particular mechanical means illustrated in the drawings. For instance, sliding water-acketed dampers may be used, such as those illustrated in my application Serial No. 2 2,391, tiled April 9, 1904-, for a matte producing furnace, and in other ways the same results which are essential to success may be accon'iplished.

Various modifications in the apparatus for the practice of this invention will naturally suggest themselves to those skilled in the art, without departing from the spirit of my invention, since lVhat I claim is zl. The method of treating ores, which consists in producing a molten bath high in fuel values, dissolving in the bath ores having constituents for releasing and iluxing the iron and mineral values contained in the molten bath, the process when started being carried out without the use of carbonaceous fuel` and by the heat produced by the o.\idation of the fuel values of the ore and bath, -and during such process varying the a ra olf the escape opening of the vessel in which the process is carried out conformably to the heat requirements of the bath, whereby the heat produced within the vessel may be held therein to a controllable maximum extent; substantially as described.

2. The method of treating ores, which consists in producing a molten bath high in fuel values, dissolving in the bath ores whose distinctive constituents are silica for releasing and liuxing the iron contained in the molten bath, and mineral values, the process when started being carried out without the use of carbonaceous fuel and by the heat produced by the oxidation of the fuel values contained in the ore, and during such proeess varying the area of the escape (mening of the vessel in which the process is carried on conformably to the heat requirements of the bath and without materially increasing the pressurer within the vessel, whereby the heat produced within the vessel may be held therein to a maximum extent; substantially as described.

In testimony whereof, I have hereunto set my hand.

RALPH BAGGALEY.

litnesses HLLIAM M. IsiRiirA'rRion, FRANK L. RILEY.

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