Improvements in Furnaces for Smelting Copper and other Ores.
Year: 1890

page_text: Date of Application, 3rd Nov., 1890
Complete Specification Left, 1st Aug.. 1891-Accepted, 5th Sept.
1801
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Furnaces for Smelting Copper and other Ores.
I, BENJAMIN RICHARDS, Manager in Copper Works, of Middle Bank, Swansea,
do hereby declare the nature of this invention to be as follows:-
The preliminary smelting of ores slags and other materials is commonly effected
either in reverberatory furnaces as in the well known Welsh process of copper
smelting or in cupola furnaces fed with fuel and ore at the top and supplied below
with air blast introduced through tuyeres as is well understood.
obtained from this preliminary smelting is after calcination raised to a higher
The metal
degree of purity by further smelting and roasting. If it is attempted to carry the
preliminary smelting beyond a comparatively low limit a large proportion of
metal is carried off with the slag and either wasted or else a subsequent remelting
of the slags is rendered necessary.
According to my invention I make the furnace of an oblong form in plan
with a number of feeding hoppers at intervals apart along the top, and tuyeres
for admission of air along the sides and along the top, so that it resembles
in shape a number of ordinary square cupolas set in a row side by side with the
division walls between them removed so that they are all open one to another.
The bottom I make to slope slightly to one end, the molten metal collects on
this bottom and can be drawn off from the lower end. The slag also passes from
this end through an overflow opening into another compartment of the furnace.
This compartment is in form like a square cupola and answers much the same
purpose, for there the overflowing slag is mixed with a further quantity of fuel
and of inferior ore or slag or both, admitted through a hopper at the top, and is
further purified before finally leaving the furnace.
By forming the furnace in the above way, a greater heat may be maintained,
the smelting effected more rapidly and the metal raised to a higher degree of
purity than is practicable with any single smelting furnace at present used the
resulting slags at the same time being sufficiently free from metal to render their
further purification unnecessary. My furnace thus takes the place of the ordinary
ore furnace whether reverberatory or cupola and of the metal furnace and metal
oaster.
Dated this 3rd day of November 1890.
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Furnaces for Smelting Copper and other Ores.
BENJAMIN RICHARDS, Manager in Copper Works, of Middle Bank, Swansea,
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 preliminary smelting of ores slags and other materials is commonly effected
either in reverberatory furnaces as in the well known Welsh process of copper
smelting or in cupola furnaces fed with fuel and ore at the top and supplied below
with air blast introduced through tuyeres as is well understood. The metal
obtained from this preliminary smelting is after calcination raised to a higher
degree of purity by further smelting and roasting. If it is attempted to carry
the preliminary smelting beyond a comparatively low limit too large a proportion
of metal is carried off with the slag and either wasted or else a subsequent
remelting of the slags is rendered necessary.
[Price bid 1

page_text: According to my invention I make the furnace of an oblong form in plan with
a number of openings for feeding at. intervals. along, the upper part, and tuyeres
for admission of air along the sides and along the top so that it resembles in shape
a number of ordinary square cupolas or pillars set in a row side by side with the
division walls between them partly removed so that they are all open one to
another in the lower part of the furnace.
The bottom I make to slope slightly to one end, the rich molten metal collects
on this bottom and can be drawn off from the lower end, while the slag containing
some copper passes from this end through an overflow opening into another com-
partment of the furnace This compartment is in form like a rectangular cupola
and answers much the same purpose, for there the overflowing slag is mixed with
a further quantity of fuel and of inferior ore or slag or both, admitted through a
hopper at the top, and is further purified before finally leaving the furnace.
With a careful arrangement of the blast and the mixtures, the fuel in the
second compartment may be reduced or even dispensed with altogether, the waste
heat from the larger compartment being sufficient to smelt the ore and slag in the
smaller.
By forming the furnace in the above way, there is a great saving in fuel whilst
at the same time a greater heat may be maintained, the smelting effected more
rapidly and the metal raised to a higher degree of purity than is practicable with
any, single smelting furnace at present used; the resulting slags also are sufficiently
free from metal to render their further purification unnecessary. My furnace
thus takes the place of the ordinary ore furnace whether reverberatory or cupola
and of the metal furnace and metal roaster.
Figure 1 is a side elevation.
Figure 2 a vertical longitudinal section and Figure 3 a plan of a furnace con-
structed as above described..
Figure 4 is a vertical cross section on the line A. B Figure 2 and
Figure 5 a vertical cross section on the line C D.
A is the main bed of the furnace of an oblong form. B B B are openings
through the arched roof of the furnace into an outlet flue C which leads to a
chimney D. E E E are openings at one side of the furnace leading into the
openings B. Through these fuel and ore can be fed down on to the furnace bed.
FF are tuyeres through which air blast can be supplied to the interior of the
furnace. Gis a bridge at the lower end of the oblong bed. H is a short bed on
the opposite side of the bridge. I is a charging hole through the roof which is
above this bed. J is a tapping hole by which molten metal can be drawn off
above the main bed A. K is a tapping hole by which metal can be drawn off from
above the bed H. L is an opening through which slag is allowed to flow away
from above this bed.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said inven
tion and in what manner the same is to be performed I declare that what 1
claim is
1. An oblong smelting furnace with outlet flue and charging openings a
intervals along the upper part and with a bridge at one end over which slag flow
into a second smaller furnace and with provision for drawing off metal from th
first and both slag and metal from the second and smaller furnace substantially a
described.
2. The construction of smelting furnaces substantially.as herein before describe
and illustrated in the drawing annexed.
33
1001
BENJAMIN RICHARDS.