IMPROVEMENTS IN APPA- RATUS CONNECTED WITH FEEDING FURNACES WITH FUEL
Year: 1876

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to John Young, of Manchester, in the County of Lancaster,
Fuel Economizing Engineer, for the Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN APPA-
RATUS CONNECTED WITH FEEDING FURNACES WITH FUEL."
1
Sealed the 15th December 1876, and dated the 19th June 1876.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said John Young at the Office of
the Commissioners of Patents on the 19th June 1876.
JOHN YOUNG, of Manchester, in the County of Lancaster, Fuel Economizing
Engineer. " IMPROVEMENTS IN APPARATUS CONNECTED WITH FEEDING FURNACES
WITH FUEL."
This Invention relates, firstly, to a special combination of appliances whereby
when the fuel in a rough state is fed into a hopper it becomes crushed or broken up
into small pieces by rollers revolving within a casing, from which it is permitted to
fall into a receiver to be lifted by endless chain buckets on to an incline and
deposited in a shoot containing a creeper to convey it to openings in the head of a
casing, so that it falls within the said casing and is operated upon by revolving
blades which spread it over the surface of the burning fuel upon the grate bars in a
thin even layer, the objects being economy in the feeding and in the consumption of
fuel, a more constant and regulated top heat, a development and consumption of
the gases evolved, a reduction in the formation of smoke, whereby there results
an almost unchangeable temperature in the fire-place, an absence of clinkers on and
perfect ventilation through the bars, a clean boiler skin, also clean flues and uptake,
consequently the draught is not impeded. Steam is also quicker generated and
the better maintained.
The second part of my Invention relates to the combination of the hopper, the
crushing roller, the receiver, and the endless chain of buckets before referred to, and
their fixation upon or about level with the floor of a boiler house, whereby the
labour of an attendant is reduced and the whole of the mechanism under his care
brought within his reach.
The lower part of my apparatus is composed of a box, a portion of which is
covered in. On the cover I fit a casing containing a pair of rolls by which the
fuel, say coal, is reduced to small particles, the fuel in a rough state being fed thereto
from a hopper and regulated by a sliding plate. The fuel when crushed slides
down an incline to the other side of the box and is then raised in small quantities
by the buckets of an endless or chain belt which passes over and under a pair of
druins, one on the box and the other on a bracket, secured to uprights or columns
[Price 6d.1

page_text: attached to the box, the top of the uprights being stayed or braced by transverse
or cross bars, which also serve to secure the vertical position of the main driving
shaft, upon which a rigger is mounted for overhead motion from the engine. The
lower end of this shaft has a worm gearing into a worm wheel on one of the rolls,
the other roll being driven by spur gearing from the first at its opposite end.
The main driving shaft has just below or just above the cross bars a second rigger
to enable the drums of the spreaders to be rotated, the spreaders being within
casings fitted just above the ordinary furnace doors with which the boiler is provided.
The buckets of the endless belt deliver the fuel on to an incline, which may have a
jogging motion imparted to it to lead the fuel partly into the first of the series of
casings in which the spreaders are fitted, and partly into a shoot containing a
creeper to screw along or convey the fuel to the second casing, supposing the boiler
to have two fire spaces from which casing or casings the fuel is spread by the rapid
rotation of three blades. Each blade is of curved and angled form vertically, and is
connected or in a piece with a boss to fit the shaft by which it is driven. The lower
edge face of each blade slides upon the bottom of the casing and causes a spreading
of the fuel thereon from the inner to the outer end, so that as the blades are
passing the outlet, which is at an angle on one side, the fuel by the combined
formation of the blades and the outlet gets delivered in a thin layer equally over
the incandescent fuel upon the bars. The outer ends of the blades work up to the
edge of the outlet, so that the fuel when acted upon by the blades does not travel
over a dead plate but is ejected from the casing direct.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent filed by
the said John Young in the Great Seal Patent Office on the 19th December
1876.
JOHN YOUNG, of Manchester, in the County of Lancaster, Fuel Economizing
Engineer. "IMPROVEMENTS IN AND CONNECTED WITH FEEDING FURNACES WITH
FUEL."
This Invention relates, firstly, to a combination of appliances whereby when the
fuel in a rough state is fed into a hopper it becomes crushed or broken up into small
pieces by rollers revolving within a casing from which it is permitted to fall into a
receiver to be lifted by endless chain buckets on to an incline and deposited in a
shoot containing a creeper to convey it to openings in the head of a casing, so that
it falls within the said casing and is operated upon by revolving blades which
spread it over the surface of the burning fuel upon the grate bars in a thin even
layer.
The second part of my Invention relates to the combination of the hopper, the
crushing roller, the receiver, and the endless chain of buckets before referred to, and
their fixation upon or about level with the floor of a boiler house, whereby the
labour of an attendant is reduced and the whole of the mechanism under his care
brought within his reach.
My Invention is clearly represented in the annexed Drawings, in which Figure 1
is a front view and Figure 2 a plan of a boiler with two furnaces, to which my
apparatus or appliances are affixed for the feeding of fuel thereto.
A is the hopper or coal receiver in which the reducing rolls B, B, are fitted to
rotate from outside gearing in any well known manner. The coal in a reduced
state falls upon and slides down the incline C into a kind of well, into which the
buckets D, D, on an endless chain E are caused in succession to dip and lift a small
quantity. The endless chain and the buckets move within a close casing F and are
carried by wheels G at top and H at bottom, as shown, the upper wheel G being
out of the vertical with regard to the lower wheel H in order that the buckets D, D,
may deliver their charges on to the incline I from which the reduced coal falls
partly into the casing J containing a creeper K and partly into a shoot L of a
turbine or spread wheel M fitted in a circular casing N at the mouth of the furnace

