IMPROVEMENTS IN HEATING ORES AND IN GENERATING STEAM, AND ALSO IN THE APPARATUS EMPLOYED THEREIN
Year: 1862

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to William Bliss, of Chipping Norton, Oxon, Woollen
Manufacturer, for the Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN HEATING ORES AND
IN GENERATING STEAM, AND ALSO IN THE APPARATUS EMPLOYED THEREIN."-A
.communication from abroad by David Wilkinson, resident at Prahran,
near Melbourne, Victoria.
Sealed the 6th January. 1868, and dated the 11th July 1862.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said William Bliss at the
Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on the 11th
July 1862.
I, WILLIAM BLISS, of Chipping Norton, Oxon, Woollen Manufacturer, do
hereby declare the nature of the Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN HEATING
ORES AND IN GENERATING STEAM, AND ALSO IN THE APPARATUS EMPLOYED THEREIN,"
to be as follows:-
This Invention has for its object "Improvements in Heating Ores and in
Generating Steam, and also in the Apparatus employed therein." For these
purposes quartz and other ores requiring a like treatment are subjected to the
following process:-A blast furnace is used, which is closed at its lower end
by a valve or slide, so that after the process of heating or calcining the quartz
or ores the contents of the furnace may be discharged through an opening in
the bottom of the furnace, which is closed. by a valve or slide during the
heating or calcining process. At the lower part of the blast furnace there is

page_text: a hollow space all round, into which air, and also the gases obtained from
decomposed steam, are forced during the process of heating or calcining the
quartz or ores. A steam boiler is employed in connection with the blast
furnace, by the fire used for heating which a retort is also heated, and it is
found convenient to arrange this retort so that it may form the bridge across
the end of the boiler furnace; but the retort may be otherwise arranged and
heated. By means of a fan or other suitable blowing apparatus air is forced
into the hollow space at the lower part of the furnace, and passes through
several openings from such chamber into the lower part of the blast furnace,
and it is preferred that the air thus forced into the blast furnace should be
heated in its passage from the blowing apparatus to the furnace, by causing it
to pass through a pipe or pipes or passages heated by the fire of the boiler
furnace; but the heating of the air may be otherwise accomplished. In the
retort charcoal is placed, and steam from the boiler is caused to pass through
and amongst such charcoal, and from the retort the gases, and any steam
which may not be decomposed pass into the space at the lower part of the
blast furnace, and thence through the passages into the blast furnace. In
working with this arrangement of apparatus a quantity of fuel is placed at
the bottom of the blast furnace, and also the quartz or. other orcs, requiring a
like process. Air and gases are forced into the blast furnace, by which a very
high degree of heat is obtained;, after a time it is preferred to stop the intro-
duction of air blast, and to continue the application of the gases till the process
is complete. The air and gas pipes are protected by fire-clay or bricks when
using the apparatus for generating steam to be applied to work steam engines,
and where no heating or calcining furnace is used, the gases obtained from
the steam are used in the steam boiler furnace.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent, filed
by the said William Bliss in the Great Seal Patent Office on the
10th January 1863.
30
TO ALL TO. WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL. COME, I, WILLIAM 80
BLISS, of Chipping Norton, Oxon, Woollen Manufacturer, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by: Her Letters
Patent; bearing date. the Eleventh day. of July, in the year of our Lord One
thousand eight hundred and sixty-two, in the twenty-sixth year. of Her reign,
did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and.grant unto me, the 35
said William Bliss, Her special licence, that I, the said, William Bliss, my.

page_text: executors, administrators, and assigns, or such others as I, the said William
Bliss, 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 HEATING
ORES AND IN GENERATING STEAM, AND ALSO IN THE APPARATUS EMPLOYED THEREIN,"
a communication to me from abroad by David Wilkinson, resident at Prahran,
near Melbourne, Victoria, upon the condition (amongst others) that I, the
said William Bliss, my executors or administrators, by an instrument in writing
under my, or their, or one of their hands and seals, 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 tho date of the
said Letters Patent..
NOW KNOW YE, that I, the said William Bliss, do hereby declare the
nature of the said Invention, and in what manner the same is to be pér-
formed, to be particularly described and ascertained in and by the following
statement thereof, that is to say:-
This Invention has for its object improvements in heating ores and in
generating steam, and also in the apparatus employed therein. For these
purposes quartz and other ores requiring a like treatment are subjected to the
following process:-A blast furnace is used, which is closed at its lower end
by a valve or slide, so that after the process of heating or calcining the quartz
or ores the contents of the furnace may be discharged through an opening in
the bottom of the furnace, which is closed by a valve or slide during the
heating or calcining process. At the lower part of the blast furnaco there is
a hollow space all round, into which air, and also the gases obtained from
decomposed steam are forced during the process of heating or calcining the
quartz or ores. A steam boiler is employed in connection with the blast
furnace by the fire used for heating which a retort is also heated, and it is
found convenient to arrange this retort so that it may form the bridge across
the end of the boiler furnace; but the retort may be otherwise arranged and
heated. By means of a fan or other suitable blowing apparatus air is forced
into the hollow space at the lower part of the furnace, and passes through
several openings from such chamber into the lower part of the blast furnace,
and it is preferred that the air thus forced into the blast furnace should be
heated in its passage from the blowing apparatus. to the furnace by causing it
to pass through a pipe or pipes or passages heated by the fire of the boiler

