Improvements in and relating to Apparatus for Burning Liquid Fuel in Steam Generators and the like.
Year: 1894

page_text: Date of Application, 18th June, 1894
Complete Specification Left, 18th Mar., 1895-Accepted, 18th May,
1895
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in and relating to Apparatus for Burning Liquid
Fuel in Steam Generators and the like.
1, JOHN JONATHAN KERMODE, of 83 Church Street, Birkenhead, in the
County of Chester, Engineer, do hereby declare the nature of this invention to be
as follows:-
This invention relates to apparatus for burning liquid fuel in steam generators
and the like, and the objects are, to provide a body of asbestos or other refractory
material adapted to be heated to incandescence by the burning of the fuel and
to act as a reservoir for the heat; to provide for the burning of heavy hydro-
carbons such as tar, waste oil etc., to provide for the automatic supply of the fuel;
to adapt the apparatus to the furnaces of the generator so that it and ordinary
furnace bars, for burning coal, may be conveniently interchanged; and, generally,
to improve the details and cheapen the construction of such apparatus.
The apparatus may be roughly divided into two portions, that adapted to burn
the ordinary light oils heretofore used for this purpose, and that adapted to burn,
in conjunction with the former, heavy oils, tar etc. Referring in the first instance
to the former, the combustion of the oil is effected by forcing it, and the air
necessary to support combustion, through combined air and oil nozzles, the air and
oil being heated before reaching the nozzles.
When such nozzles alone are relied upon for burning the oil it is found that, in
consequence of temporary stoppage of the supply, and other causes, the flame
frequently goes out, and considerable difficulty-often attended by personal risk—
is experienced in re-lighting the oil; the sudden fall of temperature and waste
of oil consequent upon the extinction of the flame is, of course, also exceedingly
objectionable.
In order to remedy these defects I provide a body of asbestos or other refractory
material carried, preferably, in a series of parallel racks or gratings; in con-
figuration these latter somewhat resemble a toast rack and are adapted to support
the asbestos in the furnace of the generator in the position usually occupied,
under ordinary conditions, by the fire, and extending therefore from the furnace
door to the bridge. This body of asbestos is so shaped, and the nozzles are so
disposed, that the flames impinge on the asbestos and heat it to incandescence,
their heating effect being thereby rendered much more uniform.
The air to supply the nozzles is heated in the first instance in the uptake by
the waste furnace gases and it is theu led to an air trunk whose configuration,
in plan, is a rectangle whose long sides are adjacent to, and parallel with, the
sides of the furnace of the generator. The air trunk is supported on suitable
brackets attached to the furnace and it is adapted to carry the gratings or racks
supporting the asbestos. The pipe through which the oil is supplied to the
nozzles is led through the air trunk, and the latter is attached to a circular plate
adapted to close the front end of the furnace and to carry the nozzles when they
are placed in front; in this way the arrangement as a whole is easily inserted in,
or removed from, the furnace.
The arrangement for burning heavier oils, in conjunction with the apparatus
described, consists of a container placed underneath the asbestos, on the bottom of

page_text: the furnace. When the heavy oil is of such a nature as to flow up a wick, by
capillary action, the container is adapted to support asbestos wicks, and the
arrangement is such that any oil passing through the nozzles without being burned
flows into this container and feeds the wicks. The wicks are dispensed with and a
shallow container is used when a very heavy oil or tar is to be burned. The
container and its wicks also serve for the employment of oil to be burned to
initially beat the main body of asbestos to incandescence. Openings may he
provided in the circular plate which closes the end of the furnace to permit the
ingress of additional air, either induced or forced, to support combustion.
The apparatus to ensure the automatic supply of oil is as follows;-The air is
supplied by an ordinary compressor in the usual way, and the oil is either stored in
a tank above the level of the apparatus next described, or it is pumped into such n
tank or reservoir. I provide a pair of cylinders each fitted with a piston, which
pistons are coupled so as to reciprocate in opposite directions, the oil is led to the
under side of the pistons and the air from the compressor acts on the upper side of
each piston alternately, the arrangement being such that as the one cylinder is
being filled with oil the other is supplying oil to the nozzles; in this way the
supply of oil can be easily regulated and the quantity exactly measured.
When raising steam, a hand pump may be employed to feed the oil.
•
The gratings or racks to hold the asbestos are preferably of cast iron with lugs
to support them which rest on the air trunk, and they have distance pieces to
locate them laterally. The shape of these racks depends, of course, upon the
location of the nozzles, whether at the front or at the sides of the furnace; when
circumstances permit, the latter arrangement is to be preferred.
In some cases it may be more convenient to heat the oil by arranging the oil
supply pipe in the form of a coil located in the furnace front, instead of leading it
through the air trunk as described.
Where there are a number of furnaces they are grouped so as to be supplied by
main trunk pipes.
*Dated this thith day of June 1801
SLOAN & LLOYD BARNES,
Castle Chambers, Castle Street, Liverpool,
Agents for the Applicant.
Improvements in and relating to Apparatus for Burning Liquid
Fuel in Steam Generators and the like.
I. JOHN JONATHAN KERMODE, of 83 Church Street, Birkenhead, in the
County of Chester, Engineer, do hereby declare the nature of this invention and
in what manner the same is to be performed, to be particularly described an
ascertained in and by the following statement:—
.
This invention "relates to apparatus for burning liquid fuel in steam generators
'and the like, and the objects are, to provide a body of asbestos or other refractory
material adapted to be heated-to incandescence by the burning of the fuel and to
'act as a reservoir for the heat; to provide for the burning of heavy hydrocarbons
such as tar, waste oil etc., to provide for the automatic supply of the duel; to adapt
the apparatus to the furnaces of the generator so that it and ordinary furnace bare,
for 'burning coal, may be conveniently interchanged; and, generally, to improve
the details and cheapen' the construction of such apparatus.
In the accompanying drawings Figs. I and II illustrate my-invention applied to
a marine boiler, Fig. 1 being an end elevation partly in section, and Fig. II a
longitudinal section on the line A. A. of Fig. 1. In Fig. I the front plate of the

