Improvements in the Method of and in Apparatus for Burning Gas for Heating and Steam Generating Purposes.
Year: 1890

page_text: Date of Application, 21st Nov., 1890
Complete Specification Left, 21st Sept., 1891-Accepted, 24th Oct., 1891
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in the Method of and in Apparatus for Burning Gas
for Heating and Steam Generating Purposes.
I HUGH WILLIAMS of The Illuminating Heating and Power Gas Company
Limited of 23 John Dalton Street in the City of Manchester County of Lancaster
Civil Engineer do hereby declare the nature of this invention to be as follows:-
My invention relates principally to the combustion of gas in metallurgical and
heating furnaces and in the furnaces or flues of steam generators and of apparatus
used in the boiling, heatin; or evaporating of water or other liquids. In the
ordinary use of gas say for example in the generation of steam, the gas has been
admitted into the furnaces of the generators in such a manner as when burning
to produce large masses of flame the result being intense localised heat which has
had a destructive effect upon the furnaces. In addition to this objectionable feature
there has been a waste of useful effect owing to the imperfect combustion of portions
of the gas and to the unequal distribution of the heat. To remedy these defects
I employ burners which deliver the gas through a number of comparatively small
orifices and which are so constructed as to ensure a suitable supply of air to each
flame or to the gas issuing from each orifice. Each burner would be made suitable
in form and construction to the formation of the furnace to which it would be
applied. Taking for example the cylindrical furnace of a steam generator I should
make the burner of such a form as that the gas would issue from holes or slits
arranged around a centre line which might be the axial line of the flue so that the
flames of burning gas would be brought into contact with the flue or furnace wall
all round thic burner the combined flames forming as it were an annulus or hollow
cylinder of flame. The air to support combustion would flow through a central
passage or through interior passages and would issue through openings to meet the
issuing gas. I consider it preferable to construct each burner of a number of
sections which may be made of fire clay or of a refractory material. These sections
may be of tubular or of annular or segmental formation. In one formation which
I now consider to be suitable the burner is principally composed of a cluster of
tubes cach made in one part or in two or more parts connected together end to
end. The said tubes may be formed with segmental projections to facilitate the
combining together of the tubes. The slits or discharge openings would be in such
positions as that the issuing gas would meet the air which would flow outwardly
through the spaces between the tubes. The tubes would communicate with a gas
box outside the furnace and such gas box would be connected with the gas main.
The supply of air would be controlled by means of a "hit-and-miss" valve in the
furnace door or by other suitable means. A large adjustable valve might close the
inner ends of the gas and air passages. In another formation the burner would be
built up of annular sections in which would be formed the gas and air passages so
arranged as that each stream of issuing gas would meet a stream or supply of air.
In the case of a vertical burner such sections might be simply superimposed the
gas and air passages being preferably so arranged as that air would issue imme-
diately below each gas outlet orifice. The gas and air passages may be provided
with suitable self closing and self opening valves to provide against firing back or
explosion of the gas or mixture of gas and air. The burner may be modified in
form to suit under-fired boilers or cases wherein it is not necessary or is not
considered to be advisable to provide for the issuing of the gas through outlets
arranged entirely around the burner, and in some cases, as for example in the cases
of crucible or pot or ingot heating furnaces the gas outlets would be on the inner

page_text: side of a burner or ring of burners the air flowing from the outside to the inside of
the ring.
Dated this 20th day of November 1890.
DUTTON & FULTON,
1, St. James' Square, Manchester, Agents.
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in the Method of and in Apparatus for Burning Gas
for Heating and Steam Generating Purposes.
I HUGH WILLIAMS of The Illuminating Heating and Power Gas Company
Limited of 23 John Dalton Street in the City of Manchester, County of Lancaster
Civil 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 and accompanying drawings :-
My invention relates principally to the combustion of gas in metallurgical and
heating furnaces and in the furnaces or flues of steam generators and of apparatus
used in the boiling, heating or evaporating of water or other liquids. In the
ordinary use of gas say for example in the generation of steam-the gas has been
admitted into the furnaces of the generators in such a manner as when burning to
produce large masses of flame the result being intense localised heat which has
had a destructive effect upon the furnaces. In addition to this objectionable
feature there has been a waste of useful effect owing to the imperfect combustion
of portions of the gas and to the unequal distribution of the heat. To remedy
these defects I employ burners which deliver the gas through a number of compara-
tively small orifices and which are so constructed as to ensure a suitable supply of
air to each flame or to the gas issuing from each orifice.
The nature of my invention and the manner in which I propose to carry the
same into practical effect will be best understood when described with reference to
the accompanying drawings.
Of the said drawings
Figs. 1 to 3 illustrate a form of burner suitable for application within the furnaces
of Lancashire or horizontal flued steam generators.
Figs. 4 and 5 illustrate a form of vertical burner suitable for application within
the fire boxes of vertical boilers.
In Fig. 1 one of the furnace flues of a Lancashire boiler is represented in
vertical cross section the gas burner mounted within the furnace, being also in
section.
Fig. 2 represents a vertical longitudinal section of the said furnace and burner.
The said burner consists of a cluster of pipes a a made of fire clay or of suitable
refractory material. Each pipe is made in three lengths which are joined together
end to end.
Fig. 3 illustrates the formation of the sectional pipes and the method of connecting
them together.
Each pipe is formed with a head a' at each end such head being in the
form of a segment of a ring and the head at one end has a projecting flange a².
When the pipes required to form the cluster that is to say for example eight
pipes as shown in the drawing are arranged in a circle and cemented together at
the junctions of the heads a ring of pipes is formed and when two such rings have
been built up the end of one ring can be fitted into the end of the other as in the
case of two lengths of socketed pipe. A third ring of pipes having been formed
and applied to the other two the combination represented in Fig. 2 will be obtained.
This method of formation is adopted principally for convenience of manufacture
and it must be understood that I do not confine myself to the formation of each
pipe in three or in any number of sections nor in more than one piece. Each pipe
is formed with apertures a³ which in the example are arranged in two rows.
The

