IMPROVE- MENTS IN UTILIZING THE WASTE GASES FORMED IN BLAST FURNACES BY THE REDUCTION AND SMELTING OF IRONSTONE, AND APPARATUS CONNECTED THEREWITH
Year: 1871

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to James Hunter, of Coltness Iron Works, in the
County of Lanark, North Britain, for the Invention of "IMPROVE-
MENTS IN UTILIZING THE WASTE GASES FORMED IN BLAST FURNACES BY
THE REDUCTION AND SMELTING OF IRONSTONE, AND APPARATUS CONNECTED
THEREWITH."
Sealed the 24th November 1871, and dated the 13th June 1871.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said James Hunter at the
Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on the
13th June 1871.
I, JAMES HUNTER, of Coltness Iron Works, in the County of Lanark,
North Britain, do hereby declare the nature of the said Invention of
"IMPROVEMENTS IN UTILIZING THE WASTE GASES FORMED IN BLAST FURNACES
BY THE REDUCTION AND SMELTING OF IRONSTONE, AND APPARATUS CONNECTED
THEREWITH," to be as follows, that is to say:-
This Invention, which relates to improvements in utilizing the waste
gases.formed in blast furnaces by the reduction and smelting of iron-
stones, consists in combining with those furnaces which are constructed

page_text: with one or more sets or ranges of flues at or near to the upper part one
or more ovens or kilns through which the waste gases from the blast
furnace are allowed to circulate, and on meeting the air to burn, thereby
acting-upon the materials to be calcined, which are placed in the said
kiln or kilns.
This Invention may be successfully carried out in combination with
the arrangement of furnace known as "Barclay's blast furnace,"
patented Febry. 16th, 1871, (No. 404,) but it may be applied to other
open or closed top blast furnaces.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent,
filed by the said James Hunter in the Great Seal Patent Office on
the 13th December 1871.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, JAMES
HUNTER, of Coltness Iron Works, in the County of Lanark, North
Britain, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her
Letters Patent, bearing date the Thirteenth day of June, in the year of
our Lord One thousand cight hundred and seventy-onc, in the 35th
year of Her reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and
grant unto me, the said James Hunter, Her special license, that I, the,
said James Hunter, my executors, administrators, and assigns, or such
others as I, the said James Hunter, my executors, administrators, or
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 UTILIZING THE WASTE
GASES FORMED IN BLAST FURNACES BY THE REDUCTION AND SMELTING OF IRON-
STONE, AND APPARATUS CONNECTED THEREWITH," upon the condition (amongst
others) that I, the said James Hunter, by an instrument in writing'
under my hand and seal, 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 immediately after the date of the
said Letters Patent.
.

page_text: NOW KNOW YE, that I, the said James Hunter, 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, reference being had to the accompanying Drawings,
and to the letters and figures marked thereon, that is to say :-
My said Invention, which relates to improvements in utilizing the
waste gases formed in blast furnaces by the reduction and calcining of
ironstones and other materials, consists in combining with those furnaces
which are constructed with one or more sets or ranges of flues at or
near to the upper part, one or more ovens or kilns through which the
waste gases from the blast furnace are allowed to circulate, and on
meeting the air to burn, thereby acting upon the materials to be calcined
which are placed in the said kiln or kilns.
This Invention may be successfully carried out in combination with
the arrangement of furnace known as "Hunter's blast furnace ;" also
with "
Barclay's blast furnace," or with other furnaces wherein the
waste gases are collected and partly used.
And in order that my said Invention and the manner of putting the
same into practical use may be fully understood, I now proceed to more
particularly set forth the same, reference being had to the several
Figures upon the three explanatory Sheets of Drawings which I have
hereunto appended, that is to say :—
The Drawing, Sheet 1, is a vertical section of the improved blast
furnace, for which Letters Patent have been already granted to me, the
said James Hunter, No. 1085, A.D. 1871, and there is shewn combined
therewith the calcining kilns A, also in vertical section on Sheet 1.
The Drawing on Sheet 2 is a horizontal section corresponding to the
Drawing on Sheet 1.
The gas evolved from the materials in the blast furnace is withdrawn
through the gas pipe B, one end of which is inserted into the masonry
and communicates with the interior of the upper part of the said blast
furnace, as shewn, whilst its opposite end, extending outwards, opens
into a main pipe or flue C, which communicates with the calcining
kilns A. by branch pipes D.
Under the arrangement illustrated upon Sheets 1 and 2 there is a
range or battery of three calcining kilns A, worked or heated by the
gases evolved from one blast furnace, the general features of which are

