AN IMPROVED MODE OF AND MEANS FOR UTILIZING GASEOUS FUEL IN CUPOLA FURNACES AND THE LIKE FOR METALLURGICAL AND SIMILAR OPERA- TIONS.
Year: 1879

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to William Robert Lake, of the Firm of Haseltine, Lake,
& Co., Patent Agents, Southampton Buildings, London, for the Invention
of "AN IMPROVED MODE OF AND MEANS FOR UTILIZING GASEOUS FUEL IN
CUPOLA FURNACES AND THE LIKE FOR METALLURGICAL AND SIMILAR OPERA-
TIONS. A communication from abroad by Jean Marie Antonin Thiollier and
Paul Marie François Laurent, both of Paris, France.
"
Sealed the 24th October 1879, and dated the 8th May 1879.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said William Robert Lake at the
Office of the Commissioners of Patents on the 8th May 1879.
WILLIAM ROBERT LAKE, of the Firm of Haseltine, Lake, & Co., Patent Agents,
Southampton Buildings, London. "AN IMPROVED MODE OF AND MEANS FOR
UTILIZING GASEOUS FUEL IN CUPOLA FURNACES AND THE LIKE FOR METALLUR-
GICAL AND SIMILAR OPERATIONS." [A communication from abroad by Jean Marie
Antonin Thiollier and Paul Marie François Laurent, both of Paris, France.]
Heretofore the employment in metallurgy of gaseous fuel has been limited to
furnaces with a fixed or moveable hearth, either horizontal or inclined.
This Invention relates to means for advantageously using such fuel in existing
shaft furnaces for the treatment of ores and metals for the purpose of producing in
these furnaces all the oxydizing'or reducing actions usual in metallurgy for the
treatment of ores, the melting, manufacture, and refining of metals, and especially
the fusion of ores, as well as the refining of the metal, matt, and speiss obtained in
the first melting.
The shaft furnaces to which the said Invention is specially applicable are those
known as high blast furnaces, half-high blast furnaces, low blast furnaces, cupola
furnaces, and the like.
These furnaces, which are characteized by this fact, namely, that the fuel in
them is in direct contact with the matters or substances to be treated, possess a
great superiority over hearth furnaces, as much both with regard to economy in
the fuel and the rapidity and facility of the work; their only inconvenience consists
in the facts that they require the employment of prepared fuel, coke, or charcoal,

page_text: and by reason of the contact of the combustible do not favor the oxydising actions.
This double inconvenience is obviated by the employment of gaseous fuel.
In carrying the said Invention into practise the gases are provided by ordinary gas
generators (gazogenes). I recommend the employment of a blast generator in which
the ashes will be scorified by matters suitable for extracting the impurities from the
fuel;
lime or iron ore will well effect this object. It will be well also to take in
the gas at a moderate height above the tuyeres; the gas will thus have a tempera-
ture sufficient for its employment without superheating.
The arrangements employed in carrying out the said Invention are very simple.
The combustible gas is forced into the furnaces by tuyeres, and the air also pene-
trates therein through adjacent tuyeres opposite or concentric, that is to say, so
arranged that the intermixture of the air and the gas shall be rapid. According to
the nature of the operation to be performed and other conditions, both the air and
gas, or one only of these two elements, may be heated.
In order to obtain high temperatures the following arrangements may be made,
that is to say-The air coming from the blowing apparatus is heated in an appa-
ratus known as the "Siemens' heater," or in that known as the "Ponsard " heater,
or any other heater may be used. One part of this air goes directly into the
furnace, the other part is forced into the gas generator. The gas thus obtained will
be very hot, and if the gas generator is near to the furnace it may be introduced
therein directly.
In case an energetic reductive action is required in the furnace the matter or
substance to be treated will be mixed with a suitable proportion of solid carbon in
the form of coke, charcoal, coal, or the like. This carbon may also be introduced in
the form of powder, which can be drawn along by the current of gas. This carbon
will act as a reducing agent.
By the aid of these three elements, namely, gas, air; and if required solid carbon,
the proportions of which can be instantaneously varied, a sufficiently high tempera-
ture, and oxydising or reducing actions as intense as necessary, may be obtained in
shaft furnaces.
The advantages of the process above described are as follow, that is to say:-
First. The employment of fuel of any nature or quality, such, for instance, as
anthracite coal, lignite, peat, and the like.
Second. The employment of the shaft furnace for oxydizing operations.
Third. Greater purity of the products obtained by the suppression of the contact
with the fuel.
Fourth. The more easy management of the furnace by reason of the possibility
of rapidly changing the temperature.
By this process the ores of iron, manganese, copper, lead, tin, nickel, cobalt, and
the like may be treated.
For oxydised ores, according to the intensity of the reducing action to be pro-
duced, a certain proportion of solid carbon will be mixed with the ore, or it may be
sufficient to employ the gas in excess, by means of which can be produced if
expedient the drawing in of carbon dust. There may also be introduced some
pure gas at a certain height above the tuyeres in order to completely reduce the ore
before the melting. The charging and the drawing off will be effected in the
ordinary manner.
Pigs will be obtained more or less carburetted, according to the intensity of the
reducing action which shall be brought into play. In certain cases, with pure and
easily reducible ores, the iron ore may give steel, and the other ores products capable
of being immediately used, but nearly always it will be necessary to refine the pro-
ducts resulting from the first fusion.
For sulphurated ores the casting will take place in presence of an excess of air
sufficient to expel the sulphur without oxydizing the metal, and by the introduction
of cold or hot air at a certain height above the tuyeres the expulsion of the sulphur
will be promoted. The product obtained will be a very rich matt or the metal,
Arsenious or antimonious ores will be treated in the same manner.

