IMPROVE- MENTS IN THE CONSTRUCTION OF BLAST FURNACES
Year: 1869

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to John Watson Ormiston, of Shotts' Iron Works,
in the County of Lanark, Manager, for the Invention of "IMPROVE-
MENTS IN THE CONSTRUCTION OF BLAST FURNACES."
Sealed the 7th September 1869, and dated the 16th July 1869.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said John Watson Ormiston
at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on
the 16th July 1869.
I, JOHN WATSON ORMISTON, of Shotts' Iron Works, in the County of
Lanark, Manager, do hereby declare the nature of my said Invention
for "IMPROVEMENTS IN THE CONSTRUCTION OF BLAST FURNACES," to be as
follows:-
This Invention relates to an improved construction of blast furnace
for the better or more perfect utilization of the gases evolved therefrom.
According to my Invention the furnace is constructed with an annular
chamber placed at or near the top of the barrel of the furnace, into

page_text: which chamber the gases from the furnace are conducted, upon which
gases a current of atmospheric air is directed in any convenient manner,
by which means the gases are capable of being ignited, and in this
ignited state are passed down a series of flues or passages between the
inner and outer linings of the furnace, whereby the furnace is kept in
a very highly heated state; the gases are then carried to an annular
chamber at the bottom of the barrel, from which chamber they pass to
the heaters and may be further utilized for any of the heating purposes
connected with the manufacture of iron or other purposes.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent,
filed by the said John Watson Ormiston in the Great Seal Patent
Office on the 15th January 1870.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, JOHN
WATSON ORMISTON, of Shotts' Iron Works, in the County of Lanark,
Manager, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her
Letters Patent, bearing date the Sixteenth day of July, in the year of
our Lord One thousand eight hundred and sixty-nine, in the thirty-
third year of Her reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors,
give and grant unto me, the said John Watson Ormiston, Her special
licence that I, the said John Watson Ormiston, my executors, adminis-
trators, and assigns, or such others as I, the said John Watson Ormiston,
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 CONSTRUCTION OF BLAST FURNACES," upon the condition
(amongst others) that I, the said John Watson Ormiston, my executors,
or administrators, 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.

page_text: NOW KNOW YE, that I, the said John Watson Ormiston, 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 relates to an improved construction of blast
furnace for the better or more perfect utilization of the gases evolved
therefrom.
According to my Invention the furnace is constructed with an annular
chamber placed at or near the top of the barrel of the furnace, into
which chamber the gases from the furnace are conducted, upon which
gases a current of atmospheric air is directed in any convenient manner,
by which means the gases are capable of being ignited, and in this
ignited state are passed down a series of flues or passages between the
inner and outer linings of the furnace, whereby the furnace is kept in
a very highly heated state; the gases are then carried to an annular
chamber at the bottom of the barrel, from which chamber they pass to
the heaters and may be further utilized for any of the heating purposes
connected with the manufacture of iron or other purposes.
And in order that my said Invention may be fully understood I shall
now proceed more particularly to describe the same, and for that purpose
shall refer to the several Figures on the annexed Slicet of Drawings, the
the same letters of reference indicating corresponding parts in all the
Figures.
:
Figure 1 of my Drawings represents a sectional elevation of a blast
furnace constructed according to my said Invention; Figure 2 is a
horizontal section taken through the upper annular chamber or flue;
and Figure 3 is a similar section taken through the lower annular
chamber or flue.
A is the barrel of a blast furnace, within the brickwork of which
there is constructed an annular chamber or flue B situate at or near
the top of the furnace; C, C, are a number of lateral openings made
in the upper part of the furnace, and communicating directly with
the annular chamber B for the escape of the combustible gases into
such chamber; whilst in this chamber atmospheric air is mixed with
the gases in order to render them capable of being ignited. This
may be accomplished by circular pipes G round the exterior of the

page_text: furnace with branches leading into the chamber or flue B, or the
circular pipes may be laid in a tunnel or space directly over the
flue with (in either case) two or more branches H opening into the
atmosphere, as shewn in Figure 2, provided with suitable valves for
regulating the supply, or if preferred or found necessary to admit air of
a higher pressure than the atmosphere the supply may be taken from
the blowing engines which supply the blast to the furnaces, or from any
other engine erected for the purpose. In their ignited state the gases
pass from the chamber B down a series of vertical flues or passages D, D,
constructed between the inner and outer linings of the furnace, thereby
maintaining the sides of the furnace at an elevated temperature. These
flues or passages D, D, open at their lower extremities into an annular
chamber or flue E constructed round the bottom of the barrel of the
furnace, from which chamber or flue they escape by suitable conduits
at F, F, to the heaters, or for use in other ways.
Having now described and particularly ascertained the nature of my
said Invention, and the manner in which the same is or may be used or
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, the combination
of the annular chamber or flue B, the openings C, vertical flues D,
annular chamber or flue E, and conduits at F, substantially in the
manner and for the purpose herein-before described and illustrated by
my Drawings.
In witness whereof, I, the said John Watson Ormiston, have to
this my Specification set my hand and seal, the Fourteenth
day of January One thousand eight hundred and seventy.