Improvements in Apparatus for Separating Precious Metals by Amalgamation from Ores or Materials containing them.
Year: 1889

page_text: Date of Application, 12th Dec., 1889
Complete Specification Left, 3rd July, 1890-Accented, 23rd Aug., 1890
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Apparatus for Separating Precious Metals by
Amalgamation from Ores or Materials containing them.
I, RICHARD EDMUND SHILL of 37 Worlingham Road, East Dulwich in the
County of Surrey, Engineer, do hereby declare the nature of this Invention to be as
follows:-
My invention relates to means whereby precious metals are recovered from ores or
materials containing them by the aid of mercury. I will describe it as applied to the
separation of gold. As such apparatus has hitherto been arranged the finer gold has
not been recovered owing mainly I believe to its not penetrating the film on the upper
surface of the mercury.
I
According to my invention I provide in connection with amalgamating apparatus
means whereby the finely divided ore or material containing the gold is discharged
into mercury below the surface thereof. I may effect this in various ways for instance
may provide a vessel down through or into which passes a pipe or passage having at
its lower end outlet passages or pipes which dip into mercury contained in the lower
part of the outer vessel. This pipe or the like may be rotated in the outer vessel or
it may be stationary. Its rotation may be effected by the passage of the pulp or
ground material thereinto with the assistance of water or liquid if desired or by any
suitable motor. The said pipe or the like may also carry amalgamated plates above
the mercury in the outer vessel to intercept any gold which might possibly otherwise
pass off but I do not consider that these amalgamated plates will be necessary in
practice. Gold contained in the ores or materials precipitates in the mercury in the
outer vessel the material after it has passed through the mercury ring and passing off
at an outlet or it may pass out into another similar vessel at a slightly lower level so
that the materials pass thereinto under pressure to ensure the complete separation of
any gold which may pass over from the first vessel. The apparatus is provided with
water inlets and draw-offs and also with outlets by which the mercury can be removed
as desired.
1000
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Apparatus for Separating Precious Metals by
Amalgamation from Ores or Materials containing them.
I, RICHARD EDMUND SHILL of 37 Worlingham Road, East Dulwich, in the
County of Surrey 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:-
My Invention relates to means whereby precious metals are recovered from ores or
materials containing them by the aid of mercury. I will describe it as applied to the
separation of gold. As such apparatus has hitherto been arranged the finer gold has
not been recovered commercially owing mainly I believe to its not penetrating the
film on the upper surface of the mercury.
According to my Invention I provide in connection with amalgamating apparatus
means whereby the finely divided ore or material containing the gold is discharged in
a number of small streams or finely divided portions into mercury below the surface
thereof. I may effect this in various ways for instance I may provide a vessel down
through or into which passes a pipe or passage having at its lower end a conical or
[Price 8d.1

page_text: equivalently shaped vessel carrying in its base a number of outlet passages or pipes
which dip into mercury contained in a chamber constituting a detachable bottom of
the apparatus. This conical vessel may be rotated in an outer vessel or it may be.
stationary. Its rotation may be effected by the passage of the pulp or ground
material thereinto with the assistance of water or liquid if desired or by any suitable
motor. The said conical vessel may also carry amalgamated plates above the mercury
in the outer vessel to intercept any gold which might possibly, otherwise pass off, but
I do not consider that these amalgamated plates will be necessary in practice. There
may also be provided around the mercury chamber an annular trough or the like for
receiving the sulphurets or concentrates the said trough being provided with means
for supplying a current of water with a force sufficient to prevent the gangue or
refuse passing thereinto but not sufficient to prevent the sulphurets or concentrates
entering therein. The free or float gold contained in the pulp or crushed ores or
materials precipitates in the mercury the remaining material after it has passed
through the mercury rising and any sulphurets or concentrates passing into the
aforesaid trough the gangue or refuse passing off at an outlet or it may pass out into
another similar vessel or similar vessels preferably at a lower level so that the materials
pass thereinto by gravity to ensure the complete separation of any gold which may
pass over from the first vessel, the apparatus is provided with water inlets and draw
offs and also with outlets by which the mercury can be removed as desired.
And in order that my said Invention may be fully understood I shall now proceed
more particularly to describe the same and for that purpose shall refer to the several
figures on the annexed Drawings the same letters of reference indicating corresponding
parts in all the figures.
Figure 1 of the accompanying drawings represents in vertical section an apparatus
constructed or arranged according to my Invention.
Figure 2 is a plan of a portion of the same and Figure 3 is a horizontal section of
another portion thereof. A is a shoot down which the finely ground ore or material
to be treated is conducted into a pipe or passage B leading to a conical vessel D the
base of which is provided with a number of tubes or outlet pipes d dipping into
mercury contained in a chamber E situated at a short distance below the base of the
conical vessel D and surrounded by an annular trough F into which the sulphurets or
concentrates are caused to enter as hereinafter described. The conical vessel D is
surrounded by a conical casing G provided at its upper part with an outlet g which
may lead the gangne or refuse passing therefrom into another vessel of the same kind
(as shewn in Figure 4) or it may be conducted as shewn in Figure 1 through a
number of small openings h in the form of finely divided streams which are caused to
enter the mercury (below the surface thereof) contained in the lower part of a
vessel H containing a copper drum I which floats on the mercury and is rotated by
means of friction wheels bearing on its upper part. The said friction wheels i may
be driven, as shewn, by a band from a pulley mounted on the axle of a small bucket
wheel which is driven by the force of the crushed material passing from the
trough A into the pipe B thereby obviating the necessity for special motive power for
driving the drum. The ore or material to be treated, with the necessary amount of
water to form a pulp, is fed into the chamber D and passes by the pipes d in a
number of small or finely divided streams to beneath the surface of the mercury in
the chamber E and the free or float gold is retained or deposited therein. The small
streams of pulp passing through the pipes d cause a number of ripples, equal to the
number of pipes d, to be produced on the surface of the mercury which ripples
cause the sulphurets or concentrates to be washed after the manner of a "Frue
.vanner towards and over the outer edge of the chamber E into the trough Fin
which they deposit by gravity whilst the gangue or particles of lighter specific
gravity pass with the water up the space between the vessels D and the outer casing G
within which it is enclosed, and out by the outlet g to be further treated or not
according to whether or not there be any gold still remaining in the gangue or refuse
material. If it is to be further treated it may pass from the casing G into a similar
vessel as shewn in Figure 4 or if desired into several such. vessels one succeeding the
"

