IMPROVEMENTS IN HEATING AND EVAPORATING FLUIDS
Year: 1837

page_text: TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, 1, WILLIAM
BELL, of Edinburgh, in the Kingdom of Scotland, Esquire, send greeting.
WHEREAS His late most Excellent Majesty King William the Fourth,
by His Letters Patent under the Great Seal of Great Britain, bearing date at
Westminster, the Eleventh day of May, in the seventh year of His reign, did,
for Himself, His heirs and successors, give and grant unto me, the said William
Bell, His especial license, full power, sole privilege and authority, that I, the
said William Bell, my exors, adññiors, and assigns, or such others as I, the said
William Bell, my exors, adññors, or assigns, should at any time agree with,
and no others, from time to time and at all times during the term of years
therein expressed, should and lawfully might make, use, exercise, and vend,
within England, Wales, and the Town of Berwick upon Tweed, and also in
all His said Majesty's Colonies and Plantations abroad, my Invention of
"IMPROVEMENTS IN HEATING AND EVAPORATING FLUIDS;" in which said Letters
Patent is contained a proviso that I, the said William Bell, shall cause a
particular description of the nature of my said Invention, and in what manner
the same is to be performed, to be inrolled in His said Majesty's High Court
of Chancery within six calendar months next and immediately after the date
of the said in part recited Letters Patent, as in and by the same, reference
being thereunto had, will more fully and at large appear.
NOW KNOW YE, that in compliance with the said proviso, I, the said
William Bell, do hereby declare that the nature of my said Invention, and the
manner in which the same is to be performed, are fully described and ascer-

page_text: tained in and by the following statement thereof, reference being had to the
Drawing hereunto annexed, and to the figures and letters marked thereon,
that is to say-
My Invention consists in the application of heated air to boiling and evapo-
rating of fluids, as will be hereafter fully described.
DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWING.
Figure 1.is a longitudinal section, and Figure 2 a transverse section, of a
steam boiler having my improvements applied thereto, in each of which Figures
the same letters indicate similar parts. The boiler is similar in construction
to those boilers now used for locomotive engines, which will enable me fully to
explain the nature of my Invention, aided by which a workman will readily be
able to adapt the improvement to other arrangements of boilers and other
purposes of heating and evaporating fluids. The construction of steam boilers
and vessels for heating and evaporating fluids being well understood, it will
b only necessary to point out the various parts added to or combined there-
with for applying my Invention. a, a, are two pipes or tubes, which pass
through the furnace, and are in contact with the fire therein; hence any air
forced through such pipes will become highly heated; the pipes a, a, are con-
nected by a trunk 6 with tubes c, c, c; hence, as atmospheric air is forced
through the tubes or pipes a, a, it passes through the. pipes c, c, and gives off
its heat to the surrounding water, and having passed off from the boiler may
be conducted to other purposes, as hereafter mentioned. The pipes a, a, are
to be connected to a blowing apparatus, such as an air pump, rotatory fan, or
other well-known means for forcing air through pipes. From the above
description it will be evident that in place of having the pipes a, a, in addition
to the fire bars of the furnace, the fire bars or some of them may be made
hollow, and become suitable for the passage of air therethrough. I would
here remark, that although I have only shewn a steam boiler, it will be evident
that my improvements may be applied to other constructions of vessels, and
for heating and evaporating other fluids than water.
Having thus explained the nature of my Invention, I would remark, that as
the air on leaving the tubes in the boiler will still retain a considerable degree
of heat, the same may be advantageously applied by being caused to pass
through a further series of tubes contained in a suitable vessel for preparing
the water, which is to be supplied to the boiler by raising the temperature
thereof, in order to the boiler being supplied with water at a considerable
degree of temperature, by which heat may be advantageously employed in
preparing the water for the boiler; or in place of such using of the heated air
after it leaves the tubes contained in the boiler, such air will be usefully

page_text: disposed of by permitting it to flow into the ash-pit of the boiler furnace at d,
or otherwise into the furnace. At the same time I would remark, that I lay
no claim to the employment of the heated air for supplying heated air to the
furnace. And I would have it understood that I do not confine myself to the
arrangement of boiler and tubes shewn and described, as considerable varia-
tions may be made, depending on the construction of the steam boiler and other
circumstances. Nor do I confine myself to any particular arrangement of
means for blowing, or by any other means causing heated air to pass through
tubes of boilers in order to evaporate the water contained therein. And
I would remark, that I am aware that air has been forced by blowing or
otherwise, and caused to pass through and amongst the fuel of furnaces, and
thence through tubes passing through boilers; I do not therefore claim any
mode of using heated air for evaporation where the air mixes with the products
of the coal or fuel, and together pass through the flues or tubes constituting the
flues of the boiler; and although I find it preferable that the tubes or vessels
(through which the air is passed in order to become heated) should be acted
on by the furnace of the boiler, yet such heating of the air may evidently be
performed by a separate fire. But what I claim as my Invention is, the causing
currents of heated air (unmixed with the products of the coal or fuel which
heats it) to pass through tubes or other suitable flues or cavities in or connected
with a boiler or other vessel, in order the more advantageously to apply the
heat produced to the fluids in the boiler for the purpose of heating and evapo-
rating the same.
In witness whercof, I, the said William Bell, have hereunto set my
hand and seal, this Eleventh day of November, in the year of our