IMPROVEMENTS IN FURNACES FOR STEAM BOILERS, FOR MANUFACTURING IRON AND OTHER METALS, FOR GLASS WORKS AND POTTERIES
Year: 1873

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Alfred Russell Ecroyd, of Owlerton, near Sheffield,
in the County of York, Steel Manufacturer, and John Wass, of
Owlerton, near Sheffield, in the County of York, Engineer, for
the Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN FURNACES FOR STEAM BOILERS, FOR
MANUFACTURING IRON AND OTHER METALS, FOR GLASS WORKS AND POTTERIES."
Sealed the 1st July 1873, and dated the 9th April 1873.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Alfred Russell Ecroyd
and John Wass at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents,
with their Petition, on the 9th April 1873.
We, ALFRED RUSSELL EOROYD, of Owlerton, near Sheffield, in the
County of York, Steel Manufacturer, and JOHN WASS, of Owlerton, near
Sheffield, in the County of York, Engineer, do hereby declare the nature
of the said Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN FURNACES FOR STEAM BOILERS,
FOR MANUFACTURING IRON AND OTHER METALS, FOR GLASS WORKS AND POTTERIES," to
be as follows:-
Our Invention consists, first, in excluding cold air from the furnace
and introducing heated air to supply combustion, the air is heated by

page_text: passing it through a double furnace door, the front of the door being of
metal with flanges at the top and sides, and the back of the door of
sheet iron and parallel with the metal front; the air is admitted through
perforations in the top of the metal front, and passing between it and
the sheet-iron back is heated by and admitted into the furnace through
a slot in the bottom of the latter. The ash-pit is also closed by similarly
constructed doors, by which the air is heated previous to passing
through the the grate bars, which are perforated vertically for the purpose
of further heating the air; the ash-pit is also supplied with heated air by
two small flues passing from the further end of the boiler, which are
heated by the products of combustion passing through the main flue.
On each side and at the end of the furnace are air chambers, which
are separated from the furnace by perforated partitions, the air is heated
in the chambers and during its passage through the perforations into
the furnace.
The draught in the flues and air chambers may be increased when
required by jets of steam.
By means of these improvements cheap refuse fuel combined with
ordinary coal may be consumed, the consumption of fuel is economised
Iamoko is almost entirely avoided
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent,
filed by the said Alfred Russell Ecroyd and John Wass in the
Great Seal Patent Office on the 8th October 1873.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, we, ALFRED
RUSSELL EOROYD, of Owlerton, near Sheffield, in the County of York,
Steel Manufacturer, and JOHN WASS, of Owlerton, near Sheffield, in the
County of York, Engineer, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her Letters
Patent, bearing date the Ninth day of April, in the year of our Lord
One thousand eight hundred and seventy-three, in the thirty-sixth year
of Her reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant
unto us, the said Alfred Russell Ecroyd and John Wass, Her special
licence, that we, the said Alfred Russell Ecroyd and John Wass, our
executors, administrators, and assigns, or such others as we, the said
Alfred Russell Ecroyd and John Wass, our executors, administrators,

page_text: 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 "IMPROVEMENTS IN FURNACES FOR STEAM
BOILERS, FOR MANUFACTURING IRON AND OTHER METALS, FOR GLASS WORKS AND
POTTERIES," upon the condition (amongst others) that we, the said Alfred
Russell Ecroyd and John Wass, our executors or administrators, by an
instrument in writing under our, or their, or one of our or 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 we, the said Alfred Russell Ecroyd and John
Wass, do hereby declare the nature of our said Invention, and in what
manner the same is to be performed, to be particularly described and
ascertained in and by the following statement (that is to say) :-
Our Invention consists, first, in excluding cold air from the furnace
and introducing heated air to supply combustion; the air is heated by
passing it through a double furnace door, the front of the door being of
metal with flanges at the top and sides, and the back of the door is made
of sheet iron and parallel with the metal front; the air is admitted
through perforations in the top of the metal front, and passing between
it and the sheet iron back is heated by and admitted into the furnace
through a slot in the bottom of the latter. The ash-pit is also closed by
similarly constructed doors, by which the air is heated previous to
passing through the grate bars, which are perforated vertically for the
purpose of further heating the air; the ash-pit is also supplied with
heated air by two small flues passing from the further end of the boiler,
which are heated by the products of combustion passing through the
main flue.
On each side and at the end of the furnace are air chambers which
are separated from the furnace by perforated partitions; the air is
heated by the chambers and during its passage through the per-
forations into the furnace.
And in order that our Invention may be fully understood and readily
carried into operation, we will proceed to describe the accompanying.

