IMPROVEMENTS IN TREATING ORES AND ALLOYS OF NICKEL
Year: 1876

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Sir Josiah Mason, of Erdington, near Birmingham, in
the County of Warwick, Knight, and Alexander Parkes, of Gravelly Hill,
near Birmingham aforesaid, Metallurgist, for the Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS
IN TREATING ORES AND ALLOYS OF NICKEL"
Scaled the 28th July 1876, and dated the 17th May 1876.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Sir Josiah Mason aud
Alexander Parkes at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents on the 17th
May 1876.
Sir JOSIAH MASON, of Erdington, near Birmingham, in the County of Warwick,
Knight, and Alexander Parkes, of Gravelly Hill, near Birmingham, aforesaid,
Metallurgist. "IMPROVEMENTS IN TREATING ORES AND ALLOYS OF NICKEL."
Our Invention has for its object to treat ores of nickel so as to obtain therefrom
nickel, or alloys of nickel, and to treat alloys of nickel so as to obtain nickel
therefrom, or to purify them from objectionable impurities.
Our Invention consists, first, in reducing oxidized ores of nickel by means of
granulated copper or precipitated copper, or native copper in a granular state, such
as coro coro, in conjunction with fluxes and carbon, so as to obtain an alloy of
nickel and copper, which alloy may be refined either by the wet way or by the
method patented by one of us, namely, the said Alexander Parkes, on the Tenth
day of February 1876, No. 540.
In
Our Invention further consists in treating in the manner herein-after described
sulphuret of nickel, by preference that obtained from New Caledonian ores.
order to obtain the said sulphurct we fuse the ore with fluor spar and carbon
together with native or artificial sulphuret of nickel, sulphuret of copper, sulphuret
of lead, or sulphuret of iron. The fusion may be effected in blast furnaces, rever-
beratory, or other furnaces, or in crucibles or vessels heated in furnaces. The
sulphuret obtained by treating Now Caledonian nickel ores in the way last
described may be calcined and the product dissolved in hydrochloric acid, and the
nickel separated from the solution in the usual manner.
Our Invention consists further in obtaining an alloy of nickel and copper from
sulphur compounds of nickel by fusing them with oxido of copper, an alloy being
thereby produced composed essentially of nickel and copper. Tho alloy so obtained
may be refined in the usual manner, if not sufliciently free from impurities to be
used in the manufacture of German silver.
Price 71

page_text: Our Invention consists further in treating New Caledonian nickel ores or other
oxidized ores of nickel in the following manner-We fuse or heat to incipient
fusion New Caledonian nickel ores or other oxidized compounds of nickel mixed
with chloride of sodium, chloride of calcium, chloride of manganese, or chlorido of
zinc. By grinding the semi-fused mass and treating it with water, the water being
kept in a state of agitation, the greater part of the iron contained in the ore passes
off with the water in the form of oxide.
Wo calcine nickel sulphurets or arseniurets to free them from sulphur or arsenic, and
afterwards convert the calcined nickel compound into a soluble chloride by calcining
with chloride of sodium. We afterwards dissolve out the soluble chloride of nickel
with water, or with water charged with chlorine. Or the calcined sulphuret or
arseniuret of nickel may be fused with bisulphate of potash or other substance
capable of yielding sulphuric acid and forming sulphate of nickel which may be
dissolved out with water. The nickel may be obtained from the chloride or
sulphate by the ordinary methods, or may be reduced by electricity.
In refining nickel alloyed with copper and other metallic impurities we employ
atmospheric air, or oxygen, hydrogen, chlorine, or a mixture of oxygen and
hydrogen directed upon the melted surface of the alloy. Or the gaseous current
may be forced up through the melted alloy. Or chloride of lead, of zinc, of copper,
or of iron may be used.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent filed
by the said Sir Josiah Mason and Alexander Parkes in the Great Seal Patent
Office on the 15th November 1876.
SIR JOSIAH MASON, of Erdington, near Birmingham, in the County of Warwick,
Knight, and ALEXANDER PARKES, of Gravelly Hill, near Birmingham, aforesaid,
Metallurgist. "IMPROVEMENTS IN TREATING ORES AND ALLOYS OF NICKEL"
Our Invention has for its object to treat ores of nickel so as to obtain therefrom
nickol or alloys of nickel, and to treat alloys of nickel so as to obtain nickel there-
from or to purify them from objectionable impurities.
