Weekly Arizona journal-miner. [volume] (Prescott, Ariz.) 1903-1908, 1904-06-08
BRETHERTON HOT
BLAST SYSTEM
It's Use in Semi-Py-
rite Smelling.
Interesting Article Written by S.
E. BrethertOn, Patentee of
the System.

1ub6EoSbluS hIblCl6 WIltl6H NY o.
E. BrethertOn, Patentee of
the System,
The Bretherton hot blast system is
especially adapted TO the treatment of
sulphide ores, or what is now common
ly termed the pyritic process, al
though the system can be used to ad-
vantage in lead or other smelling.
No metallurgist questions the fact
but what the use of hot air is greatly
beneficial to the charge in the furnace
in the way of increased capacity and
improved chemical reactions. The
only question at issue between the use
of the hot blast and cold blast is a
question of dollars and cents. Here
| tofore the use of the hot blast has
been somewhat of an expensive lux
ury, often costing from SO to 1925
per day for fuel to heat the blast,
the air being heated in ovens es-
pecially prepared for that purpose.
thus entailing a cost of from 90 cents
to 70 cents per ton for each ton of ore
smelted, in the heating of the air
This, together with the high cost of
installation of the heating apparatus,
has been the means of prohibiting
many smelters from adopting the use
of hot blast.
The advantage of the Brethertou
system is in the fact that there is
very little of it which can possibly
get out of repair. 1t is arranged on
simple lines so as to allow the free
passage of air without obstruction to
minimize the pressure, and there is
very little about it to wear out
One can readily understand that if
you forced a large volume of cold air,
under pressure, into the furnace, that
at the point of contact this volume of
cold air gill reduce the heat mater
tally, and unless the volume of cold
air encounters an active fuel at the
point OF contact, it will quickly chill
that portion of the furnace so as to
reduce its energies and capacity.
This can be illustrated by a very
simple test. If you blow a current Of
cold air on a lighted candle it will
quickly extinguish it, but if you blow
the same volume of hot air against
the lighted candle you will find that
the flame increases instead of being
extinguished. and the results are just
the same in the furnace on a larger
scale.
By the use of hot air the entire
charge in the furnace is kept active
and alive, thus greatly increasing the
capacity of the furnace, at the same
time greatly improving the chemical
reactions, and causing a more perfect
com bustion of the fuel atoms and a
more thorough fusion of the rock
atoms.
Some parties object to utilizing the
waste heat of the Stag, while combin.
ing a perfect Stag receiving and
matte settling arrangement, on ac-
count of the room a stove would oc-
cupy so close to the furnace. We
now wish to state that any parties
desiring to heat their blast who are
not able to utilize the waste heat of
the Stag on account of the room il
occupies and other reasons, can heat
the blast very readily with any kind
of fuel by using our improved design
of hot blast box or stove, which is
protected by a more recent and separ-
ate patent. 1t has several advantage
over the U pipe stove. 1t costs only
about half as much for construction
and installation, including our roy
atty; costs less for repairs, costs
abont half the expense for fuel for
operating it, and causes no additional
back pressure on the blower. such as
is caused when heating the blast with
the ordinary q pipe stove, where the
air has to pass through pipes and re
turn bends instead of through a box
containing net work of tubes, as il
does with our system of heating blast.
Any first class brick mason can take
set of plans and set the box up ready
for use, when one ordinary Lahore
car run it. Results guaranteed under
suitable conditions.
The following article is taken from
the columns of ''The Engineering and
Mining Journal" of December %.
1900, the article having beeu written
for that journal by Mr.. S. +. Brother
ton, the patentee of the process.
pNPInIT CMFT TING AMI HOT