Eureka daily sentinel. [volume] (Eureka, Nev.) 1871-1887, 1885-07-09
NEW wATER.JAC KEr FURNACE.
The Same Has Just seen Patented
by Mr.. Edward PrObert, Manager
OF the Richmond Mines and

49,
by Mr.. Edward PrObert, Manager
OF the Richmond Mines and
Works.
Mr.. Edward Probert, Manager of the
Richmond mine and reduction works Of
this town, has invented a blast furnace
with such an arrangement and construc'
ton Of tuyeres as enables him TO largely
increase the capacity Of the furnace. The
peculiar water-jacket which surrounds the
region of fusion he calls q hydrocycle. and
it consists Of a circular series Of independ'
ent and separately removable cells suit
ably joined. This new furnace Mr.. Pro
bert has just patented.
The Mining and Scientific Press, of San
Francisco, through the agency in connec'
tion with which journal Mr.. Probert got his
patent, has the following to say Of its char
acter and advantages: The special objects
or advantages which are claimed for the
furnace are its large smelling capacity, the
facility with which it can be repaired even
while in operation, and the facility, gener-
ally, with which the entire operation may
be carried on. The first OF these adyan-
tages arises from overcoming certain disad-
vantages in the ordinary furnaces. 1t is
we'll known that on the construction OF
pressure blast furnaces of the common
type, the diameter should never exceed
twice the /" throw" Of the blast-that is,
twice the distance to which the blast PEN
etrates the charge, or, say, from so 10 40
inches.
This necessity limits the smelling capsc-
ity, SO that the daily production rarely ex-
ceeds from 20 to 80 tons. Mr.. Probert
considers that his invention renders it
possible to increase the diameter OF the
furnace, and therefore its productive or
smelling capacity, more than twofold with
out materially increasing the cost OF con-
struction, while the running expenses are
reduced.
The second advantage arises from the
peculiar construction of the hydrocycle,
the elements or independents cells of
which are so fitted to place and united
as to render it possible for each to be
cleaned while in place, or taken out for
repairs while the furnace is in actual
operation, with the least difficulty and
in a short time. The last advantage
results from the general construction.
By projecting a tuyere through the lin
ing of the furnace and into its region Of
fusion, it ia possible to increase the
diameter Of the furnace; but in order to
maintain such an inwardly-projecting
tuyere il must be either Of material re-
fractory enough to Withstand the heat or
must be a water-tuyere. With q long
water-tuyere, such as Mr.. Probert pre-
fers, and with 30 much weight IN it's
inner end, il becomes essential to pro-
vide a firm support on the body OF the fur
mace through which il passes. AS, however,
the water Jackets withstand the action Of
the heat there remains q firm support for
the tuyere, an important feature in the
furnace.
The novelty to be noted about the upper
part of the furnace is the wind chamber,
which, instead Of being made of thin gal
vanized iron or zinc. as ia usual, and serv-
ing merely for the distribution of the
blast, is made Of iron plate or short sheet
iron or cast iron, and converted into a hol-
low girder, in section a right-angled tri-
angle, which, encircling the shell beneath q
fiange, receives its weight and transfers il
TO cast iron pillars on which it rests. By
thus making the girder triangular instead
OF rectangular sufficient strength is OBJ
tanned with less material.
The water which is supplied to the tuy-
eres and hydrocycle becomes boiling hot
and usually leaves deposits on the inner
surface, which tends to cause the iron to
burn out, and hence the Importance of
leaving the water cells open at the top, so
the deposits may be readily moved.
The furnace is circular in form and
seven feet in diameter, and is capable Of
smelling from SO to 60 tons of ore daily;
but the principle by which the capacity is
increased is applicable to the construction
of a still larger furnace. For retaining
the diameter Of seven feet (which mas
been found the most advantageous in
practice), all that is necessary is to sepa.
rate the two semi-circles into which the
plane of the hydrocycle may be supposed
to be divided by q space. say equal to the
semi-diameter of the furnace, or three
and one-half feet, and then to introduce
into the openings OF either side a pair Of
additional cells of rectangular shape mot
curvilinear) when the furnace will be con-
verted into an oblopg one with circular
heads or ends capable of smelling from
so to 100 tons daily, which is the capacity
OF one now in actual use, and which has