Improved Means of Preventing the Emission of Flame and Smoke from the Chimneys of Furnaces Working with a Forced Draught.
Year: 1887

page_text: Date of Application, 30th Mar., 1887
Complete Left, 29th Nov., 1887.
Complete Accepted, 30th Dec., 1887
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
Improved Means of Preventing the Emission of Flame and Smoke
from the Chimneys of Furnaces Working with a Forced
Draught.
I. ALEXANDER MELVILLE CLARK, of the firm of A. M. and Wm. Clark, of
53. Chancery Lane, in the County of Middlesex, Fellow of the Institute of
Patent Agents, do hereby declare the nature of this Invention a communication
to me from abroad by Paul Oriolle fils, of Nantes France, Engineer to be as
follows:
This Invention relates to means for preventing the emission of flame and smoke
from the chimneys of furnaces having a forced draught, and particularly from the
funnels of torpedo boats, cruisers, and other vessels. This is effected by causing the
products of combustion, after giving up all their utilizable heat, to be carried away
along with a sufficient quantity of water in a finely divided condition to lower to a
notable extent the temperature of the gases, and to condense them and wash the soot
which they carry off under the forced draught. In the case of steam-vessels, the
cooled and washed gases are discharged into the sea at the side of the vessel. They
remain, by reason of their density, upon the surface of the water invisible or nearly
so, being composed of carbonic acid, carbonic oxide and nitrogen.
Reference is to be had to the accompanying drawings forming part of this
Specification, which illustrate the Invention as applied to a torpedo boat. Figure 1.
is a transverse vertical section, Figure 2 a top-plan and figure 3 a part sectional side
elevation of the apparatus. The same letters of reference represent the same parts
in the three figures.
The funnel a only rises about a yard above the deck, and is enclosed in a casing b
which is of oblong section and extends aft of the funnel, as shewn in figure 2, its
sectional area being four or five times that of the funnel, in order that the velocity of
the furnace gases may be reduced by two thirds to three fourths in passing down-
wards through the casing. The casing is itself water jacketted, and is closed at top
by a cover c made of two buckled plates connected by stays d, the plates being
ivetted together on three sides, and on the fourth side to a hollow hinge e through

page_text: which water is admitted to the cover, so as to be showered down from the perforated
under side thereof and caused to mix with the gases as they pass down through the
casing. The cooled gases, soot, and water are discharged through an outlet at the
base of the casing leading down the side of the hull to about the water line. The
cover c being hinged can be raised for cleaning the perforations, or to permit of an
extra length being fixed on the funnel when firing up or when the vessel rolls too
much to allow of the washer being used. The hinge e is connected at one end by a
stuffing box joint, to the delivery pipe g of a pump capable of supplying sufficient
water. The cover c is preferably slightly inclined, in order that the resultant of the
movement of the gases and that of the drops of water which they meet, may be
vertical.
Water may be supplied by branches of pipe g, to the water jacket of the casing of
which the inner wall may be perforated, so that the water may issue therefrom in jets
and assist the shower from cover c to wash the gases. The down cast space between
the funnel a and the casing is divided horizontally by wire gauze partitions h of
large mesh for the purpose of causing a more intimate contact of the water and
gases. The washed gases pass out through a passage i where they traverse a series
of wicks depending from the under side of a hollow casing into which the water
which has washed the gases passes by one or more pipes m, the water in its descent
filtering through the wicks which are traversed by the gases before they are
discharged near the water line beneath the screen n. The volume of water employed
would vary with the quantity of fuel consumed, but it should be equal to at least six
times the weight of the steam generated.
In order to avoid as much as possible the effect of the rolling motion upon the
working of the apparatus, one or other of the following arrangements may be
adopted, according to the number of funnels. If the vessel has one funnel, the exit
channel for the washed gases and water would be bifurcated, and if it has two funnels,
the casings enclosing said funnels would communicate with each other at bottom.
The forn, dimensions, and details, of the various parts may be varied without
departing from the principle of the Invention, which consists in washing the gases of
combustion by an excess of water.
The Invention is applicable to boilers and furnaces generally, in which a forced
draught is used.
Dated this 20th day of March 1887
A. MELVILLE CLARK.
By A. M. & Wm. Clark,
53, Chancery Lane, London,
Patent Agents.

