IMPROVEMENTS IN APPARATUS FOR PRODUCING HEAT BY THE COMBUSTION OF INFLAMMABLE GASES OR VAPOURS, AND FOR GENERATING TIIE LATTER.
Year: 1876

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Matthew Piers Watt Boulton, of Tew Park, in the County
of Oxford, for the Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN APPARATUS FOR PRODUCING
HEAT BY THE COMBUSTION OF INFLAMMABLE GASES OR VAPOURS, AND FOR
GENERATING TIIE LATTER.'
•
"
Sealed the 30th May 1876, and dated the 15th March 1876.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Matthew Piers Watt Boulton
at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents on the 15th March 1876.
MATTHEW PIERS WATT BOULTON, of Tew Park, in the County of Oxford. "Iм-
PROVEMENTS IN APPARATUS FOR PRODUCING HEAT BY THE COMBUSTION OF
INFLAMMABLE GASES OR VAPOURS, AND FOR GENERATING THE LATTER."
This Invention relates to apparatus for the mixing and burning of gas or
inflammable vapour with air, or with any gas or elastic fluid capable of supporting
combustion, and also to apparatus for generating inflammable vapour.
In what follows I shall describe an apparatus where gas is burnt with common
air. The gas issues in a jet from a tube or nozzle of ordinary form. This jet
issues into a conical passage converging in the direction of the movement of the
gas. A stream of air enters through this passage in the space around the gas jet,
and in virtue of the conical form of the passage is directed against the jet so as to
impinge upon it. The stream of gas and air partially mixed passes through a
throat of suitable dimensions. Beyond this throat, the passage first expands and
afterwards contracts, as is shewn in Figs. 1 and 2 of the Drawings; or successive
expansions and contractions may be provided. The mixed stream issuing from the
passage previously mentioned may undergo combustion in the open air like the
stream issuing from the tube of an ordinary Bunsen burner, but for many purposes
I prefer to cause the stream to enter another conical passage similar to that
previously mentioned, where a further quantity of air is caused to join it and
impinge upon it, and the mixed stream passes through a throat of suitable
dimensions into a chamber or passage of refractory material, in which the mixture
31

page_text: undergoes combustion. In order to mix thoroughly the air and gas I prefer to
make this second chamber or passage also vary in area, alternately enlarging and
contracting. The products of combustion issuing from this chamber are used for
any heating purposes required, as for instance to lient a boiler.
In order to be able to regulate at pleasure the quantities of air admitted at both 5
places of admission I connect each of the conical passages previously mentioned
with a separate chamber communicating with the atmosphere by means of a passage
furnished with a stop-cock, valve, or slide, so that the quantity of air admitted can
be adjusted at pleasure. More chambers might be employed if desired, the air
being admitted in more than two places; but I consider that generally two 1
chambers, as above described, are sufficient.
The
When the gas is used for heating the boiler of a steam engine one large burner,
constructed as above described, may be employed, or any desired number of smaller
burners. One burner may be employed for each tube of a tubular boiler.
supply both of gas and air to the burner or burners may be adjusted by means of 1
the pressure or heat in the boiler, according to any of the known methods employed
for effecting like adjustments.
Instead of passages of circular section passages of rectangular section or of any
desired form may be employed, the saine principles of construction being carried out.
In the apparatus previously described an accidental disturbance or derangement
of pressure may cause the flame to strike back, so that the gas lights at the nozzle
from which it issues. In order to remedy this in case it should happen I provide a
tube fitted with a stop-cock, by means of which a jet of gas can be caused to issue
into the passage where the mixture burns so as to be ignited. If the flame of the
burner should strike back so as to ignite the gas at the nozzle or orifice I open
this stop-cock and cause the jet of gas above mentioned to issue and to be ignited,
after which I turn off the gas supplied to the burner and extinguish its flame.
This having been done I turn it on again, when it is relighted by the gas jet
previously mentioned, after which this jet is turned off.
If desired a small jet, as above described, may be kept constantly burning.
