IMPROVEMENTS IN APPARATUS USED IN THE MANUFACTURE OF GAS, WHICH IMPROVEMENTS ARE ALSO APPLICABLE TO OTHER PURPOSES
Year: 1872

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to William Purvis Wilson, of 28, Duke Street, in
the City of Westminster, for the Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN
APPARATUS USED IN THE MANUFACTURE OF GAS, WHICH IMPROVEMENTS ARE
ALSO APPLICABLE TO OTHER PURPOSES."
Sealed the 9th May 1873, and dated the 11th November 1872.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said William Purvis Wilson
at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition,
on the 11th November 1872.
I, WILLIAM PURVIS WILSON, of 28, Duke Street, in the City of
Westminster, do hereby declare the nature of the said Invention for
"IMPROVEMENTS IN APPARATUS USED IN THE MANUFACTURE OF GAS, WHICH
IMPROVEMENTS ARE ALSO APPLICABLE TO OTHER PURPOSES," to be as follows:-
This Invention has reference to improvements in furnaces employed
in the heating of gas retorts, smelting, and other purposes where great
heat is required, and is based upon an Invention for which Letters
Patent, No. 717, dated March 17, 1871, were granted to me.

page_text: The Invention consists in forming additional flues on or near to a
level with the furnace or bearing bars, and with this view I construct an
annular box or chamber of cast iron of the shape and size of the furnace,
into and all round the brickwork of which it is built, the cover of the
said box forming an inclined dead plate. The brickwork of the sides
and ends of the furnace start from the outer edge of this cover or dead
plate and continue upwards as in ordinary furnaces. Into the box or
chamber before mentioned water is admitted to nearly the level of the
furnace bars; the space between the water and the under side of the
dead plate is thus constituted into an air flue around the sides and back
of the furnace. At the front end an opening of about three inches
square is made for the admission of air which will divide and travel
along each flue and over the water in the box. The currents of air
join at the back, from whence they pass through a similar opening into
the flues in the brickwork. By these means the air becomes sufficiently
heated to cause such an evaporation of the water as will render it moist,
and in this condition it readily abstracts the heat from the brickwork in
its passage through the numerous orifices into the furnace. The brick-
work is thus kept cool and its destruction prevented.
Another arrangement for effecting the same object consists in
forming on the under side of the inclined dead plate and extending
along the sides and back thereof, two vertical flanges, one of which is
made to dip into the water in the ash pan, while the other is only of
sufficient depth to rest on the brickwork of the sides and end of the ash-
pit. There are consequently two parallel flues, but in this case the air
is admitted by an opening in the back of the flange dipping into the
water. The air, as in the former case, is heated, becomes moist by
contact with the water, and in its passage through the flues and brick-
work abstracts the heat with the same result as before described.
Various modifications of the foregoing may be effected by slightly
altering the details, but without deviating from the principles of this
Invention. The principle applied in the construction of the air flues may
however be adopted without admitting the air to the furnaces, the
moist air flues in such case being used only to keep the brickwork cool.
On the sides of the box or flanges and at suitable distances, snugs
are cast to support the bearers of the furnace bars. These furnace bars
are constructed upon the same principle as the furnaces, and each
consists of two bars or plates of either wrought or cast iron, with.

page_text: distance pieces placed between and rivetted together, so as to form one
bar. Greater air space is thus obtained in a given area, and the con-
sequence is that the bars are kept much cooler, and their destruction
greatly retarded.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent,
filed by the said William Purvis Wilson in the Great Seal Patent
Office on the 10th May 1873.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, WILLIAM
PURVIS WILSON, formerly of 28, Duke Street, in the City of West-
minster, but now of London House, St. Neots, in the County of
Huntingdon, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her
Letters Patent, bearing date the Eleventh day of November, in the year
of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and seventy-two, in the thirty-
sixth year of Her reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give
and grant unto me, the said William Purvis Wilson, Her special
licence that I, the said William Purvis Wilson, my executors, adminis-
trators, and assigns, or such others as I, the said William Purvis
Wilson, my executors, administrators, and assigns, should at any time
agree with, and no others, from time to time and at all times thereafter
during the term therein expressed, should and lawfully might make,
use, exercise, and vend, within the United Kingdom of Great Britain
and Ireland, the Channel Islands, and Isle of Man, an Invention for
"IMPROVEMENTS IN APPARATUS USED IN THE MANUFACTURE OF GAS, WHICH
IMPROVEMENTS ARE ALSO APPLICABLE TO OTHER PURPOSES," upon the condition
(amongst others) that I, the said William Purvis Wilson, my executors
or adminstrators, by an instrument in writing under my, or their, or
one of their hands and seals, should particularly describe and ascertain
the nature of the said Invention, and in what manner the same was to
be performed, and cause the same to be filed in the Great Seal Patent
Office within six calendar months next and immediately after the date
of the said Letters Patent.
NOW KNOW YE, that I, the said William Purvis Wilson, do hereby
declare the nature of my said Invention, and in what manner the same
is to be performed, to be particularly described and ascertained in and

