Improvements in the Manufacture of Iron and Steel and in Blast Furnaces Employed therein.
Year: 1886

page_text: Date of Application, 29th Sept.,
Complete Left, 26th July, 1887.
1886.
Complete Accepted, 26th Aug., 1887.
Improvements in the Manufacture of Iron and Steel and in Blast
Furnaces Employed therein.
We CARL JOHAN SANDAHL, of Trimsarn, in the County of Caermarthen, South
Wales, Engineer and JOHN BIRCHALL, of Oaklands, Rainhill, in the County of
Lancaster, Gentleman, and JOSEPH MUSSON, of 25 Water Street, Liverpool, in the
County of Lancaster, Merchant, do hereby declare the nature of the said invention to
be as follows:-
:-
According to our Invention we reduce iron ore to a spongy metallic state in a
suitable vessel, or barrel by any suitable known means, such as by gaseous (liquid) or
solid fuel. When the ore is thus reduced it is withdrawn with the flux laterally by
suitable mechanical or manual raking, or equivalent devices and is then smelted by
gaseous fuel in a suitable second vessel; namely a crucible, or hearth connected to the
first above named vessel. The gas we prefer to employ for smelting is water gas, or
a gas approximating it in its constituent parts or producer gas; or combined producer
and water gas may
be employed. After the passage of the gases through the molten
and melting metal they will be in a highly heated state and will consist partly of com-
bustible and non combustible
These
gases.
gases are led away by a suitable duct, or
ducts and are utilized for heating purposes. When so used air is mixed with them
and thus the heat of combustion and sensible heat of them may as far as possible be
availed of. A suitable and convenient arrangement and construction of blast furnace
and mode of working such furnace for the carrying out of the manufacture of iron
and steel as above set forth consists as follows. The reducer barrel, or vessel and the
crucible, or hearth of the furnace are placed side by side but the reducer barrel is on
higher level thus the spongy iron may be readily and easily removed from it to the
crucible. This is effected by drawing or pushing the spongy metal down an inclined
duct provided for that purpose and which communicates with the lower portion of the
reducer barrel and the upper portion of the crucible or hearth. A door is provided
above the crucible or in the reducer barrel whereby the sponge and slag may be
pushed or drawn into the crucible. The reducer barrel is provided with inlets at its
lower portion for gas for reducing the ore to the metallic iron sponge. The hearth iş
8

page_text: lined with a suitable lining such as chrome iron ore and its upper portion is provided
with an aperture and a lined pipe, or flue by which the gases after having passed
upwards through the burden in the crucible are conveyed away to any desired locality
for uses as above specified. Thus the mode of operation is: the barrel being supplied
with ore and flux in the ordinary way and the fuel applied the ore is reduced to a
metallic spongy state in the reducer vessel and is pushed or drawn when required down
the inclined duct into the melting crucible where it is melted by the application of
water gas or like gas, or other gas. The slag and metal being drawn off in the usual
or any suitable manner, and the hot gases employed in the smelting are led away from
the top of the crucible for use for heating purposes such as generating steam.
The product of combustion arising from the burning of the gases with the blast in
the hearth or crucible will contain a quantity of carbonic acid and steam and being led
away as described and not passed through the burden of the preparing and prepared
ore and metallic sponge can have no deleterious effect by oxidation, or other action and
therefore the reducer of the ore is not interfered with.
Dated this 28th day of Santambo, 1986
CARL JOHAN SANDAHL.
JOHN BIRCHALL.
JOSEPH MUSSON.
By Cheesbrough & Royston,
Agents.

page_text: COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in the Manufacture of Iron and Steel and in Blast
Furnaces Employed therein.
We, CARL JOHAN SANDAHL, of Trimsarn, in the County of Caermarthen, South
Wales, Engineer and JOHN BIRCHALL, of Oaklands, Rainhill, in the County of
Lancaster, Gentleman, and JOSEPH MUSSON, of 25 Water Street, Liverpool, in the
County of Lancaster, Merchant, do hereby declare the nature of the said invention
and in what manner the same is to be performed, to be particularly described and
ascertained in and by the following statement:-
According to our Invention we reduce iron ore to a spongy metallic state in a
suitable vessel, or barrel by any suitable known means, such as by gaseous (liquid), or
solid fuel. When the ore is thus reduced it is withdrawn with the flux laterally by
suitable mechanical, or manual raking, or equivalent devices and is then smelted by
gaseous fuel in a suitable second vessel; namely a crucible, ro hearth connected to the
first above named vessel. The gas we prefer to employ for smelting is water gas, or a
gas approximating it in its constituent parts, or producer gas, or combined producer
and water gas may be employed. After the passage of the gases through the molten
and inelting metal they will be in a highly heated state and will consist partly of com-
bustible and non combustible gases. These gases are led away by a suitable duct, or
ducts and are utilized for heating purposes. When so used air is mixed with them
and thus the heat of combustion and sensible heat of them may as far as possible be
availed of. A suitable and convenient arrangement and construction of blast furnace
and mode of working such furnace for the carrying out of the manufacture of iron
and steel as above set forth consists as follows. The reducer barrel, or vessel and the
crucible, or hearth of the furnace are placed side by side but the reducer barrel is on a
higher level, thus the spongy iron may be readily and easily removed from it to the
crucible. This is effected by drawing, or pushing the spongy metal down an inclined
duct provided for that purpose and which communicates with the lower portion of the
reducer barrel and the upper portion of the crucible, or hearth. A door or doors is
provided above the crucible, or in the reducer barrel whereby the sponge and slag may
be pushed, or drawn into the crucible. The reducer barrel is provided with inlets at
its lower portion for gas for reducing the ore to the metallic iron sponge. The hearth
is lined with a suitable lining, such as chrome iron ore and its upper portion is provided
with an aperture and a lined pipe, or flue by which the gases after having passed
upwards through the burden in the crucible are conveyed away to any desired locality
for uses as above specified. Thus the mode of operation is: the barrel being supplied
with ore and flux in the ordinary way and the fuel applied, the ore is reduced to a
metallic spongy state in the reducer vessel and is pushed, or drawn when required,
down the inclined duct into the melting crucible where it is melted by the application
of water gas, or like gas, or other gas. The slag and metal being drawn off in the
usual, or any suitable manner; and the hot gases emploeyd in the smelting are led away
from the top of the crucible for use for heating purposes such as generating steam.

