An Improved Furnace for the Disintegration of Quartz or similar Mineral.
Year: 1897

page_text: Date of Application, 1st Mar., 1897
Complete Specification Left, 1st Dec., 1897-Accepted, 29th Jan.,
1898
SPECIFI
AUVAISE LOU T
An Improved Furnace for the Disintegration of Quartz or similar
Mineral.
We, THE ORE ATOMIC REDUCTION AND GOLD EXTRACTION COMPANY LIMITED, of
83, Cannon Street, London, E.C., Manufacturers and Metallurgists, and JOHN
FREDERICK WEBB, of 83, Bridge Road, Battersea, in the County of Surrey, Engineer,
do hereby declare the nature of this invention to be as follows:-
This invention relates to improvements in furnaces, for the disintegration of quartz
or similar material and is designed to effect the same by heat, and after quenching
with water if desired, without deterioration to the gold or other contained metal for
after treatment by amalgamation or otherwise.
The quartz or similar ore to be treated is fed by a shute or hopper into an interior
inclined tubular chamber, which is surrounded by an annular flue or flues, of which
the outer may be a return flue, conveying the heated gases of combustion from an
external furnace grate so as to communicate heat to the said quartz or ore without
the said gases of combustion necessarily passing through or in contact with the
said ore.
+
The whole of the said inclined ore calcining chamber and its surrounding flues,
are caused to revolve by suitable rolling gearing driven from any convenient motor.
Steam is admitted both to the furnace grate, to the furnace chamber above the
grate, and to the central ore chamber, so as to maintain the gases of combustion in a
reducing condition, by the generation of free hydrogen; and white hot plates of iron
may be introduced above the fire to further increase that effect if desired, the steam
being allowed to play upon them.
in
The ore is caused to be slowly delivered down its inclined calcining-chamber. by
the revolution of the same, or by feeding adjuncts therein if required, and is delivered
by gravity into a crucible or crucibles, mounted so as to revolve and invert for
emptying, over the said furnace grate, in a closed chamber above it.
The ore is here heated to any degree of white heat by the surrounding furnace
fire, without the gases of combustion, which are rendered reducing as above described,
passing through the said ore, the top surface of which may be protected.
When the ore has thus been brought to its desired heat, the said crucibles may' be
revolved, about gudgeons at their centre, and the contents, thus rendered friable, may
be ejected from the furnace by a suitable shute for further crushing or pulverizing
when hot; or the white hot ore may be delivered into suitable tanks or receptacles
for quenching or chilling the same when white hot, before further treatment. for
crushing, amalgamation or otherwise.
1007

page_text: An Improved Furnace for the Disintegration of Quartz or similar
Mineral.
We, THE ORE ATOMIC REDUCTION AND GOLD EXTRACTION COMPANY LIMITED, of
83, Cannon Street, London, E.C., and JOHN FREDERICK WEBB, Engineer, of
. 83, Bridge Road, Battersea, do hereby declare the nature of this 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 relates to improvements in furnaces for the disintegration of quartz
or similar material and is designed to effect the same by heat and after quenching
with water if desired without deterioration to the gold or other contained metal for
after treatment by amalgamation or otherwise.
The quartz or similar ore to be treated is fed by a shute or hopper into an interior
inclined tubular chamber which is surrounded by an annular flue or flues of which the
outer may be a return flue conveying the heated gases of combustion from an
external furnace grate so as to communicate heat to the said quartz or ore without
the said gases of combustion necessarily passing through or in contact with the said
ore.
The whole of the said inclined ore calcining chamber and its surrounding flues are
'caused to revolve by suitable rolling gearing driven from any convenient motor.
Steam is admitted both to the furnace grate, to the furnace chamber above the
grate, and to the central ore chamber, so as to maintain the gases of combustion in a
reducing condition by the generation of free hydrogen, and white hot plates of iron
may be introduced above the fire to further increase that effect if desired, the steam
being allowed to play upon them.
°
The ore is caused to be slowly delivered down its inclined calcining chamber by the
revolution of the same, or by feeding the adjuncts therein if required and is delivered
by gravity into a crucible or crucibles, mounted so as to revolve and invert for
emptying over the said furnace grate in a closed chamber above it.
The ore is here heated to any degree of white heat by the surrounding furnace fire,
without the gases of combustion which are rendered reducing as above described
passing through the said ore, the top surface of which may be protected.
When the ore has thus been brought to its desired heat, the said crucibles may be
revolved about gudgeons at their centre and their contents thus rendered friable may
be ejected from the furnace by a suitable shute for further crushing or pulverizing
when hot; or the white hot ore may be delivered into suitable tanks or receptacles
for quenching or chilling the same when white hot, before further treatment for
crushing, amalgamation, or other-wise.
In order that our invention may be the better understood we will now proceed to
describe the same in relation to the accompanying drawings hereunto annexed
reference being had to letters and figures marked thereon. Like letters refer to like
parts in the various figures.
Figure 1 is a part sectional longitudinal elevation of our improved furnace.
Figure 2 is an enlarged sectional plan of the furnace chamber showing the
crucibles in position.
The furnace chamber A is arranged at one end of the device and is fitted with steam
pipes B, through which steam is fed to the spaces above and below the fire to produce
a reducing atmosphere. Within the furnace A the crucibles C are supported on
trunnions or gudgeons D resting on suitable bearers so that the said crucibles C can
be inverted to empty their contents down a shute E, which may deliver such
discharge into a quenching tank F if desired.

page_text: At the back of the furnace an inclined tubular chamber G is arranged having a
central tube H through which the quartz or other mineral is fed from the hopper I
into the crucibles C. Around this central tube H an annular flue H¹ is situated
through which the products of combustion can pass to the end chamber J without the
said gases of combustion necessarily passing through or in contact with the quartz as
it is fed down the central tube H. At the left hand end of the tubular chamber G a
second annular flue G¹ is provided which carries the products of combustion back from
the end chamber J to the central chamber L whence they escape to the chimney or
uptake.
The whole of the tubular chamber G is mounted on rollers N supported on
bearings O and is adapted to be revolved by gearing M driven from any convenient
source of power.
At the delivery end of the tube H a rocking diverting plate is arranged which can
be operated from the exterior of the furnace so that the delivery of quartz from the
said tube H may be diverted into one or other of the crucibles C as desired.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of this said inven-
tion and in what manner the same is to be performed we declare that what we
claim is :-
1st. An apparatus for the roasting and disintegration of quartz and the like,
consisting of a furnace adapted to have a reducing atmosphere of heated gases
contained therein, and having one or more readily dischargeable crucibles supported
above the fire, in combination with an angularly disposed tubular feeding and heating
device having annular flues, and means for rotating the said tubular device so as to
heat the quartz or the like during its passage therethrough both directly and
indirectly by the heat of the products of combustion as they pass from the furnace to
the chimney, substantially as described.
2nd. An apparatus for the roasting and disintegration of quartz and the like,
substantially as described and illustrated in the accompanying drawings.
FELL & JAMES,
1, Queen Victoria Street, London, E.C., Agents for the Applicants.