The Minneapolis journal. [volume] (Minneapolis, Minn.) 1888-1939, 1905-03-27
EASY TO ABAIE
SMOKE NUISANCE
INSPECTOR ALLEN FINDS NEW
DEVICE EFFECTIVE.
Encouragement Of the Furnace Firebox
Results in the Consumption Of the
Smoke and "a Saving of Fuel-En-
gineers and Health Commissioner
!. Watch a Test Of the Equipment.

As a result Of experiments conducted
by several practical engineers of Min
neapolis device for all kinds Of
large furnaces has been perfected that
promises to make the abatement of the
smoke nuisance a comparatively easy
matter. a
A demonstration showing two large
boilers equipped with the new device in
full operation was given Saturday
night in the Glass Block engineroom
under the direction of j. w. Allen, the
smoke inspector. The demonstration
was attended by nearly hundred prac-
tical engineers and fremen and all pro-
nounced it success.
Not only was the smoke entirely con-
sumed, but the boilers gave nearly
double the power under the intense
heat Of the new system. Where 300
horse power was obtained under the
old arrangement, they can now be
crowded close to the 500 mark. One
of the Glass Block boilers has been run
under this system for a week and dur
ing that time rs per cent less fuel has
been used for the amount of power
gained.
The demonstration was conducted by
the health department simply to show
that it is possible to burn even the
poorest grade of soft coal and have no
smoke.
The arrangement is a practical and
simple arrangement of the firebox. I'm
der the old system the boiler was di-
rectly above the frebox and the flames
carried the small particles Of carbon
against it. According to the engineers
water above $50 degrees. AS it takes
a temperature of about one thousand
! degrees to consume the carbon or
smoke the desired results could not be
obtained. The gas was cooled and the
smoke passed up the chimney unburned
The oxygen under the old system was
consumed by passing up thru the burn
ing coal and no new supply was fur
arched wall of fire brick between the
frebox and the boiler. These bricks
can be heated to incandescence and
when the smoke strikes the heated sur
face, it will not be cooled. Two air
tubes run between the boiler and arched
wall, and deliver the second supply of
oxygen at the rear Of the fire box. As
heated to about 1000 degrees, and any
small particles of carbon that may have
| travelled as far as the rear of the box
are imm ediately consumed.
The problem of the engineers hereto.
fore was to get the second supply of
oxygen. "A device was made to 90 this
but the oxygen was not heated and the
result was cooling of the smoke. Under
| this system the flames never touch the
| boiler, but the heat after it is generated
is brought back and distributed thru
| the fues Of the boiler.
Stocking under this system, say the
fremen, is much easier than under the
old, and test of the ashes shows that
there is a minimum Of uncOnsumed mat
ter.
DR.. P. M. Hall, health commissioner
watched the smoke stack for. an hour
Saturday, while the two boilers were
going at full blast. The other boilers
WIFI CHI have not been equipped with the
device were running at low pressure
and only small amount Of smoke was
coming out Of the chimney. With al
the freboxes rearranged he says there
will be no more smoke than when hard
coal is used. He has not tried the de-
vice long, enough to pronounce it per
feet, but hopes to be able to do so. II
coal can be burned without making
smoke, and if one fireman can do il
with the new system, others can learn
to do it.
To improve a boiler in this way will
not be costly and the work can be done
between closing time Saturday an6
Monday morning. If crucible bricks
are used in the arched wall they will
last for nearly ten years without re-
pair.
Patent papers have been taken out
by the engineers who perfected the new
plan, and no attempt will be made by
them to do general business until the
smoke, nuisance in Minneapolis is