Improvements in the Smelting of Ores.
Year: 1894

page_text: PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in the Smelting of Ores.
RICHARD FEGAN Templecrone Blackheath Doctor of Medicine do hereby
declare the nature of this invention to be as follows:-
In the smelting of metalliferous ores, the yield of metal entirely depends upon
the more or less completeness of the chemical reactions which take place in the
furnace. The chief aim therefore of the smelter is to bring every particle of the
ore into close contact with the particles of the reducing agents.
By the ordinary methods the loose materials are placed on the furnace bed and
the mixing is performed by rabbling, this plan is very uncertain in its results and
especially so where poor ores are under treatment.
The object of this invention is the combination of metalliferous ores with the
necessary reducing agents, in a solid compact form as a preliminary for the smelting
operation.
I take the ore, galena, for example, along with the usual decomposing
ingredients, coke, iron, & lime-all in the condition of powder, and to these I add
a suitable proportion of napththalene & hard pitch, from the distillation of
colophony.
These materials I place in a pug or other suitable vessel where they are
thoroughly mixed by stirring, sufficient heat being applied at the same time, to melt
the napththalene and pitch. When the heating and mixing are completed, the hot
magma is transferred to a compressing machine where it is pressed into blocks of
any convenient size.
The blocks harden quickly and are then ready for the smelting furnace.
The ordinary coal briquette machine is suitable for making the blocks.
The pitch I refer to is the comparatively valueless residue left in the stills after
the resin products have been volatilized-but I find that paraffin pitch with a
melting point of 130° Fahrenheit or over, may also be used for my purpose.
The carbon employed in the ordinary smelting processes is in large part lost, but
when combined in a briquette as described, the requisite conditions for decom-
position is established and the largest possible yield of metal is obtained.
Considerable economy is hereby effected (1) in the smaller amount of fuel
necessary (2) the higher production of metal & (3) the saving in furnace labour.
The quantities of napththalene and pitch must necessarily vary with the kind
and quality of the ore under treatment, but I find generally that 4% of
napththalene and 4 % of pitch gives good results.
Ores, hitherto too poor for smelting in the ordinary way can now be profitably
utilized by my process.
Dated this 5th day of November 1894.

page_text: Improvements in the smelting of ures.
I, RICHARD FEGAN, Templecrone, Blackheath, Doctor of Medicine, 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 :-
In the smelting of ores, the yield of metal depends largely on the degree of
perfection in which the chemical reactions are carried out in the smelting furnace.
It is therefore the main object of the smelter to bring every portion of the ore into
intimate contact with the reducing agents without thereby disproportionately
increasing the costs of smelting.
By the ordinary methods, the loose materials are placed on the furnace bed and
the mixing is performed by rabbling; this plan is very uncertain in its .results and
especially so where poor ores are under treatment.
For effecting an intimate mixture of the ores with the reducing agents it has
been endeavoured to incorporate the ores with the reducing materials in the form
of blocks, in using certain binding materials for this purpose, such as lime, clay,
tar, peat, petroleum residues and the like.
None of these attempts have 'however led to any practical result, as a large
quantity of the said binding materials require to be employed, which on the one
hand considerably increased the cost of smelting, while on the other hand the blocks
rapidly softened under the action of heat and the blocks became disintegrated
before the reducing action had taken place.
My present invention relates to an improved production of blocks compounded of
ore, reducing agents and binding material which effectually obviates the above
mentioned disadvantages. It.consists in combining together the ore such as galena
and the reducing material such as coke, iron and lime, in a finely divided condition,
with small quantities of naphthalin and the hard residues of the distillation of
colophony, also finely pulverised, these ingredients being thoroughly incorporated
under the influence of heat, sufficient to melt the colophony residues and
naphthalin.
When the heating and mixing is completed the hot magma is transferred to any
suitable compressing apparatus where it is pressed into blocks of convenient size.
The blocks.harden quickly and are then ready for the smelting furnace.
The ordinary coal briquette machine is suitable for making the blocks. The
pitch I refer to is the comparatively valueless residue left in the stills after the
resin products have been volatilised, but I find that paraffin pitch with a melting
point of about 130° F. or over may also be used for my purpose. The blocks
prepared as above described become as hard as concrete, and they retain their form
in the smelting furnace sufficiently long to ensure the complete reduction of, the
metallic constituents of the ore therein.
With this process very considerably less binding material is required than with
the processes before proposed and the production of the .blocks or briquettes is
greatly cheapened.
In addition, the advantage is gained that the .blocks thus prepared :can be readily
transported without breakage.
In the ordinary smelting process a large proportion of the carbon used is wasted,
but when it is combined in briquette form according to my above described process
the requisite conditions for perfect decomposition are established and the largest
possible yield of metal is obtained.
Thus, considerable economy is effected, firstly, in the smaller amount of fuel
necessary, secondly, by the larger proportion of metal produced, and thirdly, in the
saving of furnace labour.

page_text: The quantities of colophony residues and naphthalin employed must necessarily
vary with the kind and quality of the ore under treatment, but I generally find
that about 2 per cent. of naphthalin and 4 per cent. of the colophony residues give
good results.
By means of my above described invention ores that were hitherto considered
too poor for smelting in the ordinary way, can be profitably utilised.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of this inven-
tion and in what manner the same is to be performed, I declare that what I
claim is :-
In the smelting of ores, the method of forming the ore and reducing agents into
blocks or briquettes by mixing the same in a finely reduced condition with a small
proportion of naphthalin and the distillation residues of colophony or paraffin under
the action of heat for melting the naphthalin and residues, such mixture being then
formed into blocks by pressure, substantially as described.
Dated this 6th day of July 1895.
ABEL & IMRAY,
Agents for the Applicant.