US946688A - Apparatus for production of zinc oxid. - Google Patents

Description

W. du H. SIMM. APPARATUS FOR PRODUCTION 0F ZINC OXID.

Arruoulon FILED 00T. 1, 1907.

n 946,688. I Patented Jan. 18, 1910.

FIG l 2 `BHEIITS--SHIZIIT 1.

FIG.2

L .27 G .v wry-raies w. & H. SIMM.` APPARATUS FOB. PRODUCTION 0F ZINC OXID.

APPLICATION FILED 00T.1, 1907.

946,688. Patented Ja1L18, 1910. f FIG I 3 2 sHBnTs-sHnn-T 2.

L l x fz 2f;

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lrJsD clarion.

wrpmm SIMM AND Hamm? snm, or ronrrco, naar," PnEsco'r, ENGLAND.

APPARATUS ron Lrao'iiuc'rro-1a' or zINc oxm.

To all whom 'it may concern:

Be it known that weHWiLmAM SIMM and HENRY SIMM, subjects of the King of Great Britain and Ireland, reeiding at Portico,

-near Prescot, in the county of Lancaster,

En land, .have invented certain new and uscful A paratus for the Production of Zinc Oxici)(for which a atent has been aplied for in Great Britain, No. 21,787, bearmg date October 3, 1906), of which the following is a specification.

IThis invention consists in an improved apparatus for the rapid and cheap produce The apparatus illustrated is desigual for -two furnaces which may be worked together or separately. Each furnace consists ofl a well 1 formed in a fire-brick setting 2 one side or end of which is yrovided with a vent for th e 'purpose of c eaning ,out the well. This vent is normally closed by a plug 3 which may consist of a fircbrick luted in. Across the setting are fixed two carbon slabs 4 and 5 which form the electrodes and also form the sidesof the furnace proper. These slabs are set in brickwork at their ends and these ends protrude at one end of the furnace so as to enable clamp connections or terminals 6 to be fixed to -them for the purpose of securing the ends of ably a railed track 10 as illustrated is used in order to facilitate the changing and setting in position of the furnaces in relation y Specification ot Letters Patent. Application Med October l, 19.07. Serial No. 395,381.

` and 15.

to the other part ofthe apparatus hereinafter described.

The electrical connectioi-is 'and necessary electrical instruments for each furnace are diagrammatically illustrated in Fig. 3. The current used is an alternating one.

The bus-bars are represented by 11 and 12.

Patented J an. 18, 19,10.

The connections are so arranged that either or both the furnaces can be rendered inoperative at will. `For this purpose each furnace has a separate circuit which can be opened or closed .by means of its switch 13, which is preferably of the double pole type. Each circuitv is represelited by the lines 14 The ends ofthe electric conductors of the circuit are attached to the carbon slabs 4. and 5 respectively by means of the clamps (3 as before stated. ln the circuit 14 is placed a. choking coil or its equivalent represented by the'spiral 16, alsolan ammcter represented by 17. A voltmeter represented by 18V is arranged in each circuit. by

a. shunt. ln the other part of the ap )aratus dis arranged a hood 19 for each furnace, which is suspended so as to leave sullcient clearance between its lower edge and the furnace top when the latter is beneath it, lfor aliberal su )ply of air all around. Each hood is carriedI by a trunk flue 2() which is fixed at. one end to a chamber 2l forming the condenser and collector of the zinc oxid.l Each hood has an opening such as 22 Fig. 1 therein which leads into a. vbranch flue-23 Figs. 2 and 3, connected to the niainflueg2tl. Each flue 23 is fitted with a door ordamper such as 24 Figs. 1 and 2 provided with a handle 25 by which the opening 22 may be closed at will. Above each hood is formed a hopper 26 for feeding the furnace with the charge t0 be reduced, the hopper being provided with a valve or door such as 27 which is preferably hinged at 28 and kept closed normally by means of .the weighted arm 29.

At the junction of the trunk 20 with the chamber 21 there is mounted a fan 30 preferably in the manner illustrated in Fig. 1. It is fixed upon the shaft 31 which is carried in a bearing 32 fixed by a cross bar 33 at one end and at the other in a bearing bracket 34 shown fixed to the end of the trunk 20. The outer end of this shaft may carry a belt pulley such as 35 for driving the fan or lalternatively an electric motor may be ixedso as to drive it directly.

and the The fan 30 is for the purpose of drawing the zinc vapor from the furnace when the latter is in operation and for regulatin the draft. The condensing chamber 2l is tted with baille screens facing the fan. In the drawing these screens are shown as consisting of fiat-surfaced bars 3G spaced a art in vertical rows, the bars beiner incline transversely and run from one side to the other of the chamber. These bars may be made of any suitable material or materials, roughened wood, frames covered with muslin or thc like being suitable. The chamber is provided with an outlet orifice 37 between which and the screens is preferably fixed a partition 38 somewhat es illustrated. Another suction fan may be fixed at the outlet orifice. The door for discharging the condenser of the oxid collected is represented by 39.

In operating the apparatus, a furnace setting is first wheeled into position under the hoods 19 and the necessary electrical connections made. The carbon electrodes of the furnace are'then connected together by a layer of powdered charcoal preparatory to starting the furnace, as hereinbefore stated. The effect of this is to obtain an incandescent bed immediately the current is switched on and the charcoal slightly ressed down. The charge can then be fed irectlyI into a live furnace by which theefficiency of the apparatus is increased. The charge is prepared by mixing the ore or other substances containing the zinc in a broken up state with suchfmaterials as salt cake or common salt andslaked lime or with borate of lime. The mixture cornes into the furnace through the hopper 26 and immediately comes into contact with a large surface of incandescent carbon by which the zinc is immediately volatilized. The volatilization of, the zinc is quickened by'suitably varying the proportions of the ingredients of the flux used greatest efficiencyl is thus more evenly maintained. The relativev proportions of the salt cake or common salt to the lime can be advantageously varied from five to two to about equal proportions according to the quality of the material to be treated and with a given strength of current the Voltage can be advantageously ke t as high as possible. The proportions of t e flux to the material treated will Vary from two and -a half to twent -five per cent. according to the character o the said material. The fan 30 rojects the zinc vapor against the baffles or bars 36 by which it is thrown down and it can then be collected at the door 39. Any other vapors resulting from thereduction of the material containing the zinc are blown out, at the orifice 37 and the clearing out of the condenser of such foreign vapors can be facilitated by the use of a suction fan at .the outlet orifice as before stated.

We claim as our invention 1. In apparatus for producing zinc oxid electrically, the combination of a condensing chamber having suitable battles, a hood connected therewith, and a suction fan for drawing the fumes into the hood and discharging them into the condenser, with an electrical furnace removably located beneath the hood and suitable detachable electric connections forthe furnace, said connections yincluding a choking coil.

2. In apparatus for producing zinc oxid electrically, the combination of a condensing chamber having suitable baffles, a hood connected therewith, and a suction fan for drawing the fumes into the hood and discharging them into the condenser, with an electric furnace removably located beneath the hood, a space being provided between the bottom of the hood and the to of the furnace whereby air for the supplying of oxy en is freely admitted on a level with the eating material carried by the furnace. In testimon of which we hereunto set our hands an seals in the presence of two witnesses.

WILLIAM SIMM. 1.. 8.] HENRYsIMM. ina] lVitnesses WALTER H. BARTON, RIDLEY Y. lURQUHAa'r.

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