, 1880-11-28
A NEW SMELTlNG FURNACE.

Popular Science Monthly for December.
The utilization OF petroleum for fuel in the
various nletallurgical operations, In steam
generating, and generally where coal is in.
dustrially used, has been a fayorit project
with inventors for dozen years or more,
The advantages Of such a fuel are very great
and the reward to the successful inventor OF
an apparatus that would make its use prac-
ticable would be correspondingly large. Like
gas, liquid fuel Is under perfect control,
and is III form allowing of perfect combus.
ton If properly burned. The fuel is, more
over, very abundant, the production having
been for some time past in considerable ex-
cess OF the demand. In one district alone
something like {, ,000 barrels are daily running
to waste through lack Of storage capacity,
and one Of the largest producers Of Oil is now
obtaining from the wells about 1000 barrels
per day more than can be marketed.
The oil companies, as well as inventors
who have hoped to make a fortune by suc-
efforts to turn this fuel to industrial uses,
but so far the deyices-and they have been
many-have uniformly failed. 4 furnace is.
however, now being developed which seems
least partial solution Of the problem. The
furnace consists, in reality, IN an immense
blowpipe fame, which is made to play upon
the ore to be Smelted, when used for metal
lurgical purposes, and to pass through boiler
tubes when used for steam-generating: In
the lnetallurgi"al apparatus there is first a
fuel-furnace ii! which any ordinary fuel may
be used, or oil If preferred. Against the
upper portion of the flame from this furnace
q blast OF air Is projected, similar to that from
spirit-lamp. Into this Blast at the point
where it strikes the fuel-furnace flame. 4
stream of oil is introduced. The on-going
blast and the heat Of the flame yaporize the
oil, which is then In a condition to be COM
pletely consumed: The result Of this arrange
temperature. This tiame els IS j PROTECTED iiori- r
zontally through an iron cylindrical shell,
lincd lin & with tIrs-tEiek with facing Of graRl;
from hopper at the farther end. The shell
is slowly rotated, 50 that the entering ore,
tumbllng about, IS brought, into intimate
contact with the flame. II is also slightly
into the fame. and the melted material run
down into the crucible at the lower end,
where it is tapped, and the Stag run Oft in the
usual way. The farther end Of the revolv-
Ing cylinder is let into chamber built OF
brick, stone, or clay, which is divided into
compartments by wallis or sheets of inconl-
bustible material kept constantly wet by
running water. The hot gases, carrying
vapors of the metals and other ingredients of
the ore, are here gradually cooled down and
depending upon the materials. present in the
ore. The burned gasts are Withdrawn from
the condensing chamber BY means of an
exhaust-fan. and DISCHARGED into the atmos~
phcre. The air and oil are both under per-
feet control, so that heat suitable Tor smelt-
vii viii. - ~ 'Ap'''N'Ds 'AA 10 pA0O0''u ~
Several furnaces are shortly to be put into
operation for the reduction Of ores of the
precious metals, on which experiments have
ca far o1,f fnH. ho1R r1,of1 I'm ,fttr