US1213347A - Retort apparatus. - Google Patents

Description

Ali. VPINK. R.' TAPPARATUS.

' APPLICA FILED 1UN E l0, |915- A1,219454'7.. Y

Pte Jan- .x`

l Ens- @manuell/i E. FINK.V RETORT APPARATUS. APPLICATION F|LED1uNE1`o,1915.

' Patented Jan. 23,1917. l

4 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

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E.y PINK@ 1 REToRT APPARATusL APPLICATION FILED JUNE IO, 1915' "Patented Jan.' 23, 1917-.

4 SHEETS-SHEET 3- UNITED STATES! PATENT y EDWARDVFIN K, MILllli'AUKEE, WISCONSAIN, ASSI'GNOR OIE` ONE-HALF T HLLECK W.

' SEAMAN, 0F CLINTON, IOWA. v

RETQRT APPARATUS.

To all whom z' may concern.' Be it known that I, EDWARD FINK, a c1t1- zen of the United States, residing at Milwaukee, the county of Milwaukee and 'State of Wisconsin, have invented certain v new and useful Improvements in Retort lprovide retort apparatus by the use of which the reduction of zinc oxid, for example, may lbe conducted as a continuous operation, and

' 4the condensation of the zinc vapor is continuous, while the feeding of the materialto be treated in the retort may be either coni tinuous or intermittent, and the discharge of waste solid materials from' the'retort may be either continuous or intermittent.

A further object of the invention is to provide retort apparatus of such a characterh that it is not necessary at any time to dis-A connect the condenser from a retort either for the purpose of charging the retort, or for the purpose of removing spent material from the retort.v The feeding of the material to retorts and the discharge of spent material from the retorts may be accomplished by mechanical means and thereby effect a great saving in time and labor as compared with the known forms of Zinc retorts.

In general terms the invention comprises an upright retort provided with an outlet to a condenser, and preheating and feeding apparatus for the retort so located with respect to the outlet to the condenser that the outlet cannot be choked or blocked by material fed -to the retort, and the lower endof the retort is provided with mechanism whereby the spent material in .the retort seals the interior of the retort from the atmosphere while at the same time a part of the spent material may be readily removed without disturbing the operation lof the retort vor admitting air to the retort. Preferably a plurality of retorts, sufficient in number to accommodate'the requirements of the plant where` they are operated, are grouped together in a single furnace or combustion chamber.

'Specification of Letters Patent. Patnted Jan, 23, 191% Application led .Tune 10, 1915. Serial No. 33,236. i l

Referring to the drawings which accompany this specification' and forma parthereof, vwhich drawings illustrate embodiments of this invention and on which drawings theV same reference characters are used' to designate the same .parts wherever they mayappear in each of the several views, Figure -1 is a longitudinal vertical 'section through a furnace, one of the retorts and associated vparts therein being shown in section, and

other parts being shown as broken away to clearly illustrate the constructions; Fig. 2 is a transverse vertical section kof the furnace,

l one of the retorts therein and associated parts beingshown in section, and the other retort belng shown with parts broken away; Fig. 3

is a partial lverticallongitudinal sectionof a furnace, one of theretorts and associated parts therein being-shown in section, and another of the retorts and associated parts being shown as broken away, and illustrates a modified lform of retort apparatus; Fig. 4 is a transverse vertical section of the furnace illustrated by Fig. 3, one of the retorts andl associated parts therein being shown in sectionv and the other retort and associated parts therein being shown with'parts broken away; and Fig. 5 is a plan view of one of the retorts illustrated by Figs. 3 and 4.

Referring to Figs; 1 and 2 of the drawings, Athe reference'numeral l designates a-l furnace which may be constructed in any lsuitable or convenient manner .for the purpose desired, the particular furnace `illustratedbeing provided with burner nozzles 2 and 3 lfor liquid, gaseous or pulverized fuel an tacks 4 and 5 being provided for the escape-of the products of combustion. A supporting frame 6 is placed in the lower part of thefurnace 1,. and upon this frame are supported base members 7, which are I preferably vprovided with ledges 8 to vsupport retorts 9.' The retorts 9 may have substantially perpendicular walls, or the walls may' flare outwardly softhat the lower parts of the retorts are largerl than the upper parts, to facilitate the descent ofmaterial therein, but it is preferred to make the base members 7 considerably larger at their. bottoms than at their tops, sothatthe material therein can readily move downwardly as the material is removed from below.

