AN IMPROVED PROCESS OR PROCESSES FOR OBTAINING ZINC AND LEAD FROM THEIR RESPECTIVE ORES, AND FOR THE CALCINATION OF OTHER METALLIC BODIES
Year: 1841

page_text: TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, ANTHONY
THEOPHILUS MERRY, of Birmingham, in the County of Warwick, Refiner of
Metals, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her present most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her
Letters Patent under the Great Seal of Great Britain, bearing date at West-
minster, the Twenty-second day of March, in the fourth year of Her reign,
did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant unto me, the
said Anthony Theophilus Merry, Her especial licence, full power, sole privilege
and authority that I, the said Anthony Theophilus Merry, my exors, admors,
and assigns," or such others as I, the said Anthony Theophilus Merry, my
exors; adñiors, or assigns, should at any time agree with, and no others,
from time to time and at all times during the term of years therein
expressed, should and lawfully might make, use, exercise or vend, within
England, Wales, and the Town of Berwick-upon-Tweed, my Invention of
AN IMPROVED PROCESS OR PROCESSES FOR OBTAINING ZINC AND LEAD FROM THEIR
RESPECTIVE ORES, AND FOR THE CALCINATION OF OTHER METALLIC BODIES," in which
said Letters Patent is contained a proviso that I, the said Anthony Theophilus
Merry, shall cause a particular description of the nature of my said Invention,
and in what manner the same is to be performed, to be inrolled in Her
said Majesty's High Court of Chancery, within six calendar months next and
immediately after the date of the said in part recited Letters Patent, as in
and by the same, reference being thereunto had, will more fully and at large
appear.

page_text: NOW KNOW YE, that in compliance with the said proviso, I, the said
Anthony Theophilus Merry, do hereby declare the nature of my said Invention,
and the manner in which the same is to be performed, are fully described and
ascertained in and by the following description thereof, reference being had
to the Drawings hereunto annexed, and to the figures and letters marked
thereon (that is to say):-
==
My improved process or processes for obtaining zinc and lead from their
respective ores, consists in the application of the heat arising from the car-
bonizing or converting pit coal into coke to certain. furnaces, and subliming
vessels suitably constructed for calcining, roasting, and smelting the said ores
of zinc and lead.
I shall now describe my improved process of calcining, roasting, and smelt-
ing the ores of zinc. When operating upon the sulphuret of zinc, (com-
monly called black jack or blend,) I cause the impure ore to be stamped or
otherwise reduced to a coarse powder, and carefully washed to separate as far
as possible any foreign substance the ore may contain. The ore being thus
washed and reduced to a coarse powder, I calcine. the same in a reverberatory
furnace for twenty-four hours, the heat being slowly applied during the first
six hours, after which it is to be increased to a strong red heat, and continued
in this state for the remaining eighteen hours, carefully stirring the ore every
half hour, the more fully to expose every part to the action of the fire.. When
the process has been carefully attended to, the sulphuret of zinc will have
become decomposed, by which decomposition an impure oxide of zinc will be
obtained. When operating upon the carbonate. of zinc, (commonly called
callamine,) I cause the same to be washed and powdered in like manner to the
sulphuret, and expose the same in a reverberatory. furnace for five or six
hours, during which period the ore is exposed to a strong red heat, and care-
fully stirred with an iron rake. The carbonate of zinc is thus decomposed;
and an impure oxide of zinc will be obtained. To convert the impure oxides
of zinc obtained. by the before-mentioned processes into a metallic state,, I mix
the same with charcoal, coke, coal, or other carbonaceous substance, (reduced
to a coarse powder) in the proportion of three parts. by weight of the impuro
oxide, and one part by weight of charcoal, coke, coal, or other carbonaceous,
substance, the impure oxide being. carefully mixed, with the carbonaceous
substance employed; I, cause the subliming, pots to be. charged with the same.
The whole is: then carefully brought to a strong red, heat; which, is kept up
during from twenty-four to thirty, hours; by which time the oxide of zinc will
have become reduced, and the zinc will have sublimed. into the condensing
pipes, whence it will be obtained partly in a metallic state, and partly in a fine

