US1530919A - Method for charging furnaces - Google Patents

Description

Marqh 24, 1925.

J. D. THOMAS METHOD FOR CHARGING FURNACES Fileii 'Jan. 11, 1921 2 Sheets-Sheet l ATTORNEYS Patented Mar.- 24, 1925.

UNITED-STATES v 1,530,919 PATENT OFFICE.-

J'A'Y DAVID THOMAS, OEIUEBLO, COLORADO, ASSIGNOR TO AMERICAN SMEIITING AND REFINING COMPANY, OF NEW YORK, N. Y., A CORPORATION OF NEW JERSEY.

#1 METHOD non CHARGING FURNACES.

Application filed January 11, 1921. Serial 110. 436,437.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, JAY DAVID THoMAs, a citizen of the United States, and'resident of Pueblo, in the county of Pueblo and State of Colorado,- have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Methods for Charg ing Furnaces, of which the following is a specification.

The invention relates to an improvement in the metallurgical art of charging metallurgical furnaces and like ore receiving receptacles, and more specifically relates to an improved method for charging the retorts of zinc furnaces and to an improved form of instrumentality for efliciently practicing the method. r

' In the art of charging metallurgical furnaces it is necessary to handle heavy and sometimes semi-plastic ores while they are in a moist condltion. -Th1s character of ore is obviously difiicult .to me'asure and does not lend itself readily to any usual methods of controlling the charge admitted to the furnace. For instance, any attempt to feed this ore in a continuous stream has proven impractical, ainong other reasons, due to the fact that the ore tends to choke up in the conducting passageways and any device de pending" on the handling of a continuous stream of such material quickly becomes inoperative.

One of the objects of the present invention therefore, is to suggest a simple and readily actuated method for feeding a regulated charge-of ore of the character discussed, to the furnace or other receptacle and under conditions which will permit of regulation and control of the charge and which will eliminate the heretofore objectionable clogging of the feeding machine.

I attain this phase of the invention by preforming the ore into relatively small separated charges of approximately the same mass and configuration and which charges will hereinafter be identified as ore bullets propelling medium, second, to provide aa steam cushion between succeeding charges as they pass from the discharging machine into th 'urnace, and third, in .the act of condensing under the conditions present it provides both a lubricant to the moving ore bullets and, finally supplies the requisite moisture desirable in the charge in certain metallurgical operations.

Various other objects and advantages of the invention will be in part obvious from an inspection of the accompanying drawings and in part will be more fully set forth in the following particular description of. one form of mechanism for carrying out my invention.

In the drawings Figure 1 is a view largely diagrammatic showing in end elevation'a preferred embodiment of the invention disposed in position to supply a battery of retorts in a zinc furnace shown in vertical section;

Figure 2 is a view in side elevation'of the device shown in Figure 1 looking at the same from the right hand side;

Figure 3 is an enlarged detail vertical viewtaken on the line 3-3 of Figure 2 and Figure 4 is an enlarged view in side elevation of the feed wheel shown in axial section in Figure 3.

Referring tov Figure 1 there is shown a zinc furnace A, provided with a battery of retorts B designed to be supplied with ore from the machine. The machine is carried on a car 10 mounted on tracks 11 which extend lengthwise of the zine furnace so as to be in proper position opposite the different retorts to supply the same. The car 10 is provided with transversely disposed tracks 12 on which is mounted a carriage 13 for supporting-the different mechanical parts of the machine. The ore charge is supplied to an ore hopper 14, the discharge from which is regulated by gates 15. The hopper discharges into a throat 16 of a single screw provided .with a plurality of pockets 21 circumferentially spaced apart and providing. teeth 22 therebetween which constilli . steam through the steam opening tute valves for intercepting the flow of gun 23. This gun includes a straight bore formed in the lower portion of the charging machine and in an ore pipe 24 which extends therefrom and beyond the outlines of the machine as shown in Figure 1. It is understood that the configuration of the pockets 21, the size and speed of rotation of the feed wheel controls the size of the ore bullets and the rate at which they are fed to the steam gun and also controls the rate at which the formed bullets are fed to the furnace.

A source of high pressure steam supply, indicated symbolically by the. steam pipe 25, leads into the charging machinein alignment with the bore in the ore pipe 24L and the steam pressure acting through the gun is controlled by any suitable-means such as by the manually actuated valve 26.

