IMPROVEMENTS IN REFINING IRON, IN OBTAINING MALLEABLE IRON AND STEEL, AND APPARATUS THEREFOR.
Year: 1872

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to James Anderson, of Newbuildings, in the County.
of Londonderry, Ireland, for the Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN
REFINING IRON, IN OBTAINING MALLEABLE IRON AND STEEL, AND
APPARATUS THEREFOR.'
Sealed the 1st October 1872, and dated the 12th April‍ 1872.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said James Anderson at the
Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on the
12th April 1872.
I, JAMES ANDERSON, of Newbuildings, in the County of Londonderry,
Ireland, do hereby declare the nature of the said Invention for "Im-
PROVEMENTS IN REFINING IRON, IN OBTAINING MALLEABLE IRON AND STEEL, AND
IN APPARATUS THEREFOR," to be as follows, that is to say :—
This Invention has for its objects to refine iron in an improved
manner, and to obtain malleable iron and steel of a superior quality in
a more economical manner than heretofore.
The refining is effected by introducing into a furnace of a vertical,
cylindrical, or other suitable form, hematite or other ore or oxide of iron

page_text: sufficiently pure to withstand a high temperature without fusing. The
oxide is heated without being reduced by passing through it an oxidising
flame, or a hot current of completely burned gases or gaseous products
of combustion. Fuel may be economised in this heating process by
connecting two such oxide furnaces, as they are herein-after termed, and
causing the hot gases to descend in one furnace and then ascend in the
other, in which latter the fresh oxide is charged, and by periodically
reversing or transposing these actions in the two furnaces. The iron to
be refined is introduced at the top of the oxide furnace and percolates
down through and over the surface of the heated oxide. The carbon,
silicon, phosphorus, and sulphur in the iron will combine with the
oxygen of the oxide, forming carbonic acid or carbonic oxide, silica,
phosphoric acid, and sulphurous acid or a sulphide. The non-volatile
acids and impurities from both iron and oxide will combine with a
portion of the oxide to form a slag or cinder which will be lighter than
the iron (and also less fluid, so long as the iron does not become pasty).
The iron will therefore leave the slag and reach the bottom of the
furnace in a more or less purified state. If it is wished to purify the
iron further it is next run through a similar furnace containing heated
coke or charcoal, in which it will absorb additional carbon. It may
then be run a second time through the oxide furnace; and the alternate
running through columns of oxide and of carbon may be repeated until
the iron is sufficiently pure. The alternate removal of the carbon from
the iron in the oxide furnace and its restoration in the coke furnace,
causes the reduction of a large quantity of the oxide, adding materially
to the quantity of iron produced at a small expenditure of fuel. When
it is desired to obtain malleable iron the temperature of the oxide.
furnace is raised as high as conveniently possible, and the quantity of
iron introduced is regulated to yield a product containing barely enough
carbon to retain sufficient fluidity in it for it to run out in a pasty state.
When steel is required the actions are regulated to leave the proper
proportion of carbon in the product. Should the slag or cinder accumu-
late on the surface of the oxide so as to prevent the requisite contact
with it of the descending iron, the introducing of the iron at the top is
temporarily discontinued until the excess of slag reaches the bottom, or
an outlet or outlets made for it at any convenient positions. Or the
stream of iron may be directed to different parts of the top of the oxide
in succession, so that the slag may be draining away from one part
whilst the iron is being led to another. The iron may be fused before,

