Improvements in Regenerative Furnaces suitable for Melting Steel in Crucibles or Pots.
Year: 1897

page_text: PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Regenerative Furnaces suitable for Melting Steel
in Crucibles or Pots.
We, BERNARD DAWSON, Civil Engineer, of The Laurels, Malvern Link, in the
County of Worcester, SAMUEL POPE, Manager of Messrs. William Jessop & Sons,
Limited, of Brightside, Sheffield, in the County of York, and SYDNEY JESSOP
ROBINSON, Managing Director of Messrs. William Jessop & Sons, Limited, of Bright-
side, Sheffield, aforesaid, do hereby declare the nature of this invention to be as
follows:-
This invention has reference to a construction of regenerative furnace whereby a
number, say 6, 12 or 24 steel melting crucibles or pots can be heated by the
combustion of gaseous fuel in such a manner that the heating of each crucible or pot,
or pair of crucibles or pots, can be controlled independently of the others, and which
is worked in connection with air and gas regenerators, common to all the melting
chambers, thereby enabling high class steel suitable for tools and other purposes to
be made in a gas fired furnace at a moderate cost, and with a great saving in fuel,
as compared with the furnaces heretofore used for melting high class steel.
For this purpose the body of the furnace is constructed with separate combustion
chambers or furnaces for each crucible pot, or pair of crucibles or pots, each combus-
tion chamber being provided with its own gas and air ports and passages which are
adapted to be controlled by suitable valves, or dampers, the arrangement being such
that the quantity and direction of flow of the gas or gas and air supplied to each
combustion chamber is capable of being regulated independently of that supplied to
the other combustion chambers, so that the heating of each crucible or pot, or pair
of crucibles or pots, is under perfect control. In connection with the furnace there
are provided regenerative air and gas chambers the communication between which
and the separate combustion chambers is controlled by the said valves or dampers.
The regenerators are preferably arranged at some distance from the body of the
furnace so that the ground upon which the men working the furnace stand, shall be
cool.
In one arrangement of furnace according to this invention there are three or more
combustion chambers or holes arranged in a straight row with their upper ends level
with the ground or floor in which they are forined, the said chambers or holes being
provided with solid bottoms carried by pivoted plates or holders adapted to open into
a cellar or space common to all the chambers. Each chamber, which is lined with
suitable refractory material, is made of sufficient size to contain a pair of crucibles,
one end being closed and preferably of semi-circular shape and the other end being
enlarged or flared outward and divided by an inwardly projecting wall or division so
as to form two adjacent passages each of which communicates with a pair of air and
gas passages extending horizontally below the floor level and above two pairs of
regenerative air and gas chambers which are or may be of ordinary construction, one
set of air and gas chambers being in connection with the air and gas passages com-
municating with one of the passages at one end of each of the combustion chambers

page_text: and the other set of air and gas regenerators being in connection with the air and gas
passages communicating with the other and adjacent passage at the same end of each
of the combustion chambers. Conveniently each pair of gas passages are arranged
adjacent to each other and separated by the wall or division the forward end of which
projects into the corresponding combustion chamber. The communication between
each gas passage and the corresponding combustion chamber is controlled by a valve
or damper of fire clay, ganister or like refractory material arranged to work in a
vertical chamber and carried by a rod arranged to work through a bridge piece and
provided with holes through one or other of which a pin can be passed so as to
rest on the bridge piece and hold the rod and attached valve in the required raised
position.
The air passages may, if desired, be provided with similarly arranged and operated
Improvements in Regenerative Furnaces suitable for Melting Steel
in Crucibles or Pots.
We, BERNARD DAWSON, Civil Engineer, of the Laurels, Malvern Link, in the
County of Worcester, SAMUEL POPE, Manager of Messrs. William Jessop & Sons,
Limited, of Brightside, Sheffield, in the County of York, and SYDNEY JESSOP
ROBINSON, Managing Director of Messrs. William Jessop & Sons, Limited, of
Brightside, Sheffield, aforesaid, 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 has reference to a construction of regenerative furnace whereby a
number, say 6, 12 or 24 steel melting crucibles or pots can be heated by the
combustion of gaseous fuel in such a manner that the heating of each crucible or pot,
or two or more crucibles or pots, can be controlled independently of the others, and
which is worked in connection with air and gas regenerators common to all the
melting chambers, thereby enabling high class steel suitable for tools and other
purposes to be made in a gas fired furnace at a moderate cost and with a great
saving in fuel as compared with the coke fired furnaces heretofore used for melting
high class steel.
For this purpose the body of the furnace is constructed with separate combustion
chambers or furnaces for each crucible or pot, or set of crucibles or pots, each
combustion chamber being provided with its own gas and air ports and passages which
are adapted to be controlled by suitable valves or dampers, the arrangement being such
that the quantity and direction or flow of the gas or gas and air supplied to each
combustion chamber is capable of being regulated independently of that supplied to
the other combustion chambers, so that the heating of each crucible or pot, or set of
crucibles or pots in each chamber, is under perfect control. In connection with the
furnace there are provided regenerative air and gas chambers the communication
between which and the separate combustion chambers is controlled by the said
valves or dampers. The regenerators are preferably arranged at some distance
from the body of the furnace so that the ground upon which the men
working the furnace stand shall be cool and available for teeming pots for producing
ingots.

