An Improved Method of and Apparatus for Heating Steam Boiler and other Furnaces by Means of Ground Coal or Coal Dust, and also for Consuming Smoke.
Year: 1886

page_text: Date of Application, 29th July, 1886.
Complete Left, 28th May, 1887.
Complete Accepted, 28th June, 1887.
An Improved Method of and Apparatus for Heating Steam Boiler
and other Furnaces by Means of Ground Coal or Coal Dust, and
also for Consuming Smoke.
I, SAM SMITHSON, of the firm of Pickles, Smithson & Pickles, of Ravensthorpe, in
the County of York, Dyers and Drysalters do hereby declare the nature of this
invention to be as follows:-
The object of this invention is to heat the furnaces of steam-boilers or dye pans,
and furnaces employed for other purposes, by means of a stream of coal dust or
powdered coal which is blown into the furnaces, and there ignited, whereby an intense
heat is produced, and the combustion is so complete that no unconsumed carbon
escapes in the form of smoke.
To carry out my invention I fix above the mouth of the furnace to be heated, and,
at a convenient elevation, a grinding apparatus, similar in construction to that for
which Her Majesty's Royal Letters patent were granted to Thomas John Pickles, to
myself, and to Charles Henry Pickles jointly on the fourth day of November 1880,
and numbered 4512. The small coal which is to be reduced to powder is fed into this
grinding apparatus by means of a hopper supplied by an archimedean screw or by an
elevator. The beaters of this grinding apparatus in addition to reducing the coal to a
fine powder, create a strong current of air which carries the powdered coal forward
into the pipes which conduct the coal to the furnace. The pipes for conducting the
powdered coal to the furnaces are by preference inclined downwards to such furnaces,
and are provided with slides or other suitable devices for the purpose of regulating
the supply of coal mixed with air to the furnace. One or more of these supply pipes
may enter the furnace by preference just above the fire door. To bring my improve-
ment,into operation a fire is first established upon the grate bars in the usual manner
Pr 11}

page_text: until sufficient steam is raised to work the grinding machine. When this machine
begins to work and the draught is properly established the slides of the supply pipes
are gradually opened and a regulated stream of coal dust mixed with air is projected
upon the incandescent coals which are upon the grate bars. The coal dust is thereby
ignited, and being mixed with atmospheric air burns with an intense and smokeless
flame. Only a small quantity of fire need be retained on the grate bars sufficient to
ignite the stream of coal dust.
By means of this arrangement very small and inferior coal may be used which is
worthless for other purposes and the loss of unconsumed carbon in the shape of smoke
is avoided by the perfection and intensity of the combustion.
Dated thia Tuanto nighth daw of Tul.. 1000
WM. JAS. BAKER,
Town Hall Chambers, Bradford,
Agent for the Applicant.

