IMPROVEMENTS IN MARINE AND LAND STEAM BOILERS
Year: 1861

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Patrick O'Hanlon, of the Town and County of the
Town of Kingston-upon-Hull, Boiler Maker, for the Invention of
"IMPROVEMENTS IN MARINE AND LAND STEAM BOILERS."
Sealed the 3rd December 1861, and dated the 8th June 1861.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Patrick O'Hanlon at the
Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on the 8th
June 1861.
I, PATRICK O'HANLON, of the Town and County of the Town of Kingston-
upon-Hull, Boiler Maker, do hereby declare the nature of the said Invention
for "IMPROVEMENTS IN MARINE AND LAND STEAM BOILERS," to be as follows:-
My improvements consist in giving to marine and other steam boilers a
large increase of heating surface without materially increasing the size of the
boiler, by which not only is fuel greatly economized, but a great evaporative
efficiency is attained.
My Invention can be applied to various descriptions of marine and land
boilers, and is applicable to existing boilers. In order, however, clearly to
ascertain the nature of my Invention, it will be sufficient to furnish. a
description of such application to one especial boiler, and I select that generally
known as the ordinary tubular marine boiler. The mode of applying my
Invention and adapting it to the peculiar construction of this kind of boiler is
as follows:-Instead of conducting the currents of heat and smoke from over

page_text: the bridge at the back of the grate into the smoke chamber, I either close or
partially close up the space between the roofs of the respective fire-boxes and
the bridge, and cause the currents of heat and smoke before reaching the
before-named smoke chamber to pass through an intermediary passage, a series
of tubes and flues, whereby the above specified increase of heating surface is
realized. These intermediary tubes or flues, as I may term them, I place, by
preference, in that especial boiler to which the description appertains imme-
diately above the fire-boxes, extending from the front of the boiler to the
primary smoke chamber with which they are in connection. The tubes are
connected with the fire-box by a series of vertical or inclined smaller tubes or
flues, which serve at the same time to keep the intermediary flues in their
position, and to stay them. In addition to this, should it be necessary, I place
a plate transversely across the intermediary tubes or flues, in order still more
to connect the whole substantially together. The direction the currents of heat
and smoke take is as follows:-The heat ascends directly from the grate in a
vertical direction into the intermediary tubes or flues, whence it finds
admission into the primary smoke chamber; from here it passes, as in the
ordinary boilers, through the tubes into the secondary or front smoke chamber,
and thence into the funnel. The arrangement of the additional flues has the
advantage of being easily cleaned out from the front of the boiler, where the
intermediary tubes may be closed by suitable doors or covers.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent, filed
by the said Patrick O'Hanlon in the Great Seal Patent Office on the
-6th December 1861.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, PATRICK S
O'HANLON, of the Town and County of the Town of Kingston-upon-Hull,
Boiler Maker, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her Letters
Patent, bearing date the Eighth day of June, in the year of our Lord
One thousand eight hundred and sixty-one, in the twenty-fourth year of Her
reign, did, for Herself, Iler heirs and successors, give and grant unto me, the
said Patrick O'Hanlon, Her special licence that I, the said Patrick O'Hanlon,
my executors, administrators, and assigns, or such others as I, the said Patrick
O'Hanlon, my executors, administrators, and assigns, should at any time
agree with, and no others, from time to time and at all times thereafter
during the term therein expressed, should and lawfully might make, use,

page_text: exercise, and vend, within the United Kingdom of Great Britain and
Ireland, the Channel Islands, and Isle of Man, an Invention for "IM-
PROVEMENTS IN MARINE AND LAND STEAM BOILERS," upon the condition (amongst
others) that I, the said Patrick O'Hanlon, my executors or administrators, by an
instrument in writing under my, or their, or one of their hands and seals, should
particularly describe and ascertain the nature of the said Invention, and in
what manner the same was to be performed, and cause the same to be
filed in the Great Seal Patent Office within six calendar months next and
immediately after the date of the said Letters Patent.
NOW KNOW YE, that I, the said Patrick O'Hanlon, do hereby declare the
nature of my said Invention, and in what manner the same is to be per-
formed, to be particularly described and ascertained in and by the following
statement, that is to say:-
My improvements consist in giving to marine and other steam boilers a
large increase of heating surface without materially increasing the size of the
boiler, by which not only is fuel greatly economized, but a great evaporative
efficiency is attained.
My Invention can be applied to various descriptions. of marine and land
boilers, and is applicable to existing boilers. In order, however, clearly to
ascertain the nature of my Invention, it will be sufficient to furnish a descrip-
tion of such application to one especial boiler, and I select that generally
known as the ordinary tubular marine boiler. The mode of applying my
Invention, and adapting it.to the peculiar construction of this kind of boiler,
is as follows:-Instead of conducting the currents of heat, and smoke from
over the bridge at the back of the grate into the smoke chamber, I either
close or partially close up the space between the roofs of the respective fire-
boxes and the bridge, and cause the currents of heat and smoke before
reaching the before-named smoke chamber to pass through an intermediary
passage through a series of tubes and flues, whereby the above specified
increase of heating surface is realized; these intermediary tubes or. flues, as
may term them, I place, by preference, in that especial boiler to which this
description appertains immediately above the fire-boxes, extending from the
front of the boiler to the primary smoke chamber, with which they are in con-
nexion. The tubes are connected with the fire-box by a series of vertical or
inclined smaller tubes or flues, which serve at the same time to keep the
intermediary flues in their position, and to stay them. In addition to this,
should it be necessary, I place a plate transversely across the intermediary
tubes or flues in order still more to connect the whole substantially together.
The direction the currents of heat and smoke take is as follows:-The heat
I

