AN IMPROVEMENT IN SMELTING IRON ORES
Year: 1864

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Bernhard Samuelson, of Banbury, in the County of
Oxford, Ironmaster and Engineer, for the Invention of "AN IMPROVEMENT
IN SMELTING IRON ORES."
Sealed the 17th June 1864, and dated the 9th January 1864.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Bernhard Samuelson at
the Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on the
9th January 1864.
I, BERNHARD SAMUELSON, of Banbury, in the County of Oxford, Iron-
5 master and Engineer, do hereby declare the nature of the said Invention for
"AN IMPROVEMENT IN SMELTING IRON ORES," to be as follows:-
My improvement relates to the heating of the air used in hot blast
furnaces for smelting iron ores. This, as at present practised, is done either
in stoves enclosing pipes, through which pipes the blast is propelled in its
▸ transit from the blowing engines to the tuyeres of the blast furnaces, such
pipes being in contact with hot air or gases, or else in stoves consisting of
masses of material previously heated, which heat the blast in such transit is
subsequently allowed to absorb, these latter are known as Cowper's stoves.
Now it is desirable that the blast should be heated to a very high tempera-
ture, and my improvement consists in causing the blast after it has left the
heating stoves, and before it reaches the interior of the blast furnaces to receive
an accession of heat from surfaces or masses of material heated to a higher
temperature than that of the hot blast as it leaves the stoves, and so super-

page_text: heating the said hot blast. The superheating apparatus may consist of pipes
or masses like those used in ordinary stoves, and similarly arranged, but this
will depend on conveniences of position and other accidental circumstances.
I am aware that attempts have been made to superheat the blast by direct
contact with fuel, and I wish it to be understood that in speaking of surfaces
or masses "heated," I do not mean surfaces or masses of fuel, but of those
which have been heated directly or indirectly by fuel. The plan of bringing
the blast into direct contact with fuel is objectionable on account of the
absorption of oxygen which it involves. In those cases where the super-
heating apparatus is erected in the form of a secondary stove it may have one
or more of its enclosing parts in common with the ordinary primary stove, but I
prefer that this should not be so as the higher temperature prevailing in the
superheating apparatus makes it more liable to injury than the "stove"
proper, wherefore it is desirable that the superheating apparatus should be
capable of easy repair without interfering with the "stove."
And in order that the "stove" may be available whilst the "superheating
apparatus" is under repair, I prefer to provide a channel communicating
directly from the stove to the furnace, which channel may be closed whilst the
superheating apparatus is in use, but opened whilst it is out of use. There
may be only one superheating apparatus to receive the blast from several
stoves, but I prefer that this should not be so.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent, filed
by the said Bernhard Samuelson in the Great Seal Patent Office on the
7th July 1864.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, BERNHARD
SAMUELSON, of Banbury, in the County. of Oxford, Ironmaster and Engineer,
send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her Letters
Patent, bearing date the Ninth day of January, in the year of our Lord One
thousand eight hundred and sixty-four, in the twenty-seventh year of Her reign,
did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant unto me, the said
Bernhard Samuelson, my executors, administrators, and assigns, Her special
licence that I, the said Bernhard Samuelson, my executors, administrators, and
assigns, or such others as I, the said Bernhard Samuelson, my executors, adminis-
trators, 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

page_text: 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 "AN IMPROVEMENT IN SMELTING IRON ORES," upon the condition (amongst
others) that I, the said Bernhard Samuelson, 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 Bernhard Samuelson, 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:-
My improvement relates to the heating of the air used in hot blast furnaces*
for smelting iron ores. This, as at present practised, is done either in stoves
enclosing pipes, through which pipes the blast is propelled in its transit from
the blowing engines to the twyeres of the blast furnaces (such pipes being in
contact with hot air or gases), or else in stoves consisting of masses of
material previously heated, which beat the blast in such transit. is subsequently
allowed to absorb, these latter are known as Cowper's stoves.
Now it is desirable that the blast should be heated to a very high tempera-
ture, and my improvement consists in causing the blast, after it has left the
heating stoves and before it reaches the interior of the blast furnaces, to
receive an accession of heat from surfaces or masses of material heated to a
higher temperature than that of the hot blast as it leaves the stoves, and so
superheating the said hot blast. The superheating apparatus may consist of
pipes or masses like those used in ordinary stoves and similarly arranged; but
this will depend on conveniences of position and other accidental circum-
stances. I am aware that attempts have been made to superheat the blast by
direct contact with fuel, and I wish it to be understood that in speaking of
surfaces or masses "heated," I do not mean surfaces or masses of fuel, but
those which have been heated directly or indirectly by fuel. The plan of
bringing the blast into direct contact with fuel is objectionable on account of
the absorption of oxygen which it involves. In those cases where the super-
beating apparatus is erected in the form of a secondary stove it may have one
or more of its enclosing parts in common with the ordinary primary stove;
but I prefer that this should not be so, as the higher temperature prevailing
in the superheating apparatus makes it more liable to injury than the "stove"
proper; wherefore it is desirable that the superheating apparatus should be

page_text: capable of easy repair without interfering with the stove. For this reason any
enclosing part or parts common to the primary stove and superheating
apparatus should be of the nature of a partition wall between the two.
And in order that the "stove" may be available whilst the "superheating
apparatus" is under repair, I prefer to provide a channel communicating
directly from the stove to the furnace, which channel may be closed whilst the
superheating apparatus is in use, but opened whilst it is out of use. I prefer
that this channel, when opened, should so communicate through the same
twyere or twyeres, as those used when both the primary stove and super-
heating apparatus are in action. There may be only one superheating
apparatus to receive the blast from several stoves, but I prefer that this should
not be so.
Having now described the nature of my Invention and the mode of carry-
ing the same into effect, I declare that I claim,
1, the conveying heat to the blast (to be used in furnaces for smelting iron
ores) by two successive stages in apparati so distinct that the secondary or
superheating apparatus may be repaired without interfering with the primary
apparatus or "stove."
And 2., the providing a channel or channels from the apparatus in which
the blast attains a lower degree of heat only direct to the furnace (by
preference through the ordinary twyeres) so that the blast may avoid
the superheating apparatus when under repair or otherwise out of use.
In witness whereof, I, the said Bernhard Samuelson, have hereunto
set my hand and seal, this Seventh day of July, in the year of
our Lord One thousand eight hundred and sixty-four.
BERNHARD SAMUELSON. (L.S.)
Witness to the signature of
Bernhard Samuelson,
MARTIN EFRIEDBURG,
Middlesbro',
Yorkshire.