Our Invention consists, first, in reducing oxidized ores of nickel by means of
granulated copper or precipitated copper, or native copper in a granular state, such
as coro coro in conjunction with fluxes and carbon, so as to obtain an alloy of
nickel and copper, which alloy may be refined either by the wet way or by the
method patented by one of us, namely, the said Alexander Parkes on the Tenth day
of February 1876, No. 540.
In carrying this part of our Invention into effect the following proportions aro
found to answer well in practice-We fuse one ton of the finely ground oxidised
nickel oro such as that imported from New Caledonia, with from one to two
hundredweight of native granular copper, such as coro coro or barilla or with from
one to three hundredweight of precipitated copper, together with a flux of about
two hundredweight of fluor spar or one hundredweight of cryolite, and two
hundredweight of anthracite coal or other kind of carbon. We prefer to melt this
mixture in a reverberatory furnace constructed in the manner represented and
described in the Specification of Letters Patent granted to one of us, namely,
Alexander Parkes on the Sixth day of March 1875, No. 841, wo do not however
limit ourselves to the use of any particular kind of furnace.
Our Invention consists further in treating in the manner herein-after described
sulphuret of nickel, by preference that obtained from New Caledonian ores. In order
to obtain the said sulphuret we fuse the ore with fluor spar and carbon, together
with native or artificial sulphuret of nickel, sulphuret of copper, sulphuret of lead, or
sulphuret of iron. The fusion may be effected in blast furnaces, reverberatory, or
other furnaces, or in crucibles or vessels heated in furnaces. The sulphuret obtained
by treating New Caledonian nickel ores in the way last described may be calcined,

page_text: and the product dissolved in hydrochloric acid or other solvent, and the nickel
separated from the solution in the usual manner.
This part of our Invention is especially applicable to the treatment of poor nickel
ores containing up to four or five per centum of nickel, and the proportions of the
soveral materials we employ in carrying this part of our Invention into effect, are
as follows:-To one ton of the ore we employ from one to two hundredweight of
fluor spar or cryolite, and sulphate of lime or sulphate of baryta, and from one to
two hundredweight of anthracite coal or other kind of carbon. The fusion may
be effected in blast furnaces, reverberatory or other furnaces, with the addition of
two hundredweight of sulphuret of nickel or sulphuret of copper or mixtures of
these sulphurets. Or in place of the sulphurets described, sulphuret of lead or
sulphuret of iron may be employed.
Our Invention consists further in obtaining an alloy of nickel and copper from
sulphur compounds of nickel, preferring that obtained by fusing oxidised ores with
sulphur, by fusing them with oxide of copper, an alloy being thereby produced
composed essentially of nickel and copper.
In carrying into effect this part of our Invention we employ the following
proportions of materials. To one ton of sulphuret of nickel, by preference that
obtained in the way herein-before described, we add from two to four hundred-
weight of natural or artificial oxide of copper, or compounds of the oxide, such as
malachite, together with a flux composed of one hundredweight of flour spar, half a
hundredweight of silica, half a hundredweight of cryolite, and one hundredweight
of anthracite or other kind of carbon. The alloy so obtained may be refined in the
usual manner, if not sufficiently free from impurities to be used in the manufacture
of german silver. Or the alloy may be refined by the method described in tho
Specification of Letters Patent granted to one of us, namely, Alexander Parkes,
dated Tenth February 1870, No. 540, or by the method herein described.
Our Invention consists further in treating New Caledonian nickel ores or other
oxidized orcs of nickel in the following manner-We fuse or heat to incipient
fusion one ton of New Caledonian nickel ores, or other oxidized compounds of nickel,
mixed with two hundredweight of chloride of sodium, or chloride of calcium,
chloride of barium, or chloride of zinc, and by grinding the semi-fused mass and
treating it with water, the water being kept in a state of agitation, the greater part
of the iron contained in the ore passes off with the water, principally in the form
of oxide. In conducting this process it is necessary to maintain the materials
in fusion or in a state of incipient fusion from one to five hours. We calcine
nickel suphurets or arseniurets to free them from sulphur or arsenic, and after-
wards convert the calcined nickel compound into a solublo chloride by calcining
or roasting one ton of the calcined sulphuret or arseniuret with two or three hundred-
weight of chloride of sodium. We afterwards dissolve out the soluble chlorido of
nickel with water or with water charged with chlorine, so long as nickel is dissolved.
