Improvements in Apparatus for Bleaching Smoke.
Year: 1894

page_text: Date of Application, 21st Apr., 1894-Accepted, 1st Sept, 1894
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Apparatus for Bleaching Smoke.
I, JAMES THOMAS SANDS, Gentleman, resident of No. 3300 Lafayette Avenue,
in the City of St. Louis, State of Missouri, United States of America, 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:-
My invention relates to a device for bleaching smoke, and consists in the novel
construction, combination and arrangement of parts hereinafter described, designated
in the claims, and illustrated in the accompanying drawings, in which :
Fig. 1 is a diagrammatic view, showing the manner in which my improved smoke
bleacher is connected with the steam supply.
Fig. 2 is a side elevation of a portion of a chimney having a portion of its upper
end in section, and showing the manner in which the pipe discharges therein.
Figs. 3, 4, 5 and 7 are similar views to that of Fig. 2, but showing modified
forms of the manner in which the smoke is discharged into the upper end of the
chimney.
Fig. 6 is a plan view of the upper end of the truncated pipe illustrated in
Fig. 5.
The object of my invention is to locate a pipe in such a manner that it will
discharge steam that is forced through it immediately above and approximately in
the center of the chimney.
A further object of my invention is to connect a pipe with a suitable steam-
supply, and so connect said pipe with the chimney that steam discharged from the
free end thereof will commingle with the smoke as it is discharged from
the chimney.
Referring to the drawings:
The numeral 1 designates a portion of a building, 2 the chimney, 3 the engine
room, 4 the floor above said engine room, 5 the boiler, 6 the steam engine and 7 the
radiator, which is located on the upper surface of the floor 4.
Connected to the steam-dome 8 of the boiler 5 is a pipe 9, which leads to the
steam-chest 10 of the engine 6, and an exhaust pipe 11 leads from said steam-chest
to and discharges into the water heater 12.
13 indicates a pipe which leads from the pump to the heater 12 and connects with
a coiled pipe 14, which is located within said heater, and the upper end of said coil
is engaged by a pipe 15 which leads to the boiler.
By the construction of this heater 12 the exhaust steam is discharged from the
engine into said heater and heats the coil 14 which causes the water as it passes
through the pipe 13 and said coil to be heated before it reaches the boiler 5.
Connected to the upper end of the heater 12 is a pipe 16, which is connected to a
pipe 17 by a T-coupling 18, and said pipe 17 is constructed with a valve 19 and
leads to the steam radiator 7.
20 indicates a pipe which leads to and discharges into the lower end of the water
trap 21.
The object of this water trap is that usually performed by common
steam traps," to-wit: To catch the water that is drained from the radiators or
other portions of the system and permit it to be separated from the steam within
the trap, enabling the steam to be discharged in a drier condition than it otherwise
would be.
22 indicates a pipe, one end of which is connected to the T-coupling 18 and the
other end is engaged by a vertical steam-supply pipe 23 which leads to the upper
end of the chimney 2.
24 indicates a pipe which leads from the water trap 21, and is connected to the

