IMPROVE- MENTS IN PUDDLING FURNACES
Year: 1884

page_text: PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
We GEORGE MORRIS of 9 Maria Street West Bromwich in the County of
Stafford Manager of Works and GEORGE SLATER of Hill Top West Bromwich
aforesaid Fitter do hereby declare the nature of said Invention for "IMPROVE-
MENTS IN PUDDLING FURNACES" to be as follows:—
Our invention has reference to puddling furnaces used in the manufacture
of iron and steel, and consists in bringing the flame and products of combustion
generated at the fire grate, and after it leaves the working chamber of the said
furnace, into direct contact with water to reduce the temperature about the flue
and stack so that the destructive action of the flame and products of combustion
upon the brickwork of the furnace shall be materially diminished or reduced to a
minimum.
The improvement consists of a water flue or water space formed in the brickwork
at the bottom of the flue immediately under the stack of the furnace that is to say,
a water chamber or space is left below or near the neck of the furnace, at the
bottom of the inclined brickwork leading from the bridge of the hearth down which
molten cinder or slag flows during the working of the furnace. A small door is
provided in the flue wall for the purpose hereinafter described.
The water flue is of depth sufficient to hold the requisite quantity of water so
that the surface of the water is where the bottom of the flue would be, without the
water in an ordinary furnace or the water is at the same height as the bottom of
the old flue.
The water used in the flue is the water from the tool bosh that the puddler uses
to cool his tools in which constantly runs from the bosh into the flue and from
thence through a pipe to the drains.
On the working of the furnace, the flame and products of combustion evolved at
the fire-grate, first enters the puddling chamber and from thence passes to the flue
leading to the stack, and in its passage through the said flue impinges and comes
in direct contact with the surface of the water in the flue, thereby destroying or
reducing to a minimum the destructive influence of the flame and heat of the
said furnace upon the neck flue, and stack by keeping them cool and the parts
surrounding them-By the use of the said water flue described brick of an
inferior quality can be used in the construction thereof.

page_text: The cinder and scoria removed from the puddled iron is passed from the hearth
by the operator over the flue bridge on to the incline leading to the water flue
which flows down the incline into the water and thereby becomes granulated or
reduced to powder which is readily removed through the door at the end of
the flue.
=
No floss or cinder hole is therefore required for the exit of the molten cinder
from the furnace.
Dated this eighth day of February one thousand eight hundred and eighty four.

page_text: We, GEORGE MORRIS of 9 Maria Street, West Bromwich in the County of
Stafford, Manager of Works and GEORGE SLATER of Hill Top West Bromwich,
aforesaid Fitter do hereby declare the nature of said invention for "IMPROVE
MENTS IN PUDDLING FURNACES" and in what manner the same is to be performed,
to be particularly described and ascertained in and by the following statement :-
Our invention has reference to puddling furnaces, used in the manufacture
of iron and steel, and consists in bringing the flame and products of combustion
generated at the fire-grate, and after it leaves the working chamber of the said
furnace, into direct contact with water, to reduce the temperature about the flue
and stack so that the destructive action of the flame and products of combustion
upon the brickwork of the furnace shall be materially diminished or reduced to a
minimum.
The improvement consists of a water flue or water space formed in the brick-
work at the bottom of the flue, immediately under the stack of the furnace; that is.
to say, a water chamber or space is left below or near the neck of the furnace, at
the bottom of the inclined brickwork leading from the bridge of the hearth, down
which molten cinder or slag flows, during the working of the furnace. A small
door is provided in the flue wall, for the purpose hereinafter described.
The water flue is of a depth sufficient to hold the requisite quantity of water, so
that the surface of the water is where the bottom of the flue would be, without the
water in an ordinary furnace; or the water is at the same height as the bottom of
the old flue.
The water used in the flue is the water from the tool bosh, that the puddler
uses to cool his tools in, which constantly runs from the bosh into the flue, and
from thence through a pipe to the drains.
On the working of the furnace, the flame and products of combustion evolved at
the fire-grate, first enter the puddling chamber, and from thence pass to the flue
leading to the stack, and in its passage through the said flue, impinges and comes
in direct contact with the surface of the water in the flue, thereby destroying or
reducing to a minimum, the destructive influence of the flame and heat of the
said furnace, upon the neck, flue, and stack; by keeping them cool and the parts
surrounding them. By the use of the said water flue described, brick of an inferior
quality can be used in the construction thereof.
The cinder and scoria removed from the puddled iron, is pressed from the hearth
by the operator, over the flue bridge, on to the incline leading to the water flue,
which flows down the incline into the water, and thereby becomes granulated or
reduced to powder, which is readily removed through the door at the end of the
flue. No floss or cinder hole is therefore required, for the exit of the molten cinder
from the furnace.
Having described the nature of our invention, we will proceed to describe with
reference to the accompanying Drawings, the manner in which the same is to be
performed.
Figure 1 represents in longitudinal vertical section, a puddling furnace to which
our invention is applied-Figure 2 is a horizontal section of the furnace figure 1,
which better exhibits the respective positions of the parts of the said furnace-
Figure 3 is a part transverse vertical section of the furnace through the dotted
lines A B figure 2, and figure 4 represents a perspective view of the furnace with
the stack or neck end of the furnace broken off, in order to better exhibit the water
space or water flue at the base of the stack.

