Improvements in and connected with the Manufacture of Calcium Carbide and such like Compounds, the Reduction of Metallic Oxides, and the Melting and Refining of Steel and other Metals.
Year: 1898

page_text: Improvements in and connected with the Manufacture of Calcium
Carbide and such like Compounds, the Reduction of Metallic
Oxides, and the Melting and Refining of Steel and other Metals.
We, JOHN EDWARD TENISON Woons, of 38, Chantry Road, Stockwell, in the
County of London, Civil Engineer and Chemist, and WILLIAM ASCROFT BYROM,
of 32, Great St. Helens, in the City of London, Gentleman, do hereby declare
the nature of this invention to be as follows:-
In carrying out our invention we first produce hydrogen gas and hydrocarbon
gases by a novel and cheap process
This is accomplished by filling or partly filling, an ordinary horizontal gas
retort set in a furnace, with hydrated oxide of iron (or bog iron ore), broken
into small pieces so as to be permeable to vapours or gases.
This retort and its contents are heated by the furnace to redness or about
1000° F. A current of the vapour of boiling crude petroleum or gas tar, pro-
duced in a separately heated vessel. This vapour is admitted to the retort and
its contents by a suitable iron pipe, passing through the front door of the
retort.
The hydrocarbon vapour as it traverses the heated iron oxide in the retort
combines with the oxygen in the oxide of iron giving rise to spongy metallic
iron and vapour of water as well as to a certain quantity of finely deposited free
carbon. The gas which passes out at the further end of the retort into what is
known as the hydraulic main, is permanent and consists principally of acety-
lene (CH) and marsh gas (CH)..
This part of the operation resembles the ordinary minipulation of a retort
constructed for making coal gas for illuminating purposes; and the products
are received into gas holders in the usual way. In the second portion of our
operations, the supply of hydrocarbon vapour is discontinued and a connection is
made to the same pipe from a steam boiler and a current of steam is passed
through the heated spongy metallic iron in the retort. The heat in the retort
must be still maintained at 1000° F.
The steam coming in contact with the heated metallic iron is decomposed;
the oxygen being taken up by the iron and again becoming iron oxide and
liberating hydrogen.
Portions of this heated hydrogen combines with the finely divided carbon
deposited by the decomposition of the petroleum vapour and is converted into
acetylene (CH) and partly into marsh gas (CH4) which are carried forward
with a large amount of free hydrogen to the gas holder.
In utilizing these mixed gases for making calcium carbide and such like com-
pounds a number of blow pipes on the Argand principle but converging from
the supply pipe from the gas holder towards a limited aria. The burners are
so arranged that the gas supply from the holder goes into the annular spaces

page_text: alone of the Argand burners.
The centre tube of such burners are connected
with a blowing appuratus to supply the necessary air.
In working this arraingement a furnace or large crucible is placed in the focus
of the Argand burners and into the furnace or crucible is placed a mixture of
fine charcoal and good lime ground fine.
When the blow pipes are set in action an intense heat is quickly created suffi-
cient to convert the mixture in the crucible or furnace into carbide of calcium.
Both the gas and air supply are regulated by valves, so that either an oxidizing
or reducing flame can be produced from the burners, according as the gas or
air supply predominates.
This arrangement and appuratus can also be used for the reduction of metallic
oxides to the metallic state and also for the melting and refining steel and other
metals.
Improvements in and connected with the Manufacture of Calcium
Carbide and such like Compounds, the Reduction of Metallic
Oxides, and the Melting and Refining of Steel and other Metals.
We, JonN EDWARD TENISON Woods, of 38, Chantry Road, Stockwell, in the
County of London, Civil Engineer and Chemist, and WILLIAM ASCROFT BYROM,
of 32, Great St. Helens, in the City of London, Gentleman, 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;-
Our invention chiefly relates to the manufacture of calcium carbide and to that
mode of manufacture wherein the reduction is effected by heat due to the com-
bustion of gases, but our invention is also applicable for the reduction of metallic
oxides, the melting and refining of steel & other metals and for similar purposes.
Hitherto there has been considerable difficulty in the manufacture of calcium
carbide under the action of heat produced by combustion and chiefly we believe
for the reason that sufficient atmospheric air was supplied to the flame to
produce as perfect combustion and as great a heat as possible.
We have found by experiment that the reducing action of the flames is not
due so much to the heat generated as to the affinity which the said flames have
for oxygen.
We therefore in carrying out our invention make use of gases in which hydrogen
and hydrocarbon predominate so that as the materials under treatment become heated
to the required extent the oxygen given off is consumed in supporting the
combustion of the gas.
We also make use of a novel form of furnace in which such gas is utilized.
In carrying out the first part of our invention we provide one or a series of
retorts connected with a gas-holder and preferably through the intermediary of
a hydraulic main and we fill such retort or retorts with hydrated oxide of iron
preferably mixed with coke or other carbonaceous material and then heat it or
them to a temperature of say 1000° Fah. We then cause a current of crude
hydrocarbon vapour produced in a separately heated vessel to pass through the
retort or retorts whereby the oxide is reduced to spongy iron while a certain
quantity of steam is formed and some free carbon is deposited.
The gas
escaping to the gas-holder consists chiefly of carbonic oxide (CO) acetylene (C₂H₂)

