Iм- PROVEMENTS IN TREATING CALCINED PYRITES FOR THE BETTER UTILIZATION THEREOF IN THE PROCESSES OF MANUFACTURING PIG AND BAR IRON, AND IN HODAN
Year: 1870

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Thomas Bell, of Walker Iron Works, in the
County of Northumberland, Ironmaster, for the Invention of “Iм-
PROVEMENTS IN TREATING CALCINED PYRITES FOR THE BETTER UTILIZATION
THEREOF IN THE PROCESSES OF MANUFACTURING PIG AND BAR IRON, AND IN
HODAN"
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Thomas Bell at the
Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on the
21st April 1870.
I, THOMAS BELL, of Walker Iron Works, in the County of Northum-
berland, Ironmaster, do hereby declare the nature of the said Invention
for "IMPROVEMENTS IN TREATING CALCINED PYRITES FOR THE BETTER UTILIZATION
THEREOF IN THE PROCESSES OF MANUFACTURING PIG AND BAR IRON, AND IN THE
MEANS OR APPARATUS ADOPTED FOR SUCH TREATING," to be as follows:-
Pyrites as it comes from the copper works where the copper is extracted
by the wet processes, such as Henderson's or Longmaid's, is in a wet
powdery state, the powder being of uneven fineness, some portion being
very fine and other portions much coarser, the presence of which finer
portion renders this material incapable of being profitably smelted,
(except when mixed in very small quantities with other ores) which

page_text: state of things it is desirable to remedy, and the presence of the coarser
portion is not required in coating or "fettling," the interior of puddling
furnaces, for which purpose it is now often applied.
Having obtained a supply of the calcined pyrites I place it in a trough
to which water is supplied and agitate the material by means of stirrers,
the effect whereof is to suspend in the water the fine powder of the
calcined pyrites which is carried away into suitable tanks or receivers
connected with the said trough, for the purpose of receiving the same,
and where the powder is allowed to deposit itself, and the clear water is
run off and applied if desired to preparing fresh calcined pyrites. The
coarser portion left in the trough is removed and thrown into heaps to
allow any water mechanically mixed therewith to drain away, and it is
then in a fit state to be smelted in the blast furnace.
Pyrites as it exists in the tanks of the copper works after the extraction
of the copper might be treated by means of water applied in a similar
manner to that above described, with such modifications as the peculiar
circumstances of the case may render necessary.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent,
filed by the said Thomas Bell in the Great Seal Patent Office on
the 20th October 1870.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, THOMAS
BELL, of Walker Iron Works, in the County of Northumberland, Iron-
master, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her
Letters Patent, bearing date the Twenty-first day of April, in the year
of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and seventy, in the thirty-
third year of Her reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give
and grant unto me, the said Thomas Bell, Her special licence that I,
the said Thomas Bell, my executors, administrators, and assigns, or
such others as I, the said Thomas Bell, my executors, administrators,
and assigns, should at any time agree with, and no others, from time
to time and at all times thereafter during the term therein expressed,
should and lawfully might make, use, exercise, and vend, within the
United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland, the Channel Islands,
and Isle of Man, an Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN TREATING CALCINED

page_text: PYRITES FOR THE BETTER UTILIZATION THEREOF IN THE PROCESSES OF MANUFACTURING
PIG AND BAR IRON, AND IN THE MEans or ApparatuS ADOPTED FOR SUCH TREATING,"
upon the condition (amongst others) that I, the said Thomas Bell,
my executors or administrators, by an instrument in writing under my,
or their, or one of their hands and seals, should particularly describe
and ascertain the nature of the said Invention, and in what manner
the same was to be performed, and cause the same to be filed in the
Great Seal Patent Office within six calendar months next and imme-
diately after the date of the said Letters Patent.
NOW KNOW YE, that I, the said Thomas Bell, do hereby declare
the nature of my said Invention, and in what manner the same
is to be performed, to be particularly described and ascertained in and
by the following statement, that is to say:→
Calcined pyrites as it comes from the copper works where the copper
is extracted by the wet processes, such as Henderson's or Longmaid's, is
usually in a wet powdery state, the powder being of uneven fineness,
some portions being very fine and other portions much coarser, the
presence of which finer portion renders this material incapable of being
profitably smelted except when mixed in very small quantities with
other ores, which state of things it is desirable to remedy, and the
presence of the coarser portions is not essential in coating or fettling
the interior of puddling furnaces, for which purpose calcined pyrites
from the above processes is now often applied.
"
Having obtained a supply of the calcined pyrites that has been treated
by the above or other processes in which it is produced in a powdery state,
I place it in a trough or vessels to which water is supplied either in a
continuous current or otherwise, and agitate the material by means
of stirrers, the effect whereof is to suspend in the water the fine
powder of the calcined pyrites which is conveyed away with the water
into suitable tanks or receivers connected with the said trough or vessel
for the purpose of receiving the same, and when the powder is allowed to
deposit itself and the clear water is run off and applied if desired either
to preparing fresh calcined pyrites it may be applied to removing a fresh
quantity of the fine powder from the pyrites under treatment. The
coarser portion left in the trough or vessel is removed and thrown into
heaps to allow any water mechanically mixed therewith to drain away,
and it is then in a fit state to be sinelted in the blast furnace, and the
finer portions deposited in the settling tanks will be found suitable

page_text: and may be applied to coating or fettling the interior of puddling
furnaces.
Pyrites as it exists in the tanks of the copper works after the
extraction of the copper might be treated by means of water applied in
a similar manner to that above described, with such modifications as the
peculiar circumstances of the case may render necessary.
Iron pyrites containing little or no copper after calcination frequently
contains sulphates of iron and zinc in sufficient quantities to render the
material unsuitable for being profitably smelted in the blast furnace by
reason of the inferior quality of the pig iron produced, and likewise
from the same cause unsuitable for the fettling of puddling furnaces.
To make it available I expose the calcined pyrites to the action of a
humid atmosphere, or apply water to it in sufficient quantity to make it
disintegrate or fall into powder. This powder I treat in the same way
as that described for the separation of the finer portions of the calcined
pyrites obtained by the wet processes of Longmaid or Henderson, which
besides separating the fine powder from the coarse removes all the
soluble sulphates and renders the material suitable for smelting and
fettling purposes. In some cases the separation of the fine pyrites from
the coarse might be performed in a sieve by water.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of the
said Invention, and in what manner the same is to be performed, I
hereby declare that I claim, the " Improvements in Treating Calcined
Pyrites for the Better Utilization thereof in the Processes of Manufacturing
Pig and Bar Iron, and in the Means or Apparatus adopted for such
Treating," as the same are herein before set forth and described.
In witness whereof, I, the said Thomas Bell, have hereunto
set my band and seal, this Eighteenth day of October, in the
year of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and seventy.
Witness,
ELRINGTON REED LAX,
12, Chester Street,
Newcastle-on-Tyne.
THOMAS BELL. (L.S.)