Improved Apparatus for the Consumption of Smoke in Furnaces.
Year: 1890

page_text: Date of Application, 16th May, 1890
Complete Specification Left, 14th Feb., 1891-Accepted, 11th Apr., 1891
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
Improved Apparatus for the Consumption of Smoke in Furnaces.
I, WILLIAM DENHAM GRIMSHAW, of Plantation Mills, Accrington, in the
County of Lancaster, Calico Printer, do hereby declare the nature of this invention
to be as follows:-
The object of this invention is to consume smoke and economize fuel in steam
boiler and other furnaces which I propose to effect by the injection into the furnace
at a particular angle, by means of a single perforated pipe, of currents of air, mixed
with and propelled by jets of steam or otherwise, whereby (in combination with the
upward currents through the grate bars) the smoke and other unconsumed gaseous
products of combustion are thrown upwards in a curved direction against the crown
of the furnace, and are caused to circulate and gyrate in a spiral direction towards
the flue, and these gaseous products being thus delayed in their passage and mixed
with a plentiful supply of oxygen will become ignited and thoroughly consumed
whereby a great economy in fuel will be effected.
The air pipe runs along one side of the furnace at a convenient height from the
fire bars. These fire bars are placed below the level of the centre of the flue; for
example in a flue three feet in diameter they would be about twenty-one inches
from the crown of the furnace, and the air pipe about twelve inches above
them.
The size of the air pipe may be varied but a pipe two inches in diameter with
holes about two inches apart and one-half or three-quarters of an inch in diameter
gives the best results.
This pipe should extend into the furnace about five feet or more according to the
quality of the coal used.
The air is impelled into this pipe as before stated by means of a jet or jets of
steam or otherwise and the holes in the said pipe are so situated that the air issuing
therefrom will be directed upon the burning fuel beyond the central bars and about
half way between the centre and the opposite side.
The current caused in this direction by the air jets will be influenced by the
upward currents of air through the fire bars and will cause the products of com-
bustion arising from the fuel instead of immediately following the direction of the
flue to take a curved or spiral course in that direction and (being mixed with the
oxygen supplied by the said jets) to be consumed.
The course taken by the flames will also be circular or spiral and they will cover
the furnace almost from the "dead plate" to beyond the bridge and the flames will
therefore be utilized almost throughout the whole length of the furnace.
I find from experiments that I can use three boilers with my invention applied
thereto in the place of four boilers with furnaces to which my invention is not
applied; and the flues instead of being thickly coated with soot as usual will be
quite free from such coating. The temperature of the water in the hot water feed
pipes I also find to be about 80° (Fahrenheit) higher than it was before the
application of my improvements to the same boilers.
Dated this 15th day of May 1890..
GEO. DAVIES & SON,
4, St. Ann's Square, Manchester, Agents for the Applicant.

page_text: COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improved Apparatus for the Consumption of Smoke in Furnaces.
I, WILLIAM DENHAM GRIMSHAW, of Plantation Mills, Accrington, in the
County of Lancaster, Calico Printer, 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 :-
The object of this invention is to consume smoke and economize fuel in steam
boiler and other furnaces which I propose to effect by the injection into the furnace
at a particular angle by means of a single perforated pipe of currents of air mixed
with and propelled by jets of steam or otherwise whereby (in combination with the
upward currents through the grate bars) the smoke and other unconsumed gaseous
products of combustion are thrown upwards in a curved direction against the crown
of the furnace, and are caused to circulate and gyrate in a spiral direction towards
the flue, and these gaseous products being thus delayed in their passage and mixed
with a plentiful supply of oxygen will become ignited and thoroughly consumed
whereby a great economy in fuel will be effected.
The nature of my said invention and the manner in which the same is to be carried
into practical effect will be readily understood on reference to the sheet of drawings
hereunto annexed and the following explanation thereof.
Fig. 1 on the drawing is an end view.
Fig. 2 a longitudinal section through the furnace of a double fluid steam boiler
showing the application of my invention thereto.
Fig. 3 is a transverse section through one of the flues.
a are the fire bars, b the front of the furnace, c the fire bridge, and d the crown
of the furnace.
I would here remark that although I do not wish to confine my invention to the
exact proportions and dimensions given yet I find that a large amount of the
success of the invention is due to the proportions and positions of the various
parts and the angle at which the jets of air and steam are thrown on to the fire.
My improvement consists in placing within the furnace at a suitable position
between the level of the fire bars a and the crown d of the flue or furnace a single
longitudinal pipe e from five to nine feet long according to the quality of the
*coal used.
•
This longitudinal pipe e is perforated the first perforation of which may commence
at a distance from the front of the furnace about equal to the dead-plate, and the
*said perforations continuing at intervals of about two or three inches to the inner
end of the said pipe which is closed. The front end e¹ of the pipe is open for the
-admission of air which is forced in by the aid of a steam jet for by a fan.
The diameter of the pipe e may be varied but a pipe about two inches in diameter
with holes about two inches apart and from one half to three quarters of an inch in
diameter I have found to give the best results.
The perforations in this pipe e are drilled diagonally so that when the air is forced
into the outer end of the said pipe the jets of air will be caused to descend and strike
the fire in a diagonal line at an angle of from thirty to forty five degrees, and I find it
preferable that this angle should be such that when there is no fuel on the bars the
jets would strike the latter at about three quarters of the breadth of the furnace.as
shown by the arrows on Fig. 3.
These jets of air or steam and air mingled injected at this particular angle in
combination with the upward current through the bars will have the effect of
causing the flames arising from the fuel to be forced in a circular wave against the
opposite side and crown of the furnace, and to proceed forward in a continuous
spiral form from, almost. the dead-plate to the fire bridge cand even beyond and
consequently the combustion of the gases is absolutely complete and the flames
arising from the fuel are utilized to their fullest extent of heating power throughout
the whole extent of the furnace.

page_text: As there is only one pipe from which the jets of air are ejected the flames are
forced away from this pipe and it is not touched thereby until the flames have
expended the greater part of their intensity upon the furnace sides, round which
they will cling more closely than if more than one admission pipe were used.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said inven-
tion, and in what manner the same is to be performed, I declare that what I
claim is
The improved apparatus for the consumption of smoke in furnaces consisting of a
single diagonally perforated pipe in combination with a forced current of air created
by a jet of steam or by a fan, such perforated pipe being constructed situated and
applied substantially in the manner and for the purpose hereinbefore particularly
described and illustrated by the drawings annexed.
Dated this 13th day of February 1891
GEO. DAVIES & SON,
4, St. Ann's Square, Manchester, Agents for the Applicant.