IMPROVEMENTS IN STEAM GENERATORS AND IN APPARATUS FOR HEATING WATER AND ECONOMISING
Year: 1873

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to George Sinclair, of Leith, in the County of
Mid Lothian, North Britain, for the Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN
STEAM GENERATORS AND IN APPARATUS FOR HEATING WATER AND
ECONOMISING
Sealed the 5th May 1874, and dated the 13th November 1873.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said George Sinclair at the
Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on the
13th November 1873.
I, GEORGE SINCLAIR, of Leith, in the County of Mid Lothian, North
Britain, do hereby declare the nature of the said Invention for "IM-
PROVEMENTS IN STEAM GENERATORS AND IN APPARATUS FOR HEATING WATER AND
ECONOMISING FUEL," to be as follows, that is to say :-
This Invention relates to improvements whereby more complete
circulation and increased efficiency are obtainable in steam generators,
consisting principally of tubes with the water inside them and suitable
for high pressures.

page_text: .
Modifications of the improved arrangements are advantageously
applicable for heating feed water by means of the otherwise spent heat
in the flues proceeding from the steam generators or for heating any
liquid by the otherwise spent heat in the escape flues from furnaces of
various kinds.
In carrying out the Invention tubes which are slightly inclined from
the horizontal are fixed in vertical or nearly vertical tubes or in casings
in the manner described in the Specification of Letters Patent obtained
by the present applicant and dated 7th December 1872 (No. 3716),
that is to say, holes are formed in the outer and inner flattened sides of
the vertical tubes which are oval in cross section, or in the outer and
inner sides of the casings; and the inclined tubes being entered into
their places are fixed by expanders in the inner holes, whilst the outer
holes are closed by conical plugs entered from the inside and fixed by
external screw caps.
An important part of the present Invention consists in arranging the
upper half of the series of inclined tubes with their inclination reverse
to that of the lower half of the series, whilst partition plates are fixed
between portions of the tubes to cause the fire gases from the furnaces
below to pass across and along them in serpentine courses. This arrange-
ment will cause the water to flow in a continuous and complete circuit
along the lower tubes towards their upper ends, then up the vertical
tubes or casings and back along the other inclined tubes, and down the
other vertical tubes or casings to the lower inclined tubes again.
The inclined tubes may be arranged in vertical rows or in zig-zag rows.
When the inclined tubes are fixed in casings the outer and inner sides of
each casing may be stayed by screw studs screwed through the two
plates and rivetted down at both ends, or angle or T iron may be rivetted
to the insides of the plates and be bolted together inside the water space,
the bolts being introduced through the plug holes. The vertical tubes
or the casings are bended between the upper and lower sets of inclined
tubes, so that the part into which each set of tubes is fixed is at right
angles to that set.
The vertical tubes or casings are connected to steam chests above
them in the manner described in Specification No. 3716 of 1872 herein-
before referred to; and in some cases storage cylinders for water and
steam with their axes at the water level are combined with the other

page_text: parts and placed on side walls enclosing the space traversed by the
inclined tubes. In some cases the lower inclined tubes may be arranged
so that the fire space may be partly or wholly within them instead of
being wholly below them.
In modifying the combination of tubes to render them suitable for
heating feed water or liquids the inclined tubes may be arranged in
reversed sets, as herein-before described. It is, however, preferred to
place them vertically with the casings or oval tubes into which they are
fixed at top and bottom. Steam pipes are permanently fixed so that
jets of steam may be directed upon the outsides of the tubes for re-
moving the soot whenever required, or mechanically operating chains
or scrapers such as are in use with other "fuel economisers"
provided for that purpose.
may be
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent,
filed by the said George Sinclair in the Great Seal Patent Office on
the 12th May 1874.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, GEORGE
SINCLAIR, of Leith, in the County of Mid Lothian, North Britain, send
greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her Letters
Patent, bearing date the Thirteenth day of November, in the year of our
Lord One thousand eight hundred and seventy-three, in the thirty-
seventh year of Her reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors,
give and grant unto me, the said George Sinclair, Her special licence
that I, the said George Sinclair, my executors, administrators, and
assigns, or such others as I, the said George Sinclair, my executors,
administrators, 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 STEAM GENERATORS AND IN APPARATUS FOR HEATING WATER AND ECONOMISING
FUEL," upon the condition (amongst others) that I, the said George
Sinclair, my executors or administrators, by an instrument in writing under