page_text: COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improved Means of Preventing the Emission of Flame and Smoke
from the Chimneys of Furnaces Working with a Forced
Draught.
I, ALEXANDER MELVILLE CLARK, of the firm of A. M. and Wm. Clark, of
53, Chancery Lane, in the County of Middlesex, Fellow of the Institute of Patent
Agents, do hereby declare the nature of this Invention (a communication to me from
abroad by Paul Oriolle fils, of Nantes, France, Engineer) and in what manner the
same is to be performed, to be particularly described and ascertained in and by the
following statement :-
This Invention relates to means for preventing the emission of flame and smoke
from the chimneys of furnaces having a forced draught, and particularly from the
funnels of torpedo boats, cruisers, and other vessels. This result is attained by
causing the products of combustion after giving up all their utilizable heat, to be
carried away along with a sufficient quantity of water in a finely divided condition to
lower to a notable extent the temperature of the gases and to condense them and
wash out the soot which they carry off under the forced draught. In the case of
steam-vessels, the cooled and washed gases are discharged into the sea at the side of
the vessel, and remain, by reason of their density, upon the surface of the water
invisible or nearly so, being composed of carbonic acid, carbonic oxide, and nitrogen.
Reference is to be had to the drawings left with my provisional specification, which
illustrate the invention as applied to a torpedo boat. Figure 1 is a transverse
vertical section, figure 2 a top plan, and figure 3 a part sectional side elevation, of
the apparatus. The same letters of reference represent the same parts in the three
figures.
The funnel a only rises about three feet above the deck and is enclosed in a casing b
of about four feet in height which is of oblong section and extends aft of the funnel,
as shewn in figures 2 and 3, its sectional area being four or five times that of the
funnel in order that the velocity of the furnace gases may be reduced by two thirds
to three fourths in passing downwards through the casing. The casing is itself water-
jacketted, and is closed at top by a cover c made of two buckled plates connected by
stays d, the plates being rivetted together on three sides and on the fourth side to a
hollow hinge through which water is admitted to the cover whence it is showered
down from the perforated under side thereof so as to mix with the gases as they pass
down through the casing to the deck level where the cooled gases, soot, and water are
discharged through an outlet at the base of the casing leading down the side of the
hull to about the water line.
The cover c being hinged, can be raised for cleaning the perforations or to permit
of an extra length being fixed on the funnel when firing up or when the vessel rolls
too much to allow of the washer being used. The hinge e is connected at one end by
a stuffing box joint, to the delivery pipe y of a pump capable of supplying sufficient

page_text: water. The cover c is preferably slightly inclined in order that the resultant of the
movements of the gases and of the drops of water which they meet, may be vertical.
Water may be supplied by one or more branches (which would be provided with
cocks) from pipe g to the water jacket of the funnel casing, of which the inner wall
may be perforated so that the water may issue therefrom in jets and assist the shower
from cover c to wash the gases.
The down-cast space between the funnel a and the casing b is divided horizontally
by wire gauze partitions of large mesh, for the purpose of causing a more intimate
contact of the water and gasos.
The washed gases on arriving at the bottom of the casing, pass out through a
passage i where they traverse a series of wicks k depending from the under side of a
hollow casing into which the water which has washed the gases, passes by one or
more pipes m, this water in its descent filtering through the wicks which as above
mentioned, are traversed by the gases before the latter are discharged near the water
line beneath the freely pendent screen n. The volume of water employed would vary
with the quantity of fuel consumed, but it should be equal to at least six times the
weight of the steam generated.
In order to lessen as much as possible, the effect of the rolling motion upon the
working of the apparatus, one or other of the following arrangements may be adopted,
according to the number of funnels.
If the vessel has but one funnel, the exit channel for the washed gases and water
would be bifurcated, and if it has two funnels, the casings enclosing said funnels
would communicate with each other at bottom.
The form, dimensions, and details, of the various parts may be varied without
departing from the principle of the invention which consists in wasbing the gases of
combustion by an excess of water.
The Invention is applicable to boilers and furnaces generally in which a forced
draught is used.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of the said
invention, and in what manner the same is to be performed. I declare that what
1 claim is;
b
1. The herein described apparatus for preventing the escape of flame, smoke, and
cinders, from furnaces having a forced draught, and for washing the smoke and
gases; which consists in the smoke funnel a and casing & surrounding it, combined
with the water-inlet pipe g, and with a cover c having a perforated under plate, the
pipe g entering the cover c, substantially as herein shewn and described.
2. The funnel a and casing b surrounding same cover c having a perforated under
plate and water-inlet pipe 9 opening into the cover c, combined with the wicks k
under a casing connected with the casing b, substantially as described.
Dated this 29th day of November 1887.
A. MELVILLE CLARK.
By A. M. & Wm. Clark,
53, Chancery Lane, London,
Patent Agents.