Improvements in or relating to Apparatus for Controlling or Regulating the Draught of Furnaces in Locomotive, Marine, Stationary, or other Boilers.
Year: 1888

page_text: Date of Application, 30th Apr., 1888
Complete Specification Left, 23rd Jan., 1889
Complete Specification Accepted, 23rd Feb., 1889
Improvements in or relating to Apparatus for Controlling or
Regulating the Draught of Furnaces in Locomotive, Marine,
Stationary, or other Boilers.
A communication from abroad by ENGELBERT THEOPHILE VAN HECKE and VICTOB
CONSTANT LAURENT, both of Paris, in the Republic of France.
I, WILLIAM PHILLIPS THOMPSON F.C.S. M.I.M.E. of the Agency for Foreign
Patent Solicitors 6, Lord Street, Liverpool and 6, Bank Street Manchester both in
the County of Lancaster & 323 High Holborn in the County of Middlesex Civil
Engineer do hereby declare the nature of this invention to be as follows:-
This invention relates chiefly to draught regulators, which are applied inside the
smoke box of locomotive or portable engines and generally of all kinds of tubular
boilers, the tubes of which are horizontal or slightly inclined, and has for its object
to effect a saving in coal and permit the use of close burning cheap coals instead
of the more expensive coals as generally employed.
In carrying out the invention, a kind of inclined screen is provided in front of tho
tube plate in the smoke box which is adjustable as regards its height, and provided
with a regulating valve at its upper part, this screen having the effect of compelling
the hot gases which leave the tubes to bo deflected towards the bottom of the smoke
box before they reach the chimney, thus insuring a better distribution and utilisation
of the heat of these gases among the tubes.
The apparatus consists essentially of a sort of screen or hood placed in front of
the tube plate and formed of two surfaces inclined each at a different angle, and made
so as to stand some distance away from the end of the tubes. The result of this
arrangement is, that the gases are deflected towards the bottom of the smoke box
before they reach the chimney. This draught regulating screen is attached in the
smoke box by means of strong lugs bolted to the plates or fixed thereto in any other
suitable manner.
The lower front face of the screen is provided with hinged doors, which can be
firmly closed by means of a bolt or the like. These doors are opened only for the

page_text: purpose of cleaning the tubes and the smoke box; they are closed whilst the boiler
is at work.
These doors are provided at their lower part with regulating plates attached to
them by means of bolts which can be put through holes made at various heights in the
aforesaid lower front plate.
This arrangement permits of the distance between the lower edge of the said
sheets and the bottom of the smoke box being adjusted at will. The open space
thus left between the bottom of the regulating plates and that of the smoke box
must be equal at least to the area of the cross section of the chimney. These
regulating plates can be placed each at a different height, but in practice it will
be best to always place both at the same height.
The upper front face of the screen is provided with a hinged flap valvo, the section
of the opening it covers being likewise nearly equal to that of the cross section
of the chimney.
This valve which under normal working conditions is kept closed, can be opened
moro or less by means of a jointed rod of a length sufficient to allow its other end
to be within the reach of the driver. A hand wheel, the boss of which acts as a
fixed nut on the threaded end of the said rod, or a rack arrangement permits the
amount of opening of the hinged flap valve being regulated according to the amount
of the draught required. When this valve is closed, the whole of the gases which
leave the tubes are compelled to pass below the regulating plates. When it is open,
the draught takes place in the usual manner, the gases escaping direct into the
chimney through the open valve. In some cases the use of the latter valve may
be dispensed with, and the draught regulated by opening more or less the before
mentioned doors, by means of suitable rods or the like, the use of the valve will,
however, give always a better result.
The possibility of shifting at will, the position of the regulating plates, admits of
the most suitable position of the latter being determined. The draught can easily be
regulated thereby, and the most advantageous and most economical mode of working
the class of boiler to which it is applied at once determined. When the position of
these plates is once adjusted, it will not be necessary to alter them so long as the
conditions of working remain unaltered.
This apparatus is simple, costs little, and wears slowly, it insures the uniform
cooling of the whole of the combustion gases and lessens the excessive velocity of
these gases in the upper tubes of the boiler, and thus reduces the quantity of cinders
carried away by the draught through the said tubes and consequently also the wear
resulting therefrom.
It is understood that the dimensions, arrangement, and form of the apparatus can
be varied according to the kind of boiler to which it is to be applied without affecting
in any way the nature of the invention.
Dated thin 10th dow of Anvil 1000
WM. P. THOMPSON & Co.,
Agents for the Applicant.

