Year: 1897

page_text: Date of Application (in the United Kingdom), 17th Mar., 1897
Complete Specification Left, 17th Dec., 1897-Accepted, 22nd Jan.,
1898
Operation.
We, LA SOCIÉTÉ DES CUIVRES DE FRANCE, of Paris, France, do hereby declare the
nature of this Invention to be as follows:-
This Invention relates to a process and apparatus for obtaining pure copper in
a single operation.
In the manufacture of copper as at present practised when oxide of copper is added
to the white matt treated in a reverberatory furnace or when in the converter, atmos-
pheric air is blown into a molten mixture of sulphides of copper, tin, antimony, etc.
the combustion of the sulphur is effected and the copper is reduced to the metallic
state. In the course of these operations the foreign metals which form part of the
mixture and of which the sulphides have a lower heat of formation than sulphide
of copper, are the first to be reduced and being of greater density than the white
matt fall to the bottom of the bath. The sulphide of copper gradually becomes
decomposed in its turn and the reduced copper on reaching the bottom of the bath
mixes with the foreign metals already deposited so that at the termination of the
operation when all the copper is reduced the crude copper run off contains impurities
more or less in amount according as the matt from which it was obtained was more
or less impure. When this copper is refined, a portion of the impurities is
eliminated but the tin, arsenic, antimony, nickel, cobalt, etc. are never entirely
removed and the copper obtained remains unsuitable for many uses. The manu-
facture of pure copper from white matt thus necessitates at least two operations.
the first the production of a pure matt and an impure metal containing the foreign
metals and the second the reduction of the pure matt for the extraction of pure
copper.
The process of our Invention has for its object to obtain pure copper in a single
operation and it consists in separating the foreign metals from the rest of the mass
while the bath remains in fusion and without arresting the operation of reduction.
In other words a selection of the metals reduced at the beginning and end of the
operation is effected, this mode of operating being independent of the means
employed for effecting this selection.
In order however to obtain a practical, complete, and economical result it is
preferred to employ an apparatus which we term a selector, illustrated in the
accompanying drawing Figure 1 of which represents a front elevation, Figure 2 a
Paine 81

page_text: vertical axial section and Figure 3 a side elevation of the selector working as a
converter. Figure 4 is a vertical section of the apparatus working as a rever-
beratory furnace. The same letters of reference indicate the same parts in all the
Figures.
The apparatus consists essentially of two vessels a and b of unequal capacities
communicating under the conditions hereinafter explained. The larger vessel a
is for effecting the reduction of the matt and the vessel b for collecting the metallic
particles which are the first to be reduced so as to separate them from the
matt not yet reduced, in order to effect the selection desired The two vessels
are provided with a suitable lining which may be acid or basic. The
larger vessel a is provided at the lower part with a number of vertical
tuyeres opening into the matt slightly above the bottom of the vessel as shewn
so that the air injected shall not mix the metallic particles first injected with
the rest of the matt, this being a special feature of the apparatus. The tuyere
casing is so connected as to permit of the apparatus being completely rotated upon
its axis whether the apparatus be stationary or portable, the blast of compressed
air being admitted to the tuyere casing through the hollow trunnion d. Opposite
to the tuyeres is the mouth e for charging and also for the escape of the gaseous
products, for working and for running off. A channel f at one side of the vessel a
connects it with the smaller vessel 6 which is provided with two orifices, an uppen
one 9 for cleaning out the connecting channel and a lower one h for running off
the metals which have been separated from the matt. The trunnion is mounted in
a bearing carried by a frame i and the apparatus rests by a circumferential roller
path upon ball rollers m and receives rotary motion by means of worm gear no
operated by a winch handle p. Other gear may however be used which will allow
of complete rotation so that the small vessel b may assume, relatively to vessel a
all positions necessitated by the different phases of the operation which we will
now describe.
The complex matt to be treated, composed of sulphide of copper, tin, nickel, etc.
which has been brought to the condition of white matt either in the same or another
apparatus, being contained at a molten red heat, is blown with compressed air for
a certain number of minutes according to the nature and amount of impurities con-
tained in the matt, after which the apparatus is revolved upon its axis until the
small vessel b is brought into the lowest position, whereupon the metallic portions
first reduced which are of greater density than the matt are collected at the bottom
of the smaller vessel which is of such form that when the apparatus is turned back
to its former position the metal contained in the small vessel cannot return to the
large vessel a. The small vessel should be heated to keep the contained metal fused
until run off. The apparatus having been again turned mouth upwards the blast
is renewed and the two orifices g h are unclosed by removing the bridge r by which
they are kept. plugged and the collected metal is tapped off at the lower orifice
The tapping hole is then again closed and the blowing of the matt, which has been
thus deprived of its impurities, is continued until it is entirely reduced to metallic
copper which is run off by rotating the apparatus in the reverse direction so as to
turn the mouth e downwards.
When the apparatus is used as a reverberatory furnace its mouth is connected with
a chimney u, as shewn in Figure 4. The apparatus is heated by means of gas for
example introduced in admixture with air through the tuyeres c, s being the inlet
for the gas and that of the air. The apparatus, which is rotated by gear as before
described, is held in an inclined position whilst the oxide of copper is added, so as
to bring the small vessel b to the upper side of the vessel a of which the lower side
forms the hearth as shewn.
The essential feature of our process, whatever may be the details of arrangement
of the apparatus employed, is the effecting in one operation, that is to say without
allowing the matt to cool, the treatment and selection of cupreous matters for
extracting copper freed from impurities which could heretofore only be eliminated
by several operatious. The characteristic features of the apparatus are:-

