Specification of Joseph Wass : construction of smelting furnaces.

  • Wass, Joseph.
Date:
1855
Catalogue details

Licence: Public Domain Mark

Credit: Specification of Joseph Wass : construction of smelting furnaces. Source: Wellcome Collection.

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    Wasss Improvement for Smelting or Calcining Lead Ore, arc occasionally collected and conveyed to a wasting furnace. The cap B is suspended by a perpendicular rod D, which passes up the center of the tower; this rod is supported by a sort of stirrup iron E, attached to the beam F, which is placed across the tower. At the upper end of the rod D there is a screw 5 nut for adjusting the height of the cap B above the throat C of the chimney ; and II,H, are three or more upright bars or standards, passing through the matrice holes in the cap B, upon which, by means of bolts or pins, it is supported. By these means the cap having become a fixture, in order to regulate the width of the opening or passage between it and the throat of the chimney, a rim or 10 hoop I, I, is attached to the cap, which is made capable of adjustment in order to contract the passage to any desired dimensions. The lighter particles and the vapours which pass through this opening from the flues ascend into the upper part of the tower, which, as aforesaid, is high and capacious. An hori¬ zontal section of the tower is shewn at Fig. 3, cut through a little above the 15 cap B, the top side of which is seen, and also the lodge floor G. The top of the tower is covered with a flat roof J, J, which assists in driving back any of the smoke and dence vapour which may have passed the cap, and also excludes the rain, hail, or snow from the tower and the chimney. Through this roof the shaft K of a vane passes and rests upon the cross beam F. A number of vent 20 holes or openings L, L, L, are made through the walls of the tower at its upper part for the purpose of allowing the light vapours to escape from the inside; but to prevent stormy gusts of wind from driving back the vapour into the flue and obstructing the working of the furnaces, all the holes on the windward side of the tower are kept continually closed by a semicircular shutter M. This 25 shutter is supported by arms attached to the shaft K, and is more perfectly seen in Fig. 4, the horizontal section of the tower, cut through at the vent holes near the top. At the top of the shaft K, on the outside of the tower, a vane N is attached, which, being acted upon by the wind, swings as the wind changes and turns the shaft round, carrying with it the semicircular shutter, by which it 3Q will be seen that from whatever point the wind blows, the vent holes on that side of the tower next to the wind are closed by the shutter, and the holes on the leeward side being unobstructed, the vapour from the smoke or steam, which is lighter than the common atmospheric air, will then escape, leaving the grosser and more pernicious particles deposited in the chimney below or upon the lodge 35 floor, as above said. Besides preventing the nuisance occasioned by smelting or calcining furnaces of the old construction to the neighbourhood in which they may be erected, the heavy particles thus retained are extremely valuable; and hence, when the deposition has sufficiently accumulated, it is removed from the lodge floor and carried to the wasting furnace. This is done at a time when