IMPROVEMENTS IN THE MANUFACTURE OF ZINC
Year: 1856

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to William Edward Newton, of the Office for Patents,
66, Chancery Lane, in the County of Middlesex, Civil Engineer, for the
Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN THE MANUFACTURE OF ZINC."-A com-
munication.
Sealed the 29th April 1856, and dated the 13th February 1856.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said William Edward Newton
at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on the
13th February 1856.
I, WILLIAM EDWARD NEWTON, of the Office for Patents, 66, Chancery Lane,
in the County of Middlesex, Civil Engineer, do hereby declare the nature of
the said Invention for IMPROVEMENTS IN THE MANUFACTURE OF ZINC, to be as
follows:-
This Invention, of improvements in the manufacture of zinc, relates to
improvements in the process of obtaining metallic zinc from the ores of zinc,
and from what is known as blue powder, which is an imperfect form of
metallic zinc; and also to an improved construction or arrangement of furnace
to be employed for the purpose of reducing zinc ores...
The first part of the Invention, which relates to the process of obtaining
metallic zinc directly from the ore, consists in causing the metallic vapors of
zinc, when driven off from the ore or ores by heat, to pass through a charge
of heated or incandescent coal or other carbonaceous matter in an oven or
chamber from which atmospheric air is excluded.

page_text: The second part of the Invention, which relates to an improved construction
of furnace for carrying out the first part of the Invention, consists in combining
one or more muffles or retorts, in which the ore mixed with coal or other
carbonaceous matter is to be heated, without access of atmospheric air, with a
deoxidizing chamber charged with coal or other carbonaceous matter from
which atmospheric air is excluded; the said deoxidizing chamber being made
to communicate with the muffle or muffles, or their equivalent (so as to receive
the metallic vapors), and also with a condenser or other vessel, in which the
metallic vapors, when separated from oxygen, condense to the liquid state.
In working under the first and second parts of the Invention, as also in
working under any of the known processes for the production of either metallic
zine or the white oxide of zinc, a substance is produced which is known under
the appellations of blue and grey powder; which substance is generally
believed to be imperfectly formed metallic zinc, that is, particles of metallic
zinc, which are prevented from uniting or running together by slight traces of
oxide of zinc.
The third part of the Invention relates to a method of reducing such
substance or substances to the metallic state, and consists in subjecting such
powder to a high degree of heat in a retort or other vessel which has but one
outlet, and that for the escape of the liquid metal, the charge being forced
through the said retort by a follower or plunger, or equivalent means, the
object being to prevent the presence or entrance of atmospheric air to the
charge.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent, filed
by, the said William Edward Newton in the Great Seal Patent Office 2
on the 13th August 1856.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, WILLIAM
EDWARD NEWTON, of the Office for Patents, 66, Chancery Lane, in the County
of Middlesex, Civil Engineer, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her Letters:
Patent, bearing date the Thirteenth day of February, in the year of our Lord
One thousand eight hundred and fifty-six, in the nineteenth year of Her
reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant unto me, the
said William Edward Newton, Her special license that I, the said William
Edward Newton, my executors, administrators, and assigns, or such others

page_text: as I, the said William Edward Newton, 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 In-
vention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN THE MANUFACTURE OF ZINC," being a commu-
nication from abroad, upon the condition (amongst others) that I, the said
William Edward Newton, 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 Edward Newton, 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, reference being had to the Drawing hereunto annexed,
and to the letters and figures marked thereon (that is to say):-
This Invention of "Improvements in the Manufacture of Zinc," relates to
certain improvements in the process, and also in the furnaces for obtaining
metallic zinc directly from the ores of zinc, and from what is known as bluo
powder, which is an imperfect form of metallic zinc, reference being had to
the accompanying Drawing making part of this Specification, in which
Fig. 1 is a front elevation of the furnace for the production of metallic zine
from the ores; Fig. 2, a back elevation; Fig. 3, a longitudinal vertical section
thereof, taken at the line A, a, of Fig. 1; Figures 4 and 5 are transverse
vertical sections, taken at the line B, b, and C, c, of Fig. 3; Fig. 6, a top or
plan view, with the two arches removed to exhibit the several chambers
and some of the flues; Fig. 7 is a horizontal section, taken at the line D, d, of
Fig. 3; Fig. 8, a section of a modification of the said furnaces for working the
ores of zinc when mixed with the ores of lead; and Fig. 9 is a vertical section
of the apparatus for reducing blue powder to the metallic state. The same
letters indicate like parts in all the Figures.
The first part of the Invention, which relates to the process of obtaining
metallic zinc directly from the ore, consists in causing the metallic vapours of
zine, when driven off from the ore or ores by heat, to pass through a charge
of heated or incandescent coal, or other carbonaceous matter, in an oven
or chamber from which atmospheric air is excluded.
And the second part of the Invention, which relates to the construction

