IMPROVEMENTS IN THE MANUFACTURE OF ILLUMINATING GAS AND OF SPONGE BY THE ACTION OF HYDROCARBON LIQUIDS OR FLUIDS ON METALLIC ORES, AND IN THE FURNACES FOR MELTING SAID SPONGE AND OTHER METALS
Year: 1869

page_text: ETTERS PATENT to Henri Adrien Bonneville, of the British and
Foreign Patent Offices, 10, Sackville Street, Piccadilly, in the County
of Middlesex, and 18, Chaussée d'Antin, Paris, in the Empiro
of France, Patent Agent, for the Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN THE
MANUFACTURE OF ILLUMINATING GAS AND OF SPONGE BY THE ACTION OF
HYDROCARBON LIQUIDS OR FLUIDS ON METALLIC ORES, AND IN THE FURNACES
FOR MELTING SAID SPONGE AND OTHER METALS."-A communication
from Cyrille Jean Caumon (also known as John Absterdam), of the
City of Toulouse, France, Scientific and Mechanical Engineer, at
present residing at New York, in the County and State of New
York, United States of America.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Henri Adrien Bonneville
at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition,
on the 20th January 1869.
I, HENRI ADRIEN BONNEVILLE, of the British and Foreign Patent
3 Offices, 10, Sackville Street, Piccadilly, in the County of Middlesex, and

page_text: 18, Chaussée d'Antin, Paris, in the Empire of France, Patent Agent,
do hereby declare the nature of the said Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS
IN THE MANUFACTURE OF ILLUMINATING GAS AND OF SPONGE BY THE ACTION
or HYDROCARBON LIQUIDS OR FLUIDS ON METALLIC ORES, AND IN THE FURNACES
FOR MELTING SAID SPONGE AND OTHER METALS," a communication from
Cyrille Jean Caumon (also known as John Absterdam), of the City of
Toulouse, France, Scientific and Mechanical Engineer, at present a
person resident at New York, in the County and State of New York,
United States of America, to be as follows:-
The Invention communicated to me consists in manufacturing
illuminating gas by passing hydrocarbon fluids through heated metallic
ores; also in converting iron ore into sponge, balls, or blooms by
decomposing hydrocarbon vapours into carburetted hydrogen or illumi-
nating gas; also in a furnace composed of two cupolas one inside the
other and supported by a bed plate constructed of two concentric rings
and provided with trapdoors for the purpose of melting sponge or metals
free from contact with the atmospheric air and for conveniently dis-
charging the ashes and dross after the process of melting has been
accomplished. The inner cupola is strengthened by radiating partitions
constructed of fire-bricks with segmental draught passages.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent,
filed by the said Henri Adrien Bonneville in the Great Seal Patent
⚫ Office on the 7th July 1869.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, HENRI
ADRIEN BONNEVILLE, of the British and Foreign Patent Offices, 10, 2
Sackville Street, Piccadilly, in the County of Middlesex, and 18,
Chaussée d'Antin, Paris, in the Empire of France, Patent Agent, send
greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her
Letters Patent, bearing date the Twentieth day of January, in the 3
year of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and sixty-nine, in the
thirty-second year of Her reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and succes-
sors, give and grant unto me, the said Henri Adrien Bonneville,
Her special licence that I, the said Henri Adrien Bonneville, my exe-
cutors, administrators, and assigns, or such others as I, the said Henri 3

