Improvements in and connected with Steam-boiler Furnaces for the Combustion of Liquid Fuel.
Year: 1899

page_text: Date of Application, 27th Jan., 1899
Complete Specification Left, 4th Aug., 1899-Accepted, 9th Dec., 1899
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in and connected with Steam-boiler Furnaces for the
Combustion of Liquid Fuel.
I, REINIER ADAM MEYER, Superintendent Engineer, of the Koninklijke
Paketvaart Maatschappy (Royal Steam Ship Company), Batavia, Java, Dutch
East India, do hereby declare the nature of this invention to be as follows:-
The present invention relates to improvements in and connected with steam
boilers. It is especially applicable to those burning liquid fuel, and the main
object of it is to enable such boilers especially of the marine type, to be worked
more economically, efficiently, and conveniently generally.
Hitherto the common practice in burning liquid fuel in steam boilers or
generators has been to inject the fuel into the furnace by the force of a jet of
steam or of compressed air. Both, however, of these methods are difficult to
adopt in the present system of marine steam boilers or generators. The first
mentioned of these namely the steam-jet method presents many difficulties on
long voyages by reason of the loss of steam used for injection, and, in consequence
of the large amount of fresh water required which must either be carried or else
produced by evaporative means, with the consequent loss of the carrying power
or loss of fuel. There is also the unbearable noise inseparable from the steam-
jet system. The second of these methods namely the employment of compressed
air requires of course an air compresser in the engine room, with all the accom-
panying trouble and inconvenience thereof.
My improvements consist chiefly in the better arrangement of the boiler furnace
so as to render it suitable to burn liquid fuel when injected under pressure by
a common steam pump or donkey, while the exhaust steam of this pump is
returned to the condenser, thus avoiding the loss of fresh water. My arrange-
ment may, however, be used with any other system of injection.
In principle, my arrangement of the furnace is such as to heat the air necessary
for combustion and then convey the same to the liquid fuel in such a way that it
surrounds the spray of fuel upon all sides.
According to my invention and with the above objects in view, I fit in the
front end of the furnace an annular ring which may run parallel throughout its
length and thus constitute a short cylinder, or it may taper and thus be of the
form of the frustrum of a cone, in which latter case the base or larger end would
be directed towards the rear of the furnace, from which the ordinary fire-bars,
dead-plate, and furnace front are removed. Or, in place of the said short cylinder
or tapering ring there may be a series of air tubes fixed in the front end of the
furnace, the said tubes being preferably arranged in one or more concentric
circles about the fuel injector or injectors.
This tubular device whether cylindrical or conical or composed of a series of
small tubes will hereinafter, for brevity, be termed the conductor.
Part of this conductor protrudes more or less outside beyond the front end of
the furnace, as required, the outwardly projecting part being covered with some

page_text: non-conducting material to prevent the radiation of heat. The conductor
apparatus may be constructed of one or more pieces, as desired.
The external surface of this conductor has strips of metal or other suitable
substance, standing up on end and traversing the periphery longitudinally, an
interval or air space being left between each strip; the strips thus forming
partitions or vanes, and the spaces between them, channels or conduits for the
air. The said partitions or vanes may be arranged around the periphery in a
straight, spiral or other direction, and likewise, the air tubes, mentioned above
as being substituted for the conductor with vanes, may also be arranged in a
straight, spiral, or other suitable course; the object of the tortuous course being
to lengthen it and thus cause the air to be retained for a longer time and thus
have a better opportunity of receiving the heat derived from the fuel.
The inner ends of these air channels formed on the outer surface of the con-
ductor, or the substitute small tubes for same, may be closed at the extremity;
and instead have one or more holes or passages at the inner side for conducting
the air to the furnace; or they may be left partly or fully open, and have one
or more holes leading into the interior to allow part of the air to enter these holes
and ignite the fuel in the apparatus, while the rest of the air comes in contact
with the fuck on emerging from the end of the said channels.
In the event of the small air tubes being employed they may be all of one
length, but preferably they are of different lengths in order to bring the air in
contact with the fuel in different parts of the furnace.
