IMPROVEMENTS IN TREATING ZINC ORES AND OTHER MATERIALS, CONTAINING ZINC IN BLAST FURNACES FOR EXTRACTING THE ZINO AND LEAD AND IN THE CONSTRUCTION OF SUCH SAID FURNACES
Year: 1883

page_text: COMPLETE SPECIFICATION filed by the said Leo von Neuendahl at the
Office of the Commissioners of Patents on the 3rd November 1883.
LEO VON NEUENDAHL, of the City of Breslau in the Kingdom of Prussia and
German Empire "IMPROVEMENTS IN TREATING ZINC ORES AND OTHER MATERIALS,
CONTAINING ZINC IN BLAST FURNACES FOR EXTRACTING THE ZINO AND LEAD AND
IN THE CONSTRUCTION OF SUCH SAID FURNACES,"
"
My invention relates to improvements in the process of treating zinc ores and
other materials containing zinc, in blast furnaces, for extracting the zinc and lead
and in the construction of such said furnaces.
The enormous expense of the muffles, the frequent bursting or springing of the
same, the great loss of zinc in the mufilo as well as in the Belgian system and the
total loss of the load contained in the ores led me to seek for a more advantageous
metallurgic process. According to my present invention I extract all the zinc and
at the same time all the lead from the ores employed, so that I am even able to
treat the poorest ores; for instance ores containing 2 per cent zinc and a pro-
portionate per contage of lead which is not possible with the mufflé, tubular, retort
or other system or systems known up to the present day whilst the production of
zinc and lead from richer ores is so much greater than could possibly be produced
on the old systems that an entire revolution of the zinc production must ensue.
The zinc contained in the fumes of the furnace is also won so that not only the
entire zinc but also the entire lead contained in the oro or other material is
extracted.

page_text: ahove whereby the quantity of material corresponding with each furnace charge
(in this instance about 21, Hectrolitre or 7 Bushels) is fed into the hopper a.
The charge passes from this said. hopper a into the receptacle or air light
chamber b, from thence into the hopper c which is made of fire-proof clay or
other suitable refractory material, and as soon as the former charge has becoine
sufficiently low, into the furnace itself. The body of the furnace is of cylindrical
form decreasing in conical form towards the annular gas canal and ending in a
cylinder; the same is lined with fireproof or basic bricks or other refractory
material and is enclosed in an airtight iron mantle or jacket.
The reducing or heating gases from the generator pass from the conduit or
canal e into four vertical or somewhat inclined gas canals ffff, from thence
through the annular canals g, and the tuyères h h into the base of the furnace.
The gases so introduced penetrate through the charge and escape with the metallic
products of the process through the ports or canals i ii into the tubes or
canals kkkk of fireproof clay or other suitable material. The gases pass from
thence into a circular receptacle or holder of iron or other appropriate material,
are led through two sheet iron flues or tubes m downward into the semicircular
collecting receptacle n, pass from thence into the condensing tube or canal o which
can be increased in length and provided with suitable dust collecting devices and
from o into the chimney or the same can be sucked forward by means of a suitable
pump and forced into suitable receptacles for treating the said fumes or the same
can be forced into the generator firing. The zinc condensed in the tubular chambers
or canals k k is collected at the bottom of the same and let off by means of suitable
ports into the collecting chambers p p.
The said tubular chambers or canals k k are further provided with suitable spy
holes which are closed by suitable mica or glass plates so as to be able to observe
the operation of the furnace.
The charge when freed from zinc passes from the body d of the furnace through
the short cylindrical lower part 9 into the clearing chamber from whence the same
is removed which said chamber is provided with four ports r r r r.
These
ports rrrr are provided with air tiglit doors and are only then opened when the
Baid chamber is to be emptied or when it should be found necessary to admit air
into the furnace. These arrangements in combination with the glowing charge which
is below the gas inlet ports or tuyères, prevent any superfluous air entoring which
would act in an oxydising manner on the zinc fumes evolved-Tho requisite air for
consuming the gases is introduced in heated condition and can be regulated by
clearing out the ash chamber more or less often or by allowing the ports or
openings rr to get filled with a quantity of the glowing charge which will
naturally have a great influence on the operation of the process.
b
If the consumption of the gases through this supply of air and the oxygen in
the ores in the charge is insufficient, the same can be remedied by admitting
atmospheric air through suitable openings in the furnace mantle and walls, either
direct or in warmed condition, or by pressing or forcing air in by means of suitable
apparatus.
These openings are arranged similar to the gas inlet tuyères h h h h in order to
be able to clear out gas ports and are generally closed by means of tight fitting
stoppers.
The lead and the remnants of zinc remaining in the charge, trickle through the
column of glowing matter in the clearing space onto the fusion hearth which is
composed of clay plates, beneath which clay canals are arranged which are laid or
arranged in the sole of the openings rrr in the clearing space or chamber.
The metals or alloys flow from the fusion hearth and the clay canals into dishes
or receptacles p P P placed before the said canals where the said metals or alloys
are allowed to cool.
The transverse canal's in the fundament of the furnace serves to keep out the
dampness from the earth and to catch any lead which should happen to pass into