page_text: For each ore a convenient type of furnace will be chosen, either the high blast
furnace or the low blast furnace.
Pig metal, matts, and speiss will be treated in smaller furnaces than those
employed for the first fusion, the low blast or cupola types of furnace being suitable
for this purpose.
The refining will consist of one or several fusions in an oxydising atmosphere, the
matters will receive the addition of fluxes suitable to scorify the impurities.
The refining will be very rapid, whilst in the hearth furnaces the action of the air is
only superficial. In the process to which this Invention relates each drop melted
traverses an oxydizing atmosphere, then a bath of scoria, by contact with which is is
purified. Moreover, as the proportions of gas and of air can be varied at will, there
is no danger of going beyond what is necessary to obtain the object desired, and of
oxydizing the metal.
According to the quantity of impurities to be removed, one or several fusions will
be employed; these operations being rapid and slightly expensive, they may be
repeated without sensibly increasing the cost of the product.
With iron pigs obtained by the said process, or by any other process, steel will
be easily obtained to any degree of carburetting required. The removal of the
phosphorus will be effected in a very simple manner by adding to the cast metal
some basic matters. It will moreover be understood that for the manufacture of
steel I may employ the processes at present in use by melting a mixture of cast iron
and of pure iron or ore.

page_text: SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent filed by
the said William Robert Lake in the Great Seal Patent Office on the 8th
November 1879.
WILLIAM ROBERT LAKE, of the Firm of Haseltine, Lake, & Co., Patent Agents,
Southampton Buildings, London. "AN IMPROVED MODE OF AND MEANS FOR
UTILIZING GASEOUS FUEL IN CUPOLA-FURNACES AND THE LIKE FOR METALLUR-
GICAL AND SIMILAR OPERATIONS." A communication from abroad by Jean Marie
Antonin Thiollier and Paul Marie François Laurent, both of Paris, France.
Heretofore the employment in metallurgy of gaseous fuel has been limited to
furnaces with a fixed or moveable hearth, either horizontal or inclined, for the recep-
tion of the ores or minerals separately from the fuel.
But this Invention relates to means for advantageously using such fuel in shaft-
furnaces, that is to say, furnaces of the type or class in which ordinarily the fuel
and the ores or minerals are charged or placed together, the object being to produce
in these furnaces all the oxidizing or reducing actions usual in metallurgy for the
treatment of ores, the melting, manufacture, and refining of metals, and especially
the fusion of ores, as well as the refining of the metal, matt, and speiss obtained in
the first melting.
The shaft-furnaces to which the said Invention is specially applicable are those
known as high blast-furnaces, low blast-furnaces, cupola-furnaces, and the like.
These furnaces, which are characterized by the fact that the fuel in them is in
direct contact with the substances to be treated, possess a great superiority over
hearth-furnaces, both with regard to economy of fuel and rapidity and facility of
working; their only inconveniences are their requirement of prepared fuel, coke,
or charcoal, and (by reason of the contact of the fuel with the ore or other material)
their not favoring oxidation. This double inconvenience is obviated by the employ-
ment of gaseous fuel.
In carrying the said Invention into practice the gases are provided by ordinary
gas generators or gas producing apparatus, preferably a blast generator, in which the
ashes will be scorified by matters suitable for extracting the impurities from the
fuel; lime or iron ore will effectually accomplish this purpose. It will be well also
to admit the gas at a moderate height above the tuyeres; the gas will thus have a
temperature sufficient for its employment without superheating.
The arrangements employed for carrying the said Invention into practice are very
simple. The combustible gas is forced into the furnaces through suitable tuyeres,
and the air is also adınitted into the saine through adjacent tuyeres opposite or
concentric thereto, that is to say, so arranged that tlie intermixture of the air and
the gas will be rapidly effected. According to the nature of the operation to be
performed and other conditions, both the air and gas, or one only of these fluids,
will be heated.
In order to obtain a high temperature the following arrangements may be made,
that is to say-The air coming from the blowing apparatus is heated in an appa-
ratus known as the "Siemens' " heater, or in that known as the "Ponsard "heater, or
any other suitable heater. One part of this air goes directly into the furnace, the
other part is forced into the gas generator. The gas thus obtained will be very
hot, and if the gas generator is near the furnace this gas may be introduced
directly into the latter.
If an energetic reducing action is required in the furnace, the substance to be
treated should be mixed with a suitable proportion of solid carbon in the form of
coke, charcoal, coal, or the like. This carbon may also be introduced in the form of
powder, which will be drawn in by the current of gas. This carbon will act as a
reducing agent.
By the aid of these three elements, namely, gas, air, and if required solid carbon,