page_text: by the following statement, reference being had to the accompanying
Drawings, and to the letters and figures marked thereon, that is to
say :—
This Invention has reference to improvements in furnaces employed in
the heating of gas retorts, smelting, and other purposes where great heat
is required, and is based upon an Invention, for which Letters Patent,
No. 717, dated March 17, 1871, were granted to me.
The Invention consists in forming additional flues on or near to a level
with the furnace or bearing bars, and with this view I construct an
annular box or chamber of cast iron of the shape and size of the furnace,
into and all round the brick work of which it is built, the cover of the
said box forming an inclined dead plate M, Fig. 9. The brickwork of
the sides and ends of the furnace start from the outer edge of this cover
or dead plate, and continue upwards as in ordinary furnaces. Into the
box or chamber before mentioned water is admitted to nearly the level of
the furnace bars, the space between the water and the under side of the
dead plate is thus constituted into an air-flue around the sides and back
of the furnace. At the front end an opening N, seen in Fig. 5, of about
three inches square is made for the admission of air, which will divide
and travel along each flue and over the water in the box. The currents
of air join at the back, from whence they pass through a similar opening
into the flues in the brickwork. By these means the air becomes suf-
ficiently heated to cause such an evaporation of the water as will render
it moist, and in this condition it readily abstracts the heat from the
brickwork in its passage through the numerous orifices into the furnace.
The brickwork is thus kept cool and its destruction prevented.
Another arrangement, Fig. 8, for effecting the same object consists in
forming on the under side of the inclined dead plate, and extending along
the sides and back thereof two vertical flanges, one of which is made to
dip into the water in the ash pan, while the other is only of sufficient
depth to rest on the brickwork of the sides and end of the ash-pit.
There are, consequently, two parallel flues, but in this case the air is
admitted by an opening in the back of the flange dipping into the water.
The air, as in the former case, is heated, becomes moist by contact with
the water, and in its passage through the flues and brickwork abstracts
the heat with the same result as before described.

page_text: Various modifications of the foregoing may be effected by slightly
altering the details, but without deviating from the principles of this
Invention. The principle applied in the construction of the air flues
may, however, be adopted without admitting the air to the furnaces, the
moist air- flues in such case being used only to keep the brickwork
cool.
On the sides of the box or flanges, and at suitable distances, snugs are
cast to support the bearers of the furnace bars. These furnace bars are
constructed upon the same principle as the furnaces, and each consists of
two bars or plates of either wrought or cast iron, with distance pieces
placed between and riveted together so as to form one bar. Greater air
space is thus obtained in a given arca, and the consequence is that the
bars are kept much cooler, and their destruction greatly retarded.
In order that the foregoing may be more easily understood Drawings
are attached hereto, of which the following is a description:-Fig. 1 is a
transverse section of the furnace through A, B, of Fig. 2; and Fig. 2 is
a section through C, D, of Fig. 1; Fig. 3 is a section through K, L, of
Fig. 1; Fig. 4 is a section through E, F, of Fig. 5; and Fig. 5 is a
section through G, H, of Fig. 4; Fig. 6 is a section through I, J, of
Fig. 4 also; Fig. 7 shows the manner in which the furnace bars are
constructed; Fig. 8 is a similar section to Fig. 1, but shows the dead
plate made of an inclined form; while Fig. 9 is a similar section to
Fig. 4, exhibiting a combined dead plate and cooling tank. In all the
Figs. the parts shown in section are coloured.
Having now described and particularly set forth the nature of this
Invention, and the manner in which the same is or may be used or
carried into effect, I would observe in conclusion that I do not confine
or restrict myself to the precise details or arrangements which I
have described or referred to, as variations may be made therefrom
without deviating from the principles or main features of this Invention,
but what I consider to be novel and original, and therefore claim as the
Invention secured to me by the herein-before in part recited Letters
Patent is,―
Firstly. The construction of furnaces with dead plates so contrived as
to form air flues by their dipping into water, substantially as described.
Secondly. In the construction of furnaces with dead plates so made as
to constitute a dead plate, cooling tank, and moist air flue combined,
substantially as described.

page_text: Thirdly. The arrangement, substantially as described, for the pro-
duction of moist air, which, as it traverses the flues keeps the dead plate
and brickwork cool.
And, fourthly. The mode of constructing furnace bars, substantially
as herein described.
In witness whereof, I, the said William Purvis Wilson, have
hereunto set my hand and seal, this Ninth day of May, in
the year of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and seventy-
three.