IMPROVEMENTS IN STEAM BOILER AND OTHER FURNACES
Year: 1880

page_text: PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by Richard William Perkins and James
Fortescue Flannery at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents on the 11th
October 1880.
RICHARD WILLIAM PERKINS, of 17, Somerset Place, in the Town of Swansea, in
the County of Glamorgan, Coal Owner, and JAMES FORTESCUE FLANNERY, of 9,
Fenchurch Street, in the City of London, Consulting Engineer. "IMPROVEMENTS
IN STEAM BOILER AND OTHER FURNACES."
Numerous and repeated attempts have been made to accomplish the perfect
combustion of fuel employed in the furnaces of steam boilers in order to secure the
most rapid generation of steam, to effect the greatest economy of fuel, and to
prevent the emission of smoke into the atmosphere.
The fact, however, must be apparent to everyone that all such efforts have
proved if not indeed absolutely fruitless-to be so inadequate to meet the
requirements of the case, as to justify the statement that the practical results which
have been gained, when measured with those that theory declares to be attainable,
are comparatively insignificant, while the volumes of smoke which continue to pour
forth from the chimnies and funnels of steam boiler furnaces, whether appertaining
to manufactories on shore or to steamboats on rivers and at sea, bear indisputable
testimony to the fact that the annual waste of fuel is enormous.
It is, therefore, with the view of remedying so great an evil that we now proceed
to declare the nature of our Invention, & which, if it should not absolutely and
completely effect this object, is nevertheless calculated to do so to an extent which
renders it a great public advantage.
We are aware that a great variety of modes have been adopted, such as that of
conveying currents of air behind and over the furnace for the purpose of
oxygenating the carburetted gases given off in combustion by the fuel used under
steam boilers, & thus reducing theory to practice, & that the failures which have
attended such attempts have been due to inadequate adaptation & application.
One difficulty which has been experienced in the efforts that have hitherto been
made to practically utilize the carburetted gases given off in the combustion of fuel
in steam boiler furnaces, to an extent even approximately commensurate with that
which in theory is attainable, has probably been that of administering the due
amount of atmospheric air necessary to effect such utilization of these gaseous
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page_text: products, without at the same time so affecting the draught, & more especially
when this is obtained by means of a funnel or other chimney, as to retard the
combustion of the fuel, and thus diminish its evaporative efficiency.
By the application of our Invention the combination of the carburetted gases
issuing from steam boiler furnaces, with the due & necessary amount of oxygen
to secure the attainment of the object specified, is effected, & at the same time
the combustion of the fuel is not retarded nor otherwise prejudicially affected.
Into a chamber or other partially enclosed space, & into which the carburetted
gases evolved from the combustion of the fuel are caused to flow. We also convey
for the purpose of securing the oxygenation of the said carburetted gases a current
or currents of air, & which may, when desirable, be impelled by a blower of any
description, but preferably when suitable by a steam-jet, & which current or
currents of air are so distributed as to ensure, as far as practicable, the perfect
admixture of the required amount of oxygen with the said carburetted gases, such
current or currents of air being either quite separate and distinct from any other
current or currents of air supplied for the purpose of promoting the combustion of the
fuel itself in the furnace or furnaces in which the said fuel is consumed; or if not
thus separate & distinct shall nevertheless admit of the quantity of air furnished
by the first-named current or currents, being diminished & regulated, or even if
necessary, entirely suspended, & that such diminution, regulation, or suspension
shall be so effected as to produce no prejudicial effect upon the operation of the
other current or currents of air supplied to promote the combustion of the fuel as
aforesaid.
We effect this regulation preferably by means of a stop valve on the pipe, or
tube, or other channel which conveys the air to the aforesaid chamber, place, or
places where the oxygenation of the gases is effected, & we are thus enabled to
supply the exact quantity of air which is required, & to regulate it according to
variable conditions, such, for example, as arise during the operation of coaling the
furnaces, and also such as are caused by the different qualities, properties, and
peculiarities of different kinds of fuel.
We also retard the escape of the carburetted or waste gases by various means,
such as by obstructing them in their course to their final outlet, in order that their
oxygenation & combustion shall be more perfectly effected; such retention or
obstruction being accomplished in a manner that shall not cause the primary
combustion of the fuel in the furnace or furnaces, to be prejudicially affected
thereby.
To meet cases in which a very large evaporative efficiency is demanded, we use
in conjunction with our Invention, impelled blast produced by a fan, steam-jet, or
other blower, & conveyed to the fires through hollow perforated fire bars. Thus
the increased evaporative efficiency which results from the accelerated combustion
of the fuel, caused by the action of the blast, is still further increased by the
utilization of the products of that combustion, & which are now to a large extent
wasted, and therefore a large proportionate economy of fuel is also & by the
same means effected.