IMPROVEMENTS IN THE MANUFACTURE OF IRON AND STEEL, AND IN FURNACES AND APParatus con- NECTED THEREWITH
Year: 1874

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Andrew Barclay, of Kilmarnock, in the County
of Ayr, North Britain, for the Invention of “IMPROVEMENTS IN THE
MANUFACTURE OF IRON AND STEEL, AND IN FURNACES AND APParatus con-
NECTED THEREWITH.”
Sealed the 5th December 1874, and dated the 10th October 1874.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Andrew Barclay at the
Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on the
10th October 1874.
I, ANDREW BARCLAY, of Kilmarnock, in the County of Ayr, North
Britain, do hereby declare the nature of my said Invention for "IM-
PROVEMENTS IN The Manufacture OE IRON AND STEEL, AND IN Furnaces and
APPARATUS CONNECTED THEREWITH," to be as follows:-
The improvements consist in placing a valve or closing over the
tunnel head or chimney of open top furnaces, and leading a flue directly
away from underneath the said valve on the tunnel head, or from a
short distance below the top of the tunnel head or chimney, through
which flue the flame arising from the combustion of the gases generated

page_text: in the furnace passes off to heat the steam boilers, or to heat the ovens
used for heating the blast of the furnace.
Doorways or mouths for charging the material are made in the tunnel
head or chimney immediately above the throat, as is usual in open top
furnaces, and these are provided with doors for confining the flame and
opening and closing the charging doorways or mouths when required for
charging the furnace with ore, coke, &c. The admission of air for
igniting the gases is regulated by the said doors or by suitable openings
made for the purpose.
The flues for conducting the flame to the heating ovens or steam
boilers may be lined with asbestos or other non-conducting material to
prevent the waste of heat by radiation, or an annular flue with inter-
vening radial openings into the throat may be made to surround the
throat between the charging doorways and the level of the charge in the
furnace, from which annular flue another flue or flues may be taken for
conveying the flame to the ovens and boilers.
The improvements also consist of forming a casing round about the
air vessel or tube used for conducting the air from the blowing cylinder
to the stoves or furnace, into which casing the exhaust steam from the
engine is made to enter for the purpose of heating the air in the tube :
and separating it from atmospheric moisture previous to its entering the
furnace. A number of openings or taps are put into the top side of the
air vessel for the purpose of allowing the vapour to escape before entering
the furnace or steel converter. Or in lieu of using steam a portion of
the flame coming from this furnace through the flues herein-before
mentioned may be directed through the said casing.
.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent,
filed by the said Andrew Barclay in the Great Seal Patent Office on
the 10th April 1875.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, ANDREW 30
BARCLAY, of Kilmarnock, in the County of Ayr, North Britain,
send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her

page_text: Lord One thousand eight hundred and seventy-four, in the 38th
year of Her reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs, and successors, give
and grant unto me, the said Andrew Barclay, Her special license
that I, the said Andrew Barclay, my executors, administrators, and
assigns, or such others as I, the said Andrew Barclay, my 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 "IMPROVEMENTS IN
THE MANUFACTURE OF IRON AND STEEL, AND IN FURNACES AND APPARATUS
CONNECTED THEREWITH," upon the condition (amongst others) that I, the
said Andrew Barclay, by an instrument in writing under my hand and
seal, 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 I, the said Andrew Barclay, do hereby declare
the nature of my said Invention, and in what manner the same is to
be performed, to be particularly described and ascertained in and by
the following statement, reference being had to the accompanying
Drawings, and to the letters and figures marked thereon, that is to
say:―
My said Invention, which relates to improvements in the manufacture
of iron and steel and in furnaces and apparatus connected therewith,
has for its object, in the first place, to carry away the flames and waste
products of combustion proceeding from the tunnel head of blast and
other furnaces, and to utilize the heat thereof in heating steam boilers or
the blast ovens employed in connection with the furnace itself whilst
the process of manufacture is being carried out; and in the second
place the Invention has for its object to deprive the air sent into the blast
furnace of its moisture.
On the Sheet of Drawings hereunto appended Figure 1 is a vertical
section of the upper part of a blast furnace, to which the improvements.
constituting the first part of my said Invention are shewn applied.
Figure 2 is a transverse section on the line a, b, Figure 1. As shewn by
these Figures the improvements consist in placing a valve A or closing

