CERTAIN IMPROVEMENTS IN CUPOLAS AND FURNACES FOR SMELTING OR REDUCING ORES, AND FOR THE REMELTING OF PIG IRON
Year: 1861

page_text: PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by. John Gittoes and George Hinton
at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with their Petition, on
the 21st November 1861..
We, JOHN GITTOES, jun., of Westbromwich, in the County of Stafford,
General Mineral Merchant, and GEORGE HINTON, of Oldbury, in the County
of Worcester, Furnace Manager, do hereby declare the nature of our said
Invention for "CERTAIN IMPROVEMENTS IN CUPOLAS AND FURNACES FOR SMELTING
OR REDUCING ORES, AND FOR THE REMELTING OF PIG IRON," to be as follows (that
is to say:-
Our improvements consist in constructing cupolas with an outer casing or
jacket extending up from the bottom about twelve feet, more or less, as may
be found most efficient, leaving an opening around the cupola between the
jacket or case and the brickwork of the cupola of about six inches, but which
opening or chamber we divide into two parts, so that one shall have no con-
nection with the other; and to each of these recesses we convey our blast
from two distinct blast ways, admitting the blast at or near the top of each
recess; and into each blast way we purpose applying suitable valves, so that
we may be able to stop or control the blast in either of them at pleasure. At
the bottom of this air way separate vertical air ways are formed for conducting
the air down to the tuyers, which tuyers are arranged, appropriating about
four, more or less, to each recess or air chamber before mentioned. The
tuyers enter the cupola in the ordinary position at or near the bosh, which
tuyers may or may not be of the kind known as water tuyers; if of the latter,
we connect each-series with an external reservoir, so as to freely supply them

page_text: with water to protect them from burning when in use. At the top of the
blast ways, where the blast enters the recesses or air chambers, we apply a
stop-cock or other convenient means for opening or closing the blast way at
that part, the use and purpose of which will be hereafter described. Above
the recesses or air chests the charging door is placed, which may be fitted with
a suitable stage in the ordinary way, and above this the cupola is carried up
with brickwork to the ordinary height and proportions.
With this general description we will now describe the operation and effect
of our Invention in cupolas. We apply the usual charge of cokes, over that
the ores or crude iron required to be reduced or remelted, and over them the
usual charge of cokes. The fire being lit, the operation progressively com-
mences, and which operation is greatly facilitated by the temperature of the
blast, which in every instance we purpose using in a highly rarified condition,
using the heat of the cupola to effect this object; as, for instance, the recesses
or air chambers being so near the fire, the inner wall or coating is generally in
a red hot state, and that as the cold blast enters these chambers it is imme-
diately heated in its passage through them to the tuyers, and to facilitate this
process is the reason why we prefer two blast ways, two air. chambers, and two
series of tuyers, so that by cutting off the blast through one of the blast-
ways, and opening the escape way at or near where the blast enters, the air,
chamber in connection with it, the effect will be that the blast from the other
series of active tuyers will blow out through the other series, and into the air
chamber a stream of highly rarified air, rarified by being sent through the
fire; and this process being carried on for a little time, the brickwork and
jacket of the air way will become so heated as to be in a better condition
for heating the air that passes, through it that may be now admitted through
by closing the escape way and opening the, blast way, and when that
is effected, the escape tap or valve may be closed, and the valve of the blast
way opened, and the blast through that series of tuyers, will become highly
rarified, and in condition for facilitating the fusion of the metal, when the.
other blast way may be stopped, and the escape valve opened, and the like,
operation performed on the other recess or air chest until that also is in a
condition for heating the air that passes through it. This is only necessary
for facilitating the operation of reducing the ore or melting the metal, for as
the process proceeds the intense heat generated in the lower part of the,
cupola is such that the air passing down, between it and the outer jacket will
be found sufficient to effect the object sought, which is the constructing of
cupolas with means in themselves for heating the blast by which the necessary
heat is generated.

page_text: And our improvements in hot-air furnaces for refining ores, after being
reduced in the cupola, consist in introducing at the back of the fire a hollow
bridge, with perforations on its crown for the escape of air, which air is
conducted back through an air way or air ways suitably formed through the
brickwork of the sides of the furnace near the bars, so that it shall be highly
-heated-first-in-traversing-along the red-hot-brickwork-in-its way to the bridge,
as well as in the open cavity in the bridge itself, before it escapes. This
process is new in its application to hot-air furnaces for the refining or reducing
of lead, tin, copper, and other such ductile metals, as this use of hot air to
the bridges of furnaces for such purposes ignites all the gases that may other-
wise escape, and greatly conduce to the increasing of the temperature of the
air in such furnaces before escaping under the revibratory bridge, which
impinge the hot air down on the ores desired to be reduced before escaping to
the stack. And to further facilitate the perfect combustion of the coal, we
purpose using perforated bricks on the sides of such furnaces, which per-
forations open into air ways at the sides which are brought under control by
suitable dampers, so that the air entering the furnaces and commingling with
the coal (which, by preference, we use for the heating of such furnaces), the
air shall be in a highly rarified condition on entering the furnace.