IMPROVEMENTS IN SMELTING IRON ORES AND IN THE APPARATUS EMPLOYED THEREIN
Year: 1884

page_text: I, SAMUEL RICHARD SMYTH of 33 Southampton Buildings, Holborn, London
Engineer do hereby declare the nature of my Invention for IMPROVEMENTS IN
SMELTING IRON ORES AND IN THE APPARATUS EMPLOYED THEREIN to be as
follows:-
The object of my invention is to greatly economise the fuel and time heretofore
necessarily consumed and occupied in smelting iron. ores.
This I effect by employing either the hot or cold air blast entering the furnace,
as a carrier to convey the liquid compounds hereinafter set forth through the
tuyeres direct into the incandescent mass therein.
The liquid compounds I employ are hydro-carbons of any base such as Petroleum,
Coal and Shale oil and Alkalies such as sodium hydroxide or Potassium hydroxide
and Oxyhydro Compounds such as water or vapour These are conveyed through
pipes leading to the tuyeres to atomising injectors which are fixed to mixing boxes
fitted to such pipes wherein such compounds are caught up by the air blast and
conveyed through the tuyeres into the furnace.
To carry my invention into effect I erect in any convenient position accumulators
or holders of suitable form and capacity to hold the liquid compounds-To render
the action of such accumulators automatic I fit the same with suitable pipes, floats
valves, gauges and checks and I place such accumulators at a suitable elevation to
give sufficient impetus to the flow of the liquid compounds therefrom so as to
overcome the pressure of the air blast as it enters the tuyeres of the furnace.
I also construct mixing tanks or reservoirs in any convenient place from which
the liquid compounds are pumped into the accumulators.
I also bring pipes from such accumulators and surround the furnace with a main
pipe of each compound which main pipes are fitted with suitable valves and gauges
Connected to these mains are service pipes. fitted with valves and atomising
injectors which are attached to the mixing boxes before referred to.
A fall in valve is fixed in each of the pipes leading to the tuyeres to open or
shut the valve that supplies the liquid compounds to the atomizing injectors.
A fall in valve is also fixed on the main air blast pipe leading to the furnace
beyond the shut off valve to provide for the escape of any accumulated gases
arising from the liquids when the blast is shut off.
ID 0.11

page_text: These valves are worked mechanically and are faced with asbestos packing or
metal-A pressure valve fitted with a volute spring and regulated by a set screw
is fixed on the main air blast pipe surrounding the furnace to relieve any sudden
pressure.
By this means I produce more heat with less solid fuel and obtain more metal in
a shorter period of time than has heretofore been practicable.
I, SAMUEL RICHARD SMYTH of 33, Southampton Buildings, Holborn, London,
Engineer do hereby declare the nature of my invention for IMPROVEMENTS IN
SMELTING IRON ORES AND IN THE APPARATUS EMPLOYED THEREIN and in what
manner the same is to be performed, to be particularly described and ascertained in
and by the following statement:-
The object of my invention is to greatly economise the fuel and time heretofore
necessarily consumed and occupied in smelting iron ores.
This 1 effect by employing either the hot or cold air blast entering the furnace
as a carrier to convey the liquid compounds hereinafter set forth through the
tuyeres direct into the incandescent mass therein.
The liquid compounds I employ are hydrocarbons of any base such as Creosote
Petroleum or Coal or Shale oil and Alkalies such as Sodium hydroxide or
Potassium bydroxide and Oxyhydro compounds such as water or vapour―These
compounds may be used either in combination with or separate from each other
and are conveyed through pipes leading to the tuyeres to atomizing injectors which
are fixed to mixing boxes fitted to such pipes wherein such compounds are caught
up by the air blast and conveyed through the tuyeres into the furnace; or such
compounds may be turned into the furnace direct."
To carry my invention into effect I erect in any convenient position accumulators
or holders of suitable form and capacity to hold the liquid compounds and in order
to render the action of such accumulators automatic I fit the same with suitable
pipes floats, valves, gauges and checks I place such accumulators at a suitable
elevation to give sufficient impetus to the flow of the liquid compounds therefrom
to overcome the pressure of the air blast as it enters the tuyeres of the furnace.
I also construct and place mixing tanks or reservoirs in any convenient position
from which the liquid compounds are pumped into the accumulators and I bring
suitable pipes from such accumulators and surround the furnace with a main pipe
of each compound-These main pipes are fitted with suitable valves and gauges
and have suitable service pipes connected thereto which service pipes are fitted
with valves and atomizing injectors as presently described.
A fall-in valve is fixed in each of the pipes leading to the tuyeres so as to open
or shut the valve that supplies the liquid compounds to the atomizing injectors as
required.

