Improvements in Tubulous Steam Boilers.
Year: 1893

page_text: Date of Application, 13th Sept., 1893-Accepted, 14th Oct., 1893
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Tubulous Steam Boilers.
We, HENRY ALONZO HOUSE (Senior) HENRY ALONZO HOUSE (Junior)
both of the Orleans Boat House, Teddington, in the County of Middlesex,
Mechanical Engineers, and ROBERT RINTOUL SYMON, of 20 Abchurch Lane, in
the City of London, Gentleman, do hereby declare the nature of the said invention,
and in what manner the same is to be performed, to be particularly described and
ascertained in and by the following statement, that is to say :-
These improvements relate to that kind of tubulous steam boiler in which water
collectors or chambers below are connected with a steam and water chamber above,
firstly by a series of water tubes the lower ends of which are connected with the
said lower water collectors or chambers, and the upper ends with the steam space
of the upper chamber; such water tubes being exposed to the action of the fire
for the purpose of heating the water in them, and secondly by certain pipes which
connect the said lower water collectors or chambers with the water space of the
upper chamber, and serve as circulating pipes for returning to the lower chambers
any water carried up into the upper chamber by the heating tubes, such return
circulating pipes being generally placed where they are not subject to the action of
the fire. And the object of the improvements is in the first place to provide
means for delivering any water that may be carried up through the heating tubes
along with the steam, into the upper chamber in such manner that it is directed
away from the steam outlet pipe and on to the water contained in such upper
chamber so as to avoid priming; and in the second place to provide means for
preventing the water in the said upper chamber from running to one end thereof,
thereby preventing proper circulation at the opposite end, when, as often happens
in such boilers when they are used on board ship, one end of the boiler is raised
higher than the other. And in order that the said invention may be fully under-
stood we will now proceed to describe the same with reference to the annexed
drawings in which
Figure 1 is a longitudinal sectional elevation of a boiler of the kind referred to
with the usual enclosing casing removed, Figure 2 a transverse sectional elevation
taken on line X X of Figure 1, and Figure 3 a sectional elevation, to a much
larger scale than Figure 1, of the upper or steam chamber taken on the line Y Y
of that figure.
A represents the lower or water collectors or chambers, A¹ pipes connecting the
said collectors or chambers together, B the upper or steam and water chamber,
C the series of heating tubes which are subjected to the action of the fire contained
in the furnace space Cx, their lower ends opening into the water collectors A and
their upper ends into the steam space of the upper chamber B. D are return
circulating pipes connecting the water collectors A with the water space of the
upper chamber B. E is the anti-priming steam pipe for taking off the stean from
the chamber B to the point where it is to be used. The action of boilers of this
kind is well understood but we will here shortly describe it in order to make clear
the connection of our invention with such boilers. The fire, whether of solid fuel
or gas, contained in the space Cx heats the series of pipes C and consequently the
vater in them; this water becomes partly converted into steam and rises into the
team chamber B accompanied by a portion of the heated water which is more or
ess deposited at the bottom of the chamber B, and returns by the circulating
ipes D.to the water collectors A so that there is a continual circulation of water

page_text: up the heating pipes C from the collectors A to the steam chamber B, and from
the latter through the pipes D back to the collectors A, the steam passing off by
the pipe E. But as the steam chamber B is usually of small diameter there is
danger of part of the water delivered into it by the pipes C being entrained into
the steam pipe.
To obviate this, baffle plates have been used opposite to the ends
of the pipes C to divert the water downwards, but these baffle plates have not
given satisfactory results, and instead thereof we employ an arrangement of
nozzles C¹ projecting inwards and downwards from the ends of the pipes C as
shown in Figures 2 and 3. Care short lengths of tube or nipples screwed into
the shell of the chamber B, and provided at their outer ends with union nuts C
which secure the trumpet mouthed ends of the pipes C to the conical end of the
tube C. The nozzles C¹ rest by flanges at their outer ends on the ends of the
tubes or nipples C, they pass easily through the short tubes C2 and project radially
into the chamber B as shown. By these means the nozzles C', which are subject to
a certain amount of wear and tear by the rapid passage of steam and water through
them, can be easily removed and fresh ones put into their place when necessary.
These nozzles forcibly project the water downward on to the surface of that
already in the chamber B in a direction below the level of the steam pipe E,
thus preventing such water from rising with the steam to the holes in the said
steam pipe.
When the boiler stands horizontally the water in the steam chamber B circulates
back to the water collectors A by both end circulation pipes D D, but when the
boiler is raised higher at one end than at the other as shown in Figure 1, by the
pitching or other change in position of the ship or boat in which it may be placed,
the water in the steam chamber runs to the lower end, and sometimes uncovers the
circulating pipes D at the upper end, so that there can be no circulation through
those pipes. To obviate this inconvenience we employ return circulating pipes D'
placed at or near the middle of the length of the water collectors A and steam
chamber B and we fit a swivelling plate F transversely in the chamber B. This
plate is swivelled or hinged at FI over the circulating pipes D¹. It is shaped to
nearly fit the lower part of the internal circumference of the chamber B but to
remain free to swing therein. Projecting parts F' of the plate F enter the upper
ends of the pipes D₁. When the boiler is horizontal the plate F hangs plumb over
these pipes so that circulation of water can go on through them from each side of
the plate; but when either end of the boiler falls lower than the other the plate F
swings on its hinges F¹ until its projections F' come to bear against the lower side
of the pipes D' as shown in Figure 1 and the water in the higher half of the
chamber B heaps up against the plate F and is prevented thereby from rushing to
the lower end of the boiler but circulates through the tubes D₁, the water in the
lower part of the chamber B alone going to the pipes D at the lower end. This
arrangement also assists in retaining sufficient water in the upper half of the steam
chamber B to secure circulation thereof through the pipes D at the upper end of
the said chamber.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of the said inven-
tion, and in what manner the same is to be performed, we declare that what we
claim is
First. In a tubulous boiler of the kind herein referred to the employment of
nozzles projecting inwards and downwards from the ends of the heating pipes into
the steam chamber substantially as described and for the purpose specified.
Second. In combination with the steam chamber B and heating tubes C of a
tubulous boiler, the nozzles C', the short lengths of tube or nipples C' and the
union nuts C substantially as described with reference to the annexed drawings
and for the purpose specified.
Third. In combination with the steam chamber B of a tubulous boiler the

page_text: swivelled or hinged plate F and the intermediate circulating pipes D¹, sub-
stantially as described with reference to the annexed drawings and for the purpose
specified.
1000
H. A. HOUSE, SENIOR,
H. A. HOUSE, JUNIOR,
R. R. SYMON,
Per W. H. Beck,
115, Cannon Street, London, Agent.