Improved Process and Apparatus for the Manufacture of Cyanides.
Year: 1893

page_text: Date of Application, 6th Sept., 1893
Complete Specification Left, 3rd July, 1894-Accepted, 4th Aug., 1894
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
Improved Process and Apparatus for the Manufacture of Cyanides.
ANDREW GORDON, Mayshade House, Loanhead, Midlothian, Engineer, JESSE
GORDON, Mayshade House, Loanhead, Midlothian, Metallurgist, do hereby declare
the nature of this invention to be as follows:-
The process is carried out in a blast furnace circular in form, and of any
convenient dimensions preferably about from fifteen to twenty feet high and from
three to five feet in internal diameter. It is constructed as follows:-The bosh
or lower tapered part is formed of a water jacket made of wrought or cast iron,
It has an
having, in elevation, the appearance of an inverted truncated cone.
annular water space, several inches wide, through which water is kept flowing.
Through the jacket, close to its foot, three or more tuyere hole openings are
formed through which the air blast, preferably hot, is supplied.
The upper part or barrel of the furnace may be also formed of a cylindrical
water jacket arrangement or of brickwork. To charge the furnace with the
necessary materials, it is provided at the top with an iron cup and cone apparatus.
The cup is of the usual description as fitted to iron smelting blast furnaces, but the
cone has its point cut off transversely thus leaving a hole several inches in
diameter. This hole is stopped by an iron ball which sits in it, being a little
larger than the hole. A hopper is attached to the top of the cone, the ball covered
hole forming the bottom of this hopper. By raising the iron ball or by lowering
the cone and keeping the ball stationary, the materials, which have been placed in
the hopper, fall past the ball into the centre of the furnace. Fuel, which may be
coke, charcoal or coal, is placed in the cup in the usual way, and, when the cone is
lowered, falls in a ring round the furnace, and consequently surrounds the materials
which have been fed into the centre as described.
A tap. or slagging hole is provided at the bottom of the furnace so that any fused
products may be run out.
In manufacturing cyanide of potassium, for instance, we, by preference, take
the carbonate of potassium and mix it intimately with finely divided carbonaceous
material. We prefer carbonaceous material containing nitrogen, as we can obtain
most of its nitrogen as cyanide.
It may be coal, azotised animal substances, pitch from shale, coal or peat etc., or
coke or charcoals though these two latter may carry only small quantities of
nitrogen. We place the mixture in the hopper on the cone. Fuel is placed in
the cup, and, on lowering the cone, the whole materials fall into the furnace, the
alkali mixture in the centre, and the fuel surrounding it, as described.
The descent of the alkali mixture, through the centre of the furnace, being
secured in this way, any wasting action on the brickwork is prevented, when the
upper part of the furnace is formed of brickwork. Besides the available nitrogen
which passes into the furnace with the air blast, if we desire to increase the
quantity of nascent nitrogen in the process, we pass ammonia into the furnace
along with the blast, or through separate inlets. In the high temperature of the
lower part of the furnace alkali, nitrogen and carbon combine, forming cyanide.
We maintain the heat sufficiently great to volatilize the cyanide. It is extracted
as fume from the furnace, along with other products of combustion, through an
iron water-jacketted outlet of large area, by means of a suitable exhausting
apparatus. This outlet is situated a short distance above the tuyeres where the
high temperature renders the cyanide volatile and therefore in a condition which
enables it to be drawn off as fume.
•

page_text: The exhausting appliance is placed at a sufficient distance from the furnace to
enable condensing plant to intervene. The fume is drawn first through metal pipes
or chambers, which can be kept cool by water. It sublimes or is deposited therein
and is periodically removed. Any fume not deposited in the dry condensing
apparatus passes thence to a wet fume condenser by preference of the kind
described in the Specification of Patent No. 5239, of 1878, granted to Andrew
French and others. When the solution of cyanide in this condenser has become
sufficiently concentrated, it is drawn off and the cyanide recovered from it in the
dry state, if so wanted.
Dated this Fourth day of September 1893.
ANDREW GORDON.
JESSE GORDON.
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improved Process and Apparatus for the Manufacture of Cyanides.
We, ANDREW GORDON, Engineer, and JESSE GORDON, Metallurgist, formerly
of Mayshade House, Loanhead, in the County of Mid Lothian, but now of 86,
Eastburn Place, Shawlands, in the County of the City of Glasgow, North Britain,
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, that is say :-
This invention has for its object the manufacture of cyanides in an improved
manner, and by means of improved apparatus comprising a blast furnace of con-
venient size and form, the lower tapered part of which is formed with a water
jacket, and with tuyere openings, whilst the upper part is formed either with a
water jacket or of brickwork. The furnace is provided at the top with compound
charging apparatus, hereinafter more particularly described, certain alkaline
materials being charged so as to form a central column and being surrounded by
carbonaceous materials. We maintain a great enough heat to volatilise cyanide
which is formed and to expel it as fume from the furnace, suitable exhausting
apparatus being employed to make it pass through collectors and condensers.
fume first passes through metal pipes or chambers which may be kept cool by
water, in which chambers it is deposited, and from which it can be periodically
removed; and what is not so deposited passes on to a wet fume condenser.
The
And in order that the said invention and the manner of performing the same
may be properly understood we hereunto append a sheet of explanatory drawings,
to be hereinafter referred to, and showing apparatus to be employed in carrying
out our invention.
Figure, 1, of the drawings is a sectional elevation of the apparatus.
Figure, 2, is a sectional plan of the furnace hearth.
Figure, 3, is a horizontal section of the furnace as taken through the tuyere
openings.
Figure, 4, is a side elevation of a part of the apparatus.
In these drawings the same reference letters are used to mark the same or like
parts wherever they are repeated.
The manufacture of the cyanides is effected in a blast furnace, A, circular in
form and of any convenient dimensions, preferably from fifteen to twenty feet high,
and from three to five feet in internal diameter. The bosh or lower tapered
part, B, of the furnace, A, is formed with a water jacket, C, made of cast iron or it
might be wrought iron and through which water is kept circulating, the part, B,
being, in elevation, similar to an inverted truncated cone. Through the jacket, C.
near the bottom four tuyere openings, D, are formed through which the air blast.
preferably hot, is supplied. The upper part or barrel, E, of the furnace is formed
of brickwork or it might be formed with a cylindrical water jacket..

