IMPROVED APPARATUS FOR OXIDIZING METALS
Year: 1872

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Thomas Skelton Harrison, of Philadelphia, State
of Pennsylvania, United States of America, and temporarily of
Albemarle Street, in the County of Middlesex, for the Invention
of "IMPROVED APPARATUS FOR OXIDIZING METALS."-A communication
from abroad by Harrison Brothers and Company, of Philadelphia,
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Thomas Skelton
Harrison at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his
Petition, on the 26th August 1872.
I, THOMAS SKELTON HARRISON, of Philadelphia, State of Pennsylvania,
United States of America, and temporarily of Albemarle Street, in the
County of Middlesex, do hereby declare the nature of the said Invention
for, "IMPROVED APPARATUS FOR OXIDIZING METALS," to be as follows:-
This Invention relates to an apparatus for oxidizing metals in the
manufacture of red lead, litharge, and for other purposes, and consists
of a revolving chamber or retort mounted on friction roller bearings
over a furnace and enclosed in a chamber of brickwork; said retort is
open at one end to admit a current of air, and the material to be treated
is placed therein.

page_text: The retort is provided-with internal ribs. or. flanges placed longi-
tudinally, which in revolving carry the lead or material to be colored
or oxidized to an elevation, from which it falls in thin sheets, exposing
the mass to the current of air, which enters at one end of the retort and
passes out at the other end into a chamber provided with a series of
horizontal plates on which the light particles are deposited. The retort
is heated by the furnace, and in this manner a current of atmospheric
air is constantly admitted over and through the material to be oxidized,
while the same is kept continually in motion and exposed to the desired
degree of heat.
The annexed Drawing shows the general arrangement of the apparatus
in longitudinal elevation and section, showing shape and construction
of retort and brickwork, and manner of gearing the retort with worm
and wheel.
"
A is a cast-iron retort supported and made to revolve on two friction
rollers at each end B, B.. These friction rollers run in grooves cast on
the retort and turned so as to revolve smoothly. Power is applied
through shaft D. The shaft D has a worm E on it gearing into the
worm wheel F, thus giving a slow motion to the retort; H are ribs or
shelves inside the retort which keep the material in constant motion;
K is a fire-brick arch over furnace having holes as outlets for heat on
each side; N, N, is the firing pit; O is a combustion chamber in which
the retort revolves; P are flues running to pipe Q which leads to stack;
R is a hand hole, through which all ashes that may collect in vertical
flues P, P, can be removed; S is a light cast-iron door closing hand
holes leading to flues P; T, air inlet; U, air outlet..
'
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions-of-the-Letters-Patent,-
-filed by the said Thomas Skelton Harrison in the Great Seal Patent
Office on the 26th February 1873.
TO-ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, THOMAS 3
SKELTON HARRISON, of Philadelphia, State of Pennsylvania, United
States of America, and temporarily of Albemarle Strect, in the County
of Middlesex, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her
Letters Patent, bearing date the Twenty-sixth day of August, in the year 3

page_text: of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and seventy-two, in the thirty-
sixth year of Her reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors,
give and grant unto me, the said Thomas Skelton Harrison, Her special
licence that I, the said Thomas Skelton Harrison, my executors, admi-
nistrators, and assigns, or such others as I, the said Thomas Skelton
Harrison, my executors, administrators, and assigns, should at any time
agree with, and no others, from time to time and at all times there-
after 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 "IMPROVED APPARATUS FOR OXIDIZING METALS," a communication to me
from abroad by Harrison Brothers and Company, of Philadelphia, afore-
said, upon the condition (amongst others) that I, the said Thomas Skelton
Harrison, 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 Invention, 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 Thomas Skelton Harrison, do hereby
declare the nature of the said Invention, and in what manner the same.
is to be performed, to be particularly described and ascertained in and
by the following statement, reference being had to the accompanying
Sheet of Drawings, and to the letters and figures marked thereon (that
is to say):
This Invention relates to an apparatus for oxidizing metals for the
manufacture of red lead, litharge, and for other purposes, and consists
of a revolving chamber or retort mounted on friction roller bearings
over a furnace and enclosed in a chamber of brickwork; said retort is
open at one end to admit a current of air, and the material to be treated
is placed therein.
The retort is provided with internal ribs or flanges placed longi-.
tudinally, which in revolving carry the lead or material to be colored
or oxidized to an elevation, from which it falls in thin sheets, exposing
the mass to the current of air, which enters at one end of the retort and
passes out at the other end into a chamber provided with a series of
horizontal plates on which the light particles are deposited: The retort