page_text: P, the separation of the quantities of coal taking place in the incline I by a partition
fitted therein for the purpose. The turbine or spread wheel M is composed of three
blades curved to shape for the proper distribution of the coal in an even thin layer.
The blades are upon a vertical shaft Q, and their peripheries or tips are about level
with the edge of the casing, as in Figure 3, for the direct delivery, so that the dead plate
usually fitted for the coal to slide over is dispensed with. The coal that falls down
into the casing J is carried along by the creeper K that it may fall into the casing R
of the turbine or spread wheel S which distributes it upon the fire in the furnace T
in a similar manner as described for the furnace P. The vertical shafts of both of
the spread wheels M, S, are driven by straps U, V, from above, and these are
actuated by a wheel W upon the main shaft X, the main shaft receiving its motion
from the engine by the strap Y. The main shaft has at its lower end an endless
worm which gears into a worm wheel on the end of one of the reducing rolls, as
shown, the bucket mechanism being actuated by a strap Z from a wheel on the
axle of the other reducing roller. The top of the hopper or coal reservoir is within
reach of the attendant in order that the labour of charging the hopper with coal is
reduced to a minimum.
Figures 4 and 5 are views of a bucket arrangement fitted to work vertically from
the hopper to the incline. In this method I fit pocket shoots a, a, upon the top
wheel H of the chain system which travel round with the wheel, and the pockets
take a position in succession in front of each bucket to receive its contents as the
bucket turns over, and to lead the contents into the incline I prior to their falling
into the creeper and first tubine casings J, N. Instead of the worm gearing being
at the lower part of the mechanism it may be at the upper part, as in Figure 6, in
which the worm is shown in gear by a strap with a wheel on the top shaft of the
bucket lifter frame. It will be observed that the bucket casing and driving shaft
is fitted in a structure in a rigid manner as a skeleton frame and this takes the
weight of all the apparatus.
The objects of this Invention are economy in the feeding and in the consumption
of fuel, a more constant and regulated top heat, a development and consumption
of the gases evolved, a reduction in the formation of smoke, whereby there results
an almost unchangeable temperature in the fire-place, an absence of clinkers
and perfect ventilation through the bars, a clean boiler skin, also clean flues and
uptake, cousequently the draft is not impeded. Steam is also quicker generated
and better maintained.
on,
Having now described the nature of my said Invention, and in what manner the
same is to be performed, I declare that I claim-
Firstly. The arrangement of appliances or apparatus by which coal or like fuel
can be reduced, raised, carried along, and be finally spread within a furnace, the
combination of the appliances being the specialty as set forth and as shown in the
annexed Drawings, and whether for feeding one, two, or more furnaces.
Secondly. I claim fitting pocket slips on the top wheels of bucket and chain
systems of fuel feeding appliances, as described and shown, by which the fuel from
the buckets can be delivered into a shoot or incline.
In witness whereof, I, the said John Young, have hereunto set my hand and
seal, this Eighteenth day of December, One thousand eight hundred and
seventy-six
JOHN YOUNG. (L.S.)