IMPROVEMENTS IN FURNACES AND ARRANGEMENTS FOR CONSUMING SMOKE "
Year: 1883

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Charles Edmeston of the City of Manchester in the
County of Lancaster Engineer for an Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN
FURNACES AND ARRANGEMENTS FOR CONSUMING SMOKE
"
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Charles Edmeston at the
Office of the Commissioners of Patents on the 11th September 1883.
CHARLES EDMESTON of the City of Manchester in the County of Lancaster
Engineer "IMPROVEMENTS IN FURNACES AND ARRANGEMENTS FOR CONSUMING
SMOKE,"
In furnaces consuming coal fuel the gases are not wholly burned and the unburnt
gases are discharged from the chimney as smoke.
My invention consists in arrangements by which the gases from the furnace are
returned and again passed over or through the fire combined with more or
less air.
In the case of two furnaces worked together, they are or may be arranged to be
supplied with fuel alternately, and so that the gases from the furnace last supplied
with fuel will pass over or through the incandescent fuel of the other furnace.
By my invention a fan or blower is or may be used to draw the gases from the
flue or flues along a suitable flue or channel and pass them over or through the fire
or furnace.
Suitable dampers or valves are used for causing the gases propelled by the faus
or blowers to pass from the flue from which it is to be drawn to the fire of the
furnace over or through which it is to pass.

page_text: SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent filed by
the said Charles Edmeston in the Patent Office on the 4th March 1884.
CHARLES EDMESTON, of the City of Manchester, in the County of Lancaster,
Engineer, "IMPROVEMENTS IN FURNACES AND ARRANGEMENTS FOR CONSUMING
SMOKE,"
In furnaces consuming coal or other fuel the gases are not wholly burned and
some of the unburnt gases or products are discharged from the chimney as smoke.
My invention consists in arrangements by which a part of the gases or products
froin the furnace are returned and passed over (by preference) or through the fire
combined with more or less atmospheric air.
In the case of two furnaces worked together, they are or may be arranged to be
supplied with fuel alternately, and so that part of the gases or products from the
furnace last supplied with fuel will pass mixed with more or less atmospheric air
over or through the incandescent fuel of the other furnace.
By my invention a mechanical fan or blower or a steam jet blower is used to
draw gases from the flue or flues along a suitable flue or channel and pass them
over (by preference) or through the fire or furnace.
Suitable dampers or valves are used for causing the gases or products drawn or
propelled by the fans or blowers to pass from the flue from which they are to be
drawn to the fire of the furnace over or through which they are to pass.
Fig 1 is a side sectional elevation showing a double flued Lancashire steam
Boiler and part of its flues with my improved arrangements applied, and fig 2 is
an end elevation of the same.
In fig 1 the furnace end of the boiler is supposed broken away to show part of
one of the furnaces in section.
In this class of boilers the gases pass or may pass from the furnaces along the
internal flues then turn at the end, and pass back along the flues at the sides of
the boiler to the furnace, and then return and pass back again in flues under the
outside of the boiler to the chimney, the flues for each furnace being kept separato
until they bave left the boiler, to pass to the chimney.
In carrying out my invention I prefer to arrange a funnel mouth piece a at the
furnace end of the boiler, for each side flue, (if more than one) the mouth of ench
funnel being opposite the end of the side flue where it descends to pass to the flue
under the boiler (or where it leaves the boiler to pass to the chimney) each of these
funnels (if there are two or more flues) communicates with a pipe or branch al of
a main pipe a² which goes to the inlet side of any suitable centrifugal fan or
mechanical blower (b) and there is a pipe b¹ from the outlet from the mechanical
blower or fan which communicates with a pipe or pipes beach of which bas its
outlet over the furnace door by preference.
-
In the pipe a between the flue and the inlet of the fan or blower, there is a
valve slide or door a³ which can be opened or closed to any desired extent to allow
the atmospheric air to enter into the pipe, and mix with and be heated by the
gases from the flue and then pass through the blower and be blown into the
furnace.
"Roots
The propeller b which is illustrated is similar to that known as a
blower," and the pipes between the flue or flues and the blower b and between the
latter and the furnace or furnaces inay be arranged in any convenient manner.
Thus a main pipe may be arranged below the ground or floor level in front of a
row of boilers placed side by side with branches for each side flue, by preference,
and this main pipe is made to communicate with the inlet of a blower of sufficient
size, the outlet pipe from which will form another main pipe with branches to each
furnace.
Swivel or other valves are shown in the branch pipe b for each furnace, and
similar valves are or may also be used (though not shown) in each branch pipe
taking gases from the flues.

page_text: By arranging the collecting funnels (a') as described, the lighter, sooty or smoky
and more combustible part of the hot gases are more readily taken from the heavy
descending carbonic acid gas passing to the chimney as the blower is made powerful
enough to draw the gases to it at a greater velocity than that due to the draught
caused by the chimney, and this can be regulated to any desired extent by the
valves above referred to and by adjusting the ordinary chimney damper.
The action of the blower thus not only assists to draw more air through the
furnace fire bars than the chimney draught would do alone, but also throws air
heated by mixture with more or less of the smoky gases or products into the
furnace above the fire bars.
When two or more furnaces, or boilers are combined with my improved arrange-
ments the fuel is or may be supplied to each furnace in turn, thus if two furnaces
are combined with my arrangeinents the furnaces are most advantageously "fired"
or supplied with fuel alternately-the fuel in one furnace being thus incandescent
when fresh or "green" fuel is supplied to the other furnace-In such case by means
of the valves reinbefore referred to the gases required may be taken entirely
from the flue of the furnace last supplied with fuol and passed into the furnace
having the incandescent fuel and thus from one furnace to the other alternately.
When furnaces are properly fired" or supplied with fuel in the ordinary
manner there is but little smoke discharged from the chimney except for a short
time immediately after supplying fuel to or stirring it up in the furnace, and in
many cases the mixed hot gases or products and air would only be required during
the production of the smoke after "firing or stirring, and the said valves are or
may be thus used to turn on and off the gases as required, and thus a comparatively
small blower is or may be made to serve several furnaces if they are regularly fired
in turn, and the mixed gases or products and air are supplied to each furnace only
when required to prevent smoke.
"
The mixed air and gases or products may be supplied by the blower at the
bridge or so as to pass into a hollow fire bridge, and out from a slit or other
openings in it, or the mixed gases or products and air may be supplied by the
blower water the fire bars but I do not advise the latter as the free bars are more
likely to get too much heated.
Fig 3 is an ond elevation and fig 4 a plan illustrating the mode of carrying out
my invention when a steam jet blower is used.
A pipe a' is arranged between the funnel a for collecting the hot smoky gases or
products from the flue, and the furnace above the fire door, a steam pipe c provided
with a cock to turn the steam on and off is arranged to discharge a jet of steam
into the pipe a¹ over the fire door, and this draws the gases or products from the
furnace along with air admitted by a slide valve at a³.
I have now particularly described the nature of my suid invention and the
modes of carrying the same into effect and claim as my invention.
The drawing of gases or products of combustion from the flue or flues of a furnace
or furnaces by a centrifugal fan or mechanical blower or steam jet and injecting
the same mixed more or less with atmosperic air into the furnace or furnaces,
substantially as herein before described and illustrated by the drawings.
In Witness whereof I the suid Charles Edmeston have herounto set my hand
and seal this third day of March in the year of our Lord one thousand eight
hundred and eighty four.
CHARLES EDMESTON. (145.)