Improvements in Refuse Burning Furnaces.
Year: 1889

page_text: Date of Application, 6th Aug., 1889-Accepted, 7th Sept., 1889
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Refuse Burning Furnaces.
I, HENRY WILLIAM WHITING, of 3700, Spring Garden Street, in the City of
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States of America, Mechanical Engineer, do
hereby declare the nature of my said 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 my Invention is to construct a furnace for burning garbage and
such refuse matter, in which the gases that escape from the burning matter are
utilized.
On the accompanying drawing
Fig. 1. represents a longitudinal sectional view of my improved furnace. Fig. 2.
represents a transverse section on the line, 1-2, of Fig. 1. and Figs. 3, and, 4,
represent views of modifications.
A, is the foundation of the furnace, a, being the combustion chamber, in which is a
hydro-carbon burner, B, of any well known form.
I will first describe the general construction of the burner. In front of the burner
proper, b, is a coil or generator, c, through which passes the oil and steam. By this
generator or coil the oil and steam are heated to a high degree and made into a gas
before entering the main burner, b. Steam can be admitted into the pipe, if necessary,
as shown by dotted lines. ¹, is the air and super-heated steam pipe, and, c', is the
oil pipe. E, is the body of the furnace, of the peculiar form shown in Fig. 1. and in
this portion of the furnace are a series of transverse tubular grate bars, forming a
tapered bottom for the chamber, D, which contains the garbage or other matter to be
burned. This chamber, D, is supplied with a hopper, B₁, which I prefer to carry up
to the floor above, so that the refuse matter can be dumped from a cart or wheel-
barrow into said hopper, which is provided with a suitable lid, as shown by dotted
lines in Fig. 1. to prevent odor from escaping.
The tubular bars, d, preferably extend across the furnace, as shown in Fig. 2. and
are secured to tie plates, d', at each end. The tubes are open at each end, to allow
of the free passage of air through the same. The tubes may, however, be joined by
return bends, and one end of the series connected to a water inlet tube, as shown by
dotted lines in Fig. 2. while the other is connected to a boiler or steam dome, as
shown at, A', the steam from this dome being utilized in connection with the
burner, B. In one or both sides are a series of holes, e, for the insertion of a slice
bar, for cleaning the grates, d.
Directly above the combustion chamber is a passage, F, separated from said com-
bustion chamber by a partition, f. In front of the furnace is an opening, g, to allow
of communication between the passage, F, and the combustion chamber.
G. is a smoke stack, which is provided with a suitable damper. In the bottom of
the main chamber, E, of the furnace, A, is a depression, a', which receives any refuse
matter which may fall between the bars, which can be readily removed through the
door, a², at the side of the furnace.
The garbage, as before remarked, is dumped into the hopper, D', and the products
of combustion pass around the garbage in the direction of the arrows, Fig. 1. drying
and burning the same. A portion of the gas generated by the burning of the
garbage is carried through the passage, F, into the combustion chamber, where it
mingles with the other gases in the furnace.
A tube may extend from the body of the hopper to the point g, of the furnace, as
shown by dotted lines in Fig. 1. where circumstances permit.
In Fig. 3. I have shown the passage, F, formed of a series of tubes, F1, which have
openings, f, communicating with the combustion chamber in the same manner as
the passages above described.

page_text: In some instances the grate may be composed of a series of inclined parallel tubes,
as shewn in Fig. 4. and the upper transverse tubes connected with a boiler and the
lower tube with an inlet pipe.
In place of the oil and oil burner shown and described, a coal or wood furnace may
be employed, as shown by dotted lines in Fig. 3. in which case it is preferable to have
a wall,, over which the products of combustion pass.
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 combination, in a garbage furnace, of the combustion chamber, a, and the
main chamber, F, and garbage chamber, D, and grates separating the latter, with a
flue connecting the garbage chamber with the front of the combustion chamber,
substantially as and for the purpose hereinbefore described.
2. The combination, in a garbage furnace, of the combustion chamber, and the
main chamber, with the garbage chamber above the main chamber having a tapered
bottom formed of a series of transverse tubes, substantially as herein before described.
3. The combination, in a garbage furnace, of the combustion chamber, the main
chamber, with the garbage chamber having a tapered bottom composed of a series of
tubes communicating with each other and with a water supply pipe and a steam
dome, substantially as herein before described.
Dated this 29th day of July 1889.
DAY, DAVIES & HUNT,
321, High Holborn, London, W.C., Agents for the Applicant.