CERTAIN IMPROVEMENTS IN METALLURGIC FURNACES
Year: 1881

page_text: COMPLETE SPECIFICATION filed by the said Henri Adrien Bonneville at
the Office of the Commissioners of Patents on the 5th July 1881. A com-
munication from William Moller, of New York, County and State of New
York, United States of America, Gentleman.
HENRI ADRIEN BONNEVILLE, of the British and Foreign Patent Offices, 18, Rue
de la Chaussee d'Antin, Paris, France, and 90, Cannon Street, in the City of
London, Patent Agent. "CERTAIN IMPROVEMENTS IN METALLURGIC FURNACES."
A communication from William Moller, of New York, County and State of New
York, United States of America, Gentleman.
This Invention consists in the combination in a metallurgic furnace of a retort
placed into and surrounded by the brickwall of the furnace, a smoke flue extending
from the fire place of the furnace around the retort to the smoke-stack, and an air-
flue (one or more) formed in the brick wall of the furnace, or partly in the brickwall
and partly in the sides of the retort, and open at one end to the external atmo-
sphere, and communicating at the other end with the interior of said retort, so
that the retort with its contents becomes highly heated by the heated gases
emanating from the fire, while the air which passes through the air flue also
becomes heated, and as it enters the retort in this heated state it promotes the
combustion of the sulphur, phosphorus, arsenic, and other like impurities con-
tained in the ore without permitting the products of combustion to come in direct
contact with the ore; also in the combination with a metallurgic furnace of two
pairs of retorts placed in the furnace wall, a fire place in one end of the furnace
wall, an arch above said fire place with openings in its sides and its top, smoke
flues extending beneath the retorts and communicating with the lateral openings of
the fire arch and with the smoke stack, smoke flues extending on the sides and
tops of the retorts and communicating with the opening in the top of the fire arch
and with the smoke stack, and a damper for opening or closing the communication
between the opening in the top of the fire arch and the lateral and top flues,
whereby the operation of heating the retorts can be readily controlled; further, in
the combination in a metallurgic furnace of two pairs of retorts placed into the
furnace wall, a fire place in one end of the furnace wall, smoke-flues extending.
beneath on the sides and over the top of the retorts, and communicating with the
smoke stack and air flues formed in the furnace wall, and communicating at one end
with the open atmosphere, and on the opposite end one with each of the retorts.
This Invention is illustrated in the accompanying Drawing, in which
Figure I. represents a transverse vertical section in the plane x, x, Fig. 3.
Figure 2 is a longitudinal vertical section in the plane y, y, Fig. I.
Figure 3 is a plan or top view partly in section.
T
is a horizontal coation in the plane
Fig L

page_text: In this Drawing the letter A designates the furnace wall which surrounds the
retort or retorts. In the example represented by the Drawing four retorts B, B',
B2, B3, are shown which are arranged in relation to each other, as indicated in
Fig. 4, but in certain cases only one or two retorts may be used, and it is to be
observed that the Invention is not confined to the precise arrangement and number
of retorts shown in the Drawing. Each of the retorts is provided with a mouth
piece a having doors b and an opening c, so that by opening the doors the contents
of the retort can be raked out through the opening c.
The bottoms of the retorts B, B1, B2, B3, are protected against the direct action
of the fire by tiles C which rest upon transverse brickwalls D. E is the fire place
which is built in the middle of the brick wall and near one of its ends (Figs. 1
& 4), and which is provided at its top with an arch F which is closed at both
ends and extends from one end of the wall A to the other end, and has openings
d, d, in its sides and an opening e in its top. The transverse brick walls D extend
up above the retorts (Fig. 2) and form the supports for the top of the furnace wall,
and they are provided with openings f in their outside lower corner s (Fig. 1) so
that the heated gases emanating from the fire can pass along the entire length of
the furnace wall. A longitudinal wall G which extends between the retorts B, B²,
B, B (Figs. 1 & 3) forms an additional support for the top of the furnace wall A.
Near the front end of this longitudinal wall G is situated a damper H which serves
to open and close an opening g in the middle of the tiles C which corresponds with
the opening e in the top of the fire arch (Fig. 1). This damper can be reached
through a hand hole (Fig. 2) in the furnace wall, and if it occupies its closing
position, as shown in Figs. 1 and 3, the heated gases emanating from the fire escape
through the lateral openings d, d, in the fire arch and circulate around the retorts
before they can escape through the smoke stack I. If the damper is open the
largest portion of the heated gases pass through the flues h between the longitudinal
wall G and the retorts B, B1, B3, B³, to the smoke stack, thereby reducing the
heating effect of the fire on the retorts. In the lower portion of the furnace wall A
are air-flues J, J¹, J2, Js, one for each retort; these air-flues communicate by
channels, with the open atmosphere (see Fig. 4), and by means of pipes
K, K', K, K³, with the mouth-pieces of the retorts, and as the air passes through
these air channels it becomes heated, so that the same on coming in contact with
the heated ore in the retorts promotes the combustion of sulphur, phosphorus, and
The air flues may
other like impurities which are or may be mixed with the ore.
be arranged in a different manner from that shown in the Drawing; for instance,
they may be formed partly in the furnace wall and partly in the sides of the
retort, and it is to be observed that the Invention is not confined to the precise
arrangement presented.
On the top of the furnace wall are placed a series of pans K, K'; K², K³, one
over each of the retorts B, B1, B2, B3; in the bottom of each of the pans is an
in the
opening which communicates by means of a channel m with an opening
top of the corresponding reports (Fig. 2). Into each of the channels m is placed a
flue M which is provided with a damper o and with an opening p in its side
which can be closed by a gate d. The pans K, K', K2, K³, are filled with powdered
ore, so that the same becomes heated before it is dumped into the retorts. When
the gate q of one of the flues is opened the ore from the corresponding pan can be
dumped into the retort below. When the gates q are closed and the dampers o
are opened the fumes from the retorts can escape through the flues M.
By heating the ore in the pans K, K1, K2, K³, before introducing the same into
the retorts considerable saving in time and fuel is effected:
Having thus described the nature of the said improvements; and the manner of
carrying them into effect, I claim,-
1. The combination in a metallurgic furnace of a retort placed into and surrounded
by the brick wall of the furnace, a smoke flue extending from the fire place of the
furnace around the retort to the smoke stack, and an air flue (one or more) formed
in the brick wall of the furnace, or partly in the brick wall and partly in the sides

page_text: of the retort, and open at one end to the external atmosphere, and communicating
at the other end with the interior of said retort, substantially as and for the
purpose set forth.
2. The combination in a metallurgic furnace of two pairs of retorts placed into
the furnace wall, a fire place in one end of the furnace wall, an arch above said fire
place with openings in its sides and one opening in its top, smoke flues extending
beneath the retorts and communicating with the lateral openings of the fire arch
and with the smoke stack, and a damper for opening and closing the communication
between the opening in the top of the fire arch and the lateral and top flues,
substantially as and for the purpose shown and described.
3. The combination in a metallurgic furnace of two pairs of retorts placed into
the furnace walls, a fire place in one end of the furnace wall, smoke flues extending
beneath on the sides and over the top of the retorts, and communicating with the
smoke stack and air flues formed in the furnace wall, and communicating at one
end with the open atmosphere, and at the opposite end one with each of the retorts,
substantially as and for the purpose herein shown and described.
In witness whereof, I, the said Henri Adrien Bonneville, have hereto set my
hand and seal, this First day of July, in the year of our Lord One
thousand eight hundred and eighty one.