Improvements in and relating to Apparatus for Generating Steam, Chiefly Designed for Utilizing the Heat of Slag from Blast and other Furnaces.
Year: 1888

page_text: Improvements in and relating to Apparatus for Generating Steam,
Chiefly Designed for Utilizing the Heat of Slag from Blast and
other Furnaces.
I HENRY HARRIS LAKE, of the firm of Haseltine Lake & Co. Patent Agents,
Southampton Buildings in the County of Middlesex, 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 :-
The object of this invention is to make a furnace in which the heated or molten
slag and other material, which is usually allowed to cool about smelting furnaces
without being utilized, may be employed in the generation of steam; and to provide
more convenient and economical means for their transportation from the smelting
furnace to their place of final deposit; and my invention consists in the features and
details of construction hereinafter described.
In the present improvements I have endeavoured to make a furnace in which the
slag or other material may preferably deliver itself from the smelting furnace or place
where it is heated into the slag furnace or upon a covered slag carrier so that the
trouble and expense of intermediate handling or manipulation may be avoided and
the best results obtained.
In the accompanying drawings,
Figure 1 is a top view of my improved slag furnace showing particularly the
location of the smelting furnaces and the slag furnace, the latter being underground
and covered up except a portion at one end.
Figure 2 is a top view of a portion of the slag furnace with the covering removed.
Figure 3 is a sectional plan view of the slag furnace and showing the tubular boiler
in which water is heated and converted into steam taken on the line w, w, of
Figure 4.
Figure 4 is a longitudinal vertical section taken in the line x, x of Figure 3, with
all the boiler pipes in place.

page_text: Figure 5 is a cross section of the slag furnace on the line y, y of Figure 3 looking
in the direction of the arrows and showing the steam generating boiler.
Figure 6 is a vertical transverse section taken on the line z, z, of Figure 1, and
Figure 7 is an end view of the mud roller or mop shown at the left hand of
Figure 4.
In the drawings A, A, are the locations of smelting furnaces; B B troughs by
which the slag is carried off; C, C, receivers into which the slag is carried; Da
spout or conduit in the receiver through which the slag flows into the slag furnace;
D¹ a hole in the cover to admit the slag; E a travelling slag carrier or apron on
which the slag falls from the smelting or slag producing furnace; F a sprocket wheel
by which the travelling carrier apron is carried forward G is a sprocket chain; Ha
roller chain on which the movable apron moves as it is carried forward by the sprocket
chain I stationary rollers beneath the sprocket wheel on which the travelling apron
moves along the under side; J J the hollow heads of the boiler; K K the tubes of the
boiler in which the water is heated and converted into steam; L L the pipes from
the hollow heads of the boiler which carry steam into a common pipe whence it is
conveyed to the cylinder or place of use; M this common pipe; N the mud roller
or mop and O a bridge or cover over the boiler and carrier, supported independently
of them.
In making my improved slag furnace and carrier I prefer to locate it beneath the
surface of the ground or under an independently supported cover or bridge so that
the heated or molten slag from the smelting furnaces may be carried to it either
directly or from a receiver placed between the smelting furnace and the slag furnace
and so that it will not afford any obstruction to the surface operations around the base
of the smelting furnace. This trench or excavation should of course be located with
reference to the location of the smelting furnaces. In Figure 1 I have shown the
location of several smelting furnaces with my slag furnace located alongside of the
same. I preferably dig a trench of sufficient depth and size to contain the parts or
with room to admit of access to the same, and wall it up in any suitable manner.
Figure 6 I have shown this trench considerably wider than the slag furnace located
therein.
In
I arrange within the trench or under the bridge O a slag carrying device preferably
an apron carrier E which is particularly shown in Figures 3 and 4 and is composed
of a series of plates or slats e made of cast iron or other suitable material connected
by the links G and resting at its upper or slag carrying side on the rollers H
supported on the rails H¹ and at its lower side resting on the rollers I, the whole
being supported by a suitable frame work or structure which has one or more
suitable sprocket wheels F F mounted upon suitable journalled shafts at its ends
around which I pass the apron E thus making a carrying surface capable of receiving
and carrying forward heated or molten slags and which is adapted to be moved for-
ward and around by the rotation of the shafts and sprocket wheels E E the rotation
of which may be effected by any convenient motive power. I then arrange a suitable
boiler, preferably of a tubular design as shown especially in Figures 3, 4, and 5 above
the carrier or apron supported in any convenient way and provide it with an exterior
covering so that the heat of the slags on the carrier that is radiated up to the boiler,
will be confined by the covering and thus be used in heating the water and generating
steam in the boiler. I preferably cover the conveyor and boiler or entire slag furnace
with a bridge or covering O supported independently of the slag carrying device and
fixed or stationary in relation to them, and while I have especially described and
shown a travelling slag carrying device as an apron I do not wish to confine myself
to this particular design as I may employ various mechanically arranged devices having
travelling slag carrying surfaces.
It is apparent that any pan or device capable of holding hot or molten slags may be
passed or caused to travel under or through the heating chamber of the boiler, and for
this reason I wish to cover broadly all devices capable of carrying slag in this
manner.
As the heated or molten slag from the smelting furnace flows off it will fall into the

