Improvements in Coal and other Mineral Washers.
Year: 1894

page_text: Date of Application, 6th Nov., 1894-Accepted, 22nd Dec., 1894
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Coal and other Mineral Washers.
I ERSKINE RAMSAY of Pratt City in the County of Jefferson State of Alabama
United States of America Mining Engineer do hereby declare the nature of my
invention and in what manner the same is to be performed to be particularly
described and ascertained in and by the following statement:-
My invention relates to improvements in coal and other mineral washers and has
for its object to provide a washer in which the material may be economically and
expeditiously washed in one continuous operation, to provide means for conveying
away the separated heavier ingredients and means for clearing the chamber in
which the said ingredients are deposited when for any cause the elevating or
conveying mechanism attached thereto is stopped or broken; to secure 80
automatic replenishing of the supply of fresh water to take the place of that
absorbed in the washing process; to provide improved chutes over which the coal
is discharged; to provide means whereby the water pipes leading to the washer
may be kept automatically clear of obstruction; and in general to provide an
efficient washing machine in which the force of an ascending current of water, the
force of gravity and centrifugal force are utilized to perform the operation of
washing.
°
And in order that my invention may be clearly understood I will now describe it
with reference to the accompanying drawings which illustrate a convenient way of
carrying out my invention in practice premising that I do not limit myself to the
precise details herein set forth the same letters of reference indicate corresponding
parts in all the figures.
Figure 1 is a side elevation of an apparatus constructed according to my
invention.
Figure 2 is an end elevation of the same.
Figure 3 is a longitudinal vertical section of the washer chamber the coal
conveyer being shown in elevation with part of its casing removed.
.
Figure 4 is a vertical section of the water tank and fine mineral washer or
settler.
Figure 5 is a detailed sectional view of the bottom of said tank.
Figure 6 is a cross section on the line 6-6 Figure 3.
Figure 7 is a detail in connection with the water tank and mineral washer.
Referring to Figures 1, 2, 3 and 6, I is the washer proper formed by a chamber
or casing of metal of frustro-conoidal shape provided with a coal discharge N" at
the upper end. A water chamber I" is supported by suitable metal brackets
between the washing chamber I. and a conical settling chamber or space for
impurities I'; the latter chamber is formed with a lower cylindrical extension W
into which the slate or other heavy impurities gravitate, and from which they are
removed by a suitable bucket elevating or conveying apparatus X' working in a
pipe or casing X provided at its upper end with a discharge chute Y. The
conveyer pipe X extends above the coal discharge to prevent the waste of water
from the washer. G is the feed chute or trough by which the material to be
treated is conveyed to the washer.
The water chamber 111 is a conical chamber having a perforated top & through
which water supplied through pipes Popening into the bottom of said chamber
may freely pass upwardly into the washer I. The feeding device for the coal or
D

page_text: '
other material consists preferably of the cylindrical casing H extending down
centrally within and terminating near the bottom of the washer I and provided
with a worm feed or screw conveyer formed of a helical flange h secured to a stirrer
shaft F. This shaft F is preferably provided with a countershaft O¹ extending
down into the settling chamber I having a worm ' secured thereto so that the
slate which passes into the said chamber may be constantly stirred up by the said
worm preventing the slate or any other impurities that pass into the said chamber,
from sticking therein and insuring the delivery of the said impurities to the
conveyer X. The stirrer shaft F carries at its lower end, above the step bearing b
on top of the water chamber I" two or more stirrer arms 9 bent downwardly at
their outer ends to which arms vertically arranged stirrers are attached braced
by flat annular bar braces t the inner ones of which form collars journalled upon
the outside of the casing H. The annular braces t should preferably be braced by
suitable metallic braces for securing a more stable construction. Connected to the
shaft F by the counter shaft 01 are sludge stirrer arms m which prevent the
accumulation of sludge within the water chamber. The shaft F may be rotated by
any suitable motor through any convenient gearing or connections, but I preferably
use a steam motor A mounted upon the top frame O of the apparatus and trans-
mitting motion to the said shaft F by means of the spur wheels B, C, and the bevel
wheels D. E. The elevating mechanism X' may also be operated from the crank
shaft of the motor by a chain or other belt, as desired, this means not being shewn
as it will be readily understood and forms no part of my invention.
The chamber W is provided with two sliding gate valves V V at the top and
bottom thereof operated by suitable power cylinders U U' in which a pressure of
air, steam or water is normally maintained on both sides of their pistons, whose
rods uu are connected to the said valves. When the conveyer X' is stopped for
any cause and it is desired to remove the slate from the chamber W the pressure
in the cylinders is shut off from the ends toward which the pistons are to move to
open or close the valves. To effect this operation the cylinders are provided with
the required passages in each end connected by suitable pipes having proper valves
therein to the source of power, in this case to the steam pipe which supplies steam
to the main engine A.
