IMPROVEMENTS IN THE PREPARATION OF IRON ORES FOR SMELTING."
Year: 1869

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Charles Cochrane, of The Ellowes, Upper Gornal,
in the County of Stafford, for the Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN
THE PREPARATION OF IRON ORES FOR SMELTING."
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Charles Cochrane at the
Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on the
25th June 1869.
I, CHARLES COCHRANE, of The Ellowes, Upper Gornal, in the
County of Stafford, do hereby declare the nature of the said Invention
for "IMPROVEMENTS IN THE PREPARATION OF IRON ORES FOR SMELTING," to be as
follows:-
My Invention has for its object the deoxydizing of iron ore before its
treatment in the blast furnace, and consists in passing over the same
a current or currents of highly heated carbonic oxide gas; such carbonic
oxide may be prepared from any convenient source, but I prefer to take
the same as it passes from the top of the blast furnaces together with
other gases, and to pass it through suitable heating stoves of known

page_text: construction, whereby it is heated to the requisite degree before passing
into a closed or partially closed chamber or kiln containing the iron ore
to be operated upon. The action of the carbonic oxide upon the iron
ore will also to some extent carbonize the iron, and thus the ore after
treatment as above described will require little more than the action
of heat and the addition of the requisite fluxing materials in the blast
furnace to convert it into the cast iron of commerce.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Talent,
filed by the said Charles Cochrane in the Great Seal Patent Office
on the 14th December 1869.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, T, CHARLES
COCHRANE, of The Ellowes, Upper Gornal, in the County of Stafford,
send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her
Letters Patent, bearing date the Twenty-fifth day of June, in the year
of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and sixty-nine, in the thirty-
third year of Her reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give
and grant unto me, the said Charles Cochrane, Her special licence that
I, the said Charles Cochrane, my executors, administrators, and assigns,
or such others as I, the said Charles Cochrane, my executors, adminis-
trators, 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, the Channel
Islands, and Isle of Man, an Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN THE PRE-
PARATION OF IRON ORES FOR SMELTING," upon the condition (amongst others)
that I, the said Charles Cochrane, my executors or administrators, by an
instrument in writing under my, or their, or one 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 Charles Cochrane, do hereby declare
the nature of the said Invention and in what mannor the com

page_text: performed to be particularly described and ascertained in and by the
following statement thereof, that is to say:-
My Invention has for its object the deoxydizing of iron ore before its
treatment in the blast furnace, and consists in passing over the same
a current or currents of highly heated carbonic oxide gas; such carbonic
oxide may be prepared from any convenient source, but I prefer to take
the same as it passes from the top of the blast furnace together with
other gases, and to pass it through suitable heating stoves of known
construction, whereby it is heated to the requisite degree before passing
into a closed or partially closed chamber or kiln containing the iron
ore to be operated upon. The action of the carbonic oxide upon the
iron ore will also to some extent carbonize the iron, and thus the ore
after treatment as above described will require little more than the
action of heat and the addition of the requisite fluxing materials in the
blast furnace to convert it into the cast iron of commerce.
In practically carrying out my Invention, I prefer to heat the carbonic
oxide gas to from 1000° to 1500° Fahrenheit, but I do not limit myself to
these temperatures. For this purpose I cause the gas to pass through
any suitable known construction of heating apparatus on its way from
the blast furnace or other place where it is produced to the chamber
or kiln containing the ore. This chamber or kiln may be variously
arranged for the purposes of my Invention; thus in one arrangement I
construct a kiln similar in shape to an ordinary blast furnace, closed at
top by preference with a bell or other valve or valves, through which
the ore is charged into the kiln. At the lower contracted part of the
kilu are arranged boxes or receptacles provided with one or more slides
or valves, into which boxes the ore after having been deoxydized is
caused to descend, and whence it is discharged into trucks or receptacles
below through a slide or valve at the bottom of the box. The highly
heated gases pass into the lower end of the kiln through a central shaft
or tube, and after passing up through and acting upon the mass of ore
contained in the kiln the gases escape through a flue leading from near
the upper end of the kiln to a chimney shaft or to a fan or exhausting
apparatus for accelerating the draught.
Having thus described the nature of my Invention, and in what
manner the same is to be performed, I wish it to be understood that I
do not claim generally the passing of carbonic oxide gas in contact
with iron ores, as I am well aware that this has before been proposed

page_text: and is indeed to some extent effected in every blast furnace; but without
the beneficial results produced by my Invention, neither do I limit
myself to, nor do I claim any special mode of or, apparatus for
generating or heating the carbonic oxide gas employed, nor any special
construction of chamber or kiln wherein the iron ore is acted upon by
such gas, as these may be greatly varied, so long as the essential feature
of my Invention is retained, whereby iron ores before their introduction
into the blast furnace are subjected to the action of carbonic oxide gas
brought into contact therewith after, such gas has been specially heated
a high degree for this purpose..
In witness whereof, I, the said Charles Cochrane, have hereunto
set my hand and seal, this Eighth day of December, in the
year of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and sixty-nine.
CHARLES COCHRANE. (L.S.)