IMPROVEMENTS IN SMOKE- CONSUMING FURNACES
Year: 1864

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Paul André Roger, of Paris, in the Empire of
France, Gentleman, for the Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN SMOKE-
CONSUMING FURNACES."
Sealed the 23rd June 1865, and dated the 31st December 1864.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Paul André Roger at
the Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on the
31st December 1864.
I, PAUL ANDRE ROGER, of Paris, in the Empire of France, Gentleman, do
5 hereby declare the nature of the said Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN SMOKE-
CONSUMING FURNACES," to be as follows:-
These improvements relate to steam boiler, distilling, vaporising, and
similar furnaces generally, and also to furnaces for the desulphuration of
They consist in an apparatus for distributing the fuel, which is
arranged so as to deprive it of its gases and smoke before throwing it on
the grate. This distributing apparatus is fed by a funnel placed outside. It
is composed of a trough wheel (roue à augets) with 5 or 7 compartments,
formed by a similar number of partitions placed tangentially to a central
shaft, which compartments or troughs receive successively the fuel falling

page_text: from the aforesaid funnel, the trough wheel being turned by hand, or any
suitable mechanical means. The said trough wheel is placed in the upper
and front part of the furnace, so that the fuel contained in the compartments
is submitted to the heat of the furnace, by which it is converted into coke or
carbonized before being thrown on the fire-grate. In order to ensure a more
perfect combustion of the fuel by stirring or "poking," one or more shafts may
be placed in a transversal direction to and under the bars of the grate, on
which shafts are fixed wings placed at such distances as to pass between all
the bars at each entire rotation. These automatic fuel stirrers may be moved
by hand, or any suitable mechanical contrivance connected with or independent
of that which actuates the distributing trough wheel.
In furnaces where the object is to desulphurize ores by the introduction of
a mixture of air and steam, an apparatus may be employed consisting of two
concentric cones, between which the air passes, and at the centre of which is
placed a tube with cock, which serves for the entry of steam derived from the
escapement of the engine, or generated by a water jacket with which the door
of the furnace is provided. The mixture of steam and air passes under the
grate. These concentric cones are cast together in one piece, and are fixed in
the brickwork of the furnace in such manner as to project the mixture of
steam and air under the grate.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent, filed
by the said Paul André Roger in the Great Seal Patent Office on the
29th June 1865.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, PAUL
ANDRÉ ROGER, of 8, Rue de l'Université, Paris, in the Empire of France,
Gentleman, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her Letters
Patent, bearing date the Thirty-first day of December, in the year of our
Lord One thousand eight hundred and sixty-four, in the twenty-ninth year
of Her reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant
unto me, the said Paul Andre Roger, Her special licence that I, the said
Paul Andre Roger, my executors, administrators, and assigns, or such others
as I, the said Paul André Roger, 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, use, exercise, and vend, within the United Kingdom of Great.

page_text: Britain and Ireland, the Channel Islands, and Isle of Man, an Invention for
"IMPROVEMENTS IN SMOKE-CONSUMING FURNACES," upon the condition (amongst
others) that I, the said Paul André Roger, my executors or adminis-
trators, 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 tho
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 Paul André Roger, 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:―
These improvements relate to steam boiler, distilling, vaporising and
similar furnaces generally, and also to furnaces for the desulphuration of
ores. They consist in an apparatus for distributing the fuel, so as to
deprive it of its gases and smoke before throwing it on the grate. This
distributing apparatus is fed by a funnel placed outside. It is composed
of a trough wheel (roue à augets) having 5 or 7 compartments, formed by a
similar number of partitions placed tangentially to a central shaft, which
compartments or troughs receive successively the fuel falling from the afore-
said funnel. This trough wheel is turned by hand, or any suitable mechanical
means. The said trough wheel is placed in the upper and front part of the
furnace, so that the fuel contained in its compartments is submitted to the
heat of the furnace, by which it is converted into coke or carbonized before
being thrown on the fire-grate. The gases and smoke being obliged to pass
through the flames of the burning combustible are burnt before leaving the
flue. In order to insure a more perfect combustion of the fuel by stirring or
poking, one or more shafts may be placed in a transversal direction to and
under the bars of the grate, on which shafts are fixed wings placed at such
distances as to pass between all the bars at each entire rotation. These
automatic fuel stirrers may be moved by hand, or any suitable mechanical
contrivance connected with or independant of that which actuates the dis-
tributing trough wheel.
In furnaces where the object is to desulphurize ores by the introduction of
a mixture of air and steam, an apparatus consisting of two concentric .cones
between which the air passes may be employed. At the centre of this
apparatus is placed a tube provided with a cock, serving for the entrance of
steam derived from the escapement of the engine, or generated by a water
jacket surrounding the furnace door. The mixture of steam and air passes