page_text: furnace, but the heating of the air may be otherwise accomplished. In the
retort charcoal is placed, and steam from the boiler is caused to pass through
and amongst such charcoal and from the retort. The gases and any steam
which may not be decomposed pass into the spaco at the lower part of the
blast furnace, and thence through the passages into the blast furnace.. In 5
working with this arrangement of apparatus a quantity of fuel is. placed.at
the bottom of the blast furnace, and also the quartz or other ores requiring a
Jike process. Air and gases are forced into the blast furnace, by which a
*very high degree of heat is obtained; after a time it is preferred to stop the
introduction of the air blast, and to continue the application of the gases till 1
the process is complete. The air and gas pipes are protected by fire-clay or
.bricks when using the apparatus for generating steam to be applied to work
steam engines, and where no beating or calcining furnace is used, the gases
obtained from the steam are used in the steam-boiler furnace.
Having thus stated the nature of the Invention I will proceed more fully to il
describe the manner of performing the samo.
DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS.
Figure 1 shows a front elevation of a blast furnace and apparatus arranged
or combined in a suitable manner for carrying our the Invention; Figure 2.
-shows a vertical section thereof; the valve or plate at the bottom of the 2
-blast furnace being shewn to be opened as it would be. when discharging
the contents of the furnace; Figure 3 shews a vertical side section;
Figure 4 shows a plan in section, and. Figure 5 shows a transverse section
of the furnace or fire-place, and 'apparatus used for generating gas.
a, air fan for hot blast; b, furnace for hot blast and the gases; c, generating 2
and conducting pipes of, hot blast; d, retort to generate the hydrogen and
carbonic oxide gases; e, fire-bars; f, conducting pipe of the gases; g, chimney
of gas
furnace; h, roasting furnace for quartz; i, door for charging roasting
furnace.; j, platform for quartz and fuel; k, truck for conveyance of calcined
quartz;.m, lever for opening and closing bottom of furnace; n, windlass for 3
raising and lowering lever; p, nozzles by which the hot blast enters roasting
furnace; o, nozzles by which the gases enter the roasting furnace; 7, door of
hot blast and gas furnace; r, fire: for the production of hot blast and gasos;
s, cast-iron bottom plate of roasting furnace; t, fulcrum of lever; 1, steam
pipe conveying steam to gas retort; s', cast-iron support of gas retort; u tram- 9
way for conveyance of calcined quantz; v, tramway and truck conveying the
raw quantz from the mine to the roasting furnace. In commencing to work
a small quantity of, fuel is. kindled in the blast roasting or calcining furnace h

page_text: b
The fan a, or it may be other
The air is forced through the
then quartz or other ore requiring a similar treatment are introduced into this
furnace mixed with a small quantity of fuel.
suitable blowing apparatus, is set to work.
pipe c, and through a heated coiled pipe or heated passages or retorts, interior
of a steam boiler, furnace, or the retort furnace b, or it may be interior of a
separate heating furnace, and when requisite this pipe or heated passages or
retorts for beating the air may contain charcoal. The pipe c passes around
the lower part of the furnace h, and to such pipe c there are several nozzles p
applied, which diffuse the air from the fan a in numerous jets into the interior
of the furnace h. When a considerable heat is attained in the calcining or
roasting blast furnace h, the cock on the steam pipe is to be partially opened,
when steam will pass from the steam boiler into the retort d filled with
charcoal. The furnace 6 may be arranged to have a steam boiler placed over
it, or the steam boiler used may be heated by a separate fire or by means of
apparatus, such as herein described for heating the interior of the furnace h,
in which case between the boiler and the brickwork in which it is set. there
will be a space, and, the gases and heated-air obtained as herein described will
be conducted by nozzle pipes as hereafter explained. In the Drawings the
retort d is shewn fixed interior of the furnace b, but if a steam boiler were
placed over the furnace, it will be found very convenient to place a retort d
across the back end of the fire-place or furnace, so as to act as a bridge
thereto. By thus applying steam to the charcoal in the retort, gases will be
produced, and they will be conducted from the retort by a tube or pipe f, into
the blast calcining or roasting furnace h, through several nozzles o, o. If the
steam introduced into the retort d is not fully decomposed before it comes to the
furnace h, it will be decomposed therein, but it is desirable to keep the heat
of the retort d up to such a temperature as to insure the steam being decom-
posed therein. By thus introducing heated air and also the gases into the
furnace h, they will, together with the small quantity of fuel introduced with
the ore, produce an intense heat. And although variations may be made in
the means of obtaining and applying these gases the arrangements above
described are preferred. When it is thought by the operator that the
gases and air have played together or acted sufficiently upon the quartz
or ore (which is known by an experienced hand after two or three trials)
it is preferred that the fan a should be stopped and the gases allowed
to penetrate the quartz or ore alone for about fifteen minutes. The steam is
to be shut off when the process is finished, the moveable bottom or valve or
roasting plates, on the levers m, is to be opened, which is accomplished by the
windlass n putting the lever m in motion on its fulcrum or axis t, when the

page_text: contents of the furnace h, will descend into the waggon k below. The calcined
or roasted quartz or ore is then to be treated in the ordinary modes for separa-
ting the metals therefrom. In order that the supply of gases may be
regulated to suit the requirements of different ores a cock is used on the steam
pipe and when any ore requires a considerable quantity of carbonic oxide,
charcoal is introduced into the heated apparatus used for heating the air.
The pipes or apparatus for heating the air should be protected by fire-clay or
otherwise as is well understood.. The combined apparatus for producing heat
consisting of apparatus for heating the air, and apparatus for decomposing
steam, and for bringing these products to act together, may be used for heating
à steam boiler for generating steam for other purposes than for supplying a
blast calcining or roasting. furnace, as above described, such as for giving
motion to machinery and other uses.
What I claim is the combined used of furnaces and apparatus and means
of applying the same for metallurgical operations, and for generating steam as
abovo described..
In witness whereof, I, the said William Bliss, have hereunto set my
hand and seal, this Seventh day of January, in the year of our Lord
One thousand eight hundred and sixty-three.
WILLIAM BLISS. (L.S.)