IMPROVEMENTS IN STEAM BOILER AND OTHER 19 11
Year: 1872

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Edward Ensor, the younger, of the Pool Works,
Woodville, in the County of Leicester, Fire-brick Manufacturer,
for the Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN STEAM BOILER AND OTHER
19
11
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Edward Ensor at the
Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on the
23rd November 1872.
I, EDWARD ENSOR, the younger, of the Pool Works, Woodville, in the
County of Leicester, Fire-brick Manufacturer, do hereby declare the
nature of my-said Invention for “ IMPROVEMENTS- EN STEAM BOLLER AND OTHER
FURNACES, AND IN THE MEANS FOR : SUPPLYING THE SAME WITH FUEL," to be as
follows:-
This Invention relates to an improved construction and arrangement
of steam boiler and other furnaces and the flues in connection
therewith, also in the means for supplying such furnaces with fuel,
whereby considerable economy in the consumption of fuel is effected.
According to one mode of carrying out my Invention I construct the
furnace with horizontal or nearly horizontal fire-bars and close up the

page_text: front thereof where the fire-door usually exists. Within and across the
chamber of the furnace I construct a number of shelves at different
elevations and at convenient intervals, and immediately above each
shelf I form an opening in the roof, the several openings converging
towards and opening into the bottom of a semi-cylindrical trough of
metal built in the brickwork of the roof of the furnace. Within this
trough there is fitted to revolve by any convenient or well known
arrangement of mechanism a cylindrical vessel having projecting ribs
at intervals upon its exterior surface which scrape over the interior of
the trough as they revolve. The cylindrical vessel is kept supplied by
hand labour or otherwise, with small coal or slack, and one or more
openings are made in the side of the cylindrical vessel through which as
the vessel revolves a portion of the small coal escapes into the trough,
which coal is discharged down the several feed oponings in the bottom
of the trough by the projecting ribs on the cylindrical vessel as it
revolves. The coal thus supplied is partly caught upon the shelves in
the furnace and is there consumed and partly falls on to the grate bars.
Underneath and partly up the sides of the boiler, which is of the
ordinary egg ended form, there are constructed a number of narrow flues
of fire-brick disposed in rows and in two or more tiers, such tiers corre-
sponding or nearly so in height with the shelves in the furnace so as to
be opposite to the burning fuel contained thereon. The several flues
run parallel to one another throughout the entire length of the boiler,
and thus subdivide the flames and current of heated gases into a number
of parallel streams, each one of which transmits its heat to the fire-brick
sides of the flues. These fire-brick flues as well as the entire surface of
the boiler itself are enclosed by an outer wall of ordinary brickwork to
prevent loss of heat by radiation, the said flues becoming highly heated
and giving off their heat to the generator.
Between the top of the generator and the fire-brick covering thereof
a flue space is left for the circulation of the products of combustion over
the boiler on their way to the chimney.
Two steam domes are constructed on the top of the boiler which
project up through the brick covering and serve for the attachment of
the safety valve and other usual steam boiler appliances.
Should the water level of the boiler be below the top of the boiler the
top flue will serve for superheating the steam in the upper part of the
generator.