page_text: extreme right hand furnace, together with its nozzles and pipes, is removed to
more clearly show the construction, and in the extreme left hand furnace the front
plate, racks, etc., have also been removed and the air trunk therein shown in
section on the line B. B. of Fig. II. In Fig. If the only furnace shown is the'one'
through which the plane of section passes, and in both figures only so much of the
boiler is shown as is necessary to indicate the arrangement of the apparatus.
The apparatus may be roughly divided into two portions, that adapted to burn'
the ordinary light oils heretofore used for this purpose, and that adapted to burn,
in conjunction with the former, heavy oils, tar etc. Referring in the first instance
to the former, the combustion of the oil is effected by forcing it, and the air
necessary to support combustion, through combined air and oil nozzles 1, the air
and oil being heated before reaching the nozzles.
When such nozzles alone are relied upon for burning the oil it is found that, in
consequence of temporary stoppage of the supply, and other causes, the flame
frequently goes out, and considerable difficulty often attended with personal
risk is experienced in relighting the oil; the sudden fall of temperature and
waste of oil consequent upon the extinction of the flame is, of course, also'
exceedingly objectionable.
In order to remedy these defects I provide a body of asbestos or other refractory
material 2 carried, preferably, in a series of parallel racks or gratings 3; in con-
figuration these latter somewhat resemble a toast rack and are adapted to support
the asbestos in the furnace of the generator in the position usually occupied, under
ordinary conditions, by the fire, and extending therefore from the furnace door to
the bridge. This body of asbestos is so shaped, and the nozzles are so disposed
that the flames impinge on the asbestos and heat it to incandescence, their heating
effect being thereby rendered much more uniform.
The air to supply the nozzles is heated in the first instance in the uptake by
the waste furnace gases and is then led through suitable air pipes 4 to' an air
trunk 5 whose configuration, in plan, is a rectangle whose long sides are adjacent
to, and parallel with, the sides of the furnace of the generator. The trunk is
supported on suitable angle iron brackets 6 attached to the furnace and it is
adapted to carry the gratings or racks 3 supporting the asbestos. The pipe 7
through which the oil is supplied to the nozzles is led through the air trunk,
and the latter is attached to a circular plate 8 adapted to close the front end
of the furnace and to carry the nozzles when they are placed in front; in this
way the arrangement as a whole is easily inserted in or removed from; the
furnace.
The arrangement for burning heavier oils, in conjunction with the apparatus
described, consists of a container 9 placed underneath the asbestos, on the bottom
of the furnace. When the heavy oil is of such a nature as to flow up a wick
by capillary action, the container is adapted to support asbestos wicks 10.
The container 9 may consist of a light angle iron frame, as shown in the right
hand furnace of Fig. I, raised above the furnace plate by distance pieces so that
any oil which may pass unconsumed through the nozzles can enter the container
and feed the wicks. The container and its wicks also serve for the employment`
if oil to be burned to initially heat the main body of asbestos to incandescence.
When a heavy oil or tar is used, a shallow vessel 11 is placed in the container 9
instead of the wicks.
Openings such as 12 may be provided in the front plate 8 to permit the ingress
of additional air, either induced or forced, to support combustion.
The apparatus to ensure the automatic supply of oil is as follows;-The air is
supplied by an ordinary compressor in the usual way, and the oil is either stored in
a tank above the level of the apparatus next described, or it is pumped into such a
tank or reservoir. I provide a pair of cylinders each fitted with a piston, which
pistons are coupled so as to reciprocate in opposite directions, the oil is led to the
under side of the pistons and the air acts on the upper side of each piston
alternately, the arrangement being such that as the one cylinder is being filled

