Improvements in and relating to Regenerative Furnaces for Heating Gas Retorts and the like.
Year: 1896

page_text: Date of Application, 8th Aug., 1896
Complete Specification Left, 8th May, 1897-Accepted, 26th June, 1897
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in and relating to Regenerative Furnaces for
Heating Gas Retorts and the like.
I, GEORGE HELPS, of 79 Coventry Road, Hinckley, in the County of Leicester, Gas
Engineer, do hereby declare the nature of this invention to be as follows:-.
My invention relates to improvements in and relating to regenerative furnaces
for heating gas retorts and the like and the principal features of my improvements
are-
First, Increasing the area of the division walls i.e. the walls dividing the
waste gases from the incoming (or secondary air) without increasing the height of the
flue or passage.
Secondly, The retention of a wide joint in the brick work of the wall between the
waste gas flue and the incoming air flue thus rendering failure of the regenerator
from the mixing of the secondary air with the waste gases practically impossible,
whilst the thickness of the wall is very considerably reduced.
Thirdly, Dividing the secondary air supply into small streams by the use of a
specially shaped brick through which the air passes as it enters the furnace.
My improved regenerator is built on both sides of the generator and it is only
necessary therefore to describe one side. The distance between the side wall of
the oven and the wall of the generator is divided vertically into two passages
or into several passages, alternating between the secondary air inlets and the
waste gas outlets. There may be any number of division walls all composed of
hollow bricks to he hereafter descriued, but for clearness of description one waste
gas flue and one secondary air flue or inlet will be described. One of the two passages
is for waste gases travelling downwards and the other is for the secondary air
travelling upwards. These passages are divided horizontally into any number of
tiers according to the depth at which it is desired to convey the waste gases into the
main flue or uptake. The heating gases having accomplished their primary function
in heating the retorts and having passed under the bottom side retort are conveyed
into the waste gas flue of the first tier of the regenerator and thence they pass from
front of setting to back or back to front, any number of times, always taking a
downward direction through ports left at the front and back of the flues alternately
until they reach the level at which they are led into the uptake or main flue by which
they are conducted to the chimney. The incoming or secondary air, having been
introduced in the front of the setting through a convenient slide or regulating door
on the same level as the lowest waste gas flue, is caused to travel from front to back
and back to front parallel with the waste gas flues but always in an upward direction
through ports left alternately at the back and front of the flue or passage.
secondary air supply flue is divided vertically from the waste gas flue by a cellular
wall composed of hollow bricks of convenient size so formed that the horizontal and
transverse joints may be of any convenient area with which a perfectly sound air-tight
wall can be built and these hollow bricks may be of such a calculated thickness
and size as to carry with safety the superincumbent brick work and retorts. These
bricks forming the division wall in addition to being hollow are formed of > or other
suitable shape in section with closed ends so that part of the brick projects from its
bed either from the waste gas flue into the secondary air flue or from the secondary
air flue into the waste gas flue the bricks being bedded with their openings on the
The

