Improved Means of Feeding and Mixing Metal in Furnaces.
Year: 1890

page_text: Date of Application, 16th Jan., 1890
Complete Specification Left, 15th Nov., 1890-Accepted, 16th Feb., 1891
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
Improved Means of Feeding and Mixing Metal in Furnaces.
I, REINHARD MANNESMANN, of Landore R.S.O., South Wales, Engineer, do
hereby declare the nature of this invention to be as follows:-
My invention relates to means of feeding scrap metal, ferromanganese, spongy
iron or other materials to the molten metal in a furnace and of mixing the contents
of the furnace, which I effect in the following manner. I form outside the furnace
a well communicating freely by a channel with the lowest part of the furnace bed.
Over the channel and opening to it I place a vertical tube or shaft formed of or
lined with refractory material and provided with a cover. I charge this shaft with
the materials that are to be mixed with the molten metal, and by displacing the
fluid metal in the well I cause it to flow to and fro taking and mixing with it
some of the materials descending in the shaft. The displacing of the metal in
the well may be effected by rocking the whole furnace or by raising and lowering a
plunger of refractory material. I prefer however to effect it by fixing over the
well an air vessel lined with refractory material, and varying the pressure in this
vessel by means of a pump or displacer or by connecting it with a reservoir of
compressed or rarefied air, thus causing the fluid metal to ascend and descend in the
well and thereby producing an alternating flow along the channel. When it is
desired to introduce spongy iron I make the feeding shaft of considerable height
and feed it at the top with iron oxide ore. Through the upper part of the shaft I
direct flame or hot products of combustion which may be drawn from the furnace so
as to heat the ore as it descends. At a lower part of the shaft, I introduce reducing
gas producing spongy iron which descends directly into the fluid metal in the
channel below without being exposed to the atmosphere.
Dated this 16th day of January 1890.
ABEL & IMRAY,
Agents for the Applicant.
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improved Means of Feeding and Mixing Metal in Furnaces.
I, REINHARD MANNESMANN, of Landore R.S.O., South Wales, Engineer, 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:-
My invention relates to means of feeding scrap metal ferro-manganese, spongy
iron or other materials to the molten metal in a furnace, converter or casting ladle
and of mixing the same with the contents of the furnace &c.
This is effected in the following manner.
Outside the furnace, converter or casting ladle is formed a channel that communi-
cates freely with the bed of the furnace.
Into this channel projects a vertical pipe or shaft constructed with refractory
material. This shaft is filled with the materials which are to be mixed with
the molten metal.
By causing the liquid metal to flow backwards and forwards by air exhaustion or
compression or other means, it is made to dissolve a portion of the material descending
in the shaft. At the same time the molten contents of the channel mixes with the
other contents of the furnace converter or ladle.
The movement of the metal in the channel can be effected by moving the entire
[ Price 8dl

