Improvements in Tubulous Steam Boilers.
Year: 1897

page_text: Date of Application, 31st May, 1897
Complete Specification Left, 28th Feb., 1898-Accepted, 9th Apr.,
1898
Improvements in Tubulous Steam Boilers.
We, ROBERT RINTOUL SYMON, of 20, Abchurch Lane, in the City of London,
Gentleman, and HENRY ALONZO HOUSE, Junior, of The Columbine Ship Yard,
East Cowes, in the Isle of Wight, Engineer, do hereby declare the nature of this
invention to be as follows:-
-
This invention relates to improvements in steam boilers of the kind known as
tubulous, that is say boilers which consist of a series of tubes connected at their
lower ends with a water chamber, and at their upper ends with a steam and water
chamber, the water to be evaporated being contained partly in the said water
chamber, partly in the tubes, and partly in the steam and water chamber.
Heretofore, so far as we are aware, the steam and water chamber of boilers of
this kind have not been constructed so as to afford in themselves any material
amount of heating surface available for the production of steam. The chief
object of the present invention is to so construct the steam and water chamber that
it shall afford a considerable amount of heating surface available for the produc-
tion of steam, and incidentally for the drying or superheating the whole of the
steam produced in the boiler.
For these purposes we make the steam and water chamber of a vertical cylin-
drical, or other suitable shape with a tube plate at the top and bottom and we fix
in these tube plates a number of vertical tubes, so that the entire steam and water
chamber forms a tubular boiler the fire tubes of which are vertical, or more or less
approximating to a vertical position.
The upper ends of the water tubes are secured in the lower part of the sides of
the steam and water chamber, and their lower ends in a water chamber as usual.
Preferably several rows of these water tubes are employed; those which open into
the lowest part of the steam and water chainber, and which are situated nearest to
the fire, acting as steam generators in which the water circulates upwards from the
water chamber at the bottom of the boiler to the steam and water chamber at
the top and those which open in the part of the steam and water chamber above
the generator tubes, and which are situated furthest from the fire, acting as down-
comers in which the circulation of the water is downwards from the steam and
water chamber at the top of the boiler into the water chamber at the bottom
thereof.
It will be understood that the furnace is formed, so far as its sides are concerned,
by the aforesaid water tubes much in the usual well known way; but its top is
formed by the lower tube plate of the steam and water chamber, and that the hot
products of combustion pass partly in a lateral direction between the water tubes
and thence to the chimney round the outside of the steam and water chamber, and

page_text: partly through the fire tubes which traverse the steam and water chamber producing
a certain amount of steam in the latter; and as the upper part of such tubes pass
through the steam space the steam in such steam space is dried or superheated
to a certain extent by the heat of such products of combustion as they pass through
the tubes to the chimney. The boiler is enclosed in a suitable casing as usual.
Dated this 31st of May 1897 -
Improvements in Tubulous Steam Boilers.
We, RODERT RINTOUL SYMON, of 20, Abchurch Lane, in the City of London,
Gentleman, and HENRY ALONZO HOUSE, Junior, of The Columbine Ship Yard,
East Cowes, in the Isle of Wight, Engineer, 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:-
This invention relates to improvements in steam boilers of the kind known as
tubulous, that is to say boilers which consist of a series of tubes connected at their
lower ends with a water chamber, and at their upper ends with a steam and water
chamber, the water to be evaporated being contained partly in the said water
chamber, partly in the tubes, and partly in the steam and water chamber.
Heretofore, so far as we are aware, the steam and water chambers of boilers of
this kind have not been constructed so as to afford, in themselves, any material
amount of heating surface available for the production of steam. The chief
object of the present invention is to so construct the steam and water chamber that
it shall afford a considerable amount of heating surface available for the produc-
tion of steam, and incidentally for drying or superheating the whole of the steam
produced in the boiler.
And in order that the said invention may be fully understood, we will now pro-
ceed to describe the same with the aid of the accompanying two sheets of drawings,
in which Figure 1 represents a vertical section of a boiler constructed in accordance
with the invention, and adapted to be heated with the vapour of liquid fuel such
as petroleum for example, Figure 2 is a sectional half-plan taken on the line X-X
of Figure 1, Figure 3 is a vertical section of the steam outlet from the upper part
of the boiler, and Figure 4 represents a vertical section of a similar boiler adapted
to be heated with solid fuel, such as coke for example.
For the purposes of the invention we make the steam and water.chamber A of
a vertical cylindrical, or other suitable shape with a tube plate.A at top and
bottom and we fix in these tube plates a number of vertical tubes B, so that the
entire steam and water chamber A forms a multitubular boiler.
The upper ends of the water tube C are secured in the sides of the steam and
water chamber A, and their lower ends in a water chamber D as usual. Preferably
several rows of these water tubes are employed; those which are situated lowest
as regards their connection with the steam and water chamber, and which are
situated nearest to the fire, acting as steam generators in which the water circu-
lates upwards from the water chamber D at the bottom of the boiler to the steam
and water chamber A at the top; and those which are situated highest as regards
their connection with the steam and water chamber, and which are situated
•

