IMPROVEMENTS IN SOAKING PITS FOR STEEL INGOTS
Year: 1884

page_text: I, JAMES RILEY, General Manager to The Steel Company of Scotland, Limited,
of 150 Hope Street, Glasgow, in the County of Lanark, North Britain, do hereby
declare the nature of my said invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN SOAKING PITS FOR
STEEL INGOTS" to be as follows:-
My said Invention has for its object the obtaining of better and more regular
results in the treatment of steel ingots in soaking pits than can be got with
ordinary arrangements. It is necessary for the proper action of the soaking pit
that its temperature should be sufficiently high, but when as with ordinary soaking
pits the heat is brought into the pits only by the ingots themselves, any
interruption in the regular entering and withdrawing of the ingots causes the
temperature to become so inuch reduced as to render the action inefficient. It is
in practice difficult to avoid the lowering of temperature from the cause indicated,
and various attempts have been made to apply supplementary beat to compensate
for it; but the plans proposed and tried have been objectionable on account of
various defects or inconveniences, but principally because of their neutralising
what is believed to be one of the principal advantages of the soaking operation
namely the avoidance of loss of inetal by oxidation.
My Invention consists in an improved mode of applying ignited gas to the
soaking pits at the times when the temperature would otherwise become too low.
Instead of burning the gas in, or introducing the ignited gas into the pits them-
selves and in contact with the ingots I form passages or flues in the walls of the
soaking pits and pass the ignited gases through these passages or flues so as to
maintain the walls of the pits at such a temperature that heat will not be
injuriously radiated from the ingots. My Invention may be carried out in various
ways but in a convenient modification I form a small chamber into which the
heating gas and air are admitted the air being by preference forced in by blowing
apparatus and through injecting apparatus arranged to draw in the gas so that the
ignited gas may have some pressure. The gas and air are ignited in the chamber
and thence pass through a series of flues or passages formed in the walls of the
soaking pits to a flue leading to a chimney. The pipes or flues leading the gas and
air to the chamber where they are ignited are by preference passed through the
ground or building near the soaking pits so as to take up heat which would
otherwise pass off by conduction.

page_text: COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
I, JAMES RILEY, General Manager to The Steel Company of Scotland, of
150 Hope Street, Glasgow, in the County of Lanark, North Britain, do hereby
declare the nature of my said invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN SOAKING PITS FOR
STEEL INGOTS" and in what manner the same is to be performed, to be particularly
described and ascertained in and by the following statement, that is to say :—
My said Invention has for its object the obtaining of better and more regular
results in the treatment of steel ingots in soaking pits than can be got with
ordinary arrangements. It is necessary for the proper action of the soaking pit that
its temperature should be sufficiently high, but when, as with ordinary soaking
pits, the heat is brought into the pits only by the ingots themselves, any
interruption in the regular entering and withdrawing of the ingots causes the
temperature to become so much reduced as to render the action inefficient. It is in
practice difficult to avoid the lowering of temperature from the cause indicated, and
various attempts have been made to apply supplementary heat to compensate for
it; but the plans proposed and tried have been objectionable on account of various
defects or inconveniences, but principally because of their neutralising what is
believed to be one of the principal advantages of the soaking operation namely the
avoidance of loss of metal by oxidation.
My Invention consists in an improved mode of applying ignited or highly heated
gas to the soaking pits at the times when the temperature would otherwise become
too low. Instead of burning the gas in, or introducing ignited gas into the pits
themselves and in contact with the ingots, I form passages or flues in the walls of
the soaking pits and pass the ignited or highly heated gases through these passages
or flues so as to maintain the walls of the pits at such a temperature that heat will
not be injuriously radiated from the ingots.
My Invention may be carried out in various ways; and I hereunto append three
sheets of explanatory drawing to be hereinafter referred to and representing by
way of example three modifications of my improved arrangements.
Figure, 1, on sheet, 1, of the accompanying drawings is a sectional plan and
figures, 2, and 3, are vertical sections as at right angles to each other of one
modification. Figure, 4, on sheet, 2, is a sectional plan of a second modification,
and figure, 5, is a corresponding longitudinal vertical section, whilst figures, 6,
and 7, are transverse vertical sections, the former as through combustion chambers
at one end of the series of soaking pits, and the latter as through a transverse row
of the soaking pits. Figure, 8, on sheet, 3, is a vertical section of a third modi-
fication and figure, 9, is a corresponding horizontal section. In these drawing the
same reference numerals are used to mark the same or like parts wherever they
are repeated.
In the modification shown on sheet, 1, of the drawings soaking pits, 10, for
fifteen ingots, 11, are combined in one structure (a single ingot only being shown
however in figures, 2, and 3, and none in figure, 1.) A combustion chamber, 12, is
constructed in the brickwork in which the soaking pits are formed, this chamber
extending along one side of the set of soaking pits; and into this chamber the
heating gas, which may be that from an ordinary gas producer, and the air are

