AN IMPROVED METHOD OF ARRANGING FURNACES AND THEIR FLUES
Year: 1871

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to William Robert Lake, of the Firm of Haseltine,
Lake & Co., Patent Agents, Southampton Buildings, London, for
the Invention of "AN IMPROVED METHOD OF ARRANGING FURNACES AND
THEIR FLUES."-A communication from abroad by Albin Peters,
of Moscow, Russia.
Sealed the 8th August 1871, and dated the 8th April 1871.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said William Robert Lake
at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition,
on the 8th April 1871.
I, WILLIAM ROBERT LAKE, of the Firm of Haseltine, Lake, & Co.,
Patent Agents, Southampton Buildings, London, do hereby declare the
nature of the said Invention for "AN IMPROVED METHOD OF ARRANGING
FURNACES AND THEIR FLUES," a communication, to be as follows:-
In the furnaces hitherto used there is always a great loss of heat
which arises from the escape of a great quantity of unburnt gas through
the chimney. I have for a long time laboured to discover the means by
which to diminish this waste, and I believe that I have solved the

page_text: problem, as will be seen from the following description:-
arrange two
or three furnaces in such a manner that I conduct the hot gas escaping
from one or two fires, after having rendered its service into a common
fluc, instead of allowing it to escape into the chimney, and thence
through a special fluc under the grate of the second or third fire which
absorbs the gas. The spaces beneath the grates, into which the ashes
fall, or the ash-pits are completely closed against the free access of the
air, and as much fresh air is only allowed to enter under the grates by
means of slides, as is necessary to regulate the respective fires. As the
gas entering into the chimney has a temperature of about 300° to 350°,
the fire of the second and third furnaces becomes much more intense
by this addition of heat, and by the burning of the gas not yet burnt
in the preceding fires, and I therefore effect by this means a considerable
saving of fuel. It is evident that the gas of the last furnace after
having produced its proper effect is allowed to escape through the
chimney. In order to maintain properly all the fires it is necessary that
the use of the hot and unburnt gas shall take place alternately and
independently of the supply of fresh fuel, sometimes in the one and
sometimes in the other of the furnaces. The supply of fresh fuel takes
place after equal periods in succession, that is to say, two or three
furnaces are not supplied with fresh fuel at once or shortly one after the
other, but at long intervals. At the commencement it is necessary that
the two or three furnaces are properly made up in the same manner
as hitherto, in order that the gas escaping from one or two furnaces
after having rendered its proper service, when entering, in the second or
third furnace finds there a great heat already generated. If there
be four or more furnaces it will be probably necessary to allow only
two or three furnaces to work together, as onc fire is not likely to
consume the hot gas escaping from three or more furnaces.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent, 3
filed by the said William Robert Lake in the Great Seal Patent
Office on the 7th October 1871.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, WILLIAM
ROBERT LAKE, of the Firm of Haseltine, Lake, & Co., Patent Agents,
Southampton Buildings, London, send greeting.
3

page_text: WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her
Letters Patent, bearing date the Eighth day of April, in the year of
our Lord One thousand eight hundred and seventy-one, in the thirty-
fourth year of Her reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors,
5 give and grant unto me, the said William Robert Lake, Her special
licence that I, the said William Robert Lake, my exccutors, adminis-
trators, and assigns, or such others as I, the said William Robert Lake,
my executors, 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 expressed, 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 "AN
IMPROVED METHOD OF ARRANGING FURNACES AND THEIR FLUES," a com
munication to me from abroad by Albin Peters, of Moscow, Russia, upon
the condition (amongst others) that I, the said William Robert Lake,
my executors or administrators, by an instrument in writing under my,
or their, or one of their hands and scals, 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 Scal Patent Office within six calendar months next and imme-
diately after the date of the said Letters Patent.
NOW KNOW YE, that I, the said William Robert Lake, 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, reference being had to the accompanying
Drawing forming a part of this Specification.
In the furnaces hitherto used there is always a great loss of heat,
which arises from the escape of a great quantity of unburnt gas through
the chimney. The means I adopt for diminishing this waste will be
seen from the following description:-I arrange two or three furnaces
in such a manner that I conduct the hot gas escaping from one or two
fires after having rendered its service into a common flue, instead of
allowing it to escape into the chimney, and thence through a special flue
under the grate of the second or third fire which absorbs the gas.
The spaces beneath the grates into which the ashes fall, or the ash-pits,
are completely closed against the free access of the air, and as much
fresh air only is allowed to enter into the grates by means by slides as
is necessary to regulate the fires. As the gas entering into the chimney