page_text: over the tunnel head or chimney, of open top furnaces, and leading a
flue B directly away from underneath the said valve on the tunnel head,
or from a short distance below the top of the tunnel head or chimney,
through which flue B the flame arising from the combustion of the
gases generated in the furnace passes off to heat the steam boilers, or to
heat the ovens used for heating the blast of the furnaces, or the said
flame may be employed to heat the materials contained in the interior of
puddling or other furnaces.
Doorways or mouths C for charging the material are made in the
tunnel head or chimney immediately above the throat, as is usual in
open top furnaces, and these are provided with doors for confining the
flame and opening and closing the charging doorways or mouths when
required for charging the furnace with ore, coke, &c. The admission of
air for igniting the gases is regulated by the said doors or by suitable
openings made for the purpose.
The flues B for conducting the flame to the heating ovens or steam
boilers may be lined or coated with asbestos or other non-conducting
material to prevent the waste of heat by radiation, or an annular flue
with intervening radial openings into the throat D may be made to sur-
round the throat between the charging doorways and the level of the
charge in the furnace, from which annular flue another fluc or flues may
be taken for conveying the flame to the ovens and boilers.
The improvements constituting the second part of my said Invention
consist (as shewn in vertical section at Figure 3 of the Drawings) in
forming a casing E round about the air tubes F used for conducting the
air from the blowing cylinder to the stoves or furnace, into which casing
the exhaust steam from the engine is made to enter through the pipe G
for the purpose of heating the air in the tube F and separating it from
atmospheric moisture previous to its entering the furnace. A number
of openings or taps J are put into the top side of the air vessel I, for
the purpose of allowing the vapour to escape before entering the blast
or puddling furnace, steel convertor, or other furnace where air under
pressure is employed, the said vapours being lighter than the air, and
therefore rising to the upper part of the vessel I. It is to be under-
stood however, that the air vessel I, provided as hercin-before described
with taps or openings for the escape of the moist vapours, may be
employed without being surrounded by a steam or hot-air jacket or flue,
as herein-before described. In lieu of using the exhaust steam a

page_text: portion of the flame coming from the furnace through the flue B, as
herein-before described, may be directed through the said casing for
the purpose of heating the air and separating it from atmospheric
moisture.
Having now described and particularly ascertained the nature of my
said Invention, and the system, mode, or manner in or under which the
same is or may be used or practically carried into effect, I would observe
in conclusion that what I consider to be novel and original, and therefore
claim as the Invention secured to me by the herein-before in part recited
Letters Patent is,―
First. Arranging and constructing blast or other furnaces with a
valve or other closing at their upper ends, and leading a flue or flues
directly away from underneath the said valve or from a short distance
underneath the tunnel head or chimney of the furnace in either of the
modes set forth, through which flue or flues the flames are caused to
pass, as and for the purposes herein-before described.
air
Second. Constructing the pipes or tubes communicating between the
pump
and air vessel or receiver with an annular space or jacket sur-
rounding them, as shewn on Figure 3 of the annexed Drawings, through
which exhaust steam from the pumping engine or flames from the
furnace are caused to circulate as and for the purposes herein-before
described.
Third. Placing valves, openings, or taps, in the upper part of the air
vessel for the purpose of allowing the moist vapours to escape therefrom,
as herein-before described and shewn.
In witness whereof, I, the said Andrew Barclay, have hereunto
set my hand and seal, this Ninth day of April, One thousand
hundaad and avanty fiv