Improvements in the Construction and Working of Smelting and Melting Furnaces.
Year: 1891

page_text: Date of Application, 2nd July, 1891
Complete Specification Left, 2nd Apr., 1892-Accepted, 7th May, 1892
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in the Construction and Working of Smelting and
Melting Furnaces.
I, LOUIS REULEAUX Gentleman of 27 Rue Nysten Liége do hereby declare the
nature of this invention to be as follows
My invention has reference to the blowing in through the tuyeres of smelting
or melting furnaces, of coal or lignite, with simultaneous charging, through the
mouth, of fuel such as coke or anthracite, whether for the smelting of ores or for
the simple fusion of metals.
For smelting purposes, the fluxes and the ores are charged in at the mouth of
the furnace as usual, together with some of the fuel such as coke or anthracite
necessary for the reduction of the orcs and for the fusion of the metals resulting
therefrom.
Near each lower branch blast pipe F is arranged a hopper-like receptacle B
into which is discharged from wagons A arriving from an elevator, coal or lignite,
either in small pieces or taken as it comes. Near the bottom of this receptacle,
there is a horizontal shaft C having a number of arms or teeth. This shaft is
rotated by any suitable external meaus, and causes the fuel to descend, also
preventing the choking that might result from subsidence or settling of the
fuel. The fuel is caused to fall into a distributor D resembling a bucket wheel
with several compartments, also caused to rotate by external means.
This dis-
tributor has for its object to accelerate, retard or arrest, according to requirement
the descent of the fuel, and to control the passage so as to prevent to a sufficient
extent the escape of gases under pressure into the receptacle. A suitable conduit E
guides the fuel towards the lower branch blast-pipe F. As soon as the said fuel
has entered the branch blast pipe F, the distillation of the fuel is commenced by
the hot air of the blast. From the brauch blast-pipe it passes into the lower
tuyere G whence it is blown into the crucible where its distillation continues and
its gasification is effected.
As soon as the fuel enters the crucible, the interstices in and between the
materials at the level of the lower tuyeres G, begin to be filled up with fuel blown
in. Assuming an appreciable quantity of fuel to be introduced, these interstices
would get filled up, and to a large extent the blast and the gases produced would
be prevented from penetrating towards the centre of the crucible, so long as the fuel
blown in remained unburnt.
Under these circumstances, the gases would rise along the wall, would escape at
the mouth without producing the desired effect and would entail a cooling of the
centre of the crucible
In order to obviate this, I arrange at a slightly higher level one or more tuyeres H
specially intended to blow in air; by these means, the gases ascending from the
first tuyeres, meeting with the air blast from the upper tuyere or tuyeres, will be
thereby directed towards the centre of the crucible through the interstices of the
ignited materials, which interstices are at that higher level not choked up with fuel.
In their passage, the gases meet the fuel (now incandescent) that has been charged
in through the mouth and aid the same in effecting the reduction of the ores and
the fusion of the resulting metals.
In order as far as possible to avoid loss of blast through the distributors D,
tubes I and L are so arranged as to place buckets full of compressed air under
pressure with others of the buckets not so charged. Thus assuming the buckets of
the bucket wheel to be ten in number and to be numbered 1 to 10 and that No. 1
is open to the hopper like receptacle B, No. 6 being then open to the conduit E

page_text: leading to the branch blast pipe; then according to one arrangement, the bucket
No. 8 is placed in communication with bucket No. 4 by a tube I external to the
distributor and adapted to the circumference of the latter, and delivers thereto a
part of the compressed air it contains. As the distributor continues to rotate,
bucket No. 8 takes the position previously occupied by No. 9 and delivers up a
further part of its contained compressed air to the bucket, which, at that time-
occupies the position just previously occupied by bucket No. 3, which will only
contain fuel and air at atmospheric pressure.
In this manner, any small loss of blast and of gas which might result from the
use of this apparatus is reduced to a minimum.
In smelting pulverulent ores and oxides, I proceed as follows:
The pulverized ores or oxides mixed with fuel are blown into the crucible of the
furnace through the branch blast-pipes and the tuyeres in the manner in which fuel
is above described as being blown in.
To effect the simple fusion of metals, the fuels are introduced and burned in
the manner described above, but as the fuel has merely to effect the simple
fusion of the metals, the quantity of fuel charged in at the mouth may be greatly
reduced.
Dated this 2nd day of July 1801
L. REULEAUX,
By L. W., per F. B.
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in the Construction and Working of Smelting and
Melting Furnaces.
I, LOUIS REULEAUX, of 27 Rue Nysten, of Liege, Gentleman, 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 has reference to the blowing in through the tuyeres of smelting
or melting furnaces of coal or lignite with simultaneous charging through the
mouth, of fuel such as coke or anthracite, whether for the smelting of ores or for
the simple fusion of metals as I will now proceed to describe with reference to the
drawings filed with my Provisional Specification.
For smelting purposes the fluxes and the ores are charged in at the mouth of
the furnace as usual, together with some of the fuel such as coke or anthracite
necessary for the reduction of the ores and for the fusion of the metals resulting
therefrom.
Near each lower blast pipe F is arranged a hopper like receptacle B into which
is discharged from wagons A arriving from an elevator, coal or lignite, either in
small pieces or taken as it comes. Near the bottom of this receptacle there is a
horizontal shaft C furnished with a number of arms or teeth. This shaft is rotated
by any suitable external means, and causes the fuel to descend, also preventing the
choking that might result from subsidence or settling of the fuel, which is caused
to fall into a distributor D resembling a bucket wheel with several compartments
also caused to rotate by external means. This distributor has for object to
accelerate, retard or arrest according to requirement the descent of the fuel, and to
control the passage so as to prevent to a sufficient extent the escape of gases under
pressure into the receptacle. A suitable conduit E guides the fuel towards the
lower branch blast pipe F. As soon as the said fuel has entered the branch blast
pipe F, the distillation of the fuel is commenced by the hot air of the blast.
From the branch blast pipe it passes into the lower tuyere G whence it is blown
into the crucible where its distillation continues and its gasification is effected.
As soon as the fuel enters the crucible, the interstices in and between the
materials at the level of the lower tuyeres G begin to be filled up with fuel blown

