Improvements in Destructor Furnaces.
Year: 1892

page_text: Date of Application, 9th May, 1892-Accepted, 11th June, 1892
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Destructor Furnaces.
We, PETER HART of "Gransmoor" Fairfield near Manchester in the County
of Lancaster, Chemist, and HENRY ROYLE of Longford Bridge Stretford in the
County of Chester, Surveyor, 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 :-
This invention consists in an improved construction and arrangement of destructor
furnaces such as are employed for burning, or, by the use of high temperatures, for
rendering harmless, organic, putrefactive, and similar matters, contained in domestic
refuse, street sweepings, and the like, and vegetable and animal matters collected by
sanitary authorities.
In the apparatus constructed according to these improvements, the furnace bars
are arranged in an inclined position with their higher ends next to the front of the
furnace. The matters to be treated in the furnace are supplied thereto through a
hopper above the higher ends of the bars. At the back of the hopper there is a
reverberatory arch or hanging bridge, arranged to deflect the hot gases downwards
upon or through the matters to be treated. The chamber containing the inclined
grate and the hanging bridge is the primary combustion chamber, the back part of
which opens into a sinuous passage or passages which are highly heated, and in
which secondary combustion takes place. These passages may be arranged either
horizontally or vertically, but we prefer to construct them vertically, and will
hereinafter describe them as being so constructed.
In the passage or passages leading from the primary combustion chamber, we
may insert a small horizontal furnace of ordinary construction, to be employed at
and before starting the destructor, for heating up the passages, and during its
operation, for maintaining the heat necessary for secondary combustion, if
necessary.
The accompanying drawings illustrate in what manner we may carry our inven-
tion into practical effect.
The lower figure in these drawings is a sectional plan of twin furnaces constructed
according to these improvements, and the upper figure is a section along the
line A-B, of the figure representing the ground plan.
We have illustrated two furnaces side by side, but it will be evident that only
one such furnace may be employed, or that a greater number may be grouped
together in the usual manner.
The inclined roadways leading up to the hoppers, and other details are omitted,
as they do not, or need not, differ from the similar details at present employed.
In the drawings, A is the hopper in which the matters to be destroyed are
placed, and whence they fall upon the bars B in the primary combustion chamber.
C is a hanging bridge; I an open space at the bottom end of the inclined grate;
and L the ash-pit.
Before commencing to use the destructor, after it has been allowed to cool, or for
the first time, it is desirable to make a coal or coke fire upon the grate B so as to heat
up the apparatus and particularly the passages, before supplying the matters to be
destroyed to the hoppers.
D, E, F, are sinuous passages, preferably arranged vertically as shewn, at the
back of the primary combustion chamber, with which they communicate through
the opening M. These passages are provided with suitable air inlets controlled by
dampers or valves, and with ash-doors through which the dust and ashes deposited
in the passages may be removed from time to time. We prefer to make these
passages as narrow as their construction will admit, without throttling the draft, so

page_text: that the gases are caused to impinge upon and move in contact with the highly
heated brick-work of the walls, and are not merely subjected to radiation therefrom
as is the case in large flues.
A supplementary fire-grate is inserted in the passages as for example at H, which
if not essential for constant use, may serve to keep up the temperature of the
passages when damp stuff is being fed to the primary combustion chamber, and when
the matter therein contains insufficient combustible material to keep the passages at
the required degree of heat.
Beyond the secondary combustion passages D, E, F, there is a flue G, into which
they lead, and which conveys the gases therefrom to a suitable chimney.
The mode of working the destructor is as follows-The secondary combustion
passages having been brought to the required degree of heat, the material to be
destroyed is placed in the hopper A, whence it gradually falls upon the bars or
inclined grate B, in the primary combustion chamber, whence after the loss of its
combustible matter, it passes partly through the grate as dust and ashes, into the
ash-pit L, and partly as clinker and masses into the space I. The whole of these
unconsumed matters may be removed through the ash-pit L, or partly through the
ashpit and partly through doors placed at the ends of the spaces I. As these
unconsumed matters are removed from the space I, a fresh portion falls down to
take their place, and this is replaced on the grate by new material from the hopper,
the process thus going on continuously at such a rate as may be found desirable,
this rate being readily judged by the condition of the material removed from the
space.
We have shewn in the drawings, the form and relative dimensions which we at
present prefer to be used for ordinary urban requirements, and have appended a
scale to enable the dimensions of the various parts to be more readily determined.
We particularly desire it to be understood however, that we do not limit ourselves
to any precise construction or direction for the passages DEF nor to their number
nor dimensions nor to the dimensions of the primary combustion chamber, as these
may all be collectively or relatively varied widely according to local requirements,
and to the quality and condition of the matters to be destroyed.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of our said
invention and in what manner the same is to be performed, we declare that
what we claim is-
1. A destructor furnace constructed and arranged substantially as and for the
purpose hereinbefore described and as illustrated by the accompanying drawings.
2. In a destructor furnace, a combustion chamber having an inclined grate with
its higher end next to the front of the furnace, a hanging bridge, and a space at the
lower end of the grate; substantially as herein before described and as illustrated
by the accompanying drawings.
3. In a destructor furnace, a passage or passages leading from the primary com-
bustion chamber to the flue, constructed and arranged substantially as and for the
purpose hereinbefore described.
4. In a destructor furnace, sinuous passages leading from the primary combustion
chamber to the flue and having therein a furnace or fire-grate, substantially as and
for the purpose hereinbefore described.
5. In a destructor furnace, the combination and arrangement of a primary com-
bustion chamber with a secondary combustion passage or passages leading there-
from, substantially as hereinbefore described.
Dated this 6th day of Ma- A D 2000
WILLIAM E. HEYS,
Agent for the Applicants.