page_text: front end of the cluster of pipes is fitted into and secured within a socket formed
upon a metal junction head bor gas box in which is formed an annular passage
which communicates with a pipe c through which the gas to be burnt is conveyed
into the head.
The central space B within the head forms a passage through which air can
flow into the space within the ring of pipes as indicated by the arrows.
"7
This air is
admitted through a "hit and miss regulating valve c. A front view of this
valve appears to the left hand in Fig. 1. In the example the back end of the
cluster of pipes is closed or partly closed by means of a fire clay or refractory
disc which is carried by a central rod y which is screwed at the front end and is
provided with a screw nut h. The disc can be adjusted by means of the said nut
so that there shall be an annular passage at i for the escape of air and gas.
I do
not however confine myself to the employment of this adjustable disc or valve and
may entirely close the ends of the pipes and air passage. It will be seen that the
cluster of pipes forms as it were a cylindrical cage having slits or spaces between
the pipes.
The gas passes from the head into the pipes and escapes through the
apertures a and air flowing through the passage B escapes through the spaces
between the pipes and meeting the jets of issuing gas mixes therewith and the gas
and mixture of gas and air is burnt in the annular space between the burner and
the boiler furnace whereby great heat is generated. As the whole of the burner
becomes highly heated both the gas and air become heated before meeting whereby
thorough combustion is promoted. By controlling the flow of air and gas it is
intended that complete combustion of the gas shall be obtained without the
production of smoke.
The burner shown in Figs. 4 and 5 is a little different in formation but the
principle of action is the same. The burner consists of a number of sections I
made of fire clay or refractory material fitting one on the top of another. Each
section is in the form of a hollow ring having a central passage j for air and an
inner annular passage for gas. The sections fit together in a similar manner to
socketed pipes and may or may not be cemented together. The gas space i in
each section communicates with the space in the next section below through
openings which are formed in the meeting faces and all the said gas spaces com-
municate with the annular passage formed in a metal base or gas box I¹. Gas
from a supply pipe k flows into the passage and thence into the gas spaces in
all the sections. In the example the base l' is constructed to serve as the bottom
section of the burner. Each section is formed with a number of gas outlets ¿¹ and
air outlets these outlets being in the example in the form of slits so disposed as
that air issues just below each issuing jet of gas. Each of the sections I is formed
with eight gas and eight air outlets arranged in sets of four at different levels. In
Fig. 5 a section is represented as being cut across through four air passages.
It will be seen that each air outlet extends about an eighth of the way round the
burner. The four air outlets above and the four below those represented would be
disposed between the four intermediate outlets so that any two adjacent sets of
four outlets would together extend entirely around the burner.
I do not confine myself to the number of outlets nor to the form nor the disposition
of the same.
It will be seen that when the issuing gas has been lighted the streams of air
issuing below the jets of burning gas will mingle therewith and promote the com-
plete combustion of the same especially when the burner has become heated. The
supply of air can be regulated by means of a hit and miss valve e'. In both
examples lighting holes closed by valves are provided.
The gas and air passages may be provided with suitable self closing and self
opening valves to provide against firing back or explosion of gas or mixture of gas
and air. The burners would be modified in form to suit under-fired boilers or cases
wherein it is not necessary or is not considered to be advisable to provide for the
issuing of the gas through outlets arranged entirely around the burner and in some

page_text: cases as for example in the cases of crucible or pot or ingot heating furnaces, the
gas outlets would be on the inner side of a burner or ring of burners the air flowing
from the outside to the inside of the ring.
For some purposes the burners might be semi-cylindrical in form and in some
cases they might be dome shaped or partly spherical the gas and air issuing in all
cases through a number of outlets so disposed as that the air shall issue between
the gas outlets so that every jet of gas shall be brought into contact with a supply
of air issuing from the heated burner.
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. The gas burners constructed fitted and arranged to act substantially as and for
the purposes set forth and indicated.
2. The gas burner for heating purposes composed of a cluster of perforated pipes
made of fire clay and arranged with spaces between through which air can issue to
mingle with or to support the combustion of gas issuing from the perforations in the
pipes substantially as set forth and indicated.
3. The gas burner for heating purposes composed of sections fitting together
and having gas and air outlets so disposed as that the issuing gas is brought into
immediate contact with issuing air substantially as and for the purpose set forth
and indicated.
4. A gas burner for heating purposes composed of sections or parts fitting
together such parts being made of refractory material and being formed with gas
passages and gas outlets and with air passages and air outlets disposed substantially
in the manner and for the purpose set forth and indicated.
Dated this 19th day of September 1891.
DUTTON & FULTON,
1, St. James' Square, Manchester, Agents.