THE REDUCTION OF ZINC ORES
Year: 1857

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Charles de Bussy, Mining Engineer,. of 45,
Mornington Road, London, County of Middlesex, for the Invention, of
"THE REDUCTION OF ZINC ORES."
Sealed the 28th July 1857; and dated the 29th January 1857.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Charles de Bussy at the
Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on the 29th.
January 1857:
I, CHARLES DE Bussy, Mining Engineer, of 45, Mornington Road, London,
County of Middlesex, do hereby declare the nature of the said Invention for.
"THE REDUCTION OF ZINC ORES," to be as follows:-
My Invention consists essentially in smelting zinc ores in a blast furnace,
and causing the gases produced in that furnace, together with the vapour of
zinc and the oxide of zinc, with which they are mixed, to pass through a
second blast furnace, into which they are introduced at a short distance from
theCtuyeres.. After, traversing a part of the column of fuel contained in this
furnace, the gases are drawn out,, and made to traverse a chamber or series of
chambers, in which the metallic zinc is condensed; or else I employ a single
blast furnace, of a peculiar construction, to produce the effects obtained by
means of the two furnaces above-mentioned. This furnace would be provided
with two sets of tuyeres, the, one at a short height above the bottom of the

page_text: furnace, the other at some distance below the top. The gases, produced by
the blast of both sets, would be made to issue at an intermediate height
between the two sets of tuyeres, and pass through a chamber or chambers, as
previously described. The ore and fluxes would be introduced either at
the top of the furnace, or below the upper tuyeres, by means of ducts or
shoots. Cold or hot blast will be used with both arrangements according to
convenience.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent, filed
by the said Charles de Bussy in the Great Seal Patent Oflice on the
29th July 1857.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, CHARLES
DE BUSSY, Mining Engineer, of 45, Mornington Road, London, County of
Middlesex, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her Letters
Patent, bearing date the Twenty-ninth day of January, in the year of our
Lord Qne thousand eight hundred and fifty-seven, in the twentieth year of
Her reign, did, for Herself,. Her heirs and successors, give and grant unto
me, the said Charles de Bussy, Her special license that I, the said Charles
de Bussy, my executors, administrators, and assigns, or such others as I,
the said Charles de Bussy, 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 "THE
REDUCTION OF ZINC ORES," upon the condition (amongst others) that 1, the said
Charles de Bussy, 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.
NOW KNOW YE, that I, the said Charles de Bussy, do hereby declare
the nature of my said Invention, and in what manner the same is to be per-
formed, 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 consists essentially in smelting zine ores in a blast

page_text: furnace, and causing the gases produced in that furnace, together with the
vapour of zinc, with which they are mixed; to pass through a second blast
furnace, into which they are introduced at a short distance from the tuyeres.
After traversing a part of the column of fuel contained in this furnace, the
gases are drawn out and made to traverse a chamber or series of chambers,
in which the metallic zine is condensed; or else I employ a single blast
furnace, of a peculiar construction, to produce the effects obtained by means of
the two furnaces above-mentioned. This furnace would be provided with
two sets of tuyeres, the one at a short height above the bottom of the
furnace, the other at some distance below the top. . The gases, produced by
the blast of. both sets,, would be made to issue at an intermediate height
between two sets of tuyers, and pass through a chamber or chambers, as
previously described. The ore and fluxes would be introduced either at
the top of the furnace, or below the upper tuyers, by means of ducts or
shoots. Cold or hot blast will be used with both arrangements according to
convenience.
And in order that my said Invention may be fully understood, I shall now
proceed more particularly to describe the same, and for that purpose I shall
refer to the several Figures on the Sheets of Drawings hereunto annexed,
the same letters of reference indicate corresponding parts throughout all the
Figures.
Figure 1, on Sheet 1 of my Drawings, represents a vertical section of one
form of my zinc reducing furnaces, taken along the line 1, 2, in Figure 2;
Figure 2 is a sectional plan of the same, taken along the line 3, 4, in
Figure. 3; Figure 3 is a vertical section, at right angles to Figure :1, taken
along the line 5, 6, in Figure 2; and Figure 4 is a transverse sectional detail
of the lower portion of the condensing chamber, taken along the line 7, 8,
in Figure 2.
A, B, are two blast furnaces, the one is placed at a higher level than the
other, and both are in communication by means of the passages. C, C, which
open from the upper part of the furnace A into the lower portion of the
furnace B. Similar passages D, D, communicate from the upper part of
the furnace B. to the upper portion of the condensing or cooling chambers E.
The two furnaces A and B are supplied with either a hot or cold blast by
means of the ordinary tuyers at F, F¹.
!
In effecting the smelting or reduction of the ores of zinc, containing that
metal in the state of oxide, such as calamine, silicate of zinc, roasted blende,.
and franklinite, I introduce the ore; together with the requisite fluxes and