The annular space formed either by the said channels or by the corresponding
series of tubes, through which the air enters at the stokehold side,
provided
with a suitable damper or dampers properly guided or rendered adjustable so that
the amount of air entering can be nicely regulated.
Inside the said annular part of this arrangement, reserved for inlet at the
stokehold, the apparatus or conductor is closed by a cover which may be com-
posed of one or more pieces, as desired. This cover may be provided with one
or more air or sight holes closed by suitable covers or valves, and carries at the
same time the injectors of the fuel.
The operation of the invention is as follows:-
The fresh air having entered the channels of the conductor at the stokehold
end, is partly retarded in its travel through them by the partitions, and simul-
taneously heated by the radiation of heat from the combustion of the fuel in the
apparatus, after which it is conducted to the fuel at a high temperature, thus
assisting combustion to a great extent.
The openings of the air channels are or may be so arranged that the spray of
liquid fuel is supplied together with the heated air, when required.
My said invention is applicable to marine and other steam boiler furnaces to
render them suitable for the combustion of liquid fuel injected into the furnace
either by mechanical force, steam or compressed air, by previously heating the
air necessary for combustion and conveying same by means of suitable channels
as above described to the fuel in such a manner that it surrounds the spray of
fuel upon all sides, thus making a minute contact between the small particles of
fuel and heated air.
Dated this 27th day of January 1899.
PHILLIPS & LEIGH,
Agents for the Applicant.

page_text: COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in and connected with Steam-boiler Furnaces for the
Combustion of Liquid Fuel.
I, REINIER ADAM MEYER, Superintendent Engineer of the Koninklijk
Paketvaart Maatschappy, (Royal Steam Ship Company), Salemba, 15°, Meester
Cornelis, Batavia, Java, Dutch East India, do hereby declare the nature of this
invention and in what manner the same is to be performed, to be particularly
described and ascertained in and by the following statement:—
The present invention relates to improvements in and connected with steam
boiler furnaces for the combustion of liquid fuel. It is especially applicable to
those burning sprayed fuel such for instance as oil, and the main object of it
is to enable such furnaces, and the boilers in connection with them, especially of
the marine type, to be worked more economically, efficiently and conveniently
generally than hitherto.
Hitherto the common practice in burning liquid fuel in the furnaces of steam
boilers or generators has been to inject the fuel into the furnace by the force
of a jet of steam or of compressed air. Both however of these methods are
difficult to adopt in the present system of construction of marine steam boilers or
generators.
The first-mentioned of these, namely, the steam-jet method, presents many
difficulties on long voyages by reason of the loss of steam used for the injection
purposes, and, in consequence of the large amount of fresh water required, which
must either be carried or else produced on the vessel by evaporative means, with
the consequent loss of the power spent in this special carriage or loss of the fuel
used in producing the said special evaporation. Apart from these sources of loss
of useful energy and fuel there is also the almost unbearable noise inseparable
from the steam-jet system.
The second of these methods. namely the employment of compressed air,
requires of course an air compresser in the engine room, with all the accompany-
ing trouble and inconvenience thereof due to the attention it requires and the
room it takes up.
The present improvements of mine consist chiefly in the better arrangement of
the boiler furnace so as to render it more suitable to burn liquid fuel when
injected under pressure by a common steam or donkey pump, while the exhaust
steam of this pump is returned to the condenser, thus avoiding the loss of fresh
water. My arrangements however will operate with and may be used with any
other system of injection.
In principle my arrangement of the furnace is such that the air necessary for
proper combustion is first heated and then conveyed to the liquid fuel in such
a way that it surrounds the spray of fuel upon all sides, thus producing a more
intimate mixture of the two, and consequently more even and economical burning,
as required.
I will now proceed to describe my invention in detail with the aid of the
accompanying drawings, in which :-
Figure 1 is a side elevation partly in section of the front end of a furnace fitted
with my improved arrangement; the air conductor being cylindrical and its vanes
spiral.
