IMPROVEMENTS IN APPARATUS FOR GENERATING STEAM, AND FOR GENERATING GASES TO BE USED FOR HEATING STEAM BOILERS, OR FOR OTHER PURPOSES
Year: 1863

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Louis Emile Constant Martin, of No. 32, Albion
Street, Hyde Park, in the County of Middlesex, for the Invention of
"IMPROVEMENTS IN APPARATUS FOR GENERATING STEAM, AND FOR GENERATING
GASES TO BE USED FOR HEATING STEAM BOILERS, OR FOR OTHER PURPOSES."
Sealed the 6th November 1863, and dated the 29th August 1863.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Louis Emile Constant
Martin at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition,.
on the 29th August 1868.
I, LOUIS EMILE CONSTANT MARTIN, of No. 32, Albion Street, Hyde Park,
in the County of Middlesex, do hereby declare the nature of the Invention
for "IMPROVEMENTS IN APPARATUS FOR GENERATING STEAM, AND FOR GENERATING
GASES TO BE USED FOR HEATING STEAM BOILERS, OR FOR OTHER PURPOSES," to be as
follows-
This Invention has for its object improvements in apparatus for generating
steam, and for generating gases to be used for heating steam boilers, or for
other purposes.. For this purpose I employ an upright boiler, the transverse
section of which is annular, a space being left in the middle; the top of the
boiler is closed by a dome of any suitable form, and at the bottom of the boiler
are a number of small fire-places, or it may be one continuous fire-place all
round the boiler, the flues from which rise up through the annular boiler, the
flues being crossed at intervals by tubes or water spaces. The flues after
passing up some distance through the box open by means of a number of small

page_text: tubes which are surrounded by water into the space enclosed within the
annular boiler. In this space is placed a vessel, by preference composed
of fire-bricks or lumps, or it may be a vessel moulded in one piece of fire-clay,
which I call a retort. The retort is smaller in diameter than the inner
circumference of the boiler, so that a space is left between the exterior of the
retort and the interior of the boiler; near the bottom of the retort holes or
passages are formed into it, and across the space between the retort and the
boiler, and just above where the tubes from the flues. enter the space, is a
horizontal partition, the products of combustion from the furnaces must there-
fore, after passing from the flues through these tubes, pass downwards and enter
the retort near its bottom. The retort passes up through the horizontal
partition above mentioned, and near the top of the retort openings are formed,
so that the products of combustion can pass from the retort into the space
above the-partition. The retort is capable. of being filled with coal from the
top through a tube or passage that rises up through the steam dome above
mentioned, and in order to be enabled to do this without allowing any gases to
escape from the retort, the top of the tube or passage is closed by a plate,
which is curved inwards in a semicircular form, in such manner as to allow
a cylinder to rest and fit within the semicircular groove so formed, and at
the same time be capable of turning within it; the cylinder has an opening
formed in it, by which, when the opening in the cylinder is uppermost, it can
be filled with coal; the curved top to the retort has also an opening formed
in it, so that when the cylinder has been filled with coal, and is then revolved
so as to bring the opening in it to correspond with the opening in the top of
the retort, the coal in the cylinder will fall into the retort. The bottom of the
retort is composed of fire-bars, and below these bars is a space, from which
air can, if desired, be entirely excluded; provision is however made for
admitting a regulated quantity of air to the space, and so to the retort. When
the retort has been filled with fuel and the fires lighted in the boiler furnaces,
the products of combustion from the boiler furnaces passing through the retort
will distil off gases from the fuel contained in it, and will pass into the space
above the horizontal partition as above mentioned; the fuel at the bottom of
the retort may also be lighted, a regulated quantity of air being admitted to
the retort to allow the fuel to burn slowly. Below the bottom of the air space
under the retort, and below the ash-pits of some of the boiler furnaces, is s
shallow.air space, which by reason of its being under the ash-pits will be kept
_constantly heated; to this air space a regulated supply of air can be admitted
and as the air becomes heated it can pass away through a passage that leads
upwards to a fan, and the air passing through this fan will cause it rapidly to