page_text: Adrien Bonneville, 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
5 Great Britain and Ireland, the Channel Islands, and Isle of Man, an
Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN THE MANUFACTURE OF ILLUMINATING GAS AND
OF SPONGE BY THE ACTION OF HYDROCARBON LIQUIDS OR FLUIDS ON METALLIC
ORES, AND IN THE FURNACES FOR MELTING SAID SPONGE AND OTHER METALS,"
a communication from Cyrille Jean Caumon (also known as John
0 Absterdam), of the City of Toulouse, France, Scientific and Mechanical
Engineer, at present a person resident at New York, in the County and
State of New York, United States of America, upon the condition
(amongst others) that I, the said Henri Adrien Bonneville, my exccutors
or administrators, by an instrument in writing under my, or their, or
5 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 bo 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,
NOW KNOW YE, that I, the said Henri Adrien Bonneville, do
hereby declare the nature of the said Invention, and in what manner
the same is to be performed, to be particularly described and ascertained
in and by the following statement :-
This Invention, communicated to me, relates to a process for manu.
facturing illuminating gas in which hydrocarbon fluids, such as rosin,
rosin oil, crude petroleum, waste vapours from oil wells, etc., are passed
through a retort filled with metallio ore heated to a red heat in such a
manner that a portion of the surplus carbon contained in said hydro-
carbon fluids will combine with the metal of the ore, while another
portion thereof combines with the oxygen of the ore and passes off in
the form of carbonic acid, the remainder of the hydrocarbon being
converted into carburetted hydrogen or illuminating gas, and thereby a
double object is accomplished, viz., the production of a permanent
illuminating gas, and also the conversion of the ore into sponge of a
superior quality at a comparatively small cost.
The Invention further relates to a furnace for melting the sponge
produced by the above-named process, and also for melting broken
pieces or scraps of wrought iron and other metals, said furnace being

page_text: constructed of a double cupola one within the other, the inner cupone
being provided with a hinged bottom which opens downward in such a
manner that when the inner cupola is filled with the sponge or metal
to be melted and the feed is introduced in the annular space surrounding
Baid cupola the process of melting the sponge or metal can be effected
without permitting it to come in contact with the atmospheric air, and if
the melting has been accomplished and the fluid metal has been drawn
off the remaining contents of the inner cupola and of the annular
space surrounding the same can be readily discharged by opening the
hinged doors.
The Invention relates, finally, to the arrangement of partitions built
up between the inner and outer cupolas of bricks with segmental
apertures in such a manner that said partitions serve to strengthen
the inner cupola without materially interrupting the circulation of the
flames through the annular space surrounding the inner cupola.
This Invention is illustrated in the accompanying Drawing, in which
Fig. 1 represents a longitudinal vertical section of the retort and its
apendages; Fig. 2 is a vertical central section of the double cupola
furnace; Fig. 3 is a horizontal section thereof. Similar letters indicate
corresponding parts.
A represents a retort which is supported by the brick wall B that
forms a fire-place and flue, so that said retort together with its contents
can be readily heated to any desired degree. This retort is intended to
be charged with metallic ore, particularly iron ore, and it is provided
with a pipe C through which hydrocarbon fluids, such as rosin oil, crude
petroleum, waste vapors from oil wells, waste oils or vapors from oil
distilleries, or tar, can be injected, and made to permeate the ore in the
retort. When the hydrocarbon is to be injected in a liquid form the
pipe C must form a syphon, as shown, to prevent the escape of gas
evolved in the retort, but if the hydrocarbon fluid is to be introduced in
the form of vapor the syphon is dispensed with and hydrocarbon is
introduced through the pipe a and pipe c in the retort. The gas escapes
through the exit pipe D which is inserted into the retort at the end
opposite to the supply pipe C. The pipe a is connected with a retort or
still containing the hydrocarbon liquid in a state of ebulition or dis-
tillation, so that when the hydrocarbon fluid comes in contact with the
red-hot metallic ore in the retort it is decomposed by the ore and the
oxygen of the ore is taking off a portion of its carbon, and it is converted

