An Improved Process of Amalgamating and Concentrating Ores.
Year: 1899

page_text: PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
An Improved Process of Amalgamating and Concentrating Ores.
ANTHONY ALBERT AUGUSTUS BYRD, Engineer, 14, St. Mary's Road, Lower
Edmonton, in the County of Middlesex, do hereby declare the nature of this
invention to be as follows:-
This invention has for its purpose the acquiring of all free gold molecules
contained in ore without any loss whatsoever, no matter whether they appear
as fleat gold or as covered with sulphurites etc. At the same time all the other
precious metals contained in the ore will be got as concentrates out of the
tailings.
The apparatus used will be constructed as follows. By a blower or air pump
of any construction, which may be set in motion by any desired form of power,
and an air reservoir provided with a pressure gauge and a check or safety valve.
A pipe is attached to the above for carrying the air and goes to a stove where
in passing through a coil, the air in pipe becomes heated and it then passes to
a pipe to the mercury retort which is partly filled with mercury.
The hot air pipe comes down perpendicularly from above to nearly the surface
of the mercury and the hot air blowing on to the mercury it produces hot air
impregnated with mercury. The retort is furnished with a thermometer which
must reach into the mercury. The thermometer used must be gauged to show
at least 300 deg. Celsius. By the induction of hot air and the use of a valve
to which also a pipe may be connected direct to air resorvoir for the purpose
of obtaining cold air the heat of the mercury may be regulated to any desired
degree.
On the upper part of the retort there is fixed a pipe for exhausting the
impregnated air, and this is then carried to an iron cylinder into which the
pulp or broken ore, or tailings enters at the top by a flat funnell. This funnel
is hermetically fixed to the outside edge of the cylinder, so that there can be
no escape of impregnated air. Below this inducing funnel is another one turned
the reverse way & made of amalgamated copper this funnel is closed in the
centre but does not quite touch the sides of the cylinder. Below this last men-
tioned funnell is a third one of amalgamated copper serving as a outlet, but
also hermetically fixed to the cylinder.
Between these three funnels the hot air impregnated with mercury comes in
and covers all precious metal molecules contained in the passing pulp, with it
forming an amalgam. This amalgam adheres to the two copper funnels fixed
to the cylinder and is removed from time to time through the generally her-
metically closed manholes. Any superfluous mercury is discharged through
a tube into the concentrator below. This concentrator consists of a corre-
spondingly high cylinder, the bottom of which cylinder is partly filled with
mercury which may be drawn off through a valve as soon as it has attracted
sufficient prec.ous metal. For the removal of the concentrate a bent piece of
piping is so fixed to the cylinder that it sucks up all the heavy concentrated

page_text: metals, laying above the mercury while all the valueless slimes must go out
on the upper end of the apparatus.
The concentrate is then gathered in a tank, while the valueless tailings are
let off. The apparatus works uninterruptedly and may be constructed to deal
with any quantity.
11 Wah 1000
An improved Process or Amalgamating and Concentrating Ores.
I, ANTHONY ALBERT AUGUSTUS BYRD, of 14, St. Mary's Road, Lower Edmonton,
in the County of Middlesex, Engineer, 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 has for its purpose the acquiring of all free gold molecules
contained in ore, without any loss whatever, no matter whether they appear as
float gold, or as covered with sulphide etc. At the same time all the other
precious metals contained in the ore will be got as concentrates out of the
tailings.
The apparatus used will be constructed as follows.
By a pump (A) which may be set in motion by any desired form of power,
and an air reservoir (B) provided with a pressure gauge, and a check or safety
valve. A pipe (C) is attached to the above. for carrying air, which goes to a
stove (D) where in passing through a coil (E) the air becomes heated, and it
then passes through a pipe (G) to the mercury retort (F) which is partly filled
with mercury (H) and which is also heated. This hot air in pipe (G) comes
down perpendicularly from above to nearly the surface of the mercury (H)
with which it becomes impregnated. The retort F is furnished with a ther-
mometer (I) which must be gauged to show at least 300 dgr. Celsius.
On the upper part of the retort (F) there is fixed a pipe (L) for exhausting
the impregnated air, and this is then carried to an iron cylinder (0) into which
the pulp enters at the top by a funnel (P). This funnel is hermetically fixed to
the outside edge of the cylinder (0) so that there can be no escape of the
impregnated air. Below this funnel (P) is another one (Q) turned the reverse
way and made of amalgamated copper. This funnel is closed at the centre but
does not quite touch the sides of the cylinder (O). Below this last mentioned
is a third one (R) also made of amalgamated copper serving as an outlet but
also hermetically fixed to the cylinder (0). Between these three funnels the
hot air impregnated with mercury is forced by its own pressure or with the aid
of steam through little holes in the pipes (M) and (N) on to the amalgamated
copper plates (Q and R) so that it covers all precious metal molecules contained
in the passing pulp, and forming an amalgam. This amalgam adheres to the
two copper funnels and can be removed from time to time through a generally
hermetically closed manhole Y. Any superfluous mercury is discharged through
a tube (S) into the divider (T) below. This divider (T) consists of a corre-
spondingly high cylinder. The bottom of this cylinder is also partly filled with
mercury (V) which may be drawn off through a valve (X) as soon as it has
attracted sufficient precious metal.
For the removal of the concentrate a bent piece of piping (U) is so fixed to
the cylinder (T) that it sucks up all the heavy concentrated metals lying above

page_text: the mercury (V), and deposits them in a tank Z or any other convenient recep-
tacle, while all the valueless slimes which are lighter and therefore rise to the
top of cylinder (T) must go out through the siphon tube (W), which is fixed on
the upper end of the apparatus, and these slimes can then pass away to any
convenient place. A swirling motion of the contents of the cylinder (T) is
created by a turbine plate (K) which is attached to the bottom of the tube (S).
This swirling motion of the contents of the cylinder (T) causes a separation
of the parts or metals or other bodies, the lighter parts rising to the top of the
cylinder (T) while the heavier parts keep to the bottom. The apparatus works
automatically & can be constructed to deal with any quantity of ore.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said
invention, and in what manner the same is to be performed, I declare that what
I claim is:-
1st. Producing hot air impregnated with mercury atoms.
2nd. Introducing the impregnated air to an hermetically closed chamber in
which are a series of any desired number of sloping plates of funnel or other
desired form and in and upon which I claim to be able to gather all precious
metal molecules from the passing pulp.
3rd. By gathering the tailings in a vessel, placed underneath the amalga-
mating cylinder, & called the "divider," I claim to separate the heavy parts
from the light parts by the automatically revolving motion of the pulp and
by placing siphon tubes at different heights to draw off the concentrate into a
tank or any convenient receptacle by one tube and the valueless tailings by
another.