IMPROVE MENTO IN AND CONNECTED WITH THE MANUFACTURE OF COPPER
Year: 1865

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to James Thomas Lockey, of Sutton, near St. Helens,
in the County of Lancaster, Engineer, for the Invention of "IMPROVE
MENTO IN AND CONNECTED WITH THE MANUFACTURE OF COPPER."
Sealed the 9th February 1866, and dated the 14th August 1865.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said James Thomas Lockey
at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on
the 14th August 1865.
I, JAMES THOMAS LOCKEY, of Sutton, near St. Helens, in the County of
Lancaster, Engineer, do hereby declare the nature of the said Invention
for "IMPROVEMENTS IN AND CONNECTED WITH THE MANUFACTURE OF COPPER,"
to be as follows:-
The primary objects of my said improvements are, firstly, to provide
regulateable means of inducing a supply of air to enter furnaces to maintain
combustion and smelt the copper therein.
And, secondly, to prevent the noxious gases eliminated in copper smelting
furnaces from escaping into the atmosphere.
Into the flue or flues leading from a copper smelting furnace, preferably
at a contracted part or at a point reduced in size for the purpose, I introduce
a pipe or pipès, nozzle or nozzles, and through these I inject steam, heated
air, or gas, in a direction away from the said furnace. By increasing or
decreasing the size of such pipe or pipes, nozzle or nozzles, or raising or

page_text: lowering the pressure of the said injected elastic fluid or fluids, a greater or
lesser quantity of air can be drawn into the furnace.
The said flue or flues are carried into and terminate in a chamber or vessel
in which the mixed steam or other elastic fluid and the noxious gases are
condensed or fixed by any suitable or known means.
For grearer certainty, however, in this part of my Invention I have devised
two kinds of apparatus, either of which can be employed to condense and fix
the mixed fluids.discharged from the flue or flues. - The one consists of a
chamber or vessel partially filled with water, and provided with grids or trays
on which I place a suitable absorbent, say leaves, peat, or other like
vegetable substance or substances. The mixed fluids issue from the flue or
flues into a space between the water and the lowermost grid or tray, so that
should the whole not be condensed over the water the remaining portion will
be fixed by the absorbent, and the excess of pressure over that of the
atinosphere, if any, will pass off in an innocuous form. The other consists of
a vessel or chamber divided into spaces, and acting similarly to a surface
condenser or refrigerator. In this arrangement the mixed fluids pass on one
side of a series of tubes or leaves, and the cold water or air on the other side.
The sulphurous acid and other gases and the elastic air current inducing
fluid or fluids would therefore be condensed by themselves, that is to say,
without admixture with any other fluid or substance.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent, filed
by the said James Thomas Lockey in the Great Seal Patent Office on
the 14th February 1866.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, JAMES
THOMAS LOCKEY, of Sutton, near St. Helens, in the County of Lancaster,
Engineer, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her Letters
Patent, bearing date the Fourteenth day of August, in the year of our Lord One
thousand eight hundred and sixty-five, in the twenty-ninth year of. Her reign,
did for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant. unto me, the said
James Thomas Lockey, Her special license. that I, the said James Thomas
Lockey, my executors, administrators, and assigns, or such others as I, the said
James Thomas Lockey, my executors, administrators, and assigns, should at any
time agree with, and no others, from time to time and at all times thereafter
during the term therein expressed, should and lawfully might make, use,
exercise, and vend, within the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland,

page_text: the Channel Islands, and Isle of Man, an Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN:
AND CONNECTED WITH THE MANUFACTURE OF COPPER," upon the conditions,
(amongst others) that I, the said James Thomas Lockey, my executors:
or administrators, by an instrument in writing under my, or their, or one:
5 of their hands and seals, should particularly describe and ascertain the:
nature of the said Invention, and in what manner the same was to be
performed, and cause the same to be filed in the Great Seal Patent Office!
within six calendar months next and immediately after the date of the said
Letters Patent.
NOW KNOW YE, that I, the said James Thomas Lockey, do hereby declare.
the nature of my said Invention, and in what manner the same is to be per-
formed, to be particularly described and ascertained in and by the following
statement (that is to say) :-
The primary objects of my said improvements are, firstly, to provide.
5 regulateable means of inducing a supply of air to enter furnaces to maintain.
combustion, and smelt the
therein.
copper
"
And, secondly, to prevent. the noxious gases eliminated in copper smelting
furnaces from escaping into the atmosphere.
Into the flue or flues leading from a copper smelting furnace, preferably at
a contracted part or at a point reduced in size for the purpose, I introduce a
pipe or pipes, nozzle or nozzles, and through these I inject steam, heated air,
or gas, in a direction away from the said furnace. By increasing or decreasing
the size of such pipe or pipes, nozzle or nozzles, or raising or lowering the
pressure of the said injected elastic fluid or fluids, a greater or lesser quantity
5. of air can be drawn into the furnace.
The said flues or flues are earried into and terminate in a chamber or vessel
in which the mixed steam or other elastic fluid and the noxious gases are
condensed or fixed by any suitable or known means..
1.
For greater-certainty,-however, -in-this-part-of-my-Invention-I-have-devised-
two kinds of apparatus, either of which can be employed to condense and fix
the mixed fluids discharged from the flue or flues. The one eonsists of a
ehamber or vessel partially filled with water, and provided with grids or trays,
on which I place a suitable absorbent, say leaves, peat, or other like vegetable
substance or substances. The mixed fluids issue from the flue or flues into
5. a space between the water and the lowermost grid or tray, so that should
the whole not be condensed over the water the remaining portion will be fixed
by the absorbent, and the excess of pressure over that of the atmosphere, if
any, will pass off in an innocuous form. The other consists of a vessel or
chamber divided into s spaces, and acting similarly to a surface condenser or