Instead of gas inflammable vapour, such as that of hydrocarbons, may be
employed as the matter to be burnt along with the air, the form of apparatus
remaining the same. For the supplying of such vapour the following is a form of
construction which I employ-I provide a boiler supplied with some inflammable
liquid of low boiling point, such as benzoline. Heat is supplied to this boiler by
means of hot water surrounding a portion of it. When it is desired to increase the
generation of the inflammable vapour the level of this water is raised, which may
be done by causing a body or vessel provided for the purpose to descend into the
water; when it is desired to lessen the generation of the vapour the level of the
water is lowered, which may be caused by raising the body. This adjustment may
be made self acting by means either of the pressure or of the heat in the boiler, so
that when the pressure or heat exceeds a certain point it causes the body to rise
and lowers the level of the water, and when it falls below a certain point it causes
the body to descend and raises the level of the water. Any of the known methods
whereby pressure or heat is applied to cause movement may be employed for this
purpose. The water may be used at its boiling point so as to keep its temperature
constant if the heat applied to it should rise.
Instead of simple water a saline solution may be employed so as to use a hotter
liquid for imparting heat to the boiler if this be desired.
The water may be heated by means of waste steam from the engine, also steam
direct from the boiler may be used when desired.
The supply of steam may be regulated by means of the heat or pressure of the
inflammable vapour in its boiler, any of the known methods of regulation being
used for this purpose; otherwise the water may be heated by a flame supplied by a
portion of the inflammable vapour, the supply of which may be regulated in liko
imanner.

page_text: The constructions above described are applicable when nitrous oxide, or oxygen,
or other gas or vapour capable of supporting combustion is supplied to the
inflammable gas or vapour instead of common air.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent filed by the
said Matthew Piers Watt Boulton in the Great Seal Patent Office on the 7th
September 1876.
MATTHEW PIERS WATT BOULTON, of Tew Park, in the County of Oxford.
"IMPROVEMENTS IN APPARATUS FOR PRODUCING HEAT BY THE COMBUSTION OF
INFLAMMABLE GASES OR VAPOURS, AND FOR GENERATING THE LATTER.'
This Invention relates to apparatus for the mixing and burning of gas or
inflammable vapour with air, or with any gas or elastic fluid capable of supporting
combustion, and also to apparatus for generating inflammable vapour.
In what follows I shall describe an apparatus where gas is burnt with commion
air. The gas issues in a jet from a tube or nozzle of ordinary form. This jet issues
into a conical passage converging in the direction of the movement of the gas: A
stream of air entors through this passage in the space around the gas jet, and in
virtue of the conical form of the passage is directed against the jet so as to impinge
upon it. The stream of gas and air partially mixed passes through a throat of
suitable dimensions. Beyond this throat the passage first expands and afterwards
contracts, as is shewn in Figs. 1 and 2 of the Drawings; or successive expansions
and contractions may be provided. The mixed stream issuing from the passage
previously mentioned may undergo combustion in the open air, like the stream
issuing from the tube of an ordinary Bunsen burner; but for many purposes
prefer to cause the stream to enter another conical passage, similar to that
previously mentioned, where a further quantity of air is caused to join it and
impinge upon it, and the mixed stream passes through a throat of suitable
dimensions into a chamber or passage of refractory material, in which the mixture
undergoes combustion. In order to mix thoroughly the air and gas I prefer to
make this second chamber or passage also vary in area alternately enlarging and
contracting. The products of combustion issuing from this chamber are used for
any heating purpose required, as for instance to heat a boiler.
I
In order to be able to regulate at pleasure the quantities of air admitted at both
places of admission, I connect each of the conical passages previously mentioned
with a separate chamber communicating with the atmosphere by means of a
passage furnished with a stop-cock, valve, or slide, so that the quantity of air
admitted can be adjusted at pleasure. More chambers might be. employed if
desired, the air being admitted in more than two places; but I consider that
generally two chambers, as abovo described, are sufficient.
When the gas is used for heating the boiler of a steam engine one large burner,
constructed as above described, may be employed, or any desired number of smaller
burners. One burner may be employed for each tube of a tubular boiler. The
supply both of gas and air to the burner or burners may be adjusted by means of
the pressure or heat in the boiler, according to any of the known methods employed
for effecting like adjustments.
