AN IMPROVED APPARATUS AND FURNACES FOR SEPARATING METALLIC AND OTHER SUBSTANCES FROM THEIR ORES; OR WHATEVER MATTERS MAY BE COMBINED, UNITED,. OR MIXED WITH THEM, AND IN THE APPLICATION OP THE SAME
Year: 1812

page_text: TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, WILLIAM
EVETTS SHEFFIELD, of Somers Town, in the Parish of Saint Pancras, and
County of Middlesex, Gentleman, send greeting.
WHEREAS His most Excellent Majesty King George the Third, did, by
His Letters Patent under the Great Seal of the United Kingdom of Great
Britain and Ireland, bearing date at Westminster, the Thirty-first day of
October, in the fifty-third year of His reign, give and grant unto me, the said
William Evetts Sheffield, my exors, admors, and assigns, His especial licence,
full power, sole privilege and authority, that I, the said William Evetts
Sheffield, my exors, adññiors, and assigns, during the term of years therein
mentioned, should and lawfully might make, use, exercise, and vend, within
England, Wales, and the Town of Berwick-upon-Tweed, my Invention of
"AN IMPROVED APPARATUS AND FURNACES FOR SEPARATING METALLIC AND OTHER
SUBSTANCES FROM THEIR ORES; OR WHATEVER MATTERS MAY BE COMBINED, UNITED,.
OR MIXED WITH THEM, AND IN THE APPLICATION OP THE SAME;" in which said
Letters Patent there is contained a proviso obliging me, the said William
Evetts Sheffield, by an instrument in writing under my hand and seal, to cause.
a particular description of the nature of my said Invention, and in what
manner the same is to be performed, to be inrolled in His Majesty's High
Court of Chancery within six calendar months after the date of the said
recited Letters Patent, as in and by the same (relation being thereunto had).
may more fully and at large appear.
NOW KNOW YE, that in compliance with the said proviso, I, the said
William Evetts Sheffield, do hereby declare that the nature of my said Inven-

page_text: tion, and the manner in which the same is to be performed, are particularly
described and ascertained in manner following (that is to say):-
Firstly, my said improved apparatus doth consist of two portions or parts,
namely, one portion or part thereof is called an air conductor, and is to be
applied to or constructed in and along with a furnace or furnaces and to be
therewith used, for the purpose of introducing into direct contact with the ores
or other materials to be exposed to the action of heat in the said furnace or
furnaces, atmospheric air, or any other gas or elastic fluid which may be found
or considered to be useful in or as to the treatment of the said ores or
materials, as more particularly is herein-after shewn; and also, namely, one
other part or portion thereof, which is an improved pot or vessel, for the bene-
ficial separation of zinc in the metallic state from the ore. And,
Secondly, my said furnaces are constructed for the like purposes of bene-
ficially separating metallic zinc and other substances from the ores thereof,
and the same are specially set forth and explained in the Drawings hereunto
annexed.
Fig. 1 represents the vertical section; and Fig. 2 the plan of a reverberatory
furnace, to which my said air conductor is adapted; and the said conductor
affords an aperture expressly fitted and adapted for introducing the external
air over and above and in addition to the air which passes through, and is
deprived of oxigen by the fuel; and the said air conductor may be placed in
any part of the furnace best suited to the nature of the operations to be per-
formed therein; but in the present Drawing it is represented in that part of the
furnace called the bridge, which is best suited for the reverberatory furnace,
because the atmospheric air from the conductor will be by that means directed
over the materials spread on the bottom of the furnace into the stack or
chimney at the other end; but in the furnace for making red lead, the air
conductor should be placed in the back wall or opposite the door or entrance
of the furnace. And in the said Figures 1 or 2, the letter a represents the
tube or leading part of the air conductor, and b the aperture or mouth of the
same, which aperture may be made wide in its horizontal dimensions, in order
to spread the air. c, c, is the hearth or floor; d, the chimney; e, the ash
hole and fireplace. And I do allow, admit, or regulate, as may be required,
the introduction of air by means of a cock, or register, or slider, or other
similar piece or construction applied to or forming part of the said appa-
ratus.
Fig. 3 represents my improved pot or vessel for separating zinc from the
ores thereof, in which a, a, denote the sides of the pot; b, the hole for
charging; and ; the pipe for conveying the metallic fumes to the condenser.