page_text: with oil the other is supplying oil to the nozzles through the pipe 7; in this way
the supply of oil can be easily regulated and the quantity exactly measured.
This particular method of supplying the oil is not essential to the working of my
invention, nor do I restrict myself to it.
When raising steam, a hand pump may be employed to feed the oil.
Referring now to the detail views, Figs. III, IV and V illustrate the con
struction and mode of supporting the racks 3, the views being respectively an
elevation, plan and end view; and Figs. VI and VII are respectively an elevation
and a plan of the air trunk.
Referring to Figs. III, IV and V it will be seen that the racks are cast in pairs
united together by cross bars as shown, and the space between each pair thus
connected is packed with asbestos or other refractory material. The pairs of racks
rest on the lug 13 of the air trunk, and they are kept in position by the distance
pieces 14 which abut when the racks are in position; or if preferred they may be
tied together by a bar passing through the racks from end to end; or in some
cases the feet of the racks may rest on top of the air trunk and be bolted thereon.
In the figures one connected pair of racks is shown, and portions of the two
adjacent pairs. The racks may of course be cast separately if preferred. The
shape of these racks depends, of course, upon the location of the nozzles, whether
at the front or at the sides of the furnace; when circumstances permit, the latter
arrangement is to be preferred.
The construction of the air trunk will be understood from Figs. VI and VII;
the air enters the trunk by the main air pipe 4 and is caused by the division
plate 15 to pass round the air trunk and thence to the nozzles 1 by the branch air
pipes 41; in the construction shown the front end of the air trunk is made integral
with the front plate 8, and the remaining part of the trunk is bolted to the front
plate as shown; the interior of the front end communicates with the rest of the
trunk through openings in the front plate. The oil supply pipe 7 is led through
the air trunk as shown so that the oil, is heated on its way to the nozzles.
air trunk is carried by the angle irons 6 and it is adapted, as described, to be
easily removed from the furnace, should it be desired, at any time to substitute
the ordinary furnace bars etc., to burn coal instead of oil.
The
In some cases it may be more convenient to heat the oil by arranging the oil
supply pipe in the form of a coiled air trunk located in the furnace front, instead
of leading it through a rectangular air trunk as described.
The nozzles may be of any of the suitable types at present in use for this
purpose in which a combined jet of air and oil issue from concentric openings,
provision being made, as in an injector, for regulating the area of the respective
openings; and the nozzles may, as stated, be placed in front of and above the
refractory material, or as shown by dotted lines at 1' below the refractory material,
or where circumstances permit they may be arranged laterally.
The action of the apparatus is as follows;-Supposing that steam is to be raised
in the first instance, the refractory, material is incandesced by the combustion
of oil in the containers below, after which the nozzles are put into operation, the
oil being fed if necessary by a hand pump.
When the boiler is under steam the arrangement described for feeding the oil
is put into operation and the air is led to the air compressor from a heating
chamber in the uptake; after passing through the automatic oil feeding apparatus
the air is then led to the air trunk, where it is heated and thence to the nozzles.
The heated oil and; air issue from the nozzles and the flame which results is
directed on to the refractory material which is maintained in incandescence
thereby, and any oil which may pass through the nozzles unconsumed is collected
in the containers below the refractory material and there burned.
Although I have described the apparatus as applied to a marine boiler, it is
evident that it is equally applicable to other forms of boilers, the details being
of course modified to suit the special configuration of the boiler to which the
apparatus is applied.

page_text: 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 improvement in apparatus for burning liquid fuel in steam generators and
the like, which consists in supplying to a series of nozzles, air and oil which have
been previously heated by traversing the furnace of the said generator, and in
placing within the said furnace a refractory material adapted to be incandesced
by the combustion of the said fuel; substantially as described and illustrated.
2. In combination; the nozzles; the incandescent refractory material; and the
air trunk in the furnace adapted to heat the air and oil; substantially as described
and illustrated.
3. In combination; the nozzles; the incandescent refractory material; the
heating chamber in the uptake to initially heat the air; and the air trunk in the
furnace to finally heat the air and oil; substantially as described and illustrated.
4. In combination; the nozzles; the air trunk in the furnace; and the series of
racks adapted to support the refractory material and to be carried by the air
trunk; substantially as described and illustrated.
5. The arrangement of the nozzles and their connecting pipes, the front plate..
the air trunk and the racks supporting the refractory material, as a self contained.
structure adapted to be easily inserted into or withdrawn from the furnace, as a
whole; substantially as described and illustrated.
6. The racks for supporting the refractory material; substantially as described
and illustrated.
7. In combination with the nozzles, the refractory material, and the means for
heating the air and oil, the container 9 substantially as and for the purpose
described and illustrated.
8. In combination with the apparatus for burning the liquid fuel, the automatic
means for feeding the fuel, in which the air to support combustion is used, as it
passes to the nozzles, to feed the oil, substantially as described.
9. The combination and arrangement of parts forming the improved apparatus
for burning liquid fuel in steam generators; substantially as described and
illustrated.
'ለ 1
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Q
1005
SLOAN & LLOYD BARNES,
Castle Chambers, 26, Castle Street, Liverpool,
Agents for the Applicant.