Fort Worth gazette. [volume] (Fort Worth, Tex.) 1891-1898, 1894-12-04
ELECTRIC SMELLING.
a system That Can JBe Used In Connection
with Water Power.

Tho new Tnusslg electric smelling proc
ess, which Is now passing through the ex-
| periinental state in Germany, gives excep-
tional promise, md should Its practical
test prove satisfactory II will modify re-
cent electro metallurgical Developments,
progressive "a they have been, to a re.
markable extent. The process consists Of
first reducing and smelling the orc and
then In casting the metal. Both processes
arc carried on in vncuum. The rarcfao-
tion Of the mir has the effect OF removing
oil bubbles Of gus or dir, and tho casting
Is thoroughly homogeneous. Tho appa-
ratus consists essentially OF q long alright
smelling chamber, In which the hearth in
clinos toward o central opening, through
which the natal passes into tho mold.
The chamber Is packed With orc and tlux,
or metal, rs the case may be, mud tho far
mace ID lined with glazed fro bricks, which
so thoronahly insplato IL that there is no
escape OF current. Within 10 minutes Of
tho turning on OF the current the heat de-
velopod viii melt pig iron, and IT takes
but llttlo longer 10 melt Slomens- Mnrtin
steel. As no carbon Is present, tho fused
metals arc almost pure. Oxidation, or
blistering, and tho deletcrlous effect Of
gases evolved hro prevented by the rarclcd
hAhltaPntiNt hlANh az llio nhAAb lliHt
croases tho iiuidity Of tho metal, and the
castings produced are dense and homoge-
ncous.
The most obvious advantage claimed
for this process, In the smelling of raw
oros, Is that II can DO worked wholly by
water power. This ability to dispense
with fuel Ia a matter Of great moment in
mountainous and remote ore Pre- lucing
ligtrfpta x,rlgah haya ulttpday,t tttutnn I,t,s
no coal In tho fuslng Of iron 10 Is claimed
that the operation Is rapid aud amenable
10 continuous working that IL improves
tho quality OF the castings, and that, even
where steam power is used to generate tho
current, IL gives n saving OF 80 to 80 per
cont in fuel Tho practical limit Of the
process as at present organized would ap-
pear to bo tho handling Of nbout 4 tons
of metal In ono charge, which would ~.
quire a furnace or fusion channel OF from
80 to 40 feet In length.
BY applying TO such furnace current
OF 30, 600 amperes and 90 volts, or, say
about 2, 900 horsepower, tho entire charge
OF 5000 pounds can be fused and run into
castings In n quarter Of an hour. In the
making OF steel and iron castings bysmelt-
Ing In q Siomeus Martin regencratyo fur
mace LOCO 20 l,i0O pounds OF coal arc
burned to smolt 9 900 pounds OF iron. In
tho Taussig process, even assuming that
water power is not available, and that the
dynamo and air pumps must be- worked By
steam, IL IL claimed that tho smelling Of
1000 pounds OF iron and steel can bo Of.
looted by the consumption Of from 7aO to
500 pounds OF steam coal an economy Of
nearly 90 per cent In fuel Where tho
steel Is treated In Uruciblos the economy Is
still greater, especially II tho coal used be
OF AN inferior quality
By means Of this process, IL Is stated,
pig iron containing under por cent total
carbon has been produced, and It Is be.
loved that, where desirable, tho carbon
limit can be brought down to that OF steel
IL Is estimated that plant equipped with
600 or 600 horsepower, using good quail.
ity as per cent ore, can produce pig iron
Tor So TO W. 90 por ton, allowing ST. 40 for
the cost OF ore Certain plants in the
south already turn out iron Mt a lower cost
thun this, but the figure can DO greatly re.
duccd whore uwatcr power Is available for
the generation OF electric current this
system can boput un commercial basis,
10 VIII no most valuable for the treatment
Of ores In tho nciphborhood Of water now
or, or oven where water power exists near
enough to permit of the cheap transmits
sion OF current, fuel being presumably
high priced, For instance an electric gen.
eroting plant might DO erected near tho
coal mines and power could bo generated
by using slack coal in producers, the gas
thus obtained heating the boilers. From
hore the current could DO transmitted to
the orc mines whore the smelling furnaces
were erected Tho working OF the plants
now being put up In France and Sweden
will bo watched with interest by tho iron
smelters OF the south, which, with Its nu.
fnercus waterways, would DO u most IA
yorahlo field for tho utilization Of any such
successful system. Boston Transcript.