page_text: '
According to another modification of furnace the shelves may be
'dispensed with, and the fire-bars be inclined downwards towards the
inner end so as bring the mass of burning fuel well in front of the series
of fire-brick flues. These flues moreover may be disposed in concentric
segments of circles round the bottom of the boiler, being built of
segmental shaped fire-brick lumps having projections thereon, so that
when built up together a number of intervening channels or narrow
flues will be formed which may or may not communicate by cross
passages, as found.desirable.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent,
filed by the said Edward Ensor in the Great Seal Patent Office
on the 22nd May 1878.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, EDWARD
ENSOR, the younger, of the Pool Works, Woodville, in the County of
Leicester, Fire-brick Manufacturer, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her Letters
Patent, bearing date the Twenty-third day of November, in the year of
our Lord One thousand eight hundred and seventy-two, in the thirty-
sixth year of Her reign, did; for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give
and grant unto me, the said Edward Ensor, the younger, Her special
license that I, the said Edward Ensor, the younger, my executors,
administrators, and assignis, or such others as I, the said Edward Ensor,
the younger, my executors, administrators, or assigns, should at any
time agree with, and no others, from time to time and at all times
thereafter during the term therein expressed, should and lawfully might
maké, use, exercise, and vend, within the United Kingdom of Great
Britain and Ireland, the Channel Islands, and Isle of Man, an Invention
for "IMPROVEMENTS IN STEAM BOLLER AND OTHER FURNACES, AND IN THE MEANS
FOR SUPPLYING THE SAME WITH FUEL," upon the condition (amongst others)
that I, the said Edward Ensor, the younger, my executors or adminis-
trators, by an instrument in writing under my hand and seal, should
particularly describe and ascertain the nature of the said Invention, and
in what manner the same was to be performed, and cause the same to
be filed in the Great Seal Patent Office within six calendar months next
and immediately after the date of the said Letters Patent.

page_text: NOW KNOW YE, that I, the said Edward Ensor, the younger, 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, reference being had to the accom-
panying Drawings, and to the letters and figures marked thereon, that
is to say :-
My said Invention relates to an improved construction and arrange-
ment of steam boiler and other furnaces and the flues in connection
therewith, also to the means for supplying such furnaces with fuel,
'whereby considerable economy in the consumption of fuel is effected.
According to one mode of carrying out my Invention I construct the
furnace with horizontal or nearly horizontal fire-bars and close up the
front thereof where the fire-door usually exists. Within and across the
chamber of the furnace I construct a number of shelves at different
elevations and at convenient intervals, and immediately above each
shelf I form an opening in the roof, the- several openings converging
towards and opening into the bottom of a semi-cylindrical trough of
metal built in the brickwork of the roof of the furnace. Within this
trough there is fitted to revolve by any convenient or well known
arrangement of mechanism, a cylindrical vessel having projecting ribs at
intervals upon its exterior surface which scrape over the interior of
the trough as they revolve. The cylindrical vessel is kept supplied by
hand labour or otherwise, with small coal or slack, and one or more
openings are made in the side of the cylindrical vessel through which as
the vessel revolves a portion of the small coal escapes into the trough,
which coal is discharged down the several feed openings in the bottom
of the trough by the projecting ribs on the cylindrical vessel as it
revolves. The coal thus supplied is partly caught upon the shelves in
the furnace and is there consumed and partly falls on to the grate bars.
Underneath and partly up the sides of the boiler, which is of the
ordinary egg ended form, there are constructed a number of narrow
flues of fire-brick disposed in rows and in two or more tiers, such tiers
corresponding or nearly so in height with the shelves in the furnace, so
as to be opposite to the burning fuel contained thereon. The several
flues run parallel to one another throughout the entire length of the
boiler, and thus subdivide the flames and current of heated gases into a
number of parallel streams, each one of which transmits its heat to the
fire-brick sides of the flues. These fire-brick flues, as well as the entire

