Apparatus for Treating the Waste Products.
Year: 1886

page_text: Date of Application, 25th Jan., 1886.
Complete Left, 25th Oct., 1886.
Complete Accepted, 25th Jan., 1887,
Apparatus for Treating the Waste Products.
I WILLIAM TOOTH of No. 37 Parsonage Walk Newington in the County of Surrey
Chemist do hereby declare the nature of this invention to be as follows:-
This Invention has for its object an Improved process and Improved Apparatus to
carry out the process for the Manufacture of Spelter from Ores Minerals and Metals,
for the purpose of preventing the waste which now occurs, through the present mode
of Manufacture, and utilizing the waste or bi products by converting them into
valuable Marketable Articles.
Now the difference in my process and Apparatus "and the present process and
Apparatus" will be apparent from the following statement.
4
Under the present process the Mineral is first crushed into powder and then placed
in a Calcining Furnace, and Calcined for the purpose of driving off the Sulphur from
the Blende and the Carbonic Acid from the Calamine.
After it leaves the Calcining Furnace it is wheeled into the mixing Room where it
is mixed with a certain quantity of Charcoal and Salt, or Coal dust and Salt, it is then
fed into Clay Retorts, which are fixed in a Furnace and fitted with Clay Stoppers and
Tapping Pipes, the stoppers being luted on to the mouth of the Retort with Fire Clay.
The heat is then increased and a distillation of Carbonic Acid Gas, and Hydrocloric
Acid Gas takes places from the Charcoal and Salt and causes the Clay luting to crack
and makes its escape through the cracks, if the charge is mixed with Coal dust
instead of Charcoal. Carburetted Hydrogen Gas and Hydrochloric Acid Gas is
produced inside the Retort, and were it not to escape through the cracks it makes in
the lutings it would burst the Retorts and the whole of the Metal would be lost.
Also during the distillation some portion of the Spelter evaporates through the
cracks of the luting, takes fire and is lost.
When the Spelter is melted from each charge, which occupies about 24 hours the
Workmen take off the covers and draw out the residue, which is called seconds, into
Barrows, and it is wheeled away as waste and thrown away as valueless.

page_text: Now to carry out my process, in the first place, I make or cause to be made, Retorts
either of Iron or Fire Clay or both combined, with Flanges round the Mouthpieces,
onto which Flanges covers are fitted, made of Iron or other suitable Materials, so that
the covers can be bolted on to the Mouthpiece of the Retort with a luting composed
of Lime and Boiled Oil or other suitable Material and thus make an hermetically
sealed joint.
Onto the top part of the Flange of the Retort, or on the cover, I make a provision to
screw or fix into or onto a Gas Pipe to convey the Gasses distilled off from the
contents of the Retorts into a Tank of Water, or other suitable receptacle, and when
the Materials are mixed with Coal dust I convey the Carburetted Hydrogen Gas into
a proper receptacle, and from that into purifiers, and from the purifiers into a
Gasholder, and thus save the waste of the Carburetted Hydrogen which is now
allowed to escape through the cracks of the luting into the Atmosphere. Onto the covers
of the Retorts I cast or fix a suitable Spout to convey the Metal away from a tapping
hole which is made in the cover, as near the bottom of the Retort as possible. Onto the
spout I cast or fix brackets or lugs to carry a weigh bar, and on to the weigh bar I fix
a lever, on to the short end of which lever is attached an Iron stopper to fit the tapping
hole in the cover. On to the other end of the lever I attach a weight for the purpose
of pressing and keeping the Stopper in its place, the lever and Stopper being so made
and joined together that the tapping hole can be opened and shut instantaneously
without any luting and thus allow the Retorts to be tapped every 5 minutes without
allowing any Atmospheric Air to enter into the Retort and Oxidize the Metal and
convert it into Flame, whereas under the present system the usual time of tapping is
about every 6 hours, during which time there is a great loss of Spelter.
Another kind of Retort I use is made of Cast Iron with the same kind of cover,-
which Retort is lined with Fire Clay, or Fire Clay Pipes for the purpose of preventing
the Materials from coming in contact with the Cast Iron, and the Metal is tapped in
the same manner as before described.
My method of mixing the Calamine or Blende is, in addition to Charcoal and Salt,
or Coal dust and Salt I add to these Materials a certain quantity of Carbonate of Lime
according to the quantity of Silica and Alumina contained in the Mineral, either the
Blende or the Calaminine, and during the process of reduction the Silica and
Alumina will unite with the Calcium of the Carbonite of Lime and form a Cement
which will set similar to Portland Cement.

