The Bottineau pioneer. (Bottineau, N.D.) 1885-1895, 1895-02-23
SCIENTIFIC MATTERS.

AA
YNTEuESTING INFORMATION ABOUT
SCIENCE AND INDUSTRY.
The New Electric Smelling Process
Scientific Training - Portable
Electric Pump-PhotOgraphtng ny
Electricity.
The new Taussig electric smelling
process, which is now passing through
the experimental stage in Germany
gives exceptional promise, and should
it's practical test prove satisfactory
it will modify recent electro-metalur-
gical developments, progressive as
they have been, to a remarkable x
tent.
The process consists in first reducing
and smelling the ore, and then in cast
ing the metal. Both processes are car
ried on in a vacuum. The rarefac-
ton of the air has the effect of remov-
ing all bubbles of gas or air, and tue
casting is thoroughly homogeneous.
The apparatus consists, essentially, or
a long alright smelling chamber, IN
which the hearth inclines toward a cell
trail opening, through which the metal
passes irto the mold. The chamber is
packed with ore and t1uX, or metal,
as the case may be, and the furnace Is
lined with glazed fire-bricks; which
so thoroughly insulate it that there is
no escape OF current. Within fifteen
minutes of the turning on Of the ~
rent the heat developer will melt yeg
iron, and it takes but little longer to
melt Siemens-M Martin steel. AS no ar
bon is present, the fused metals are
almost pure: oxidation OR blistering
AMI the deleterious effect Of gases
| evolved are prevented by the raretied
atmosphere. which at the same time
increases the f1uidity of the metal
and the castings produced are dense
aud homogeneous.
The most obvious advantage Gained
| for this process, in the smelling OF
raw ores, is that it can be worked
| wholly by water-power. This ability
to dispense with fuel is a matter OF
great moment in mountainous and re-
mote ore. producing districts, which
have abundant water power, but no
coal. In the fusing of iron, it is claim
] ed that the operation is rapid, and
amenable to continuous working; that
it impr ives the quality Of the castings;
and that, even where steam power is
used to generate the current, it gives
q saving of 80 to 50 per cent in fuel.
The practical limit of the process rs
at present organized would appear to
be the handling of about n and one
half tons Of metal in one charge,
which would require a furnace u fu-
sion channel Of from SO to 40 feet in
length. BY applying to such u fur
mace a current of 10000 amperes and
fifty volts. or say about 1000 horse
power. the entire charge of 5000
pounds car be fused and run into cast
ings in a quarter of an hour. In the
making of steel and iron castings by
smelling in a Siemens-Martin regener-
, alive furnace, 1000 to 1,4OO pounds Of
coal are burned to smelt 1900 pounds
Of iron. In the Taussig process, even
assuming that water-power is not
available and that the dynamo and air
pumps must be worked by steam, it
is claimed that the smelling of 1900
| pounds of iron or steel can be effected
by the consumption of from TO to
800 pounds of steam coal, an economy
| of nearly SO per cent in fuel. Where
the steel is treated in crucibles the
economy is still greater, especially ii
the coal used be of inferior quality.
BY means of this process, it is stated,
pig iron containing under 3 per cent
total carbon has been produced, and it
is believed that where desirable the
carbon limit can be. brought down to
that of steel. 1t is estimated that q
plant equipped with 500 to 600 horse
power, using a good quality As per
cent ore, can produce pig iron for s.
to $3.50 per ton, allowing $40 for the
cost of the ore. Certain plants in the
South already turn out iron at a lower
cost than this, but the figure can be
greatly reduced where a water-power
is available for the generation of cleo
| trio current. t~,s
If this system can be put'on q com
mercial basis it will be most valuable
for the treatment Of ores in the neigh
borhood of WATERPROOF err or .eyen where
water-power exists near enough to per-
init Of the cheap transmission of cur
rent, fuel being presumably high-pric-
ed. For instance an electric generat-
ing plant might be. erected near to
coal mines, and power could be gener-
ated by using slack coal in producers,
the gas thus obtained heating the boil
ers. From here the current could be
transmitted to the ore mines where
the sH citing furnaces were erected.
Tho working of the plants now be-
ing put up in France and Sweden will
be watched with interest by the iron
smelters Of the South, which, with it's
numerous waterways, would be a most
favorable field for the utilization Of
any such successful system.
Scientific Training.
Sir Frederick BramweI, In address
ing the students. OF a technical school
in England, made some pertinent re-
marks on the relative value Of science
and practice. He said that what they
secured in the institutions Of the pres
ent day was not only q substitute for
what was impaired in bygone days,
but included a great deal of informa.
ton which could not formerly be oh.
tanned. They nov saw why they did
certain things, and why certain results
followed. Formerly people did only
what they were taught because their
forefathers had done the same thin.
for generations. But though 1t wal,
well to know why results happened,
practice must not be despised. He wal,
one Of those who believed that il, from
generation to generation, good iron
was made from the iron ore OF d par
ticular district by a certain process, it
was better to follow that process than
to depart from 1t at the bidding OF q
scientific man. Indeed, If a philoso-
pher told him that that which had an
SWered for generations was entirely