Improvements in and relating to Regenerative and other Furnaces.
Year: 1894

page_text: Date of Application, 17th July, 1894-Accepted, 10th Nov., 1894
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in and relating to Regenerative and other Furnaces.
1, SAMUEL M. TRAPP, of Maywood, in the County of Cook, and State of
Illinois, United States of America, Mechanical 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 furnaces and its object is the provision of means for the
heating of furnaces by the combustion of gas produced from oil, and in a
manner to utilize the heat of the products of combustion that would otherwise
be lost.
My invention is applicable to furnaces both of the direct and of the regenerative
type, and I will describe my invention as applied thereto in connection with the
accompanying drawings, in which-
Fig. 1 is a sectional view of a boiler embodying my invention.
Fig. 2 is a perspective view of one of the hollow tiles employed therein.
Fig. 3 is a top view of one of the plates between which the hollow tiles are disposed.
Fig. 4 is a sectional view of a regenerating furnace embodying my invention.
Fig. 5 is a plan view of the steam superheaters employed therewith.
Fig. 6 is a sectional view of one of the superheaters, showing a portion of the
interior wall broken away.
'
Like parts are indicated by similar letters of reference throughout the different
figures.
Referring to Figs. 1, 2 and 3, steam from the boiler passes through the super-
heater a, where it absorbs heat from the waste products of combustion escaping up
the flue, and then passes into the mixing chamber a' through pipe a', where it
is mingled with oil issuing from pipe a'. The mixing chamber a' divides into two
branches which open into the furnace, one of these branches only being seen in
Fig. 1. The jet of oil and steam strikes against highly heated refractory
material to convert the same into a gas which in its combustion produces
a high heat. The refractory material is made in the forms of hollow tiles b
of refractory material disposed between an upper plate of refractory material 6¹
and a lower plate 63, air being admitted beneath the plate, passing upward
through the hollow tiles, and then passing forward and downward to come in
contact with the oil and steam. Above the plate 6 is a wall 6 of refractory
material to prevent the burning of the metal of the boiler. The hollow tiles serve
a double function; in the first place, the air entering the furnace must pass through
the same and is thereby highly heated before coming in contact with the oil and
steam; in the second place, the cool air carries away the heat from the refractory
material of the tiles and thereby prevents the accumulation of heat therein to such
an extent as to burn out the tiles.
The products of combustion, after having passed between the tiles, come in
contact with a checkerwork c which absorbs heat and conducts it to the boiler.
The products then pass through the boiler flues and up the smoke stack, coming in
contact with the superheater a to superheat the steam passing therethrough.
While I have described this feature of my invention in connection with a steam
boiler, it may be applied with the necessary structural changes to other types of
direct furnaces.
Referring now to Figs. 4, 5, and 6, regenerating chambers d d' d' d' filled with
checkerwork communicate with the hearth e. Chambers d d may be thrown into
communication with the smoke stack or the external air, while the chambers d' d'
may be sealed or thrown open to the stack. Between the chambers d' d' and the

page_text: "
stack are located steam superheaters h', the superheaters being in the form of
hollow open-ended cylinders with their axes in the line of travel to the flues of the
gases of combustion. Within the superheaters are situated mixing chambers h³ ³,
the mixing chambers being also in the form of hollow open-ended cylinders. The
steam duct extends into the chamber and directs the jet of steam issuing therefrom
against the jet of oil issuing from oil duct k. The superheater comprises coiled
pipes covered with a layer of cast iron, as illustrated in Fig. 6, a tortuous passage
for the steam being thus provided in the superheater, whereby the steam in passing
therethrough may become highly superheated. The steam entering by pipe
divides and passes by pipes through the superheaters in parallel, the steam
passing to the common pipe by the pipes, from whence it passes to one of the
mixing chambers, depending upon which of the valves m m' is open. The oil entering
by pipe n passes to one or the other mixing chamber according as valve n¹ or
valve n³ is opened. A handle n' is provided for opening the oil and steam valves
to pass the oil and steam to either of the mixing chambers.
In the operation of the furnace, the chamber d is opened to the air, the chambers d'
and d' opened to the stack, and the chamber d¹ sealed. Steam and oil are
passed to the mixing chamber to the left, the mixture passing upward through the
checkerwork and being converted into a gas, which enters the hearth where it
unites combustively with heated air from chamber d, the products of combustion
passing to the stack through chambers d' d' and heating the checkerwork therein,
in the passage. The products of combustion that have passed the checkerwork in
chamber d come in contact with the superheater to superheat the steam passing
therethrough. At the completion of a run, the action is reversed; the steam and
oil are cut off from the left hand mixing chamber and passed to the right hand
mixing chamber, the chambers d and d¹ being now thrown open to the stack, the
chamber d' sealed and the chamber d³ thrown open to the air. The steam and oil
are now passed through the checkerwork in chamber d' and converted into a gas,
being then passed to the hearth to unite combustively with the heated air from
chamber d³. The products of combustion then pass through chambers & and d¹ to
the stack, heating the checkerwork in passing, while the products passing the
checkerwork in chamber d' come in contact with the superheater to superheat the
steam passing therethrough. The same is passed continuously through both
superheaters, but is passed with the oil into the mixing chamber of but one at
a time.
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. In a regenerating furnace, the combination with a hearth, of regenerating
chambers situated one on each side thereof, a flue leading from each of said
chambers, a steam superheater situated in each of said flues, said superheaters
being continuously in communication with a source of steam supply, each of said
superheaters being in the form of an open ended hollow cylinder, the axis thereof
lying in the line of travel of the escaping gases of combustion, a mixing chamber
provided in each of said flues, said mixing chamber being in the form of a bollow
open ended cylinder, the axis thereof lying in the line of travel of the escaping
gases of combustion, a steam duct and an oil duct opening into each of said mixing
chambers, said steam ducts being adapted to communicate with said superheaters,
and valve mechanism for sealing one or the other of said flues and opening the
steam and oil ducts leading thereto; whereby the passage of the escaping gases of
combustion prevents the accumulation of carbon in the mixing chambers, or of soot
and ash on the superheaters, substantially as described.
2. The combination with the hollow tiles 6 disposed between the plates 6' 6' of
refractory material, of the oil and steam nozzles disposed opposite said tiles, air
inlets beneath said tiles, and the wall 68 of refractory material above said tiles,"
substantially as described.

page_text: 3. The combination with upper and lower walls, of hollow tiles of refractory
material disposed between the same, oil and steam nozzles disposed opposite said
tiles, air inlets beneath said tiles, and a passageway leading from the upper ends of
said tiles to the mingled jet of steam and oil issuing from said nozzles; whereby
the air is passed through the tiles before coming in contact with the oil and steam,
substantially as described.
4. The combination with the refractory material, of oil and steam nozzles
disposed opposite the same, interior channels provided in said refractory material
inaccessible to the oil and steam issuing from said nozzles, air inlets in communi-
cation with said interior channels, and a passageway leading from said channels to
the mingled jet of steam and oil issuing from said nozzles; whereby the air is
passed through the interior channels before coming in contact with the oil and steam,
substantially as described.
Bar Bay or buy
HASELTINE, LAKE & Co.,
45, Southampton Buildings, London, W.C., Agents for the Applicant.