IMPROVEMENTS IN STEAM BOILER FURNACES AND APPARATUS CONNECTED THEREWITH FOR EFFECTING THE CONSUMPTION OF SMOKE
Year: 1879

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Alexander Melville Clark, of 53, Chancery Lane, in the
County of Middlesex, Patent Agent, for the Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS
IN STEAM BOILER FURNACES AND APPARATUS CONNECTED THEREWITH FOR
EFFECTING THE CONSUMPTION OF SMOKE." A communication from abroad by
Cyrus Smith, of Irwins Station, in the County of Westmoreland, State of
Dannarlvania United States of America.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Alexander Melville Clark at
the Office of the Commissioners of Patents on the 29th March 1879.
ALEXANDER MELVILLE CLARK, of 53, Chancery Lane, in the County of Middlesex,
Patent Agent.
"IMPROVEMENTS IN STEAM BOILER FURNACES AND APPARATUS
CONNECTED THEREWITH FOR EFFECTING THE CONSUMPTION OF SMOKE." [A com-
munication from abroad by Cyrus Smith, of Irwins Station, in the County of
Westmoreland, State of Pennsylvania, United States of America.]
'
The object of this Invention is to provide a furnace for boilers which shall be
capable of consuming the gas and smoke evolved from the burning fuel and heat
generated therefrom. The Invention consists in a boiler furnace of peculiar con-
struction, and in the combination therewith of an exhaust fan for drawing away
the gas and smoke from the boiler flues and returning the same to the fire.
at
The grate bars are arranged transversely, and their upper edges are inclined
toward the bridge wall to facilitate the draft. Below the grate there is a horizontal
plate separating the ash pit from an air chamber beneath and above the plate;
the sides of the ash pit air passages are formed between the side walls of the furnace
and inner metallic partitions, perforated at the upper part, and the said air passages
communicate by holes in the horizontal plate with the air chamber below, which is
connected with the fan, hereafter described. At the side of the boiler is placed a
fan casing consisting of a square box having a circular sheet-metal lining. The fan
vanes are slightly curved at their outer ends, and are secured to a sleeve that is
supported on a shaft by means of spiders attached to the shaft. This sleeve passes
through one side of the fan casing, and is connected by an elbow with the discharge

page_text: pipe of a blower, hereafter referred to, and at the opposite side of the casing it pro-
jects through the induction opening of the fan casing and through the gas and smoke
conduit, hereafter described, and terminates in an elbow opening into the outer air.
A short tube projects inward from the outer wall of the gas and smoke conduit, and
surrounds the sleeve. The gas and smoke conduit communicates with the smoke
box of the boiler, which is divided by a horizontal partition. The passage above
the partition is for cold air, admitted at an opening provided with an adjustable
slide, and the lower passage is for the heated air and gas from the furnace, and the
partition prevents the admixture of these two currents until after they pass the
front of the boiler, when the cold air has become heated. A trunk leads from
the discharge opening of the fan to the air chamber under the ash pit, and is pro-
vided with a sliding cut off operated by a lever. The fan shaft is journalled in
boxes outside of the elbows above mentioned; it drives a fan blower smaller than
the fan, and designed solely for keeping the journals of the fan cool by driving air
through the sleeve, with which it is connected as above stated. The two fans may
be driven by a small independent steam engine, or they may be driven by hand or
other power until steam is raised in the boiler, when they may be driven by the
engine that receives steam from the boiler.
If desired, steam may first be raised by allowing the products of combustion to
pass up the smoke stack by the natural draft, and after the fire is once thoroughly
in operation closing the smoke stack by the cut off at its base. The products of
combustion are then drawn from the boiler flues and delivered to the fire with the
admixture of a greater or less quantity of air, as may be required. In this manner
the heat that has heretofore passed up the smoke stack is utilised, and the gas and
particles of carbon that are unconsumed as they pass from the fire are utilised as a
source of heat.

