Improvements in Apparatus for Heating Air and other Fluids.
Year: 1896

page_text: PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Apparatus for Heating Air and other Fluids.
We JOHN LANGFIELD of 10 College Land, Manchester, in the County of
Lancaster Engineer, and GEORGE HENRY KENWORTHY, of Hurst Hall
Ashton-under-Lyne, in the aforesaid county, Spinner and Manufacturer do hereby
declare the nature of this invention to be as follows:-
This invention relates to that class of apparatus (for heating air or other fluids)
which consists of piping heated externally by combustion of coal, coke, gas or
other suitable solid or fluid fuel the air or other fluid passing through the interior
of such piping, and our invention is especially applicable to the heating of air
passing through vertical tubes which are set in a closed heating chamber in which
the combustion takes place, the ends of the tubes being open to spaces below and
above, but outside, such closed heating chamber.
The object of our invention is to economize the fuel required in the furnace
of such apparatus, and to equalize the beating of the surface of the piping or
vertical tubes, and to utilize as far as possible the whole of the heat generated
by the fire.
When applying our invention to an air heating apparatus such as above
described, we make the furnace somewhat in the form of a retort, that is, in an
enclosed space preferably central in the heating chamber and extending from
the front to (or nearly to) the back thereof; this retort is placed at the top of
the heating chamber.
In the case of a coke or coal furnace the retort is formed of a cover and side
walls preferably of fire clay of suitable thickness (say 3 inches at the top and
4 inches at the sides) the side walls extending downwards for say about three
quarters of the distance from the top of the heating chamber to the bottom,
excepting at the back where the side walls are prolonged to the bottom of the
heating chamber. The bottom of the retort, preferably a metal plate, only extends
about as far as these prolonged side walls by which it is supported, and at the
inner end of the retort bottom we set a fire-brick wall of such height as to form
a fire bridge, and this wall serves also to support the inner ends of the fire bars
which are fixed at a suitable distance above the retort bottom, which thus forms
the bottom of the ash pit or ash hole.
This bridge or wall forms with the side walls and the back of the retort (which
may also be part of the back wall of the heating chamber) a flue leading from the
retort to the space beneath the same. This space from the bridge to the front is
open to the spaces at each side of the retort where the tubes are placed, and
at the front thereof is the opening to the flue leading to the chimney for the
escape of the smoke and other products of combustion.
If however such escape flue or chimney is at the back of the heating apparatus
the opening thereto may be at or near one side of the heating chamber preferably
at the back thereof but in any case it must be at the bottom thereof. In case
the escape opening is not in front at the centre of the heating chamber, but at
one side in or near the back, we build the corresponding side wall of the retort
down to the bottom of the heating chamber excepting for a suitable distance
from the front, so that the heated products of combustion circulate first among

page_text: and around the tubes at one side of the retort and then pass to the other side
and return to the escape opening, circulating among and around those tubes which
are at that side.
The extension of the side walls of the flue at the back of the retort to the
bottom of the heating chamber not only serves to support the bottom plate of
the retort but also to protect the tubes immediately adjacent to the flue from
the direct action of the heated gases.
The latter are thus directed into the space beneath the ashpit which is in com-
munication with the tube spaces, and the heated gases can rise in the said spaces
and heat the tubes, and in so doing they lose almost all their heat before escaping
from the outlet to the chimney.
Thus the products of combustion circulate among the tubes from back to front,
and escape from the bottom of the chamber having entered the same at the bottom,
and in passing from the back to the front will not only heat the tubes quite
uniformly but will also heat the bottom of the ashpit or ash hole thereby heating
the air which passes through the fire bars.
This slow circulation of the heat effects a great economy of the fuel required
to raise the air or fluid passing through the tubes to the required temperature.
We would remark in conclusion that the form of our heater will vary according
to requirements that is according to the fuel employed and the fluid to be heated;
for example the piping instead of being vertical, as for heating air, may be coiled
or serpentine for heating water.
If required for heating air a propeller or suction fan may be employed to
accelerate the passage of the cold air through the heating tubes and produce a
current of the air so heated but we do not as a rule find such a forcing of the
draught necessary, as our apparatus can itself be used for creating a draught for
ventilating or similar purposes.
Dated this 31st dor of Ton 1900
GEO. DAVIES & SON,
4, St. Ann's Square, Manchester, Agents for the Applicants.
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Apparatus for Heating Air and other Fluids.
We JOHN LANGFIELD, of 10 College Land, Manchester, in the County of
Lancaster, Engineer, and GEORGE HENRY KENWORTHY, of Hurst Hall,
Ashton-under-Lyne, in the aforesaid county, Spinner and Manufacturer, 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:-
This invention relates to that class of apparatus (for heating air or other
fluids) which consists of piping heated externally by combustion of coal, coke, gas,
or other suitable solid or fluid fuel the air or other fluid passing through the interior
of such piping, and the said invention is especially applicable to the heating of air
passing through vertical tubes which are set in a closed heating chamber in which
the combustion takes place, the ends of the tubes being open to spaces below and
above, but outside, such closed heating chamber.
The object of this invention is to economize the fuel required in the furnace of
such apparatus, and to equalize the heating of the surface of the piping or vertical
tubes and to utilize as far as possible the whole of the heat generated by the
fire.
The invention will be clearly understood from the following description on