page_text: metallic powder mixed with a little-oxide. The mouth of the subliming pots
is left open to facilitate the escape of any aqueous or gaseous vapour that may
arise, until a light blue flame appears at the mouth of the pot, which indicates
the volatilization of the metal, on the appearance of which the lid is to be
immediately put in its place, and well secured by a luting of 'fire clay.
I will now proceed to describe the furnace and subliming pots I use for
carrying into effect. the above process, reference being had to the Drawings
hereunto annexed.
Figure 1 is a vertical section of a coke oven, with the subliming pots and
calcining furnace, and Figure 2 a plan of the same. a, coke oven, twelve
feet long by eight feet wide. The bed or floor of the oven is raised three feet
from the level of the ground. The inside walls and arch of the oven are
formed of Staurbridge 'bricks, and well bound together with iron ties; b is
the flue, which conveys the 'heat arising from the burning or carbonizing
of the coal into the subliming furnace c. At d, d, are six of the subliming
pots (the furnace.containing twenty-four of such pots, as shewn in the plan);
e, a flue, by which the current of heated matters, after having passed through
the subliming furnace, is conveyed to a reverberatory furnace f, from whence
it escapes by means of another flue g into the chimney h. The dotted lines i
shew the situation of the condensing pipes, and are made of strong wrought
iron five feet six inches long, and they dip at their lower ends into a vessel
of water for receiving in drops the condensed vapours of the zinc. Previous
to the pots being charged, a piece of coke or charcoal is dropped into them of
sufficient size to stop the lower end, and thereby prevent the charge from
falling through. The subliming pots, which are circular, are made of fire
clay, and are three feet six inches long and twelve inches in diameter outside,
the thickness of the clay being 2 inches thick. The coke oven is heated at
first by making a small fire in it, and adding coal in small quantities until the
pots are gradually brought to a red heat. This will occupy from sixty to
seventy hours, during which time care must be taken against any sudden or
rapid increase of temperature taking place, which would endanger .the.
breaking of the subliming pots. The pots being brought to a red heat, tho
damper is closed, the refuse coal cleared out of the coke oven, and the same
charged as quickly as possible with the quantity of coal intended to be car-
bonized or made into coke. At the same time the subliming pots should be
charged. The quantity of coal I find best suited for a furnace of twenty-four
nots is about three tons, but much will depend on the nature of the coal used.
I prefer, as best suited to this purpose, a strong bituminous coal. The heat
radiated from the arch of the oven will soon cause the coal to ignite, when

page_text: the damper j is to be opened sufficiently only to carry off the smoke; during
-the remaining part of the process, the damper should be so regulated that no
more draught is allowed to the oven than is sufficient to carry off the incom-
bustible gases arising from the burning of the coal. The coal will be
sufficiently carbonized in from twenty-four to thirty hours, by which time the
ore in the subliming pots will be reduced and the zinc sublimed. The con-
densing pipes are now to be removed, and the sublimed zinc collected. The
covers of the subliming pots being removed, the coke or charcoal placed at
the lower end of the pots is to be broken with an iron rod, and, the refuse
being cleared out, the pots are to be recharged. At the same time that one
set of nien are discharging and recharging the subliming pots, another set of
meu are discharging and charging the coke oven. The process lasts from
twenty-four to thirty hours, and is carried on without intermission, the heat
of the subliming furnace being at no time allowed to get below a red heat.
Figure 2 is.a ground plan, of an oven and subliming furnace, shewing the
position of the set of twenty-four pots. a, a, a, three walls, supported by cast-
iron bearers, to allow the air to freely circulate among the condensing pipes,
and to give room for connecting the pipes to the subliming pots. On these
bearers the ends of the cast-iron bottoms for receiving the lower ends of the
subliming pots rest. The walls are nine inches thick, built with fire bricks,
and carried up to within two inches of the tops of the pots; the pots being
fixed in their places, and well secured at the bottom by a luting of fire clay,
are enclosed at top by a large brick, commonly called a slap jack, having two
half circles formed in each side, two of which bricks being placed together
form a circle equal in diameter to that of the pot, by which. means the pots
are retained in their places, and the furnace securely covered over. The slip
jacks are three feet six inches long and sixteen inches wide and about five
inches thick, and are supported by the three walls a, a, a; the distance between
the walls is three feet, two feet being occupied by the pots; the remainder.is
left for flue room. Figure 3 is a plan of two of the slap jacks.
Figure 4 is a vertical section of a calcining furnace, the dimensions the same
as those described in Figure 1; a, coke oven; 6; flue; c, calcining furnace,
seventeen feet long, by eight wide; d, flue passing to the chimney; h, hopper,
by which the ore intended to be roasted is introduced into the furnace;
i, vaulted chamber under the floor of the furnace to receive the calcined ore.
The coke oven being charged and the furnace brought to a red heat, the ore is
introduced by the hopper h, and falling upon the upper floor of the furnace k,
is exposed for twelve hours to a strong heat, the same being repeatedly stirred;
the partly decomposed ore is now femoved to the lower floor of the furnace;

