IMPROVEMENTS IN FURNACES OR FIRE-PLACES FOR GENERATING HEAT BY THE COMBUSTION OF COAL
Year: 1872

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to William Edward Newton, of the Office for
Patents, 60, Chancery Lane, in the County of Middlesex, Civil
Engineer, for the Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN FURNACES OR
FIRE-PLACES FOR GENERATING HEAT BY THE COMBUSTION OF COAL."-A
communication from abroad by Jean Tissot, of Paris, in the
Republic of France.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said William Edward
Newton at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his
Petition, on the 19th August 1872.
I, WILLIAM EDWARD NEWTON, of the Office for Patents, 66, Chancery
Lanc, in the County of Middlesex, Civil Engineer, do hereby declare
the nature of the said Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN FURNACES OB
FIRE-PLACES FOR GENERATING HEAT BY THE COMBUSTION OF COAL," to be as
follows:-

page_text: the grate bars are placed much closer together than is usually the case
in order to prevent the fine coal dust from passing through into the ash-
pit. The ash-pit is closed in and is supplied with air from a fan or
blower. The larger part of the air is forced up through the grate and
through the fine fuel placed thereon, but a portion of the air passes into |
a box placed in or under the bridge and is perforated with holes through
which the air rushes, and commingles with the combustible gases that
pass from the fuel over the fire-bridge. The mixed gases and air are
deficcted downwards by an inverted bridge a little beyond the first
bridge, and if the furnace is adapted to a steam boiler the heated gases
may be conducted round it so as to part with their caloric as much as
possible. The gases then are conducted to a chamber in which they
are made to pass in a serpentine direction to the exit flue; by so doing
they will deposit any dust that may come over with them. The
draught is regulated by dampers adapted to any convenient parts of the
flues.
The fire-place may be supplied with fuel either by hand or means
of an automatic arrangement of mechanism, such as is usually employed
for feeding the furnaces or fire-places of steam boilers.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent,
filed by the said William Edward Newton in the Great Seal-Patent
Office on the 19th February 1873.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, WILLIAM
EDWARD NEWTON, of the Office for Patents, 66, Chancery Lane, in the
County of Middlesex, Civil Engineer, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her
Letters Patent, bearing date the Nineteenth day of August, 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 Edward Newton, Her special
licence that I, the said William Edward Newton, my executors,
administrators, and assigns, or such others as I, the said William Edward
Newton, 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,

page_text: G
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 FURNACES OR FIRE-PLACES FOR GENERATING HEAT BY THE
COMBUSTION OF COAL," being a communication to me from abroad by
Jean Tissot, of Paris, in the Republic of France, upon the condition
(amongst others) that I, 'the said William Edward Newton, my exc-
cutors or administrators, by an instrument in writing under my, or
their, or one of their hands and scals, 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 imme-
diately after the date of the said Letters Patent.
°
NOW KNOW YE, that I, the said William Edward Newton, dó
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, reference being had to the Drawing
hereunto annexed, and to the letters and figures marked thereon (that is
to say) :—
.
The improvements, which form the subject of the present Invention,
have for their object the construction and arrangement of peculiar
apparatus which is applicable to fire-places in general, and especially to
those employed for steam generators, so that a considerable economy
may be effected in the quantity of fuel employed and the volume of
steam (produced by a plain heating surface) may be increased, and a
perfect smoke consuming apparatus may be obtained.
The improved system admits of the use of all kinds of fuel (whether
large or small coal), bituminous or dry fuel, or anthracite or stone coal,
or of combustible liquids or gases, and is founded on a principle which
heretofore has not been applied to combustion, and in order to give this
1 novel system a name I propose to call it "combustion equilibrée."
This mode of combustion takes place in a space or chamber in which
only the proper quantity of air necessary for the flame is supplied,
without there being a draught sufficient to carry off the heat from this
space, so that the circumstances under which the combustion of the fuel
5 on the grate takes place will be similar to that which takes place in
heating a baker's oven. These conditions (which have never been
obtained by means of any of the numerous arrangements of fire-places
which have been tried from time to time) I am enabled to obtain by
.

