IMPROVEMENTS IN FURNACES AND IN APPARATUS FOR SUPPLYING STEAM AND AIR THERETO IN ORDER TO CAUSE MORE PERFECT COMBUSTION OF FUEL
Year: 1884

page_text: I ROBERT HENRY HEPBURN of Palace Chambers, Victoria Street in the City
of Westminster, Engineer do hereby declare the nature of my invention for
"IMPROVEMENTS IN FURNACES AND IN APPARATUS FOR SUPPLYING STEAM AND
AIR THERETO IN ORDER TO CAUSE MORE PERFECT COMBUSTION OF FUEL" to be as
follows:-
When furnaces are fitted with apparatus or blowers such for example as those
described in my former Provisional Specifications numbered respectively 85 and
4207 of 188+, for supplying steam and air thereto by means of nozzles or
injectors for the purpose of causing more perfect combustion of fuel, and more
particularly when such apparatus or blowers are situated at the back of the furnace
it is found that the nozzles are liable to get clogged outside by dust from the fuel
and inside by sediment from the boiler; the nozzles are also apt in course of time
to become leaky at their joints with the steam pipes. These parts at the back of
the furnace are not accessible when the furnace is at work. Now I so construct
the apparatus that the nozzles and the steam chainber or that portion of the steam
pipe to which they are fitted can readily be removed or withdrawn therefrom and
again be returned to place without the necessity of drawing the fire and waiting
for the furnace to cool. For this purpose I form the blower with a shoe or hanger
at each end made either solid with the blower or in the form of a bracket fixed
thereto. These shoes, hangers, or brackets receive the set of nozzles with the
steam chamber which are simply made to slide into place. The pipe which
supplies the stean chamber is led thereto from the front of the furnace where
I connect it by means of a union with that portion of the pipe which leads from
the boiler. When it is required to take out the nozzles it is only necessary to
disconnect the union; the nozzles and steam chamber can then be withdrawn.
Further, when the chambers or channels of the blower are vertical or approxi-
mately so, instead of fitting the nozzles or injectors at the bottom thereof in a
position where they are liable to get clogged by dust from the fuel, I leave the
bottom entirely free so as to allow the dust a clear passage into the ash pit and
I admit the steam to the channels of the blower at the side near the lower part
thereof and in an upwardly inclined direction. The steam may be injected either
through nozzles, or through orifices in one or more steam chambers fed by one or
more steam pipes.
Instead of making only the nozzles and the steam chamber removable as herein-
before described I, in some cases and more particularly when the chambers or
channels of the blower are horizontal, make a portion of the blower removable
with the nozzles and steam chamber. If the blower is in the back resting bar of
the furnace, I make the resting bar form the top, back and sides of the blower and
Price GZ1

page_text: I construct the steam chamber and the bottom of the blower in one piece together
with the partitions when such are required to divide the blower into compartments.
The steam pipe which is led to the steam chamber from the front of the furnace is
connected to the said chamber and is at the front of the furnace connected by a
union, as in the arrangement before described, with that portion of the pipe which
leads from the boiler, so that by disconnecting the union the lower part of the
blower with the steam chamber and fitted nozzles can be withdrawn for repairs or
cleaning without stopping the furnace. In cases where the resting bar does not
form part of the blower, I make the outer shell of the blower in one piece and bolt
it to the resting bar, and I make the inner portion of the blower in one piece with
the steam chamber and any required partitions; this piece being removable in the
manner already explained.
Sometimes I form the bottom of the blower or part of it in the form of louvres
which can be opened to any desired extent by any suitable appliances as will be
well understood so as to regulate the amount of air drawn in by the steam jets.
The partitions may either be formed on the louvres or on the outer shell of the
blower or partly on each.
I prefer that the steam chamber shall move synchronously with the louvres so
that the nozzles may always point in a lino parallel with the louvres. The chamber
and the louvres or that louvre which adjoins the chamber are removable for the
purpose already explained.
In order that the steam chambers and nozzles of blowers used at the front of
furnaces may be removable I make the blower of a simple shell with openings at
the lower part and with any required partitions, the nozzle end of the shell being
open, and I close this end by a plate which is cast or made in a piece with the
steam chamber and may be formed with air inlets. This plate is secured to the
shell by screws or otherwise so as to be readily removable, together with the steam
chamber and its fitted nozzles.
In the case of metallurgical furnaces where blowers are employed to. force steam
and air through orifices in the bridge, I construct the bridge open from side to side
or at bottom and insert the blower into it, the blower being capable of withdrawal
in the manner already described. The ends of the opening in the bridge may if
necessary bo fitted with doors to exclude air.
In order to allow the stoker to adjust the angle of the blowers as required so as
to blow the steam and air to the part of the fire which may for the time. being
most require them I mount the blower so that it can be made to swivel by means
of a rod or other like contrivance. With this object.I pivot the blower at its ends
or other suitable part to bars which depend from the resting bar or other part of
the furnace.
For the purpose of clearing out any boiler sediment which may lodge in the
steam pipes and tend to clog the nozzles I provido the pipes with a scouring or
purging cock which in the case of blowers fitted at the back of the furnace will be
attached to the end of a return pipe terminating at the furnace front. By
occasionally opening this cock the pipes will be cleared out and the liability of the
nozzles to become clogged by boiler sediment will thus be diminished.
In boiler furnaces of the locomotive type, in addition to blowing or supplying
air or steam and air through passages in the ordinary bridge I blow or supply the
air or air and steam into the body of the fire through a bridge which depends or
hangs from the ordinary bridge and in which are vertical passages communicating
with those in the ordinary bridge.
D
L
Ja 1001

