Improvements in and relating to the Treatment of Iron and other Ores in Blast-furnaces and the like.
Year: 1898

page_text: Date of Application, "25th Oct., 1898
Complete Specification Left, 25th July, 1899-Accepted, 23rd Sept., 1899
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in and relating to the Treatment of Iron and other
Ores in Blast-furnaces and the like.
I, LEON HENRY FRANÇOIS PUGH, of 21, Boulevard Poissonnière, Paris, in the
French Republic, Metallurgist, do hereby declare the nature of this invention
to be as follows::
This invention relates to improvements in the treatment of iron and other
ores and to hydro-carburetting apparatus for carrying out such improvements.
The invention consists essentially in interposing in the air-pipes connected
to the tuyères or twyers" of blast-furnaces or other hearths, furnaces or metal-
lurgical apparatus supplied with an air-blast, any suitable arrangement for
injecting or introducing hydrocarbons (tar-oils, heavy-oils or other hydro-carbons)
or, in general, any gas or reducing liquid vaporized or atomized.
This injection or introduction of hydro-carbons has for object, the furnishing
of the air intending to feed the air-supplied metallurgical hearths or furnaces
with reducing and combustible clements, and consequently, to allow an economy
of combustible (coke) to be effected, and a regulation of the working of blast
furnaces or other hearths or furnaces to be attained, as well as a more rapid and
more complete reduction of the ore. The yield of blast furnaces will thus be
increased, from which result an economy in the general cost of smelting will be
effected, simultaneously with an economy of combustible, as stated.
r
This injection of hydrocarbons or reducing liquids vaporized or atomized can
be performed in any suitable manner.
For this purpose I may use injectors working by means of compressed air,
steam or a suitable gas or liquid under pressure. Further, this injection can
take place at any suitable point of the pipe conducting the hot-air to the tuyères
of blast-furnaces and the like, either in a special apparatus, as hereafter briefly
described, placed between the blast-furnace and the hot-air apparatus (such as
a Cowper-Siemens regenerator) or, directly within these latter apparatus, or an
the tuyères or at other convenient positions.
In carrying out my invention in connection with an ordinary blast-furnace, I
may interpose between the blast-furnace and the hot-air pipe receiving this
air from the usual regenerative apparatus (Cowper-Siemens or other heating
apparatus) one or more hydro-carburetting apparatus effecting the mixture of
hydrocarbons with the air before the arrival of this latter in the tuyères.
As at present constructed each of these apparatus is formed of a vertically
cylindrical chamber made of sheet metal and furnished interiorly with a casing
or lining of refractory brick, made of any suitable material the walls of this
chamber are provided with inlets capable of being closed by plates having a
central hole, opposite which are arranged a number of injectors, nozzles or hydro-
carbon burners. This chamber is provided at its.top and base with rounded caps
or ends, also made of sheet metal, and pipes are passed through these ends.
These pipes communicate with valve-boxes or chests above the level of the cylin-
drical chamber and the valve-box between the chamber and the regenerating
027