page_text: Apparatus for Treating the Waste Products.
I, WILLIAM TOOTH of No. 37, Parsonage Walk, Newington, in the County of
Surrey, Chemist, 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 :-
This invention relates to an improved process and apparatus for the manufacture of
spelter from ores, minerals and metals, and for preventing the waste which at present
occurs by the existing method of manufacture thereby allowing the waste or bye-
products to be utilized by converting them into valuable marketable products.
According to the existing process of extracting spelter the mineral is first crushed
into powder and then placed in a calcining furnace and calcined for the purpose of
driving off the sulphur from the blende and the carbonic acid from the calamine:
After it leaves the calcining furnace it is wheeled into the mixing room where it is
mixed with a certain quantity of charcoal and salt or coal-dust and salt; it is then fed
into clay retorts, which are fixed in a furnace and fitted with clay stoppers and tapping
pipes, the stoppers being luted onto the mouth of the retort with fireclay.
The heat is then increased and if the charge be mixed with charcoal and salt a
distillation of carbonic acid gas and hydrochloric acid gas takes place and causes the
clay luting to crack, the said gases escaping through the cracks; if the charge be
mixed with coal-lust instead of charcoal carburetted hydrogen gas and hydrochloric
acid gas are produced inside the retort, and were it not to escape through the cracks
it makes in the lutings it would burst the retorts and the whole of the metal would be
lost.
During the distillation a portion of the spelter evaporates through the cracks of the
luting, takes fire, and is lost.
When the spelter is melted from the charge, which occupies about 24 hours, the
retort covers are taken off and the residue which is called seconds is drawn out into
barrows and thrown away as valueless.
In addition to charcoal and salt or coal-dust and salt, which I mix with the material
before placing it in the retorts, I add a certain quantity of carbonate of lime according
to the quantity of silica and alumina contained in the mineral whether blende or
calamine and during the process of reduction the silica and alumina will unite with
the calcium of the carbonate of lime and form a cement which will set in a similar
manner to Portland Cement.
The hereinbefore described improvements in the process of manufacturing spelter
from ores may be carried out with apparatus of the kind now generally used or other
suitable apparatus, but in order to obviate the defects of existing apparatus I use the special
forms of apparatus hereinafter described and illustrated by the accompanying drawings.
Figure 1 represents a front elevation of a series of retorts constructed according to
my invention for extracting spelter from its ores and recovering the bye-products, the
said retorts being adapted to receive my covers or nozzles hereinafter.described.

