An Improved Process and Means Used therein for the Disintegration of Quartz and similar Minerals.
Year: 1896

page_text: Date of Application, 14th May, 1896
Complete Specification Left, 15th Feb., 1897-Accepted, 10th Apr., 1897
An Improved Process and Means Used therein for the Disintegration
of Quartz and similar Minerals.
I, ADOLF GUTENSOHN, of 90 Park Street, Limehouse, in the County of
Middlesex, Metallurgist, do hereby declare the nature of this invention to be as
follows:-
My invention relates to the gradual disintegration of quartz or similar materials
as it is raised from the mines, and consists in the process employed therefor, and
in the means devised to carry the said process into effect.
At present, quartz or similar ores are reduced in bulk to a certain size by
powerful crushing machinery, and then carried to the stamping batteries to be
reduced to fine powder.
The object of my process is to substitute for the crushing machinery a cheaper
and more effective treatment, which carried out, in successive stages, leaves the
quartz or similar material in such a disintegrated or friable condition, that the
final reduction to powder is most easily accomplished by cheaper and more rapidly
acting machinery than stamping machines; or where it is desirable to utilize the
latter, the work can be accomplished, it is estimated, in one tenth of the time now
required for the purpose.
am aware that heat and sudden chilling have been tried for breaking up the
large lumps of quartz as they come from the mine, but the crude way of attempting
this, up to the present time, has resulted in loss of metal and waste of fuel, without
the desired result having been achieved.
My process and means used therein are as follows:-
I heat the quartz or similar ore in a closed chamber or retort from which the
external atmosphere is thus excluded. The fuel is applied externally to the said
chamber so that the fuel does not mix with the ore, and the gases of combustion
only are admitted. The intensity of heating obtained is graduated from the
bottom of the chamber upwards, so as to provide stages in the reduction of the
size of the pieces towards the bottom of the chamber by successive heating and
chilling. The fuel may be of any suitable kind, such as coke, wood, coal, or oil
applied by a spray apparatus. Steam is passed through the fire, and some pieces
of iron are exposed in the fire at red heat, so as to cause the development of
hydrogen with water-gas, thus rendering the gases of combustion non-oxidizing to
the ore and metals therein, but rather reducing the metals when present if
associated with oxygen or sulphur, to their metallic condition; the sulphur when
present passing off as sulphuretted hydrogen.
I may mix charcoal also with the quartz to still more increase the reducing
quality of the gases of combustion.
When the quartz is bright red or almost white-hot, I chill it with cold water
poured over from the top, or inserted by supply pipes. The water is allowed to
run off through the bottom of the lower chamber.
The quartz is thus caused to split into smaller fragments, the smaller pieces
being worked down or dropping into the lower part of the chamber, where they
are afterwards exposed to a higher grade of heat.
This chilling process upon the ore in the chamber is repeated several times, the
ore being permitted to regain red-heat during the intervals, the dampers being

page_text: closed during the chilling intervals, and the steam supply to the fire being
stopped.
When the quartz has been sufficiently broken up by the repeated chilling with
cold water in the chamber, the lower portion of smallest fragments are permitted,
when at a white heat, to drop from the lower portion of the chamber or furnace
into cold water placed in a tank below and thus becomes thoroughly rotten or
friable so that it may be crushed by the pressure of the fingers.
This friable product containing all its original metal, which has been more or
less freed by the above treatment is easily converted into the finest powder by
beaters, rolls or stamps with the greatest ease and quickness, and the recovery of
the precious metals from the ore is thus greatly facilitated.
The water used in chilling can be collected and used again after cooling, or
such part as is evaporated can be collected by condensation.
Dated this 14th day of May 1896.
FELL & JAMES,
1 Queen Victoria Street, London, E.C., Agents for the Applicant.
An Improved Process and Means Used therein for the Disintegration
of Quartz and similar Minerals.
I, ADOLF GUTENSOHN, of 90 Park Street, Limehouse, in the County of
Middlesex, 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 :-
My invention relates to the disintegration of quartz or similar minerals, as it is
raised from the mines, and consists in the process employed therefor, and in the
means devised to carry the said process into effect.
At present, quartz or similar ores are reduced in bulk to a certain size, by
powerful crushing machinery, and then carried to the stamping batteries to be
reduced to fine powder.
The object of my process is to substitute for the crushing machinery a cheaper
and more effective treatment, wbich, carried out in successive stages, leaves the
quartz or similar mineral in such a disintegrated or friable condition, that the
final reduction to powder is most easily accomplished by cheaper and more rapidly
acting machinery than stamping machines; or where it is desirable to utilize the
latter, the work can be accomplished in, it is estimated, one tenth of the time
required for the purpose.
I am aware that heat and sudden chilling have been tried for breaking up the
large lumps of quartz as they come from the mine, but in the arrangements
hitherto proposed the access of free oxygen or of the products of combustion to
the heated ore at white heat has not been excluded, and in the absence of such
precautions there has resulted loss of metal and waste of fuel such as to render
the method in many cases useless.
My process and means used are as follows:-
I heat the quartz or similar ore in a chamber or quasi-retort furnace, from which
the external atmosphere is excluded. The fuel is applied externally to the said
chamber so that the fuel does not mix with the ore, and the gases of combustion
only are admitted into or through the upper burden of the ore. The intensity of
heating obtained is graduated from the bottom of the chamber upwards, so as to
provide stages in the reduction of the size of the pieces towards the bottom of the