page_text: means of certain mechanical devices, the principal of which are a fan
with a damper or sliding valve. It is true that the application of a
fan or other blowing apparatus to the furnaces or fire-places of a steam
engine boiler is not a novel idea, but what has caused the failure of all
the attempts and trials made in this direction is that the fan has been
used to render the combustion active, or in other words, to act as a
blower or blast engine. On the other hand if an ordinary steam boiler
furnace be examined, and the circumstances and conditions of com-
bustion therein be analysed, it will be found that the air is supplied
through the ash-pit, distributes itself. under the grate bars and takes an
upward path in an oblique direction, then the current assumes a more
· horizontal direction and finally passes with the products of combustion
towards the chimney. With the passage of such a body of air through
the fuel it will easily be understood that this latter will be divided into
three distinct zones possessing three different states of incandescence.
Thus at the entrance of the grate the fuel is black, or nearly so, towards
the middle the combustion is more active, and at last the combustion
acquires its maximum of intensity.
It will be unnecessary to insist upon the inconvenience incidental to
this mode of combustion, which is so defective that all sorts of plans
have been devised to improve or modify it. Among the attempts that
have been made may be reckoned (as has been already mentioned) the
use of a fan with a view to supplying air under pressure, sometimes
above and sometimes below the fire-grate, so that it may be diffused
uniformly throughout the mass of fuel in order to bring this latter to
the same degree of incandescence at all points. Unfortunately the rapid
passage of the air through the fuel produces a rapid depletion or
evacuation of the heated gases, and at the same time the fire-place is
converted into a kind of forge fire (thereby creating at one point an
intense combustion), and the temperature of the escaping gaseous
products of combustion is considerably lowered, and in some measure
the heating surface is decreased. Struck by these imperfections in the
ordinary system of combustion the Inventor of the new system con-
ceived the idea of using the fan in a totally different manner, depriving
it of its character of a blast engine which it has hitherto possessed as
the agent for carrying forward the burning body and retaining this
latter (contrary to all admitted theorics of combustion) in the space or
chamber where the combustion takes place. In the new system the

page_text: pressure of the air supplied by the fan is extremely feeble. The only
object of the pressure is to overcome the resistance which the body of
fuel offers to the air in its passage, and to supply that part of the air
which has been destroyed by the combustion of the fuel. The air there-
fore passes through the fuel as slowly as possible and uniting with the
carbonic gases, which are disengaged, becomes mixed therewith without
leaving the heating chamber, so that the combination may be more
perfect and consequently the utilization of the calorific power of the
fuel will be as perfect as possible. The escape of the gascous products
resulting from the combustion is also (and necessarily so) very slow, and
there is not (as is usually the case) any rapid draught towards the
chimney. In fact the chimney will (so to say) be useless, as it will not
be required to produce the movement of the gases. On the other hand
the apparatus being completely smoke consuming the gaseous products
of combustion may be allowed to pass into the atmosphere at a very low
clevation.
Another important fact in favour of the improved system of com-
bustion, and which clearly indicates the difference between it and the
former plans (in which the air is blown in) is that in these latter the
fire-place is completely closed, whilst with the improved mode of
combustion the fire-place door for stoking or supplying the fuel can
without inconvenience be left open, and this will not interfere with
the action of the apparatus. In fact this advantage is consequent on
the novel action of the fan.
In the foregoing description I have pointed out that the air enters
and is supplied below the grating or fire-bars; this is necessary in order
to effect the object in view, which is to have a hot-air space or chamber,
and that the heated fuel or gases should be motionless.
However, for certain purposes I may find it desirable to supply a
little air above the fire-bars in order to complete the combustion. I
mention this fact in order that I may make use of it in carrying out
the improved system. I also desire to reserve to myself the right of
using (in this new system of combustion) cither hot or cold air, which-
ever may be preferred, according to the purposes for which the Invention.
may be employed in the arts.
Having now described the improved system of combustion, and
having pointed out the characteristic features of the Invention and the

page_text: reasons on which it is founded, what I wish to claim is the combination
of mechanical devices, such as the fan, the valves or dampers, and flucs,
the effect of which is to produce the phenomenon called by the Inventor
"combustion equilibréo."
In the arrangement which I claim the action of and effect produced
by these mechanical parts is entirely new, and the results which aro
obtained reach a perfection of action which has never hitherto been
attained. In fact I have made the fan (which is the principal organ)
play a different part from that which it usually does, and I have
dispensed with its use as a powerful or strongly acting blower, and I
have also at the same time suppressed the draft of the chimney. The
combustion is therefore carried on under conditions unknown until the
present time, and morcover the long sought for desideratum of absolute
consumption of smoke has been attained. In opposition to what has
happened everywhere until the present time, the caloric volume where
the combustion takes place is motionless, so that the whole of the heat
obtained is utilized, and this is effected without pressure and with an
open fire-place. It is these novel or improved modes of using the fan
and other mechanical parts which I wish to claim as the Invention to be
secured to me.
I also reserve to myself the exclusive use (according to the new
system of combustion) of all kinds of fuel, either solid, liquid, or
gaseous; also the use of hot or cold air with the addition of a certain
quantity of oxygen for completing the combustion if necessary. In
place of a fan I may employ any other device which will supply the
requisite quantity of air, such as a blowing machine, a pump, a gas
holder or air bell, or other equivalent device.
In witness whereof, I, the said William Edward Newton, have
hereunto set my hand and seal, the First day of February, in
the year of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and seventy-
three.