Figure 2 is an end elevation of Figure 1 looking towards the right hand
thereof.
Figure 3 is a longitudinal-section of Figure 1.
Figure 4 is an end elevation of the vaned annular ring or conductor.
Figure 5 is a longitudinal-section a modified form of the improved furnace
arrangement, the air conductor being conical or tapering towards the front end.
Figure 6 is a rear elevation of Figure 5.

page_text: Figure 7 is a longitudinal-section of the improved furnace arrangement
wherein the air conductor is composed of a series of straight tubes of different
lengths.
Figure 8 is an end elevation of Figure 7.
Figure 9 is a longitudinal-section of the furnace constructed according to my
improved arrangement, with cylindrical conductor and spiral vanes.
Figure 10 is a front elevation of Figure 9.
Figure 11 is a sectional-elevation of a modified form of the arrangement fitted
in a furnace, wherein the conductor is movable longitudinally.
Figure 12 is a front view of Figure 11.
Like reference letters denote different views of the same parts throughout
these figures.
According to my invention, with the above objects in view, the ordinary fire-
bars dead-plate and furnace front are removed, and in the front end B of the
furnace is fitted an annular ring b which may run parallel throughout its length
as shown in Figures 1, 2, 3, and 10, and thus constitute a short cylinder, or it
may be so made as to taper towards one end as shown in Figures 5 and 6, and
thus be of the form of a frustrum of a cone, in which latter case it is placed in
position with its larger end or base of the cone inwards, that is, directed towards
the rear end of the furnace. This apparatus, hereinafter briefly referred to as
the Conductor," as it serves to heat and oonduct air to the furnace, has strips
of metal or other suitable material D secured edgewise upon and around its
perimeter or external surface in such manner as to traverse it longitudinally,
an interval or space being left between each strip. The strips thus arranged form
partitions or vanes and the spaces C between them, channels.
The partitions or vanes D on the conductor may be arranged so as to traverse
its perimeter either spirally as shown in Figures 1, 2, 9 and 10 or straight as
shown in Figures 5 and 6, or as a combination of the two, or any other form
desired. Their object is to delay or retard the incoming air more or less, and
therefore whether made straight or more or less tortuous will depend upon how
long the air must be delayed in its passage through the channels of the conductor
to give it (the air) ample opportunity to receive the heat derived from the fuel,
and this in turn may depend upon the quality or nature of the fuel used, some
oils requiring more air and therefore a more rapid rate of supply for perfect com-
bustion than others. The object of a curved or tortuous course is to lengthen it,
and it will be understood that the more tortuous the channels are made the longer
will be the course to be traversed by the air, and consequently the more it will be
retarded or delayed in contact with the hot surfaces of the conductor, and thus
afford the air a better opportunity of acquiring the proper amount of heat during
its passage through or over the conductor. The inner ends of these channels
may be closed in which case openings must be provided in the body of the con-
ductor, or one or more holes may be provided as shewn in Fig. 5 for con-
ducting the air to the furnace, or the channels may be left partly or fully open
with one or more holes d leading to the inside to allow part of the air to enter
at these holes and ignite the fuel in the apparatus while the rest of the air comes
in contact with the fuel on emerging from the end of the channels C.
In place of the said short cylindrical or conical ring above described the con-
ductor may be composed of a series of tubes e fitted in the front end of the furnace,
the said tubes being preferably arranged in one or more concentric circles about
the fuel injectors, as shown in Figures 7 and 8. In the event of tubes being
employed they may be all of one length but preferably they are made of different
lengths so as to bring the air in connection with the fuel in different parts of the
furnace. These tubes e like the vanes or partitions D, may be arranged straight
and parallel as shown in Figures 7 and 8, or they may take a spiral or other
suitable course.
Part of this conductor protrudes more or less outside beyond the front end of
the furnace, as may be required, as shown in Figures 1, 3, 5, 7. and 9, the out-

page_text: side part being covered with some non-conducting material G to prevent waste of
heat due to radiation.
The conductor apparatus may be constructed in one or more pieces as desired
or convenient.