I find that by employing these power cylinders for this purpose the valves are
readily and quickly opened which is not the case when levers are used for the
purpose.
The speed of the conveyer for removing the slate is so regulated as to discharge
the slate only so fast as it becomes separated from the coal by the washer as if it
were removed faster some portion of the coal might likewise be removed with it.
• To accomplish this I allow the slate chamber to be always partially full.
Nshews one form of coal discharge chute consisting of a metal casing which I
employ preferably when the coal is to be delivered to any ordinary settling tank
from which it is elevated by any suitable elevating mechanism, and carried to the
point desired. But I preferably employ the chute N₁ Figure 1 having two sides
and a bottom K with comparatively large perforations through which the finer coal
and sludge may pass onto a screen K³ with finer perforations in the same; the
sludge or fine minerals such as pyrites passing through both screens are conducted
by the chutes M, M', M", whose upper ends are secured to the chute N', into the
central portion of a sludge or fine mineral washer and water supply tank S open at
the top and formed with upper cylindrical and lower conical portions.
The lower end of the chute Ni is provided with a hinged trough or chute N over
which the washed coal from both the screens K K¹ may pass to cars, bins or other
receptacles. In practice it is found that the employment of the two screens with
the perforations of different sizes reduces the cost of renewals of said screen to a
minimum; for where one screen is used the perforations must be very small say
inch mesh in order that only the finest minerals may pass through them and
hence it is impossible to use plates of much thickness for these screens and they
consequently wear out in a very short space of time. By placing a screen with

page_text: larger perforations as at K above the finer screen as at K¹ the upper screen can be
made of thicker plates for carrying most of the coal while the lower screen carries
only the very finest, both discharging over the chute N.
The tank S as ordinarily constructed acts merely as a receptacle to catch the
water from drying screens or settling tanks from which the pumps derive their
supply of water for the washer; and in practice it is found that the fine sediment
such as pyrites and slate, settles on the bottom until it gradually acquires a height
above the discharge pipe, into which some of it slides, clogging up the pumps to
such a degree as to prevent their operation. To overcome this defect I construct
the said tank, constituting a mineral washer or settler as shewn in Figures 4 and 5
in which is a circular deflecting plate supported near the normal level of water
in the tank above the discharge piper which projects centrally within the tank.
The plate 9 may be made adjustable in a vertical direction so as to vary the angle
of direction of the current flowing inward toward the discharge pipe for the
nearer this angle is to the horizontal the greater is the degree of separation. To
effect this adjustment a sleeve is loosely fitted over the pipe and attached to
this sleeve are suitable rods or bars the upper ends of which are secured to and
support the plate q. Mounted in the sides of the tank is a rock shaft 2 having a
crank arm 4 near its middle part and a handle 3 at one end. The crank arm 4 is
connected to a lug 5 on the plate q by means of a connecting rod or links 1
(Figures 4 and 7). By this arrangement the plate q can be raised or lowered by
turning the rock shaft 2 and the said shaft may be retained in any given position
by any suitable locking device applied to the handle, thus holding the plate in
fixed position above the pipe for any given adjustment.
The bottom of the tank is provided with an upwardly opening disc valve e
operated by the lever / for removing the sediment which settles therein; the central
discharge pipe is connected to the pump supply or suction pipes R just above this
valve as shewn in Figures 4 and 5. The pipes R are supported upon the stools or
pedestals T forming part of the elbows joined to the pumps.
The fine sediment is separated by this arrangement in the following manner.
The water being caused to flow over the edges of the plate 9 as indicated by the
long arrows, carries with it the fine ɛediment which, as the current is compelled to
flow inwardly toward the pipe r attached to the suction of the pumps as described
above, gradually gravitates into the settling space for impurities owing to the fact
that their specific gravity is greater than that of water and coal. Some of the
impurities will thus be thrown off by their own momentum when rounding the
deflecting plate.
The relative diameter of the deflecting plate to that of the tank depends upon the
amount of sediment it is desired to remove. As the water contains some fine coal
not intended to be removed the diameter should not be too large while on the other
hand if the diameter is too small then the current of water would be so rapid that
it would carry with it the specifically heavier sediment as well as the fine coal.
Thus it will be seen that the proper regulation enables the separation of the
impurities to any degree of perfection.
Some of the water is necessarily absorbed by the coal discharged from the
washer, and to automatically replenish the supply of fresh water I provide a fresh
water pipe a with a ball float which is adapted to open a valve in the said pipe as
the level of the water in the tank S falls below the point at which it is desirable
to maintain it in order to keep a sufficient supply therein for use in the washer.
When the water rises again the float rises with it and closes the valve in the
pipe a.