page_text: COMPLETE
SPECIFICATION.
An Improved Method of and Apparatus for Heating Steam Boller
and other Furnaces by Means of Ground Coal or Coal Dust, and
also for Consuming Smoke.
I, SAM SMITHSON, of the firm of Pickles, Smithson & Pickles, of Ravensthorpe, in
the county of York, Dyers and Drysalters, 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 :-
The object of this invention is to heat the furnaces of steam-boilers or dye-pans
and furnaces employed for other purposes, by means of a stream of coal dust or
powdered coal which is blown into the furnaces, and there ignited, whereby an
intense heat is produced, and the combustion is so complete that no unconsumed
carbon escapes in the form of smoke.
To carry out my invention I fix above the mouth of the furnace to be heated, and,
at a convenient elevation, a grinding apparatus, similar in construction to that for
which Letters Patent were granted jointly to Thomas John Pickles, myself, and
Charles Henry Pickles on the 4th day of November 1880, and numbered 4512. The
small coal which is to be reduced to powder is fed into this grinding apparatus by
means of a hopper to which it is supplied by an archimedean screw or by an elevator.
The beaters of this grinding apparatus in addition to reducing the coal to a fino
powder, create a strong current of air which carries the powdered coal forward into
the pipes which conduct the coal to the furnace. The pipes for conducting the
powdered coal to the furnace are by preference inclined downwards to such furnace,
and are provided with slides or other suitable devices for the purpose of regulating
the supply of coal mixed with air to the furnace. One or more of these supply pipes
enter the furnace, by preference just above the fire door.
In order to enable my invention to be fully understood I will proceed to describe
how it can most advantageously be carried into practice by reference to the accom-
panying drawings, in which figure 1 represents a plan partly in section and figure 2
a plan of the grinding and blowing apparatus herein before referred to; figure 3
represents a front elevation of two ordinary stationary boilers with my blowing and
grinding apparatus applied thereto; figure 4 represents a longitudinal sectional
elevation of the front end of an ordinary stationary boiler and an elevation of the
grinding and blowing apparatus, and figure 5 a sectional elevation of the front end
of a marine boiler with side elevation of the combined grinding and blowing apparatus.
Similar letters refer to similar parts in all the drawings.
A represents the casing or outside shell of the grinder and B the shaft upon which
the arms or beaters are mounted. CC, are the bearings in which the shaft revolves.
Teeth or ribs which are fixed circumferentially within the casing of the fan are
represented at G, and between these ribs and the extremities of the arms or beaters F
the small coal is ground and reduced to fine powder or dust. The great velocity at
which these arms or beaters are driven, by means of the small pulley H, produces a

page_text: strong current of air which is forcibly ejected upwards from the outlet E, the air
being mixed with a considerable portion of coal dust.
The grinder is supplied with small coal through the hopper D, which is fed by
means of an elevator or Archimedean screw.
The grinding apparatus may be fixed above the level of the boilers, and the mixture
of air and coal dust conducted by suitable pipes into the furnaces, or it may be fixed
on the floor as represented in the drawings; the air and coal dust, passing through a
chamber N, across which is fixed a wire screen O, for the purpose of keeping back
any larger particles of coal which have not been sufficiently ground, ascend the
vertical pipe K, and thence pass through regulating valves L, and are conducted into
the distributing pipes J, which terminate in nozzles P, from which the stream of air
and coal dust is discharged into the furnace and ignited by the incandescent coals or
a small fire upon the grate bars Q. By preference one, two, or three distributing
pipes J, terminating in nozzles P, is or are fitted to each furnace.
To bring my improvements into operation a fire is first made upon the grate
bars Q, in the usual manner until sufficient steam is raised to work the grinding
machine. When the machine begins to work and the draught is properly established,
the valves L, of the supply pipes are gradually opened and a regulated stream of coal
dust mixed with air is projected upon the incandescent coals which are upon the grate
bars. The coal dust is thereby ignited, and being mixed with atmospheric air burns
with an intense and smokeless flame. Only a small quantity of fire need be retained
on the grate bars sufficient to ignite the stream of coal-dust
By means of this arrangement very small and inferior coal may be used which is
worthless for other purposes and the loss of unconsumed carbon in the form of smoke
is avoided by the perfection and intensity of the combustion.
I have herein represented the coal-dust-burning apparatus as applied only to the
furnaces of steam boilers, but it is obvious that the same apparatus may be applied
in a similar manner to the heating of glass, iron, and other furnaces which require an
intense heat, preferably without smoke.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said invention,
and in what manner the same is to be performed I declare that what I claim is :-
1. The herein described grinding and blowing apparatus for the purpose of
pulverising coal and at the same time producing a current of air in the manner and
for the purpose described and as represented in the accompanying drawings.
2. The herein described grinding and blowing apparatus in combination with the
chamber N, the screen O, the valves L, or other suitable devices for regulating the
stream of air and coal-dust, the distributing pipes J, and the nozzles P, all sub-
stantially as and for the purpose herein described, and represented in the accompanying
drawings.