IMPROVEMENTS IN OR APPLICABLE TO TRAMWAY, TRACTION, AND OTHER STEAM ENGINES
Year: 1883

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Isaac Watt Boulton of Ashton-under-Lyne, in the County
.
of Lancaster, Engineer, for an Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN OR
APPLICABLE TO TRAMWAY, TRACTION, AND OTHER STEAM ENGINES"
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Isaac Watt Boulton at the
Office of the Commissioners of Patents on the 26th February 1883.
.
ISAAC WATT BOULTON, of Ashton-Under-Lyne, in the County of Lancaster,
Engineer, "IMPROVEMENTS IN OR APPLICABLE TO TRAMWAY, TRACTION, AND
OTHER STEAM ENGINES,"
My invention refers to improved means for super heating the exhaust or waste
steam from the Engine and boiler so as to be able to discharge it into the atmo-
sphere mixed with the products of combustion from the furnace noiselessly (or nearly
so) as invisible vapour or gases.
My invention relates to improved arrangements and combinations; and in
reference to vertical boilers, consists in forming a smoke box or chamber in the
upper part of the boiler which in some cases is surrounded by an annular steam
space; into this smoke box or chamber the flue tube or tubes from the furnace
terminate, so that the products of combustion will enter and fill this chamber before
escaping to the chimney.
Within this smoke box or chamber I place a heating vessel which is surrounded
by the heated products.
This heating vessel may be made in a variety of forms and have tubes through
it for the heated gases from the furnace to enter and pass through or have coils of
tubes or other suitable arrangements of surfaces, such as flat, spiral zig-zag
corrugated or other surfaces exposed to the heat of the gases.
The exhaust steam or waste from the Engine or boiler is brought by one or two
pipes as arranged so as to pass into the interior of this heating vessel the exterior
surfaces of which are exposed to the heated products of combustion from the
furnace.

page_text: The exhaust or waste steam on entering the vessel is or may be made, by
suitable partitions, to traverse over its surfaces so as to get thoroughly heated
before passing out from a pipe or blast orifice, the beating vessel forming a receiver
causing the blast to be more uniform and nearly if not altogether noiseless.
The blast orifice is or may be arranged to discharge into a cone over it or through
several cones one over or within another with spaces between, to cause the super-
_beated exhaust or waste steam to be drawn in, and become thoroughly intermixed
with the hot gases before being discharged from the chimney.
Or my invention consists in bringing the exhaust or waste steam by pipes into a
smoke box or chamber and passing it through arrangements for intermixing it
with the hot products of combustion and also arranged to form a blast for the
furnace.
The exhaust or waste steam is or may be arranged for this purpose to escape in
an annular form, the hot gases passing in the centre, as in an ejector and cones are
or may be added to further draw in the surrounding hot gases and mix therewith.
Or the exhaust or waste steam is or may be discharged in a series of small jets
into cones and these into other cones as hereinbefore described.
For steam boilers where the barrel of the boiler is horizontal and a fire-bridge is
used, my invention consists in forming the fire-bridge of hollow metal and in
taking the exhaust or waste steam from the Engine or boiler to the interior of this
hollow fire-bridge by one pipe and from it by another pipe to the blast pipe, there
to mingle with, the hot products from the furnace before being discharged from the
chimney.

page_text: SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent filed
by the said Isaac Watt Boulton in the Great Seal Patent Office on the
24th August 1883.
ISAAC WATT BOULTON, of Ashton-under-Lyne, in the County of Lancaster,
Engineer. "IMPROVEMENTS IN OR APPLICABLE TO TRAMWAY TRACTION AND
OTHER STEAM ENGINES,"
My invention refers to improved means for superheating the exhaust or waste
steam or both from the Engine and boiler of Tramway and other Engines so as to
be able to discharge it into the atmosphere, mixed with the products of combustion
from the furnace noiselessly (or nearly so) as invisible vapour or gases.
My invention relates to improved arrangements and combinations; and in
reference to vertical boilers consists in forming a smoke box or chamber in the
upper part of the boiler, which in some cases is surrounded by an annular steam
space into this smoke box or chamber the flue tube or tubes from the furnace
terminate, so that the products of combustion will enter and fill this chamber
before escaping to the chimney.
Within this smoke box or chamber, I place a heating vessel which is surrounded
by the heated products, from the furnace or fire box of the boiler.
This heating vessel through which the steam is to pass may be made in a variety
of forms and may have tubes through it for the heated gases from the furnace to
enter and pass through or the heater may be formed of coils of tubes for the steam
to pass through, or the vessel for the steam has or may have any other suitable
arrangements of surfaces, such as flat, spiral, zig-zag corrugated or other surfaces
exposed to the heat of the gases.
The exhaust steam or waste from the Engine or boiler, or both, is brought by
one or more pipes as arranged, so as to pass into the interior of this heating vessel,
the exterior surfaces of which are exposed to the heated_products of combustion
from the furnace.
The exhaust or waste steam on entering the vessel is or may be made by suitable
partitions to traverse over its surfaces so as to get thoroughly heated before passing
out from a pipe or blast orifice, the heating vessel forming a receiver for the steam,
causing the blast to be more uniform and nearly if not altogether noiseless.
The blast orifice is or may be arranged to discharge into a cone over it, or
through several cones one over or within another with spaces between, to cause
the superheated exhaust or waste steam to be drawn in and become thoroughly
intermixed with the hot gases before being discharged from the chimney.
Or my invention consists in bringing the exhaust or waste steam by pipes into a
smoke box or chamber and passing it through arrangements for intermixing it
with the hot products of combustion and also arranged to form a blast for the
furnace.
The exhaust or waste steam is or may be arranged for this purpose to escape in
an annular form, the hot gases passing in the centre as in an ejector, and cones are
or may be added to further draw in the surrounding hot gases and mix there with.
Or the exhaust or waste steam is or may be discharged to the chimney in a series
of small jets into cones, and these into other cones as hereinbefore described.
For steam boilers where the barrel of the boiler is horizontal and a fire-bridge is
used, my invention consists in forming the fire-bridge of hollow metal and in
taking the exhaust or waste steam from the Engine or boiler to the interior of this
hollow fire-bridge by one pipe and from it by another pipe to the blast pipe there
to mingle with the hot products from the furnace before being discharged from the
chimney.