By the use of the sludge washer constructed according to my invention I am
enabled to rid the water of the pyrites and slate, and thus reduce to a minimum
the wear usually resulting from the friction of these ingredients in the pumps,
pipes, and the other parts of the washer. By this means, the durability of these
parts is prolonged and the cost of renewals consequently diminished.
In many washers now in general use the water to be supplied to the washer

page_text: chamber is stored by pumps in a cistern or reservoir located some distance above
the washer, the head of water being fixed in such cases, and it frequently happens
that sediment will collect in the washer supply pipes and prevent sufficient water
from passing to the washer, thus necessitating the taking down of the pipes to
clean them and stopping the operation of the apparatus. I overcome this defect
by dispensing with a fixed reservoir, and connecting the pumps directly with the
supply pipes P of the washer and connecting these pipes with a stand pipe Z as
shewn in Figure 2 extending a considerable distance above the washer say for
example 80 feet. The pipe Z is attached to a cross pipe z which connects the two
discharges of the pumps the supply pipes P, and the air chambers L as shown
in Figures 1 and 2. By this construction, a normal head of say 25 feet will be
maintained in the stand pipe but the moment the supply pipes leading to the
washer become clogged by sediment, the pumps will force the water up to a greater
head in the pipe until it is sufficient to force the obstructions out of the said supply
pipes through the washer chamber when the normal head will again be resumed.
The action is thus automatic and avoids the necessity of stopping the apparatus
furthermore, in this arrangement it is not required to pump the water against a
greater head than is absolutely necessary to do the work, whereas in the case of a
fixed head, in order to keep the pipes moderately clear, the cistern must be elevated
to such a height as to greatly increase the normal work of the pumps. The stand
pipe it will be seen, acts somewhat upon the principle of the air chamber on the
discharge of a pump, since the water contained in the said pipe ascends and
descends at each pulsation of the pump by which the supply of water to the bottom
of the washer is made regular.
The operation of the washer proper may be now briefly described, that of the
other parts being clear from the foregoing description. Coal being fed into the
washer through the top of the worm feed shell or casing, as the shaft F rotates
the coal will be carried downward by the worm feed, and as it is discharged from
the lower end of the feed shell it comes in contact with the upward current of
water from the water chamber 1" which current together with the revolving
motion imparted by the stirrers, cause the coal to move upward, in the direction
indicated by the arrows; and the slate owing to its greater specific gravity and to
centrifugal force is moved gradually to the slate discharge where it passes down-
ward into the slate chamber to the conveyer by which it is removed, the bent
stirrer arms, g, keeping the slate from clogging.up in the slate discharge from the
washer. After the coal reaches the top of the washer it is discharged in either of
the two ways herein before described, the water passing with it to the water tank
to be returned therefrom by the pumps to the washer chamber proper for use
again.
It will be seen that by making the washer larger at the bottom than the top, the
least current of water is at the bottom and the greatest at the top, from which it
follows that the slate or heavier material will be more readily separated without
remaining in a state of suspension with the coal, and in addition, this construction
gives a greater centrifugal force at the bottom of the washer, thus making the
separation of the slate from the coal more rapid and thorough, thereby preventing
the slate from being pulverized by attrition and passing out with the discharge
with the coal. To illustrate this operation let it be assumed that the diameter of
the top and bottom ends of the washer are in ratio of 5 to 1, then as the areas of
circles are to each other as the squares on their diameters, the velocity of the water
supply upward, in the washer, will be twenty five times greater at the top than at
the bottom end, while the circumferential velocity of the particles at the bottom
end will be greater than that at the top end in the ratio of about five to one. The
specifically heavier particles such as slate, will therefore be acted upon at the
bottom with the maximum centrifugal force, and since the upward current of water
at the bottom is least, the force of gravity will therefore tend to cause the said
heavier particles to more readily settle. These two forces will thus act together
to cause the heavier impurities as they are discharged with the lighter coal into

page_text: the bottom of the washer by the positive feed, to separate at once and seek the
slate outlet.
While I prefer to feed the coal downwardly through the central positive feed my
washer can also operate with the coal fed into the annular space around the central
shell, the discharge in this case being upwardly through the feed shell. This
operation can be readily effected by reversing the engine which gives the reverse
motion to the worm feed; the feed and discharge chutes would then of course be
shifted, as will be readily understood.
While I have shown two pumps for supplying the washer, it is to be understood
that one only or more than two may be used for this purpose as circumstances.
require. It will be desirable however, to use at least four water supply pipes, in
order to procure a sufficient supply and proper distribution of water.
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 I
claim is
1. In a coal and other mineral washer the combination with the outer conical
casing having its small end at the top and provided with the coal discharge near
the upper end of the supply shell the revolving shaft therein carrying a feeding
device for the material to be washed, the water chamber in the bottom of the said
conical casing provided with inlets for a water supply and outlets for discharging
the water into the washer upwardly, with means for agitating the material within
the washer substantially as described.