page_text: is heated by the furnace, and in this manner a current of atmospheric
air is constantly admitted over and through the material to be oxidized,
while the same is kept continually in motion and exposed to the desired
degree of heat.
DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS.
Figure 1 is an elevation showing brickwork above ground. line and
mode of gearing with worm and wheel; Figure 2 is a transverse section
of brickwork and retort showing the construction of same.
5
Figure 3 shows the general arrangement of the apparatus in longi-
tudinal sectional elevation, the shape and construction of the retort and 1
manner of operating the same; while Figure 4 represents a section of
the dust collector shown in elevation, Figure 3.
.
A. is a retort of cast-iron, fire-clay, or other suitable material supported ·
and made to revolve on two friction rollers at each end B, B. Theso
friction rollers run in grooves C cast on the retort and turned so as to 1
revolve smoothly. Power is applied through shaft D which is hung or
or supported by adjustable post hangers D'cast so as to form a part of the
three binders. or stays necessary for the support of brickwork on. that
side of the furnace. The shaft D has a worm E on it gearing into tho
worm wheel F; thus giving a slow motion to the retort. G, clutch used 2
for starting and stopping retort by moving the lever handle attached
to it; H, H¸¨¤‚H, are the ribs or flanges inside the retort which-in
revolving keep the material in constant motion; I, fire-bars; J, fire-
place or furnace; K is a fire-brick arch over furnace; this arch has
four holes as outlets for heat_on_each_side L, L, L, L; M_is_the_ash-pit 2
under grate bars; N is the firing pit; O is a combustion chamber in
which the retort revolves; P, P, P, P; arc flues running to pipe Q which
-leads to stack; R is a hand hole through which all ashes that may
collect in vertical-flues-P;-P,-can-be-removed-;-S-is-a-light cast-iron-door-
closing hand holes leading to flues P, P; T is an opening useful in 3
regulating temperature of combustion chamber and to enable workmen
to scrape non-conducting substance from outside of retort.
:
The retort may be of any convenient form, that delineated on the
Drawing being preferred, open at the end V and communicating by the
passage W and duct X with the chamber Y.

page_text: The material to be oxidized is introduced into the revolving chamber A
through the orifice V, and is there subjected to the combined action of
heat communicated from the heated air chamber O, and the oxygen of
a current of atmospheric air admitted at the orifice V, passing through
the chamber A and thence through the passage W into the duct, whence
it passes through the chamber Y into a chimney (or other proper means
of obtaining a draught) into the open air.
Such particles of the material to be oxidized as may be carried by
the draught into the passage X are collected on the shelves Z of
chamber Y.
The object of the flanges H is to keep fresh surfaces of the material
to be oxidized constantly exposed to the current of air passing through
the revolving chamber Y. These flanges may be one or more in number
or may be entirely omitted, according to the material proposed to bo
oxidized.
Having described the nature of the Invention, and in what manner
the same is to be performed, I declare that what I claim as the Invention
to be protected by the herein-before in part recited Letters Patent is, a
revolving chamber so constructed as to admit the passage of a constant
current of atmospheric air over and through the material to be oxidized,
while the same is kept in constant motion and exposed to any desired
degree of heat, substantially as shown and described.
In witness whereof, I, the said Thomas Skelton Harrison, have
hereunto set my hand and seal, this Twenty-fourth day of
February, in the year of our Lord One thousand eight hundred
and seventy-three.
THOMAS S. HARRISON. (L.S.)