IMPROVEMENTS IN AND CONNECTED WITH SMELTING OR BLAST FURNACES
Year: 1868

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to William Ferrie, of the Monkland Iron and Steel
Works, in the County of Lanark, North-Britain, for the Inven-
tion of "IMPROVEMENTS IN AND CONNECTED WITH SMELTING OR BLAST
FURNACES."
Sealed the 8th December 1868, and dated the 10th June 1868.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said William Ferrie at the
Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on the
10th June 1868.
I, WILLIAM FERRIE, of the Monkland Iron and Steel Works, in the
County of Lanark, North Britain, do hereby declare the nature of the
said Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN AND CONNECTED WITH SMELTING OR BLAST
FURNACES," to be as follows, that is to say :-
This Invention relates to various improvements in and connected
with smelting or blast furnaces, whereby the expence of coking the
coal is saved, and the waste of coal which ordinarily takes place at the
top of a blast furnace in which raw coal is used is avoided, whilst a com-
paratively purer gas is obtained in the coking process, and is utilised
instead of being lost as in ordinary coke ovens. A part of the improve-
ments is also applicable in connection with the charging of coke made
in the ordinary way.

page_text: In carrying out the Invention a series of retorts or long vertical
chambers are constructed round the throat or top of the furnace, with
their bottom ends opening into the furnace, and the raw coal is charged
separately into these retorts, whilst the ironstone ores and limestone or
flux are charged into the centre in the ordinary way. At a point near
the lower end of each retort air is introduced by a nozzle or tuyere
from a blowing engine in sufficient quantity to support combustion and
to carry on the coking process. The coke made in the retorts descends
through the furnace uniformly with the ores and flux in the centre, and
continues in contact with the sides of the furnace down to the tuyeres
by which the main blast is introduced and greatly facilitates the
reduction of the ores. The gas produced in the process of coking
the coal is much purer than that drawn off from an ordinary furnace
in which raw coal is mixed with the ores and flux. Branch pipes
are provided for leading off the gas from each retort to a main, which
main conducts it into one or more vessels, wherein it is subjected to a
shower of water to free it from dust and to cool it. The bottom of
each vessel dips into a trough from which the dust deposited can be
removed from time to time, but the opening of which is always sealed
by water to prevent the escape of gas. This gas may be burnt for
heating boilers or for other purposes, but it is preferred to utilise it
by forcing it into the smelting furnace by means of a pump or blowing
engine through nozzles fitted into the sides of the furnace at a level or
levels a little above the main tuyeres. Doors balanced so as to close
of themselves are fitted to the tops of the retorts or coke chambers,
and coke made in the ordinary way may be supplied by these chambers.
The same arrangements for supplying the fuel may be adapted to various
kinds of blast furnaces, and whether these are used for smelting or for
melting merely.

page_text: WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her
Letters Patent, bearing date the Tenth day of June, in the year of
our Lord One thousand eight hundred and sixty-eight, in the thirty-
first year of Her reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors,
give and grant unto me, the said William Ferrie, Her special licence
that I, the said William Ferric, my executors, administrators, and
assigns, or such others as I, the said William Ferrie, 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, the Channel
Islands, and Isle of Man, an Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN OR CONNECTED
WITH SMELTING OR BLAST FURNACES," upon the condition (amongst. others)
that I, the said William Ferrie, 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 Inven-
tion, 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 William Ferrie, do hereby declare
the nature of my said Invention, and in what manner the same is to
be performed, to be particularly described and ascertained in and by the
following statement in writing, reference being had to the accompanying
Drawings, that is to say:-
My said Invention relates to various improvements in and connected
with smelting or blast furnaces, whereby the expence of coking the
coal is saved, and the waste of coal which ordinarily takes place at the
top of a blast furnace in which raw coal is used is avoided, whilst a
comparatively purer gas is obtained in the coking process, and is utilised
instead of being lost, as in ordinary coke ovens. A part of my improve-
ments is also applicable in connection with the charging of coke made
in the ordinary way.
And in order that my said Invention and the manner of performing
the same may be properly understood I have hereunto appended a Sheet
of explanatory Drawings, to be herein-after referred to, and representing
a smelting furnace as constructed for practically carrying out my
improvements.