page_text: revolve. The fan is contained within a pipe or passage leading from the space
into which the gases from the retort pass. The fan in revolving will draw the
gases from the, retort, and will at the same time mix them with the heated air;,
heated air may also be supplied to the fan through a pipe that passes from the
exterior atmosphere through the boiler to the space into which the gases from
the retort pass, the pipe may then either be coiled around the retort or not,.
according to the extent of beating surface desired, and afterwards caused to
pass away to the fan. The pipe by being coiled around the retort will be kept
constantly heated, and will thus heat the air passing through it. The gases
thus passing away from the retort mixed with heated air may be introduced
into the fire-place or furnace of another steam boiler, and be there burnt, or
the gases may be employed for heating other furnaces.
In constructing a boiler for generating steam suitable for being used on a
locomotive, I combine together an apparatus, such as before described, with an
ordinary tubular boiler of a locomotive, the ordinary fire-place or furnace of
the boiler being replaced by the apparatus before described, and the steam and
water spaces of the two boilers being connected together, the apparatus is in
this case, by preference, made rectangular in section, and two furnaces
only are, by preference, used, the doors of which open out at right angles on
the side opposite to that at which the gases from the retort pass to the tubular
boiler. The gases as they pass from the apparatus enter a space from which
the tubes of the tubular boiler pass, and are there burnt, the products of com
bustion passing away through the tubes..
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent, filed
by the said Louis Emile Constant Martin in the Great Seal Patent
Office on the 29th February 1864.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, LOUIS
EMILE CONSTANT MARTIN, of No. 32, Albion Street, Hyde Park, in the County
of Middlesex, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her Letters
Patent, bearing date the Twenty-ninth day of August, in the year of our Lord
One thousand eight hundred and sixty-three, in the twenty-seventh year of
Her reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant unto
me, the said Louis Emile Constant Martin, Her special licence that I, the
said Louis Emile Constant Martin, my executors, administrators, and assigns,
or such others as 1, the said Louis Emile Constant Martin, my executors..

page_text: administrators, and assigns, should at any time agree with, and no others,
from time to time and at all times thereafter during the term therein ex-
pressed, should and lawfully might make, use, exercise, and vend, within the
United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland, the Channel Islands, and
Isle of Man, an Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN APPARATUS FOR GENERATING
STEAM, AND FOR GENERATING GASES TO BE USED FOR HEATING STEAM BOILERS OR POR
OTHER PURPOSES," upon the condition (amongst others) that I, the said Louis
Emile Constant Martin, my executors or administrators, by an instrument
in writing under my, or their, or one of their hands and seals, should
particularly describe and ascertain the nature of the said Invention, and in
what manner the same was to be performed, and cause the same to be
filed in the Great Seal Patent Office within six calendar months next and
immediately after the date of the said Letters Patent.
;
NOW KNOW YE, that I, the said Louis Emile Constant Martin, do hereby
declare the nature of the said Invention, and in what manner the same is to
be performed, to be particularly described and ascertained in and by the
following statement thereof, that is to say :-
This Invention has for its object improvements in apparatus for generating
steam and for generating gases to be used for heating steam boilers or for
other purposes. For this purpose I employ an upright boiler, the transverse
section of which is annular, a space being left in the middle; the top of the
boiler is closed by a dome or other known form, and at the bottom of
the boiler are one or more fire-places, the flues of which rise up through the
annular boiler, the flues being crossed at intervals by tubes or water spaces.
The flues after passing up some distance through the box open by means of a
number of small tubes which are surrounded by water into the space inclosed
within the annular boiler. In this space is placed a vessel composed of fire-
clay, fire-bricks, or Welsh lumps, in one or more pieces and which I call a
The retort is smaller in diameter then the inner circumference of the
boiler, so that a space is left between the exterior of the retort and the interior
of the boiler; near the bottom of the retort holes or passages are formed into
it, and across the space between the retort and the boiler, and just above where
the tubes from the flues enter the space is a horizontal partition, the products
of combustion from the furnaces must therefore, after passing from the flues
through those tubes, pass downwards and enter the retort near its bottom. The
retort passes up through the horizontal partition above mentioned, and near
the top of the retort openings are formed, so that the products of combustion
can pass from the retort into the space above the partition. The retort is
capable of being filled with coal from the top through a tube or passage that
retort.

