IMPROVEMENTS IN FURNACES FOR PREVENTING THE FORMATION OF SMOKE OR EFFECTING ITS COMBUSTION
Year: 1869

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Edward Tomlinson, of the City of Manchester,
in the County of Lancaster, for the Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN
FURNACES FOR PREVENTING THE FORMATION OF SMOKE OR EFFECTING ITS
COMBUSTION."
Sealed the 14th June 1870, and dated the 16th December 1869.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Edward Tomlinson at
the Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on
the 16th December 1869.
I, EDWARD TOMLINSON, of the City of Manchester, in the County of
Lancaster, do hereby declare the nature of the said Invention for
"IMPROVEMENTS IN FURNACES FOR PREVENTING THE FORMATION OF SMOKE OR
EFFECTING ITS COMBUSTION," to be as follows:-
This Invention relates to the furnaces of steam boiler and all other
descriptions of furnaces, and consists in the employment in each furnace

page_text: of one or more perforated chambers placed above the fire and supplied
with air through a hollow bridge. Each chamber is made angular,
round, or of any other desired shape, and is fixed to the bridge, so as
to be either entirely at the front of the bridge, or to have one part at
the front and another part at the back.
In one arrangement the chamber at the front of the bridge has below
its diameter a number of perforations opening upon the fuel, and above
its diameter it is closed, but when the chamber extends behind the
bridge these conditions are reversed, at that part the closed portions being
below and the perforations above.
In another arrangement I make the chamber at the front of the bridge
with perforations in all directions, but when there is a chamber at the
back the perforations are above.
In the first description of chamber, when the fuel in the furnace is
ignited the air rushes into the hollow bridge and through the per-
forations to the fire, and consumes the gases and prevents smoke, and
when there are perforations behind the bridge there is an additional
supply of air heated by passing through the hollow bridge, and when
the front chamber has perforations in all directions the air rushes on
the fuel and mixed in all directions. with the gases and causes their
consumption, and thus the employment of any of these arrangements
prevents any emission of smoke from the chimney.
It will be seen that I apply the chamber above the fire perfectly
independent of the fire-bars, and thereby prevent them from being burnt
and melted, as is always the case when they are connected to the fire-
bars and submerged in the fuel.

page_text: WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her
Letters Patent, bearing date the Sixteenth day of December, in the year
of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and sixty-nine, in the thirty-
third year of Her reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give
and grant unto me, the said Edward Tomlinson, Her special license
that I, the said Edward Tomlinson, my executors, administrators,
and assigns, or such others as I, the said Edward Tomlinson, 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,
exercise, and vend, within the United Kingdom of. Great Britain and
Ireland, the Channel Islands, and Isle of Man, an Invention for
"IMPROVEMENTS IN FURNACES FOR PREVENTING THE FORMATION OF SMOKE OR
EFFECTING ITS COMBUSTION," upon the condition, amongst others, that I,
the said Edward Tomlinson, by an instrument in writing under my
hand and seal, 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 Edward Tomlinson, do hereby
declare. the nature of my said Invention, and in what manner the same
is to be performed, to be particularly described and ascertained in and
by the following statement and accompanying Drawings, that is to.
say:-
This Invention relates to the furnaces of steam boilers and all other
description of furnaces, and consists in the employment in each furnace
of one or more perforated chambers placed above the fire and supplied
with air through a hollow bridge, to the front of which each chamber is
fixed perfectly independent of the fire-bars, and the lower part of each
chamber is angular, round, or of any other desired shape.
The manner in which this Invention is to be performed will be clearly
understood by the following particular description thereof, reference
being had to the figures and letters on the accompanying four Sheets.
of Drawings, in which Figs. 1 and 2, Sheet 1, and Figs. 3 and 4, Sheet 2,
are transverse and longitudinal sections of the furnace ends of flat ended

page_text: chambers.
Figs. 5 and 6, Sheet 3, are longitudinal and transverse sections
representing the application of one of my improved air chambers to
the furnace of a spherically ended boiler having no internal flue, and
Figs. 7 and 8, Sheet 4, are transverse and longitudinal sections of a
furnace for heating metal plates provided with my improved air
chambers.
In all the Figures a represents the fire-bars; b, the hollow bridges;
and c, the ash-pits. Each air chamber is formed of two parts, one a
perforated angular or curved base, and the other a curved cover without
perforations, and in each hollow bridge there is a metal frame open at
both ends, to which frame each base is fixed by bolts or keys, there
being at the back of the base an opening corresponding with the upper
opening of the frame. In all the Figures each air chamber is marked
d, e, the part e being a base of an angular or curved shape, and d the
cover, and in the base there are perforations opening in all directions
over the fire. The metal frame in each hollow bridge is shewn at g, and
to regulate the supply of air to the air chambers in the furnace of the
boilers there are dampers worked by rods i and handles k. When the
fuel in each furnace is ignited and the damper open the air rushes
through the hollow bridge, the chamber, and perforations to the fire, and
mixing in all directions with the gases causes their consumption,
prevents smoke, and effects great economy of fuel.
It will be seen that I apply the air chambers above the fire perfectly
independent of the fire-bars, and thereby prevent them from being
burned and melted, as is always the case when they are connected to the
bars and submerged in the fuel. I make the air chamber of any
suitable size and form, according to the construction of the boiler or
furnace, and when desired I supply air to each air chamber through a
passage at the front or back of the bridge or through horizontal or
angular pipes.
Having now described the nature and particulars of my said Invention,
and the manner in which the same is to be performed, I desire it to be
understood that in furnaces for steam boilers, and all other description
of furnaces, I claim the perforated air chambers placed above the fire,

page_text: and supplied with air through hollow bridges or other passages, as all
such improvements are herein described and illustrated in the accom-
panying four Sheets of Drawings.
In witness whereof, I, the said Edward Tomlinson, have hereunto
set my hand and seal, this Fifteenth day of June, in the year
of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and seventy.