page_text: I ROBERT HENRY HEPBURN, of Palace Chambers, Victoria Street, in the City
of Westminster, Engineer, do hereby declare the nature of my invention for
"IMPROVEMENTS IN FURNACES AND IN APPARATUS FOR SUPPLYING STEAM AND
AIR THERETO IN ORDER TO CAUSE MORE PERFECT COMBUSTION OF FUEL and
5 in what manner the same is to be performed, to be particularly described and
ascertained in and by the following statement :—
"
When furnaces are fitted with apparatus or blowers such for example as those
described in my former Specifications numbered respectively 85 and 4207 of 1884,
for supplying steam and air thereto by means of nozzles or injectors for the purpose
of causing more perfect combustion of fuel, and more particularly when such
apparatus or blowers are situated at the back of the furnace it is found that the
nozzles are liable to get clogged outside by dust from the fuel and inside by
sediment from the boiler; the nozzles are also apt in course of time to become
leaky at their joints with the steam pipes. These parts at the back of the furnaco
are not accessible when the furnace is at work. Now I so construct the apparatus
that the nozzles and the steam chamber or that portion of the steam pipe to which
they are fitted can readily be removed or withdrawn therefrom and again bo
returned to place without the necessity of drawing the firo and waiting for the
furnace to cool. For this purpose I form the blower with a shoe or hanger at
each end made either solid with the blower or in the form of a bracket fixed
thereto. These shoes, hangers or brackets receive the set of nozzles with the
steam chamber which are simply made to slide into placo. The pipe which
supplies the steam chamber is led thereto from the front of the furnace where
I connect it by means of a union with that portion of the pipe which leads from
the boiler. When it is required to take out the nozzles it is only necessary to
disconnect the union; the nozzles and steam chamber can then be withdrawn.
This part of my invention is illustrated in Figures 1 and 2 of the accompanying
drawings. Figure 1 being a longitudinal section of part of a furnace and Figure 2
a transverse section. a, a represent the fixed part of the apparatus or blower nt
the back of the furnace this part containing the chambers b through which the
steam and air are blown. c, c are the shoes or hangers before described and which
may be made either solid with the part a of the blower or in the form of a bracket
fixed thereto. d, dare the nozzles and c is the steam chamber or portion of the steam
pipe to which they are fitted. fis the pipe which supplies the steam chamber or
pipe e, it is connected by a union g with that portion h of the pipe which leads
from the boiler. The chamber or pipo e with its nozzles is simply made to slide
into place and the pipes fand are then connected by the union g. When it is
required to take out the nozzles it is only necessary to disconnect the union when
the nozzles and chamber or pipe e can be withdrawn.
Further, when the chambers or channels of the blower are vertical or approxi-
mately so, instead of fitting the nozzles or injectors at the bottom thereof in a
position where they are liable to get clogged by dust from the fuel, I leave the
bottom entirely free that is to say, the chambers b, b extend to the bottom as
clearly seen in Figure 1 so as to allow the dust a clear passage into the ash pit and
I admit the steam to the channels of the blower at the side near the lower part
thereof and in an upwardly inclined direction as is also clearly seen in Figure 1.
My removable pipe e and nozzles & can however be used in blowers in which the
nozzles blow directly up the chambers or channels b, b.
Instead of making only the nozzles and the steam chamber removable as hurein-.
before described I in some cases and more particularly when the chambers or