page_text: furtherest from the fire; acting as down-comers in which the circulation of the
water is downwards from the steam and water chamber A into the water
chamber D.
In some cases the water tubes above described as acting as down-comers do not
act sufficiently well as such. In that case we employ additional down-comer pipes
from the steam and water chamber A to the water chamber D, such as those
marked E in Figure 1, and those marked E' in Figure 4.
It will be understood that the furnace is formed, so far as its sides are concerned,
by the aforesaid water tubes C much in the usual well known way; but its top is
formed by the lower tube-plate A' of the steam and water chamber A, and that the
hot products of combustion pass partly in a lateral direction between the water
tubes C, and thence to the chimney Fround the outside of the steam and water
chamber A, and partly through the fire-tubes B which traverse the steam and
water chamber, producing a certain amount of steam in the latter; and as the
upper parts of such fire-tubes B pass through the steam space A³, the steam in
such steam space is dried or superheated to a certain extent by the heat of such
products of combustion as they pass through the tubes to the chimney.
In the examples shown in the drawings the water tubes C are intended to be of
a helical form as shown by the helical line C; but it is obvious that they may be
straight or of any other shape that may be found suitable or convenient according
to circumstances, the particular shape or arrangement of such tubes forming no
part of this invention.
The boiler is enclosed in a suitable casing G as usual.
In Figure 1, H represents a vapour burner for burning the vapour of petroleum
or other suitable liquid fuel of the kind described in the Specifications of Patents
granted to Henry Alonzo House, Senior, and ourselves and dated 7th September
1893 and 2nd June 1894 and numbered respectively 16864 and 10,702, and to
ourselves, dated 20th January 1896 Number 1414, but any other burner or
apparatus for burning liquid fuel may be employed if preferred.
In Figure 4, I represents ordinary fire bars for the combustion of solid fuel,
such as coke for example, such fuel being preferably introduced into the furnace
through a tube J screwed or otherwise secured in the top and bottom tubes plates A¹
of the steam and water chamber A, the top of the said tube J being closed, when
fuel is not being introduced, by means of a cover K. For convenience of removing
clinker from the fire-bars a lateral opening L may be arranged near the level of
the fire bars and this may be closed by a block of fire clay M, or otherwise, when
not in use. The chimney may be taken out of the casing G either at the top as
shown at F or at the side as shown at 1".
When employing a boiler of this kind for driving a motor carriage, we sometimes
pass the exhaust steam from the engine through a coil of piping N having perfora-
tions N* as shown placed in the annular space between the upper part of the steam
and water chamber A and the casing G. The exhaust steam is thus superheated
by the products of combustion on their way to the chimney so that when it is
discharged into the atmosphere it is invisible and remains so while being
dissipated.
Boilers constructed as above described are specially applicable for use in motor
carriages, steam launches and so forth, but they are also applicable as steam
generators generally.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of the said inven-
tion, and in what manner the same is to be performed, we declare that what we
claim is:-
First. The improvement in tubulous steam boilers, which consists in construot-
ing the steam and water chambers of such boilers with firo tubes, substantially as
described.
Second. A steam boiler consisting of a multitubular or fire-tube boiler forming

page_text: a steam and water chamber, combined with water tubes and a water chamber,
substantially as described.
Dated to February 1090.
R. R. SYMON.
H. A. HOUSE, JUNIOR.
Per W. H. Beck,
Agent, 115, Cannon Street, London, E.C.