Improvements in Means for Condensing and Preventing the Emission. of Smoke and Vapours from Steam Generator Furnaces and other Furnaces, and Vessels in which such Products of Combustion and Vapours are Evolved.
Year: 1889

page_text: Date of Application, 22nd May, 1889
Complete Specification Left, 22nd Feb., 1890-Accepted, 3rd May, 1890
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Means for Condensing and Preventing the Emission.
of Smoke and Vapours from Steam Generator Furnaces and other
Furnaces, and Vessels in which such Products of Combustion
and Vapours are Evolved.
We ROBERT WALKER and DAVID WALKER trading as the Middleton Paper Staining
Company of Middleton in the County of Lancaster do hereby declare the nature of
this Invention to be as follows:-
:-
Our said Invention is applicable particularly to the condensation of smoke and the
heated products of combustion emitted from steam boiler and other furnaces, but is
also applicable to the condensation of chemical and other vapours evolved in other
classes of furnaces and in vessels used in chemical manufactures as is well under-
stood. According to our invention we treat such escaping smoke, products of com-
bustion and vapours with steam so as to saturate the carbon and other mechanically
suspended matters and so by increasing their specific gravity we cause them to become
precipitated in a suitable chamber or receiver, or in the case of certain other vapours
susceptible of such change, we use the steam to liquify and throw down such vapours
as solutions. In applying our invention to the furnace of a steam generator for
example we place a fan in the flue leading from the boiler and by revolving the fan
we create a draught and draw the smoke and products of combustion from the boiler
flue or flues and force the same into a chamber or condenser. The smoke enters the
condenser at or near the bottom and we blow jets of steam into the said chamber or
condenser so as to meet the inflowing smoke and fill the chamber. The steam we
employ for this purpose may be waste steam such for example as the exhaust from the
engine or from other sources or we might use live steam. The condenser being thus
filled with moist vapour the result is that the particles of carbon in the smoke or
heated products of combustion become saturated with moisture and fall to the bottom
of the chamber from which the accumulated deposit may from time to time be
removed. The bottom of the condenser is preferably made of perforated metal so as
to allow the moisture to drain away from the precipitated matters. At a certain
distance from the top of the condenser we place a perforated partition or baffle plate
to assist in throwing down the saturated particles and at or near the top of the con-
dénser we form an opening leading to a vent or short chimney which is all that we at
present think will be necessary as we believe that one result of the adoption of our
invention will be that users will be enabled to dispense with the usual tall chimneys
which under present circumstances are necessary, first to create a draught and second
to carry the smoke and products of combustion to such an altitude as will diminish
the nuisance attendant upon the discharge of smoke into the atmosphere. By our
process we expect to eliminate the deleterious elements from the smoke and as the
fan gives us the necessary draught and the means of varying the draught we anticipate
that a comparatively short vent will be found sufficient thus doing away with one of
the most unsightly elements of the architecture of manufacturing towns. The steam
supply to the condenser is admitted wherever it is found to be most effective. The
fan may be driven by a belt and pulley or by a small engine or by a jet of steam
impinging on the tips of the blades or by other suitable means. In treating chemical
vapours by the herein before described means the form of the condenser may be varied
and baffle plates and trays may be arranged to catch and retain the liquified gases and
vapours as they are resolved into their solutions by the action of the steam. By
means of our invention not only is the atmosphere saved from pollution but by the

page_text: arresting and condensation of such smoke and vapours we prevent waste and obtain
bye products which are usually lost to the manufacturer.
Dated this 21st day of May 1889.
DUTTON & FULTON,
1, St. James Square, Manchester, Agents.
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Means for Condensing and Preventing the Emission
of Smoke and Vapours from Steam Generator Furnaces and other
Furnaces, and Vessels in which such Products. of Combustion
and Vapours are Evolved.
We ROBERT WALKER and DAVID WALKER trading as the Middleton Paper Staining
Company of Middleton in the County of Lancaster do hereby declare the nature of
this Invention and in what manner the same is to be performed to be particularly
described and ascertained in and by the following statement and accompanying
drawings:-
Our said Invention is applicable particularly to the condensation of smoke and the
heated products of combustion emitted from steam boiler and other furnaces, but is
also applicable to the condensation of chemical and other vapours evolved in other
classes of furnaces and in vessels used in chemical manufactures as is well understood.
According to our invention we treat such escaping smoke, products of combustion and
vapours with steam so as to saturate the carbon and other mechanically suspended
matters and so by increasing their specific gravity we cause them to become pre-
cipitated in a suitable chamber or receiver, or in the case of certain other vapours
susceptible of such change we use the steam to liquify and throw down such vapours
as solutions. To render our invention more clear wo will now proceed to describe the
same particularly, reference being had to the annexed sheet of drawings and to the
letters and figures marked thereon.
Fig. 1 is a sectional view of our improved smoke condensing chamber shown con-
nected to the side flue of a boiler. The section is taken at the line A B Fig. 2.
Fig. 2 is a plan of the arrangement.
Figs. 3 and 4 are detail views which will be hereafter referred to.
In the drawing we have shown the invention applied to a single flued boiler for the
sake of simplicity but it will of course be understood that it can as easily be used with
a double flued boiler or other stationery boiler of any type.
The boiler a is set in the ordinary brick work 6 and has an under return flue c and
side flues d as is usual. The side flues meet at the back of the boiler at the
dampers e e¹, the smoke passing through the damper e to the exhaust fan for other
suitable exhausting or forcing apparatus. The other damper e¹ closes the entrance to
the flue g which leads to the chimney h. Thus by closing one damper or the other
we could direct the whole of the smoke either to the condensing apparatus or to the
chimney or we might lead the smoke to both simultaneously. We will however
proceed with our description upon the assumption that the whole of the smoke is
passed on to the condensing apparatus as indicated by the arrows. The fan f which
may be driven by any suitable means draws the smoke from the boiler flues and
forces it into the pipe i which extends from the fan into the condensing chamber j
which may be built of brick as shewn or be constructed of metal plates or in any
other convenient manner. The condensing chamber is made of sufficient height
and capacity and the smoke pipe which extends the length of the bottom of the
chamber is turned upwards and backwards as shewn in Fig. 1 so as to project the
smoke into the chamber. At the other end of the chamber and about opposite to
the emission mouth of the smoke pipe, we place a steam pipe k through which we blow
steam from the boiler or from the engine exhaust or other source into the chamber. This
inflowing supply of steam meets the smoke as it issues from the smoke pipe i and the

