IMPROVE- MENTS IN FIXING SALT PANS AND IN ARRANGING THE FURNACES UNDER THE RAME
Year: 1872

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Joseph Parks, of Wincham Boiler Works, North-
wich, in the County of Cheshire, for the Invention of "IMPROVE-
MENTS IN FIXING SALT PANS AND IN ARRANGING THE FURNACES UNDER THE
RAME
"
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Joseph Parks at the
Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on the
2nd November 1872.
I, JOSEPH PARKS, of Wincham Boiler Works, Northwich, in the
County of Cheshire, do hereby declare the nature of the said Invention
for "IMPROVEMENTS IN FIXING SALT PANS AND IN ARRANGING THE FURNACES
UNDER THE SAME," to be as follows:-
The object of the Invention is, first, to. economise fuel and consume
smoke; secondly, to arrange the furnaces and other parts under the pan
in such a manner that free access to any part of the pan for the purpose
of repairs can be had without the loss and risk attending the present
mode of working.

page_text: The system usually adopted is to build a number of flues leading from
the several furnaces (generally consisting of three or four under each
pan), and place the pan on the walls of the flues. The common size of
pan is about 70 feet × 24 feet × 2 feet deep, and weighs about 16 tons.
They are provided with a number of rings round the sides for the
purpose of lifting the pan during repairs, and it frequently happens that
great damage is done to the flues and pan in the process of lifting and

page_text: the pan bottom avoided owing to a more even expansion and contraction
caused by the heat acting over the whole pan surface.
The front portion of the pan is supported on columns which at about
two feet from the ground carry the furnace bars and fittings on brackets
cast on the columns. The back ends of the furnace bearers rest on a
cross wall which forms the back of the ash-pit, and which is carried
up, say one foot, above the grate bars so as to form a bridge to conduct
the heat to the pan bottom. Between each pair of columns a furnace is
fixed, so that five columns suffice for four furnaces. The furnaces are
separated from each other by a fire-brick or block hollow wall, about
4 or 5 feet long, which conveys air to the back part of the furnace so as
to assist in the combustion of fuel, and also assists very much in con-
suming smoke. These hollow walls may have a few holes in the sides
so as to deliver air direct into the centre of the furnace.
Instead of having one ash-hole to each furnace, as is always the case
in the old plan, I leave out the partition walls which separate them and
leave them all open in common with each other, which admits much
more air and gives a better draught to the furnaces, and has no tendency
to swell up with salt as in the old ash-pit.
An iron chimney may be rivetted to each pan, if required, round
which an iron jacket may be used for the purpose of warming the brine
before going into the pan, as in most cases from 500 to 700 degrees of
heat go into the chimney or chimney flue after leaving the pan.
A separate brick chimney may be used for each pan, or a large one to
serve for a number of pans.
Between the chimney and the pan a simple constructed multitubular.
boiler may be fixed, through which tubes the waste heat may pass,
heating the brine before entering the chimney.
As this kind of pan does not require to be lifted from its bed it will
not be subjected to any straining or bending of its rims as in the old
plan, so that cast-iron rims may be used at a less cost; and as the salt
has a much less effect on cast iron than wrought iron they will wear
a much longer time, and there may be a flange cast on the bottom as a
substitute for angle iron, to which the pan bottom may be rivetted.

page_text: SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent,
filed by the said Joseph Parks in the Great Seal Patent Office on
the 1st May 1873.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, JOSEPH
PARKS, of Wincham Boiler Works, Northwich, in the County of
Cheshire, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her Letters
Patent, bearing date the Second 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 Joseph Parks, Her special license
that I, the said Joseph Parks, my executors, administrators, and assigns,
or such others as I, the said Joseph Parks, my executors, adminis-
trators, 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 FIXING
SALT PANS AND IN ARRANGING THE FURNACES UNDER THE SAME,"
upon the
condition (amongst others) that I, the said Joseph Parks, my executors
or administrators, 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 Joseph Parks, 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 thereof, that is to say :-
The object of the Invention is first, to economise fuel and consume
smoke; secondly, to arrange the furnaces and other parts under the pan
in such a manner that free access to any part of the pan for the purpose
of repairs can be had without the loss and risk attending the present
mode of working.

