IMPROVEMENTS IN FURNACES AND FIRE-PLACES FOR CONSUMING ANTHRACITE AND OTHER FUEL FOR GENERATING STEAM, EVAPORATION, SMELTING AND HEATING IRON AND OTHER METALS
Year: 1838

page_text: TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, JoпN
PLAYER, the younger, of Loughor, near Swansea, in the County of Glamorgan,
Engineer, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her present most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her
Letters Patent under the Great Seal of Great Britain, bearing date at West-
minster, the First day of December, in the second year of Her reign, did, for
Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant unto me, the said John Player,
Her especial license, full power, sole privilege and authority, that I, the said John
Player, my exors, adññiors, and assigns, or such others as I, the said John
Player, my exors, adññiors, or assigns, should at any tinie agree with, and no.
others, from time to time, and at all times during the term of years therein
expressed, should aud lawfully might make, use, exercise, and vend, within
England, Wales, and the Town of Berwick upon Tweed, my Invention of
"IMPROVEMENTS IN FURNACES AND FIRE-PLACES FOR CONSUMING ANTHRACITE AND
OTHER FUEL FOR GENERATING STEAM, EVAPORATION, SMELTING AND HEATING IRON AND
OTHER METALS;" in which said Letters Patent is contained a proviso that I, the
said John Player, shall cause a particular description of the nature of my said
Invention, and in what manner the same is to be performed, to be inrolled in
Her said Majesty's High Court of Chancery within six calendar months next
and immediately after the date of the said in part recited Letters Patent, as in
and by the same, reference being thereunto had, will more fully and at large
appear.

page_text: NOW KNOW YE, that in compliance with the said proviso, I, the said
John Player, do hereby declare the nature of my said Invention, and the manner
n which the same is to be performed, are fully described and ascertained in and
by the following statement thereof, reference being had to the Drawings here-
unto annexed, and to the figures and letters marked thereon, that is to say:
My Invention relates, first, to a mode of constructing the furnaces or fire-
places of steam boilers or apparatus for generating steam, and for evaporation,
whereby they are rendered more suitable for burning anthracite coal, separately
or combined with other fuel. Secondly, my Invention relates to a mode of con-
structing the-fire-places of smiths'..hearths,..whereby. the same are rendered
suitable for burning anthracite coal. Thirdly, my Invention relates to a mode
of constructing cupola furnaces for the smelting of iron ores, and for the re-
melting of iron by the aid of anthracite coal. And, lastly, my Invention relates
to a mode of constructing refinery furnaces for refining iron by the aid of
anthracite coal. And in order to give the best information in my power, I will
proceed to describe the Drawings hereunto annexed.
DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS..
Figure 1 is a section of a steam boiler or boilers, suitable for generating steam
or evaporating fluids. Figure 2 is a plan in section taken at the dotted line a, a,
in Figure 1. Figure 3 is another plan in section taken at b, b, in Figure 1. The
boiler is so constructed and arranged as to consist of two cylindrical rings or
chambers A, B, in Figures 1 and 3, which are connected at top by the tubes C
in Figures 1 and 2, and at bottom by the tubes D in Figures 1 and 3, as is
clearly shewn in the Drawing. E are the flues through which the flame and
heated vapours pass to the chimney. F, F, are the fire-bars and ash-pit, which
are capable of being raised or lowered by the tooth racks G and pinions H.
The object of this arrangement is to have the power of increasing or diminish-
ing the size of the fire-place, and consequently the mass of fire. This arrange-
ment will also allow of the fire-place or furnace being lowered when the
fire-bars require to be cleansed or changed. In the ash-pit F, F, it will be
found advantageous to have a pan or trough for containing water. The heat
radiated from the furnace will cause this water to evaporate and the steam
therefrom to pass through the fire, from which many well known advantages
will be derived. I, in Figure 1, is the feeding chamber, which is kept well
supplied with fuel, and has a cover, as is shewn in the Drawing. And it will
be seen that the feeding chamber passes through the boiler; consequently the
anthracite coal therein will be acted on by the heat of the water and of the
steam in the boiler, which constitutes the important and novel feature of this