page_text: waste gas flue side and on the secondary air flue side alternately. The division wall
may consist of any number of courses of hollow bricks according to its height. The
joints of the bricks are broken and the bricks bedded in the ordinary manner.
flues are divided horizontally by ordinary rabbeted tiles spanning from the side
wall of the oven to the generator wall and breaking joints on the division wall
or walls.
The object of introducing the projecting portions of the hollow bricks into the
waste gas flue or into the secondary air flue is to increase the heating area in contact
with the waste gases considerably above that of an ordinary vertical division wall
and also to baffle or break the currents of secondary air or waste gases as they travel
up and down and so utilize the maximum of waste heat.
The secondary air having in its passage through the flues become highly heated is
carried from the upper secondary air flue through two or more fireclay rectangular or
other suitable pipes to another passage running from front to back of the setting on
the level at which it is desired it should be introduced into the furnace but before
passing thereto it is caused to pass through several small orifices running the depth
of the generator from front to back by which it is completely broken up and more
readily mixes with the generated gases producing lively and perfect combustion.
Dated this 7th day of August 1896.
H. B. BARLOW & GILLETT,
Agents for Applicant.
Improvements in and relating to Regenerative Furnaces for
Heating Gas Retorts and the like.
I, GEORGE HELPS, of 79 Coventry Road, Hinckley, in the County of Leicester,
Gas 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 :-
My invention relates to improvements in and relating to regenerative furnaces
for heating gas retorts and the like and the principal features of my improvements
are-
First, Increasing the area of the division walls (i.e. the walls dividing the
waste gases from the incoming air) without increasing the height of the flue or
passage.
Secondly, The retention of a wide joint in the brick work of the wall between the
gas flue and the incoming air flue thus rendering failure of the regenerator
from the mixing of the incoming air with the waste gases practically impossible,
whilst the thickness of the wall is very considerably reduced.
Thirdly, Dividing the air supplies into numerous small streams by the use of
specially shaped bricks through which the air passes as it enters the furnace.
In the accompanying three sheets of drawings-
Fig. 1 represents in part a front elevation, and part a transverse sectional elevation
of a retort setting and regenerative furnace for heating the same, built according to
my invention, and Fig. 2 is a section on the lines A B, and C D, Fig. 1.
Fig. 3 shows the plan, Fig. 4 the front elevation Fig. 5 the back elevation, Fig. 6
the end elevation and Fig. 7 a section through E F, of Fig. 5, all of one form of
cellular brick.
Fig. 8 shows the plan, Fig. 9 the front elevation, Fig. 10 the back elevation,
Fig. 11 the end elevation and Fig. 12 a section through G H, of Fig. 10, all of
another form of cellular brick.
Fig. 13 shows the plan, Fig. 14 the front elevation, Fig. 15 the back elevation,

page_text: Fig. 16 the end elevation and Fig. 17 a section through I J, of Fig. 15, all of another'
form of cellular brick.
Fig. 18 shows a perspective view, Fig. 19 a section through one of the passages of
Fig. 18, and Fig. 20 the plan of the bed of the special tile for dividing up the
secondary air. This tile may be modified so that the distributing orifices may be
-each regulated to any desired area required.
Fig. 21 shows a perspective view, Fig. 22 a section through one of the orifices or
passages of Fig. 21, and Fig. 23 shows a plan of the bed of the special tile for
dividing up the primary air.
Fig. 24 shows a perspective view of one brick and. Fig. 25 the perspective view of
another brick by which the same distribution of primary air can be arranged as by
the special tiles shown in Figs. 21, 22 and 23, and the distributing orifices by means
of similar bricks of varying thicknesses may each be regulated to any desired area.
required.
My improved regenerator is built on both sides of the generator and it is only
necessary therefore to describe one side.
In the drawings,-A is the generator, C the fire bars above an ashpit and D any
convenient number of retorts arranged above and around the generator A the
distance between the outside wall E, and the wall F, of the generator is divided.
vertically into two passages K and L or M, see Fig. 1, the division wall being formed.
of hollow bricks, to be described hereafter. If preferred the space between the
outside wall E and the wall F of the generator could be divided into several passages
alternating between air inlets and waste gas outlets. The waste gases pass down-
ward through the passages K which are divided into any convenient number of tiers
and extend from front to back of the retort setting or vice versa, till they reach the
main flue or uptake G which conducts them to the chimney.
The primary air is admitted through a convenient regulating door or doors H,.
Fig. 1, at the front of the setting and at or near the bottom and this air travels in an
upward direction along passages L, see Figs. 1 and 2, parallel with the passages K
and divided from them by cellular walls built of hollow bricks S; these bricks are of
such thickness and size as is calculated to sustain with safety the superincumbent.
brick work and retorts D. In addition to the bricks forming the division wall being
hollow they may be formed of > or other shape in section with closed ends so that:
part of each brick projects from its bed either from the waste gas passage into the
primary air passage or ce versa, different forms of suitably shaped bricks being
shown in Figs. 3 to 17 inclusive, on Sheet 3. Further the bricks may be set with
their openings on the waste gas passage or primary air side passage alternately or in
any other manner desired.
From the upper air passage L the primary air is caused to pass into a side
passage having openings on the outlet or furnace side of small area which taper to
still smaller area at the supply or primary air side, see Q, Fig. 1, and in this manner:
the air is broken up and distributed evenly throughout the whole length of the furnace:
sides at a suitable height above the fire bars, or the primary air can be conveyed.
directly from one of the passages or flues L, Fig. 1, through special channel
bricks Q into the furnace without passing into a lateral passage 1, Fig. 1.
A secondary air supply is introduced through a convenient regulating door or
doors J, Fig. 1, at the desired level in front of the setting and is caused to travel.
from front to back and back to front any number of times, regulated by the height of
the regenerator, parallel with the passage K through ports left alternately at the
back and front of the flue; the secondary air supply passage and waste passage K
being divided by cellular bricks as described for the primary air supply.
The secondary air may also be sometimes advantageously taken between a cellular
or solid wall supporting the bottom retort and the furnace wall, see passage N,
Fig. 1, and thence through uptakes or pipes O to a distributing tile P, Figs. 1 and 2.
The flues are divided horizontally by ordinary rabetted tiles R spanning from
the cutside wall to the generator wall and breaking joint on the division wall
or. walls.