page_text: d is an additional pipe, reaching from c to the top of the charge of ore and
coaly matter; and the said pipe being made of the same material as the pot,
and being perforated on all sides by many holes, serves with great facility to
convey the sublimed zinc into c, instead of the same being as heretofore com-
pelled to find its way through the hole or greatest part of the said charge.
e is a side communication from the upper part of the pot to the place of
condensation or condensing vessel without; and the said communication
serves to carry off a large part of the zinc by distillation, instead of the same
being forced downwards or left to be consumed and dissipated in flame when-
ever the cover is removed for renewing the charge or taking out the exhausted
materials. f is the cover to the hole for charging.
Fig. 4 represents the section of a furnace for separating metallic.zinc from
its ore, and the same is likewise applicable to other substances capable of being
sublimed or distilled, such as sulphur or arsenic. a represents the chamber or
vessel of a close furnace heated by fire acting under the bottom and round the
sides and top thereof. Fig. 5 shews the same furnace by another vertical
section; and,
Fig. 6 is a section, of the nature of a plan, in which Figures are seen.
a, a, the chamber or vessel; b, the hole for charging, with its cover. c, d, d, d,
are communications which convey the metallic fumes to the place of condensa-
tion. e, the hole to take out the exhausted ore, and which must be luted.close
during the operation. f, the door; g, the fireplace; h, the hole through
which the fuel is conveyed into the fireplace; i, i, i, i, openings through which
the flame passes from the fireplace to heat the chamber or vessel; k, k, flues
by which the flame passes from the furnace to the chimney; 1, 1, 1, arches
across the fireplace to support the bottom of the chamber or vessel; and m, m,
arch or vault of the furnace; n, n, n, n, n, n, side wall of the furnace of fire
bricks; o, o, grate; p, p, p, the iron bearers which support the grate; q, an
iron plate to support the brickwork over the ash hole; r, r, r, the ash hole';
s, the masonry or external wall of the furnace. And the principal advantage
of the construction here shewn is that ores in the state of powder, or which
require to be pulverised, may be thus acted upon with a large surface thereof
exposed, which cannot be done in the zinc pots or other chambers of furnaces,
where the ores are required to be piled together. And for the same purpose
and intent I do, when required, make shelves or compartments, either fixed or
moveable, within the said furnace, and do dispose and place the said ores,
whether in powder or in pieces, upon the said shelves or in the said com-
partments.
Fig. 7 represents the end section, and Fig. 8 the plan of another more

page_text: compounded furnace, consisting of a number of close chambers, a, a, &c.,
affording separate spaces or receptacles heated by fire acting beneath and round
the sides and top thereof, and from each of the said chambers proceed side or
-end conductors to convey the fumes from ores disposed upon the floor or upon
shelves, or in compartments, into the place or places of condensation t, and
the same letters of the alphabet do denote the same things as in Fig. 4, 5,
and 6; and I do not only, when required, make shelves or compartments
either moveable or fixed, within the said furnace, but I do also, when required,
make all or any of the several floors or bottom of the said spaces or chambers
(except the lowest) moveable and capable of being taken out and replaced, as
occasion may require, and do make convenient apertures between the chambers
if when and where the same shall or may be needful.
And lastly, I do declare that the forms, constructions, relative dimensions,
and connections of the several parts, according to or by which my said
Invention may be performed and carried into effect (and which it may be
.necessary or expedient to adopt, according to the magnitude of the works, the
local situations, the respective ores to be operated upon, and other circum-
stances) may be considerably varied; but that such variations may be easily
made from this my present Specification by any person or persons of
competent skill in metallurgical operations, and need not therefore be more
minutely detailed or described.
In witness whereof, I, the said William Evetts Sheffield, have hereunto
set my hand and seal, the Twenty-eighth day of April, in the year of
our Lord One thousand eight hundred and thirteen.