page_text: admitted, the air being forced in by blowing apparatus and through injecting
apparatus arranged to draw in the gas so that the ignited gases may have some
pressure. An air chamber, 13, is constructed on the outer side of a gas chamber, 14,
and ports, 15, communicate between the latter and the combustion chamber, 12,
whilst tapered nozzles, 16, fixed to the inner side of the air chainber, 13, extend
across the gas chamber, 14, and project through the ports, 15. The nozzles, 16, act
as injectors the air passing through them causing the gas to pass through the
ports, 15, round the nozzles.
From the combustion chamber, 12, the ignited gases pass through a number of
horizontal flues, 17; formed in the brickwork between the rows of soaking pits, 10,
and along the outer sides of the end rows; and at their further ends these flues, 17,
communicate by vertical flues, 18, with a horizontal flue, 19, leading to a chimney.
With the view of economising heat the pipes, 20, 21, by which the air and gas are
supplied are carried through the brick work round outside of the combination of
soaking pits and heating flues so that the air and gas may take up beat conducted
through the brick work and which would otherwise be lost. These pipes, 20, 21,
are partly indicated by dotted lines in the figures. Valves are of course fitted to
the pipes for regulating the amounts of air and gas passed through them.
In the modification shown on sheet, 2, of the drawings, there are two sets of
horizontal heating flues, 17, one set near the upper parts of the soaking pits, 10,
and the other set near the lower parts thereof, and at the parts where these flues
pass close to the soaking pits, castiron plates, 22, are built in to separate them from
the pits, these plates allowing of the comparatively quick conduction of the heat
through them. Each set of horizontal heating flues, 17, is supplied from a separate
combustion chamber, 12, to which the gas is supplied through a separate valve, the
two valves being indicated by dotted lines at, 23, in figures, 4, and 5. These
valves, 23 are fitted to branches from a vertical gas supply pipe, 24, having a
valve 25, at its upper end, whilst from its lower end a pipe, 26, is provided for
leading off any tar deposited from the gas, into a tar pit, 27. The air is admitted
through a valve, 28, and before entering the combustion chambers, 12, passes
through flues, 29, extending round the structure and partly on the outside of
flues, 30, through which the waste gases pass on their way to the flue, 19, leading
to the chimney. The air and waste-gas flues 29, 30, arc divided from each
other by castiron partitions, and heat from the waste gases is conducted through
these partitions and utilised in heating the entering air. The heated air enters the
combustion chambers, 12, by ports, 31, which are above ports, 32, through which
the gas is admitted. By suitably adjusting the gas valves, 23, the upper and lower
parts of the soaking pits, 10, may have equal or unequal amounts of heat applied
to them by means of the heating flues, 17, as may be found requisite or desirable
in practice. In this modification the draught of the chimney is depended on for
causing the gas and air to pass through the flues.
The modification shown on sheet, 3, of the drawings is of a comparatively simple
construction, and is represented as made for eight soaking pits, 10, arranged in two
rows. Three deep horizontal heating flues, 17, are constructed in the brickwork
two being on the outer sides of the two rows of soaking pits and the third between
then ;
and the ignited or highly heated gases enter by a main flue, 33, at one end
and communicating with the heating flues, 17, and pass off by a waste gas fluc, 19,
at the other end.
Where convenient the system of flues for heating the soaking pits may be put in
communication with regenerative chambers such as are used with regenerative
furnaces, the heating gases after passing through the Blues of the soaking pits being
for a time led through one pair of regenerative chambers, the air and gas then
passing through another pair, and afterwards passing through the chambers heated
by the waste gases whilst these gases are being passed through the other chambers,
the directions of the currents being periodically reversed, as is well understood. In
this way the heat employed may be considerably economised, especially in large
establishments in which the soaking pits are kept fully employed.

page_text: Where producer gas is not conveniently available the highly heated gases from
an ordinary fire may be used for heating the soaking pits by being passed through
the flues, 17, extending along the sides of the pits.
•
4. I
"
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said
Invention and in what manner the same is to be performed I have to state that
I do not restrict myself to the precise details herein described or delineated, but
I declare that what I claim is
1. The application of ignited or highly heated gases to soaking pits used for
treating steel ingots, such gases being passed through flues in the walls of the
soaking pits and not in contact with the ingots themselves, substantially as herein-
before described.
2. The combination of apparatus for applying heat to soaking pits for steel
ingots, and consisting of a combustion chamber into which gas and air are led and
in which they are ignited together with flues for the passage of the ignited gases
extending through the walls of the soaking pits and in close proximity thereto,
substantially as and for the purposes herein before described.
EDMUND HUNT,
Applicant's Agent.