page_text: SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent filed by
the said William Robert Lake in the Great Seal Patent Office on the 8th
November 1879.
WILLIAM ROBERT LAKE, of the Firm of Haseltine, Lake, & Co., Patent Agents,
Southampton Buildings, London. AN IMPROVED MODE OF AND MEANS FOR
UTILIZING GASEOUS FUEL IN CUPOLA-FURNACES AND THE LIKE FOR METALLUR-
GICAL AND SIMILAR OPERATIONS." A. communication from abroad by Jean Maric
Antonin Thiollier and Paul Marie François Laurent, both of Paris, France.
Heretofore the employment in metallurgy of gaseous fuel has been limited to
furnaces with a fixed or moveable hearth, either horizontal or inclined, for the recep-
tion of the ores or minerals separately from the fuel.
7
But this Invention relates to means for advantageously using such fuel in shaft-
furnaces, that is to say, furnaces of the type or class in which. ordinarily the fuel
and the ores or minerals are charged or placed together, the object being to produce
in these furnaces all the oxidizing or reducing actions usual in metallurgy for the
treatment of ores, the melting, manufacture, and refining of metals, and especially
the fusion of ores, as well as the refining of the metal, matt, and speiss obtained in
the first melting.
The shaft-furnaces to which the said Invention is specially applicable are those
known as high blast-furnaces, low blast-furnaces, cupola-furnaces, and the like.
These furnaces, which are characterized by the fact that the fuel in them is in
direct contact with the substances to be treated, possess a great superiority over
hearth-furnaces, both with regard to economy of fuel and rapidity and facility of
working; their only inconveniences are their requirement of prepared fuel, coke,
or charcoal, and-by reason of the contact of the fuel with the ore or other material)
their not favoring oxidation. This double inconvenience is obviated by the employ-
ment of gaseous fuel.
In carrying the said Invention into practice the gases are provided by ordinary
gas generators or gas producing apparatus, preferably a blast generator, in which the
ashes will be scorified by matters suitable for extracting the impurities from the
fuel; lime or iron ore will effectually accomplish this purpose. It will be well also
to admit the gas at a moderate height above the tuyeres; the gas will thus have a
température sufficient for its employment without superheating.
'
The arrangements employed for carrying the said Invention into practice are very
simple. The combustible gas is forced into the furnaces through suitable tuyeres,
and the air is also admitted into the same through adjacent tuyeres opposite or
concentric thereto, that is to say, so arranged that the intermixture of the air and
the gas will be rapidly effected. According to the nature of the operation to be
performed and other conditions, both the air and gas, or one only of these fluids,
will be heated.
In order to obtain a high temperature the following arrangements may be made,
that is to say-The air coming from the blowing apparatus is heated in an appa-
ratus known as the "Siemens" "heater, or in that known as the "Ponsard " heater, or
any other suitable heater. One part of this air goes directly into the furnace, the
other part is forced into the gas generator. The gas thus obtained will be very
hot, and if the gas generator is near the furnace this gas may be introduced
directly into the latter.
If an energetic reducing action is required in the furnace, the substance to be
treated should be mixed with a suitable proportion of solid carbon in the form of
coke, charcoal, coal, or the like. This carbon may also be introduced in the form of
powder, which will be drawn in by the current of gas. This carbon will act as a
reducing agent.
By the aid of these three elements, namely, gas, air, and if required solid carbon,