Or the calcined sulphuret or arseniuret of nickel may be fused with two hundred-
weight or more of bi-sulphate of potash (sal enixum) or other substance capable of
yielding sulphuric acid and forming sulphate of nickel which may be dissolved out
with water. The nickel may be obtained from the chloride or sulphate by the
ordinary methods, or it may be reduced to a metallic state by electricity or mag-
netic currents, first adding ammonia or muriate of ammonia to the solution.
In refining nickel alloyed with copper and other metallic impurities, we employ
atmospheric air under pressure, hydrocarbon gas, or oxygen, hydrogen, chlorine, or
a mixture of oxygen and hydrogen directed through tubes or jets, and with con-
siderable pressure upon the melted surface of the alloy. Or the gaseous current may
be forced up through the melted alloy, melted in a highly heated vessel of the kind
used in converting iron into steel and commonly called a converter. The gaseous
current is passed through the melted alloy till it is considered sufficiently free from
iron, sulphur, and other impurities. This is ascertained by testing from time to
time; or the nickel alloy may be purified by the use of chloride of lead, chloride of
zinc, chloride of copper, or chloride of iron, or chloride of barium. In this case to

page_text: one ton of the alloy melted in a reverberatory furnace or on a cupel of bone ash
wo add from twenty to fifty pounds of either of the above-named chlorides. Wo
agitate the melted metal and incorporate the materials by rolling, rabbling, or
agitating with a pole of green wood; this treatment may be repeated after skim-
ming each time until it is ascertained that the metal or alloy is sufficiently refined
when it is tapped out into water to granulate it.
Having now described the nature of our Invention and the manner in which
the same is to be performed we wish it to be understood that we do not limit our-
selves to the precise details herein described as the same may be varied without
departing from the nature of our Invention, but we claim as our Invention of
improvements in treating ores and alloys of nickel,-
First. Obtaining an alloy of nickel and copper, by reducing oxidised ores of
nickel by fusing them with granulated copper, either natural or artificial in con-
junction with fluxes and carbon substantially as herein-before described.
Secondly. Obtaining sulphuret of nickel by fusing oxidised ores of nickel, with
fluor spar and carbon together with native or artificial sulphuret of nickel, sul-
phuret of copper, sulphuret of lead, or sulphuret of iron, calcining the sulphuret
of nickel so obtained and dissolving the product in hydrochloric acid, thereby
obtaining a solution from which nickel may be separated in the ordinary way.
Thirdly. Obtaining an alloy of nickel and copper from sulphur compounds of
nickel by fusing them with oxide of copper, substantially as heroin-before de-
scribed.
Fourthly. Treating oxidised ores of nickel by fusing them or heating them to
incipient fusion with chloride of sodium, chloride of calcium, chloride of manganeso,
or oxido of zinc, grinding the fused or semi-fused mass and treating it with water,
whereby the greater part of the iron contained in the ore is removed substantially
as herein-before described.
Fifthly. Treating sulphurets and arseniurets of nickel by first caleining them,
and afterwards roasting or fusing the calcined product with chloride of sodium, or
roasting or fusing the calcined product with bi-sulphate of potash or other substance
capable of yielding sulphuric acid, so as to convert the nickel into a chloride or
sulphate which is dissolved out with water, or water charged with chlorine aud
treated in the ordinary way for the recovery of the nickel therefrom.
Lastly. Refining alloys of nickel and copper by the use of atmospheric air or
oxygen, hydrogen, chlorine, or a mixture of oxygen and hydrogen, directed upon
the surface of the melted alloy; or forced through the melted alloy, cr by the use
of chloride of lead, chloride of zinc, chloride of copper, or chloride of iron substan-
tially as described.
In witness whereof, we, the said Sir Josiah Mason, and Alexander Parkes,
have hereunto set our hands and seals, this Eleventh day of November, in
the year of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and seventy-six.
Witness to the signature of Sir Josiah
Mason,
HENRY SKERRETT,
Clerk to George Shaw,
Birmingham.
Witness to the signature of Alexander
Parkes,
GEORGE SHAW.
JUSIAI MADUI,
(.)
ALEXANDER PARKES. (1.8.)