page_text: two Sheets of Drawings, reference being had to the figures and letters
marked thereon.
4
On Sheet 1, Fig. 1 is an end elevation, Fig. 2 a longitudinal section,
Fig. 3 a transverse section of an ordinary cylindrical steam boiler to
which our improvements are applied, and Fig. 4 a plan of the seating
and parts underneath. a is the boiler; b, the front plate; c, the firing
door, which is constructed in such wise that the air for supplying com-
bustion is heated before it enters the fire-place; this is accomplished by
making small perforations through the front plate of the door, and by
making flanges at the top and sides of the inside of the door, to which
flanges the back plate c¹ is fixed, this back plate terminates at some
distance from the dead plated to leave a slot for the escape of the air,
which entering through the perforations in the top of the door becomes
heated in passing down between the front and back plates before it is
supplied to the fire. The fire-bars e are provided with vertical perfora-
tions, as shewn in section in Fig. 5, so that the air from the ash-pit may
be heated in passing to the fuel on the grate; these perforations are
wider below than above so that any cinders entering the perforations
may drop through instead of blocking them up. The front of the
ash-pit is closed by the double doors f, which are also provided with
back plates in the same way as the firing door, so that the atmospheric
air entering through the slots at the upper side of the doors may be
heated by passing down between the front and back plates before it
enters the ash-pit. A further supply of heated air is conveyed to the
ash-pit through the small flues or pipes g, which pass from the back of
the boiler along the main flue through the bridge h into the ash-pit, the
back end of the pipes 9 have doors or dampers to shut off the air when
required, and the front ends have distributing nozzles which admit the
heated air under the grate bars e. The space above the fire-grate is
supplied with an additional quantity of heated air by means of the
pipes i, which are taken from the end of the boiler along the main flue
and into the bridge h, as shewn best in Fig. 4, the air partially heated
in the pipes i passes along the cross passages h¹ in the bridge, then along
the longitudinal lower air chambers h² to near the front of the fire-grate,
then into the longitudinal upper air chambers ³ which are carried back
towards the bridge, the air chambers h³ are separated from the fire-place
by the perforated partitions h*, made of fire-bricks or other suitable
material, and the air which has been highly heated in passing through

page_text: the said passages and air chambers escapes into the space above the
fire-grate, thereby greatly promoting combustion.
By means of these improvements the consumption of fuel is economised
and the greater portion of the smoke is consumed.
Fig. 6 represents a modification of our Invention as applied to boilers
with internal flues, in this view the end of the flue is closed by a front
plate furnished with a firing door c, and a door f to close the ash-pit,
both of which doors are provided with back plates to heat the air before
it is supplied to the furnace, the lower door f is made with a sliding
plate which can be closed or partially closed by hand when required to
act as a damper. The fire-bars are also perforated as before described.
Figs. 7, 8, and 9 represent the mode of applying our Invention to a
puddling furnace, a ball furnace, or a furnace for heating steel ingots;
in these views c is the firing door, which is made with perforations and a
back plate to heat the air before it enters the furnace, as shewn and
described in reference to Sheet 1; e are the ordinary grate bars, and f
are the double doors to close the ash-pit and to heat the air that enters
the ash-pit, as before described; h is the bridge; the other parts of the
furnace are made as usual. The heated air for increasing the combustion
of the fuel on the fire-grate is also supplied through the passage k, and
is taken first under the firing door c, then through the bridge h, then
along the air chamber k³, thence into the upper air chamber k³, returning
over the air chamber k³, and passing into the furnace through the per-
forated brick partition / dividing the air chamber ³ from the furnace.
By this arrangement highly heated air passes through the perforations
at the end side of the furnace.
Figs. 10, 11, and 12 represent the mode of applying our improvements
to the furnaces for heating bars of steel for the tilt hammer; the air is
supplied to these furnaces from a blast engine or fan, and the object of
our Invention is to heat the blast of air before it enters the furnace,
which is shewn at m, the cold air from the blast engine enters the
passage 1, along the side of the furnace, then along the end passage 1,
then it rises into the upper passage, and along the side passage P,
which terminates at the perforated brick 1, through which the heated
air enters the furnace. We wish to remark that the air may be conveyed
through passages in the brickwork, or through pipes embedded in the
brickwork.

page_text: Having thus stated the nature of our Invention, and described the
application thereof to two cylindrical steam boilers, and to two furnaces
used in the manufacture of steel, we wish it to be understood that our
improvements are applicable either wholly or in part to the furnaces of
steam boilers of other descriptions, to the furnaces used in the manu-
facture of iron and other metals (excepting the blast furnace), and for
class works and notteries.
application thereof to two cylindrical steam boilers, and to two furnaces
used in the manufacture of steel, we wish it to be understood that our
improvements are applicable either wholly or in part to the furnaces of
steam boilers of other descriptions, to the furnaces used in the manu-
facture of iron and other metals (excepting the blast furnace), and for
glass works and potteries.
We claim,―
First. The improved mode of constructing the doors of furnaces
whereby the air is heated before it enter the furnace or ash-pit.
•
Secondly. The application of the small flues or pipes g for heating
the air in the ash-pit, as shewn and described.
Thirdly. The application of the air chambers and perforated partitions
for heating the air supplied to the furnace, as shewn and described.
Fourthly. Making tapered vertical perforations in the fire-bars of
furnaces, as shewn and described.
Fifthly. The passages for heating the blast of cold air before it enters
the furnace, as shewn and described in reference to Figs. 10, 11, and 12.
And, lastly. We claim the application of any part of the said Invention
to any of the purposes set forth.
In witness whereof, we, the said Alfred Russell, Ecroyd and John
Wass, have hereto set our hands and seals, this Seventh day of
October One thousand eight hundred and seventy-three.
ALFRED RUSSELL ECROID. (L.8.)
JOHN WASS.
(L.S.)