page_text: the proportions of which can be instantaneously varied, a sufficiently high tempera-
ture, and oxidizing or reducing actions of any required intensity, may be obtained
in shaft furnaces.
The advantages of the above described process are as follows, that is to say :-
First. The employment of fuel of any nature or quality, such, for instance, as
anthracite or other coal, lignite, peat, and the like.
Second. The employment of shaft furnaces for oxidizing operations.
Third. Greater purity of the products by preventing the contact of the ore or
mineral with the fuel.
Fourth. The more easy management of the furnace by reason of the possibility of
rapidly varying its temperature.
The orcs of iron, manganese, copper, lead, tin, nickel, cobalt, and the like may be
treated by this process.
For oxidized ores, according to the intensity of the reducing action to be pro-
duced, a certain proportion of solid carbon may be mixed with the ore; or by the
employment of an excess of gas carbon dust may be blown into the furnace. Pure gas
may also be introduced at a certain height above the tuyeres in order to completely
reduce the ore before the fusion or melting. The charging and the drawing off may
be effected in the ordinary manner.
Pigs or masses of metal more or less carburetted, according to the intensity of the
reducing action, will be obtained. In certain cases, with comparatively pure and
easily reducible ores, steel may be obtained from iron ore, and other products fit
for immediate use will result from the treatment of other ores, but it will generally
be necessary to refine the products resulting from the first melting.
For sulphuretted ores the melting will take place in presence of an excess of air
sufficient to expel the sulphur without oxidizing the metal; the introduction of cold
or hot air above the tuyeres will promote the expulsion of the sulphur. The product
obtained will be a very rich matt or the metal.
Arsenious or antimonious ores will be treated in the same manner.
For each ore a convenient type of furnace will be chosen; for example, the high
blast furnace or the low blast furnace.
Pig metal, matts, and speiss will be treated in smaller furnaces than those
employed for the first fusion or melting, the low blast or cupola furnace being
suitable for this purpose.
The refining will consist of one or several meltings in an oxidizing atmosphere.
Fluxes suitable for scorifying the impurities will be added to the minerals.
The refining will be very rapid, whilst in the hearth furnaces the action of the air
is only superficial. In the process to which this Invention relates each drop melted
traverses an oxidizing atmosphere, then a bath of scoria, by contact with which it
is purified. Moreover, as the proportions of gas and air can be varied at will, there
is no danger of exceeding the desired result and oxidizing the metal.
According to the quantity of the impurities to be removed, one or several meltings
will be employed; these operations being rapid and inexpensive, they may be
repeated without materially increasing the cost of the product.
From iron pigs obtained by the said process steel may be easily produced car-
buretted to any degree required. The removal of the phosphorus will be effected
in a very simple manner by adding to the cast metal any suitable basic substance.
It will morcover be understood that for the manufacture of steel I may employ
the processes at present in use by melting a mixture of cast iron and of pure iron
or oro.
It is not necessary to describe the further treatment of iron or other metals,
the chemical actions being the same as in those ordinarily used in metallurgy, the
only difference being that according to this Invention these actions are produced
in furnaces of a class or type which have not heretofore been adapted for this
purpose.
Having thus fully described the said Invention as communicated to me by my

page_text: foreign correspondents, and the manner of performing the same, I wish it under-
stood that I claim, not only the application or utilization of combustible gases in
furnaces of the type or class which I have herein termed shaft furnaces for the
treatment of ores or minerals and the manufacture of metals, but also the various
arrangements above specified for effecting the injection into the furnace of the
combustible gases simultaneously with air for the purpose of assuring their total or
partial combustion, as above set forth.
In witness whereof, 1, the said William Robert Lake, have hereunto set my
hand and seal, this Seventh day of November, in the year of our Lord
One thousand eight hundred and seventy-nine.