page_text: my, or their, or one of 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
Scal Patent Office within six calendar months next and immediately
after the date of the said Letters Patent.
NOW KNOW YE, that I, the said George Sinclair, do hereby declare
the nature of my said Invention, and in what manner the same is to be
performed, to be particularly described and ascertained in and by the
following statement in writing, reference being had to the accompanying
Drawings, that is to say :-
-
My said Invention relates to improvements whereby more complete
circulation and increased efficiency are obtainable in steam generators
consisting principally of tubes with the water inside them and suitable
for high pressures.
Modifications of my improved arrangements are advantageously
applicable for heating feed water by means of the otherwise spent heat
in the flues proceeding from the steam generators, or for heating any
liquid by the otherwise spent heat in the escape flues from furnaces of
various kinds.
In carrying out my Invention tubes which are slightly inclined from
the horizontal are fixed in vertical tubes or in casings in the manner
described in the Specification of Letters Patent obtained by me and
dated 7 December 1872 (No. 3716).
An important part of my present Invention consists in arranging the
upper half or portion of the series of inclined tubes with their inclina-
tion reverse to that of the lower half or portion of the series.
And in order that my said Invention, and the manner of performing
the same may be properly understood, I hereunto append two Sheets of
explanatory Drawings to be herein-after referred to, and representing
various modifications of my improved arrangements. In these Drawings
the same reference numerals are used to mark the same or like parts
wherever they are repeated.
Figure 1 on Sheet 1 of the Drawings is a longitudinal vertical section
of one modification of my improved steam generators or boilers, and
Figure 2 is a corresponding front end elevation. The main heating
surface of the boiler consists of two sets 1, 2, of tubes having the water

page_text: inside them, the lower set 1 being inclined a little up from the horizontal
whilst the upper set 2 are also inclined, but with their higher ends at the
opposite end of the boiler from those of the lower set. The ends of
these longitudinal tubes 1, 2, are fixed in vertical or nearly vertical tubes
3, 4, which are of an oval cross section presenting flat sides for the more
convenient fixing of the longitudinal tubes 1, 2. The vertical tubes
3, 4, have holes bored in their outer sides in addition to those in their
inner sides, in which latter the longitudinal tubes 1, 2, are fixed, the said
outer holes serving for the more convenient introduction, fixing, cleaning,
or replacing of the longitudinal tubes, and being closed by conical plugs
5 in the manner described in my earlier Specification herein-before
referred to. The vertical end tubes 3, 4, are adapted to the different
inclinations of the two sets of longitudinal tubes 1, 2, by being bended
at about their middles so that their lower parts may be at right angles to
the lower set 1, and their upper parts at right angles to the upper set
2 of longitudinal tubes. The boiler is supported by the vertical enḍ
tubes 3, 4, being set on cast-iron bearers 6, 7, carried by brick walls 8
enclosing the furnace space 9, the walls 8 being extended up at the sides
Plates or
to enclose the space occupied by the longitudinal tubes 1, 2.
slabs 10, 11, 12, 13, of cast-iron, fire-clay, or other suitable material are
inserted across between the longitudinal tubes 1, 2, to cause the fire
gases to travel backwards and forwards amongst the tubes on their
passage from the furnace 9 to the top of the boiler, from which latter
part they pass off by a flue 14, partly shown in Figure 1. In the
angular space formed between the two sets 1, 2, of longitudinal tubes a
low brick wall 15 is built on the partition plate 11 at that part to compel
the fire gases to pass amongst the upper tubes 2. Doors 16, indicated
by dotted lines, are formed in the side walls for access to clean the
outsides of the longitudinal tubes 1, 2. The front vertical tubes 3 com-
municate by connections 17 of the kind described in my earlier
Specification herein-before referred to, with a horizontal cylindrical
steam chest 18 placed across the top of the boiler, and itself .communi-
The steam chest 19
cating with a second similar steam chest 19.
communicates with two horizontal cylindrical storage vessels 20, 21, set
5 on the tops of the side walls 8, and the water level is at the centre line
of these vessels. The storage vessels 20, 21, are at their back ends
connected by pipes 22 to a lower vessel 23, which is connected by pipes
24 to each of the back vertical tubes 4. The front vertical tubes 3 are
similarly connected by pipes 25 to a transverse horizontal feed vessel