A partition l0, of suitable refractory material,` separates the combustion chamber 11 from the chamber 12 in which the base members 7 are located. so as to prevent the base members from being heated to any consider- I able extent. The lower ends vof the base able mechanism. as for example, the

ings.

members 7 are partly closed by the revoluble cones 13, which are supported upon shafts 14, and which may be revolved eithercon- 16,'having an 'arm disposed at an angle like a screw or propeller blade to force the material down as the agitator is revolved.v Conveyers 17 of any suitable construction, may extend into the chamber 12 and under the base members '7, to receive the material discharged from the base members 7 and repartition 24, corresponding to the partitionf l0 already described, and for the same purmove it to the exterior of the furnace Each retort is provided with an outlet 18 which communicatesl withI a condenser 19,

and a preheating and feeding tube 20 communicateswith the interior of each retort and is so disposed with respect to the outlet 18 that material fed' into a retort by the feeding ltube cannot reach the outlet 18,

thereby providing a pocket adjacent the, outlet 18. The feeding tubes 20 are illusv trated as provided with hoppers 21 at their upper ends and the material to be fed to the retorts can be supplied to these hoppers either by hand or' by suitable conveying mechanism.

The top of the furnace is provided withV removable closures 22, of sufficient size to enable the removal of a broken or damaged retort and the insertion of a new retort therefor.

Referring now to Figs. 3, 4 and of the drawings, the furnace 23 is provided with a pose. A second partition 2o, is provided above the retorts, forming, wlth the roof of the furnace, afchamber 26 through which' the preheating and feeding tubes 27 extend, andthe products of combustion from the i combustion chamber 28 can be diverted to a greater or less extent from passing directly to the stacks 29 and 30 by means of the dampers 31 and 32 and compelled to pass through the apertures 33 and 34 in the partition 25 and around the preheating and feeding tubes 27 to the flue exits and 36. located above the partition 25. The hot products of combustion passing around the feeding tubes-27 heat the material contained therein and drive the moisture therefrom and preheat the'same before the material enters the -retorts The retorts 37 inthe furnace illustrated by Figs. 3 and 4 of the drawings, are elliptical in shape, with their long diameters placed longitudinally of the furnace andA they are supported upon flaring base members 38 andare provided with outlets 39 'which communicate`with condensers 40 in the same general manner as the retorts already described and illustrated by Figs. 1 and 2 of the drawings.

The feedingtubes 20 illustrated by Figs. 1 and 2 of the drawingsare .illustrated as extending down intothe interiors of the retorts below the outlets 18, so that the material cannot accumulate in or opposite the said outlets to block the same.V

In the construction illustrated by Figs. 3 and 4 of the drawings the outlets 39 extend from the tops of the retorts near one end of the long diameter of a retort, and the preheating and feeding tube 27 for a retort terminates substantially at the top of the retort and is located at the opposite end of the long diameter of the retort from the out-A let, and as the material fed to the retort will not rise above the angle of repose for the material indicated by the dotted line 41, the material cannot accumulate opposite the outlet ofthe retort so as to block the same.

The furnace illustrated by Figs. 3 and 4v of the drawings is shown yas provided with burners 42 and 43 for gaseous, liquid or pulverized fuel and it wilLbe understoodof course, that the burners 2, 3, 42 and 43 are illustrated conventionally, and any suitableA o r preferred form of burner for burning liquid or gaseous or pulverized solid fuel, or any mixture of` these fuels, may be used --as desired. It is preferred to use a gaseous,

liquid or pulverized solid fuel, or some mixture of these fuels, as distinguished from ordinary solid fuel, onaccount of the better regulation of the-'heat which can be obtained.

The furnace illustrated by Figs. 3 and 4 of the drawingsis provided with removable closures 44, for the same purpose as in the furnace illustrated by Figs. 1 and 2 of the drawings, and the base members 38 are supy ported upon a supporting frame 45 to the interior of which access may be had through doors 46 for the removal of the spent mate- -rial which has collected in the bottom of the furnace and in the base'members 38.

vThe apparatus is used as follows: The

base members, retort's, preheating and feeding tubes and hoppers are filled with the proper charge mixture for effecting the reduction of the material-to be reduced in the retorts, for example, the charge may consist of a mixture of zinc oxid and carbonaceous material suitable for reduction, and the retorts are heated by the fuel burning inthe vcombustion chamber of the furnace and supplied thereto by the burners. When the temperature of the retorts has been raised suiciently, reduction of the zinc oxid will take place within the retorts, the zinc vapor into the pockets adjacent the escape' through the outlets to the condensers where the vapor will condense to metallic zinc. The material in the base members ei'lectually seals the interiors of the retorts from the atmosphere, and the material in the preheating and feeding tubes will prevent the escape of any zinc vapor through the feed hoppers.