page_text: furnace &c. or by raising or lowering a displacer of refractory material dipping
partly into the liquid metal.
The object is however better obtained by providing over the channel an air
vessel lined with refractory material, in which the air pressure can be made to vary
by means of a pump or displacer, or by connecting the same with a reservoir
of compressed or rarified air. By this means the fluid metal is made to rise
and fall in the air vessel, producing thus an alternating fluctuation of the metal
in the channel.
If it be desired to introduce spongy iron into the molten metal, the said shaft is
made of considerable height and is charged at top with iron ore.
Into the upper
part of the shaft is introduced a flame or hot combustion gases coming from the
furnace, so as to heat the ore as it descends.
Into a lower part of the shaft are introduced reducing gases such as illuminating
gas, or carbonic oxide gas, which effects the conversion of the ore into spongy iron.
The latter descends directly into the liquid metal in the channel, being forced down
by the weight of the superincumbent ore, without coming into contact either
with the atmosphere or with the furnace gases.
In order that my said invention may be readily understood I will proceed to describe
by way of example some of the means employed for carrying the same into effect,
for which purpose I will refer to the accompanying drawing, in which Fig. 1 shews
a vertical section of an arrangement in which a shaft B, charged with the materials
to be mixed with the metal bath in the furnace A, communicates on the one hand
with the latter by a channel a and on the other hand with a chamber K by means
of a channel b, so that the metal of the bath A can flow through channels a and b
both into the lower end of B and into K.
The level of the molten metal in the chamber K can be raised and lowered,
thereby producing a to and fro motion of the metal in the channels a and b, and in
the lower part of the shaft B, on its way from chamber K to furnace A and back
again. In thus flowing through the lower part of B, the metal dissolves and takes
up the portions of the materials contained therein with which it comes in contact,
and consequently it carries such materials into the bath in A. The fluctuations of
the liquid level in K can be effected by a reciprocating displacer, or by alternately
compressing and rarifying the air in the chamber, for which purpose the chamber K
is closed air tight at top and is connected by a piper with an air pump or with a
vessel charged with compressed air. Thus if the pressure is increased in K the
molten metal will be forced out of the same through channels b and a into A, and
on allowing the air pressure to escape, the metal flows back out of the furnace A
into the chamber K again.
In both cases the metal comes in contact with the materials in the shaft B and
dissolves the same or acts thereon in any desired manner.
The charge in B thus gradually sinks down and is replenished from time to time.
As the liquid level in B will also be subject to corresponding fluctuations, it will be
seen that the action of the metal upon the materials will by this means be greatly
increased and such action may be rendered still more effective by causing the
channels a and b to enter the shaft B in such manner that on the passage of the
metal into B eddies, or rotary movements are produced. Such an arrangement of
the channels is indicated in the construction shewn in vertical section and sectional
plan respectively at Figs. 2 and 3.
As shewn in Fig. 3, the channel a connecting furnace A with shaft B enters the
bottom space d of the latter obliquely, and in like manner the channel which leads
from the lateral chamber K also enters & obliquely. Above the spaced the shaft is
first made of restricted diameter and then widens out again into the upper part f, which
receives the charge of materials. The construction shewn is particularly suited for
the introduction of spongy iron into the bath, which is produced directly from the
ore in the upper part of the shaft, which is so constructed as to operate as a reducing
furnace.
For this purpose the hot gases are led directly from the furnace A through a

page_text: lateral flue and openings i into the space between f and 9, so that in the space g
a heating, drying and roasting of the ore is effected. The ore is then subjected
in f to the action of reducing gases which are introduced into the lower part of the
chamber, and which thus effect the conversion of the ore into spongy iron, which
then sinks by gravity from the lower part of f into d, where it is gradually absorbed
by the metal bath without being further brought in contact either with the atmo-
sphere or with the furnace gases.
Any admixture of foreign matter with the ore will also be melted, forming slag
which is removed from time to time. The requisite movement is in this case
imparted to the metal bath by the moveable vessel D with siphon-like spout / which
dips into the lateral extension K of the furnace chamber d, and whose upper part
communicates by a piper with an exhaust pipe s and an air pressure pipe v. By
varying the pressures in the vessel D by suitably turning the cock o, the before
described fluctuation of the metal bath between D and A through 1, 6, d and a will
be effected.
If the channel a is situated below the level of the metal bath in A, the slag
resulting from the foreign matter in the spongy iron will only come in contact
with the walls of the chamber d and need therefore only be drawn off from this
chamber.
In that case the solution of the spongy iron can be effected entirely by the
melted slag.
If the shaft for the materials to be added be constructed in one with the furnace
or receptacle for the liquid bath, and the whole be made moveable, for example as
a converter or casting ladle, the solution of the materials may also be effected by
suitably moving the receptacle and shaft in such manner that a portion of the bath is
brought into fluctuating contact with the lower part of the charge of materials in
the shaft.
The above described process may also be utilised for example for bringing
melted materials such as melted oxides in contact with reducing bodies, also for
removing substances such as oxygen from a melted bath, or for introducing sub-
stances into the bath.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said inven-
tion and in what manner the same is to be performed I declare that what I
claim is :-
1. The method of feeding scrap, spongy iron, or other metals or materials into
molten steel or other metal by causing a portion of the molten metal to flow through
or in contact with such scrap or other materials so as to melt or dissolve the same
by the heat of the metal, out of contact with the atmosphere or of the furnace gases,
substantially as described.
2. The method of feeding scrap, spongy iron, or other materials into open hearth
furnaces without effecting the melting thereof directly in the bath of the furnace,
such melting being effected out of contact with the furnace gases by a current
or flow of a portion of the molten metal outside the furnace substantially as
described.
3. A process for the direct manufacture of steel wherein the iron ore is reduced
in a shaft and is melted down by indirect heating by means of a current of molten
metal, before it is brought into contact with the furnace gases, substantially as
described.
.
ABEL & IMRAY,
Agents for the Applicant.