page_text: .
pipe 22 intermediate its ends by a T-coupling 25. Located ou the pipe 22 between
the T-couplings 25 and 18 is a valve 26.
27 designates a pipe which leads from the boiler to the pipe 22 and said pipe 27
is a suitable amount smaller than the pipe 22 so that it can project into said last
mentioned pipe toward the lower end of the pipe 23. This pipe 27 is constructed
with a valve 28, so that the flow of steam through said pipe can be regulated.
The pipe 23 is of sufficient length that the upper end will be approximately in
horizontal alignment with the upper end of the chimney, and the upper end of said
pipe is constructed with an elbow-coupling 29, so that the pipe 30, which is engaged
thereby, will project over the chimney and adjacent thereto."
Said pipe 30 is of such a length that the coupling 31, which is engaged thereby,
will be approximately in the center of the chimney, and said coupling 31 is engaged
by a short vertical pipe 32, so that the steam discharged therefrom will project
upward from the chimney.
The chimney illustrated in the drawings is constructed with an inner lining 33
which projects a distance above the upper end of the pipe 32. .
By this construction the steam will be discharged from the pipe 32 into the
lining 33.
I desire to state that the location of the discharge pipe is not an essential feature
of my invention, for it can be located in such a manner that the steam will be
discharged above the lining, or a greater distance below the upper end than is shown
in the drawings.
Referring now to Figs. 3, 4, 5, 6 and 7, the numeral 2 designates the chimney and
33 the inner lining thereof.
In Fig. 3 I have shown an annular pipe 34 which is located upon the upper end
of the chimney and approximately the same size in diameter as the inner lining 33.
Said pipe 34 is constructed with a series of apertures 35 which are so formed
that a jet of steam therefrom will project across the upper end of the chimney.
The steam-supply pipe 23 is connected to the annular pipe 34 by an elbow-
coupling 36, a suitable projection 37 being formed on said annular pipe to allow
the coupling to be connected thereto.
In Fig. 4 the construction of the pipes are substantially the same as those
illustrated in Fig. 2 with the exception that the pipe 32 is provided with a conical
cover 38 supported a distance above the upper end thereof by braces 39.
The construction illustrated in Fig. 5 is substantially the same as that illustrated
in Fig. 2 with the exception that a truncated pipe 40 is connected to the elbow-
coupling 31.
The upper end of said pipe 40 is the largest and provided with a cover 41
having a series of perforations 42 therein.
The object of having the upper end of this pipe made larger and provided with
a perforated cover is to allow the steam to spread and be discharged from the
pipe in jets so the smoke will easily commingle therewith.
In Fig. 7 the elbow-coupling 31 is engaged by a conical-shaped pipe 43, the
upper end being the largest so the smoke can spread somewhat before it leaves
said pipe, thus causing it to more readily commingle with the smoke.
The operation is as follows:
The valve 26 being closed and the valve 19 open, exhaust steam discharged
from the engine will pass through the pipe 11 into the heater 12, which will heat
the water as it passes through the coil 14 from the pump to the boiler 5, thus
partially heating the water before it reaches said boiler.
After the steam leaves the heater 12, it passes through the pipes 16 and 17
into the radiator 7, and after it leaves said radiator it passes through the pipe 20
into the water trap 21, and from said water trap through the pipe 24 into the
pipe 22, and from said pipe 22 is conveyed to the upper end of the chimney by the
pipe 23, and the upper end of said pipe 23 is so constructed that steam discharged
therefrom will commingle with the smoke as it is discharged from the chimney.
By the arrangement of pipes just mentioned, the exhaust steam from the

page_text: engine can be utilized for heating purposes, and then conveyed to the upper end
of the chimney and discharged in such a manner that it will commingle with the
sinuke.
I have found by practical experience that steam discharged into the chimney
adjacent the upper end will commingle with the smoke as it is discharged from
said chimney and bleach the same, which will overcome the black smoke nuisance
laws of cities.
I have also found in some instances that where the exhaust steam is used for
heating purposes that the discharge from the pipe 32 is not sufficient to overcome
the black smoke at all times, especially when there has been a great amount of
fresh fuel applied to the fire, which, it is well known, will cause a great amount of
black smoke.
To supply the required amount of steam at this time, I have constructed a
pipe 27 which leads directly to the pipe 22 and projects thereinto, and is bent at
right angles so that a jet of steam discharged therefrom will project toward the
Pipe 23.
This pipe 27 is provided with a valve 28 so that the flow of steam from the
boiler into said pipe 22 can be regulated.
As illustrated in the drawings, the elbow-coupling 31 projects upward so that
the steam discharged from the pipe 32 will project upward.
I desire to state that this coupling can be turned down, so that the steam
discharged therefrom will project down and meet and commingle with the smoke
as it passes out through the chimney.
I have also found by practical experience that on some chimneys the device
works to better advantage with the exhaust end adjacent the top, while in other
chimneys a better result is obtained by having the exhaust end of the pipe a
distance below the upper end of the chimney.
This operation depends greatly upon the size, height and draft of the chimney,
as there are very few chinneys with the same draft; therefore, the device cau
be adjusted relative the top of the chimney to correspond with the draft thereof.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my inven-
tion, and in what manner the same is to be performed, I declare that what I
claim is:
1. In a device for bleaching smoke, a pipe arranged to discharge steam
approximately in the center of a chimney and adjacent the upper end thereof,
substantially as set forth.
2. A device for bleaching smoke, constructed with a pipe leading from a
suitable steam-supply to approximately the upper end of the chimney and so
constructed that the steam discharged from said pipe will commingle with the
smoke as it is discharged from the chimney, substantially as set forth.
3. In a device for bleaching smoke, a pipe, one end connected to a suitable
steam-supply and projecting upward parallel with the sides of the chimney to the
upper end thereof, a pipe leading from the upper end of said first mentioned pipe
outward over the upper end of the chimney to approximately the center thereof,
and an elbow connected to the projecting end thereof for guiding the steam up or
down, substantially as set forth.
4. In a device for bleaching smoke, a pipe leading from a suitable steam-supply
to a chimney a distance below the upper end thereof, a pipe connected to the upper
end of said first mentioned pipe for conveying the steam into the chimney, and a
pipe connected to said last mentioned pipe for guiding the steam upward,
substantially as set forth.
Dated this 21st day of ▲ nail 1004