page_text: in. Assuming an appreciable quantity of fuel to be introduced, these interstices
would get filled up, and to a large extent the blast and the gases produced would
be prevented from penetrating towards the centre of the crucible so long as the
fuel blown in remained unburnt.
Under these circumstances, the gases would rise along the wall, would escape at
the mouth without producing the desired effect, and would entail a cooling of the
centre of the crucible. In order to obviate this, I arrange at a slightly higher
level one or more tuyeres II specially intended to blow in air; by these means the
gases ascending from the first tuyeres, meeting with the air blast from the upper
tuyere or tuyeres, will be thereby directed towards the centre of the crucible
through the interstices of the ignited materials, which interstices are at that higher
level not choked up with fuel. In their passage the gases meet the fuel (now
incandescent) that has been charged in through the mouth and aid the same in
effecting the reduction of the ores and the fusion of the resulting metals.
Instead of using the upper row or rows of tuyeres intended for blowing in the
blast only, it will usually be advantageous to employ a tuyere of special form,
which in cross section through its forward end or nozzle is of the shape of a
segment, or part of a circle, cllipse or polygon, this special tuyere being arranged
at a suitable distance from and so as to partly surround the tuyere used for blowing
in the coal. Or a tuyere of any suitable section may be employed arranged to
entirely surround the tuyere designed for blowing in the coal.
In this manner,
the gases produced from the coal in spreading in the furnace, will meet the blast
blown in by the tuyeres of special form, and will be carried along by the said blast
towards the centre of the crucible, and passing through the interstices of the ignited
material which are free at that place.
In order as far as possible to avoid loss of blast through the distributors D,
tubes and L are so arranged as to place buckets full of compressed air in com-
munication with others of the buckets not so charged. Thus assuming the buckets
of the bucket wheel to be ten in number and to be numbered 1 to 10 and that
No. 1 is open to the hopper like receptacle B, No. 6 being then open to the
conduit E leading to the branch blast pipe; then according to the arrangement
shown the bucket No. 8 will be placed in communication with bucket No. 4 by a
tube external to the distributor and adapted to the circumference of the latter,
and delivers thereto a part of the compressed air it contains. As the distributor
continues to rotate, bucket No. 8 takes the position previously occupied by No. 9,
and delivering up a further part of its contained compressed air to the bucket
which at that time occupies the position just previously occupied by bucket No. 3
which will only contain fuel and air at atmospheric pressure.
In this manner any small loss of blast and of gas which might result from the
use of this apparatus is reduced to a minimum.
In smelting I proceed as follows:-The pulverized ores or oxides mixed with
fuel are blown into the crucible of the furnace through the branch blast pipes and
the tuyeres in the manner in which fuel is above as described as being blown in.
To effect this simple fusion of metals, the fuels are introduced and burned in the
manner described above, but as the fuel has merely to effect the simple fusion
of the metals, the quantity of fuel charged in at the mouth may be greatly
reduced.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of the said inven-
tion and in what manner the same is to be performed I declare that what I
claim is : :-
1. The herein described improvement in the working of smelting and melting
furnaces, fuel such as coke or anthracite with or without fluxes as required, being
charged through the mouth of the furnace, concurrently with the blowing into the
crucible of the furnace of fuel such as coal or lignite, mixed or not with powdered
ore or oxide which is introduced through a row of tuyeres surmounted by one or
more other rows of tuyeres through which air alone is blown or through tuyeres

page_text: partly or wholly surrounded by other tuyeres through which air alone is blown
in such a manner as to cause the ascending gases resulting from the fuel blown in
to flow towards the centre of the crucible of the furnace substantially as herein-
before described.
2. My improvements in the construction of smelting or melting furnaces sub-
stantially as described and shown, whereby fuel can be blown into the crucible
of the furnace and the ascending gases produced from such fuel can be caused
to flow by separate air currents towards the centre of the crucible of the furnace
as set forth.
Dated this and den of du 1000
L. REULEAUX,
By L. W., per F. B.