page_text: •
into carburetted hydrogen gas and carbonic acid gas, which latter is
retained in the purifyers while the former is conveyed into a gasometer
and used for illuminating and heating purposes. I am aware that
illuminating gas has been manufactured by introducing bydrocarbon
liquids, such as rosin, rosin oil, tar, petroleum, or fats, into a retort
filled with red-hot coke, coal, pumice stone, brickbats, or other refractory.
and absorbent materials which are capable of abstracting from the
hydrocarbon liquids a portion of their carbon, thereby decomposing the
same into gas. This process however has the disadvantage that the
coke or other material after a short time becomes surcharged with
carbon and; thereby is rendered inoperative, and after the same has been
removed from the retort it has no commercial value. By using metallic
ores for decomposing hydrocarbon fluids and converting them into.
illuminating gas I gain the following advantages:-First, I deoxydizo
the ore which is then ready for the furnace or the forge, as the case
may be; second, when iron ore is used a sponge of great value is
formed, which when taken out of the retort in a red-hot state can be
introduced immediately into a furnace balled and bloomed ready to be
forged into bars or plates of wrought iron or steel, as the case may;
requiro; third, the blooms so obtained will pay the expenses of making
the illuminating gas.
In carrying out my Invention I use the same kind of retorts as are
now used for coal gas, and I put them up in the same manner as now
done in ordinary gas works, with the exception that I add to the works.
an ordinary petroleum still or retort for boiling and vaporizing the
hydrocarbon liquid, the vapor of which I convoy to the gas retorts,
passing them through the mass of red-hot orc contained in said retorts
by means of ordinary metallic pipes or tubes and branching off fruin
the main vapor pipo into each retort, cach retort being supplied with an
exit pipo at the end opposite to that where the supply pipe enters. The
supply of hydrocarbon is regulated by a stop-cock. I charge the retort
with the ore in the same manner that it is now done with coal after
having previously broken the ore in suitable fragments. If the ore is
intended to be, broken very fine I mix with it some solid carbonacious.
substance, such as coal, coke, charcoal, wood, peat, or sawdust, so as to
allow the hydrocarhon vapors to pass freely through the charge and
up through the exit pipe, and I replace the charge of ore in the retorts,
as soon as the, previous,charge has been sufficiently deoxydized, which,

page_text: jact is to be ascertamed by a the practice according to the kind of fre
employed for converting the hydrocarbon vapor into gas.
arms g
For the purpose of melting the deoxydized ore after the same has been
discharged from the retort I use a double cupola furnace, such as shown
in Figs. 2 and 3 of the Drawing. This furnace consists of an outer
cupola which is built up of brick upon a metallic frame or bed
plate G. This bed plate consists of two concentric rings e, f, which
are connected by radial arms g, and the inner ring serves to support the
inner cupola H, as clearly shown in Fig. 2 of the Drawing. This
inner cupola is intended to receive the charge to be melted; it is built
up of fire-brick and strengthened by radial partitions which extend
from the outer surface of the inner cupola to the inner surface of the
outer cupola. The bricks from which these partitions are made are
provided with segmental apertures so that the circulation in the
annular space I between the two cupolas is interrupted as little as
possible. This annular space is filled with the fuel, and the air for the
combustion is supplied by means of tuyeres j. The spaces between the
of the bed plate and the space in the interior of the inner ring f
are closed by hinged doors k, l, which can be closed and sustained in
that position by props m, as shown in Fig. 1. Previous to introducing
the fuel and the charge of metal or ore I place on these doors ¨k, l,
layers of sand or clay, then the inner cupola is filled with the metal or
ore to be melted, and when this inner cupola has been charged and
closed I fill the annular space I with coal and apply the blast." The
metal in the inner cupola is thus melted without being exposed to the
contact of the atmospheric air. The molten metal is drawn off through
the tap hole n in the inner cupola, which corresponds with a similar tap
hole o in the outer cupola, and after the process of melting has been
completed and all the molten metal has been drawn off I open the
doors k, l, and dump the ashes from the annular space I and the dross
remaining in the inner cupola. By these means I am enabled to melt
the sponge or deoxydized ore obtained from the process heretofore
described of treating ores with hydrocarbon fluids, and I can also melt
large masses of brass or copper and zinc and other metals without loss.
Having thus described the nature of the said improvements, and the
manner of carrying them into effect, I would have it understood that I
do not confine myself to the precise details above enumerated, as these.

page_text: may obviously be modified without departing from the principle of the
Invention; but what I claim is,—
Manufacturing illuminating gas or carburetted hydrogen gas by
passing hydrocarbon fluids through heated metallic ores, as set forth.
Secondly. The conversion of iron ore into sponge, balls, or blooms by
decomposing hydrocarbon vapors into carburetted hydrogen gas, sub-
stantially in the manner described.
Thirdly. A furnace composed of two cupolas supported by a bed plate
constructed of concentric rings and provided with hinged trapdoors,
substantially in the manner shown and described.
Fourthly. The radiating partitions between the inner and outer
cupolas, said partitions being constructed with draught openings, sub-
stantially as and for the purpose set forth.
In witness whereof, I, the said Henri Adrien Bonneville, have
hereto set my hand and seal, this Twenty-fifth day of June,
in the year of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and sixty.
mine.