The Helena independent., 1894-11-29
ELECTRIC SMELLING.
A System That Can Be Used In Connection
With Water powsT.

WIN water foWTs
The new Tausslg electric smelling
process, which Is now passing through
the experimental state In Germany,
gives exceptional promise, and should
It's practical test prove satisfactory,
IL will modify recent lectro-metallurgl-
gal developments. progressive as they
have BEEN 90 a remarkable extent. The
process consists OF first reducing and
smelling the ore. and then In casting
the metal. Both processes are carried
ON In vacuum. The rarefactlon OF the
air has the effect OF removing all bub-
bles Of gas or air and the casting is
thoroughly homogeneous. The apparatus
consists, essentially OF long air-tlght
smelling chamber, In which the hearth
inclines toward central opening
through which the metal passes into
the mold. The chamber Is packed with
ore and flux, or metal, as the case may
be- and the furnace Is lined with glazed
fire bricks, which so thoroughly insulate
II that there Is no escape of current
Within fifteen minutes OF the turning on
OF the current. the heat developed will
melt pig iron, and II takes but little
longer 10 melt Slemens-Martin steel. As
no carbon is present. the fused metals
are almost pure: oxidation or bllstering
and the deleterious effect ofgases evolv-
ed are prevented by the rarehed atmos-
phere. which at the same time increases
the fiuidity of the metal. and the cast
ings produced some dense and homoge-
neuus.
The most obvious advantage claimed
for this process, in the smelling OF raw
ores, is that IL can be worked wholly by
water power. This ability 10 dispense
with fuel is matter OF great moment
In mountainous and remote ore-produc-
ing districts, which have abundant wa
ter. but no coal. In the fusing OF iron,
II Is claimed that the operation Is rapid
and amenable to continuous working;
that IL improves the quality OF the cast
ings, and that even where steam power
Is used TO generate the current, II gives
a saving OF so 10 80 per cent In fuel. The
practical limit Of the process as at pres
ent organized would appear To be the
handling of about one and half tons
OF metal In one charge, which would re-
dulre furnace or fusion channel of
from thirty-six to forty feet In length.
By applying to such channel a current
OF 10000 ampheres and nifty volts. or
say about 1000 horse power the entire
charge of 5000 pounds can be fused Ind
run into castings in a quarter OF an
hour In the making OF steel and iron
castings by smelling I'm the Siemens-
Martin regenerative furnace, 1000 TO
l,i0O pounds OF coal are burned to smelt
1000 pounds Of Iron. In the Taussig
process. even assuming that water pow
er IL not available and that the dynamo
and air pumps must be worked by
steam. IL is claimed that the smelling of
1000 pounds OF iron or steel can be ef-
fected by the consumption of from 720
TO 500 pounds OF steam coal, and econo-
my of nearly 50 per cent in fuel. Where
the steel is treated I'm crucibles the
economy is still greater, especially II
the coal used be of an inferior quality.
BY means OF this process, IL Is stated,
pig iron containing under three per
cent total carbon has been produced,
and II is believed that where desirable.
the carbon limit can be brought down
to that of steel. IL is estimated that
plant equipped with 500 or 900 horse
power. using a good quality is per cent
ore. can produce pig iron for ~ TO $3.50
per ton. allowing $40 for the cost of
ore. Certain plants in the south al
ready turn out iron at Uwer cost tnsn
this; but the figure can hs e-eatly re-
duced where water power Is available
for the generation of the electric cur
rent. II this system can be put on a
commercial basis II will he most talu-
able for the treatment OF ores in the
neighborhood of water power, or even
where water power exists near enough
10 permit of the cheap transmission OF
current fuel being presumably high
priced. For instance, an electric gem
eratelng plant might be erected near the
coal mines. and power could be generat-
ed by using slack coal In producers, the
gas thus obtained heating the boilers.
From here the current could be trans
mitted 90 the ore mines where the smelt-
ing furnaces were erected. The work
| Ing OF the plants now being put up in
| France and Sweden viii be watched
with interest by the iron smelters OF
the south, which. with it's numerous
waterways. would be a most favorable
| held for the utilization of any such sue
cessful system Transcript