page_text: Figure 1 is a half plan or top view of the furnace; Figure 2, a vertical
section; Figure 3, a horizontal section as at the line A-A in Figure 2;
Figure 4, a horizontal section, as at the line B-B; and Figure 5 is a
horizontal section, as at the line C-C; Figures 6 and 7 are a vertical
section and an elevation of apparatus to be used for purifying gases
obtained in the coking process. The same reference numerals are used
to mark the same or like parts in all the Figures.
In practising my Invention a series of retorts or long vertical
chambers 1 (there being four in the modification delineated) are con-
structed round the throat or top 2 of the furnace with their bottom ends
opening into the furnace. Buttresses 3 projecting into the furnace are
built beneath and between the retorts 1, and form long vertical
channels 4 below the retorts; these buttresses 3 may terminate at the
boshes, as shown by the full lines, or they may be continued further
down as indicated by the dotted lines. The raw coal is charged
separately into the retorts 1, whilst the ironstone ores and limestone or
flux (with a small proportion of coke or coal if necessary) are charged
into the centre 2 in the ordinary way either by a door a at the level of
the gallery or by a lower door, as indicated by dotted lines at b. The
air necessary to support combustion and for carrying on the coking
process I proposed to introduce near the lower end of each retort 1, but
I find that it is better to introduce it at the top by a pipe shown at 5.
In order that the retorts 1 may be sufficiently heated flues or
passages 6, 7, are constructed to pass up vertically alongside of them
both on their outer and inner sides, and passages indicated by dotted
lines at 8 are made to admit air to burn the gases passing up the flues.
The gases passing up the flues 6, 7, in this way are portions of the
ordinary waste gases of the smelting furnace, and the flues serve the
double purpose of outlets for them and of means for utilising them.
The portions of the ordinary waste gases which do not, pass off by the
flues 6, 7, may be allowed to escape by the central throat 2, or they
may be drawn off by passages indicated by dotted lines at 9 into a
circular duct 10, whence they may be led away by ducts for utilisa-
tion. Doors 11, counterbalanced so as to close of themselves, are fitted
to the sides of the retorts or coke chambers 1 at their upper ends, and
valves may be fitted in the tops of the retorts, as indicated at 12, to
be opened for the escape of watery vapors when these are given off
from the coal. The combustible gases formed in the retorts pass off by

page_text: outlets 13 in the sides of the retorts and by passages 14 to an external
circular duct 15, whence they may be led away for utilisation. The
coke made in the retorts 1 descends through the furnace uniformly with
the ores and flux in the centre, and continues in contact with the sides
of the furnace in the channels 4 down to the level 16 of the tuyeres by
which the main blast is introduced, and greatly facilitates the reduction
of the ores. The retorts or chambers 1 may be continued lower down
than as shown in the Drawing if preferred. The gas produced in the
process of coking the coal is much purer and more combustible than
that from an ordinary furnace in which raw coal is mixed with the ores
and flux. It may be freed from dust and cooled by passing it through
apparatus of the kind shown in Figures 6 and 7, and which comprises a
vessel 17, into which the gas is led by a duct 18, and which it leaves by
another 19. The bottom of the vessel 17 dips into a trough 20, from
which the dust deposited can be removed from time to time, but the
opening of which is always sealed by water to prevent the escape of gas.
The water is admitted into a compartment 21 at the top and falls
through a perforated partition in the form of a shower.
The gas may be burned for heating boilers or for other purposes, but
I prefer to utilise it by forcing it into the smelting furnace itself by
means of a pump or blowing engine or by jets of air through nozzles
fitted into the sides of the furnace at a level or levels 22, a little above
the main tuyeres. Or the gas formed in the retorts may be led into
the main air blast, so as to mix therewith either before or after that blast
is heated.
Instead of coking raw coal in the chambers 1 coke made in the
ordinary way may be supplied into those chambers so as to take
advantage of the herein-before described arrangements, whereby it will
be kept separate from the ores and flux until reaching the lower part of
the furnace.
The same arrangements for supplying the fuel may be adapted to
various kinds of blast furnaces, and whether these are used for smelting
or for melting merely.
Having thus particularly described my said Invention, and the
manner in which the same is to be performed, I have to state that
I do not restrict myself to the precise details herein described or
delineated; but that what I believe to be novel and original and claim

page_text: as the Invention secured to me by the herein-before in part recited
Letters Patent is,-
1. The constructing and working of smelting or blast furnaces,
substantially in the improved manner herein-before described.
2. The adaptation of a series of retorts or coke chambers round the 5
upper part of the furnace for either the formation or supply of coke,
and arranged so that the coke may descend on the outside of the ores
and flux, substantially as herein-before described.
And 3. The utilising of the gas given off from the coal whilst coking
by reintroducing it into the furnace, substantially as herein-before 1
described.
In witness whereof, I, the said William Ferrie, have hereunto
set my hand and scal, this Seventh day of December, in the
year of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and sixty-eight.
WILLIAM FERRIE. (L.S.)