Improvements in Means for Promoting the Combustion of Smoke in Steam Boiler and other Furnaces.
Year: 1891

page_text: Date of Application, 18th July, 1891
Complete Specification Left, 16th Apr., 892-Accepted, 21st May, 1892
PROVISIONAL, SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Means for Promoting the Combustion of Smoke in
Steam Boiler and other Furnaces.
We ROBERT WALLBANK of 2 Whittaker Street off Lever Street Bolton in the
County of Lancaster Engineer and JAMES BIRCHBY of 71 Bridgeman Place,
Bolton aforesaid, out of business, do hereby declare the nature of this invention to
be as follows :-
Our said invention relates to improved means for effecting the combustion of
smoke and gases in steam generator and other furnaces.
According to our invention we form the bridge hollow with an orifice or orifices
at the foot in front and an opening or openings at the top preferably looking
towards the back. We also arrange a steam pipe or pipes led from the boiler at
any suitable point or from a branch connected to the boiler the said pipes extending
along the bottom of the flue beneath the furnace bars the steam supply to the said
pipe or pipes being governed by a suitable valve or valves. The steam pipe or
pipes terminate just in front of the orifices at the foot of the bridge and when the
boiler is in operation steam blown through the said pipe or pipes is discharged into
the hollow bridge inducing or carrying with it the heated air which passes from the
front beneath the furnace bars. The steam imparts a still higher temperature to
the air and the mixture of steam and air is also further heated in the hollow bridge
and discharged at the back of the bridge near the top. On issuing from the bridge
the steam and air meet the smoke and heated products of combustion as they pass
over the bridge from the furnace, and cause them to become ignited and to burst
into flame. The smoke is thus entirely consumed and a considerable economy in
fuel is effected. Any suitable means may be used to regulate the supply of air to
the bridge. The arrangement and application of the steam blowing pipes or
appliances may be considerably varied so long as the principle of our invention is
preserved which is to convey steam and heated air into the foot of the hollow
bridge and to discharge the same at or near the top of the bridge so as to act upon
the smoke and gases passing over the bridge from the furnace in the manner
described. The discharge nozzle of the steam pipe is formed preferably as a hollow
cone the internal diameter tapering or diminishing gradually towards the efflux
opening. The orifice or orifices at the foot of the bridge are preferably provided
with louvres, grids or doors so that the orifices can be closed when desired. For
example we find that it is advisable to close these orifices after the fires have been
banked up for the night. This closing of the orifices cuts off draught that
might otherwise pass through the bridge and cause undue consumption of the fuel.
To assist in keeping the furnace bars cool we might cause a jet or jets of steam to
play continuously or at times on the under side of the grate the steam being
supplied from the pipe or pipes conducting the steam to the bridge.
Dated this 17th day of July 1891.