Instead of passages of circular section passages of rectangular section or of any
desired form may be employed, the same principles of construction being carried out.
In the apparatus previously described an accidental disturbance or derangement
of pressure may cause the flame to strike back, so that the gas lights at the nozzle
froin which it issues. In order to remedy this in case it should happen I provido
a tube fitted with a stop-cock, by means of which a jet of gas can be caused to issue
into the passage where the mixture burns so as to be ignited. If the flame of the

page_text: burner should strike back so as to ignite the gas at the nozzle or orifice I open
this stop-cock and cause the jet of gas above mentioned to issue and to be ignited,
after which I turn off the gas supplied to the burner and extinguish its flame;
this having been done I turn it on again, when it is relighted by the gas jet
previously mentioned, after which this jet is turned off.
If desired a small jet, as above described, may be kept constantly burning.
Instead of gas inflammable vapour, such as that of hydrocarbons, may be
employed as the matter to be burnt along with the air, the form of apparatus
remaining the same. For the supplying of such vapour the following is a form of
construction which I employ:-I provide a boiler supplied with some inflammable
liquid of low boiling point, such as benzoline. Heat is supplied to this boiler by
means of hot water surrounding a portion of it. When it is desired to increase the
generation of the inflammable vapour the level of this water is raised, which may
be done by causing a body or vessel provided for the purpose to descend into the
I water; when it is desired to lessen the generation of the vapour the level of the
water is lowered, which may be caused by raising the body. This adjustment may
be made self acting by means either of the pressure or of the heat in the boiler, so
that when the pressure or heat exceeds a certain point it causes the body to rise
and lowers the level of the water, and when it falls below a certain point it causes
the body to descend and raises the level of the water. Any of the known methods
whereby pressure or heat is applied to cause movement may be employed for this
purpose. The water may be used at its boiling point so as to keep its temperature
constant if the heat applied to it should rise.
Instead of simple water a saline solution may be employed so as to use a hotter
liquid for imparting heat to the boiler if this be desired.
The water may be heated by means of waste steam from the engine, also steam
direct from the boiler may be used when desired.
The supply of steam inay be regulated by means of the heat or pressure of the
inflammable vapour in its boiler, any of the known methods of regulation being
used for this purpose. Otherwise the water may be heated by a flame supplied by
a portion of the inflammable vapour, the supply of which may be regulated in like
manner.
The constructions above described are applicable when nitrous oxide, or oxygen,
or other gas or vapour capable of supporting combustion is supplied to the inflam-
mable gas or vapour instead of common air.
DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS.
Fig. 1 represents a vertical section of one form of apparatus according to my
Invention. a is a pipe supplying inflammable gas or vapour having a stop-cock or
valve al by which the supply can be regulated as desired; b is a cavity, within
which is a burner or jet tube c that can be screwed upwards or downwards by
turning the button & on its stem. The gas or vapour passes into the tube c by
lateral apertures c¹, and issues from the orifice at the top. c is a conical or
tapering passage into a chamber which first enlarges and afterwards contracts,
terminating in a throat g. The jet of inflaınınable gas or vapour issues from the
orifice c² and draws or causes to enter a current of air through the passage c.
quantity of air entering can be regulated by screwing the jet pipe c upwards or
downwards so as to diminish or increase the annular area of the passage e. The
currents of gas and air enter the chamber f, within which they are intimately
mixed. The mixed current issues by the throat g. This apparatus may be used as
an ordinary Bunsen burner, the mixed current issuing from the throat g boing
ignited in the open air, and the flame applied to any purpose desired.