page_text: The product of combustion arising from the burning of the gases with the blast in
the hearth, or crucible will contain a quantity of carbonic acid and steam and being
led away as described and not passed through the burden of the preparing and prepared
ore and metallic sponge can have no deleterious effect by oxidation, or other action
and therefore the reduction of the ore is not interfered with.
In order to explain our said Invention more clearly we will proceed to describe
the same with reference to the accompanying Drawing which illustrates an example
of a blast furnace constructed according to our Invention and forms a part of this
Specification. The Drawing is marked with letters of reference corresponding with
those used in the following explanation.
The Drawing illustrates apparatus suitable for conducting, or carrying out the
improvements according to our Invention.
A is the reducer barrel. B is the crucible and C is the duct forming a communi-
cation between the reducer and the crucible. The reducer barrel is provided with gas
tuyeres a and a gas chamber a¹ and passage a* The gas is led to the chamber a¹ and
passage a' by the hollow column d from a gas main d'. Besides the main gas tuyeres a
there are others a³ provided, which lead from the chamber a¹ into the duct () by which
gas will flow to and reduce the ore that may exist in it.
The upper part of the reducer A is provided with an ordinary cup bell hopper
arrangement and a cased outlet pipe e for leading away the gases from the reducer.
frepresents passages provided for the purpose of having access from the outside to the
tuyeres a and a by which they can be cleaned.
With reference to the crucible B it will be seen the tuyeres are arranged in pairs
one set 6 being air tuyeres and the other set for gas. The pipes leading to the air
tuyeres are provided with working joints, namely ball and socket joints at hand h¹
and telescopic joints at h². The air tuyeres are supplied from a common air jacket, or
maini which is fed by a pipe and the gas tuyeres are supplied from a common main ³.
The working joints h h' and ' of the air tuyeres permit of the air being directed in
any desired direction or a change of direction during the process of smelting. For
instance the air can be blown downwards at the beginning of the melting process and
can be raised higher as the melting goes on.
The jacket i tends to keep the outside of the walls of the crucible above the tuyeres
comparatively cool, the heat being taken up by the air and reintroduced by it when blown
through the air tuyeres. The lower part, or hearth of the crucible is surrounded by a
water jacket k provided to maintain it comparatively cool. A suitable tapping hole is
provided in the crucible but not shown in the Drawings, its position being merely
indicated in dotted lines l. is a slag tuyere. m is the passage for conveying away
the waste gases from the crucible. n is an aperture which is used for supplying solid
fuel to the crucible, or for other purposes.
The crucible B is separated from the reducer A by the valves o of the sluice valve
type. The valves may be waterlined and constructed in any known form, or way.
An aperture o¹ and a similar valve o' is provided for gaining access to the duct C when
it is required to rake, or pull down the spongy iron from the duct into the crucible in
which case of course the valves o are also raised.
In operation the barrel being supplied with ore and flux in the ordinary way and the
fuel applied the ore is reduced to a metallic spongy state in the reducer vessel A.
When a sufficient quantity is so reduced the valves o and o² are opened and a quantity
of the metallic sponge is drawn, or raked down the duct Cand falls into the crucible B.
When the crucible is charged the gas and air are introduced into it and rise through
the charge escaping by the passage m. The metallic sponge will thus be melted and
fall to the bottom, or hearth of the crucible from where it is drawn off in the
usual way.
We would state that the above description with reference to the Drawing merely
sets forth an example of our Invention and the means of carrying it into effect, but it
is not confined to the said particular construction and arrangement of furnace, as it
may be varied in many ways without departing from our Invention so long as its
essential features as indicated by the accompanying claiming clauses. are maintained.

page_text: Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of our said Invention
and in what manner the same is to be performed we would state that we are well
aware that previous to this Invention it has been proposed to reduce iron ore to a
metallic spongy state previously to its being melted and we make no claim in general
to such a process of manufacturing iron and steel, but what we do claim in respect
of the manufacture of iron and steel and blast furnaces employed therein is
First. The process, or method herein described of manufacturing iron and steel,
which process, or method consists of (1) reducing iron ore to a spongy metallic
state in a vessel by a reducing gas as described (2) removing the spongy metal
from the said vessel to a crucible (in the manner described) and (3) melting such
spongy metal in the said crucible, all substantially as set forth.
Second. A blast furnace for the manufacture of iron and steel consisting of a reducing
vessel (such as A) a duct (such as C) and a crucible (such as B) substantially as and
for the purposes set forth.
Third. In a blast furnace of the type herein described the combined application of
a reducing gas to the reducing vessel (A) and gas and air to the crucible (B)
substantially as and for the purposes set forth.
Fourth. The blast furnace set forth with reference to the Drawing consisting
essentially of a reducing vessel A having gas tuyeres a, duct C, valves o, crucible B,
air and gas tuyeres 6 and 6', passage m, aperture n and aperture of all arranged
constructed and operating substantially as described.