page_text: part of
my Invention; for by this peculiar arrangement the anthracite coal will
be found to burn with great advantage, and will not be liable to decrepitation
as when thrown on to a fire in the cold state. And it will be evident that by
this arrangement the anthracite will fall down gradually as the lower part be-
comes consumed, but the same cannot come below the bottom of the feeding
chamber until in a highly heated state, and until it comes below such feeding
chamber it does not come within the range of the draft of atmospheric air
passing through the fire bars, nor within the range of the draught produced by
the flues E. I would here remark, that although I prefer to use all anthracite
in this arrangement of furnace, this fuel may, however, if desired, be mixed with
other fuel.
Figures 4 and 5 show two sections of other arrangements of steam boilers,
constructed suitably for burning anthracite coal; and in these Figures the same
letters indicate similar parts wherever they occur; and so far as my Invention
is concerned, the parts are substantially the same as at Figure 1. And I would
remark, that my Invention does not relate to the peculiar construction of a
boiler, but to the mode of applying a feeding chamber in or through such boiler
in such manner that the supply of anthracite coal therein shall for the most
part be out of the draft of the flues of the furnaces, and consequently but little
influenced by atmospheric air, and at the same time the coal in such feeding
chamber will be acted on and heated by the steam and hot water of the boiler;
and further, any quantity of coal which may, be ignited in the feeding chamber
will give off its heat to the surrounding water.. It only remains further to
remark in respect to steam boilers or boilers for evaporation, that the feeding
chamber should be kept as full as possible of anthracite coal. And I would
state, that I am aware that some attempts have before been made to burn
anthracite coal in furnaces or fire-places of steam boilers or generators, I do not
therefore claim the application of anthracite generally for that purpose, but only
when the furnace or fire-place is arranged according to my Invention, as herein
described.
I will now proceed to describe the second part of my Invention. Figure 6
shows the section, and Figure 7 a front view of a smith's hearth, constructed
according to my Invention, and suitable for burning anthracite coal. In this
arrangement there is used a feeding chamber I, in Figure 6, constantly supplied
with anthracite coal. J, in Figure 6, is a block of fire-brick suspended over
the fire, and K is another fire-brick in front of the fire. The object of these
blocks of fire-brick is to keep in the heat. There being a constant supply of
coal in the feeding chamber I, it progressively becomes highly heated before it
falls low enough to be influenced by the blast of air, which, under this arrange-

page_text: ment, may be of the ordinary temperature of the atmosphere. And it will be
found that by the aid of the blocks of fire-brick J and K, and the heating of
the anthracite coal in the feeding chamber previous to its coming within the
range of action of the blast of air, anthracite coal may with facility and
advantage be burned in smiths' hearths, and thus will anthracite, which is
known to contain a very large proportion of carbon and therefore more suitable
than other coal for heating iron, be brought into advantageous use for smiths'
hearths.
I will now describe the third part of my Invention, which relates to a mode
of burning anthracite coal in cupola furnaces. Figure 8 is an elevation in
section of a cupola furnace. Figure 9 is a plan in section of the same furnace;
and Figures 10 and 11 show an elevation and top view of the same furnace. The
only difference from an ordinary furnace is in there being an enlargement or addi-
tion at the upper part at I, which, in fact, operates as a calciner to the furnace.
L, L, are flues, which carry off the greater portion of the flame and blast from
the body of the furnace M. In this arrangement the charges of anthracite,
iron ore and flux, in their proper proportions, are put in at the top of the cal-
cining chamber I, and thus become gradually heated and calcined before
reaching the body of the furnace M. In a remelting cupola or furnace (which
would be of smaller dimensions) the arrangement would be similar, the metal
being substituted for the orc in the smelting furnace. By this arrangement,
anthracite coal may be more advantageously burned than heretofore.
I will now proceed to describe the fourth part of my Invention. Figure 12
is a front view; Figure 13, a side view in section; and Figure 14, a plan in
section of a refinery furnace used in the manufacture of iron, I being a feeding
chamber, which is to be kept constantly 'full of anthracite coal, which will be-
come progressively heated before it falls to the hearth; and M is a block of
fire-brick or fire-stone, moving on axes, having suitable apparatus for raising
and lowering the same. This block of fire-brick or fire-stone is to keep. in or
reverberate the heat; and the anthracite, by being constantly in a highly heated
state, will be usefully consumed in the refinery process, and where it will offer
considerable advantages from its chemical similarity to charcoal.
Ilaving thus described the nature of my Invention, I would remark, that the
principal object thereof is to bring into more general use that description of coal
called anthracite, which in ordinary furnaces and fire-places is liable to decripi-
tate or fly to pieces; at the same time I do not confine myself to the use of all
anthracite, as a small proportion of other fuel may be combined therewith.
And I would have it understood, that although I have shown the arrangement
of furnaces or fire-places which I prefer for the various purposes, yet the same.

page_text: may in some degree be varied, provided the principle of my Invention be re-
tained. But what I claim is,
First, the mode herein described of constructing the furnaces or fire-places
with a suitable feeding chamber for burning anthracite and other fuel, as above
described.
Secondly, I claim the mode of constructing smiths' hearths for the burning
of anthracite, as above described.
Thirdly, I claim the mode of constructing cupola furnaces for the sinelting
of iron ores, and for remelting of iron by the aid of anthracite, as above de-
scribed; and,
Fourthly, I claim the mode of constructing refinery furnaces for the refining
of iron by the aid of anthracite, as above also described.
In witness whereof, I, the said John Player, bave hereunto set my hand
and seal, this Twenty-eighth day of May, in the year of our Lord One
thousand eight hundred and thirty-nine.