page_text: under the grate. The concentric cones are cast together in one piece, and
are fixed in the brickwork of the furnace in such manner as to project the
mixture of steam and air under the grate.
In the accompanying Drawing, Fig. 1 represents a longitudinal section in
elevation of a furnace on my improved principle, representing the funnel, 5
trough wheel, fuel stirrers, and concentric steam and air cones; and Fig. 2, a
transversal, vertical, and central section of the same, showing the boiler,
furnace chamber, fuel stirrers, and means of giving motion thereto. The
space occupied by the air and steam cones relatively to the other parts of the
furnace is indicated in the latter Figure by dotted lines.
In both these Figures A, A, A, are the wings or blades of the fuel stirrers ;
B, the funnel or shoot for containing the fuel; C, bearings of the shaft T;
D, furnace door; E, E, ways or slides for furnace doors; F, F, sliding doors
'for closing the ports of door E; G, G, inner cone of the steam and air mixer ;
G³, G¹, outer cone of same; H, ash-box; I, conduit from the grate to the
ash-box H; J, cheek or face plate of the distributing wheel; K, shafts of
fuel stirrers; L, boiler; M, brickwork; N, fire-bridge; 0, 0, openings for
the entrance of air between the cones G, G'; P, vertical furnace door;
Q, plate or disk, having openings corresponding to holes O, O; R, tap or
cock for regulating the supply of steam; S, wheel fixed to the shaft K, for
giving motion thereto; T, shaft of the distributing wheel; U, steam tube ;
V, pinion or crushing roller placed at the mouth of the funnel B, and serving
for bringing forward the combustible, and breaking any pieces of an im-
moderate size; W, W, partitions of the distributing wheel; X, X, com-
partments of same; Y, bars of fire-grate; Z, furnace mouth.
The apparatus in question is applicable to steam boiler furnaces of all
kinds, to distilling, evaporating, and other furnaces, and to desulphurizing
ores by combining air and steam; it is exempt from all the inconveniences of
other apparatus of the kind, and unites all the different requirements of
economical construction and economy of fuel, as well as the use of all the
means which science points out for obtaining with easy working the object I
propose, that is to say :-
1°. Burning the smoke and all the combustible gases at the moment of
their generation.
2°. Conversion of coal, whatever its quality, into coke, and faculty of
employing dust and small coal.
3°. The use of all kinds of fuel from the peats, and the most friable lignites
to the hardest and most decripitant anthracites, and of all kinds of mixtures
and compositions without its being necessary to mould them.

page_text: 4°. The greatest possible facility of stirring by means of a special apparatus
of the highest simplicity.
screw.
This latter apparatus, or automatic fuel stirrer,. with the distributor may be
worked by hand, or by any mechanical means, but preferably by an endless
The distribution of the fuel on the grate is not only regular, but also
in the proportion theoretically and practically necessary, that is to say, the
intensity of the fire may be regulated as may be necessary, and once regulated
it remains the same, unless voluntarily changed. A jet of steam, the volume
of which may be regulated independently of that of the air with which it is
mixed may be employed, in order to facilitate the combustion while cooling
the grate. The waste steam or steam generated by a water jacket or double-
walled furnace mouth may be used for this purpose. This water jacket would
furnish the steam without additional expense, while preserving the apparatus
from burning. It may be used alone for desulphurizing iron and other ores,
sulphurets of zinc, lead, copper, mercury, and others. To obtain this result,
it would be only necessary to substitute the mixture of air and steam produced
by an accessory conical apparatus for the ordinary blowing apparatus. In this
case the steam decomposed by its contact with the incandescent fuel produces
the oxygen required by the combustion, the activity of which is at the same
time increased by the oxygen of the air, while the hydrogen of the decomposed
steam meeting the metallic sulphuret at a high temperature decomposes
them, and forms a sulphuret of hydrogen which is very volatile, and which
consequently escapes by the throat of the furnace. It is hardly necessary to
mention that in this case the steam costs nothing, because the blower heated
by the furnace furnishes it in surabondant quantity by its escapement, after
having produced its dynamic effect.
DESCRIPTION OF THE APPARATUS.
Fig. 1. The principal apparatus is almost similar to a trough wheel (roue
à augets). The troughs, to the number of 5 or 7, are formed by the par-
titions W, W, placed perpendicularly to a hollow shaft or core T, provided
with pivots, which turn in two bearings C. These pivots are fixed to the
cheeks J which close the ends of the distributor. The shaft T is made
hollow, in order to facilitate the distillation of the gases of the fuel placed at
the bottom of the troughs. Partitions may be placed at a foot distance from
each other in a direction parallel to the cheeks if. found necessary for the
strength of the apparatus. The bearings C, C, may be cast with the furnace
mouth. The distributor may be worked by a rod projecting out from the

