Improvements in Apparatus for Burning Town Refuse.
Year: 1895

page_text: Date of Application, 25th Mar., 1895
Complete Specification Left, 24th Dec., 1895-Accepted, 21st Mar., 1896
Improvements in Apparatus for Burning Town Refuse.
I EDWIN EAGLING GLASKIN of Voewood, Harrow-on-the-Hill, in the
County of Middlesex, Engineer, do hereby declare the nature of this invention to
be as follows:-
-
The object of this invention is the more efficient destruction than heretofore of
town refuse.
In carrying out my invention, I employ a sort of cupola furnace, into the top of
which I may fit au aunular boiler of any suitable length, and set vertically, or a
hollow truncated cone.
The hollow space in the boiler or the hollow cone, as may be, will serve as a
shoot into which the refuse is dumped from the town carts, and near the bottom of
the furnace 1 provide a tuyere or tuyeres for the introduction of a forced blast
of air.
At top, the furnace is connected with a chamber of suitable dimensions, which
I term an expansion or dust chamber, in which the finer particles of the incinerated
materials which may be carried over by the blast, will be allowed to settle, the
gases passing away, by a suitable gas exit, to a suitable chimney, or to be used for
heating or other purposes.
In order to equalize the pressure of the blast, I may introduce air under pressure
into the shoot, which will prevent the products of combustion passing up the
shoot, and ensure their passing to the dust chamber, and thence to the chimney
or elsewhere.
To ensure proper combustion of the gases, I propose to admit air or steam, or
both, to the upper part of the furnace, so that if any carbonic oxide is given off
from the burning mass, it will be caused to burst into flame, and play round the
boiler, the proper heating of which will be thereby ensured.
The boiler may be fitted internally with a plate or plates, which will ensure
circulation.
The fans or blowers used for producing the blast may be in connection with the
sewers, so that the noxous vapours, &c., will be drawn therefrom, and become
purified by passing through the fire, or the fans may be connected with ventilating
pipes from apartments, or elsewhere, with a view to ventilate the same.
It will be understood that the refuse will fall by gravitation onto the furnace,
and that the heat produced is so great, that the incombustible elements will become
fused, and will sink to the bottom, from which they will be drawn or run off in
the same way as in ordinary blast furnaces.
The slag or clinker thus produced will be extremely hard, and will serve for
various useful purposes, as will also the dust collected in the dust chamber. The
steam generated will of course serve for motive power.
Dated this 25th day of March 1895.
NEWTON & SON,
Agents for the Applicant.

page_text: Improvements in Apparatus for Burning Town Refuse.
I, EDWIN EAGLING GLASKIN of Voewood, Harrow-on-the-Hill, in the County
of Middlesex, Engineer, 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 this invention is the more efficient disposal than heretofore, of
town refuse, by burning.
By the term "town refuse," I wish to be understood as including any com-
bustible material from private, public, or manufacturing premises, that will
partake of the nature of refuse, or a waste product, the disposal of which is a
matter of more or less difficulty, and it is even possible to treat the more or less
dry sludge, consisting of the solid matters precipitated from sewage, in my
apparatus.
In carrying out my invention, the refuse, of whatever character, is dumped or
thrown into a sort of cupola furnace, with or without some fresh, high-class fuel,
which will assist combustior, the said furnace being provided with a tuyere or
tuyeres, for the introduction of a forced blast of air, so that an extremely high
.temperature may be attained.
And in order that my invention may be clearly understood, I will now proceed
to fully describe it, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, which
shew the best form of apparatus, as arrived at by a series of exhaustive
experiments.
.
Figure 1 is a sectional elevation of my improved apparatus, and,
Figure 2 is a sectional plan on the line -, Fig. 1; and
Figure 3 is a partial sectional elevation, shewing the arrangement of one tuyere,
when the apparatus is idle.
A is a circular brickwork setting, containing a dome-shaped chamber B, having
a flue C at the back, and an arched opening D at its lower part, in front. This
lower part serves as an ash or slag pit, and is marked with the reference
letter B.
Outside this setting, and for three parts of its circumference, is a double metal
casing E, forming two concentric passages F F¹, one of which, F, is an air
passage, and the other, F', a gas passage, the use of which will be presently
explained.
This casing will be provided with an ashpit door G, tuyere doors or covers H,
and sight holes and tubes J, the whole being surmounted by a cover carrying a
stack K, in which a dumping or feeding shoot L is placed.
The shoot L connects with a moulded fireclay piece L', which forms a pro-
longation of the shoot, and descends some distance through the crown into the
domed chamber B, forming the upper part of the cupola.
M is the fire-place or receptacle for the fuel, or as I term it, the "crucible,"
forming the lower part of the cupola, and consists of a fire-clay cylinder, slightly
conical internally, from the throat downwards, provided with an extended flange M',
which rests on a fireclay ring or cylinder M², carried by blocks N projecting
inwards from the wall of the chamber B.
The bottom of this cupola consists of a cone of fire-clay so mounted and
supported that it may be raised and lowered, as occasion may require, it being
necessary, under some circumstances, that the whole of the contents of the cupola
furnace should be discharged into the slag pit B'.
It will be seen that the fireclay piece L' and the "crucible" M, with moveable
bottom O, form a kind of cupola furnace, which, in the arrangement shewn, is