page_text: In the accompanying drawings, Fig. 1 is a vertical section on the line ww of
Fig. 2, and Fig. 2 is a horizontal section on the line xx of Fig. 1, showing one
arrangement of furnace constructed according to this invention, Figs. 3 and 4 are
cross sections on the lines zz and y y of Fig. 1.
In this arrangement of furnace the combustion chambers or holes 1 of which only
three are shown though there will usually be more, are arranged in a straight row
with their upper ends level with the ground or floor in which they are formed, the
said chambers or holes being provided with solid bottoms 2 carried by pivoted plates
or holders 3 adapted to open into a cellar or space 4 common to all the chambers.
Each chamber, which is lined with suitable refractory material 5, is made of sufficient
size to contain two, or it may be more, crucibles 6, one of its ends being closed and
preferably of semi-circular shape as shown, and the other end being enlarged or
flared outward and divided by an inwardly projecting wall or division 7 so as to
form two adjacent passages 8, 8. The passage 8 communicates with a pair of air
and gas passages 9 and 10 respectively, and the passage 8ª with another pair of air
and gas passages 9 and 10ª respectively. These air and gas passages extend
horizontally below the floor level and above two pairs of regenerative air and gas
chambers 11, 11ª and 12, 12ª respectively which are or may be of ordinary
construction. One set of air and gas chambers viz. 11 and 12 respectively, are in
connection with the air and gas passages 9 and 10 respectively communicating with
one of the passages 8 at one end of each of the combustion chambers 1, and the other
set of air and gas regenerators 11" and 12ª respectively are in connection with the air
and gas passages 9 and 10ª communicating with the other and adjacent passage 8ª at
the same end of each of the combustion chambers. Conveniently each pair of gas
passages are arranged adjacent to each other as shown and separated by the wall or
division 7a the forward end 7 of which projects into the corresponding combustion
chamber. In the example shown the air passages 9, 9ª are arranged at a slightly higher
level than the gas passages 10), 10% and are in line with the passages 8, 8ª respectively
but the gas passages 10, 10ª communicate with the passages 8, 8ª respectively through
vertical ports 10. The communication between each gas passage 10, 10" and the
corresponding combustion chamber 1 is through the port 10 which is controlled by a
valve or damper 13 or fire clay, ganister or like refractory material or any similar
suitable device or arrangement arranged to work in a vertical chamber 14 and carried
by a rod 15 which may be arranged to work through a bridge piece 16 and be
provided with holes 17 through one or other of which a pin can be passed so as to rest
on the bridge piece and hold the rod and attached valve in the required raised position.
Or any other suitable means may be provided for holding up the valve. The air
passages 10, 10" may, if desired, be provided with similarly arranged and operated
valves or dampers. Usually however this will be unnecessary as the heating of the
crucibles or pots can be effectually controlled by regulating the supply of gas to the
combustion chambers.
As will be seen, by the arrangement described and shown, two pairs of air and gas
regenerators serve to. supply heated air and gas to the whole of the combustion
chambers which may be 6, 12, 24 or more in number as may be desired. The
direction of flow of air and gas through the two pairs of regenerators, and consequently
through the combustion chambers 1 and connecting passages 9, 9ª 10 and 10ª, is
controlled by reversing valves and inducing means such as a chimney (not shown)
but acting in the ordinary way, while by means of the valves 13 the supply of gas to
any one of the combustion chambers 1 can be controlled or entirely cut off
without interfering with the supply of gas to the other combustion chambers, thus
permitting of the heating of the several combustion chambers being independently
controlled.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of the said
invention and in what manner the same is to be performed we declare that what
we claim is :-
1 A reconerative furnace suitable fou moltion

page_text: are
the body of the furnace is constructed with separate combustion chambers or
furnaces, one for each crucible or pot, or set of crucibles or pots, and each combustion
chamber is provided with its own separate air and gas ports or passages which
adapted to be controlled by suitable valves or dampers, the arrangement being such
that the quantity and direction of flow of the gas or gas and air supplied to each
combustion chamber can be regulated independently of that of the gas or gas and air
supplied to the other combustion chambers and the heating of each crucible or pot or
set of crucibles or pots can be perfectly controlled, substantially as described.
2. A regenerative steel melting furnace constructed as specified in the preceding
claim in which there are two pairs of regenerative air and gas chambers, one pair of
air and gas chambers being in communication with a passage leading to one end of
each combustion chamber and the other pair of air and gas chambers being in
connection with another passage leading to the same end of each combustion
chamber so that the two pairs of regenerative air and gas chambers are common to
and suffice for a number of separate and independently controlled combustion
chambers, substantially as described.
3. The improved regenerative furnace described and shown suitable for melting
steel in crucibles or pots as set forth.
For the Applicants,
W. LLOYD WISE,
46, Lincoln's Inn Fields, London, W.C., Chartered Patent Agent.