page_text: nd marsh gas (CH). A current of steam is now allowed to pass through the
etorts, the heat of which is maintained, whereby the spongy iron is reconverted
nto iron oxide, whilst free hydrogen is generated by the decomposition of the
team and partly combines with the free carbon deposited therein forming both
acetylene (CH) and marsh gas (CH) which gases together with a large quantity
of hydrogen pass to the gas-holder above mentioned, where they mingle with the
gaseous mixture previously formed.
To carry out the second part of our process viz., the manufacture of carbide
of calcium and other similar compounds and the reduction of metals from their
oxides, we make use of a furnace having projected through its walls a series
of groups of burners constructed as hereinafter described and illustrated in the
accompanying drawings, in which :-
Figure 1 is a vertical section of a furnace constructed according to our inven-
tion; and
Figure 2 is a sectional plan of the same:
Figure 3 is a longitudinal section of one of the groups of burners drawn to a
larger scale than Figure 1; and
Figure 4 is a front elevation of the same partly in section on the line 44 of
Figure 3;
a is the furnace wall which is built of refractory material, b is the lining of
the same which is preferably composed of a mixture of carbon, lime and tar in
about equal proportions and c, c are the groups of burners each of the said
burners being composed of two pipes d and e arranged one within the other
the annular space between the two pipes serving for the passage of the gases
generated as hereinbefore described whilst the inner pipe serves for the pro-
duction of a blast of atmospheric air. In practice the several burners of a
group are advantageously arranged in a metal casing of having formed in it by
means of partitions g, h two chambers i, j the former of which is in communica-
tion through a pipe k with an air compressing or blowing apparatus, whilst the
atter is in communication through a pipe with the gas-holder.
The several pipes e are inserted into the partition and project through the
front m of the casing whilst the pipes d are inserted into the partition 9 and
pass down through the pipes e. The front m of the casing is arranged at some
distance behind the ends of the sides, as shewn in Figure 3, so as to form a
space for receiving a shield n of fireclay, plumbago or other refractory material,
a series of openings o being formed in the said material through which the
gases escape into the furnace, the said holes being arranged either parallel or
to converge.
With the arrangement herein before described it will be understood that when
air is forced through the pipes d and gas through the pipes e and ignited a
series of powerful jets will be projected. In working the furnace the flames
of the several groups of burners will be focussed upon the point where the
material or mixtures of materials to be treated is or are placed, either in a
crucible or otherwise; in practice the gas and air supply are regulated by valves
so that either an oxidising or reducing flame can be produced according as to
whether the air or gas supply predominates.
is an opening in the furnace for the escape of the gases of combustion and
also serving for introducing the materials to be treated into the furnace and q
is an opening through which the product can be removed from the furnace, the
said opening being normally closed by a plug of fireclay, plumbago or other
suitable material. If desired the gases escaping from the opening p may be
conveyed to boilers or to the gas generating retorts of the kind herein before
referred to in order to be utilized for heating purposes.
As herein before stated our invention can be used for the reduction of oxides
to the metallic state and also for melting or refining steel and other metals;
when reducing metallic oxide the furnace should be lined with a mixture of the
oxide to be acted upon with carbon and hydrocarbon.

page_text: Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of our said
invention and in what manner the same is to be performed, we declare that what
we claim is:-
1. The manufacture of calcium carbide and the reduction of metallic oxides,
substantially as hereinbefore described.
2. The manufacture and use of gas, substantially in the manner hereinbefore
described for the purposes specified.
3. The improved burner constructed substantially as herein before described
and illustrated in the accompanying drawings for the purpose specified.
4. A furnace provided with a series of burners constructed and arranged substan-
tially in the manner hereinbefore described and illustrated in the accompanying
drawings for the purposes specified.
Dated the 2nd day of March 1899.
G. F. REDFERN & Co.,
4, South Street, Finsbury, London, Agents for the Applicants.