page_text: ascends directly from the grate in a vertical direction into the intermediary
tubes or flues, whence it finds admission into the primary smoke chamber;
from here it passes, as in the ordinary boilers, through the tubes into the
secondary or front smoke chamber, and thence into the funnel. The arrange-
ment of the additional flues has the advantage of being easily cleared out from
the front of the boiler, where the intermediary tubes may be closed by suitable
doors or covers. By my improved arrangement the hot currents are caused
to enter the smoke chamber through the top of the fire-boxes through a series'
of openings, whereby the currents entering the openings placed more forward
are made to pass over those openings placed more in the rear, thereby causing
the combustion of the denser particles of the said currents. Should it be
found that there is more area in the back branch tubes than is necessary; and
in order to ascertain the proper area, I propose to use a hollow cone of metal,
with the apex removed, so constructed as to rest on the top of branch tubes,
where they enter the horizontal tube or fluc. For instance, should the heat
escape too freely through the back branch tubes by introducing cones larger
or smaller, as may be required, the heat may be thrown to the front branch
tubes, and thereby a proper regulation of the heat may be arrived at.
In order more clearly to demonstrate the nature of my Invention, and the.
manner in which the same is effected, I append to this Specification a Sheet of
Drawings having figures and letters of reference marked thereupon, the like
Jetters being used to denote similar parts in each Figure. In these Drawings
Figure 1 represents a longitudinal section, Figure 2 a transverse section, and
Figure 3 a sectional plan of a boiler, to which my improvements are applied.
This boiler is one of the ordinary tubular marine boilers.
The longitudinal section represented by Figure 1 shows the interior of the
fire-box K, the smoke chamber C, the connection between the two constituting
the chief feature of my improvements, namely, the larger flue F, opening into
the chamber C, and the smaller intermediary flue connections A, A, A, A,
opening into the fire-box K, as well as the ultimate smoke chamber L opening
into the chimney. A cross section through the larger flues F, F, F, F, and a
longitudinal section through the intermediary flue connections A, A, A, A,
constituting my improvements, as shown in Figure 2.
Figure 3 shows the circular arrangement which I prefer to connect the
intermediary flues A, A, A, A, on the one part with the respective fire-boxes,
and on the other part with the larger flues F, F, F, F, above, the latter of
which, however, are not indicated in this view, as the sectional plan is taken
from below. As my improvements are here shown applied to an ordinary
class of boiler, it will be necessary in order to cause the currents of beated air

page_text: and smoke to pass through my improved flue connections to close or partially
close (as herein-before stated) the space which in ordinary cases is left for the
transmission of the hot currents and smoke between the back of the grate and
the top of the respective fire-boxes. This is indicated by the part lettered B
in the longitudinal section Figure 1.
Figures 4, 5, and 6 represent the application of my improvements to a land
boiler of the class known as a Cornish boiler. Figure 4 is a longitudinal
section, Figure 5 a cross section, and Figure 6 a sectional plan, showing top
of furnace, with circular arrangement of flues. The dotted lines in the cross
section, Figure 2, denote manhole doors for the facilitation of cleaning and
repairing operations. It will be observed by reference to Figure 1, the
longitudinal section, that by my improvements the currents of heated air and
smoke are prevented from passing direct to the end of the boiler, as in ordinary
flues, but are caused to pass in a vertical direction through the branch flues
or tubes A, A, A, thence along the upper flues F, F, F, F, and then, as again
indicated by the arrows, along the return flue, from which they can be made to
pass in any direction that may be required.
Having now described the nature of my Invention, and the manner in
which the same is effected, I wish it to be understood that I do not claim the
construction of boilers as berein (in the Drawings) shown in the wider sense;
but what I particularly describe and claim as my Invention is, the mode of
connecting by means of the system of flues (as indicated in the Drawings) the
fire-boxes with the smoke chamber, thereby materially increasing the heating
surface and consequent efficiency of evaporation of the boiler, and in addition
causing by such arrangement a perfect or partial combustion of the smoke.
In witness whereof, I, the said Patrick O'Hanlon, have hereunto set my
hand and seal, this Fifth day of December, One thousand eight hundred
and sixty-one
O Signed and sealed by the said Patrick
O'Hanlon, in the presence of
FRAS. SUMMERS, Sol.,
Hull.
PATRICK O'HANLON. (L.S.)