page_text: apparatus, corresponding to each hydro-carburetting apparatus can be put into
communication with the main hot-air pipe by suitably opening or actuating the
valve in the said valve-box, or, on the other hand can be cut off therefrom by
closing this valve. The valve boxes between the chamber and the blast furnace
can be coupled two and two to a receiver between them and the blast furnace,
which receiver communicates with and delivers into a circular or partly circular
air-chamber distributing the air to the various tuyères of the blast furnace.
Each blast furnace is served by means of two or more hydro-carburetting
apparatus, of such type and construction that when one requires repairs, it is
sufficient to disconnect or isolate it by closing the valves in the corresponding
valve boxes, and the remaining one will then ensure supply to the blast-furnace.
The working of my apparatus is as follows:-
Air having been warmed in passing through the regenerative or heating
apparatus reaches a main pipe whence it passes into the hydrocarburettor, the
necessary valve being opened. Whilst passing through the chamber of the
apparatus, this hot-air meets the hydro-carbon jets coming from the injectors
and the latter impinging with violence thereon, an intimate mixture of the
injected gas and the hot air is formed. This mixture leaves the chamber by its
upper pipe and is directed through the receiver and various pipes and connections
to the tuyères.
In case I wish to replace the simple injectors by hydro-carbon burners working
by compressed air, steam or other method, I arrange in the plate covering the
injector inlet holes admitting air and of a variable section which can be regulated
by.n means of a valve so that the quantity of air and, consequently, the degree of
combustion of the hydrocarbons. can be regulated. By suitably regulating the
combustion, gases such as hydrogen and carbon monoxide which exert a reducing
action within the blast furnace just as the non-decomposed hydro-carbons exert
this same reducing action, may be obtained. The carbonic acid which may also
be produced can be re-transformed into carbon monoxide in the presence of the
solid and. incandescent combustible in the blast furnace and again become a
reducer.
The combustion of the hydrocarbons in the hydro-carburettor apparatus allows
the temperature of the blast within the furnace to be raised, thus adding to the
effect of the regenerative or heating apparatus and deriving still from this
source an economy in combustible. The hydro-carburettor thus acts as a super-
heater.
may form the hydro-carburetting apparatus of any suitable shape, size and
materials; constructed as above, however, the results are satisfactory.
The hydrocarburettor may, as already stated, be placed at any convenient
position between the air inlet to the regenerative or heating apparatus and the
tuyères themselves. Thus I may arrange the injectors at the top or end of the
regenerative apparatus so that the air having been therein warmed and. com-
mencing to leave the heating apparatus will be mixed or charged with the
hydro-carbon. Also the injectors can be placed directly at the rear of the various
tuyères or nozzles or at any other point of the hot-air conducting pipe.
Any number of the above arrangements may be used.
TY

page_text: Improvements in and relating to the Treatment of Iron and other
Ores in Blast-furnaces and the like.
I, LÉON HENRY FRANÇOIS PUGI, of 21, Boulevard Poissonnière, Paris, in the
French Republic, Metallurgist, do hereby declare the nature of this invention
to be as follows:-
This invention relates to improvements in the treatment of iron and‐ other
ore and to hydro-ccarburetting apparatus for carrying out such improvements.
The invention consists essentially in interposing in the air-pipes connected
to the tuyères or "twyers" of blast-furnaces or other hearths, furnaces or metal-
lurgical apparatus supplied with an air-blast, any suitable arrangement for
injecting or introducing hydrocarbons (tar-oils, heavy-oils or other hydro-carbons)
or, in general, any gas or reducing liquid vaporized or atomized.
This injection or introduction of hydro-carbons has for object, the furnishing
of the air intended to feed the air-supplied metallurgical hearths or furnaces
with reducing and combustible elements, and consequently, to allow an economy
of combustible (coke) to be effected, and a regulation of the working of blast
furnaces or other hearths or furnaces to be attained, as well as a more rapid and
more complete reduction of the ore. The yield of blast furnaces will thus, be
increased, from which result an economy in the general cost of smelting will be
effected, simultaneously with an economy of combustible, as stated.
This injection of hydrocarbons or reducing liquids vaporized or atomized can
be performed in any suitable manner.
For this purpose I may use injectors working by means of compressed air,
steam or a suitable gas or liquid under pressure. Further, this injection can
take place at any suitable point of the pipe conducting the hot-air to the tuyères
of blast-furnaces and the like, either in a special apparatus, as hereafter briefly
described, placed between the blast-furnace and the hot-air apparatus (such as
a Cooper-Siemens regenerator) or, directly within these latter apparatus, or in
the tuyères or at other convenient positions.
To illustrate my invention I have shown in the accompanying drawings a
blast furnace to which it has been applied by the provision between the hot-air
duct and the furnace of two special apparatus for satisfactorily mixing the hydro-
carbons with the hot air from the regenerators before the injection of the blast
into the furnace. On these drawings Fig. 1 represents a vertical section on the
line 1234567 of Fig. 2. Fig. 2 is a plan showing a horizontal section of certain
apparatus.
It will be seen that I interpose between the blast-furnace A and the hot-air
duct B receiving this air from the usual regenerative apparatus" (Cooper-Siemens
or other heating apparatus) C one or more hydro-carburetting apparatus. D
effecting the mixture of hydrocarbons with the air before the arrival of this
latter in the tuyères. Each of these apparatus is formed of a vertically.cylindrical
chamber D. made of sheet metal and furnished internally with a casing, or
lining (d) of refractory brick, made of any suitable material; the walls of this
chamber are provided with inlets (g) capable of being closed by plates (9) having
a central hole, opposite which are arranged a number of injectors, nozzles or
hydro-carbon. burners G. The chamber is provided at its top and base with
rounded caps or ends D¹ D, also made of sheet metal, and pipes are passed
through those ends. These pipes communicate with valve-boxes or chests E E
above the level of the cylindrical chamber. The valve-box E between the
chamber and the regenerative apparatus corresponding to each hydro-carburetting
apparatus can be put into communication with the main hot-air pipe by suitably