page_text: 1. The combination of two communicating vessels, from the larger of which a
part of the contents may be discharged into the smaller one without possibility of
return into the larger vessel.
2. When working as a converter, the tuyeres raised above the bottom to facilitate
the separation of the impurities as they become reduced.
3. When working as a reverberatory furnace, the possibility of running off
pure copper, which cannot be done in such furnaces.
4. The practical possibility of using the selector either as a converter or rever-
beratory furnace, by merely altering the position of the apparatus and turning ou
a gas cock, both methods of working being possible in the course of a single
operation.
5. The general arrangement of the apparatus mounted to rotate on an inclined
axis and supported on ball bearings.
Operation.
We, LA SOCIÉTÉ DES CUIVRES DE FRANCE, of Paris, France, 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 relates to a process and apparatus for obtaining pure copper in
a single operation.
In the manufacture of copper as at present practised when oxide of copper is added
to the white matt treated in a reverberatory furnace or when in the converter, atmos-
pheric air is blown into a molten mixture of sulphides of copper, tin, antimony, etc.
the combustion of the sulphur is effected and the copper is reduced to the metallic
state. In the course of these operations the foreign metals which form part of the
mixture and of which the sulphides have a lower heat of formation than sulphide
of copper, are the first to be reduced and being of greater density than the white
matt fall to the bottom of the bath. The sulphide of copper gradually becomes
decomposed in its turn and the reduced copper on reaching the bottom of the bath
mixes with the foreign metals already deposited so that at the termination of the
operation when all the copper is reduced the crude copper run off contains impuritie
more or less in amount according as the matt from which it was obtained was more
or less impure. When this copper is refined, a portion of the impurities is
eliminated but the tin, arsenic, antimony, nickel, cobalt, etc. are never entirely
removed and the copper obtained remains unsuitable for many uses.
The manu-
facture of pure copper from white matt thus necessitates at least two operations.
the first the production of a pure matt and an impure metal containing the foreign
metals and the second the reduction of the pure matt for the extraction of pure
copper.
The process of our Invention has for its object to obtain pure copper in a single
operation and it consists in separating the foreign metals from the rest of the mass
while the bath remains in fusion and without arresting the operation of reduction
In other words a selection of the metals reduced at the beginning and end of the
operation is effected, this mode of operating being independent of the means
employed for effecting this selection.