The annular space formed either by the channels C or by the corresponding
series of tubes e which the air enters at the stoke-hold side is provided with a
suitable damper or dampers properly guided or rendered adjustable so that the
amount of air entering the channels C can be nicely regulated. In the draw-
ings, E indicates this damper, which may be fitted so as to open and close the
air inlets by either a rotary motion or by a sliding longitudinal motion, as shewn
in Figures 13 5, 11 and 12 h, h, being the handles thereof.
Inside the annular part of the arrangement reserved for air inlet at the stoke-
hold, the conductor apparatus is closed by a cover F which may be composed of
one or more pieces as desired or convenient. This cover may be provided with
one or more air or sight holes H (see Figures 2, 3, 9 and 10), closed by suitable
covers or valves as shown, and it carries at the same time the injectors I (see
Figures 9 and 10) of the liquid fuel.
The arrows in the various figures indicate the direction of the air currents
which feed the ignited spray of liquid fuel with air for the proper combustion
of the said fuel.
The conductor apparatus may fit the front end of the furnace tightly or loosely,
in other words, it may be practically fixed or it may be slidably movable so as to
be capable of being drawn out more or less, at will.
Experimenting with refuse from different wells I find that some residues
require more air at the outlet of the spray whilst others require it further in the
furnace. To meet these requirements I prefer to make the conductor accord-
ing to the slight modification shewn in Figures 11 and 12 wherein it is fitted in
the front end of the original furnace slidably, that is, in such a way that it can
be moved backward and forward by means of the two handles a which project
through the furnace front in the stokehold, thus enabling the delivery of the
allowance of air to be regulated at pleasure to take place as and where required
most.
The furnace front (provided with a suitable door or doors for inspection)
extends into the stokehold to a sufficient distance to allow for the circular
damper E on its circumference, by which damper the amount of air necessary
for combustion is regulated.
The furnace front is likewise the bearer of the injectors I which latter are not
shewn in these two figures.
By moving the conductor or heating-ring as it may be called, more or less
from the furnace front by means of the handles a the air after passing the damper
is directed more or less towards the fuel at the outflow of the spray, while the rest
of the entering air passes through the channels C to the furnace. The object
of this movable conductor is to distribute the air suitably for different kinds or
qualities of the fuel.
The operation of the invention is as follows:-
Assuming everything to be in working order, the damper E is adjusted for
admitting the proper proportion of fresh air from without according to the nature
of the residue fuel used, and if the movable conductor be employed, that also is
adjusted so as to deliver the air at the required part of the furnace, and the fuel
spray is started and ignited. The fresh air having entered through the openings,
at the stokehold end it passes through the channels C of the conductor in the
direction indicated by the arrows in several of the views, being retarded in its
passage more or less according as the said channels are more or less tortuous;
the object of this retardation being to keep the air for a sufficient length of time
in contact with the vanes D and other surfaces of the conductor-which latter
has become highly heated by the radiation of heat from the spray of liquid
fuel burning within it-to become itself highly heated during its passage through

page_text: the channels and consequently in a much more advantageous, state to be mixed
with the fuel spray to assist the combustion because the air as it delivers itself
from the conductor to the fuel spray being heated to a high temperature does not
extract any appreciable heat from the fuel spray and thus the latter is worked
more economically. The heated air by reason of the form and construction of
the conductor is caused to entirely surround the fuel spray and thus becomes more
intimately and evenly mixed therewith; causing the fuel to burn more perfectly
and therefore more cleanly.
It will be observed that the openings of the air channels of the conductor are
so disposed in a practically fixed conductor that the spray of liquid fuel is
supplied with the heated air substantially where required but the movable, con-
ductor enables a finer adjustment.
+
This invention is applicable to existing marine and other steam boiler furnaces
rendering them suitable for the combustion of liquid fuel whether injected into
the furnace by mechanical force, steani or compressed air. The chief advantages
of it are that the air necessary for combustion is presented to the fuel spray in
a highly heated condition and surrounding the fuel spray on all sides and that
the delivery of the heated air may be caused to take place at any required part
of the furnace to suit fuels (liquid) of different nature or qualities.