page_text: and spread over the same to the depth of four inches, the ore being continually
stirred with an iron rake that every part may be exposed to the fire... When it
is found that no sulphurous gas is given off during the stirring, which will be:
in about twenty-four hours from the time, the charge, was introduced, the
desulphureted ore is to be raked out into the vaulted chamber and allowed to
cool. j,j, two openings in the side of the furnace for introducing the iron rake
by which the ore is stirred; two like openings are left in the end of the furnace
on each side the flue (but not shewn in the Figure). By these openings the ore
is removed to the lower floor of the furnace; the calcining of one ton occupies
twenty-four to thirty hours, by which time the coal will be fully carbonized; the
coke is now removed from the oven in the usual manner, the oven re-charged
with coal, the calcining furnace charged anew with ore, and the same process
continued without intermission. For smelting the ores of lead, the usual and
well-known furnace employed for that purpose is used, my improvement being
the application of the heat arising from the carbonization of coal, for roasting
and smelting the said ores; and the mode of connecting the said lead smelting
furnace to a coke oven, being the same as that I have described with respect
to zinc, that is to say, the current of heated gases proceeding from the coal in
the oven passes therefrom through a channel similar to that at b, into the zinc
smelting furnace, there will be no necessity for further description.
Having now explained the nature of my Invention, and the machanical
arrangements and processes by which I carry the same into practical operation,
I desire it to be distinctly understood that I do not claim any particular
construction of apparatus, distinctly and apart from their combination with an
apparatus for the carbonization of pit coal; but what I do claim as my Inven-
tion is, the application of the heat arising from the carbonization of pit coal to
the calcining, subliming, or smelting the ores, either of lead or zinc, let the
apparatus or process combined therewith be what it may; and it must be
obvious to every person acquainted with metallurgical operations, that the
combination of furnaces I have described for calcination, are equally applicable
to the calcination of other metallic bodies. I hereby claim such combination
of furnaces for the calcination of other metallic bodies, besides those of zine
and lead, and such my Invention being to the best of my knowledge and belief
entirely new and never before practised in this Kingdom, I declare it to be iny
intention to maintain an exclusive privilege for the same.
In witness whereof, I, the said Anthony Theophilus Merry, have hereunto
set my hand and seal, this Twenty-first day of September, in the year of
our Lord One thousand oight hundred and Cunty and
ANTHONY THEOPHILUS (L.S.) MERRY.

page_text: ..AND BE IT. REMEMBERED, that on the Twenty-first day. of September,
in the year of our Lord 1841, the aforesaid Anthony Theophilus Merry came
before our said Lady the Queen in Her. Chancery, and acknowledged the
Specification aforesaid, and all and every thing therein contained and specified,*
in form above written. And also the Specification aforesaid was stamped 5
according to the tenor of the Statute made for that
purpose.
Inrolled the Twenty-second day of September, in the year of our Lord
One thousand eight hundred and forty-one.