IMPROVEMENTS IN AND APPLICABLE TO CHIMNEYS OR FLUES, PARTS OF SUCH IMPROVEMENTS BEING APPLICABLE TO OTHER PURPOSES
Year: 1881

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Thomas Rowan, of Ryde, Isle of Wight, Gentleman, for
an Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN AND APPLICABLE TO CHIMNEYS OR FLUES,
PARTS OF SUCH IMPROVEMENTS BEING APPLICABLE TO OTHER PURPOSES."
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Thomas Rowan at the
Office of the Commissioners of Patents on the 5th February 1881.
THOMAS ROWAN, of Ryde, Isle of Wight, Gentleman. "IMPROVEMENTS IN AND
APPLICABLE TO CHIMNEYS OR FLUES, PARTS OF SUCH IMPROVEMENTS BEING
APPLICABLE TO OTHER PURPOSES."
This Invention relates to improvements in and applicable to the chimneys or
flues of houses and other buildings and steam vessels, the object of the improve-
ments being chiefly to provide means for ensuring an effectual up draught in such
chimneys or flues, and for filtering or purifying the smoke therefrom so as to free
it from dust, soot, sulphuretted bydrogen, and carbonic acid, and neutralizing these
gases.
In carrying out my improvements to produce an up draught so as to allow of
burning anthracite coal or the like without the necessity of employing a blower
to the fire place below, the flue or flues open into a chamber from which passes a
shaft or chimney provided at the top with a cowl or other means of producing an
induced current, the said shaft or chimney or the said chamber having an air inlet
or inlets similar to the cowl and air inlet described in my Provisional Specification
dated 13th day of January 1881, No. 162, or the said air inlets may be dispensed
with. In some cases a strong up draught may be produced by forcing air through
the air inlet or inlets, in which case the cowl at the top of the shaft would not be
required.
For filtering or purifying the smoke, and thus freeing it from dust, soot,
sulphuretted hydrogen, and carbonic acid, I employ an additional box or chamber
placed between and communicating with the first hereinbefore described box or
chamber and the shaft or chimney, the air inlets being suitably placed. The
additional box or chamber may be supplied with suitable damp porous material,
or porous material kept damp for filtering and purifying the smoke, or the said
porous material may be placed on trays in the said box or chamber.

page_text: Where it is desired to pass the smoke over water before it enters the shaft, the
flues or chimneys open into the upper part of a chamber partly filled with water,
such chamber having an inclined corrugated top or roof for the purpose of directing
the smoke onto the water in its passage through the chamber. In addition to this
water chamber the smoke may also be caused to pass through a filtering chamber
such as that hereinbefore described, and the carbonic acid and sulphuretted hydrogen
which it may contain may be absorbed by bringing the smoke in contact with dry
slaked lime and sulphate of iron.
The modifications necessary for adapting my improvements for preventing smoke
in steam vessels of all classes will be understood without further description.
Instead of employing the air inlets herein before referred to I may employ inlets
consisting of hollow cones open at the ends, and constructed or not with a globular
chamber, the smaller ends of the cones opening into an elbow or bend of the shaft
carrying the cowl.
These air inlets are applicable to other purposes, such as for ventilation.