page_text: To charge the furnace, A, with the necessary materials, it is provided at the top
with an outer iron cup, F, and cone, G, the cup being of the usual description
fitted to iron smelting furnaces. The cone, G, has its point cut off transversely to
leave a hole several inches in diameter, which hole is closed by an iron ball, H,
capable of being raised by a hand lever, J. A hopper, K, is attached to the top
of the cone, G, the hopper having at the bottom the opening closed by the ball, H.
When charging the furnace, alkaline materials, L, are placed in the inner hopper, K,
and when either the ball, H, is raised, or the ball is kept stationary and the cone, G,
lowered, the materials fall centrally into the furnace and form a central column.
Fuel, M, which may be coke, charcoal, or coal, is placed in the outer cup, F, in the
usual way, and when the cone, G, is lowered, falls in a ring round the furnace, and
consequently surrounds the other materials fed into the centre as described. A
tap or slagging hole, N, is provided at the bottom of the furnace so that any fused
products may be run out.
In manufacturing cyanide of potassium, for example, we by preference take the
carbonate of potassium and mix it intimately with finely divided carbonaceous
material. We prefer to employ carbonaceous material containing nitrogen, as we
can obtain most of its nitrogen as cyanide. Such carbonaceous material may be
coal, azotised animal substances, pitch from shale, peat, coke, or charcoal, though
the two latter may only carry small amounts of nitrogen. We place the alkaline
mixture in the inner hopper, K, and we place fuel in the outer cup, F, so that on
lowering the cone, G, the whole materials fall into the furnace, the alkaline mixture
in the centre and the fuel surrounding it as described. The descent of the alkaline
mixture through the centre of the furnace being secured in this way any wasting
action on the brickwork, E, is prevented as the alkaline materials are not in contact
with it, and it does not require to consist of expensive materials. With the method
of charging the furnace described, oxidation of the cyanide on its being formed,
is prevented, as the oxygen of the air blast is rendered inactive in passing through
the surrounding incandescent fuel, leaving the nitrogen to act on the central
alkaline materials.
Besides the available nitrogen which passes into the furnace along with the air
blast, if we desire to increase the quantity of active nitrogen in the process, we
pass ammonia into the furnace along with the blast or through separate inlets (not
shown). In the high temperature of the lower part of the furnace, the alkali,
carbon, and nitrogen combine forming cyanide. We maintain the heat sufficiently
great to volatilise the cyanide which passes off from the furnace as fume along with
other gaseous products of combustion through an iron water-jacketted outlet, P, of.
large area; and by means of suitable exhausting apparatus (not shown) is drawn
through collecting and condensing apparatus. The outlet, P, is placed a short
distance above the tuyere openings where the high temperature renders the cyanide
volatile and in a condition to pass off as fume. The exhausting apparatus (not
shown) is placed at a sufficient distance from the furnace to enable collecting and
condensing plant to intervene. The fume is first drawn through metal pipes or
chambers, Q, which can be kept cool by water applied externally, the fume depositing
in such chambers from which it is periodically removed. And if we desire to
draw the fume deposit off in a fused state we heat the bottom boxes, R, of the
condenser, Q, by furnaces such as are indicated by dotted lines in Figure, 4. Any
fume not deposited in the dry condensing apparatus, Q, passes thence to a wet
fume condenser, S, by preference of the kind described in Patent Specification
No. 5239 of 1878 of Andrew French and others. When the solution of cyanide
in the wet condenser, S, becomes sufficiently concentrated it is drawn off and the
cyanide recovered from it by known means.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of the said inven-
tion and in what manner the same is to be performed we declare that what we
claim is:-
1. The improved process for obtaining cyanides, consisting in having a central

page_text: column of alkali carbonate mixed with carbonaceous matter surrounded by
carbonaceous fuel, in a blast furnace and acted on by nitrogen heated by the action
of the blast and derived from the air supplying the blast with or without added
ammonia the oxygen of the air being rendered inactive by the carbon of the fuel,
substantially as herein before described.
2. The improved construction of blast furnace for obtaining cyanides, the lower
part of such furnace being in the form of an inverted truncated cone, and made as
a.water jacket and with tuyere openings through it, whilst the upper part is of
brickwork or of iron water-jacketed, substantially as and for the purposes herein-
before described.
3. The compound charging apparatus made with central and annular inlets for
an alkaline mixture and for fuel respectively, the same being arranged and operating
substantially as and for the purposes hereinbefore described.
Dated this Second day of July 1894.
EDMUND HUNT,
Applicants' Agent.