page_text: the heating of air.
Fig. 1 is a vertical section of apparatus for heating air constructel according to
this invention the section being taken through about the centre.
Fig. 2 is a section taken through about the line A-B on Fig. 1 looking
towards the fire bridge.
Fig. 3 is a horizontal section taken through about the line C-D on Fig. 1,
and Figs. 4 and 5 are similar plan views drawn to a smaller scale of modifications
hereafter referred to.
a is the furnace & the heating chamber and e the piping in the form of vertical
air heating tubes open to the air chambers d d above and below the heating
chamber b.
When applying this invention to an air heating apparatus such as above described,
the furnace is made in the form of a retort, that is, an enclosed space a al
preferably central in the heating chamber b as seen at Fig. 2, and extending from
the front to (or nearly to) the back thereof as seen at Fig. 1; this retort is placed
at the top of the heating chamber.
In the case of a coke or coal furnace the retort is formed of a cover a 2 and side
walls a 3 preferably of fire clay of suitable thickness (say three inches at the top
and four and a half inches at the sides), the side walls extending downwards for
say about three quarters of the distance from the top of the heating chamber b
to the bottom, excepting at the back where the side walls are prolonged to the
bottom of the heating chamber b as shewa. The bottom of the retort, preferably
a metal plate a 4 only extends about as far as these prolonged side walls by which
it is supported, and at the inner end of the retort bottom we set a fire-brick wall a 5
of such height as to form a fire bridge, and this wall serves also to support the
inner ends of the fire bars a 6 which are fixed at a suitable distance above the retort
bottom a 4 which thus forms the bottom of the ash pit or ash hole a¹.
This bridge or wall a 5 forms with the side walls a 3 and the back a 7 of the retort
(which may also be part of the back wall of the heating chamber b) a flue a 8
leading from the retort to the space beneath the same. This space 6' from the
bridge a 5 to the front is open to the spaces b b at each side of the retort a a¹ where
the tubes c are placed, and at the front thereof or at the part of the heating
chamber as shewn dotted on Fig. 3 is the opening e to the fluo fleading to the
chimney for the escape of the smoke and other products of combustion.
If however auch escape flue for chimney is at the back of the heating apparatus
the opening e thereto may be at one side of the heating chamber (see Fig. 4) or
preferably at the back thereof (see Fig. 5), but in any case it must be at the
bottom thereof. In case the escape opening is not in front at the centre of the
heating chamber, but at one side in or near the back, we build the corresponding
side wall of the retort down to the bottom of the heating chamber excepting for a
suitable distance from the front, as seen on Figs. 4 and 5, so that the heated
products of combustion circulate first among and around the tubes at one side of
the retort and then pass to the other side and return to the escape opening,
circulating among and around those tubes which are at that side.
The extension of the side walls a 3 of the flue at the back of the retort to the
bottom of the heating chamber not only serves to support the bottom plate a 4 of
the retort but also to protect the tubes immediately adjacent to the flue a 8 from
the direct action of the heated gases.
The latter are thus directed into the space b' beneath the ashpit a' which is in
communication with the tube spaces b, and the heated gases can rise in the said
spaces band heat and tubes c, and in so doing they lose almost all their heat before
escaping from the outlet e to the chimney.
Thus the products of combustion circulate among the tubes e from back to front,
and escape from the bottom of the chamber b having entered the same at the
bottom, and in passing from the back to the front will not only heat the tubes
quite uniformly by accumulating in a column at each side of the retort, but will

page_text: also heat the bottom a 4 of the ashpit or ash hole thereby heating the air which
passes through the fire bars a 6.
This slow circulation of the heat effects a great economy of the fuel required
to raise the air or fluid passing through the tubes to the required temperature.
We would remark in conclusion that the form of our heater will vary according
to requirements that is according to the fuel einployed and the fluid to be heated;
for example the piping instead of being vertical, as for heating air, may be coiled
or serpentine for heating water.
If required for heating air a propeller or suction fan may be employed to
accelerate the passage of the cold air through the heating tubes and produce a
current of the air so heated, but we do not as a rule find such a forcing of the
draught necessary, as our apparatus can itself be used for creating a draught for
ventilating or similar purposes.
We do not confine ourselves to the brickwork construction illustrated as the
casing of the furnace may be of metal.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of our said inven-
tion and in what manner the same is to be performed we declare that what we
claim is :-
1. A device for heating air or other fluids consisting of a heating chamber
provided with suitable piping and an enclosed furnace in the upper part of the said
chamber the furnace being provided at its inner end with a suitable flue leading
to the space beneath the same and the heating chamber being provided with an
exit for the heated gases from the furnace, such exit being close to the bottom of
the heating chamber so as to form therein a column of heat substantially a
hereinbefore set forth.
2. The apparatus for heating air constructed substantially as hereinbefore se
forth and illustrated by the annexed drawings.
Dated this 30th day of October 1896.
GEO. DAVIES & SON,
4, St. Ann's Square, Manchester, Agents for the Applicants.