page_text: 26, into one end of which the feed water is introduced through a cock
27, whilst a blow-off cock 28 is connected to the other end.
The arranging of the longitudinal tubes 1, 2, as herein-before described,
whilst their ends are in communication by the vertical end tubes 3, 4,
causes the water inside to flow in a continuous and complete circuit, for
as the heat makes the water proceed towards the upper end of each tube
1, 2, the currents must be from front to back in the lower tubes 1, and
from back to front in the upper tubes 2, the water passing up the back
vertical tubes 4 and down the front vertical tubes 3.
Figure 3 is a longitudinal vertical section, and Figure 4 is a corre-
sponding front end elevation of a modification of my improved boiler,
which differs from that shown in Figures 1 and 2, and herein-before
described in having the longitudinal tubes 1, 2, fixed in vertical or nearly
vertical end casings 29, 30, instead of the two sets of vertical end tubes
(3, 4,). The tubes 1, 2, may be arranged in zig-zag or in vertical rows.
The casings 29, 30, are stayed by screw studs 31 screwed through both
plates in each case and rivetted down or over at both ends, or angle or
Tiron may be rivetted to the insides of the casing plates and be bolted
together inside the water space, the bolts being introduced through the
plug holes, which plug holes are used in connection with the longitudinal
tubes, as in the modification first herein-before described. There is one
storage vessel 20 placed at one side of the boiler, and one steam chest 18
placed along the top, the latter being connected at each end to the
vertical end casings 29, 30. Other details not shown may be like those
of the other modification.
In both modifications shown in Figures 1 to 4 the total height of the
boiler may be lowered when required, as for marine purposes for example,
by forming the fire space amongst the lower longitudinal tubes 1 by
omitting tubes from the middle, and leaving tubes to form sides to the
fire space. With vertical end tubes 3 (Figures 1, 2,) the middle ones 3
will be made shorter to give space for the fire-door, and with the casing
29 (Figures 3, 4,) the fire-door will be made through the lower part of
it. The numbers and positions of the steam chests 18, 19, may be
varied, and connections thereto may be made with the back vertical
tubes 4 as well as with the front ones. If preferred, the lower connect- 3
ing vessel 23, Figure 1, may be placed immediately under the back
vertical tubes 4, and a similar one under the front vertical tubes 3 for

page_text: the purpose of receiving sediment from the vertical tubes, blow-off cocks
being attached for removing such sediment.
In modifying my improved combinations of tubes to render them
suitable for heating feed water or liquids, the inclined tubes may be
arranged in reversed sets as herein-before described for boilers. I,
however, prefer to make the feed heater or fuel economiser, as shown on
Sheet 2 of the accompanying Drawings; Figure 5 being a plan; Figure
6, a longitudinal vertical section; and Figure 7, an end elevation. The
tubes 32 arranged vertically in straight or zig-zag rows are fixed in upper
and lower casings 33, 34, and those casings have plug holes closed by
plugs 5 in their outer sides for convenience in introducing, fixing, clean-
ing, or replacing them, as herein-before explained with reference to the
boilers. The casings 33, 34, are stayed by studs 31 screwed and rivetted
at both ends. This improved feed heater or fuel economiser is to be
supported on brickwork in any flue through which partly used fire-gases
pass, provision being made in the building for access to the under side of
the lower casing 34, as well as to the top of the upper casing 33. For
cleaning the outsides of the tubes 32 perforated steam pipes may be
permanently fixed between the rows of tubes, so that whenever cleaning
is necessary jets of steam may be directed on them to remove the soot.
Or in cases where steam of sufficient pressure is not available,
mechanically operating chains or scrapers may be used, such as are
in use with other fuel economisers.
Having thus particularly described my said Invention, and the
manner of performing the same, I have to state that I do not restrict
myself to the precise details herein described or delineated, but
that what I believe to be novel and original, and claim as the
Invention secured to me by the herein-before in part recited Letters
Patent is,-
1. The arranging or combining together of the parts of steam gene-

page_text: 3. The constructing of feed water heaters or fuel economisers with
reversely inclined or parallel tubes fixed in casings, which casings have
pluged holes in their outer plates, substantially as and for the purposes
herein-before described.
In witness whereof, I, the said George Sinclair, have hereunto set 5
my hand and seal, this Eighth day of May, in the year of our
Lord One thousand eight hundred and seventy-four.
Witness,
EDMUND HUNT,
Patent Agent,
Glasgow.
GEORGE SINCLAIR. (L.S.)