IMPROVEMENTS IN STOVES FOR BURNING BITUMINOUS COAL
Year: 1884

page_text: COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
I, HERBERT JOHN ALLISON, of the firm of Allison Brothers, Patent Agents, of
Chancery Lane, London, in the County of Middlesex, do hereby declare the nature
of my Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN STOVES FOR BURNING BITUMINOUS
COAL" and in what manner the same is to be performed, to be particularly
described and ascertained in and by the following statement :—
Figure 1, is a vertical section of a stove containing my improvements;
Figure 2, a horizontal section of the same at the line x, x, of Fig. 1;
Figure 3, a vertical section of a stove containing a modification of the interior
parts of said stove; and
Figure 4, a horizontal section, at the line y, y, of Fig. 3.
My invention relates to improvements in stoves for burning bituminous coal;
and the object of my improvements is, to provide means for compelling the draft
currents to move in a horizontal direction from their point of entrance at one side
of the Combustion Chamber, to and through an opening leading into an adjacent
flame chamber, and by so doing effect the burning away of the coked fuel that
forms an incrustation at the bottom part of the retorting chamber.
And to this end my invention consists in arranging in a Stove, a retorting
chamber into which the fresh charges of fuel are, fed, a Combustion-chamber
directly beneath said retorting chamber-in which the Coke formed in the
retorting chamber is burned-a flame chamber in which the gases eliminated from
the coal contained in the retorting chamber by the heat generated in the
combustion chamber, are ignited and consumed, and an imperforated fire bed, at
the bottom of combustion-Chamber, by which the draft currents are prevented
from passing through the fuel in the combustion-chamber in any direction but
the horizontal one above referred to, excepting in the case hereinafter set forth.
As represented in the drawing A is the body of the Stove, which may be made
in the rectangular form shown, or in any suitable form that may be preferred;
the said body contains the retorting chamber B, combustion-chamber C, and flame
chamber D. The retorting chamber B, is located in the rear portion of the body A,
and is enclosed by the non-conducting walls b and hanging bridge-wall b¹, the
latter being, from necessity composed of the best heat resisting material obtainable.
The said retorting chamber is provided with a feeding door-indicated by dotted
lines in Figs. 1 and 3-through which the bituminous coal is introduced into said

page_text: chamber. The Combustion chamber C occupies the body of the Stove, directly
beneath the retorting chamber B, and below the line of the under edge of the
bridge-wall b1; said combustion chamber has at its back side, the rear grate c,
which I preferably fix in an inclined position, and which forms the inlet air
openings through which is admitted the air required for furnishing the oxygen
necessary for maintaining the combustion of the coke contained in said combustion-
chamber; at the bottom of said chamber, an imperforate fire-bed c¹ is placed, and
as shown in Figs. 1 and 2, said fire-bed leaves no opening either at its front or
ends, for the admission of air; but in the modification shown in Figs. 3 and 4, an
air opening is formed at the front edge of said fire-bed. As shown in all the
figures of the drawing, the fire-bed c¹ is hinged at its rearmost edge, so that it may
be dropped for the purpose of emptying the fuel from the retorting and combustion-
chambers, and a fastening device c³ is arranged at the front edge of said fire-bed
for the purpose of holding it up in place, as shown in the drawing.
The flame chamber D is separated from the retorting chamber B by means of
the bridge-wall 61; the space below the lower edge of said bridge-wall, constitutes
the egress draft opening d, which is located directly opposite to the ingress draft
openings in the rear grate c; through the egress draft opening d the gases,
that are eliminated from the crude fuel in the retorting chamber escape, after
being commingled with an excess of air which enters the combustion-chamber
through the ingress draft openings alone in the construction shown in Figs. 1
and 2, but in the construction shown in Figs. 3 and 4, an additional quantity of
air is admitted through the air opening c³; said gases and air enter the flame
chamber D in a highly heated condition, and therein they become ignited and
burn with great intensity.
The unconsumed gases from the flame-chamber D escape through the outlet E
and are carried away therefrom by means of the usual escape pipe.
A door F at the rear of the Stove-affords the means for reaching the grate c-
for the purpose of agitating the fuel-and for removing any debris from the fire-
bed c¹, through an opening c, formed between the base of the grate c and the
rearmost edge of the fire-bed c¹. Air for supplying the oxygen required for
supporting combustion is admitted into the ash-pit G through a registered
opening g, in the front door g¹; and, after its admission into said ash-pit, the air
follows the course indicated by the arrows in Fig. 1.
A mica door H, in the front of the flame chamber D, affords the means for
securing a pleasant illumination from the burning gases in said flame chamber.
In the construction shown in Fig. 1 and 2, no provision is made for a direct or
alternative draft through the retorting chamber B, but in the modification shown
in Fig. 3 provision is made therefor by means of the direct flue I, running from
the opening in the top of said retorting chamber to the outlet E; said flue has in
its front side an opening J, for the escape of the unconsumed gaseous products of
combustion that pass upward through the flame chamber D. A damper K, is
arranged in the flue I,, so that it can close either the opening i, as shown by the
full lines in Fig. 3, or the opening J, as indicated by the dotted lines of that figure.
In this modification there is an inclined deflecting plate d' arranged in the bottom
of the flame chamber B, from the air opening c³ to the bottom of the opening for
the Mica door H, and by the said deflecting plate, the flame passing through the
egress draft opening d is deflected upwardly, and is guided toward the Mica lights,
to burn off any fuliginous substance deposited thereon during any sluggish
condition of the fire.
In the construction shown in Fig. 1, at all times, and in that shown in Fig. 3,
whenever the damper K is closed over the opening i, the draft currents are forced
to pass through the combustion-chamber Ċ in a horizontal direction from the
ingress draft openings to, and out of, the egress draft opening d.
The heat arising from the combustion-chamber C is sufficient to distil the gases
from the coal contained in the retorting chamber B, and to convert the said coal
into an incrustation of Coke, which is continually burned away from its under

