Elias Anton Cappelen Smith

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Elias Anton Cappelen Smith. Photo: E. A. Smith anniversary book.

Elias Anton Cappelen Smith (6 November 1873 – 25 June 1949) was a

copper production in the early 20th century. Among his achievements were the Peirce–Smith converter [fr] and the Guggenheim process.[1]

Background

Cappelen Smith was born at Trondheim in Sør-Trøndelag, Norway. He was the son of Elias Anton Smith (1842–1912), founder of E.A. Smith AS and Ingeborg Anna Røvig (1846–1923). His middle name Cappelen is from the family of his paternal grandmother, Marie Severine Cappelen (died 1900) married to Peder Høegh Smith (died 1881).[2] He grew up as the eldest son among nine children and attended the Trondheim Cathedral School. He was educated as a chemist at Trondhjems Tekniske Læreanstalt [no], now the Norwegian University of Science and Technology, taking his final exam in 1893. The same year he emigrated to the United States.[3]

Career

Cappelen Smith started working as an assistant chemist at

Manhès-David process.[3]

Cappelen Smith died in New York in 1949.[4]

Peirce–Smith converter

Longitudinal and cross sections of a Peirce–Smith converter.

The Peirce–Smith converter, introduced in 1908, improved significantly the

Manhès-David process, was directly derived from the Bessemer process. In this horizontal chemical reactor, where air was injected into copper matte, a molten sulfide material containing iron, sulphur and copper, to become molten blister, an alloy containing 99% copper. But the basic slag produced during the blowing combined with the acid silica refractory lining, thereby causing a very short lifetime of the lining.[5]

By developing a basic refractory material adapted to the matte refining process (in magnesia bricks), Cappelen Smith and William H. Peirce found a way to drastically increase the lifetime of the lining. It has been stated that, in some cases, the process allowing an increase from 10 to 2500 tons of copper produced without relining the converters.[6] A reduction of the cost of copper converting from 15 to US$20 to 4–5 USD has been stated.[7]

The Peirce–Smith converter replaced quickly the Manhès-David Converter: by March 1912, the Peirce–Smith Converting Co. claimed that "over 80% of the copper produced in [the U.S.] is being converted either in P-S type converters or on basic lining, under license, in the old acid shells".[6]

It is still in use today, although the process has been significantly improved since then. In 2010, with 250 converters working in the world, the Peirce–Smith converters refine 90% of the copper matte.[8]

Guggenheim process

The Guggenheim process is a method of chemical precipitation which employs

copper ore in the Chuquicamata mine starting in 1915. This mine is still today one of the world's largest copper resources.[9][10]

Honors

In 1920 Cappelen Smith was honored with the gold medal of the Mining and Metallurgical Society of America for distinguished service in the art of

Drexel Institute of Technology. In 1930, Cappelen Smith helped finance the installation of the Steinmeyer organ in the Nidaros Cathedral for the 900th anniversary of the Battle of Stiklestad. (Norwegian:Olavsjubileet 1930th)[11][12]

References

  1. ISBN 978-91-7439-764-2
    . Retrieved March 15, 2016.
  2. ^ Haugen, Lambrecht: Cappelen-slekten 1627-2008 (2008), page 41.
  3. ^ a b Elias Anton Cappelen Smith – utdypning (NBL-artikkel) (Norsk biografisk leksikon)
  4. ^
    Newspapers.com. Open access icon
  5. ^ Levy, Donald M. (1912). C. Griffin & company, limited (ed.). Modern copper smelting. pp. 192–215.
  6. ^ a b William Peirce and E.A. Cappelen Smith and Their Amazing Copper Converting Machine Larry M. Southwick. JOM: The Member Journal of TMS. International Peirce–Smith Converting Centennial. October 2008 Volume 60, NO.10
  7. ^ Saga in Steel and Concrete, Kenneth O. Bjork, Norwegian-American Historical Association, 1947, pp. 249-250
  8. ISBN 978-0-08-096789-9
    .
  9. ^ "Copper Metallurgy: Past, Present, And Future (Fathi Habashi. Laval University, Quebec City, Canada)" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 2011-07-07. Retrieved 2010-02-19.
  10. ^ Elisabeth Glaser-Schmidt (Fall 1995). "The Guggenheims and the Coming of the Great Depression in Chile, 1923-1934" (PDF). Business and Economic History, Volume twenty-four, no. 1. Archived from the original (PDF) on March 30, 2016. Retrieved March 15, 2016.
  11. ^ MMSA Gold Medalists (The Mining and Metallurgical Society of America)
  12. ^ "Steimeyerorgelet". Nidaros Cathedral in Trondheim. Archived from the original on March 31, 2016. Retrieved March 15, 2016.

Primary Source

Saga in Steel and Concrete is posted in sections at: Norway-L archives 2003-04 Norway-L archives 2003-05

External links

Retrieved from "https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Elias_Anton_Cappelen_Smith&oldid=1211552820"