page_text: A fall-in valve is also fixed on the main air blast pipe leading to the furnace
beyond the shut off valve to provide for the escape of any accumulated gases
arising from the liquid compounds when the blast is shut off.
These valves are worked mechanically and are faced with asbestos packing or
metal-A pressure valve fitted with a volute spring and regulated by a set screw
is fixed on the main air blast pipe surrounding the furnace to relieve any sudden
pressure.
By this means I produce more heat with less solid fuel and obtain more metal in
a shorter period of time than has heretofore been practicable.
And in order that my said invention may be better understood and readily
carried into effect I will now with the aid of the accompanying drawings whereon
similar letters of reference indicate corresponding parts proceed to more particularly
describe the same.
Fig 1 of the accompanying drawings shews a view in elevation of a blast furnace,
with the main pipes, branch pipes and tuyeres attached for the application of the
atomised liquid compounds in the manner before mentioned (a, a) are two main
pipes which convey the liquid compounds from accumulators or holders (z z) Fig 2
to the furnace—(b, b) are descending pipes leading to the pipes or mains (c, c) for
each liquid compound which surround the furnace Descending from these mains (c)
are small pipes (p) leading to atomising injectors (g) which are attached to mixing
boxes or elbows (k) leading to the tuyeres.
Such injectors may however be fixed either on the sides of the tuyeres or in any
other convenient position and the liquid compounds carried direct into the
furnace (h, h,) are stop valves placed in each main pipe so as to shut off the liquid
compounds when necessary from the furnace.
Fig 2 shews in elevation two accumulators or holders (z, z,) in which the liquid
compounds are stored (a¹ a¹) are two draw off main pipes leading to and connected
with the main pipes (a) at the blast furnace-These pipes a¹ are fitted with shut off
valves (h) Balance wheels (d¹) carry floats (d) for the registration of the
quantities of the liquid compounds in the accumulators-These balance wheels are
mounted in brackets (d2) while cords (d³) pass over such wheels through glands (d').
The inner ends of such cords are attached to the floats (d) while their outer
ends carry weights (d) which register on an index board (d) the quantities of the
liquid compounds that are consumed-A pressure gauge (ds) is also attached to
each accumulator.
Fig 3 shews the mixing tanks (1) for the liquid compounds together with a
steam pump (8) having suction pipes (s¹) fitted with roses (82) and valves (93)
attached so that such steam pump will draw the compounds into the tanks (r, r,)-
These latter may be constructed either with iron plates or in brick work as
preferred.
The liquid compounds are forced by the steam pump from the mixing tanks
through the pipe (n) into the accumulators or holders (2) which are fixed at any
convenient distance from the blast furnace or furnaces.
Fig 4 shews in elevation one of the mixing boxes or elbows with the atomising
injector, feed and stop valves, wheel gear and fall-in valve attached thereto-(k) is
the mixing box or elbow which is connected to the pipe leading to the tuyeres and
into the furnace at A while B is the inlet from the blast pipe surrounding the
blast furnace (g) is the injector fitted with a wheel (9') that regulates the supply
of the liquid compounds into the furnace-(g) is the feed regulating valve which
also acts as a stop valve to shut off the supply of the compounds when the blast is
off (g) is the cone union joint which connects the supply pipe with the injector
(g) is a supplementary stop valve or cock to shut off the compounds when the
mixing box and tuyeres are disconnected (p) shews one of the small supply pipes
before described-(f) is a cog wheel fixed to the spindle to which the fall-in
valve (¹) is attached This wheel gears with a second cog wheel (f¹) mounted on
the spindle of the feed regulating valve (g) and working with a cam action in the
valve box-Such wheel (f¹) raises the feed regulating valve (9³) while the latter

page_text: is opened and shut by the fall-in valve (k¹)-(m) is a pyrometer to register the
degrees of heat-The atomising injector and valve (93) may be faced directly
opposite each other at the side of the mixing box or elbow or in any other.
convenient position.
A lift up cover (w) with a sight, hole (v) is fixed at the end of the elbow in a
direct line with the centre of the tuyere so that the condition of the furnace may
be observed from time to time.
Fig 5 is a view partly in section of the atomising injector shewing the regulating
feed valve (g) with its cam action.
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 application to the smelting of ores in blast furnaces of the liquid
compounds herein before mentioned either in combination with or separate from
each other and either atomised into the blast going into the furnace or entering the
furnace direct substantially in the manner and for the purposes hereinbefore
specified.
2 The apparatus for carrying such application into effect constructed fitted and
arranged substantially in the manner hereinbefore specified.
Dated this 21st day of October 1884
SAMUEL RICHARD SMYTH.
Elt & Co.,
Agents.