page_text: side, by reason of the enforced horizontal draft currents, until said coke is reduced
to ashes, which are removed from the bottom of the combustion-chamber through
the opening. Fresh incrustations of coke, are being constantly formed by
distilling the gases from the coal in the retorting chamber B, to take the place of
the coke consumed by the fire in the combustion-chamber. In the modification
shown in Fig. 3, in kindling a fire, the damper K should be turned into a position
indicated by the dotted lines, to cover the opening J, and thereby force the draft.
currents to pass upward through the fuel in the retorting chamber B, and out of
the flue I, until the fire is under sufficient headway to produce an incrustation of
coke in the retorting chamber, and then the damper K should be turned to cover
the opening i so as to compel the draft currents to move in a horizontal direction
as hereinbefore described.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said
invention, and in what manner the same is to be performed, I declare that what
I claim is-1. In a Stove for burning bituminous Coal, the combination, with a
retorting chamber B, a combustion chamber C-lying directly underneath said
retorting chamber-and a flame chamber D, separated from said retorting chamber
by means of a bridge-wall b¹, whereby the egress-draft opening d is formed as
herein described, of the inclined grate C-fixed under the retorting chamber B,
and forming the ingress draft openings as herein set forth-and the imperforate
fire-bed c¹, as and for the purpose herein specified. 2. In a Stove for burning
bituminous coal, by igniting and coking it in one inclosure, and further burning it
in the form of gas, in a connected adjacent flame-chamber, the combination, with a
retorting chamber, having an underlying combustion-chamber constructed with
oppositely arranged ingress and egress draft-openings near its base for limiting the
direction of the draft-currents to a horizontal passage, as herein described, of an
imperforate fire-bed for supporting the fuel and an air opening formed at or near
the bottom of the flame chamber, for the admission of air into the flames and gases
as they pass from the retorting and combustion-chambers into the flame chamber,
as herein specified. 3. In a Stove for burning bituminous coal, the combination
with a retorting chamber B, having an underlying combustion chamber C, arranged
to utilize an enforced horizontal draft current, by means of oppositely arranged
ingress and egress draft openings, and an imperforate fire-bed c¹ as herein described,
of the direct draft flue I, connecting the retorting chamber directly with the
outlet E, and provided with openings J, and damper K, arranged to operate as and
for the purpose herein specified.
4. In a stove for burning bituminous coal, the combination, with the retorting
chamber B, having an underlying combustion-chamber C, adapted, by means of
oppositely arranged ingress and egress draft openings, and an imperforate fire-bed c¹,
to utilize an enforced horizontal draft current, as herein described, of a flame
chamber D, connecting with the combustion-chamber C by means of egress draft
opening d, and containing an inclined deflecting plate d' whereby the flame
emitted from the opening d, is deflected upward and forward, as and for the
purpose specified.
th
T 1