A NEW OR. IMPROVED PROCESS OF DEPHOSPHORISATION OF IRON
Year: 1879

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Henri Adrien Bonneville, of the British and Foreign
Patent Offices, 18, Rue de la Chausée d'Antin, Paris, France, and 5, Piccadilly,
in the County of Middlesex, Patent Agent, for the Invention of "A NEW OR.
IMPROVED PROCESS OF DEPHOSPHORISATION OF IRON." A communication
from Emil André, of Ehrenbreitstein, in the Empire of Germany, Engineer.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Henri Adrien Bonneville at
the Office of the Commissioners of Patents on the 30th April 1879.
HENRI ADRIEN BONNEVILLE, of the British and Foreign Patent Offices, 18, Rue
de la Chaussée d'Antin, Paris, France, and 5, Piccadilly, in the County of Middlesex,
Patent Agent. "A NEW OR IMPROVED PROCESS OF DEPHOSPHORISATION OF IRON."
A communication from Emil André, of Ehrenbreitstein, in the Empire of Germany,
Engineer.
The Invention relates to dephosphorising iron in the high furnace instead of during
the refining process.
It has been proved by the addition of certain elements, viz., oxyde of iron or
manganese in the state of ores, roasted products, or additional products of other
manufactures, in the refining of phosphorous iron, that the sulphur, phosphorus, and
silex, are separated and converted into sulphite, phosphate, and silicate, and that the
influence of the oxydes on the carbon is not felt till the operation is nearly finished,
and is revealed by the bubbles and flames of the carbonic oxyde.
Instead of adding the said elements during the refining process, the Invention
consists in adding them to the iron in fusion at the moment when the latter, after
passing through the zone of the blast-pipes, is entering the lower part of the crucible,
and before it is cast into pigs or chills.
The casting-pit and the moulds or chills are placed on a lower level than is now
used, and two or three stationary shanks are constructed near the high-furnace
somewhat resembling those adopted for the Bessemer process, lined with a coating
of fire proof basis, and provided at the bottom with a casting-hole, the dimensions
of which are so calculated as to hold the whole tapping or casting in one or two
shanks, the other two or the third being kept in reserve. Large lumps are then

page_text: placed in the shank of the iron or manganese oxydes, which may also be used in a
liquid state, with or without an addition of lime or magnesia, or alumina or com-
binations of chlorine or fluor with alkalis or alkaline earths may be used. In the
tapping the iron is first cast from the high-furnace into one or two shanks; the
oxydes are then mixed and washed by the projection of the iron, so that in five or
ten minutes, and sometimes sooner, the sulphur, phosphorus, and silex are separated
from the iron and transformed into dross or slags, and the oxydation of the carbon
immediately begins; at this moment the casting-hole is opened, in order to cast the
purified iron into the chills or moulds.
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 29th
October 1879.
HENRI ADRIEN BONNEVILLE, of the British and Foreign Patent Offices, 18, Rue
de la Chaussée d'Antin, Paris, France, and 5, Piccadilly, in the County of Middlesex,
Patent Agent.
"A NEW OR IMPROVED PROCESS OF DEPHOSPHORISATION OF IRON."
A communication from Emil André, of Ehrenbreitstein, in the Empire of Germany,
Engineer.
The Invention relates to dephosphorising iron in or at the high-furnace instead
of during the refining process.
The dephosphorisation of iron in the high-furnace has been often attempted, but
hitherto certain practical results only have been obtained in the refining process
(Thomas and Krupp's process), but up to the present time the costs are so high that
the difference of price between the extreme qualities (Cumberland and Cleveland
quality) is entirely absorbed. The direct dephosphorisation of iron in the high-
furnace has long been the object of the researches of men of science, and the problem
has been at length solved by the new or improved practical and cheaper process
hereinafter described.
It has been proved by the addition of certain bases, oxydes and peroxydes of
iron and manganese in the state of ores, roasted products or accessory products of
other manufactures in the refining of phosphorous iron, that the silicon, phosphorus,
and sulphur are separated and converted into silicate, phosphate, and sulphate, and
that the influence of the oxydes of manganese on the carbon is not felt till the
operation is nearly finished, which is revealed by the bubbles and flames of the
carbonic oxyde.
Instead of adding the said bases during the refining process, the Invention consists
in adding them to the iron in fusion at the moment when the latter, after passing
through the zone of the blast-pipes, is entering the lower part of the crucible, or at
least before being cast into pigs or chills.
4
In practice the following manipulations are necessary or possible:-
1. The above-named oxydes may be introduced into the crucible continuously, or
a quarter of an hour or half an hour before the casting, through the blast-pipes, to

