IMPROVEMENTS IN SMOKE CONSUMING APPARATUS
Year: 1875

page_text: PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by William Edward Gedge at
the Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition,
on the 14th June 1875.-A communication from abroad by Paul
Duboin, of Paris, France, Employé au Chemin de fer du Nord.
I, WILLIAM EDWARD GEDGE, of No. 11, Wellington Street, Strand,
in the County of Middlesex, Patent Agent, do hereby declare tho
nature of the said Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN SMOKE CONSUMING
APPARATUS," a communication to me from abroad by Paul Duboin, of
Paris, France, Employé au Chemin de fer du Nord, to be as follows:
-
The improvements, the subject of this Invention, consist in tho
particular arrangement of a fan which continuously drives the unburnt
smoke and gasses over the flame in the fire-place in order that they
may be entirely consumed. In this manner a real saving of fuel is obtained
as well as the neutralization of this smoke, which inconveniences the
public and which may cause serious accidents, especially to locomotives
and steamboats, in which the escape steam carries with it a thick
smoke from the chimney, and even sometimes sparks and fine coal dust.
This improved apparatus is applicable to all kinds of generators, fixed

page_text: or moveable, whether in factories, steamboats, locomotives, road and
agricultural engines, compresser of macadam, bathing establishments,
or elsewhere.
The fan upon which this system is based is arranged in a special manner,
that is to say, that the suction of the smoke is effected on the one side,
and that of the air on the other.
The side which sucks or draws the smoke is of smaller section than
that in which takes place the suction of the air necessary to the
combustion of the smoke. This arrangement permits the obtaining of a
greater quantity of air than of smoke, the burning of this latter being
thereby facilitated, it having a greater supply of oxygen at its disposition.
The suction of the smoke takes place by a conduit taking its smoke
from a chamber or reservoir in order to have a supply of smoke sufficient
to be sucked or drawn off by the fan in large quantity. The smoke is
led by a conduit over the grate or fire-bars, in order to be again licked
up by the flames and fed by the air sent by the larger side of the fan
and led beneath the grate, that is to say, into the ash pan, which is
hermetically closed by a door permitting its easy cleansing. If required,
the introduction of the smoke may be regulated by a small valve
operated by a lever within reach of the fireman.
The fan may be worked by transmission gearing or by a separate
motive-power engine.
In locomotives and compressors a special driving gear is used, as
shown on the accompanying Sheet of Drawing, upon which-
Figure 1 is a longitudinal elevation of a locomotive engine with smoke
consuming apparatus embodying this Invention.
A, locomotive; B, fan receiving its motion indirectly from the driving
wheels of the machine itself. This fan is driven in the following
manner-Upon one of the wheels of the machine is placed a crank, to
which is jointed a connecting rod with three heads, a, a¹, a"; on the
above-mentioned crank of the wheel is the head a of the rod, the
second head a¹ is also placed upon a crank fixed on the wheel c, coupled to
the wheel b; and finally, the third head, a" serves to actuate the wheel d,
which drives the fan. The arm e of the connecting rod is indispensable
in this driving gear, in order to keep the wheel d when at the dead
point from reversing its motion. The wheel d actuates a small cogƒ,
communicating a rapid motion to the fan.

page_text: In order that the fan may always rotate in the same direction when
the course of the locomotive is changed, the wheels 7 and are thrown
in and out of gear by the lever j on the bar for reversing motion
operating the clutch i. O, pipe or conduit for suction of the smoke;
D, smoke chamber or reservoir; E, valve worked by a bar within reach
of the fireman, and serving to regulate the passage of the smoke; F,
conduits through which the smoke is driven into the fire-place above its
grate; G, pipe leading air beneath the grate into the ash box.
Figure 2 is a section through the fan.
Figure 3 is a longitudinal section of an ordinary generator A, upon
which is placed the smoke consuming apparatus, composed of a double
fan B, a smoke reservoir C placed at the back of the furnace; smoke
suction pipe D; pipe E, through which the smoke is driven above
the fire-grate; and pipe F, through which the air from the fan B arrives
beneath the fire-grate, in order to pass through the flame and feed the
combustion of the coal and smoke.
Figures 4 and 5 represent a generator in longitudinal and in transverse
section.
The fire-place is arranged in a special manner and possesses two grates
placed the one above the other. The first receives the fresh fuel, and the
second the coal already burning, and which has given off its smoke in tho
first grate. This arrangement permits passing the smoke on its return
through the second grate, and to utilise it by communicating its heat to
the lateral boiler tubes placed at the side of the boiler, and then to pass
off freely by the chimney.
The first grate is arranged as follows:-A fixed bar next to a moveable
one, so that there will be a series of moveable bars inserted between
fixed bars.
The moveable bars are raised from time to time by means of a lever,
in order to pass on to the second grate coal already well burnt and con-
taining but little cons. and it is this live coal which falling on to the