page_text: the brickwork of the fundament-The gas canals are provided with suitable iron
or other suitable slides for regulating the gas supply as may be necessary.
The charging device a b c is also provided with slides in order to achieve as far
as possible an air tight closure to the furnace space-This air tight closure is
attained in a higher degree by means of the method of charging the furnace which
is as follows:-
As soon as the hopper c has been filled with the contents of the closing space b
the slide between the hopper c and the space b is closed, the slide between the
space b and the hopper a opened, and the charge in the hopper a admitted into
the space b, whereupon the slide between a and b is closed and in this manner a
hermetical closure of the furnace attained-The charging hopper a can now bo
charged without in the least disturbing the operation of the oven
This method of charging the oven and renewing the charge is regularly
repeated.
The advantage of this device consists chiefly therein that the charge is, in its
gradual descent into the furnace, thoroughly warmed before the same reaches its
proper level and that all deleterious or dangerous communication between the
atmospheric air and the interior of the furnace is continuously prevented
The zinc dust which has collected in the spaces or chambers l, n, o can be readily
removed from the funnels which are provided with suitable slides, which said slides
are arranged at the lower part of the said chambers
The walls of the gas canals and the gas flues e f g are constructed of refractory
gneiss or other suitable material whereas the walls of the furnace d, q, r in which
the more basic than acid charge is introduced is built of bricks of fire proof clay
The tuyères h h are lined with neutral graphite bricks to avoid the contact of
the two fireproof materials employed (gneiss and fire proof clay) as the same are
chemically opposed to each other so that a rapid destruction of the tuyères h h
would occur in the open fire
The graphite bricks of tuyères join on the one side, the annular canal g onto the
wall of gneiss bricks on the other side in the furnace d and q, the firo proof
clay walls.
It is evident from the foregoing that my invention for improvements in treating
zinc ores and other materials containing zinc in blast furnaces for extracting the
zinc and lead and in the construction of such said furnaces can be modified in
various manners without departing from the tenor of my said invention.
"
Having now described my said invention and the manner in which the same is
to or may be carried into effect I desire it to be understood that I do not broadly
claim the employment of a blast furnace for extracting zinc alone, as this has been
frequently attempted but without result, but what I do claim and desire to have
secured by Letters Patent is :-
1.-The process of subjecting zinc ore, other materials containing zinc, zinkiferous
furnace waste and other products of a similar class to a distilling process and a
smelting process in a blast or other similar furnace for the purpose of producing or
extracting both the zinc and the lead, in other words treating zinkiferous and
plumbiferous ore and other materials in a direct manner (in opposition to the
extracting of the zinc in muffles, tubes, crucibles and such like) in a blast or high
furnace in such manner that not only all the zine but also the entire lead contained
in the ores or other material, is won and whereby the zinc in the furnace fumes
and the zink dust are collected in suitable receptacles substantially as described in
the foregoing specification and shown in the accompanying drawings.
•
2. The general construction arrangement and employment of the blast furnace
for the production of zinc and lead from zinkiferous and plumbiferous ores and other
materials substantially as described in the foregoing specification and shown in the
accompanying drawings.
3. The arrangement and employment of a generator firing e and the
canals ffffg in combination with the ordinary reducing materials, cinder coke or
coal, for heating the furnace and reducing the ores or other zinkiferous plumbiferous

page_text: materials substantially as described in the foregoing specification and shown in the
accompanying drawings.
4.-Connecting the upper part of the furnace with the tubular chambers kkkk
of clay or other suitable material by means of the flues or outlets ii in order to be
able to condense and let off the metallic zinc and also to lead off the oxyd of zinc
and zinc dust substantially as described in the accompanying drawings.
5. The construction arrangement and employment of the inclined sole of the
clearing chambers rrrr in the lower part of the furnace for collecting and leading
off the lead produced in the furnace through clay or other suitablo tubes into
appropriate pans or receptacles and the arrangement and employment of the
transverse flue or canal s in the fundament of the furnace substantially as describod
in the foregoing specification and shown in the accompanying drawings.
8
6-The construction arrangement and employment of the hermetical closure of
the upper part of the furnace consisting of the arrangement of a charging hopper a
in connection with an air chamber 6 and a fireproof clay funnel or hopper c
"whereby a and b and b and c are entirely and hermetically shut off from all
communication with each other by means of suitablo slides so that a regular
continuous operation of the furnace is assured and so that the charge can be
regulated according to requirements and the charge admitted into the furnace.
without atmospheric air entering the said furnaco with the charge substantially as
described in the foregoing specification and shown in the accompanying drawings.
7.-The arrangement employment and combination of the tubular chambers k
with the closed sheet iron or other canal with which the suid tubular chambers k k
communicate, whereas the annular canal communicates with iron or othor
tubes m of larger diameter than the tubular chambers which said tubes m are
in communication with the semicircular or semi annular receptacle n and with the
condensing chambers o in order to intercept and win the outire zink dust escaping
from the furnace substantially as described in the foregoing specification and shown
in the accompanying drawings.
8. The construction arrangement and employment of the tuyères h h of
graphite bricks in order to prevent the destructive action of the contact between
the basic bricks, fireproof clay and the gneiss or other bricks when exposed to an
open firo substantially as described in the foregoing specification and shown in the
accompanying drawings.
9. The arrangement and employment of well packed openings or ports for
introducing cold, hot or compressed air into the annular canal g and from thence
through the tuyères h h into the furnace for regulating the combustion in the same
substantially as described in the foregoing specification and shewn in the
accompanying drawings.
10. The withdrawal of the metallic vapors out of the hermetically closed
furnace by means of an exhauster or a suitable air pump substantially as described
in the foregoing specification and shown in the accompanying drawings.
In witness whereof I the said Leo von Neuendahl have hereunto set my hand
and seal this First day of October in the year of Our Lord One thousand eight
hundred and eighty three.
LEO NETIENDA TTT Gal
Witnesses :-
HUGO DIETERIOH, Breslau,
Berliner Av. 49.
PAUL SPEIER, Breslau
Breite Str. 1º/u
11
LEO ON NETTEND A ITT