Power is supplied to the apparatus by means of an electric motor 27 connected to a counter shaft 28 through a chain drive 29, and through the chain drive 30 countershaft 28 drives the shaft 31 throu h gear 32. The screw-feeder 17 is coupled to-the shaft 31' by means of a chain drive 38, and the parts as -sogeared together and proportioned that all of .the pockets of the feed wheel will be filled completely with. ore from the screw feed as each pocket in successio'n is brought into position beneath the 1-8. The discharge end 34 of'the ore pipe roje'cts a material distance from the mac ine so as to be advanced into the zinc furnace as shown in ghost lines in Figure The ore pipe is provided adjacent its discharge endwith a water pipe 35 by means of which the proper amount of moisture may be added to the charge just before the ore bullets are ejected from the steam gun.

' In operation and assuming that the hopper-14 is charged with ore and that the gates 15 are regulated .to supply the requisite amount of .ore to the screw conveyor, the machine is. set in motion. The ore is conveyed by the screw from the right to left of .the showingin Figure 1, and is deposited as shown by the arrows in Figure 3 into each of the succeeding pockets 21 as they come uppermost in-the charging machine. The ore will. be packed into the feed wheel with a pressure depending upon the rate of speed of the conveyor and the ore bullets formed in the compartment are carried downwardly with the rotation of the runner and successively positioned in the steam gun in advance of the discharge end of the steam inlet 26. The steam pressure from the pipe 25 acts on each succeeding bullet, forces the same along the ore pipeand discharges the same into one of the retorts B. After a bullet has been discharged from the revolving wheel the next succeeding tooth 22 moves across the discharge end of the steam inlet thus momentarily shutting ofi the steam supply from the gun.

discharge end of the steam pipe which accumulated pressure is immediately and conveniently available to exert its propelling eflect on the next bullet brought into position into the gun by the rotating wheel. The action is repeated, it being understood that each bullet follows the preceding bullet in rapid succession simulating the action of a rapid firing machine gun. Each bullet j is separated from the succeeding bullet in the ore pipe by a charge of steam under high pressure. The steam not only acts as -the propelling medium but acts to lubricate the interior of the bore of the ore pipe and provides a layer of steam between the.

moving ore bullets and the inner wall of i the ore pipe. -As the ore charges pass the discharge end of the water pipe 35 they are supplied with the requisite amount of water. It will be understood that the action of the cold ore, either with or; without the addition of the water supplied.

. It is readily appreciated that by a. suitable control of the speed of the motor 27 and of the open position of the valve 26, an accurate control is provided for regulating the rapidity with which the charges are fed to the retort and the steam pressure can be so regulated as to effect a clearing ofthe ore' pipe economically and without the use of unnecessaril high pressures. J

"By means 0 the method disclosed it has been found possible to provide an accurately controlled supply'for feeding zinc furnaces and like metallurgical receptacles, clogging has been eliminated and'the proper control of the moisture element is rovided.

While I have shown and. described and have pointed out in the annexed claims certain novel features of my invention, it will be' understood that various omissions, substitutions and changes in the process and in its operation may be made by those skilled in the art without departing from the spirit of the invention.

Having thus. described my invention, I claim: v

1. In the art of chargin zinc retorts with moist ore, the method whic h-consists in feeding a continuous stream of measured and separated bullets of zinc-containing-ore to p the retorts, and with the spaces in the stream between the spaced bullets filled with steam under pressure therebyto form steam cush- This action causes. the steam momentarily to build upits pressure at the.

2. In the art of charging zinc retorts with in forming a stream of cold bullets of zinc- 5 moist ore, the method which consists infeeding a continuous stream of preformed separated bullets of zinc-containing-ore to the retorts, and with the spaces in the stream between the spaced bullets filled withsteam under pressure thereby to form steam cushions for keeping the bullets separated and introducing water to the bullet stream.

3. In the. art of charging zinc retorts with moist ore, the method which consists in forming a stream of cold bullets of zinccontaining ore each bullet having approximately the same mass subjecting the bullets of the stream successively to the propelling influence of a jet of steam in a direction containing ore exteriorlfy of the retort, subjecting the bullets o the stream successively to the propelling influence of a jet of steam continually applied to-the succeeding bullets in a direction to propel the bullets in a steam actuated stream into the retorts, and permitting said cold ore to condense the steam in engagement therewith in the retort thereby to prevent the formation of back pressures on the ore bullets and causing the resulting vapor to escape from the retorts without appreciable pressure.

5. In the art of charging zinc retorts the method which consists in abstracting rom a stream of the ore to be fed to the retort,

to propel the bullets in a steam actuated a measured amount to form a compact bullet, and blowing said bullet as a single unit stream into the retorts, and permitting said cold ore to condense the steam in engagement therewith in the retort thereby to prevent the formation of back pressures on the ore bullets.

4. In the art of charging zinc retorts with moist ore, the method which consists into the retort.

Signed at Pueblo in the county of Pueblo JAY DAVID THOMAS.

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