page_text: two currents become thoroughly commingled. The condenser is thus filled with
moist vapour and smoke, the result being that the particles of carbon in the smoke or
heated products of combustion become saturated with moisture and fall to the bottom
of the chamber from whence the accumulated deposit may from time to time be
removed. The bottom of the condensing chamber is or may be made of perforated
metal or tiles or it may be formed with intersecting runlets leading to the sides or
ends so as to allow the moisture to drain away from the precipitated matters as for
example through the drain pipe / shewn in Fig. 1. The deposited carbon which has
fallen to the bottom of the chamber can be removed at intervals through a suitable
aperture. To assist is saturating the smoke with moisture we place spray pipes m in
the smoke pipe i as shewn in the drawings and particularly in the sectional view of
the smoke pipe Fig. 3. Water under pressure is led into these pipes and the pipes
are perforated at intervals so as to throw finely divided sprays of water into the
interior of the pipe and in the course of the smoke which thus becomes humidified to
a certain extent and in a condition to be more readily saturated or thrown down by
the steam jet in the chamber. The collected water is allowed to escape from the
A similar water spray may be
smoke pipe either continuously or at intervals.
directed into the fan through the connection m³ and one beneficial result of this is
that the fan is kept cooler than would otherwise be the case. Instead of water sprays,
jets of steam might be used. Any smoke which might remain uncondensed in the
chamber j is or may be led from the chamber through the pipe n to the front of the
furnace where it is discharged through the mouth piece o beneath the firebars, as
shown by the detail view Fig. 4. As there is considerable pressure in the condensing
chamber owing to the action of the fan this residual smoke is blown with an accom-
panyment of atmospheric air beneath the fire bars and into the furnace (as shown by
the arrows) with considerable velocity and acts as a forced draught, and the smoke
tbus forced into the furnace is consumed. By means of the arrangement shown and
described or a kindred or equivalent arrangement we are enabled to consume the
whole of the smoke arising from a furnace. In the drawing we have shown a chimney
in connection with the condensing arrangement and have provided means for using
it along with or apart from the condensing chamber. But if such a chimney is made
at all it need be of only small capacity and of greatly diminished height as compared
with ordinary stack vents. This advantage of itself would help to do away with the
tall chimneys which are such unsightly elements in the architecture of manufacturing
towns, but as a matter of fact we believe that our invention can be used without any
chimney whatever as the fan or other exhausting apparatus gives the required draught
and the condensing apparatus suppresses the evolved smoke.
We do not confine ourselves to the particular arrangements shown and described as
these may be greatly varied. For example the points at which the smoke and steam
are admitted to the condensing chamber may be varied in position. By means of
our invention not only is the atmosphere saved from pollution but we also effect some
economy in fuel and by arresting and condensing smoke and vapours we prevent
waste and obtain bye-products such for example as carbon, which are usually lost to
the manufacturer.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of our said inven
tion and in what manner the same is to be performed we declare that what we
claim is :-
1. The general arrangement and combination of apparatus for condensing and
consuming smoke and vapours substantially as heretofore described and shown in the
annexed drawings.
2. In apparatus for condensing smoke and vapours a closed condensing chamber
into which the smoke is led or forced and there saturated or humidified by means of
steam so as to cause precipitation of the particles of carbon substantially as described
and shown.
3. In apparatus for condensing smoke and vapours, the condensing chamber j in

page_text: combination with the fan smoke pipe i and steam jet k for the purposes and sub-
stantially as described and shown.
4. In apparatus of the indicated type returning the uncondensed smoke from the
condensing chamber to the furnace and forcing it thereinto substantially as described
and shown.
5. In apparatus of the indicated nature bumidifying the smoke or heated products
of combustion on their way to the condensing chamber by the introducing of sprays
of water or steam into the fan and smoke pipe substantially as described and shown.
Dated this 21st day of February 1890.
DUTTON & FULTON,
1, St. James Square, Manchester, Agents.