Improvements in Burners for the Combustion of Gas or Vapours for Heating Purposes.
Year: 1892

page_text: Date of Application, 22nd Sept., 1892
Complete Specification Left, 22nd June, 1893-Accepted, 16th Sept., 1893
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Burners for the Combustion of Gas or Vapours for
Heating Purposes.
We, HENRY ALONZO HOUSE, Senior, and HENRY ALONZO HOUSE, Junior,
both of the Orleans Boat House, Teddington, in the County of Middlesex,
Mechanical Engineers, and ROBERT RINTOUL SYMON, of 20 Abchurch Lane, in
the City of London, Gentleman do hereby declare the nature of the said invention
to be as follows:-
This invention relates to improvements in burners for the combustion of gas or
vapours for heating purposes as for example in steam boilers for raising steam or in
generators for the production of gas or vapour from hydro-carbons or other liquids
for use in motive power engines or for heating purposes; and the object of the
invention is to produce a burner which can be automatically regulated to suit the
purpose for which it is to be used. For this purpose we employ the following
arrangements, A hollow ring of cast iron or other suitable material is provided
with an inlet for the gas or vapour and has a turned or planed surface on its
upper side pierced with holes of suitable size spaced at equal distances apart.
Each of these holes is provided with a faced block of metal forming a small slide
valve capable, when slid over its corresponding hole, of preventing the escape of
gas or vapour from such hole. These slide valves are operated by a kind of frame
or star wheel turning on an axis in the centre of the ring and the said valves are so
placed with reference to the holes that each successive valve requires to be moved
further in order to uncover its hole than the preceding one. So that, assuming the
frame with its slide to be in the position in which all the holes are covered by their
respective slide valves (or if preferred all except one which may be always left
uncovered to serve as a priming jet). On moving the said frame and valves so as
to uncover the first hole the jet of gas or vapour that will issue from it may be
lighted. On moving the said frame and valves another step, the second hole will
be uncovered and the jet of gas or vapour issuing from it will be lit from the first
jet. On moving the said frame and valves another step, the third hole will be
uncovered and the jet of gas or vapour issuing from it will be lit from the second
jet and so on. In like manner on turning the frame and valves in the opposite
direction each of the holes will be covered in succession by its appropriate slide
and the jets of gas or vapour will be successively extinguished in the reverse order
to that in which they were lit. When the burner is applied to a steam boiler or a
generator of hydro-carbon vapour for example, the frame and valves may be turned
so as to bring into operation more jets or to cut them off according as the pressure
of steam or vapour falls or rises by means of an automatic apparatus consisting of
a diaphragm or piston for example acted on by the pressure of the steam or vapour
which is being generated in the apparatus to which the burner is applied as a
means of heating.
The burner instead of being of a ring shape may be of any other suitable shape
such as oblong for example, of any required length, the covering blocks or slide
valves being in that case moved longitudinally by means of a rod which connects
them all together.
In some cases the covering blocks or slide valves may be made in one with the
actuating frame or rod, but in most cases it will be found preferable to make each
block or slide valve independent of the actuating frame or rod and so that it is
pressed to its seat by gravity or spring pressure, because the great heat to which
the parts are subjected is liable to twist or warp the frame or rod and thereby to
displace some of the blocks or valves and to prevent them from acting properly.

page_text: According to the arrangements above described as each valve opens its particular
hole it does so more or less gradually, and as the gas or vapour begins to issue
from the hole as soon as the latter begins to open, the gas or vapour issues there-
from somewhat obliquely and directed towards the jet already alight so that the
lighting of the jet freshly brought into action is rendered certain and when the
jet is alight and the hole fully open the jet its natural vertical position.
Dated this 15th day of September 1892.
H. A. HOUSE,
H. A. HOUSE, JUNR.,
R. R. SYMON,
Per W. H. Beck,
115, Cannon Street, London, E.C., Agent.
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Burners for the Combustion of Gas or Vapours for
Heating Purposes.
We, HENRY ALONZO HOUSE, Senior, HENRY ALONZO HOUSE, Junior, both
of the Orleans Boat House, Teddington, in the County of Middlesex, Mechanical
Engineers, and ROBERT RINTOUL SYMON, of 20 Abchurch Lane, in the City of
London, Gentleman, do hereby declare the nature of the 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 accompanying sheet
of drawings and to the letters and figures marked thereon, that is to say :-
This invention relates to improvements in burners for the combustion of gas or
vapours for heating purposes, as for example in steam boilers for raising steam, or
in generators for the production of gas or vapour from hydro-carbons or other
liquids for use in motive power engines or for other heating purposes, and the
object of the invention is to produce a burner which can be automatically regulated
to suit the purpose for which it is to be used. For this purpose we employ the
arrangements shown in the accompanying drawings in which
Figure 1 is a plan of one of our improved burners, Figure 2 a sectional
elevation of same taken on line X X of Figure 1, Figure 3 a plan of a similar
arrangement somewhat modified, Figure 4 a sectional elevation taken on line YY
of Figure 3, and Figure 5 a transverse section taken on line Z Z of Figure 3.
A hollow ring of cast iron or other suitable material A is provided with an
inlet B for the gas or vapour, and has a turned or planed surface A on its upper
side pierced with holes C, C1 C2, C3, C4, C of suitable size, spaced at equal or
other suitable distances apart. Each of these holes is provided with a faced block
of metal C* C* C** C** C** C** forming a small slide valve capable, when slid
over its corresponding hole, of preventing the escape of gas or vapour from such
hole. The leading or cutting-off edge of each successive slide valve is placed
further from its corresponding gas emission hole than in the preceding slide valve.
These slide valves may be formed with and operated by a kind of frame or star
wheel D secured on an axis E turning in the centre of the ring A by the action of
the lever D' which is actuated by the automatic appliance hereinafter referred to,
or any other. It will be understood that each successive valve requires to be
moved further, in order to uncover its hole, than the preceding one, as seen
clearly in Figure 1. So that, assuming the frame D with its slides C* etcetera to
be in the position in which all the holes are covered by their respective slide
valves, on moving the said frame D and valves C etcetera in the direction of the
arrow in Figure 1 so as to cause the slide valve C* to uncover the first hole C, as
shown in Figure 1, the jet of gas or vapour that will issue from such hole may be
lighted. On moving the said frame D and valves further in the same direction, the

