CERTAIN IMPROVEMENTS IN THE MEANS OF COLLECTING WASTE GASES ARISING FROM BLAST FURNACES."
Year: 1865

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Samuel Whitehouse, the elder, Samuel Whitehouse,
the younger, Jeremiah Whitehouse, and William Whitehouse, all of
Dudley, in the County of Worcester, Engineers, for the Invention of
"CERTAIN IMPROVEMENTS IN THE MEANS OF COLLECTING WASTE GASES ARISING
FROM BLAST FURNACES."
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Samuel Whitehouse, the
elder, Samuel Whitehouse, the younger, Jeremiah Whitehouse, and
William, Whitehouse at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with
their Petition, on the 18th December 1865.
We, SAMUEL WHITEHOUSE, the elder, SAMUEL WHITEHOUSE, the younger,
JEREMIAH WHITEHOUSE, and WILLIAM WHITEHOUSE, all of Dudley, in the
County of Worcester, Engineers, do hereby declare the nature of the said.
Invention for "CERTAIN IMPROVEMENTS IN THE MEANS OF COLLECTING WASTE
GASES ARISING FROM BLAST FURNACES," to be as follows:-
The object of this Invention is by the means herein-after explained to
collect for utilisation the waste gases which arise from blast furnaces, and
which are now commonly allowed to escape from the top of the furnace into
the outer air, and so much valuable product is wasted. Various methods to
effect the collection of the gases so evolved have been tried, but with only
partial success.
According to our Invention we propose to enclose the whole of the top of the
furnace, and-by the means herein-after explained we propose also to prevent
any escape of the inflammable gases through what are technically known as
the "filling holes," and which said holes are apertures constructed in the

page_text: 5.
furnace for the purpose of feeding it with mineral as required. In this
manner we are enabled to collect the whole of the gases for the purposes for
which they may be afterwards designed. Upon a ring on the in-wall bricks
of the furnace top we place a cylindrical dome of wrought and cast iron,
rising about six feet above the top of the furnace. The said dome is made
with cast-iron circle flanges, screwed or rivetted together, and wrought-iron
plates rivetted to the said circle flanges, the said dome being constructed in
segments, so that upon any part being injured by the heat of the furnace, or
from any other cause, it can be renewed without it being necessary to renew
the whole. It is at present customary merely to shoot the mineral through
an aperture or apertures made for that purpose in what has been hitherto the
"tunnel head" of the furnace, but according to our Invention at the bottom
of the dome, and even with the top of the furnace, we introduce at certain
distances round the top of the furnace iron tubes or pipes going downward
into the furnace to the depth of five or six feet. These filling pipes may be
of
any
convenient number, and of any desired shape and size, and as will be
readily understood are for the purpose of furnishing the necessary supply of
mineral to the furnace. The furnace being kept continually supplied it is
evident the gases cannot escape as hitherto through the filling holes. The
said tubes or pipes may be of either wrought or cast iron, and are so fixed
that supposing one to become damaged it can be taken out and another one
supplied in a few hours. The spaces between the said filling pipes naturally
form flues to conduct the gases into the dome, and when the said gases arrive
at the top of the dome they are carried away from thence by means of a
T-pipe affixed thereto, or by any other convenient method.

page_text: unto us, the said Samuel Whitehouse, the elder, Samuel Whitehouse, the
younger, Jeremiah Whitehouse, and William Whitehouse, Her special licence
that we, the said Samuel Whitehouse, the elder, Samuel Whitehouse, the
younger, Jeremiah Whitehouse, and William Whitehouse, our executors,
administrators, and assigns, or such others as we, the said Samuel White-
house, the elder, Samuel Whitehouse, the younger, Jeremiah Whitehouse,
and William Whitehouse, our executors, administrators, and assigns, should
at any time agree with, and no others, from time to time and at all times
thereafter during the term therein expressed, should and lawfully might
make, use, exercise, and vend, within the United Kingdom of Great Britain
and Ireland, the Channel Islands, and Isle of Man, an Invention for "CER-
TAIN IMPROVEMENTS IN THE MEANS OF COLLECTING WASTE GASES ARISING FROM
BLAST FURNACES," upon the condition (amongst others) that we, the said
Samuel Whitehouse, the elder, Samuel Whitehouse, the younger, Jeremiah
Whitehouse, and William Whitehouse, our executors or administrators, by
an instrument in writing under our, or their, or one of their hands and seals,
should particularly describe and ascertain the nature of the said Invention,
and in what manner the same was to be performed, and cause the same to be
filed in the Great Seal Patent Office within six calendar months next and
immediately after the date of the said Letters Patent.
NOW KNOW YE, that we, the said Samuel Whitehouse, the elder,
Samuel Whitehouse, the younger, Jeremiah Whitehouse, and William White-
house, do hereby declare the nature of our said Invention, and in what
manner the same is to be performed, to be particularly described and ascer-
tained in and by the following statement (that is to say): ÷
The object of this Invention is by the means herein-after explained to
collect for utilisation the waste gases which arise from blast furnaces, and
which are now commonly allowed to escape from the top of the furnace into
the outer air, and so much valuable product is wasted. Various methods to
effect the collection of the gases so evolved have been tried, but with only
partial success.
According to our Invention, we propose to enclose the whole of the top of
the furnace, and by the means herein-after explained, we propose also to
prevent any escape of the inflammable gases through what are technically
known as the "filling holes," and which said holes are apertures constructed
in the furnace for the purpose of feeding it with mineral as required. In this
manner we are enabled to collect the whole of the gases for the purposes for
which they may be afterwards designed. Upon a ring on the in-wall bricks
of the furnace top we place a cylindrical dome of wrought and cast iron,