In both constructions of furnaces illustrated by thedrawings the preheating and feeding tubes are exposed'to the hot products of combustion, so that .the material therein becomes heated suiliciently to drive v off the moisture and volatile matters cone tained therein, but Athe temperature of the preheating and high enough to of the zinc oXid contained therein and the distillation of the zinc Vapor. This is due to the facty that in the construction of furnace illustrated by Figs. l and 2 of the drawings, the preheating and feeding tubes pass through the roof of the furnace and consequently their entire lengths'are not ex .posed to'the hot products of 'combustion within the furnace, and in the form of furnace illustrated by Figs. 3' and-4 of the drawings, the preheating "and feeding tubes not only pass through the l roof of the furnace, but are separated-from the active combustion chamber of As the zinc oz'iid. i aretort is reduced and the oarbonaceous material is consumed, the spent material in. the retort diminishes or decreases in. volume and settles down in the retort, and `fresh driedandheated material flows into the retort fromthepreheating and feeding tube.v Themate'rial yis. removed from the base membersfbyth'e vrotation of the revoluble cones 13 `intlieoonstruction illustrated by drawings, and this material falls on the .Y rial. '6.0'

conveyer 17 and is removed-tothe .exterior of the furnace.

In the construction illustra-ted by Figs. 3 and 4 ofcthe drawings, the material is removed by the use of hoes or shovels through the doorways provided with theY doors 46, and with either form of construction,"as the material is removed from the base members the material in the retorts sinks down and fresh material Hows into theretorts from the preheating` and feeding tubesv to maintain the retorts substantially full of matein line with the i y tops of the'reto'rts down to theplane of the burner nozzles and the material cools -as it feeding tubes is not raised bring about the reduction` the furnace by the par.

Figs. l and 2 of the.

The' 'retorts arelsubjected to the most intense heat in the -zo'ne burner nozzles, yso that thereduction" of the'` .zinooxid inthe retorts is Ta' gradual one asV 'the 'material'.,in th'eretorts-'sinks from the reaches the bottoms of the base members is not highly heated. This method of gradually increasing the. temperature of the materialto iirst drive oif the moisture and volatile matters and then gradually increasing the temperature to a point suiiicient to reduce and volatilize the last remnantof the zinc contained in the charge, effects a gradual and continuous distillation of tlie zinc vapor without any violent or explosive re .action taking place as would happen were the fresh charge to be subjected to the highest temperature of the furnace immediately upon introduction into the retorts. Any lead, antimony and copper oXid contained in the charge will be reduced to a metallic form and will be removed from the base members vwith the carbonaceous residue or spent material, and can be separated from the spentl material and recovered.

The feeding tubes should have enough lof i I 'heating tubes'27 to preventlshort circuiting of the hotproducts of stacks without heating thel feeding and preheating tubes 27. The hot products of combustion passing through the aperture 33 into the chamber 26 must pass to stack 30 through the flue exit 36 and-the hot prod'- ucts of combustion which pass through the aperturei into the Chamber` 26 pass to stack 29 through the flue aperture 35.

Vhat is claimed is:

l. The' combination with a retort and condenser and an outlet leading from said combustion to the .retort to said condenser, ofa preheating and feeding tube for supplying material to said retort so connected to the retort as to maintain a pocket free from material adjacent the outlet to the condenser when the retort .has been filled with material through the preheating and feedingtube.l

2. The combination with a base member, adapted to retainreduced materials therein and open at its top, of an open bottom retortsupported on said base member'and provided 'with a -preheatingfe'd pipe extend-A 4ingfupward therefrom, and a condenser communicating'with the interior of thev ref-jI tort'through an outlet 4in'v the retort located -in ytheretort above- When .the retort is filled withQ material throughthe Apreheating feed pipe.

3. The' combination with a retort open at the bottom and provided with a condenser material in the-retort and a preheating and feeding tube connected to theupper end of the retort, of a base member open at its bottom, for supporting the retort, and a shaft extending up intoA the base member and provided with an agitator forbreaking up crustsv or adhering material which may form beneath the redlicing zone of the retort.

Jr. The combination with a furnace provided with a combustion chamber and a partition forming the bottom ofthe combustion chamber, of'retorts open at their bottoms, located in the combustion chamber, base members for said retorts located below said partition, and means for produc ing a zone of high temperature within said combustion chamber adjacent the lower ends of said retorts.

5. The combination with a furnace provided with a combustion chamber, of retorts located in saidcombustion chamber.

and preheating and feeding tubes vextending throughthe roofof said' furnace and communicating With'the interiors of said retorts, and means for regulating the heating ot' said preheating and feeding tubesi Inl Witness whereof I hereto atliX my signaturev in presence of two Witnesses.

' EDR-TARD FINK. Witnesses ,HAs. L. Goss, FRANK E. BENNETT.

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