page_text: of a furnace for working the said improved process, consists in combining
one or more muffles or retorts, in which the ore mixed with coal or other
carbonaceous matter is to be heated, without access of atmospheric air, with a
deoxidizing chamber charged with coal or other carbonaceous matter from
which atmospheric air is excluded; when the said deoxidizing chamber com-
municates with the muffle or muffles, or their equivalent, -to receive the
metallic' vapours, and with a condenser or other vessel in which the metallic
vapours separated from oxygen condenses to the liquid-state. "In working
tinder the first and second parts of the Invention, as also in working under
any of the known processes for the production of either metallic zinc or the
white oxide of ziuc, a substance is produced which is known under the appella-
tions of blue and grey powder, which substance is generally believed to be
imperfectly formed metallic-zinc, that is particles of metallic zinc, which are
prevented from uniting or running together in consequence of the presence
of sliglit traces of oxide of zinc.
The third part of the Invention relates to a method of reducing such
substance or substances to the 'metallic state, and consists in subjecting such
powder to a high degree of heat, in a retort or other vessel which has but one
outlet, and that for the essape of the liquid metal, the charge being forced
through the said retort by a follower or plunger, or equivalent means, the
object being to prevent the presence or entrance of atmospheric air to the
charge. The construction of furnace: which has been made and applied by
the Inventor of the present improvements for the working of his improved
process is represented in the accompanying Drawing, in which a is a fire
chamber, with a grate or perforated bed' and ash-pit c below, provided witli
a door d in front, and a hole e at the side, for the entrance of air to supply
combustion. From the upper part of this fire chamber a flue frises, which
communicates with a space between two arclies gandh, the one y constituting
the top of the furnace, and the other the top or cover of two muffles i, i, one
on each side, and a deoxidizing chamber jin the middle; and the arch his
pierced at the two back corners; so that the products of combustion after
passing between the two arches may divide and "pass down two diving or
descending flues k, k, at the back corners; and these flues in turn communicate
with horizontal flues 7, 1, one under cacli of the muffles i; and these two in
turn communicate with a central return flue'm, leading to a suitable chimney.
The muffles i, i, are enclosed on all sides, except a feeding door n in front for
the introduction of and access to the charge, and a long narrow passage o
between the arch and the upper edge of the walls p, p, which separate each

page_text: of the muffles from the deoxidizing chamber j. This deoxidizing chamber j is
open along the upper edge of its side walls, as already explained, and it is
provided with a perforated bed q, and a channel way r below the perforated
bed. Access is given to the deoxidizing chamber through a door s at the back,
and the channel way r below communicates at the back with a condenser t,
into which the metallic zinc is collected from the channel way. This con
denser is a long tube, made of. clay or other refractory earthern substance,
with the outer end contracted and fitted to a hole in a sustaining plate a',
which also sustains an elongating piece b, fitted to the end. of the condenser,
and curved so that its lower end may be just over a vessel.c', containing water;
this elongating piece is surrounded by a. jacket d, with a space e..between
them for the passage of. a stream of cold water, which is supplied in a suit-
able manner by a pipe fi at top, and discharged into the vessel c through a
discharge pipe g¹ at the lower end. The prolonging or elongating piece. is
provided with two apertures with tubes h' and i, which can be closed with
stoppers, one of the said apertures being in line with the centre of the con-
denser, so that. a rod may be inserted for clearing the condenser and the
channel way, and the other above and in line with the vertical part of
the prolonging or elongating piece, for the insertion of a clearing rod.
The ores of zinc to be treated are pulverized or ground and calcined (but
without a flux), simply in order to expel moisture, and such impurities as will
be driven off by 'heat alone, and then it is mixed with about one-half. its
weight of fine coal, or other carbonaceaus matter. The furnace having been
heated by a suitable fire in the fire.chamber a, excited either by draught or
blast, the deoxidizing chamber..is charged with. chestnut size anthracite coal,
charcoal, coke, or other suitable.carbon.. I prefer to fill it from the perforated
bed to the top of the side walls. The coal in this oven-like chamber is heated
to an incandescent state by the fire in the fire chamber, and the passage of the
products of combustion around it. The mixed ore and coal is charged to the
depth of about twelve inches, more or less, in each of the mufiles; and when
so charged, the doors should be closed and luted to exclude atmospheric air as
much as possible. The heat applied by the products of combustion from the
fire chamber a, passing over and under the muffles, decomposes the ore and
vaporizes the metal; and the vapours thus given off pass over into the
deoxidizing chamber, and through the charge of incandescent coal or other
carbon, which takes up all the oxygen, so that. when the metallic vapours.reach
the channel way they are in a state to be condensed to the metallic state
and run juto the condenser, from which it is taken out in any desired manner.