page_text: rising about six feet above the top of the furnace. The said dome cis' made'
with cast-iron circle flanges screwed or rivetted together, and wrought iron
plates rivetted to the said circle flanges, the said dome being constructed in-
segments, so that upon any part being injured by the heat of the furnace,:
or from any other cause, it can be renewed without it being necessary to
renew the whole. It is at present' customary merely to shoot the mineral
through an aperture or apertures made for that purpose in what has been'
hitherto the "tunnel head" of the furnace, but according to our Invention>
at the bottom of the dome and even with the top of the furnace we introduce
at certain distances round the top of the furnace iron tubes or pipes, going.
downward into the furnace to the depth of five or six feet. These filling pipes:
may be of any convenient number, and of any desired shape and size, and as
will be readily understood are for the purpose of furnishing the necessary.
supply of mineral to the furnace. The furnace being kept continually supplied
it is evident the gases cannot escape as hitherto through the filling.holes. The
said tubes or pipes may be of either wrought or cast iron, and are so fixed that
supposing one to become damaged it can be easily taken out and another
-one supplied in a few hours. The spaces between the said filling pipes.
naturally form flues to conduct the gases into the dome, and when the said.
gases arrive at the top of the dome they are carried away from thence by
means of a T-pipe affixed thereto, or by any other convenient method..
4
That our Invention may be better understood we have annexed Drawings
thereof, which we now proceed to describe.
Fig. 1 is a plan of the dome, one part of which is in section, and another
part having the cast-iron flange, upon which is fixed the T-pipe removed
Fig. 2 is an elevation, having one-fourth of the dome entirely removed.
Similar letters of reference refer to like parts in both Figs.
a, a, a, a, is a cast-iron ring, which is cast in segments, bolted together?
and set upon the in-wall of the furnace 9, 9 (Fig. 2); b, b, b, b, are the cast-
iron circle flanges bolted together (to which the wrought-iron plates are
rivetted), resting upon the said ring a; c, c, c, c, are the filling holes, and
c, c, are the cast-iron filling pipes going down into the furnace; d, d, is the
flange upon the top of the dome, to which may be affixed the T-pipe. In the
present case the dome is divided into four parts, and is bolted together by
the said cast-iron circle flanges, each segment containing one filling hole.
The spaces between the filling holes 6, e, form the flues by which the gases
are conducted to the dome head. The dotted line across the furnace (Fig. 2)
represents the probable level of the mineral in the filling holes and furnace.
Having now described the nature of our said Invention, and the manner

page_text: in which the same is or may be performed, we desire it to be understood that
without limiting ourselves to the precise details herein-before set forth (as
these may be to some extent varied or modified without departing from the
nature of our said Invention), we desire to claim as the Invention to be
protected by the herein-before in part recited Letters Patent the "Certain
Improvements in the Means of Collecting Waste Gases arising from Blast
Furnaces," substantially as herein-before described and shewn in the Drawings
hereunto annexed.
In witness whereof, we, the said Samuel Whitehouse, the elder, Samuel
Whitehouse, the younger, Jeremiah Whitehouse, and William
Whitehouse, have hereunto set our hands and seals, this Fifteenth day
of June, in the year of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and
10
5
0
SAMUEL WHITEHOUSE.
(L.S.) SEN.
SAMUEL WHITEHOUSE, JN.
(L.S.)
JEREMIAH WHITEHOUSE.
(LS.)
WILLIAM WHITEHOUSE.
(L.B.)
Witness,
G. R. HOLLAND,
Patent Office,
Birmingham.