Improvements in the Construction of Gas Producers and Furnaces and their Arrangement and Fittings as applied to Marine Steam Boilers for the Generation of Steam.
Year: 1889

page_text: COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in the Construction of Gas Producers and Furnaces
and their Arrangement and Fittings as applied to Marine Steam
Boilers for the Generation of Steam.
I, GEORGE SCOTT, of Firhill Glass Bottle Works, Springbank, Glasgow, in the
County of Lanark, North Britain, Glass Bottle Manufacturer, do hereby declare
the nature of this invention and in what manner the same is to be per-
formed, to be particularly described and ascertained in and by the following
statement:
This Invention which relates to improvements in the construction of Gas pro-
ducers and furnaces and their arrangement and fittings as applied to marine steam
boilers for the generation of steam, has for its objects to economise fuel and prevent
smoke in the generation of steam in marine boilers for motive power and other
purposes, by the application of improved Gas producers to such boilers.
The said Gas producers are placed in front of each furnace, or they may be so
constructed as to supply the gas to more than one furnace, or to the different
furnaces of a series of boilers, and connected by suitable flues or passages, which
are provided with suitable regulating dampers so arranged that any or all of the
furnaces may be regulated at will, the said flues or passages lead the gas from the
producer to the inside of the furnaces, where it comes in contact with a regulated
supply of heated air, cold air, or both. as desired, thus causing combustion to take
place, the regulated supply of heated air being supplied from the inner ends of a
number of zig-zag flues formed in the lower half of the furnace grate or ashpit,
so that the hot gas on passing over these flues heats the air which is passing
through them.
In order that my said Invention may be more readily understood and carried
into effect, I will now proceed to describe it with reference to the accompanying
Drawings,
Figure 1, of which is a part sectional elevation of a double-furnaced marine boiler,
having my improvements attached thereto;
Figure 2, is a sectional plan of the same;
Figure 3, is a front elevation of Figure 1, having the producer disconnected ;
And Figure 4, is a front elevation of the producer.
Referring to the accompanying Drawings, A, represents a marine boiler having
two furnaces B, as at present constructed, but having the furnace bars, bearers, and
hbridge taken out, and instead of the furnace doors and connections, there are simply
circular front plates b, attached at the ends of the furnaces, these plates being pro-
vided with the necessary gas openings and cold air regulating inlets. To each of these
plates I attach the one end of a series of flues or passages C, (each flue being provided
with a suitable regulating damper c,) built of fire-brick, clay, or other suitable
material, these series of flues C, being connected at their other ends to the gas pro-
ducer D, (which is here shown as supplying two furnaces with gas,) which is provided
with the necessary charging hoppers E, hopper openings e, furnace bars F, ashpit f,
air regulating openings G, and cleaning or repairing openings g; the said producer
and flues being built of fire-brick, clay, or other suitable material, which may if
desired be bound by suitable angle-irons and tie rods or bars, and bound to the sides
or bottom of the ship in such a manner as to keep it in its proper position when
the ship rolls or rocks, or it may be formed with an outer shell of wrought iron,
steel, or cast iron plates and angles, and lined with fire-brick, clay or, other suitable
material, the said outer shells being securely fastened to the ship. The size of the
said gas producers, with the number of gas flues, charging hoppers, air regulating
and cleaning openings, being regulated by the number and size of the furnaces,

page_text: which they are required to supply, and if found necessary they may be built upon any
suitable iron table, soleplate or other foundation.
Inside the furnaces B, I form a number of zig-zag flues H, preferably three
(though the number is regulated by the size of the furnice.) which extends from the
back outside shell of the boiler to the front plate, then back to the back of the
furnace and forward to the front plate again where they form a cross flue J. having
suitable openings K, so arranged along its top as to cause the air coming through
them to be mixed with the various streams of gas from the flues (C. These zig-zag
fles, which are built of fire-brick, clay or other suitable material, are provided
with suitable regulating doors or shutters L, at their outer ends at the back of the
boiler, and are for the purpose of admitting a regular supply of air to the furnace,
this air causing a more perfect combustion of the gas to take place owing to its
having become greatly raised in temperature while passing through the flues H,
which are hea'ed by the gas or flame which passes over them to the combustion
chamber M, after which the gas and air in combustion generate the steam in the
usual way.
To assist the said combustion, if desired, I may mount regulating
shutters or doors N, on the front plates of the furnaces, so that a regulated supply of
cold air may also be admitted.
The whole arrangement being such that on the gas producer D, being charged with
fuel through the gas tight hoppers E, and the fuel kindled, the dampers c, and the
air regulating openings G, are opened, thus causing the combustion to take place
in the producer, the flame or products passing through the flues C, into the furnace,
where they heat the flues H, as also the air passing through them; after it is
thought that the said flues H, are sufficiently heated, the air regulating openings G.
are closed up by any suitable means, preferably by fire-bricks and clay, or any other
suitable material, thus causing the combustion to take place in the furnaces instead
of in the producer, the said combustion being regulated at will by the. gas flue
dampers c, hot air shutters or doors L, and cold air shutters or doors N. After the
combustion has taken place, the heat passes up through the combustion chambers M,.
and tubes P, to the smoke box R, thus generating steam as hitherto.
The cleaning of the said producer being easily effected by means of the openings g,
which are formed at intervals along the front about the top level of the fire bars F,
which are preferably placed on an incline so as to assist in the freeing of the
ashes which fall into the ashpit f, from whence they may be drawn in any convenient
manner.
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 :-
First. In the generation of steam in marine steam boilers, the employment of
gas producers for the purpose of supplying the boiler furnace or furnaces with gas for
combustion, substantially as herein before described.
Second. In the generation of steam in marine steam boilers, the general
arrangement and construction of the various parts constituting my said improve-
ments, that is to say :-the gas producer D, and its connections; flues C, with their
connections; air flues H, cross flue J, openings K, and regulating shutters or doors L,
and N, all substantially as and for the purposes herein before described, with reference
to the accompanying drawings.
3.
Dated this 21st day of November 1889.