page_text: opening or actuating the valve in the said valve-box, or, on the other hand can
be cut off therefrom by closing this valve. The valve-boxes E between the
chambers and the blast furnace can be coupled two and two to a receiver E³
between these and the blast furnace, which receiver communicates with and
delivers into a circular or partly circular air-chamber F distributing the air to
the various tuyeres H of the blast furnace..
Each blast furnace is served by means of two or more hydro-carburetting
apparatus, of such type and construction that when one requires repairs, it is
sufficient to disconnect or isolate it by closing the valves e!e in the corresponding
valve-boxes, and the remaining one will then ensure supply to the blast-furnaces.
The working of my apparatus is as follows:-
Air having been warmed in passing through the regenerative or heating
apparatus C reaches a main pipe B whence it passed into the hydrocarburettor D,
the necessary valve el being opened. Whilst passing through the chamber
of the apparatus, this hot-air meets the hydro-carbon jets coming from the
injectors Gimpinging with violence thereon, an intimate mixture of the injected
gas and the hot air is formed. This mixture leaves the chamber by its upper
pipe and is directed to the tuyeres through the ducts E3 and F..
In case I wish to replace the simple injectors by hydro-carbon burners working
by compressed air, steam or other method, I arrange in the plate g¹ covering the
injector inlet holes admitting air and of a variable section which can be regulated
by means of a valve so that the quantity of air and, consequently, the degree of
¡combustion of the hydro-carbons can be regulated. By suitably regulating the
combustion, gases such as hydrogen and carbon monoxide which exert a reducing
action within the blast furnace just as the non-decomposed hydrocarbon exert this
"same reducing action, may be obtained. The carbonic acid which may also be
produced can be re-transformed into carbon monoxide in the presence of the
solid and incandescent combustible in the blast furnace and again become a
reducer.
The conibustion of the hydrocarbon in the hydro-carburettor apparatus allows
the temperature of the blast within the furnace to be raised, thus adding to
the effect of the regenerative or heating apparatus and deriving still from this
source an economy in combustible. The hydro-carburettor thus acts as a super-
heater.
I may form the hydro-carburetting apparatus of any suitable shape, size and
material; constructed as above, however, the results are satisfactory.
The hydro-carburettor may alternatively be omitted. Thus I may arrange the
injector or hydro-carbon burners being placed in the hot air apparatus C, for
example at XX, the mixture, and in need the superheating taking place in the
dome K of these apparatus. Alternatively the injectors can be placed directly
at the rear of the various tuyères at the point Y or at any other point of the hot-
air conducting pipe.
can
Where several furnaces are in question the arrangement above described be
repeated in parallel as often as may be desired.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said
invention; and in what manner the same is to be performed, I declare that what
.I claim is:
1. The improvement in the treatment of iron and other ores in blast and
similar furnaces. consisting in the injection into the air of the blast of a hydro-
carbon or any gas or liquid exercising a reducing action and applied as
gas or spray:
a
2. An apparatus for carrying out the improvement described in the last
paragraph consisting of a chamber fitted with injectors or burners for hydro-
carbons to, any number, such chamber communicating on the one hand with
the general hot air duct and on the other hand with the pipes leading the air to
the tuyères by means of valve boxes which permit the apparatus to be discon-

page_text: nected at will from the hot air ducts, substantially as described and illustrated
in the accompanying drawings.
3. The application of injectors or burners for hydro-carbons to hot air (Cooper-
Siemens) apparatus at the back of the tuyeres and at any other suitable points
in the hot air pipes of blast and similar furnaces.
Dated this 25th day July 1899.
For the Applicant,
GEDGE & FEENY,
Chartered Patent Agents,
60, Queen Victoria Street, London, E.C.