page_text: .
in the Republic of France.
1
I, WILLIAM PHILLIPS THOMPSON F.C.S. M.I.M.E. of the Agency for Foreign
Patent Solicitors 6, Lord Street, Liverpool, and 6, Bank Street, Manchester both in the
County of Lancaster & 323, High Holborn in the County of Middlesex, Civil
Engineer 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 :-
This invention relates chiefly to draught regulators, which are applied inside the
smoke box of locomotive or portable engines and generally of all kinds of tubular
boilers, the tubes of which are horizontal or slightly inclined, and has for its object to
effect a saving in coal, and permit the use of close burning cheap coals instead of the
more expensive coals as generally employed.
In carrying out the invention a hood is provided in front of the tube plate in the.
smoke box which is adjustable as regards its height, and provided with a regulating
valve at its upper part, this hood having the effect of compelling the hot gases which
leave the tubes to be deflected towards the bottom of the smoke box before they reach
the chimney, thus insuring a better distribution and utilisation of the heat of these
gases among the tubes.
In order better to explain this invention, an apparatus constructed in accordance
therewith, is shown in the accompanying drawings as applied to the fire box of a
locomotive.
Figure 1 is an elevation of the apparatus fitted in the smoke box of a locomotive
furnace.
Figure 2 is a vertical section of the same.
As shown in these drawings the apparatus consists of a sort of hood, the upper-face A
and the lower face B of which are slightly inclined so as to project some distance
away from the end of the tubes, and the lateral faces C fit accurately between the
other faces and the tube plate. The result of this arrangement is that the gases are
deflected towards the bottom of the smoke box before they reach the chimney (as
shown by the arrow). This draught regulating hood is attached in the smoke box by
means of strong lugs D bolted to the plates or fixed thereto in any other suitable
manner.
The inclined surface B of the apparatus is movable, and can be swung forward
round its axle d at its lower end.

page_text: It is kept closed by means of bolts e at the sides, or by any other suitable arrange-
ment. This door is only opened for the purpose of cleaning the tubes and the smoke
box, but must remain closed while in use.
The lower part of the movable face B is furnished with a metallic plate E fitted on
to it by means of studs or bolts, which slide in slots h in the said metallic plate E so
that the distance between the bottom of the plate E and the bottom of the smoke box
may be regulated at will. The extreme limit to which this plate can be lowered
should be calculated so that the open space at this point should be at least equal to the
cross section of the funnel of the furnace.
The upper front face A of the hood is provided with a flap valve F turning on
hinges f, the section of the opening it covers being likewise nearly equal to that of the
cross section of the chimney.
This valve, which under normal working conditions is kept closed, can be opened
more or less by means of a jointed rod g of a length sufficient to allow its other end
to be within the reach of the driver. A hand wheel, the boss of which acts as a fixed
nut on the threaded end of the said rod or a rack arrangement permits of the amount
of opening of the hinged flap valve F being regulated according to the amount of the
draught required. When this valve is closed, the whole of the gases which leave the
tubes are compelled to pass below the regulating plates E. When it is open, the
draught takes place in the usual manner, as shown by the dotted arrow.
The possibility of shifting at will, the position of the regulating plate, admits of the
most suitable position of the latter being determined. The draught can easily be
regulated thereby, and the most advantageous and most economical mode of working
the class of boiler to which it is applied, determined. When the position of these
plates is once adjusted, it will not be necessary to alter them so long as the conditions
of working remain unaltered.
This invention is not limited to the exact shape or arrangement of the regulating
apparatus as above described. For instance, for the movable swinging face B may
be substituted, two doors hinged on the fixed sides C of the apparatus. This would
likewise allow free access to the tubes of the boiler.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of the said inven-
tion, and in what manner the same is to be performed, as communicated to me by my
foreign correspondents, I declare that what I claim is :-
1. In combination with a boiler, a hood secured thereto and provided with a door in
its front wall directly in line with the flues, and an adjustable plate secured to the
lower edge of the front wall of the hood, substantially as and for the purposes set
forth.
2. In combination with a boiler, a hood, a valve in the top of the hood, a door in
the front wall thereof and an adjustable plate secured to the lower edge of the door,
substantially as and for the purposes set forth.
Dated this 22nd day of January 1889
WM. P. THOMPSON & Co.,
Agents for the Applicant.