page_text: It is
has a temperature of about 300-350°, the fire of the second and third
furnaces becomes much more intense by this addition of heat, and by
the burning of the gas not yet burnt in the preceding fires, and I
therefore effect by this means a considerable saving of fuel.
evident that the gas of the last furnace after having produced its proper
effect is allowed to escape through the chimney. In order to maintain
properly all the fires, it is necessary that the use of the hot and unburnt
gas shall take place alternately and independently of the supply of fresh
fuel, sometimes in the one and sometimes in the other of the furnaces.
The supply of fresh fuel takes place after equal periods in succession,
that is to say, two or three furnaces are not supplied with fresh fuel at
once or shortly one after the other, but at long intervals. At the
commencement it is necessary that the two or three furnaces shall be
properly made up in the same manner as hitherto, in order that the gas
escaping from one or two furnaces after having rendered its proper
service, when entering in the second or third furnace shall find there
a great heat already generated. If there be four or more furnaces it will
be probably necessary to allow only two or three furnaces to work
together, as one fire is not likely to consume the hot gas escaping from
DAHA furn
Figure 1 is a longitudinal section through the axis of one of the
boilers on the lines 1, 2, 3, 4, of Figures 4, 5, 6; Figure 2 is a vertical
transverse section of an arrangement of three boilers on the line 5, 6, of
Figure 5; Figure 3 is an end view of the boiler arrangements shown in
Figures 2 and 5; Figures 4, 5, and 6 are horizontal sections of brick-
work for the reception of four, three, and two boilers on the line 7, 8, 9,
1.0, of Figure 1.
A, B, and C of Figures 2 and 5 are three boiler furnaces, the hot gas
of which after having traversed the various heating flues d, d, and dª³ is a
united in the connection flues D° and is conducted therefrom through
the flues D', D³, and D³ under the grates of the respective furnaces.
, a', and a² are turning doors which when they are opened at the same
time close the connection of the corresponding flucs d, d', and d with
the connecting flue D° and put them in communication with the flue a
(Figures 1, 4, 5, and 6) leading to the chimney. b, b', and are slides
for letting in the fresh air necessary for the maintenance of the respective

