Improvements in Converters.
Year: 1890

page_text: Date of Application, 18th Apr., 1890-Accepted, 24th May, 1890
COMPE DI PATATION.
Improvements in Converters.
A communication from JOHN WESLEY BOOKWALTER, of the Hotel de l'Europe,
Cologne, in the Empire of Germany, Engineer.
I, ALFRED JULIUS BOULT of 323 High Holborn in the County of Middlesex,
M.I.M.E., 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:-
The object of this invention is to convert crude iron into malleable iron or steel
with certainty and uniformity in the operations and results without material loss from
over-conversion or waste and to remedy the defects in processes and apparatus
heretofore employed.
In order to reach the highest results in the rapid mode of conversion, the air blasts
should be so applied to the metal in the bath that the returning currents of metal
shall not be upon the surface of the metal in the bath towards the tuyeres; for the
scoria floating upon the surface of the metal in the bath, would thus be drawn or
carried with these return currents into the area of violent agitation and become remixed
with the metal to the injury thereof.
The returning currents of metal must be drawn from a comparatively quiescent
body of metal and from such a depth below the surface of the metal in the bath that
there shall be no tendency to cause the carrying with the metal of any of the scoria
or impurities generated in the process of conversion and which tend to remain floating
on the surface of the metal.
By applying a series of tuyeres at one side only of the metal in the bath and
arranged in a straight line or substantially so and parallel with each other and acting
upon the metal at or near the surface 1 attain these objects and thus accomplish
effectively the production of a current of metal at the surface of the metal in the bath,
away from all of the tuyeres and produce a returning current from the lower portion
of the metal upward to the tuyeres, thus bringing rapidly a continuous supply of
pure and clean metal, unassociated with the impurities generated by the act of
conversion.
By thus placing the tnyeres, I at the same time avoid the surface currents in the
metal, which as above explained will tend to carry the floating scoria back to the
mouth of the tnyeres and form local vortices and that ebullition and commotion in
the body of the metal, which tends to mix the metal and scoria, as is the case when
the air-blasts are caused to penetrate into the body of the metal in the bath, which by
this improved arrangement remains in a comparatively quiescent state. A merely
momentary contact of the blast with any one particular portion of the metal is also
ensured and the burning due to too long contact thus avoided.
Instead of a series of tuyeres one continuous sheet of the air-blast approximately
corresponding to the width of metal in the bath may be arranged to direct a single
broad blast at one side of the metal.
It is desirable in the process of conversion in order to secure the greatest economy
that as large a charge of metal as possible be operated upon at one time, in a converter
of given dimensions. This I accomplish in the highest degree, by arranging the series
of tuyeres as described since the length of the mass of metal can be continued to any
reasonable extent.
It is found in practice that in all rapid modes of conversion, there is a rapid wasting
and wearing away of the tuyeres and the lining adjacent thereto. It therefore,
becomes indispensable to provide some means for rapidly replacing the worn and
wasted tuyeres and lining adjacent thereto.
To do this I construct a converter in two parts to the upper or body portion of