page_text: chamber by successive heating and chining. I be fuel may be of any suitable Kind,
such as coke, wood, coal, oil, or gas.
Steam is passed through the fire, and preferably some pieces of iron are
exposed in the fire at red-heat, so as to cause the development of hydrogen with
water gas, thus rendering the gases of combustion non oxidizing or reducing to the
ore and metals therein.
I may mix charcoal also with the quartz to still more increase the reducing quality
of the gases of combustion.
When the quartz is bright red or almost white hot, I may chill it with cold water
poured over from the top or inserted by supply pipes. The water is allowed to run
off through the bottom of the lower chamber.
The quartz is thus caused to split into smaller fragments, the smaller pieces being
worked down or dropping into the lower part of the chamber, where they are
afterwards exposed to a higher grade of heat entirely by the radiation and conduction
of the heat, without contact with the gases of combustion.
This chilling process upon the ore in the chamber may be repeated several times,
the ore being again heated to a red-heat during the intervals; the dampers being
closed during the chilling intervals and the steam supply to the fire being stopped.
When the quartz has been broken up by the repeated chilling with cold water
in the chamber, the lower portion consisting of the smallest fragments is permitted,
when at a white heat, to drop from the lower part of the chamber or furnace, into
cold water placed in a tank below, and thus becomes thoroughly rotten or friable,
so that it may be crushed by the pressure of the fingers.
This friable product, containing all its original metal, undeteriorated for after
treatment, and which has been more or less freed by the above treatment, is easily
converted into the finest powder by beaters, rolls or stamps, with the greatest ease
and quickness, and the recovery of the precious metals from the ore is thus greatly
facilitated.
A convenient apparatus for carrying out my process is as follows:-
Figure 1 is a vertical section of furnace.
Figure 2 is a plan of the same.
A is the upper part of the chamber or furnace and B the lower portion in which
the smaller particles collect as the quartz is stirred about, by bars P, inserted
through apertures C provided for the purpose.
The heat is applied from an external furnace and grates I) where coke or fuel is
used, the gases of combustion entering through the passages E, into the upper
burden of the ore; but passing over the lower retort or crucible part of the
furnace B without passing through, or in contact with, the white hot quartz in the
said retort or crucible chamber B.
The passages are provided with dampers F and so disposed that the quartz cannot
enter them.
The upper part of the furnace is closed with a movable hood G, and the lower
part of the furnace with a removable door M, from which the finer pieces of quartz
when white hot may be discharged into the water tank H underneath.
This removable door M is supplied with a cock, K to allow the water to escape
from the interior of the furnace when supplied for chilling purposes, and which may
be poured from the top or by pipes inserted in the apertures CC or N. The
door M is provided with a handle m by which it can be inserted and removed on
sliding ways Q, the farthest end of the door resting on the said ways, and lifted up
to close hermetically by the handle m. A further wedge piece R on the end of
another handle S may be then jammed in between the said door M and the inclined
ways to securely hold the said door. The tank H may also be mounted on
wheels h running on rails T so that it can readily be withdrawn for emptying..
Steam is supplied to the fire by steam pipes L, in such quantity as practically to
deprive the gases of combustion of free oxygen, and if required to provide an excess
of free hydrogen.

page_text: The furnace A may be of brick or metal lined with fire brick, and the chambers A
and B, shewn divided, may be in one, with the external heating furnaces carried up
around the whole of the internal retort or chamber.
The water used in chilling can be collected and used again after cooling, or such
part as is evaporated can be collected by condensation.
If it should prove more economical to prevent the cooling of the furnaces by not
injecting streams of water therein, I may alternatively carry out my process by
dropping the heated quartz when at white heat, without previous chilling in the
furnace, into the external water tank H, receiving the ore upon gratings or sieves
in the said tank, by which the ore may be lifted from the tank and the water drained
off, the ore being returned to the same or another of a series of furnaces for further
heating and disintegration.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said inven-
tion, and in what manner the same is to be performed, I declare that what I
-claim is :-
1st. A process for the cracking and rendering friable of quartz and ores, without
deterioration to the contained gold or other non-volatile metal, for after amalgama-
tion or treatment, consisting of the direct heating of the ore as to its upper portion
to a dull red heat by gases of combustion, practically deprived of free oxygen or
rendered reducing by suitable means; the indirect heating of the lower portion of
the ore to white heat, by radiation or conduction, without the passage there-
through of any oxidising or reducing gases; and the chilling of the ore by water,
substantially as described.
2nd. A furnace for carrying out the process as claimed in Claim 1, consisting of
a shaft or chamber fed only with ore; a lower crucible chamber or pocket, receiving
particles from the upper shaft or chamber, provided with means for the ejection of
the contents into a water receptacle; and an external furnace grate underneath or
surrounding the said lower crucible chamber or pocket, the gaseous products of
which surround and pass over the said crucible chamber and pass through the upper
burden of ore in the upper shaft or chamber, substantially as described.
3rd. In a furnace for the disintegration of quartz or similar ore, the combination
with the furnace grate, of a steam supply pipe, with or without iron plates in said
furnace fires, to render the gases of combustion reducing with excess of hydrogen,
substantially as described.
4th. The construction and arrangement of parts of a furnace for the disintegration
of quartz or similar ore, without deterioration of the gold or non-volatile metals
contained therein, substantially as described and illustrated herewith.
Dated this 11th day of Febru
FELL & JAMES,
1, Queen Victoria Street, London, E.C., Agents for the Applicant.