page_text: contained within a setting forming a settling chamber and slag-pit, with which the
furnace proper, is, at its upper part, in connection, and in this furnace the refuse
or other fuel is burned.
Any convenient means may be adopted for raising and lowering the bottom 0,
and I do not wish to confine myself to that shewn in the drawing, the construction
of which is obvious, and need not be described. Neither do I wish to confine
myself to the form of bottom, nor to the exact form of cupola furnace shewn, both
of which may be more or less modified, without departing from the nature of my
invention.
The flue C may be in connection with the fire tube of a Cornish or other form.
of boiler P, as indicated in the drawing, so that the products of combustion may be
used to generate steam. Or the products of combustion may be utilized for any
other suitable purpose.
R are tuyeres, which are placed somewhat tangential to the centre of the
"crucible" M, and they project from the air passage F, across the gas passage F',.
and through the setting A, into the "crucible" M, as shewn.
The tuyeres receive air from a fan or blower through the pipe S, which is
connected to the circular air passage F, or in any other convenient manner.
The operation of the apparatus is as follows:-
A fire is lighted in the "crucible," and allowed to burn well up, the tuyeres
being set going part of the time, to get up the heat. The refuse is then fed into.
the cupola through the shoot, which is filled up nearly to the top.
The combustible portion of the refuse in the "crucible" is gradually consumed,.
any matters which will not burn being completely fused, so that they run out into.
the pit B in the form of molten slag. The refuse in the shoot gradually descends,
and a fresh supply is added at the top, from time to time, either by hand or
mechanically, and the burning operation is continuously kept up, as long as may
be required.
The combustion is so perfect, that there is little, if any, smoke, and no
smell, notwithstanding the fact that the refuse may be of a most malodorous
character.
The gases of combustion, with the dust, pass round the edge of the "crucible,"
and the dust drops into the ash pit, which thus forms what may be termed a
settling chamber, while the bulk of the gases pass away by the flue C. These
gases serve also to keep the outside of the "crucible" hot, and thus prevent the
slag or clinker adhering to the "crucible," which might be the case if the walls
are cooled down externally. The remainder of the gases pass by the arch D, or
other suitably placed apertures, into the gas passage F¹ surrounding the setting,.
& serve not only to prevent radiation of heat from the setting, but also to more.
or less heat the air in the passage F.
From the passage F', the heated gases pass by the tubes T to the stack K, and
there heat the dumping or feeding shoot L, so that the refuse contained therein,.
if wet, from any cause, will be more or less dried and heated before it reaches the
"crucible." Any noxious vapors arising from the drying refuse will, in effect, be
drawn downwards by the draught, and have to pass in contact with the incandescent
mass of fuel, where the noxious properties will be destroyed.
To keep the furnace hot and alight during the night, or other interval when the
burning of refuse is not being carried on, I fill the cupola and feeding shoot, to a
certain height, with coke or other suitable fuel, and let down the plug U into the
shoot. I then open one or more of the tuyere caps or covers H, and insert a sleeve
or tube H¹ (see Figure 3), by which external air may be drawn direct into the
cupola by the draught of the chimney, in such quantities as to keep the fire alight
for any period during which it is desired the furnace shall remain idle, say two or
three hours, or all night, or even longer, as the case may be.
When a large plant is required, I may use two or more cupolas with the
accompanying feeding shoots in one furnace chamber B, the said chamber B being
made oval, annular, or of other suitable shape, to receive them.

page_text: It will be obvious that the supply of air may be obtained from any
source, so that the apparatus may also be utilized for the purposes of venti-
lation, and it will be equally obvious that if necessary the apparatus may be used.
with high-class fuel, as a furnace for generating steam in a steam generator, and
for other purposes.
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 apparatus, as herein shewn and described, for burning refuse and other
fuel, as set forth.
2. In apparatus for burning refuse and other fuel, a cupola furnace provided
with tuyeres in combination with a settling chamber, the lower part of said cupola
being kept hot externally by the escaping products of combustion, as and for the
purposes herein set forth.
3. The combination of an apparatus as above described for burning refuse and
other fuel, with a steam generator or other heating apparatus, as set forth.
Dated this 24th day of December 1895.
NEWTON & SON,
Agents for the Applicant.