page_text: being poured into the oxide furnace by the escaping gases or otherwise;
or if the refining furnace is placed near the smelting furnace the fused
iron may be transferred directly from the latter to the former, and so
save the expence of remelting it.
The furnace may be of an elongated form, slightly inclined from the
horizontal, or the vertical and nearly horizontal arrangements may be
combined, the bottom and sides being lined with iron oxide. When the
process is carried on continuously care must be taken that no free
oxygen enters with the gases, as it would oxidise the reduced iron.
In order to remove the cinder or slag from the iron without diminish-
ing its fluidity, the iron may be run through a furnace containing
heated silica, alumina, lime, magnesia, or other suitable substance,
which without diminishing the quantity of carbon in the iron will attract
the cinder or slag from it. This separation of the cinder or slag from
the iron on its removal from the oxide furnace and prior to its introduc-
tion into the carbon furnace is important, as any phosphoric acid in the
slag might be reduced by the charcoal and become again combined with
the iron.
Silicon, manganese, fluorine, chlorine, alone or in combination, or
other substances capable of exerting a purifying action, may be intro-
duced into the furnaces or into the fused iron at any convenient stage.
The refined or purified iron may be made into ingots, or be collected
into balls for the hammer in a common puddling furnace, or it may be
treated in a Bessemer converter, or in a Siemens furnace, and be finished
into any required variety of iron or steel.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent,
filed by the said James Anderson in the Great Seal Patent Office
on the 11th October 1872.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, JAMES
ANDERSON, of Newbuildings, in the County of Londonderry, Ireland,
send greeting.

page_text: In order to remove the cinder or slag from the iron without diminish-
ing its fluidity, the iron may be run through a furnace containing
heated silica, alumina, lime, magnesia, or other suitable substance,
which without diminishing the quantity of carbon in the iron, will
attract the cinder or slag from it. This separation of tho cinder or slag
from the iron on its removal from the oxide furnace and prior to its
introduction into the carbon furnace is important, as any phosphoric acid
in the slag might be reduced by the charcoal and become again combined
with the iron.
Silicon, manganese, fluorine, chlorine, alone or in combination, or
other substances capable of exerting a purifying action, may be intro-
duced into the furnaces or into the fused iron at any convenient stage.
Thus fluorides or chlorides may be introduced in pieces into the oxide
furnace along with the ore or oxide, or they and the ore may be ground
and mixed, and then with the aid of a little water be made into blocks
of any convenient form or size before being introduced into the furnace.
Or such fluorides or chlorides as are fusible may be melted and be poured
into the furnace along with the fused iron, so that both may percolate
down together over the hot oxide. When fluorides or chlorides of
potassium or sodium are used, these alkalies, or portions of them, will
combine with the silica contained in the ore or in the crude iron, and so
diminish the quantity of iron oxide required to neutralise the silica in
forming slag or cinder. The slag obtained in this manner may be
utilised by being introduced into the furnaces described in the Specifi-
cations of my various earlier Patents, numbers 718, 2134, 3493, of 1871,
and 513, of 1872; when being submitted to the actions therein described
it will contribute to the yield of alkaline cyanides.
The refined or purified iron may be made into ingots, or be collected
into balls for the hammer, in a common puddling furnace; or it may be
treated in a Bessemer converter, or in a Siemens furnace, and be finished
into any required variety of iron and steel.
Having thus particularly described my said Invention, and the manner
of performing the same, I have to state that what I believe to be novel
and original, and claim as the Invention secured to me by the herein-
before in part recited Letters Patent is,―
1. The refining of iron by causing it in a fused state to percolate
through highly heated iron oxide or ore, substantially in the manner
herein-before described.

page_text: 2. The causing of iron that has been partially purified by percolating
through heated oxide or ore to percolate through heated coke or char-
coal, and subsequently to percolato again through heated oxide or ore,
substantially as herein-before described.
3. The running of the iron through a furnace containing heated silica,
alumina, lime, magnesia, or other suitable substance, which, without
diminishing the quantity of carbon in the iron, will attract the cinder
or slag from it, substantially as and for the purposes herein-before
described.
4. The introducing of purifying agents, such as silicon, manganese,
fluorine, chlorine, or their compounds, at any stage of the improved
refining processes, as herein-before described.
In witness whereof, I, the said James Anderson, have hereunto
set my hand and seal, this Tenth day of October, in the year of
Witness,
EDMUND HUNT,
Patent Agent,
Glasgow.
JAMES ANDERSON. (L.S.)