Improvements in Puddling Furnaces and in Appliances connected therewith.
Year: 1889

page_text: Date of Application, 3rd Oct., 1889
Complete Specification Left, 20th June, 1890-Accepted, 26th July, 1890
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Puddling Furnaces and in Appliances connected
therewith.
We THOMAS HENRY ROBERTS and THOMAS UNDERHILL trading as Roberts and
Company of Witton Lane Iron and Steel Works West Bromwich in the County of
Stafford Iron Masters do hereby declare the nature of this Invention to be as
follows:
In puddling furnaces as ordinarily constructed the bottom and side plates are
exposed to great heat and are consequently rapidly worn away. Our invention has
for its object to prevent the rapid destruction of the said plates and at the same time
to effect a more perfect combustion of the fuel in the puddling furnace than is effected
in puddling furnaces of the ordinary kind.
In constructing a puddling furnace according to our invention we form under the
bottom plate and at the outer sides of the side plates air passages or channels and
by means of a steam jet or other exhausting apparatus we direct or draw through
the said channels cold air from the atmosphere and thereby keep the temperature.
of the said plates so low that they wear away very slowly during the puddling
process.
The current of heated air or heated air and steam issuing from the channels
described is further heated by being conducted through pipes heated by the waste
heat of the puddling furnace. This current of heated air or heated air and steam is
conducted to the ash pit of the puddling furnace and mixed with the air which
passing between the fire bars supports combustion in the said furnace. Or the said
heated current may be conducted to the bridge or other parts of the fire place of
the puddling furnace.
The regulation of the current of air by which the bottom plates and other parts of
the puddling furnace are cooled and the regulation of the current of heated air
supplied to the fire place of the puddling furnace may be regulated by valves.
Dated this 3rd day of October 1889.
W. T. WHITEMAN,
Agent for the Applicants.
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Puddling Furnaces and in Appliances connected
therewith.
We THOMAS HENRY ROBERTS and THOMAS UNDERHILL trading as Roberts and
Company of Witton Lane Iron and Steel Works, West Bromwich in the County of
Stafford, Iron Masters do hereby declare the nature of our invention and the manner
in which the same is to be performed to be particularly described and ascertained in
and by the following statement :—
In puddling furnaces as ordinarily constructed the bottom and side plates are
exposed to great heat and are consequently rapidly worn away. Our invention has
for its object to prevent the rapid destruction of the said plates and at the same time
to effect a more perfect combustion of the fuel in the puddling furnace than is effected
in puddling furnaces of the ordinary kind.
In constructing a puddling furnace according to our invention we form under the
bottom plates an air chamber and at the outer sides of the side plates air passages
or channels and by means of a steam jet or other exhausting apparatus we direct or
11; 1

page_text: draw through the said air chamber and channels cold air from the atmosphere and
thereby keep the temperature of the said plates so low that they wear away very
slowly during the puddling process.
This current of heated air or heated air and steam is conducted to the ash pit of tho
puddling furnace and mixed with the air which passing between the fire bars supports
combustion in the said furnace.
The regulation of the current of air by which the bottom plates and other parts of
the puddling furnace are cooled and the regulation of the current of heated air
supplied to the fire place of the puddling furnace may be effected by valves.
Figure 1 of the accompanying Drawings represents in side elevation; Figure 2
in longitudinal vertical section; Figure 3 in horizontal section and Figure 4 in
vertical transverse section, a puddling furnace containing our improvements.
The same letters indicate the same parts in Figures 1, 2, 3 and 4.
a is the ash pit which is a closed or practically air tight chamber having doors at
back to obtain access to it when necessary; the fire place; c the puddling chamber
and d the bottom plates and e the side plates of the said chamber; is the hollow
fire bridge and is the hollow flue bridge. Between the side walls of the puddling
chamber and the side plates e, e is the back wall bridge or flue consisting of the air
passages or channels, the air passage opening into the flue bridge and the air
passage i opening into both the flue bridge g and fire bridge f as best seen in the
horizontal section Figure 3. Under the bottom plates d of the puddling chamber is
a closed air chamber k by which the bottom plates are kept cool. This air chamber
is isolated from the ash pit a by the wall. The underside of the hollow fire bridge f
opens into the air chamber k. Cold air from the atmosphere is drawn into the
hollow bridges and channels hi around the side plates and into the chamber kunder
the bottom plates at the external opening the said cold air taking the course
indicated by the arrows in Figure 3. By the circulation of cold air about and along
the said channels h, i and through the hollow bridges the side plates e e are kept cool
the air heated by contact with the said plates and passages entering the chamber k
by the open bottom of the fire bridge f. The bottom plates d, d are kept cool by the
air passed into and displaced from the air chamber k.
The circulation of air through the channels h, i and bridges f, g is maintained
during the working of the furnace and hot air supplied to the closed ash pit a for
effecting the combustion of the fuel in the fire place in the following way. In the
air chamber are two (or more) pipes or tuyers q, q. These pipes or tuyers pass
through the division wall and project a short distance into the closed ash pit a. In
those ends of the pipes or tuyers q, q situated in the chamber are steam jets r
supplied by the steam pipes external to the furnace the steam passing through the
said pipe s and jets being controlled by a valve or tap at t.
By means of the steam jets the hot air drawn into the chamber k is exhausted
therefrom and supplied by the pipes or iuyers 1, q to the ash pit a as indicated by
the arrows in Figure 2 which hot air passing through the fire grate effects a very
perfect combustion of the fuel in the fire place b.
Figure 5 represents in side elevation; Figure 6 in lo:igitudinal vertical section;
Figure 7 in horizontal section and Figure S, in vertical transverse section a puddling
furnace in which the waste heat escaping at the neck of the furnace is utilized for
heating the air to be supplied to the fire place or for further heating the air which
has been heated by contact with the side and bottom plates of the puddling
chamber.
At one side of the neck u of the furnace a hot air chamber is constructed the side
of the neck being perforated with bell shaped perforations u², u² so as to permit the
said chamber being heated by the waste heat passing along the said neck. The
said bell shaped perforations u², u² do not interfere with the draught and proper
working of the furnace. The hot air neck chamber is supplied with fresh air by
the external pipe we communicating with the atmosphere. The hot air thus produced
in the hot air neck chamber is supplied to the ash pit a of the furnace by the air
pipe near the top of the chamber passing to the exterior of the furnace.
The top of