page_text: second hole C¹ will be uncovered by its slide valve C¹ and the jet of gas or
vapour issuing from it will be lit from the first jet. On moving the said frame D
and valves still further in the same direction, the third hole C will be uncovered
by its slide valve C2* and the jet of gas or vapour issuing from it will be lit from
the second jet and so on. In like manner on turning the frame and valves in the
opposite direction, each of the holes will be covered in succession by its appropriate
slide and the jets of gas or vapour will be successively extinguished in the reverse
order to that in which they were lit. When the burner is applied to a steam
boiler or to a generator of hydro-carbon vapour for example, the frame and valves
may be turned so as to bring into operation more jets or to cut them off according
as the level of the liquid as the boiler or generator rises or falls or according as the
pressure of steam or vapour varies, by means of any suitable automatic apparatus,
such as a diaphragm or piston for example, acted on by the steam or vapour which
is being generated in the apparatus to which the burner is applied as a means of
heating, as shown and described in the Complete Specification of my application
for a Patent No. 16,909 dated 22nd September 1892.
The burner, instead of being of a ring shape, may be of any other suitable shape
such as oblong for example, of any required length as shown in Figures 3, 4 and 5,
the covering blocks or slide valve C¹ C¹× C³× being in that case moved longi-
tudinally between guides E¹ by means of a rod or otherwise, and when more than
one set of burners and slide valves are employed as shown by dotted lines in
Figure 3 they may be all moved together by means of a connecting rod F.
In the drawings G represent springs which may be employed in some cases for
keeping the slide valves pressed to the faces against which they work, but the
weight of the slide valves is generally sufficient for that purpose.
In some cases it is preferable to arrange the apparatus so that one hole, or one
set of holes, shall always remain uncovered as shown in Figures 1, 3 and 4 so that
there may be always a jet burning ready to light the next jet, or set of jets, as soon
as its or their holes are uncovered by the corresponding slide valve.
The covering blocks or slide valves may be made in one with the actuating
frame D as shown in Figures 1 to 4 but, in some cases, it will be found preferable
to make each block or slide valve Cx etcetera loose in an opening D* in the actuating
frame D as shown in Figure 14 so that it rests on its face or seat by gravity or
spring pressure independently of the frame because the great heat to which the
parts are subjected is liable to twist or warp the frame or other actuating part and
thereby to displace some of the blocks or valves and to prevent then from acting
properly.
According to the arrangements above described, as each valve opens its particular
hole it does so more or less gradually and as the gas or vapour begins to issue from
the hole as soon as the latter begins to open, the gas or vapour issues therefrom
somewhat obliquely and directed towards the jet already alight so that the lighting
of the jet freshly brought into action is rendered certain, and when the jet is alight
and the hole fully open the jet assumes its natural vertical position.
Similar letters of reference relate to like parts in all the figures of the drawings.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of the said inven-
tion and in what manner the same is to be performed, we declare that what we
claim is :-
First. The improved gas or vapour burner for heating purposes which consists
of a hollow gas chamber provided with holes for the emission of the gas or vapour
and with slide valves corresponding to such holes, such slide valves being so
arranged that they open or close each hole or set of holes in succession according
to the requirements of the boiler or generator to which the burner is applied,
substantially as hereinbefore described with reference to the annexed drawings.
Second. In a gas or vapour burner for heating purposes the arrangement of a
series of slide valves corresponding to the emission holes of the burner, in which
the leading or cutting-off edge of each successive slide valve is placed further

page_text: from its corresponding gas emission hole than in the preceding slide valve,
substantially as hereinbefore described with reference to the annexed drawings and
for the purpose specified.
Dated this ocul 1
J
1000
H. A. HOUSE, SENIOR,
H. A. HOUSE, JUNIOR,
R. R. SYMON,
Per W. H. Beck,
115, Cannon Street, London, E.C., Agent.