page_text: SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent filed
by the said Thomas Rowan in the Great Seal Patent Office on the 5th August
1881.
THOMAS ROWAN, of Ryde, Isle of Wight, Gentleman. "IMPROVEMENTS IN AND
APPLICABLE TO CHIMNEYS OR FLUES, PARTS OF SUCH IMPROVEMENTS BEING
APPLICABLE TO OTHER PURPOSES."
This Invention relates to improvements in and applicable to the chimneys or
flues of houses and other buildings and of steam vessels, the object of the improve-
ments being chiefly to provide means for ensuring an effectual up draught in such
chimneys or flues, and for filtering or purifying the smoke therefrom so as to free
it from dust, soot, sulphuretted hydrogen, and carbonic acid, and for neutralizing
these gases.
But to make my Invention better understood, I will proceed to describe the same
by reference to the accompanying Drawing.
In the Drawing, Figure 1 is a sectional elevation shewing my arrangement for
producing an up draught in chimneys so as to allow of burning anthracite coal or
the like without the necessity of employing a blower to the fire place below. The
flues a open into a chamber b, from which passes a shaft or chimney c, provided at
the top with suitable means for producing an induced current such as a cowl d,
similar to the cowl described in the Specification of Letters Patent granted to me;
and dated the Thirteenth day of January One thousand eight hundred and eighty
one, No. 162, the said chamber b is provided, as shewn, with conical air inlets e,
hereinafter described, or with the air inlet or inlets described in the Specification
of my said former Letters Patent. The said air inlets (or inlet where there is only
one) may be applied to the shaft or chimney c instead of to the chamber b, or the
said air inlets may be dispensed with. In some cases a strong up draught may be
produced by forcing air through the air inlet or inlets, in which case the cowl.d at
the top of the shaft would not be required.
By this arrangement it will thus be seen that the smoke from several chimneys
or flues can pass into the box b, and the updraught created by the air inlets e, e,
and the cowl d will force or draw the same out through the single discharge
chimney c, for the purpose hereinbefore described.
Figure 2 is a sectional elevation shewing my improved arrangement for filtering.
or purifying the smoke, and thus freeing it from dust, soot, sulphuretted hydrogen,
carbonic acid, and the like. In this arrangement I employ the box b, hereinbefore
described, and also an additional box or chamber f, having a perforated bottom' g ;
such chamber communicates by means of the tubes g', g', with the box or
chamber b herein before described, and opens into the shaft or chimney c; c', e¹, are
air inlets, similar in construction to those described in my said former Letters
Patent, and are preferably placed as shewn, or they may be placed in any other
suitable position; or the conical air inlets, hereinafter described, may be employed.
The perforated bottom g of the box or chamber f is supplied with suitable damp
porous material, or porous material kept damp for the purpose of filtering and
purifying the smoke, or the said porous material may be placed on trays in the said
box or chamber. The operation is similar to that herein before described with
reference to Figure 1, except that in the present arrangement the smoke before
escaping through the chimney c bas to pass through the purifying chamber f,
so that it is discharged into the atmosphere free from dust, soot, and noxious
impurities.
Figure 3 shews a longitudinal section of the arrangement I prefer to employ
where it is desired to pass the smoke over water before it enters the shaft; the

page_text: flues or chimneys open at h into the upper part of the chamber i, partly filled with
water, with or without the presence of any suitable purifying or neutralizing agent,
such chamber having a corrugated top or roof j, and division plates / dipping into
the water, and placed between the corrugations for the purpose of directing the.
smoke onto the water in its passage through the chamber i, as shewn by the
arrows. e is the air inlet; c, the shaft; and d, the cowl. In addition to the said
water chamber the smoke may also be caused to pass through a filtering chamber,
such as that herein before described and shewn at f, Figure 2, and the carbonic
acid and sulphuretted hydrogen which it may contain may be absorbed by bringing
the smoke in contact with dry slaked lime and sulphate of iron placed therein.
The operation will be understood without further description.
The smoke from chemical works and like factories may in like manner be also
treated, and the acid or alkaline fumes it may contain can be neutralized or absorbed
by the employment of suitable agents.
The arrangements for carrying out my improvements for preventing smoke in
steam vessels of all classes are substantially the same as those hereinbefore described,
except that to overcome the effect of rolling on board ship the water box may be
provided with a suitable porous material, such as coke, which may be kept saturated
with the sea or other water passing through it.
Figures 4, 5, 6, and 7, shew various arrangements of the conical air inlets herein-
before referred to, which I may employ for producing an induced current up the
shaft c, but in these Figures I have, for the sake of example, shewn the air inlets
applied to the ventilation of a drain A.
In Figure 4 the air inlet consists of a hollow cone e open at both ends, the
smaller end of the cone opening into an elbow or bend in the shaft c carrying the
cowl Figure 5 shews a similar air inlet applied at the junction of two (or it may
be more) ventilating pipes le, k, with the main shaft c. In Figure 6 the air inlet
is constructed of a cone e, like those shewn in Figures 4 and 5, with the
addition of two other cones and m, the three cones being placed as shewn, so
as to form a kind of louvre, the object being to direct the air up the inclined sides
of the two lower cones, and thus increase the upward current; Figure 7 is a similar
arrangement to that shewn in Figure 6, except that a chamber n is interposed
between the base of the top cone and the smaller end of the middle cone.
Having thus described the nature of my said Invention, and the best means
with which I am acquainted for carrying the same into effect, I wish it to be
understood that I do not confine myself to the precise details of construction herein
laid down and shewn in the accompanying Drawing, as the same may be varied
without departing from the peculiar character of my Invention, but what I do claim
is,—
The improvements in and applicable to chimneys or flues, parts of such improve-
ments being applicable to other purposes, substantially as hereinbefore described
and represented in the accompanying Drawing.
In witness whereof, I, the said Thomas Rowan, have hereto set my hand and
seal, this Second day of August, in the year of our Lord One thousand eight
hundred and eighty one.
THOMAS ROWAN. (L.S.)