page_text: During the working of the charge, the prolonging or elongating piece b is
kept on the condenser; and at the extreme end thercof this prolonging or
elongating piece is pierced with a small hole, through which the foreign gases
not taken up by the carbon escape; the apparatus is thus relieved from
pressure. The aperture should be large enough to relieve the pressure, and
not large enough to permit the entrance of atmospheric air. Such of the
vapours of zinc as are not condensed in the channel way and condenser will be
condensed, and drop in the water in the vessel below the prolonging or
elongating piece b. If desired, the condenser may be tapped in the lower
part for the more convenient discharge of the metal. When metallic zine is
to be obtained from the ores of zinc mixed with lead ore, the bed of the muffles
should be made inclining downwards towards the doors, as represented in the
separate Figure 8, and discharging into a pot w', near the door into which
the molten lead runs; this pot should be, covered to prevent the charge of
ore and coal from falling into it. In this way metallic zine and metallic lead
may be obtained from the same charge and with the same fuel. And although
the object of the improved process is to take up all the oxygen as the various
gases pass through the charge of incandescent carbon, nevertheless some
slight traces will pass through, and in consequence thereof, or from some other
unknown cause, what is known as blue or grey powder, that is, imperfectly
formed metallic zinc, will be produced in the working of the process; and so
far as the experience of the Inventor extends, this substance is produced in the
working of all or nearly all processes, whether for making metallic zinc or
the white oxide of zinc. This substance when taken from the condenser
or other part of the apparatus, or produced in any other way, is charged into a
vertical retort a through the open top. This retort is best made of some of
the known refractory earthern substances, and of a cylindrical form from the
top to the bend at 6, where it is curved in a horizontal direction, and
gradually reduced in diameter to the discharge end c, which should be
considerably less than the body or vertical part. This retort is surrounded by
a fluc d, leading from any suitable fire chamber, to heat the retort to about
a cherry red heat. The blue or grey powder is charged through the upper
end which is open; and over the charge is placed a weighted plunger, fitting
the bore of the retort freely for the purpose of packing down the charge and
continuing to force it down as it is reduced to the metallic state, when it will
run out of the discharge end, where it is cast into ingots. The most intense
heat being applied to the lower end of the retort, the metallic particles not
actually oxydized, or rendered refractory from other causes, are there melted

page_text: and separated from the oxydized or otherwise refractory particles which
prevented the metallic particles from uniting. The particles thus melted run
out at the discharge end, whilst the whole charge is forced down by the
weighted plunger. The forcing down of the charge and the running out of
the liquid metal carries off the foreign substances, whatever they may be, and
prevents the entrance of atmospheric air..
I do not wish it to be understood as limiting myself to the use of the several
parts of the present Invention in connection or combination with each other,
as a furnace of
different construction may be substituted for the one described
under the head of the second part of the present Invention; nor do I wish to
be understood as limiting the second part of the Invention to the special con-
struction of furnace herein specified, as the mere form and arrangement may
be greatly varied without changing the peculiar feature of novelty which I
claim, as part of the present Invention; nor do I wish to be understood as
limiting myself to the precise form of retort for reducing the blue or grey
powder, nor to the mode of heating the same, nor to the mode of forcing the
charge through the retort, so long as the same result is produced by equivalent
means; nor do I wish to limit myself to the precise mode of carrying out the
third part of the Invention for the reduction of the blue or grey powder
produced in the working of the first part of the Invention, nor to its use in
combination with the other parts of the present improvements, as it is equally
applicable to the reduction of the said substance, however the same may be
produced.
What I claim as new in the present improvements, and desire to secure as
the Invention for which I have obtained Letters Patent, is, as relates to the
process of obtaining metallic zinc directly from the ore or ores of zinc alone, or
mixed with other ores, causing the metallic vapours of zinc driven off from
the ore by heat to pass through a charge of heated or incandescent coal or
other carbonaceous matter in a chamber from which atmospheric air is
excluded. And in relation to the furnace for working the said process, I claim
as new, combining one or more muffles or retorts in which the charge of ore
and carbonaceous matter is heated without access of atmospheric air, with a
deoxidizing chamber charged with coal or other carbonaceous matter from
which atmospheric air is excluded, when the said deoxidizing chamber com-
municates with the muffle or muffles, or their equivalent, so as to receive the
metallic vapours therefrom, and with a condenser or other vessel in which the
metallic vapours are permitted to condense to the metallic form, as described.
And I also claim the method herein described, or any mere modification

page_text: thereof, for reducing, blue or grey powder to metallic zinc, by subjecting it to
a high degree of heat in a retort, through which the charge is forced as the
liquid metal escapes, atmospheric air being excluded from that part of the
charge where the reduction takes place, as described.
In witness whereof, I, the said William Edward Newton, have hereunto
set my hand and seal, the Thirteenth day of August, in the year of our
Lord One thousand eight hundred and fifty-six.
Witness,
J. W MOFFATT,
66, Chancery Lane.
W. E. NEWTON. (L.S.)