page_text: In order however to obtain a practical, complete, and economical result it is pre-
ferred to employ an apparatus which we term a selector, illustrated in the drawings
accompanying our Provisional Specification Figure 1 of which represents a front
elevation, Figure 2 a vertical axial section, and Figure 3 a side elevation of the
selector working as a converter. Figure 4 is a vertical section of the apparatus work-
ing as a reverberatory furnace. The same letters of reference indicate the same
parts in all the Figures.
The apparatus consists essentially of two vessels a and b of unequal capacities
communicating under the conditions hereinafter explained. The larger vessel a
is for effecting the reduction of the matt and the vessel 6 for collecting the metallic
particles which are the first to be reduced so as to separate them from the
matt not yet reduced, in order to effect the selection desired.
The two vessels are provided with a suitable lining which may be acid or basic.
The larger vessel a is provided at the lower part with a number of vertical
tuyeres opening into the matt slightly above the bottom of the vessel as shewi
so that the air injected shall not mix the metallic particles first reduced with
the rest of the matt, this being a special feature of the apparatus. The tuyere
casing is so connected as to permit of the apparatus being completely rotated upon
its axis x, whether the apparatus be stationary or portable, the blast of compressed
air being admitted to the fuyere casing through the hollow trunnion d. Opposite
to the tuyeres is the mouth e for charging and also for the escape of the gaseous
products, for working and for running off." A channel f at one side of the vessel a
connects it with the smaller vessel 6 which is provided with two orifices, an upper
one g for cleaning out the connecting channel and a lower one h for running off
the metals which have been separated from the matt. The trunnion is mounted in
a bearing k carried by a frame i and the apparatus rests by a circumferential roller
path upon ball rollers m and receives rotary motion by means of worm gear no
operated by a winch handle p. Other gear may however be used which will allow
of complete rotation so that the small vessel 6 may assume, relatively to vessel a
all positions necessitated by the different phases of the operation which we will
now describe.
The complex matt to be treated, composed of sulphide of copper, tin, nickel, etc.
which has been brought to the condition of white matt either in the same or another
apparatus, being contained at. a molten red heat, is blown with compressed air for
a certain number of minutes according to the nature and amount of impurities con-
tained in the matt, after which the apparatus is revolved upon its axis until the
small vessel b is brought into the lowest position, whereupon the metallic portions
first reduced which are of greater density than the matt are collected at the bottom
of the smaller vessel which is of such form that when the apparatus is turned back
to its former position the metal contained in the small vessel cannot return to the
large vessel a. The small vessel should be heated to keep the contained metal fused
until run off. The apparatus having been again turned mouth upwards the blast
is renewed and the two orifices g h are unclosed by removing the bridge r by which
they are kept plugged and the collected metal is tapped off at the lower orifice. The
tapping hole is then again closed and the blowing of the matt, which has been thus
deprived of its impurities, is continued until it is entirely reduced to metallic
copper which is run off by rotating the apparatus in the reverse direction so as to
turn the mouth e downwards.
When the apparatus is used as a reverberatory furnace its mouth is connected with
a chimney u, as shewn in Figure 4. The apparatus is heated by means of gas for
example introduced in admixture with air through the tuveres c, s being the inlet
for the gas and that of the air. The apparatus, which is rotated by gear as before
described, is held in an inclined position whilst the oxide of copper is added, so as
to bring the small vessel b to the upper side of the vessel a of which the lower side
forms the hearth as shewn.
The essential feature of our process, whatever may be the details of arrangement
of the apparatus employed, is the effecting in one operation, that is to say without

page_text: allowing the matt to cool, the treatment and selection of cupreous matters for
extracting copper freed from impurities which could heretofore only be eliminated
by several operations. The characteristic features of the apparatus are:-
1. The combination of two communicating vessels, from the larger of which a
part of the contents may be discharged into the smaller one without possibility of
return into the larger vessel.
2. When working as a converter, the tuyeres raised above the bottom to facilitate
the separation of the impurities as they become reduced.
3. When working as a reverberatory furnace, the possibility of running off
pure copper, which cannot be done in such furnaces.
4. The practical possibility of using the selector either as a converter or rever-
beratory furnace, by merely altering the position of the apparatus and turning on
a gas cock, both methods of working being possible in the course of a single
operation.
5. The general arrangement of the apparatus mounted to rotate on an inclined
axis and supported on ball bearings.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of the said In-
vention and in what manner the same is to be performed I declare that what I
claim is:-
1. The herein described process of treating copper matts containing foreign
metals, which consists in heating the same in a reverberatory furnace or a converter
in the presence of an air-blast to a high temperature, to thereby decompose the said
matt, separating the foreign metals from the matt by gravity, and in thereupon
separating the said foreign metals at the bottom of the matt from the remainder of
the matt without allowing the matt to cool, whereby pure copper will be obtained
in a single operation.
2. The herein described process of producing pure copper in a single operation,
which consists in heating a matt containing copper and foreign metals to a state
of fluidity in a reverberatory furnace or converter in the presence of an air blast,
separating the heavy foreign metals from the matt by gravity, and thereupon
turning the furnace or converter into a position where the heavy foreign metals
may be drawn off without disturbing the pure copper, meantime keeping the matt
in a state of fluidity.
3. For the treatment of copper matt a reducing vessel provided with tuyeres
and the said vessel being mounted to rotate on an axis and combined with a lateral
chamber or pocket provided with a tapping hole and communicating with the
reducing vessel by a channel leading into the upper part of the pocket so that by
rotating the vessel about its axis the fluid content may run into the pocket but
cannot return to the reducing vessel when the latter is turned back for continuing
the reducing operation as described.
4. For the treatment of copper matt, a reducing vessel provided with tuyeres
rising therein above the level of the bottom of the reducing vessel, the said vessel
being mounted to rotate on an inclined axis and combined with a lateral chamber or
pocket provided with a tapping hole and communicating with the reducing vessel
by a channel leading into the upper part of the pocket so that by rotating the vessel
about its axis the fluid content may run into the pocket but cannot return to the
reducing vessel when the latter is turned back for continuing the reducing
operation as described.
1007
A. M. & WM. CLARK,
Chartered Patent Agents, 53, Chancery Lane, London.