page_text: receivers C, where receivers are employed, which will permit the metal that it may
contain to sink to the bottom, while the slag will flow out through the spout or
conduit D and pour down by its own weight through the hole D' in the cover of the
slag furnace onto the travelling apron or other carrying device E. As it flows onto
this carrier, it will be carried forward by the constant moving forward of the carrying
device so that it will pass beneath the water pipes of the steam generating boiler. As
it passes on beneath these pipes of the boiler it will radiate its heat so as to convert
the water into steam, and, as it reaches the end of the carrier apron, it will be dumped
or discharged from it as the sections e pass down around the end of the sprocket
wheel at the further end of the slag furnace.
To carry off the slag as it is thus discharged I have arranged a supplemental
travelling carrier or apron S, shown in Figure 1. This carrier inay be constructed
and operated in all material respects like the one described, or in any other convenient
manner. As the slag is dumped upon it, it is carried forward, and, if desired, upward
so as to be delivered at the surface of the ground in any proper receptacle to receive
it and convey it away, or delivered to other place of deposit. Or if desired this
supplemental carrying apron may be dispensed with, and cars or other receptacles
run in beneath the end of the furnace in proper position to receive the slag as it is
discharged from the travelling carrier or apron E. Or this carrier E may be extended
to other desirable place of deposit for the slags, or when other designs are supple-
mented for the one herein particularly described that will admit of it, they may be
used to serve the purpose of both the carriers E and S.
If desired, the receivers C may be dispensed with, and the slag and other
material discharged directly from the smelting furnace upon the travelling carrier or
apron E of the slag furnace, though I prefer the use of an intermediate receiver as
above described.
When a travelling apron is used, to prevent it from being destroyed or injured by
the heat of the slag, and to prevent the slag from adhering to it, I have arranged a
mud roller or mop N shown in Figures 4 and 7, preferably at the point where the
travelling apron begins to enter beneath the pipes of the boiler and before it reaches
the point where the molten slag is poured upon it. This mop or roller is mounted
upon a shaft, as shown in Figure 7, which may be rotated by any convenient motive
power. In its rotation it rubs against the surface of the apron and spreads a coating
of mud or other suitable material upon it to prevent the slag from adhering thereto.
Of course it will be understood that this roller may be supplied with the coating
material in any suitable manner, as by permitting a stream of it to constantly flow
upon its surface to be spread upon the apron.
My invention is also applicable to other furnaces besides smelting or slag producing
furnaces, and to factories where a large quantity of heated or molten matter capable
of heating a boiler and generating steam is now allowed to cool without being utilized
for any heating purposes.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of the said inven-
tion and in what manner the same is to be performed, as communicated to me by my
foreign correspondent, I declare that what I claim is
First. The combination of a smelting or slag producing furnace, a steam generating
boiler, one or more travelling slag carrying devices, as described, and means for
conveying the slag from the slag producing furnace to the said slag carrying device,
substantially as described.
Second. The combination of a smelting or slag producing furnace, a steam
generating boiler, one or more slag carrying vessels placed so as to impart their heat
to the said boiler, a trench or conduit in which said boiler is located, and means for
conveying slag from the smelting furnace to the slag carrying vessels, substantially as
described.
Third. The combination of a smelting or slag producing furnace, a steam generating
boiler, one or more slag carrying vessels, a bridge over the same supported indepen-

page_text: dently of such slag carrier and spouts or conduits for conveying slags from the
smelting furnace to the said slag carrying vessels, substantially as described.
Fourth. The combination of a slag producing furnace, a travelling slag carrying
device, located in a trench or conduit, a bridge or covering over the same supported
independently of the slag carrier, and spouts or conduits for conveying the slag
from the slag producing furnace to the slag carrying device, substantially as
described.
Fifth. In a slag furnace the combination of a smelting or slag producing furnace,
a receiver into which the molten slag is conducted, a steam generating boiler, a
travelling slag carrying device, and means for operating the same, substantially
as described.
Sixth. In a slag furnace, the combination of a smelting or slag producing furnace
or receiver into which the molten slag is conducted a slag carrying device, and
a trench or conduit containing such slag carrying device, substantially as described.
Seventh. In a slag furnace, the combination of a travelling slag carrying apron,
sprocket wheels to move the apron forward and a mud roller or mop arranged
transverse to the line of motion of the apron and rotating on its surface to coat or
cover the same, substantially as described.
.
1 1000
HASELTINE, LAKE & Co.,
45, Southampton Buildings, London,
Agents for the Applicant.