page_text: each of which is fitted a funnel (hopper), closed underneath by a slide or drawer,
and above by a lid. The oxydes are introduced through the said funnels (hoppers)
in grains of a size to allow of their being carried by the wind into the crucible.
The admission of the oxydes, which are introduced at once or continuously into the
crucible, is regulated by means of the slide. The quantity of oxydes is regulated
so as to saturate the impurities (silicon, phosphorus, sulphur), by adding an excess
of about 30-50 per cent. This mode of operation dispenses with constructing any
other apparatus near the high-furnace, and allows of casting purified iron directly;
but on the other hand it does not allow of watching the reaction in the crucible, or
exactly the proper moment for the casting, and besides, only a part of the oxydes is
mixed in the bath, the other part floating on the surface.
The following manipulation is therefore preferable :-
2. The casting pit and the moulds or chills are placed on a lower level than is
now used, and two or three stationary shanks are constructed near the high-furnace,
somewhat resembling those adopted for the Bessemer process, lined with a coating
of fire-proof basic material or bricks, and provided at the bottom with a casting-
hole, the dimensions of which are so calculated as to hold the whole tapping or
casting in one or two shanks, the other two or the third being kept in reserve.
In the shanks are placed large lumps of oxydes of iron and manganese, which
may also be used in a liquid state, with or without an addition of lime, or magnesia,
or dolomite, or alumina, or combinations of chlorine or fluor with alkalis or alkaline
earths may be used. In the tapping the iron is first cast from the high-furnace into
one or two heated shanks, oxydes of iron and manganese of smaller size, cold or
reheated, being at the same time added, as well as a small percentage of spiegel-iron
or ferromanganese, which latter are useful though not necessary. All these materials
are mixed and washed by the projection of the iron, so that in about five or ten
minutes the silicon, phosphorus, and sulphur are separated from the iron and trans-
formed into dross or slags, whereupon the oxydation of the carbon begins more
sensibly at this moment the casting-hole is opened in order to cast the purified
iron into the chills or moulds.
If it is found rather difficult in practice to purify too large quantities at the same
time, one casting an hour may be effected by means of three shanks, by simply
slackening the speed of the blast-engine without stopping it, and by stopping up
the casting-hole like that of a cupola furnace. To prevent cooling each shank may
be closed by means of a lid hanging down from the roof of the forge, and provided
with looking holes. The shank must be kept warm till the next filling, either by
coal, or coke, or the gas of the high-furnace, but during the process itself no beating
is required, the oxydation of the said elements producing heat enough to keep the
bath fluid. In Krupp and Bell's process this has not been observed, and therefore
furnaces of complicated construction and heated in a special manner are used, which
are unnecessary.
3. Should it be impossible to lower the level of the chills or moulds so as to
obtain the height of a shank, the shanks for casting the purified iron may be moved
by means of cranes, made like those in foundries or Bessemer steel manufactories.
4. The latter method of proceeding is especially preferable if it is intended to
refine the purified iron directly in the Bessemer-converter, or Siemens-Martin, or
puddling, or rotating furnaces. The refinery being always situated at some distance
from the high-furnace, the shanks must be so arranged as to be removeable horizon-
tally by rail, or vertically by means of cranes.
5. The iron may also be purified in a large pit, lined with bricks or a mixture of
fire-proof basic material, placed on the same level and cominunicating with the
crucible like a fore-part of it, or separately and rather lower, and which will then
be filled periodically or almost continuously, and provided with a lid, but the shanks
above described, either stationary or moveable, are to be preferred in practice.
6. The new or improved process above described is quite different to the Bell and
Krupp processes.

page_text: Bell adds fluid oxydes of iron (no manganese) on tapping the cast-iron from the
high-furnace, the result of which is that the said iron is too quickly decarbonized,
owing to the absence of the manganese oxydes, by which the silicon, phosphorus,
and sulphur are oxydized beforo the decarbonization; he also uses special furnaces
and not simple fusion-shanks.
Krupp melts the cast-iron again, and applies the oxydes of iron and manganese
during the refining process, and not in or at the high-furnace or at the casting, and
uses special mechanical furnaces, which must be reheated, and not simple fusion-
shanks.
By means of the new or improved process the melting of the oxydes (Bell's
process) is avoided; oxydes of manganese are added in preference, for purifying
without decarbonizing, which may be mixed with oxydes of iron, the latter being
cheaper the melting of the cast-iron (Krupp's process) is avoided, as well as the
use of special mechanical furnaces, specially heated (Bell and Krupp's processes),
from which it results that the new or improved process is the simplest, most
rational, and cheapest.
Iron with any percentage of phosphorus may be purified by this method, but iron
alone, which contains somewhat more silicon than phosphorus, is preferable; if the
percentage of silicon were lower the decarbonization would begin before the phos-
phorus was separated sufficiently.
Having thus fully described the said Invention, and the manner of carrying
the same into effect, what I claim and desire to secure by Letters Patent is, the
above-described process of separating the silicon, phosphorus, and sulphur in or at
the high-furnace itself at the moment when the cast-iron, after passing through the
zone of the blast-pipe, is entering the lower part of the crucible, or at least before
being cast into pigs or chills by means of melting pits or shanks, stationary
or moveable, lined with a coating of fire-proof basic material or bricks, provided or
not with lids, and containing oxydes of manganese and iron in the state of ores,
roasted products, or accessory products of other manufactures, or slags used in a
solid or liquid state, with or without the addition of some percentage of spiegel-
iron or ferromanganese, and oxydes of iron and manganese in grains, with or without
an addition of lime, or magnesia, or dolomite, or alumina, or combinations of chlorine,
or fluor, with alkalis or alkaline earthis, so that the cast-iron is immediately purified
before being cast into the chills or moulds, or conducted in a liquid state to be
refined in the Bessemer-converter, or Siemens-Martin, or rotating or puddling-furnaces
of any construction, the whole substantially as above described and for the purposes
herein set forth.
In witness whereof, I, the said Henri Adrien Bonneville, have hereunto set
my hand and sent, this Twenty first day of October, in the year of our Lord
One thousand eight hundred and soventy-nine.