page_text: Figure 2 represents a side elevation of the same but shewing the covers or nozzles
broken away. Figures 3, 4, and 5 represent an elevation, longitudinal section, and
plan respectively of one of my covers or nozzles attached to the mouth of a retort.
Figure 6 represents a transverse section of a portion of a retort shewing the manner
in which the nozzle is attached to the mouth of the retort, and figure 7 is a section of
the mouth of the retort taken on the line A B of figure 6. Figures 8 and 9 shew
modifications of the nozzles. Figure 10 is a front view of the nozzle shewn in figure 8
and shewing the manner in which it is attached to the mouth of a retort. Figure 11
represents a section of the modification shewn in figure 8 taken on the line C. D. of
figure 10. Similar letters in all the figures indicate similar parts.
Referring to figures 1 and 2, a, are the retorts arranged as shewn, the furnaces a¹,
running in a transverse direction to the retorts. The said retorts are formed of fireclay
or iron or both combined, into which retorts the material is placed after having been
ground and washed, the said material being first mixed with the ordinary charges of
coal-dust and salt, or charcoal and salt or other suitable materials, and then placed in
the retorts a, where the spelter is distilled into the mouth pieces of the retorts and is
then condensed and withdrawn in the manner hereinafter described. The retorts a,
are arranged in any required number of horizontal rows, a sufficient space being left
between each consecutive pair in each row for the purpose of preventing the hinged
covers (with which they are provided as hereinafter described) of any one pair when
opened, from touching the closed covers of either of the adjacent pairs, the hinged
covers of each pair opening away from one another as will be well understood.
The retorts a, are formed with flanges b, to which, by means of bent T-headed
bolts 6', are bolted the back plates c, of the covers or nozzles d, shown in figures 3 to 7,
a luting d¹, composed of lime and boiled oil or loam prepared in the manner usual
for making loam castings, being used to form a hermetically sealed joint. A groove
is formed in the back of each of the flanges b, to receive the T heads of the bolts b¹,
as clearly shewn in figures 6 and 7, the bent portions of the bolts resting in grooves 6*.
The nozzles d, which are lined with fireclay e, are formed taper as shewn and are hinged
at e to the back plates c, as shewn, so that the said nozzles can be turned back to
uncover the mouths of the retorts a, when it is required to charge the same. On each
of the back plates c, is formed a ring c¹ which enters and fits a V groove in the back
flange da, of each of the nozzles d, so as to make a thoroughly tight joint when the
said nozzles are closed over the mouths of the retorts a, a button f, being used to hold
each nozzle in its closed position. At the top of each back plate c, is arranged a pipe g,
for carrying off the gases distilled from the contents of the retorts (when the metal
is mixed with either of the usual charges other than coal-dust and salt) into a suitable
receptacle not shown in the drawings. If coal-dust and salt however be mixed with
the metal, then carburetted hydrogen will be generated which I cause to be conveyed
through the pipe g, into the said receptacle, and from thence into purifiers, and from
the purifiers into a gas-holder. By this arrangement the gases are saved which have
been hitherto allowed to escape through the cracks of the luting of the present form of
retorts. A part of the lower portion of the nozzles d, is formed horizontally instead of
conically in a line or nearly so with the bottom of the retorts a, as shown at d³, so as
to allow the molten metal to flow thereto, and the said horizontal part is provided with
a tapping hole h, which is covered by a stopper / fixed to one end of a lever i,
pivotted at ¹, and having a counterweight 2, which serves to keep the stopper h¹, tight
against the tapping hole h. By this arrangement the tapping hole h, can be opened
and shut instantaneously without requiring any luting, thereby allowing the retorts to
be tapped as often as required without allowing any air to enter the said retorts and
oxidize the metal and convert it into flame.
At the outer end of each nozzle d, is arranged a removable nozzle j, for the purpose
of allowing the operator to inspect the operation in each of the retorts a, when
required. The nozzle or cover d, shewn in figure 8 and which I employ in some cases
is formed of fireclay, the horizontal part, being continued all round the said
nozzle, thus enabling the nozzle to be easily manufactured and allowing it to be turned
into any required position on the mouth of the retort a.

page_text: h, h, figure 10, are the tapping holes (a number of which are employed stopped with
plugs or the like). In this arrangement of nozzle the hinge e¹, hereinbefore described
and shewn in figure 3, is dispensed with, the nozzle being fixed to the retorts by bolts
only as hereinafter described.
To allow the nozzle d, to be easily centred and placed readily onto the flange b, of
the retort I provide it with a flanged plate c, the flange c³, of which projects and
encircles the flange b, of the retort. The said plate is made in halves as shown, to
enable it to be placed on the flange of the nozzle d, plates c being used to connect
the said halves and hold them together. Instead of connecting the nozzles d, to the
retorts a, in the manner shewn in figures 3 to 7, I use ordinary bolts b¹ and form
holes 6 in the flanges of the said retorts into which I place the nuts * and into which I
screw the said bolts when fixing the nozzles d, to the flanges b, as shewn in figure 11.
In figure 9 I have shewn a fireclay nozzle of similar construction to that shewn in
figures 3 to 7, and arranged to be fixed to the retort in a similar manner to that
described when referring to figure 8, but instead of having the flanged plate c³ figure 8,
to centre it and enable it to be placed readily onto the flange b, of the retort a, I form
a projecting ring or spigot e, on the flange of the nozzle which engages with a socket e³,
in the flange b, of the retort a, when the said nozzle is fixed thereto.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said invention
and in what manner the same is to be performed I declare that what I claim is,
1. The improved method or process of manufacturing spelter hereinbefore described.
2. Introducing, carbonate of lime into the retorts with the zinc ore in order to
produce a cement as a bye-product as hereinbefore described.
3. Carrying off the gases generated in the retort by means of a special tube as
hereinbefore described, so as to permit of their being utilized as bye-products.
4. Constructing retorts for extracting spelter from ores, minerals and metals with
flanges for receiving covers or nozzles for preventing any escape of the spelter during
distillation, as hereinbefore described and illustrated in figures 1 to 9 and figure 11 of
the accompanying drawings.
5. In retorts for extracting spelter from ores, minerals and metals the use of covers
or nozzles adapted to be fixed to the mouth-pieces of the retorts as hereinbefore
described and illustrated in figures 2 to 11 of the accompanying drawings.
6. The improved retort nozzles herein before described and illustrated in the
drawings.
G. F. REDFERN,
4, South Street, Finsbury, London,
Agent for the Applicant.