page_text: It is preferred to have the hood or guard D in the movable portion with the
tuyeres although it would be possible to have it in the converter body
if the tuyeres
were near the top of the movable portion. Besides serving for the purpose named
this hood or guard D has the additional advantage that it increases the thickness
5 of lining at the very place where it is most quickly destroyed and consequently it
tends to lengthen the life of the lining.
In Fig. 4 the metal chamber A¹ is shown of the same area as the body B but
generally it is preferred to make the chamber A¹ less than B and thus to allow the
large space for the expansion of the air or gases as shown in figure 2.
I have illustrated in figs. 5 and 6 another form of converter especially adapted for
large quantities of metal and in which only a section or portion of one of the sides
of the converter is removable viz. ;-the detachable piece E which carries the
tuyeres A² and air box C and preferably extends along the whole side of the con-
verter. The piece E is constructed detachable for the same reason as is the before
described piece A of figs. 1 and 2 viz. ;-to enable the parts most subject to wear
to be readily removable so that when necessary other unworn parts may be speedily
applied in their place or to allow of the worn parts being got at and repaired. But
in this case owing to the great size and weight of the converter it is instead of
being hung upon trunnions, shown carried on rockers under the bottom which
consequently cannot be removed and the small portion E only is made removable.
Even if the converter were hung upon trunnions it would be a difficult matter to
remove the whole bottom on account of its size and weight.
The removable section may be of rectangular or other form and may be applied
to any of the usual forms of converters whether having circular oval or rectangular
metal spaces, and whether it be fixed or mounted upon trunnions or otherwise
movable. I prefer to form the converter with a rounded or curved bottom face or
as shown in the drawings to support it on rockers F having curved faces resting
upon rails G and to use suitable mechanism, indicated in dotted lines in fig. 6, or
other construction for tilting the converter.
The tilting mechanism shown in figs. 5 and 6 consists of a lever H pivoted at / to
a stationary standard H' and connected at one end by a link H2 and stud H³ to the
wall of the converter. At its lower end the lever H carries a nut in which works a
screw provided with a band. wheel 2 and mounted so that while it can revolve it
cannot move longitudinally in a fixed bracket or standard H+. By turning the
wheel in one direction or the other the converter may be tilted forward or
backward. Where required the tilting mechanism may be applied to both ends of
the converter and connected together so as to be operated from one point.
In the converter shown in figures 5 and 6 the air-box C is connected with the
stationary air-pipe I by jointed tubular connections J J¹.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of the said inven-
tion and in what manner the same is to be performed as communicated to me
by my foreign correspondent, I declare that what I claim is ;-
1. A converter consisting of a main body either fixed or having trunnions or
equivalent means for tilting it and a removable portion containing a tuyere or
series of tuyeres in a straight line so arranged as to deliver the air blast upon
one side only of the metal in the bath substantially as described.
2. A converter consisting of a main body either fixed or having trunnions or
equivalent means for tilting it and a removable portion containing a tuyere or
series of tuyeres in a straight line so arranged as to deliver the air blast upon
one side only of the metal in the bath and in a straight line across it substantially
as described.
3. A converter consisting of two parts the main body or upper portion either
fixed or having trunnions or equivalent means for tilting it, and a removable portion
which contains the chamber or cavity to hold the metal to be acted upon and a
series of tuyeres arranged to direct the air blast upon one side only of the metal
in the bath substantially as described,

page_text: 4. A converter consisting of two parts the main body or upper portion either fixed
or having trunnions or equivalent means for tilting it and a removable portion which
contains the chamber or cavity to hold the metal to be acted upon and a series of
tuyeres arranged to direct the air blast upon one side only of and straight across the
body of the metal in the bath substantially as described.
5. In a converter the combination with the tuyere or tuyeres of a hood or guard
such as D substantially as described.
6. In a converter a removable portion carrying a tuyere or tuyeres and a hood
or guard such as D substantially as described and illustrated in the accompanying
drawings.
7. In a converter a removable bottom having a chamber for the metal bath a tuyero
or tuyeres and a hood such as D substantially as described.
8. The combination with the body of a converter of a removable bottom having a
chamber of smaller area than the body chamber substantially as described.
9. The combination with the body of a converter of a removable bottom having a
chamber of smaller area than the body chamber and with an inclined face or faces
such as A³ substantially as set forth.
10. A converter in two portions the bottom detachable from the top or body and
having a bath chamber with tuyeres at one side only the transverse area of the
chamber in the body portion being greater than that in the bottom portion sub-
stantially as and for the purpose set forth.
11. A converter provided with a removable portion such as E substantially as and
for the purpose set forth.
12. A converter provided with a removable section such as E carrying the tuyere
or tuyeres substantially as described and illustrated in the accompanying drawings.
13. A rocking converter substantially as described and illustrated in figures 5 and 6
of the accompanying drawings.
Dated this 18th day of Anril 1890
W. P. THOMPSON & BOULT,
Agents for the Applicant.