page_text: more particularly shewn upon Sheet 2, whereon that side marked A¹ of
the central-calcining-kiln- A-is-represented in horizontal section upon.
the line E, F, Sheet 1, whilst the opposite side marked B¹ is similarly in
horizontal section upon the line G, H, Sheet 1. The calcining kilns A
are constructed with a deep annular flue I formed in the exterior
walls K, and which communicates with the interior of the kilns A
through a series of openings a formed in the inner part of the walls K,
and also through ducts or passages 6 formed in hollow walls c built
across the interior of the furnace to about the same height as that of
the annular flue I, openings d being formed in the sides of the said
hollow walls c, which constitute the means of communication between
the ducts or passages 6 and the interior of the kilns A. Beneath the
floors e of the calcining kilns A. a small annular flue L is also formed
which communicates with the deep annular flue I by means of radial
ducts f, more particularly shewn in horizontal section at that side of the
central calcining kiln A. marked B' upon Sheet 2. The annular flue L
communicates with the interior of the kilns A through a series of
openings formed in the floors e of the said kilns A. Each of the
calcining kilns A is provided with an inlet passage for the gas, which
consists of an opening & formed in the outer part of the walls K com-
municating with the annular flue I at or near the lower part thereof.
Each of the said openings & terminate outwards in chambers M, which
communicate with the branch pipes D leading from the main gas pipe
or flue C. In each of the chambers M a small gas pipe i is situated pro-
vided with a series of jets as shewn, and communicating with a main
pipe k by means of branch pipes 7, the said main pipe k being supplied
with gas from the blast furnace by means of a pipe m communicating
g
therewith as shewn.
When the blast furnace is in operation the gas evolved from the
materials contained therein escapes through the gas pipe B, and is
conveyed thereby to the main pipe or flue C, the quantity admitted
thereto being regulated by a valve situated at N and actuated by a
lever n. From the main pipe or flue C the gas is conveyed to the
calcining kilns A by means of the branch pipes D, the quantity admitted

page_text: the openings enters the annular flue I, whence it passes through the
openings a; also through the ducts or passages 6 and openings & into
the interior of the kilns A, and similarly through the radial ducts ƒ
to the small annular flue L, thence upwards through the openings g into
the lower internal part of the kilns A, and thus the burning gas is
distributed throughout the entire mass of iron ore or other materials
contained in the calcining kilns A. The unconsumed gas and vapour
passing up through the body of the kilns A is drawn off from each
through an outlet P provided with a damper 7 for the regulation of the
draughts and enters a long connecting flue Q, whence it is conveyed to
the chimney R through a short flue S. The materials to be calcined in
the kilns A are charged thereinto by the charging cones T, and when
calcined are withdrawn therefrom through the openings covered by the
doors U at the lower part thereof.
Upon Sheet 3 of the Drawings hereunto appended is illustrated in
vertical section my improved calcining kilns A. in combination with one
of "Barclay's improved blast furnaces."
The mode of conveying the gas from the blast furnace under the
arrangement now to be set forth and shewn upon Sheet 3 differs from
that herein-before set forth and shewn upon Sheets 1 and 2 only in so
far as that two elbow pipes B¹ (one of which is only shewn upon the
Drawings) are inserted into the masonry of the blast furnace and com-
municate with the interior thereof. A portion of the gas emitted from
the materials in the furnace is withdrawn through the elbow pipes B¹
and conducted by each to a separate gas pipe B communicating there-
with, and is then conveyed by the said gas pipe B to the main pipe or
flue C, whence it escapes to the kilns A, as already set forth with
reference to Sheets 1 and 2.
As the arrangement shewn on Sheet 3 is in other respects similar to
that shewn on Sheets 1 and 2 it becomes unnecessary to further refer to
the same.
Having now described and particularly ascertained the nature of my
said Invention, and the manner of carrying the same into practical
effect, I desire to observe in conclusion that I make no claim to either
or any of the parts of the blast furnaces which I have herein referred to
and shewn on the appended Drawings, as these furnaces and their
-

page_text: previously granted to me, the said James Hunter and Andrew Barclay
respectively, namely, No. 1085, A.D. 1871, and No. 404, A.D. 1871.
I also desire to observe that I am aware that calcining kilns have
heretofore been suggested in combination with blast furnaces of ordinary
construction, such, for example, as in the Specification of Letters Patent, b
No. 13262, A.D. 1850, granted to Henry Houldsworth.
What, however, I do consider to be novel and original, and thereforc
claim as the Invention secured to me by the herein-before in part
recited Letters Patent is,-
First. The combining of calcining kilns of the construction set forth 1
with blast furnaces, as herein-before described.
Second. The construction of calcining kilns with combined annular
and transverse flues or ducts with openings therein, permitting the blast
furnace gases to circulate therethrough and amongst the materials being
calcined as herein-before described.
In witness whereof, I, the said James Hunter, have hereunto set
my hand and seal, this Eleventh day of December One thousand
eight hundred and seventy-one.
1