Apparatus for the Generation of a Combination of Steam and Gases for Power and Heating Purposes.
Year: 1889

page_text: Date of Application, 4th Feb., 1889
Complete Specification Left, 4th Nov., 1889-Accepted, 7th Dec., 1889
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
Apparatus for the Generation of a Combination of Steam and
Gases for Power and Heating Purposes.
-
I, OLIVER WILLIAM KETCHUM, of the City of Toronto, Province of Ontario, Canada,
Manufacturer, do hereby declare the nature of this invention to be as follows:-
The object of my invention is to construct an apparatus for the generation of a
combination of steam and gases for power and heating purposes.
I so form a boiler that gaseous fuel supplied under a pressure at least equal to that
within the boiler, may be consumed in a suitable firebox, by burning a sufficient
quantity of air or oxygen supplied to it.
From this firebox the products of combustion are led into the boiler itself. The
fire box and pipes from it are surrounded with water, and in operation the water
absorbs heat and gives off steam. In one form of the apparatus I make the products
of combustion escape from their conducting pipes, under water, so that in ascending
through the water they give off heat and so aid in the formation of steam.
Above the water line the gases from the products of combustion and the steam
mix, and may be drawn off by any of the common methods and used to drive
an engine, or for any of the purposes for which steam is used.
I fire the gaseous fuel on first entering the firebox by means of electricity.
By my invention the heat which under ordinary methods escapes into the chimney
is retained and utilized.
1000
J. C. MEWBURN,
55 & 56, Chancery Lane, London, Patent Agent.
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Apparatus for the Generation of a Combination of Steam and
Gases for Power and Heating Purposes.
I, OLIVER WILLIAM KETCHUM, of the City of Toronto, Province of Ontario,
Canada, Manufacturer, 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:.
-
The object of my invention is to construct an apparatus for the generation of a
combination of steam and gases for power and heating purposes.
I form a boiler in which gaseous fuel is consumed under pressure and the products
of combustion are mixed with the steam produced from the water in the boiler,
thereby doing away with the necessity for having a chimney or smoke pipe; and
also avoiding the waste of heat arising from the use of a chimney or escape pipe
for the products of combustion.
My method of attaining these objects is clearly illustrated by the accompanying
drawing in which Figure 1 is a longitudinal section and Figure 2 is a transverse
section.
By preference I have adopted the cylindrical shell with flat ends and a cylindrical
dome above the main shell, as the form of my boiler but other forms might be
used and I do not limit myself to one form of construction of boiler.
Ais the cylindrical shell of the boiler whichmay beof steel boilerplate or other suitable
material. B is a dome above the shell and Care pipes connecting the dome to the
shell A. Dis the combustion chamber which by preference is a circular tube of steel or
iron, and placed within the water space of the boiler; it may, however, be outside and
be separate from the boiler. E is a body or quantity of refractory material shown
01

page_text: on the drawing as a lining of the tube D, but it may consist of numerous pieces
placed loosely within the tube or of both methods combined: the object being
to have within the combustion chamber a mass of material which will retain heat
and so cause the gas to be burned at a high temperature, and which in event of
temporary stoppage of the supply of gas, will help to ignite it on the return of
the "supply. P'is the discharge pipe from D shown as rising inside the boiler above
the water line of the boiler and surrounded by a box jê into which the food
water is pumped. The object aimed at is to completely surround the pipe with
water, so that the temperature of the pipe may be kept down and the heat absorbed
by the water. The pipe may terminate in this box and discharge, the pases
through the ends or sides of the box into the steam spare,
The pipe
may connect with one or more pipes G G and returning below the
water in the boiler discharge the hot gases under and into the water.
I prefer carrying the pipes down into the water and discharging the gases into the
water through a number of perforations in a horizontal pipe, as by that means the
escaping gases form a number of ascending streams in the water and more readily
part with their excess of heat to the water,
When the gases are to be discharged under water a small pipe as ut / must be made
to 128 above the water level in order to prevent the possibility at the pre me in the
cubustion chamber ever becoming less than theat in the team pace, and so allow
the water to be forced into the combustion chamber.
The gases rom the combustion chamber mix with
fill the space above the water level, from whence the
taken off by any of the common arrangements of
for any of the purposes for which steam is used,
.
steam from the water and
mixed team and gas may
valves and pipes and used
11 is a pipe conveying the gaseous fuel either hom a receiver or from a force
pump and discharging it into the combustion chamber D at a pressure in excess of the
pressure in the steam space of the boiler. Dis another pipe saipplying air in sufficient
quantity to support combustion, and at a pressure sufficient to cause it to flow into the
combustion chamber. K is a wire of platinum or other suitable metal within the
combustion chamber and connected by wires to an electric dynamo so that the gas
may be ignited either by an electric spark or by raising the temperature of the
wife K sufficiently high to cause ignition. The pipes I and are fitted with
regulating valves and check valves to prevent any back currents,
In cases where a continuoues current af electricity is maintained to keep the
wire K hot | place in the gas supply pipe a valve or cook which is held open by au
electro-magnel, and is so ranged that on a failure of the electric current the magnet
loses its power and the weight of the lever causes the valve to shut off the supply of
The object of this is to prevent an accumulation of unburnt gas within the
boiler. also consider it desirable to place in the gas supply pipe the valve or cock X
connected to and operated by the plunger or pistan 0.
This plunger or piston is exposed to the pressure of the boiler and is held down
against the pressure by a lever and weight 01 or by other suitable means, and so
arranged that on the pressure reaching a certain desired amount the plunger or piston
will ise, and by so doing will close the valve X and cut off the supply of fuel or
diminish it. On the pressure decreasing the plunger or piston will descend and so
reopen the valve.
are gas pipes with burners placed under the external shell of the bailer, to be
used when starting the apparatus, so that steam may be raised al sufficient pressure to
work the pumps required for the air and gas supplies.
The boiler is furnishedwith the usual appliances such as safety-valve.pressure gauge,
water gauges, feed water valves and blow off cuck.
The following is the mode of operation:- A supply of water having been placed in
the boiler steam is raised by the use of the gas jets LL. When a sufficient pressure
is obtained and the electric current established so that the wire K may ignite the gas
an its entering the combustion chamber, gas and air are forced into the combustion
chamber where the gas burns, and as more gus and air are forced in the pressure in

page_text: the combustion chamber becomes greater than in the steam space and the products of
combustion passing through the pipe F mix with the steam, or passing through the
pipes F and G G are discharged into the water, through which they ascend into the
team space. The heat from the combustion chamber and the pipes from it, as well as
from the gases entering the water and passing through it causes the production of
steam.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said inven-
tion and in what manner the same is to be performed, I declare that what I
claim is
1. The combination of the closed chamber D having the air and gas supply pipes,
the pipe F and the feed water box F¹, through which pipe F passes substantially as
described.
2. The combination of the closed chamber having the air and gas supply pipes and
the electrically charged wire K, the pipe F, and the feed water box F through which
the pipe F passes, substantially as described.
8. The combination of the closed chamber D, the air pipe entering said chamber,
the gas supply pipe having cock h, and electrically charged wire extending into
sad chamber and having an armature connected with the cock substantially as
described.
1
4. The combination of the closed chamber D having the air and gas supply pipes,
the pipe F having the extension f, and the feed water pipe F', substantially as
described.
5. The combination of the closed chamber D having the air and gas supply pipes,
the pipe F and the downward extension (+ substantially as described.
Dated this 4th day of November 1889.
J. C. MEWBURN,
55 & 56, Chancery Lane, London, Patent Agent.