2. In a coal or mineral washer, an upper casing having a discharge near the top,
a bottom casing joined to the said upper casing provided with an outlet at the lower
portion thereof, a water chamber arranged between the two casings, communicating
at its upper side with the upper casing and its lower side with a water supply, a.
central feed shell, with a revolving shaft therein provided with a worm feed, and a
series of stirrer arms secured to said shaft and mounted in the feed shell above the
water chamber, substantially as described.
3. In a coal and other mineral washer the combination with the upper conical.
casing constituting the washer proper, the lower conical casing forming a waste
chamber, the said chambers united at their bases, of a conical water chamber
between the two communicating with the upper casing through its conical surface,.
and at its base with a water supply the said chamber forming with the sides of the
casings an annular discharge opening into the waste chamber, with means for feeding
the coal or mineral into the washer, substantially as described.
4. In a coal and other mineral washer, the washer chamber having its bottom end
larger than its top end, provided with a discharge for the washed material at its
smaller end, in combination with a water supply pipe or pipes opening upwardly
through the bottom end, means for agitating the material within the chamber, and
means for feeding the said material to the chamber substantially as described.
5. In a coal and other mineral washer an upper washing chamber or casing,
having the discharge near the top, a lower waste chamber, an intermediate water
chamber forming an annular discharge between the two, a conveyer or elevator for
conveying the material from the lower waste chamber to a desired point above the
discharge for coal, mechanism for feeding the coal downwardly into the upper
chamber, with agitators or stirrers operating in said chamber, whereby the coal may
be washed by water forced upwardly through the water chamber into the washer
while the heavier material gradually descends to the waste chamber, and to the
conveyer, substantially as described.
6. In a coal and other mineral washer, the combination with the chamber or
casing I the casing W, intermediate water chamber I" and provided with a water
supply, the feed shell, H the revolving shaft F having the worm feed h the stirrers
in the washer chamber and the sludge stirrer in the water chamber, with the
elevator, ✗substantially as herein before described with reference to the accom-
panying drawings.

page_text: 7. In a coal and other mineral washer, the combination with the washer chamber,
and the pumps having their discharge pipes connected with the supply pipes of the
washer of the stand pipe attached to and communicating with the said supply pipes
substantially as and for the purpose set forth.
8. In a fine mineral washer or settler, the combination with the tank having the
discharge pipe extending upwardly within the same, of the flat deflecting plate
supported above the pipe, over which the water and sludge are compelled to flow
outwardly and then inwardly below the plate toward the discharge pipe, whereby
some of the impurities are thrown off by their momentum as the current is deflected
around the edges of the plate and the rest deposited as the current flows inward to
the discharge pipe, and means for automatically maintaining the water level in the
tank normally above the deflecting plate substantially as described.
9. In a fine mineral washer or settler the combination with the casing forming
the supply tanks of the discharge piper projecting upwardly within said tank and
forming an annular settling space for impurities, the flat deflecting plate above the
said discharge pipe over which plate the water and sludge are compelled to pass
outwardly to the edge and then inwardly toward the discharge pipe, whereby some
of the impurities are thrown off by their momentum as they pass round the edge's
of the plate and the rest are deposited as the current flows inward to the
discharge pipe, and a valved outlet at the bottom of the tank for removing the
impurities substantially as herein before described and illustrated in the accom-
panying drawings.
10. In a coal and other mineral washer the combination with the washer chamber
provided with suitable supply and discharge chutes, and pumping mechanism for
supplying water to the said chamber, of a tank arranged under the discharge chute
of the said washer into which the water and fine mineral from the said washer are
centrally discharged, a fresh water supply pipe provided with a float valve at the
water level in the said tank and a discharge pipe projecting centrally within the
said tank and connected to the pumping mechanism substantially as described.
11. The combination in a fine mineral washer or settler of the tank S the central
discharge pipe extending upwardly therein, the deflecting plate supported above
the said discharge pipe over which plate the water and sludge are compelled to pass
outwardly to the edge thereof, and flow inwardly below the same 'to the discharge
pipe whereby the heavier ingredients are thrown off by momentum as they pass
round the edges of the plate, a fresh water pipe opening into the tank above the
plate and provided with an automatically operated valve to maintain the water
level normally above the plate and a valved outlet at the bottom of the tank
substantially as and for the purpose set forth.
12. The general construction combination and arrangement of parts constituting
an improved coal and other mineral washer substantially as and for the purposes
herein before described with reference to the accompanying drawings.
Dated this 6th day of November 1894
JOHNSONS & WILLCOX,
47, Lincoln's Inn Fields, London, W.C., Agents.