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:
.
1. In a steam boiler furnace burning liquid fuel, the combination with the
front end of the furnace and a damper for regulating the intake of air, of the
device for conducting and heating the draught of air for assisting the combustion
of the fuel, consisting of a hollow cone-frustrum or cylinder provided with
apertures and having upright vanes or partitions traversing its external surface
from end to end leaving a space between each vane, said spaces forming channels
for the passage of the incoming air and the conducting of it in a hot state to
the fuel spray the said device being either tightly or movably fitted in the front
end of the furnace and surrounding the injector or injectors of fuel, substantially
as described and illustrated.
2. In a steam boiler furnace burning liquid fuel, the combination with the
front end of the furnace and a damper for regulating the intake of air, of the
device for conducting and heating the draught of air for assisting the combustion
of the fuel, consisting of a series of short tubes fitted in the front end of the
furnace open at both ends and surrounding the injectors of fuel the device as a
whole being fitted either tightly or loosely in the front end of the furnace sub-
stantially as and for the purpose described and illustrated.
3. In a steam boiler furnace burning liquid fuel, the combination with the
front end of the furnace of the device for conducting and heating the draught of
air for assisting the combustion of the fuel, consisting of a hollow cone-frustrum
or cylinder provided with apertures and having upright vanes or partitions
traversing its external surface from end to end leaving a space between each
vane said spaces forming channels for the passage and conduction of the incoming
air, a damper for regulating the intake of air to the said conductor, a nozzle or
nozzles for injecting the fuel projecting into the interior of and surrounded by
the said conductor, and a steam or air pump for producing the spray, all con-
structed operated and working in combination substantially as described and
set forth.
1
1
J
1000
PHILLIPS & LEIGH,
No. 22, Southampton Buildings, Chancery Lane, London, W.C.,
Agents for the Applicant.

page_text: side part being covered with some non-conducting material G to prevent waste of
heat due to radiation.
The conductor apparatus may be constructed in one or more pieces as desired
or convenient.
The annular space formed either by the channels C or by the corresponding
series of tubes e which the air enters at the stoke-hold side is provided with a
suitable damper or dampers properly guided or rendered adjustable so that the
amount of air entering the channels can be nicely regulated. In the draw-
ings, E indicates this damper, which may be fitted so as to open and close the
air inlets by either a rotary motion or by a sliding longitudinal motion, as shewn
in Figures 13 5, 11 and 12 h, h, being the handles thereof.
Inside the annular part of the arrangement reserved for air inlet at the stoke-
hold, the conductor apparatus is closed by a cover F which may be composed of
one or more pieces as desired or convenient. This cover may be provided with
one or more air or sight holes H (see Figures 2, 3, 9 and 10), closed by suitable
covers or valves as shown, and it carries at the same time the injectors I (see
Figures 9 and 10) of the liquid fuel.
The arrows in the various figures indicate the direction of the air currents
which feed the ignited spray of liquid fuel with air for the proper combustion
of the said fuel.
The conductor apparatus may fit the front end of the furnace tightly or loosely,
in other words, it may be practically fixed or it may be slidably movable so as to
be capable of being drawn out more or less, at will.
Experimenting with refuse from different wells I find that some residues
require more air at the outlet of the spray whilst others require it further in the
furnace. To meet these requirements I prefer to make the conductor accord-
ing to the slight modification shewn in Figures 11 and 12 wherein it is fitted in
the front end of the original furnace slidably, that is, in such a way that it can
be moved backward and forward by means of the two handles a which project
through the furnace front in the stokehold, thus enabling the delivery of the
allowance of air to be regulated at pleasure to take place as and where required
most.
The furnace front (provided with a suitable door or doors for inspection)
extends into the stokehold to a sufficient distance to allow for the circular
damper E on its circumference, by which damper the amount of air necessary
for combustion is regulated.
The furnace front is likewise the bearer of the injectors I which latter are not
shewn in these two figures.