page_text: rows of doors, D and P, the upper ones for the service of the distributor, and
the lower ones for the service of the grate and the firing by hand in case of
reparation of the distributor. These doors are provided with ports closed by
sliding doors F, F, working on ways E, and which may be opened more or
less in order to regulate the entrance of the air.
The automatic fuel stirrers are composed of a shaft K, on which are fixed
wings or blades A, A, spaced in such a way as to pass between all the bars of
the grate three by three at each entire revolution of the shaft, and not to
touch the grate when at rest. The diameter of the stirrer being limited, it
will be necessary to employ several, according to the length of the grate.
Behind the ash-box may be placed an "extinguishing box" H, which would
receive by the conduit I the offal, "clinkers," etc., or an empty space might
be left between the grate and the fire-bridge, and the clinkers, offal, and
.cinders would fall into the ash-box. These stirrers, like the distributing
wheel, may be worked by an endless screw acting on the wheel S placed
outside the furnace. The lower part of the funnel B is narrowed and occupied
by a pinion or crushing roller V having hooked teeth, which draws forward
and at the same time crushes any too large pieces of fuel while distributing it
equally in the troughs X, X, X, of the distributor. This roller is moved in
.the same way as the stirrers.
The accessory apparatus employed for metallurgical purposes with the
above mechanism consists of a tube U, by which steam is introduced, pro-
vided with a tap R. This tube carries a fixed cone G, G, concentric to a
second cone G¹³, G¹, to which it is connected by a base common to both. This
base is pierced with a suitable number of openings, shown Fig. 2, which
communicate with the space existing between the two cones. On the base
turns a plate Q, provided with a corresponding number of openings, and
turning on the tube U which forms its centre. By turning this plate the
openings may be more or less closed, and the entrance of the air thus
regulated. The steam admitted by the tube U draws in the air. When this
apparatus is used the ash-box should of course be completely closed.
Having thus described the nature of my said Invention for "Improve-
ments in Smoke-consuming Furnaces," and the manner in which the same
.may be performed, I would have it understood that I do not intend to confine
myself to the precise details above given, which may be modified without
changing the principle of my Invention; but what I claim is,―
Firstly, securing the complete combustion of the smoke and gases disengaged
by the burning of fuel in steam boiler, and other furnaces, by submitting said
fuel to the influence of the heat of said furnace, so as to coke or deprive it of

page_text: its smoke and gases before throwing it on the grate, and by causing the gases
and smoke thus disengaged to pass through the flames of the incandescent
fuel already on the grate, by means of the apparatus above described and
represented in the annexed Drawings.
Secondly, the construction and operation of the trough wheel or distributor,
or any analagous apparatus having the same object.
Thirdly, the construction and operation of the fuel stirrers in connection
with the trough wheel, which dispenses with opening the furnace doors for
poking, and thus prevents the entry of cold air each time the fire is stirred.
Fourthly, the construction and operation of the concentric cones G, G,
and G¹, G¹, with the disc Q, by which the currents of air and steam may be
regulated independently of each other, substantially as and for the purposes
above described.
In witness whereof, I, the said Paul André Roger, have hereunto set
my hand and seal, this Twenty-first day of June, in the year of our
Lord One thousand eight hundred and sixty-five.