page_text: The system usually adopted is to build a number of flues leading
from the several furnaces (generally consisting of three or four under
each pan) and place the pan on the walls of the flues. The common
size of pan is about 70 feet × 24 feet × 2 feet deep, and weighs
about 16 tons: They are provided with a number of rings round the
sides for the purpose of lifting the pan during repairs, and it frequently
happens that great damage is done to the flues and pan in the process of
lifting and lowering it.
The present flue walls also occupy a considerable space of heating
surface, and when any leakage occurs (which is always the case from the
effects of pan scale) the brine which leaks out percolates into the brickwork,
forms masses of salt, rifts the walls to pieces, and in a short time the
flues and spaces under the furnaces become quite choked up with salt
accumulating in this manner, and it frequently happens that pans are
actually lifted off their seatings by the salt forming large masses,
technically called "cats" which are caused by the leakage as before
described. The pan has then to be lifted from its bed and repaired, the
flues cleared out, and most of the flue walls rebuilt at a serious cost.
.
Now the present improvements consist of dispensing with the flues
altogether, with the exception of such flues as are
necessary for
conducting the smoke to the chimney after it has left the pan. This is
done by placing the pan on the four outside walls and supporting the
central parts of the pan as follows, viz., three or more rows of T iron
bars are rivetted at equal distances longitudinally underneath the pan
(or they may be put crossways). These T bars act as girders and
stiffen the pan bottoms, also a number of cast-iron hollow pillars are
fixed at equal distances under the T bars, each pillar having a slit at
the top which allows the T to fit firmly into it, and causes the pillars
to maintain their proper position. The pillars are about 5 feet high.
When so fixed any portion of the pan bottom can be readily inspected,
and repairs can be done without lifting the pan at all, also the whole
surface of the bottom is exposed to the heat without the loss of the
space now occupied by the flue walls, also thinner plates can be used
for the pan bottom which will produce more salt than thick ones.
T bars give it the firmness required, brickwork is entirely dispensed
with (except the furnace front and bridges), also a very great portion of
usual repairs to the pan bottom avoided owing to a more even expansion
and contraction caused by the heat acting over the whole pan surface.

page_text: The front portion of the pan is supported on columns which at about 2
feet from the ground carry the furnace bars and fittings on brackets cast
on the columns. The back end of the furnace bearers rest on a cross wall
which forms the back of the ash-pit, and which is carried up say 1 foot
above the grate bars so as to form a bridge to conduct the heat to the
pan bottom. Between each pair of columns a furnace is fixed so that
5 columns suffice for 4. furnaces. The furnaces are separated from each
other by a fire-brick or block hollow wall about 4 or 5 feet long, which
conveys air to the back part of the furnace so as to assist in the com-
bustion of fuel, and also assists very much in consuming smoke.
These hollow walls may have a few holes in the sides so as to deliver
air direct into the centre of the furnace.
Instead of having one ash-hole to each furnace as is always the case
in the old plan, I leave out the partition walls which separate them and
leave them all open in common with each other, which admits much
more air and gives a better draught to the furnaces, and has no tendency
to swell up with salt as in the old ash-pit.
An iron chimney may be rivetted to each pan if required, round
which an iron jacket may be used for the purpose of warming the brine
before going into the pan, as in most cases from 500 to 700 degress .of
heat go into the chimney or chimney flue after leaving the pan.
A separate brick chimney may be used for each pan or a large one to
serve for a number of pans.
Between the chimney and the pan a simple constructed multitubular
boiler may be fixed through which tubes the waste heat may pass,
heating the brine before entering the chimney.
As this kind of pan does not require to be lifted from its bed it will
not be subjected to any straining or bending of its rims as in the old
plan, so that cast-iron rims may be used at a less cost, and as the salt
has a much less effect on cast iron than wrought iron they will wear a
much longer time and there may be a flange cast on the bottom as a
substitute for angle iron to which the pan bottom may be rivetted.
In order that my said Invention may be most fully understood and
readily carried into effect, I annex to this Specification a Drawing of a
salt pan which is and fixed has its furnaces arranged in the manner
above described.

page_text: What I claim is the dispensing with the flue walls and supporting the
pan in lieu thereof upon iron pillars, substantially as described.
I also claim the arrangement of the furnaces with a common ash-pit
and with air flues in their partition walls, all substantially as described.
In witness whereof, I, the said Joseph Parks, have hereunto set
my hand and seal, this Twenty-ninth day of April, in the year
of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and seventy-three.