page_text: .
The same letters of reference indicate the same parts in the several figures of the
Drawings.
a is the fire-place, and 6 the ash pit-c is the puddling and melting chamber, c
is its bed-d is the bridge of the hearth, and e is the neck of the furnace leading to
the stack -g is the reverberatory arch, and h is the water flue or water space
situated at the base of the stack, the water flue is represented in dotted lines-i is a
door at the end of the water flue for extracting the granulating scoria which has
been forced over the bridge of the hearth in the puddling operation is a water
channel or pipe through which water flows or is conducted from the water flue h-
k is the water bosh in which the workman cools his tools, a constant supply of 1
water is obtained through the pipe the water in the water bosh passes to the
water flue / through the channel or opening m.
When the furnace is in operation to which our invention is applied, the flame,
heated air and products of combustion generated at the fire-grate a first enters the
heating and puddling chamber c, and from thence passes through the flue / leading 1
to the stack f, and in its passage through the said flue, impinges upon the surface
of the water in the said flue h, thereby destroying or reducing to a minimum the
destructive action of the flame and heat passing from the puddling chamber to the
stack upon the neck e, flue h and stack f, by keeping them cool and the parts
surrounding them; that is, the heated air and products of combustion after having
done its work in the heating and puddling chamber is then destroyed on its
passage to the stack of by being brought into direct contact with the water in the
water space or flue h at the base of the said stack f―By deflecting the flame and
heated air and products of combustion as described, upon water at the base of the
water stack or flue as described, the surrounding brick work of the neck, flue, stack
and other parts of the structure or furnace are considerably preserved.
The water flue h is of sufficient depth to hold the requisite quantity of water,
and that the surface of the water in the said flue is preferably at the same level as
the bottom of the flue would be in an ordinary furnace-The supply of water used
in the water flue is preferably from the tool bosh k, although we do not limit
ourselves to this method of supply, as water may pass from an ordinary source of
supply direct to the chamber-Circulation of water is kept up within the water
flue by the passage of the said water from the water bosh k through the passage or
opening m into the chamber h, and from thence through the opening ; to a drain
or other conduit. The molten cinder or slag pressed over the bridge d from the
puddling chamber during the working of the furnace, flows down the incline into
the water contained in the water space h, which thereby becomes granulated and
can readily be removed from the door i-No floss or cinder hole is necessary for
the exit of the molten cinder during the working of the furnace.
Although we have described the use of water at the neck of the furnace leading
to the stack for keeping the parts cool, by destroying or reducing the destructive
influence of the flame upon those parts; yet the same result may be attained,
by using steam or vapour which is preferably created by the flame and heat,
afterwards destroyed by the steam which it generated.
Although we have represented our invention as applied to an ordinary puddling
furnace, yet our invention may be used in combination with a preliminary melting
chamber which opens into the stack; or all such furnaces having a flue bridge.
Furnaces constructed according to our improvements last a very considerable
time over those of the ordinary construction, although brick of inferior, quality may
be used. The water space or bosh may be made of cast iron, or brick as may be
desired.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of our said
invention, and in what manner the same is to be performed, we declare that what
we claim is
First. Constructing puddling furnaces with a water flue or water space at the
neck of the furnace, or at the base of the stack, for the purpose of keeping the
parts cool by destroying or reducing the destructive influence of the flame and

page_text: heated air after having done its work in the heating and puddling chamber
or chambers as described and illustrated.
Secondly-The improvements in puddling furnaces hereinbefore described and
illustrated in the accompanying Drawings; that is to say, destroying the destructive
influence of the flame and heated air passing from the heating and puddling
chamber to the stack, by conducting or bringing the said flame, heated air and
products of combustion into direct contact with water, vapour or steam for the
purpose as described and set forth.
Thirdly-Keeping the parts of puddling furnaces cool, by passing water into
and out of a water space or bosh, by channels as described and illustrated.
Dated this fourth day of November 1884.