page_text: surface of the boiler itself, are enclosed by an outer wall of ordinary
brickwork to prevent loss of heat by radiation, the said flues becoming
highly heated and giving off their heat to the generator.
Between the top of the generator and the outer fire-brick covering
thereof a flue space is left for the circulation of the products
of com-
bustion over the boiler on their way to the chimney.
An ordinary steam dome or domes is or are constructed on the
top of the boiler which project up through the brick covering and serve
for the attachment of the safety valve and other usual steam boilėr
appliances.
'Should the water level of the boiler be below the top of the boiler, the
top flue will serve for superheating the steam in the upper part of the
generator.
"
The shelves herein-before described may be dispensed with, and the
fire-bars be inclined downwards towards the inner end, as herein-after
described and illustrated by my Drawings, so as to bring the mass of
burning fuel well in front of the series of fire-brick flues. These flues
moreover may be disposed in concentric segments of circles round the
bottom of the boiler, being built of segmental shaped fire-brick lumps
having projections thereon, so that when built up together a number of
intervening channels or narrow flues will be formed which
not communicate by cross passages, as found desirable.
may or may
.And in order that my said Invention may be fully understood I shall
now proceed more particularly to describe the same, and for that purpose
shall refer to the several Figures on the annexed Sheet of Drawings, the
same letters of reference indicating corresponding parts in all the
Figures.
Figure 1 of my Drawings represents a longitudinal vertical section of
one arrangement of my improved steam boiler furnace; Figure 2 is a
transverse vertical section of the same taken along the line 1-2 in
Figure 1; and Figure 3 is a similar view taken along the line 3-4.
A is a cylindrical boiler provided with two steam chambers B, B,
which project upwards beyond the surrounding brickwork for the
attachment of the safety valve, water level indicator, and other usual
appliances of a steam generator; C is the furnace, the fire-bars D of
which are inclined downwards towards the inner end so as to be about

page_text: level with or slightly below the lowest tier of a series of shallow
flues E, E, forming segments of circles concentric with the boiler and
extending longitudinally beneath the same. The said flues are here
shewn as being built of segmental shaped fire lumps F, F, having pro-
jections a thereon so that when built up together they will form the
flues E, which flues may, if desired, be caused to communicate with
each other by cross passages or openings b, b, (Figure 1).
The several flues E open at their rear ends into a combustion
chamber G, whence the products of combustion pass along the flue E
formed over the top of the boiler and round the sides of the steam
chamber B before they finally pass out by the chimney I;. K is the
outer brickwork which entirely incloses or surrounds the boiler and firc-
brick flues E, hence little or no loss of heat by radiation can take place.
L, L, are fuel feeding apertures made in the crown of the furnace, and
opening into a metal trough M of semi-cylindrical section having corre- :
sponding openings therein; N is a hollow cylindrical coal box or holder
which revolves slowly within the said trough M, it being rotated by any
convenient arrangement of mechanism or gearing, or through the band
of the pulley O. A number of projecting ribs c, c, are formed or fitted
longitudinally on to the outer surface of the cylinder N at suitable
intervals, such ribs being caused to scrape over the interior of the trough
as they revolve, and to discharge the fuel which escapes into the trough
by one or more lateral slots or openings d in the revolving cylinder N
down the feed apertures L, L, the fuel employed being small coal or
slack. Suitable provision is made for refilling the cylindrical coal box
or holder when empty. This mode of feeding the furnace and the
peculiar construction and arrangement of flues are obviously applicable
to other furnaces than boiler furnaces, and may be applied generally
where a steady heat is required to be maintained.
Having now described and particularly ascertained the nature of my
said Invention, and the manner in which the same is or may be used or
carried into effect, I would observe in conclusion, that what I consider to
be novel and original, and therefore claim as the Invention secured to
me by the herein-before in part recited Letters Patent is,―
First. The peculiar arrangement of narrow or shallow flues built in
tiers underneath the bottom and partly up the sides of a steam generator
or boiler in combination or not with a flue over the top of the same,

page_text: substantially as and for the purpose herein-before described and
illustrated by the Drawings annexed.
Second. The peculiar combination and arrangement of self-acting feed
apparatus for supplying fuel to furnaces, substantially as herein-before
described and illustrated by the Drawings annexed.
Third. The combination of the said self-acting feed apparatus with
openings in the roof of the furnace and with the several tiers of narrow
or shallow fire-clay flues, substantially in the manner and for the purpose
herein-before described and illustrated by the Drawings annexed.
Fourth. The combination with the above described feed apparatus
of shelves or ledges constructed inside the furnace, substantially as and
for the purpose herein-before described.
In witness whereof, I, the said Edward Ensor, the younger, have to
this my Specification set my hand and seal, this Fifteenth day of
May, One thousand eight hundred and seventy-three.