page_text: fuel (coke or charcoal), into the blast furnace A, and I charge the furnace B
with coke, or charcoal only, and a flux for its ashes. The gases and vapour
of zinc, which are generated in the furnace A, will pass off in the direction of
the arrows by the passages C, C, to the second blast furnace B, which they
enter at a short distance above the tuyers of such furnace, and after traver-
sing the column of incandescent fuel contained in this furnace above the
mouths of the passages C, 'they will pass along the passages D, D, which
conduct them either to cooling or condensing pipes, or to the large condensing
chambers E, as represented on Sheet 1 of my Drawings. In these chambers
the vapours of zinc are condensed, the metal falling on to the floors of the
chambers, which floor is formed in such a manner as to admit of the metal
being run out at a discharge or tap hole, as shewn in G (Figure 4). The
"gases pass off in the direction of the arrows through the escape aperture H,
at the top of the chambers leading to the chimney or main draught flue.
Figure 5, on Sheet 2 of my Drawings, represents a vertical section of
another arrangement of blast furnace, which may be employed for reducing
such zinc ores as are in the state of oxides, and containing few impurities.
According to this modification, the operation of reduction is effected in one
furnace, in place of using two separate blast furnaces, as previously described.
In this furnace two sets of tuyers F, F', are employed, one set being placed
considerably above the other; the furnace is charged from above with orc,
fuel, and flux. The object of the lower set of tuyers F¹ is to keep the slay
at the lower end of the furnace melted, whilst the upper set serve to reduce the
ore: The gases and vapours of zinc pass downwards through the incandescent
fuel, and are drawn out through the passages D, D, situated a short distance
above the lower set of tuyers F', and thence pass into a condenser,' as
described with reference to Sheet 1 of my Drawings.
Having now described and particularly ascertained the nature of my said
Invention, and the manner in which the same is or may be used or carried
into effect, I would observe, in conclusion, that I do not confine or restrict
myself to the precise details or arrangements which I have had occasion
to describe or refer to, as many variations may be made therefrom without
deviating from the principles or main features of my said Invention; but
what I consider to be novel and original, and therefore claim as the Inven-
tion secured to me by the herein-before in part recited Letters Patent, is,
: First, the general constructions and arrangements, of furnaces for smelting
or reducing zinc ores, as herein-before 'described.
Second, the application and use to and in the smelting or reduction of such

page_text: zinc ores as are in the state of oxide, of two blast furnaces in conjunction
with condensing pipes or chambers, as herein-before described and illustrated
by Sheet 1 of my Drawings.
Third, the application and use of a furnace fitted with two sets of tuyeres
at different heights, into passages between the said two sets of tuyeres,
leading to condensing pipes or chambers for melting or reducing such zinc
ores as are in the state of oxides, as herein-before described and illustrated by
Sheet 2 of my Drawings.
In witness whereof, I, the said Charles de Bussy, have hereunto set my
hand and seal, the Twenty-ninth day of July, One thousand eight
hundred and fifty-seven.
CH. DE BUSSY. (L.S.)