page_text: channels of the blower are horizontal, make a portion of the blower removablo
with the nozzles and steam chamber. If the blower is in the back resting bar of
the furnace, I make the resting bar form the top, back and sides of the blower and
I construct the steam chamber and the bottom of the blower in one piece together
with the partitions when such are required to divide the blower into compartiments. 5
This method of constructing blowers is represented in Figures 3, 4 and 5 which are
respectively a longitudinal section, a horizontal section and an end view. i is the
back resting bar of the furnace and which forms the top, back and sides of the
blower. e is the stean chamber and a the bottom of the blower these two parts
being formed in one piece together with the partitions a' ; c is one of the shoes or
hungers upon which these parts rest. The steam pipe f which is led to the steam
chamber from the front of the furnaco is connected to the said chamber and is at the
front of the furnace connected by a union as in the arrangement already described
with that portion of the pipe which leads from the boiler, so that by disconnecting
the union the lower part of the blower with the steam chamber and fitted nozzles
can be withdrawn for repairs or cleaning without stopping the furnace. In cases
where the resting bar does not form part of the blower, I make the outer shell of
the blower in one piece as shown at a, a, a Figures 6 and 7, and bolt it to the
resting bar i and I make the inner portion of the blower in one piece with the
steam chamber and any required partitions at this piece being removable in
the manner already explained.
In the case of metallurgical furnaces where blowers are employed to force steam
and air through orifices in the bridge, I construct the bridge open from side to side
or at bottom and insert the blower into it, the blower being capable of withdrawal
in the manner already described. The ends of the opening in the bridge may if
1:ecessary be fitted with doors to exclude air. Figures 8 and 9 represent a
metallurgical furnace constructed in accordance with this part of my invention.
kis the bridge made with an opening from side to side. e is the steam pipe
carrying the nozzles d, d for blowing through the chambers b, b. m, m' are doors
for closing the ends of the opening . The pipe e with the nozzles & can be with-
drawn when required by simply opening the door m.
In order to allow the stoker to adjust the angle of the blowers as required so as
to blow the steam and air to the part of the fire which may for the time being
most require them 1 mount the blower so that it can be made to swivel by means
of a rod or other like contrivance. With this object I pivot the blower at its ends
or other suitable part to bars which depend from the resting bar or other part of
the furnace. Figures 10 and 11 illustrate this part of my invention.
blower pivoted at its ends to depending bars n, n. Figures 12 and 13 represent a
slightly different form. In either of these cases the angle of the blower can be
altered by means of a lever or other contrivance fitted thereto.
a is the
In boiler furnaces of the locomotive type, in addition to blowing or supplying air
or steam and air through passages in the ordinary bridge I blow or supply the air
or air and steam into the body of the fire through a bridge which depends or hangs
from the ordinary bridge and in which are vertical passages communicating with
passages in the ordinary bridge.
Figures 14 and 15. represent a furnace of the locomotive type constructed in
accordance with this part of my invention. o is the ordinary bridge formed with
passages p, p through which air or steam and air are blown. q is the bridge which
depends or hangs from the ordinary bridge and r, r are the vertical passages in this
bridge communicating with passages in the bridge o.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said
invention, and in what. manner the same is to bo performed, I declare that wha
I claim is
1. Constructing apparatus or blowers for supplying steam and air to furnaces by
ineans of nozzles or injectors, with shoes, hangers or brackets, to receive th
nozzles together with the steam chamber or that portion of the steam pipo t

page_text: which they are fitted, the nozzles and the said steam chamber or pipe being
removable substantially as and for the purpose herein before described.
2. In apparatus or blowers for supplying steam and air to furnaces by means of
nozzles or injectors and having vertical or approximately vertical chambers or
channels, I claim the leaving of the chambers or channels open and clear at
bottom and the fitting of the nozzles so that they inject steam at the sides of the
channels in an upwardly inclined direction substantially as hereinbefore described
and represented in Figure 1.
3. Constructing apparatus or blowers for supplying steam and air to furnaces
substantially as represented in Figures 3, 4 and 5 and herein before described.
4. Constructing apparatus or blowers for supplying steam and air to furnaces
substantially as represented in Figures 6 and 7 and hereinbefore described.
5. Constructing metallurgical furnaces substantially as herein before. described
with reference to Figures 8 and 9.
6. Mounting or fitting blowers for supplying steam and air to furnaces in such
inanner that their anglo is capable of adjustment or regulation substantially as
hereinbefore described and represented in Figures 10 to 13.
7. Constructing boiler furnaces of the locomotive type, substantially as herein-
before described with reference to Figures 14 and 15.
DALA AU
J. C. MEWBURN,
169, Fleet Street, London,
Agent.