The
The form of the mixing chamber may be varied in many ways. Varieties of
form are shewn in Figs. 2 and 3. In Fig. 3 the expansion and contraction of the
chamber are several times repeated. Å baffle plate h may be placed in the

page_text: chamber f, as shewn in Fig. 4, in order to promote agitation and mixture of the
gases. This plate deflects the entering currents of gas and air laterally in all
directions. I prefer to make the plate / curved, as shewn, but it might havo other
forms, such as that of a core, as shewn in Fig. 2.
h
For some purposes I prefer to take the supply of air to the annular passage e, not
from the atmosphere, but from a chamber, as shewn in Fig. 4, which chamber
communicates with the atmosphere by apertures that can be closed by a rotating
slide 1, or adjusted in area to give any desired passage for supply of air.
4
Fig. 5 is a vertical section of an arrangement in which the supply of air is
admitted in two successive doses, first by the passage e, as already described, so that
the mixture of the inflammable gas or vapour with a limited quantity of air is
effected in the chamber f, and afterwards the mixture issuing by the jet causes a
farther supply of air to be drawn in by the annular passage e¹, the whole burning
in a refractory chamber m; whence the products of combustion can be led to the
flues of a boiler, as shown in the Figure. The second supply of air at e¹ as well as
the first supply ate may be regulated by drawing it from a chamber k¹ having
apertures governed by a rotating slide e¹, these apertures are so arranged that a jet
pipe can be introduced, as shewn by the dotted lines n, for the purpose of igniting
the gaseous mixture. Or for this purpose there may be used a fixed or removeable
jet pipe o passing through a hole in the lower part of the combustion chamber m.
The state of the flame in the chamber m may be observed through eyeholes fitted
with tale in the sides of the chamber, or by a mirror placed below the apertures c¹.
Fig. 6 shews a construction of the combustion chamber m suited to a boilor
having a concave bottom.
In order to supply gas steadily to burners, such as I have described, at such
pressure as may be desired, unaffected by variations of pressure in the main, a
pump may be employed to force the gas from the main into a vessel provided with
a governor of any known construction, whereby the pressure is kept uniform, and
the gas will then pass steadily to the burner at the pressure desired.
Fig. 7 is a vertical section of a boiler for generating inflammable vapour heated
by hot water or other liquid, the level of which is automatically raised or lowered
by means of a governor so as to increase or diminish the amount of heat applied to
the boiler, according as the pressure of the vapour generated becomes less or greater.
A is a tank containing water or other liquid which may be heated by a burner
flame,,as shewn, or otherwise. In this tank is set the boiler B containing the liquid
hydrocarbon to be evaporated. On the boiler is fixed a cylinder C fitted with a
piston D which is connected to a lever E. From the end of this lever is suspended
a weight F partly immersed in the liquid contained in A. When the pressure of
the vapour generated in the boiler B increases, the piston D being pushed upwards
raises the weight F, whereby the level of the liquid in A is lowered, and the extent
of surface of the boiler B on which the hot liquid acts is proportionally reduced.
When on the other hand the pressure in B becomes diminished, then the weight F
descending and displacing part of the liquid in A causes its level to be raised so as
to act on a proportionally increased extent of the surface of B. The boiler B may
be of any convenient form, and may be made tubular so as to present enlarged
heating surface.
For further regulation of the supply of inflammable vapour I conduct it from the
boiler into a vessel or receiver, placing between the boiler and the receiver a
passage with numerous changes of area, as shown at G. The vapour passes from
this receiver to the burner. Also between the boiler and the burner a governor of
any known construction for the regulation of pressure may be employed.
Having thus described the nature of my Invention, and in what manner the
same is to be performed, I claim,-
First. Constructing a burner for the combustion of an inflammable gaseous
mixture with a mixing chamber of varying sectional area, substantially as and for
the purposes herein set forth.

page_text: Second.. Regulating the heat applied to a boiler for generating inflammable
vapour by the automatic adjustment of the level of a hot liquid in which the boiler
is immersed, such adjustinent being effected by means of a piston subject to the
pressure of the vapour in the boiler acting on a displacing body partly immersed in
the hot liquid surrounding the boiler, substantially as herein described.
In witness whereof, I, the said Matthew Piers Watt Boulton, have hereunto
set my hand and scal, this First day of September, in the year of our Lord
One thousand eight hundred and seventy-six.
MI. P. W. (L.S.) BOULTON.