page_text: COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Means for Promoting the Combustion of Smoke in
Steam Boiler and other Furnaces.
•
We, Robert WALLBANK of 2 Whittaker Street, off Lever Street, Bolton, in the
County of Lancaster, Engineer, and JAMES BIRCH BY of 71 Bridgeman Place,
Bolton, aforesaid, out of business, 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 and accompanying drawings :—
Our said invention relates to improved means for effecting the combustion of
smoke and gases in steam generator and other furnaces.
To render our invention perfectly clear we will now proceed to describe the same
particularly reference being had to the annexed sheet of drawings.
Fig. 1 is a front elevation of a double flued boiler to which our invention is shown
applied.
Fig. 2 is a sectional view at right angles to Fig. 1.
Fig. 3 is an enlarged front view of the hollow casting comprising the bridge.
Fig. 4 is a sectional view at right angles to Fig. 3.
Fig. 5 is an enlarged section of the steam nozzle.
According to our invention we form the bridge hollow with an orifice or orifices
at the foot in front and an opening or openings at the top preferably looking
towards the back. The hollow bridge is formed mainly by an L shaped hollow
casting a the lower horizontal member a' of which forms a passage the front of
which is closed by a centrally pivotted door 6 which can be opened and closed from
the front of the boiler by a hook rod c engaging with an eye fixed to one end of the
door. Thus the fireman can open close or adjust the door from the front of the
boiler so as to regulate the supply of air to the bridge. The vertical member of
the hollow casting a is covered by a hollow, cap d having side suugs to prevent
it from shifting laterally on the casting u. The cap has an opening towards the
back of the bridge through which the air and steam entering the bridge is
discharged. The casting a rests on a seating of brickwork and is protected on the
furnace side by a facing of bricks as shown. The aforesaid cap d is made
removable so as to afford easy access to the interior of the casting a and thus allow
it to be cleaned out when foul. The sloping top of the cap d prevents settlement
of soot upon the top or from entering into the casting a. We also arrange steam
pipes e led from the boiler at any suitable point the said pipes e extending along the
bottom of the flues f beneath the furnace bars the steam supply to the said pipes
being governed by a suitable valve or valves. The steam pipes e are led into the
hollow castings a and discharge the steam upwards into the vertical members of the
castings. When the boiler is in operation steam blown through the said pipes e is
discharged into the hollow bridges or castings a inducing or carrying with it the
heated air which passes from the front of the boiler beneath the furnace bars g and
into the horizontal member of the casting a through the door b. The steam
imparts a still higher temperature to the air and the mixture of steam and air is
also further heated in the hollow bridge and discharged at the back of the bridge
through the opening in the cap d. On issuing from the bridge the steam and air
meet the smoke and heated products of combustion as they pass over the bridge
from the furnace and cause them to become ignited and to burst into flame.
The smoke is thus entirely consumed and a considerable economy in fuel is
effected. Any suitable means other than the pivotted door 6 may be used to
regulate the supply of air to the bridge. The arrangement and application of
the steam blowing pipes or appliances may be considerable varied so long as the
principle of our invention is preserved which is to convey steam and heated air
into the foot of the hollow bridge and to discharge the same at or near the top
of the bridge so as to act upon the smoke and gases passing over the bridge from

page_text: the furnace in the manner described. The discharge nozzles h of the steam pipes
are formed preferably as a hollow cone the internal diameter tapering or diminishing
gradually towards the efflux opening as clearly illustrated in Fig. 5. The opening
at the foot of the bridge or casting a is preferably provided as shown with a door
not only that the air supply may be adjusted while working but also in order that
the orifices can be closed when desired. For example we find that it is advisable
to close these openings after the fires have been banked up for the night. This
closing of the openings cuts off any air draught that might otherwise pass through
the bridge and cause undue consumption of the fuel. To assist in keeping the
furnace bars cool we might cause a jet or jets of steam to play continuously or at
times on the under side of the grate. For this purpose we provide steam pipes ;
leading from the same branch which supplies the pipes e and lying side by side
with the pipes e. The pipes terminate about half way along the furnace and
have discharge nozzles similar to those applied to the pipes e. The steam jets
blowing ou the under side of the grates not only keep the bars cool but also promote
combustion and prevent clinkering.
Having now particularly described ascertained the nature of our said inven-
tion and in what manner the same is to be performed we declare that what we
claim is :-
1. The general arrangement construction and combination of parts comprising
the improved means for promoting the combustion of smoke in steam boiler and
other furnaces substantially as described and shown.
2. In apparatus of the indicated description the use of a hollow bridge having a
supply of steam led into it by a pipe or pipes and also a supply of air at the foot
and discharging the heated mixture of steam and air through an opening at the top
so as to act upon the smoke and heated products of combustion as they pass over
the bridge substantially as described and illustrated.
3. In apparatus of the indicated description the hollow casting a provided at the
lower inlet end with means for adjusting or interrupting the air supply and fitted
at the top with a removable cap having a discharge orifice preferably looking
towards the back of the bridge substantially as described and shown.
Dated this 14th day of April 1892.
DUTTON & FULTON,
1, St. James' Square, Manchester, Agents.