By moving the conductor or heating-ring as it may be called, more or less
from the furnace front by means of the handles a the air after passing the damper
is directed more or less towards the fuel at the outflow of the spray, while the rest
of the entering air passes through the channels C to the furnace. The object
of this movable conductor is to distribute the air suitably for different kinds or
qualities of the fuel.
The operation of the invention is as follows:-
Assuming everything to be in working order, the damper E is adjusted for
admitting the proper proportion of fresh air from without according to the nature
of the residue fuel used, and if the movable conductor be employed, that also is
adjusted so as to deliver the air at the required part of the furnace, and the fuel
spray is started and ignited. The fresh air having entered through the openings,
at the stokehold end it passes through the channels C of the conductor in the
direction indicated by the arrows in several of the views, being retarded in its
passage more or less according as the said channels are more or less tortuous;
the object of this retardation being to keep the air for a sufficient length of time
in contact with the vanes D) and other surfaces of the conductor-which latter
has become highly heated by the radiation of heat from the spray of liquid
fuel burning within it-to become itself highly heated during its passage through

page_text: the channels and consequently in a much more advantageous state to be mixed
with the fuel spray to assist the combustion because the air as it delivers itself
from the conductor to the fuel spray being heated to a high temperature does not
extract any appreciable heat from the fuel spray and thus the latter is 'worked
more economically. The heated air by reason of the form and construction of
the conductor is caused to entirely surround the fuel spray and thus becomes more
intimately and evenly mixed therewith; causing the fuel to burn more perfectly
and therefore more cleanly.
It will be observed that the openings of the air channels of the conductor are
so disposed in a practically fixed conductor that the spray of liquid fuel is
supplied with the heated air substantially where required but the movable con-
ductor enables a finer adjustment.
This invention is applicable to existing marine and other steam boiler furnaces
rendering them suitable for the combustion of liquid fuel whether injected into
the furnace by mechanical force, steam or compressed air. The chief advantages
of it are that the air necessary for combustion is presented to the fuel spray in
a highly heated condition and surrounding the fuel-spray on all sides and that
the delivery of the heated air may be caused to take place at any required part
of the furnace to suit fuels (liquid) of different nature. or qualities.
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:-
1. In a steam boiler furnace burning liquid fuel, the combination with the
front end of the furnace and a damper for regulating the intake of air, of the
device for conducting and heating the draught of air for assisting the combustion
of the fuel, consisting of a hollow cone-frustrum or cylinder provided with
apertures and having upright vanes or partitions traversing its external surface
from end to end leaving a space between each vane, said spaces forming channels
for the passage of the incoming air and the conducting of it in a hot state to
the fuel spray the said device being either tightly or movably fitted in the front
end of the furnace and surrounding the injector or injectors of fuel, substantially
as described and illustrated.
2. In a steam boiler furnace burning liquid fuel, the combination with the
front end of the furnace and a damper for regulating the intake of air, of the
device for conducting and heating the draught of air for assisting the combustion
of the fuel, consisting of a series of short tubes fitted in the front end of the
furnace open at both ends and surrounding the injectors of fuel the device as a
whole being fitted either tightly or loosely in the front end of the furnace sub-
stantially as and for the purpose described and illustrated.
3. In a steam boiler furnace burning liquid fuel, the combination with the
front end of the furnace of the device for conducting and heating the draught of
air for assisting the combustion of the fuel, consisting of a hollow cone-frustrum
or cylinder provided with apertures and having upright vanes or partitions
traversing its external surface from end to end leaving a space between each
vane said spaces forming channels for the passage and conduction of the incoming
air, a damper for regulating the intake of air to the said conductor, a nozzle or
nozzles for injecting the fuel projecting into the interior of and surrounded by
the said conductor, and a steam or air pump for producing the spray, all con-
structed operated and working in combination substantially as described and
set forth.
PHILLIPS & LEIGH,
No. 22, Southampton Buildings, Chancery Lane, London, W.C.,
Agents for the Applicant.