page_text: 'refrigerator. In this arrangement the mixed fluids pass on one side of a series
of tubes or leaves, and the cold water or air on the other side. The sulphurous.
acid and other gases, and the elastic air current inducing fluid or fluids would
therefore be condensed by themselves, that is to say, without admixture with
any other fluid or substance...
On the accompanying Sheet of Drawings the improvements which I have
made are illustrated.
Fig. 1 is a lateral section of a pair of ordinary furnaces marked'a, from
which the flue b departs; b is contracted at the point c, where a pipe d from
a steam boiler or from a vessel containing an elastic fluid at high pressure is
entered; the opening therein is turned away from the furnaces, so that when
the steam or elastic fluid at pressure is turned on and allowed to enter the
flue the vapours and gases are drawn from the furnaces, and such a draught
established as shall draw air into such furnaces so as to effect the desired
smelting. I prefer to employ steam for creating the current as it is easily.
regulated it has also a tendency at the instant or time of condensation to
absorb some of the gases and vapours eliminated. The flue 6 after passing c
should as soon as possible be increased in sectional area and size; this is of
great importance as a means of economically maintaining the draught, of
obtaining products by condensation or otherwise, and so as to prevent the
escape of noxious vapours into the air. The greater the increase in sectional
area and size the more beneficial will be the results in practice; the increase
of the flue on the condensing side of c, say at about e, should be at least one
and a half times that of the flue, say at f. The bottom of flue b, when it is
of considerable length, and is kept partially filled with cold water, might serve
to condense the vapours and gases to such an extent that scarcely any gas or
vapour would escape at the end thereof into the air.
In ordinary practice, however, it will be advisable to empley, according to
my Invention, a surface condenser, shewn by g. The condensing pipes
therein are fixed in the usual way, and the pipes h, h¹, are used respectively
to bring and convey away the cold or condensing water, the one at the bottom
and the other at the top. Any arrangement of surface condenser might be
used kept cold on the one side by water, air, or any other fluid, it being kept
in mind that the aggregate area of the tubes or spaces should be rather greater
than the flue at a.
Fig. 2 represents a vertical section of the other means, according to my
Invention, for condensing or fixing gases and vapours. g are the walls of
brick or other material supporting by ledges h the grids or trays i bearing
peat, leaves, or other vegetable substance or substances; the bottom part

page_text: may be lined with lead or other material; ; shews a rose piece for sprinkling
cold water when required. Should there be any considerable quantity of
sulphurous acid gas escaping from the end of the flue b, either when it is or is
not fitted with the surface condenser g, a jet of nitrous gas may be injected,
say at k, and such gases conveyed to a vitriol chamber. The surface con-
denser 9, the condenser chamber, Fig. 2, and the vitriol chamber above
mentioned, or any one or more of these combined, may in practical working
fail to condense or fix all the gases, in these cases the remaining gases may.
be passed through coke towers, and as they will then be in a comparatively
innocuous form they may be passed into a tall chimney open to the air.
Having now described the nature of my said Invention, and shewn prac
ticable details, I would have it understood that I do not claim the jet of
elastic vapour or gas at pressure per se, as since the filing of my Provisional
Specification I have been informed and I believe that attempts have been
made to employ such a jet; but I also believe, from the want of sufficient
knowledge of the conditions required for expansion, such application has been
unattended with success; I would also have it understood that I do not
confine myself to the exact details shewn; what I claim is,―
Firstly, the use or employment of a jet or jets of steam or other
elastic fluid at pressure, substantially in the manner and for the purpose set
forth.
Secondly, the use or employment of a condenser in which the vapours or
gases to be condensed or absorbed are not allowed to come into contact with
the condensing fluid, practicable details having been described herein, and
shewn on the accompanying Drawings.
And, thirdly, the condensing vessel Fig. 2 with grids or trays, and absorbing
material, substantially as described and shewn on the Drawings.
In witness whereof, I, the said James Thomas Lockey, have hereunto set
my hand-and-seal,-this-Twelfth-day of January, in the year of our
Lord One thousand eight hundred and sixty-six.
In the presence of
JOHN DAVIES,
Witness.
JAMES THOMAS LOCKEY. (L.B.)