page_text: the vertical branch of the external hot air supply pipe is furnished with a steam
jet for drawing in and directing the hot air through the hot air pipes, ³ to the
ash pit a.
Instead of supplying cold air to the neck hot air chamber by the indraught
pipe to hot air from any source of heated air may be conducted to the said neck hot
air chamber to be further heated.
A connection may also be made between the neck hot air chamber vand
the chamberk under the puddling chamber by the pipe 2 as indicated in
dotted lines in Figure 6 so that by the use of the tuyere and steam jet arrangement
represented in Figures 2, 3 and 4 the heated air may be drawn from the neck
chamber v, bottom chamberk and bridges and supplied to the ash pit as before
described. When a connection is made between the neck hot air chamber v and
botton chamber as last described, the arrangement of the pipes c, and steam
jet y is dispensed with.
Both sides of the neck may be provided with a hot air chamber and with the
hot air conducting appliances described and represented with respect to one sido
only.
Instead of heating air by direct contact with the hot air neck chamber or chambers
as last described, the hot air neck chamber or chambers may be raised to a great
heat by the waste heat passing along the neck having free access to the neck chamber
or chambers the said chamber or chambers being used to superheat steam to be
supplied to the ash pit mixed with a current of cold or hot air.
2
This modification of our invention is represented in side elevation in Figure 9 ;
longitudinal section in Figure 10; horizontal section in Figure 11 and transverse
section in Figure 12; 2 is the neck chamber which is a scaled chamber that is has
no communication with the external air. It is strongly heated by the waste heat
passing through the neck u entering the said chamber by the open air passages u², u².
in the said closed neck chamber v² is a coil of piping to which steam is supplied
at z¹. The coil of piping is heated to a high temperature by the hot air chamber 22
and the steam circulating through it is superheated. The steam piping z terminates
in a horizontal pipe passing under and across the neck of the furnace and rising is
connected to the external pipe carrying the steam jet situated in the air supply
pipe the latter opening into the ash pit a. The pipe may either supply cold air
to the ash pit or hot air conducted to it from the neck chamber of the puddling
furnace. The steam superheated in the manner described may be used for supplying
the steam jet or steam jets of the first and second described arrangements of our
invention.
When hot air chambers on both sides of the neck are used one of the said hot air
chambers may be used for heating air to be supplied to the ash pit as described with
respect to the arrangement Figures 5, 6, 7 and 8 and the other hot air neck chamber
may be used for superheating steam as described with respect to the arrangement last
described and represented in Figures 9, 10, 11 and 12.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of our invention
and the manner in which the same is to be performed we declare that we claim
as our invention of "Improvements in puddling furnaces and in appliances connected
therewith":-
First Keeping cool the side plates and bottom plates of puddling furnaces by
causing a current of cold air to be drawn from the atmosphere through the flue
bridge, the back wall or bridge or flue, the fire bridge and a chamber under the
bottom plates and supplying the air heated in contact with the said bridges and side
and bottom plates to the ash pit of the fire place for the combustion of the fuel therein
substantially as hereinbefore described and illustrated in Figures 1, 2, 3 and 4 of the
accompanying Drawings.
Secondly The combination with one or both sides of the neck of the puddling
furnace of a chamber or chambers heated by the waste heat passing from the furnace

page_text: for heating fresh air or for further heating the air used for cooling the side and
bottom plates and supplying the said heated air to the ash pit, the said hot air neck
chamber or chambers being used in conjunction with a steam jet or other exhausting.
apparatus substantially as herein before described and illustrated in Figures 5, 6, 7
and 8 of the accompanying Drawings.
:-
Thirdly The combination with one or both sides of the neck of the puddling
furnace of a closed or sealed chamber or chambers heated by the waste heat from the
furnace for superheating steam to be supplied to the steam jet or steam jets used for
directing or drawing the air through the flues and cooling chamber of the furnace
substantially as hereinbefore described and illustrated in Figures 9, 10, 11 and 12 of
the accompanying Drawings; also the use of one of the hot air neck chambers when
two are employed for heating the air to be supplied to the ash pit and the other neck
chamber for superheating steam as hereinbefore described.
Dated the 17th day of June 1890.
THOMAS HENRY ROBERTS.
THOS. UNDERHILL.