IMPROVEMENTS IN THE CONSTRUCTION OF REVERBERATORY FURNACES FOR THE COLLECTION AND CONDENSATION OF VOLATILE SUBSTANCES
Year: 1855

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to William Henry Nevill, of Llanelly, in the County of
Carmarthen, Copper Smelter, for the Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN
THE CONSTRUCTION OF REVERBERATORY FURNACES FOR THE COLLECTION AND
CONDENSATION OF VOLATILE SUBSTANCES."
Sealed the 10th July 1855, and dated the 13th January 1855.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said William Henry Nevill
at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on
the 13th January 1855.
I, WILLIAM HENRY NEVILL, of Llanelly, in the County of Carmarthen,
5 Copper Smelter, do hereby declare the nature of the said Invention for
"IMPROVEMENTS IN THE CONSTRUCTION OF REVERBERATORY FURNACES FOR THE
COLLECTION AND CONDENSATION OF VOLATILE SUBSTANCES" to be as follows:-
In smelting ores and other bodies of a volatile nature by ordinary reverbe-
ratory furnaces, a great loss of the volatile portions of the substances is
occasioned by the rapid current of air through such furnaces, and the.flues and
chimnies leading from them.
My object is to construct and arrange the furnaces and apparatus connected
therewith in such manner as to remove or diminish this evil; and this. I
pose, to effect by applying blast to the fire-places of reverberatory furnaces,
pro-

page_text: thereby removing the necessity for the rapid current of air through or from the
furnace, according to the present practice, and enabling the air and volatile
substances mingled with it to pass through chambers or other convenient
receptacles, in connection with water and coke, or other substances, for collecting
and condensing the volatile products.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent, filed
by the said William Henry Nevill in the Great Seal Patent Office on
the 12th July 1855.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, WILLIAM
HENRY NEVILL, of Llanelly, in the County of Carmarthen, Copper Smelter,
send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her Letters
Patent, bearing date the Thirteenth day of January, in the year of our Lord
One thousand eight hundred and fifty-five, in the eighteenth year of Her reign,
did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant unto me, the said
William Henry Nevill, Her special licence that I, the said William Henry
Nevill, my executors, administrators, and assigns, or such others as I, the said
William Henry Nevill, 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 REVERBERATORY FURNACES FOR THE COLLECTION AND CONDENSATION
OF VOLATILE SUBSTANCES," upon the condition (amongst others) that I, the said
William Henry Nevill, 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 William Henry Nevill, 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 thereof (that is to say):-
It is well known that in submitting metals that are volatile at high
temperatures, such as lead, zinc, silver, &c,, or minerals containing substances

page_text: that are similarly volatile to heat in common reverberatory furnaces, a con-
siderable loss of such metals or substances is experienced in consequence of
the great rapidity of the current of heated air passing through the flues and
chimneys leading from such furnaces.
Now, the object of my Invention is to prevent, or, as far as possible, to
diminish, this evil, which I effect by the following means:-
To the fire-place of an ordinary reverberatory furnace I apply, by means
of a blast cylinder or fan, currents of air (either cold or heated) through
twyeres, placed nearly at right angles to and above the fire bars. I have
found that a column of blast acting with a pressure of one and three quarter
pounds per square inch, and supplied through three pipes or twyeres of two
and a half inches diameter, quite sufficient for carrying on the operations
required in the treatment of metallic ores in a furnace of forty-five square
feet of melting surface. The main pipe, by which the blast is supplied to the
twyeres, is provided with a proper valve or stop-cock for the purpose of
regulating the quantity of air supplied to the fire grate, whereby the degree
of heat in the furnace may be increased or diminished at will. It is desirable
to have a layer of clinkers on the fire bars, to prevent as far as possible the
heated air from escaping downwards through the fire bars into the ash-pit.
I would remark that I have tried the use of closed ash-pits for this purpose,
but find them objectionable.
By employing artificial instead of the natural currents of air for keeping up
the required amount of combustion, I am enabled to avoid the necessity of
keeping up as perfect a vacuum in the flues and chimney leading from the
furnace as would otherwise be requisite, it being only necessary to maintain a
current of sufficient rapidity in the flues to clear the furnace of the fumes and
gases generated during the operation; or, in other words, taking care to observe
this last condition, I am enabled to make use of any system of flues, dampers,
or collecting chambers, in connection with water, coke, and other substances
in combination with such furnace, as have heretofore been practised, and as
may appear desirable for the purpose of collecting the fumes that would other-
wise escape. Where a number of furnaces are in operation, it would of course
be necessary to collect the flues from each into one main flue or culvert leading
to a single chimney.
Having thus described the nature of my Invention, and the manner of
performing the same, I would have it understood that I do not claim the use
of blast to reverberatory furnaces when such furnaces are not combined with
-eollecting or condensing flues or chambers, nor do I claim the use or applica-
tion of collecting or condensing flues or chambers to reverberatory furnaces

page_text: where no blast is used; but what I claim is, the combined application of
blast and collecting or condensing flues or chambers with reverberatory
furnaces for the purpose of preventing the escape of useful substances. that
would otherwise be lost.
In witness whereof, I, the said William Henry Nevill, have hereunto
set my hand and seal; this Tenth day of July, in the year of our Lord
One thousand eight hundred and fifty-five."
A
Witness,
DAVID PENDRY,
of Llangennech, Carmarthenshire,
Farm Bailiff.
WM HY NEVILL: (L.S.)
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