page_text: other. Or it may be passed into the vessel H as aforesaid and as shown in Figure 1
so that any gold contained in the gangue or refuse will be taken up by the cylinder I
and deposited in the mercury contained in the vessel H.
Water is admitted to the annular trough F by a pipe k communicating with a
coil arranged near the top of the trough and provided with perforations arranged at
a suitable angle to cause the water passing through the perforations to act on the
gangue to prevent the lighter portions thereof entering the said trough.
When the material has been sufficiently treated the refuse material remaining may
be withdrawn or discharged from the apparatus by a pipe m passing through the
bottom of the chamber E and projecting above the surface of the mercury as shewn
after which the mercury may also be extracted from the chamber E by a pipe n which
passes through and projects above the bottom of the chamber.
The refuse material and the mercury having been withdrawn the chamber E may
be detached from the casing G which together with the vessel D may then be elevated
or the chamber E may be drawn away from beneath them and the gold and other
deposits be removed from the chamber E and trough F by any suitable means.
The refuse material passes from the vessel H by a spout p and the mercury may be
discharged from the said vessel when required by the pipe g.
It will be understood that the two apparatus shewn in Figure 1 may be used either
together or either one without the other. If that with the rotating cylinder be used
alone then the shoot or guide B will be led down directly to the outlets h.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said Inven-
tion and in what manner the same is to be performed I declare that what I
claim is
1. In apparatus for separating precious metals from ores or materials containing
them, passages for the ground or finely divided ores or materials into mercury-so
disposed or arranged that the said ground or finely divided ores or materials are
caused to enter the mercury below the surface thereof and in a number of small or
finely divided streams or portions as hereinbefore explained.
2. In apparatus for separating precious metals from ores or materials containing
them means for leading finely divided ores or materials in sanall or finely divided
streams or portions to beneath the surface of mercury in combination with a trough
for receiving the sulphurets or concentrates and with a liquid discharge thereinto for
the purpose described and with an upward passage to the outlet so that the gangue
or refuse passes upward and out at the said outlet whilst the gold is or the portions
containing gold are retained substantially as hereinbefore described.
3. In apparatus for the purpose described an inlet for the ore or material to be
treated, beneath the mercury as described with a chamber above for the passage and
outlet of the gangue or refuse the said chamber being of a conical form as illustrated
by Figure 1 of the accompanying drawing.
4. The arrangement and combination of parts constituting the apparatus herein
before described and shewn in Figure 1 of the accompanying drawing.
5. The arrangement and combination of parts constituting the apparatus herein
before described and shewn in Figure 4 of the accompanying drawings.
6. In apparatus for the purpose described a mercury vessel containing a drum
supported by the mercury a device for driving the said drum as shewn and deriving
its motion from the inflowing material to be treated in combination with means for
delivering the ground or divided material in a number of small streams or portions
beneath the mercury in the said vessel substantially as hereinbefore explained with
reference to Figures 1 and 2 of the accompanying drawings.