A Method of Electrically Heating Materials in Closed Chambers, and Apparatus for that purpose.
Year: 1898

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PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
A Method of Electrically Heating Materials in Closed Chambers, and
Apparatus for that purpose.
We, ELECTRIC REDUCTION COMPANY LIMITED, of No. 22, Austin Friars, in the
City of London, do hereby declare the nature of this invention (as communicated
to us from abroad by William Taylor Gibbs, Electrician, of Electro Chemical
Works, Buckingham, Province of Quebec, Dominion of Canada), to be as
follows:
In many metallurgical chemical and other operations effected by heat, it is
desirable that the materials operated on should not be in contact with the heating
medium and it is necessary especially in cases of distillation that the chamber
in which the heating is effécted should be closed against escape of vapour and
access of air.
:
This invention relates to means of subjecting materials to radiant heat gener-
ated within the closed furnace chamber, thus avoiding all contact of the heating
medium with the substance operated on, and avoiding also the serious loss of heat
and destroying action on retorts, muffles or other vessels heated externally.
For the purpose of this invention a furnace chamber is built of, or lined with,
refractory materials and is covered with a roof which may be removable and
which is provided with a suitable arrangement for feeding material to be operated
on and an outlet for vapour generated.
Across the furnace chamber at some distance from the bottom extends a rod
of carbon or other like refractory material having considerable electrical resist-
ance. The ends of the rod being connected by suitable conductors to the terminals
of. a dynamo electric machine or other source of electricity, the rod is highly
heated, and the heat is radiated from it on to the walls and roof of the chamber
and on the material occupying its lower part, which also receives heat radiated
from the walls and roof.
The connections of the rod to the conductors are made in such a way as to
allow for expansion and contraction and yet to ensure good electrical contact.
Instead of a single rod there may be several connected parallel or in series.
Apparatus such as is above described may be employed for fusing, volatilising,
decomposing or otherwise acting on materials which have to be treated in an
internally heated chamber without contact with the heating medium and without
the application of external heat.
Dated this 26th day of February 1898.
ABEL & IMRAY,
Agents for the Applicants.

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A Method of Electrically Heating Materials in Closed Chambers, and
Apparatus for that purpose.
We, ELECTRIC REDUCTION COMPANY, LIMITED, of No. 22, Austin Friars, in the
City of London, do hereby declare the nature of this invention (as communicated
to us from abroad by William Taylor Gibbs, Electrician, of Electro Chemical
Works, Buckingham, Province of Quebec, Dominion of Canada), and in what
manner the same is to be performed, to be particularly described and ascertained
in and by the following statement:-
In many metallurgical chemical and other operations effected by heat in closed
chambers it is desirable that the materials operated on should not be in contact
with the heating medium or body. This invention relates to means of subjecting
materials to radiant heat generated within a closed furnace chamber thus avoid-
ing all contact of the heating medium with the substance operated on and
avoiding also the serious loss of heat and destroying action on retorts muffles
or other vessels heated externally.
For the purpose of this invention as shewn in the accompanying drawings
a furnace chamber of which Fig.1 is a vertical section and Fig. 2 a sectional plan
is built of or lined with refractory materials A. Across the furnace chamber
at some distance from the bottom extend rods D of carbon or other like refractory
material having considerable electrical resistence. The ends of the rocks D enter
recesses in blocks B of carbon or other suitable conducting refractory material
enclosed in metal sockets and connected by suitable conductors C to the terminals
of a dynamo electric machine or other source of electricity. By electric currents
transversing the rods D they are highly heated and the heat is radiated from
them on to the walls and roof of the chamber and on the material E occupying
its lower part which also receives heat radiated from the walls and roof. The
material is fed through a passage provided with a plug F and slag or other pro-
ducts can be removed by a passage closed by a plug G while gases or vapours
generated in the furnace may pass away by tube H leading to a condenser or
other recipient.
There may be only a single rod D or as shewn in Fig. 2 there may be several
of these connected in series or it might be parallel.
When the rods D are of carbon it is preferably in the condition of graphite
which it becomes when intensely heated by the current. Apparatus such as is
above described may be employed for fusing volatilising decomposing or otherwise
acting on materials which have to be treated in an internally heated closed
chamber without contact with the heating medium or body and without the appli-
cation of external heat.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of this inven-
tion and in what manner the same is to be performed, we declare that what
we claim is:-
1 The herein described method of heating material in a closed chamber with-
out contact with the heating medium or body by exposing it to heat radiated from
a rod or rods electrically heated within the chamber and from the walls and roof
themselves heated by radiation from the rod or rods.
2. For heating material in a closed chamber without contact with the heating
medium apparatus consisting of a furnace chamber crossed at some height above

page_text: the material occupying the bottom by a rod or several rods of carbon or equi-
valent material having their ends connected to the terminals of a dynamo machine
or other source of electricity substantially as described.
Dated this 22nd day of November 1898.
ABEL & IMRAY,
Agents for the Applicants.