page_text: Fig 1 is a vertical sectional elevation of a vertical boiler having my improvements
applied, and fig 2 is a plan section taken through the line A-A fig 1.
Fig 3 is a view similar to fig 1 illustrating another modification of my invention,
and fig 4 is a plan section taken through the line A-A fig 3.
Fig 5 is a view similar to fig 1 illustrating another modification of my invention,
and fig 6 is a plan section taken through the line A-A fig 5.
Fig 7 is a longitudinal section in elevation showing a modification of my
invention as applied to horizontal steam boilers.
In each modification of the vertical boiler type illustrated, a represents the outer
shell of the boiler; b the fire box or furnaces; c the grate bars; b' fire door.
In that modification illustrated by figs 1 and 2, the chamber or smoke box dis
of the conical form, and the heater is a hollow conical vessel e as shown, which bas
or may have brackets or projections e¹ cast or formed on it by which it is suspended
and kept central in the smoke box or chamber d.
The exhaust, and when desired the waste steam is brought by a pipe e (two may
be used if desired) which is joined to another pipe e extending to nearly the
bottom of the interior of the heating vessel e-The steam when heated passes out
from the vessel e.at the orifice e which forms the blast, and up the chimney f
In the modification shown by figs 3 and 4, a cylindrical chamber & connected
with the furnace by a flue d¹ is formed for the heater, which is constructed in two
parts, one part being inserted in the other.
The hot products of combustion from the fire pass partly through the interior
tube ex of the heater and partly on the exterior of the heater e. The exhaust and
waste steam is brought to the heater either by one or two pipes; one-pipe-e only
being shown. The interior annular space of the heater is divided by a cylindrical
partition e, which extends from the top plate e of the heater downwards, and
nearly to the bottom of the vessel e, so that the steam enters first into the annular
space e and passes down and then up the annular space e and escapes at an
annular blast orifice e and passes to the chimney f-Projections &¹² are or may be
formed on the outer vessel é to support and keep it central in the smoke box or
chamber as shown.
In the modification shown by figs 5 and 6 the smoke box or chamber dis-similar
to that shown by figs 3 and 4.,
The exhaust and waste steam is brought by two pipes e as illustrated (but one
pipe need only be used if preferred) to a heater e of more or less capacity and
surface, as required, and in escaping at the annular orifice e it acts as an ejector to
draw the heated products through the nozzle ex and discharges the mixed products
of combustion and steam from the nozzle elo into a nozzle el where more of the
products of combustion are drawn in from the smoke box or chamber d and
discharged into the chimney f
The nozzle el is supported in any convenient manner as illustrated it is attached
by bolts to projections from the pipes e².
One or more nozzles similar to e¹¹ figs 5 and 6, are or may be applied in some
cases to the annular blast orifice e shown in figs 3 and 4.
The vertical boilers illustrated are shown plain, but "Field tubes" or "Boultons
Patent U water tubes" are or may be inserted in the crown of the fire box or
combustion chamber when desired, or the heating surfaces of the boiler may be
formed of any suitable water, or flue tubes or surfaces as desired.
Fig 7 represents a modification of my invention as applied to horizontal boilers,
illustrated as combined with an internal flued boiler where, a is the shell; b fire
flue; and c grate bars.
The fire bridge e is made hollow and the exhaust and waste steam is brought to
it by a pipe e aud passes out from it by another pipe e³.
The inlet pipe e is or may be placed at one end to enter the hollow bridge e,
which has or may have a longitudinal partition e extending from that end nearly
to the other end of the hollow bridge, the steam being thus compelled to travel
along one division of the hollow bridge back along the other division before it

page_text: passes out at the outlet pipe e³ which is at the same end of the bridge as the inlet
pipe e but communicates with the other division of the hollow bridge.
If desired there may be several divisions or partitions in the hollow bridge
alternately extending from one end nearly to the other end to thus form a to and
fro continuous passage in the hollow bridge for the steam to pass through.
I have now particularly described the nature of my said invention and the modes
of carrying the same into effect, and claim as my invention,
Firstly. The heating of exhaust or waste steam or both, by combining apparatus
with a smoke box or chamber formed in or connected with a vertical steam boiler,
into and through which smoke box or chamber the heated products of combustion
from the furnace pass, substantially as and for the purpose hereinbefore described
and illustrated by the drawings.
Secondly. The several combinations and arrangements of apparatus with vertical
steam boilers substantially as and for the purpose herein before described and
illustrated by figs 1 to 6 inclusive of the drawings.
Thirdly. The combination for heating of exhaust or waste steam or both by
passing it through a hollow fire bridge, substantially as and for the purpose herein-
before described and illustrated by fig 7 of the drawing.
Fourthly. The mixing of exhaust or waste steam or both, by discharging it
through annular blast orifices, substantially as and for the purpose herein before
described.
In Witness whereof I the said Isaac Watt Boulton, have hereunto set my hand
and seal this twenty third day of August in the year of our Lord One thousand
eight hundred and eighty three.