IMPROVEMENTS IN SHELTING OR REDUCING COPPER ORES AND CERTAIN OTHER METALLIC COMPOUNDS
Year: 1854

page_text: PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by William Gossage at the Office of
the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on the 26th May
1854.
I, WILLIAM GOSSAGE, of Widnes, in the County of Lancaster, Chemist, do
hereby declare the nature of the said Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN SHELTING
OR REDUCING COPPER ORES AND CERTAIN OTHER METALLIC COMPOUNDS" to be as
follows:-
The object of my "Improvements in Smelting or Reducing Copper Ores
and Certain other Metallic Compounds" is to effect such smelting or reduc-
tion with a smaller consumption of fuel than has hitherto been required for
such purpose, also to effect a more complete separation of the metallic part
from the earthy portion of such ores and compounds.
In the ordinary operations of smelting, or reducing copper ores (as these
operations are usually conducted), the ores are first calcined in large reverbe-
ratory furnaces (called calçiners), in order to expel sulphur, arsenic, and other
volatile substances therefrom; and, the calcined ore, together, with suitable
fluxes, is transferred to other reverberatory furnaces, cach consisting of a single
chamber, in which the ore is exposed to an intense heat until fusion takes
place, and a separation of the metallic part from the earthy part of the ore is
effected, but not perfectly, the metallic part being obtained in a state of

page_text: In this method of
"regulus," and the earthy part in the state of "slag.”
working (the essential condition of which is the obtaining a most intense heat in
the chamber of the reverberatory furnace in which the smelting or reduction of
the ore is effected), this required heat (when onec obtained) is greatly reduced
from time to time by the introduction into the single chamber of the ordinary
reverberatory furnace of a fresh charge of ore, and consequently a great
amount of fuel is expended in order to restore the requisite intense heat to the
furnace and its contents. As this consumption of fuel constitutes the chief
portion of the cost of smelting copper ores, it is the ordinary practice in these
operations to skim off the slag containing the carthy compounds from the
metallic compounds or regulus as soon as it is considered that the earthy
compounds have become melted, in place of allowing these earthy and metallic
compounds to remain in a state of fluidity.a. sufficient time to ensure their
separation from each other by gravitation. The consequence of this mode of
working is, that a valuable proportion of copper is continually carried away in
the slag produced, which slag is rejected as a worthless product.
In effecting my improvements, I also employ reverberatory furnaces for
smelting or reducing copper ores after these have been calcined; but I conduct
the operation of smelting or reducing in such manner, that in place of intro-
ducing fresh charges of calcined ore in a cold state into the smelting chamber
of the reverberatory furnace employed, I cause the ore to be melted or par-
tially melted previously to its being introduced into such smelting chamber;
and the ore being thus supplied into such chamber at a highly elevated tem-
perature, it is only needful to increase this temperature to the requisite
degree of intensity to obtain such a perfect fluidity of the slag produced from
the ore as to ensure the separation of the metallic compounds therefrom in the
state of regulus; at the same time that, in consequence of the introduction
of no substances into the smelting chamber of the reverberatory furnace but
such as have already attained such an elevation of temperature as to give them
sufficient fluidity to flow into such chamber, the requisite intensity of heat
therein is maintained with a much smaller consumption of fuel, and sufficient
time can be allowed for the separation of the metallic compounds from the
earthy slag produced by this operation.
I effect my improved mode of smelting or reducing copper ores and certain
other metallic compounds (the nature of which improvements I have herein-
before explained) by constructing a reverberatory furnace, having a smelting
chamber, in which the intense heat produced by the combustion of fuel in the
grate is brought into immediate action upon the partially smelted ore or com-
pound contained in such chamber; and having also a second and distinct

page_text: chamber, into which the calcined ore or compound (with suitable fluxes) is
introduced; and I arrange this second chamber in such manner, that the flamo
from the burning fuel, after passing through the first chamber (wherein the
smelting of the ore is perfected), is caused to traverse the second chamber, and
effect its heating action on ore contained therein previously to passing off to a
chimney.
The consequence of this heating action is, that the ore or compound lying
on the floor of the second chamber becomes sufficiently fluid to flow in a par-
tially melted state into the first chamber, wherein it becomes perfectly smelted
or reduced.
I place the floor of the second chamber higher than that of the first
chamber, and I prefer that it should be slightly inclined, so as to facilitate
the flowing of the partially melted ore or compound towards the first
chamber. I also cause an inclined plane of brickwork to be placed between
the two chambers, in such manner that the partially melted ore or compound
must flow down such inclined plane in its transit from the second chamber
to the first chamber, during which transit it is exposed to the direct action of
flame passing through such reverberatory furnace.
The "metallic compounds," to the smelting or reducing of which my
improvements are also applicable, are the sulphuret of calcium, which is
extensively produced by manufacturers of soda, and is rejected by them as
a valueless product; and oxide of iron, which is also produced by some
manufacturers of soda, and rejected as a worthless product. This compound
is also found as a natural production. When these two-metallic compounds
are smelted or reduced together, the products of such smelting or reduction
are sulphuret of iron in the state of regulus, also slag, produced from the earthy
matters present in the mixture.
By adapting the system of smelting or reduction, which I have herein-
before described, to the smelting or reduction of these metallic compounds,
I effect such operation with great economy of fuel, and I ensure a more
perfect separation of the metallic products from the earthy products obtained
by such operation.