page_text: rises up through the steam dome above mentioned, and in order to be enabled
to do this without allowing any gases to escape from the retort the top of the
tube or passage is closed by a plate which is curved inwards in a semicircular
form, in such manner as to allow a cylinder to rest and fit within the semi-
circular groove so formed, and at the same time be capable of turning within
it; the cylinder has an opening formed in it by which, when the opening in the
cylinder is uppermost, it can be filled with coal; the curved top to the retort
has also an opening formed in it so that when the cylinder has been filled with
coal and is then revolved so as to bring the opening in it to correspond with
the opening in the retort the coal in the cylinder will fall into the retort. The
bottom of the retort is composed of fire-bars, and below these fire-bars is a
space from which air can if desired be entirely excluded; provision is however
made for admitting a regulated quantity of air to the space and so to the
retort. When the retort has been filled with fluel, and the fires lighted in the
boiler furnaces, the products of combustion from the boiler furnaces passing
through the retort will distil off gases from the fuel contained in.it and will
pass into the space above the horizontal partition as above mentioned; the fuel
at the bottom of the retort may also be lighted, a regulated quantity of air
being admitted to the retort to allow the fuel to burn slowly. Below the
bottom of the air space under the retort, and below the ash-pit of the boiler.
furnaces, is a shallow air space, which by reason of its being under the ash-pit
will be kept constantly heated; to this air space a regulated supply of air can
be admitted, and as the air becomes heated it can pass away through a passage
that leads upwards to a fan, and the air passing this fan will cause it to revolve
rapidly. The fan is contained within a pipe or passage leading from the:
within which the gases from the retort pass. The fan in revolving will draw
the gases from the retort and will at the same time mix them with the heated
heated air may also be supplied to the fan through a pipe that passes from
the exterior atmosphere through the boiler to the space into which the gases
from the retort pass, the pipe may be coiled if required for heating surface
round. the retort and afterwards caused to pass away to the fan. The pipe by
being coiled round the retort will be kept constantly heated, and will thus heat
the air passing through it, the gases thus passing away from the retort mixed
with heated air may be introduced into the fire-place or furnace.
air;
space
In constructing a boiler for generating steam, suitable for being used on a
locomotive, I combine together an apparatus such as before described with an
ordinary tubular boiler of a locomotive, the ordinary fire-place or furnace of the
boiler being replaced by the apparatus before described, and the steam and
water spaces of the two boilers being connected together, the apparatus is in

page_text: this case by preference made square or rectangular in section and two or more
furnaces are used, the doors of which open out at right angles to that at which
the gases from the retort pass to the tubular boiler; the gases as they pass
from the apparatus enter a space from which the tubes of the tubular boiler
pass and are there burnt, the product of combustion passing away through
the tubes. In the locomotive one furnace may be used with a separate
combustion chamber
this case by preference made square or rectangular in section and two or more
furnaces are used, the doors of which open out at right angles to that at which
the gases from the retort pass to the tubular boiler; the gases as they pass
from the apparatus enter a space from which the tubes of the tubular boiler
pass and are there burnt, the product of combustion passing away through
the tubes. In the locomotive one furnace may be used with a separate
combustion chamber
DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS.
A, A¹, are grates upon which ordinary combustion takes place; 9 is a retort
of fire-clay filled with fuel and is fed by the cylinder ✗; the gases produced on
the grates A, A¹, pass upwards heating in their ascent the tubes c, c, c², c³,
and passing through the small tubes D, D¹, descend the flue Y, Y', heating
on their way the water space C, C, C, C¹, on the one side, and the retort B, B¹
on the other, they enter the retort g by the orifices E, E, and passing up
through the retort enter the chamber W, W, by the orifices F, F, thence to
the regulator G, and passing through the distributor H, where mingling with
atmospheric air they enter into combustion at J; C, C, C, C, are water
spaces, and P, P¹, C", C, is steam space; R is a coiled pipe open to the
atmosphere at L and communicating with the distributor at M, mixing heated
air with the gases; N, N, is a shallow air space open to the atmosphere at V
and communicating with distributor H at K; I is a section in plan
through E, E, and K is a plan through F, F, T, T, and S are ash-pits.
The letters in each Figure refer to the same thing.
In witness whereof, I, the said Louis Emile Constant Martin, have
hereunto set my hand and seal, this Eighteenth day of February,
in the year of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and sixty-
four.