page_text: furnaces; c, c', c³, c³, c', and c³ are dampers to shut off the separate
boilers.
The putting into activity takes place in the following manner :-First
all three furnaces A, B, and C are properly made up by opening the
doors a, a', and a³, so that the hot gas escaping through the flues d, d³,
and may enter through the flue E directly into the chimney. If now
the hot gas of the furnaces B and C escaping by and & after having
traversed the respective heating flues is to be consumed by the fire A,
then it is necessary to close almost entirely C, as also a¹ and a², but b¹
and 6 must be opened as far as is necessary for the regulation of their
respective fires so that the gas of the fires B and C is united by means
of the flues & and d in the connection flue D', and from here it is
absorbed and consumed by the fire in A through the fluc D'. If after-
wards the useful consumption of the hot smoke escaping from the
fires A and C is to take place in the fire at B I must first open a', but
is to be closed almost entirely; b, however, is to be opened as far as
is necessary for the regulation of the fire in A, and then a only is to bo
closed. As the result of this method the hot gas escaping from the fires
in A and C after being united by means of d and in the connection
flue D is absorbed and usefully consumed by the fire B through the
flue D³. If then the useful absorption and consumption of the hot gas
escaping from the fires in A and B by the flues & and d' is to take place
in the fire C it is necessary first to open a², almost entirely close 6º,
open bas far as is necessary for the regulation of fire in B, and then
only close a¹. The consequence of this will be that the hot gas escaping
from the fires A and B by means of d and d¹ is united in the connection
fluc D and is absorbed and usefully consumed by the fire in C by
means of the flue Ds. If it is desired to utilize the hot gas escaping
from the fires in B and C by the flues d'and & through the fire A I
must first open a, close almost entirely b, open ³ as far as is necessary
for the regulation of the fire C, and then only close a², by which the
process already described is repeated.
The utilisation of the hot gas in the separate furnaces is not limited
as to succession and can be performed in that furnace for which it is
considered necessary. It must, however, be observed that the dampers
are properly applied, and especially that the chimney damper of the fire
in which the hot smoke escaping from the other two fires is to be
utilised is first opened, and then only the other shut. The access of

page_text: fresh air under the grates by the slides b, b', b³, must be adapted as the
regulation of the respective fires requires. If one of the boilers A, B,
and C is to be shut off the slides belonging to it are closed, and as then
only two boiler fires work together these manipulations described for two
boiler furnaces must be practised. In isolating the boiler A the dampers
c and c¹ belonging to it must be shut. In isolating the boiler B the
dampers and c³, and in isolating the boiler O the damper c' and c³,
otherwise all these dampers remain open.
The method of manipulation in an arrangement of two boiler furnaces,
Figure 6, is as follows:-If the utilisation of the hot gas escaping from
the fire B by d, after having traversed the various heating flues, takes
place in the fire A, after having made up a proper fire, I first shut
almost entirely, open b'as far as is necessary for the regulation of the
firo B, and then only close a. If, however, the utilisation of the hot gas
escaping from the fire A by the fluc d takes place in the fire B I must
first close almost entirely, open a', open b, as far as is necessary for
the regulation of fire A, and then only shut a.
In four boiler furnaces (Figure 4) the furnaces A, B, and C, D, are to
be considered as separated by a damper at II, and the boilers A and B
work together, as also C and D, and for each of these two divisions the
same manipulations apply as have been above described for two boiler
furnaces.
In five and more furnaces two or three furnaces may work together,
and the divisions are to be separated by corresponding dampers, and for
cach division I apply the same manipulations as have been above
described.
In order to open and shut the turning valves or dampers a, a', and a³,
conveniently from the stand of the heater the levers e, f, and ƒ',
(Figure 1) are used, which levers are connected with each other by bars.
From the knee levers bars proceed downwards towards the heater's
stand G, from which the opening and shutting of these valves can be
effected with case and convenience.
If iron grates burn too quickly the same may be replaced casily by
"Chamott" grates.
Having thus described the nature of the said Invention as com-
municated to me by my foreign correspondent, I wish it understood
that the same is not confined to the heating of steam boilers, bu tmay
be applied in all cases in which two or more furnaces work together,

page_text: or in which one furnace is divided into two or several furnaces; and I
claim the new and peculiar arrangement of furnaces and flues, as herein
described, by which the hot gas partly unburnt escaping from one or
two fires is not conducted directly into the chimney, but is taken first
through other fires, so that not only the heat contained in the gas is
utilised, but also the greater part of the smoke hitherto unburnt is
consumed, effecting thereby a saving of fuel and a decrease in the loss
of heat which would otherwise take place.
In witness whereof, I, the said William Robert Lake, have here-
unto set my hand and seal, this Sixth day of October, in the year
of our Lord One thousand cight hundred and seventy-one.
Witness,
EDWARD CLARK JACKSON.
Wч. ROBT. LAKE. (L.S.)