page_text: The object of introducing the projecting portion of hollow bricks into the waste
gas or into the primary or secondary air flue is to increase the heating area in
contact with the waste gases considerably above that obtained from an ordinary
vertical division wall and also to baffle or break the currents of secondary air or
waste gases as they travel up and down and so utilize the maximum of the waste heat
and thereby reduce the consumption of fuel in the furnace.
The primary air by its passage through the flues only divided from the hot waste
gases by a thin cellular wall having become highly heated is necessarily greatly
rarefied and its being conveyed into a supply passage, flue, or chamber, of ample
dimensions having a number of small outlet passages tapering from abont three
square inches on the furnace side to about one square inch on the supply side or in
any other desired proportion through which it has to pass into the generator is
absolutely evenly distributed throughout the whole depth of the furnace sides and in
addition the flow of the heated air through the passages is by their tapered construction
so reduced that no cutting whatever takes place in the furnace, and clinker is only
formed in small nodules.
The primary air is admitted to the generator at a height considerably above that of
the fire bars so that it can be highly heated without its temperature being reduced to
any extent by the vapour arising from steam or water that may be distributed at the
fire bar level and also that the position of the zone of primary combustion may be at
a distance from the fire bars. To prevent the door of the furnace frame becoming
heated a fire brick tile shield T, Fig. 2, is introduced.
The object of heating and distributing the primary air to such an extent as herein
described is to so increase the volume of a given quantity of air of say sixty degrees
that in its passage through the fuel in the generator it will be not only evenly distributed
but it will pass through the fuel in such a condition and at such a rate as is conducive
to economical consumption of fuel. In this manner less primary air is required and-
consequently less fuel is consumed.
When it is not desired to heat the primary air to any great extent it can be admitted
through regulating doors fixed in front of the setting as shown at Z, Fig. 1, and
from this passaga openings Y, Fig. 1, will lead it underneath the fire bars but
before reaching the fire bars the air is equally distributed over the whole area of the
furnace by a perforated iron plate X, Fig. 1
The secondary air having in its passage through the flues become highly heated is
carried from the upper secondary air flue through two or more fire clay rectangular
pipes to a passage running from front to back of the setting on the level at which
it is desired it should be introduced into the furnace but before passing into the
generator or furnace it is caused to pass through small orifices running the whole
depth of the generator from front to back such orifices or passages being similarly
constructed to those already described for primary air and as shown at P, Fig. 1,
and in Figs. 18, 19 and 20. The secondary air is in this manner broken up and
distributed throughout the whole area of the generator and so the more readily
mixes with the generator gases producing lively and perfect combustion without any
local cutting effects.
The furnace frame is constructed for the use of luted lids so that no air can creep
in through badly fitted or warped doors.
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 :-
1. A regenerative furnace for heating gas retorts and the like, the said furnace
being constructed with passages divided by walls formed of suitable hollow bricks,
substantially as and for the purposes described and as illustrated by the accompanying.
drawings.
2. In a regenerative furnace, the use and application of hollow bricks in the
walls which divide the heated products from the air supplies to the generator substan-
tially as shown and described.

page_text: 3. In a regenerative furnace, the combination with passages such as K, L and M,
of the tiles or bricks forming passages Q and P for breaking up and distributing
the air as it enters the generator substantially as and for the purposes described.
4. The general arrangement construction and combination of parts embodying my
improvements substantially as herein shown and described.
Dated this 7th day of May 1897.
H. B. BARLOW & GILLETT,
17 St. Ann's Square, Manchester, Agents for Applicant.