page_text: SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent filed by
the said Alexander Melville Clark in the Great Seal Patent Office on the 13th
September 1879.
ALEXANDER MELVILLE CLARK, of 53, Chancery Lane, in the County of Middlesex,
Patent Agent.
"IMPROVEMENTS IN STEAM BOILER FURNACES AND APPARATUS
CONNECTED THEREWITH FOR EFFECTING THE CONSUMPTION OF SMOKE." A com-
munication from abroad by Cyrus Smith, of Irwins Station, in the County of
Westmoreland, State of Pennsylvania, United States of America.
The object of this Invention is to provide a furnace for boilers which shall be
capable of consuming the gas and smoke evolved from the burning fuel, and of
generating heat therefrom.
The Invention consists in a boiler furnace of peculiar construction, and in the
combination therewith of an exhaust fan for drawing away the gas and smoke from
the boiler flues and returning the same to the fire.
In the accompanying Drawings Figure 1 is a horizontal section taken on line x, x,
in Figure 2; Figure 2 is a vertical section taken on line y, y, in Figure 1; Figure 3
is a vertical section taken on line z, z, in Figure 2; Figure 4 is a borizontal section
of the boiler and furnace taken on line x¹, x², of Figure 1.
Similar letters of reference indicate corresponding parts. A is the boiler and A¹
the boiler furnace, having the fire place B and flue C leading to the rear end of the
boiler. The grate bars a are arranged transversly, and their upper edges are
inclined toward the bridge wall to facilitate the draft. Below the grate there is a
plate D, which separates the ash pit E from the air chamber F. At the sides of the
ash pit air passages bare formed between the side walls of the furnace and the inner
metallic partitions c, perforated at the upper part. The air passages 6 communicate
with the air chamber F through holes in the plate D.
b
At the side of the boiler is placed a fan casing G containing the fan H. The fan
casing consists of a square box having a circular sheet metal lining d. The fan H
is composed of five or more vanes e, having their outer ends slightly curved and
secured to a sleeve f that is supported by a shaft g by means of spiders attached to
the shaft. This sleeve passes through one side of the fan casing to receive the
elbow i, and at the opposite side of the casing it projects through the induction
opening of the fan casing and through the gas and smoke conduit k to receive the
elbow. A short sleeve m projects inward from the outer wall of the conduit k, and
surrounds the sleeve f. The conduit k communicates with the smoke box n of
the boiler, which is divided by a horizontal partition o. The passage above parti-
tion is for cold air from the opening p, and the lower passage is for the heated air
and gas, and the partition o prevents the admixture of these two currents until after
they pass the front of the boiler, when the cold air has become heated. The opening
is covered by an adjustable slide. A trunk leads from the discharge opening of
the fan A to the air camber F under the ash pit, and is provided with a sliding cut
off r, which is operated by the lever 8.
P
g
The fan shaft g is journalled in boxes outside of the elbows i, l, and is provided
with a pulley t, by which it is driven from any suitable motor; it is also provided
with a wheel u, which imparts motion through a belt v to a wheel won the shaft of
a fan blower I. This blower is smaller than the fan, and is designed solely for
keeping the journals of fan C cool by driving air through the sleeve f, with which
it is connected. This fan blower has a supply opening a¹ in one of its sides, and is
provided with a discharge pipe 61, which communicates with the elbowl of sleeve f.
The two fans may be driven by a small independant steam engine, or they may bo
driven by hand or other power until steam is raised in the boiler, when they may
be driven by the engine that receives steam from the boiler.
If desired, steam may first be raised by allowing the products of combustion to
pass up the smoke stack by the natural draft, and after the fire is once thoroughly

page_text: in operation closing the smoke stack by the cut off at its base. The products of
combustion are then drawn from the boiler flues and delivered to the fire with the
admixture of a greater or less quantity of air, as may be required. In this manner
the heat that has heretofore passed up the smoke stack is utilized, and the gas and
particles of carbon that are unconsumed as they pass from the fire are utilized as a
source of heat.
The Invention may be applied to locomotives, marine, or other boilers.
Having described the nature of the said Invention and the manner of performing
the same, I declare that what I claim as the Invention to be protected by the herein-
before in part recited Letters Patent is,―
1. The partition o in combination with smoke box n for covering the air opening
p and separating the air from the gas until the air is heated, substantially as herein
shown and described.
2. The fan H having the sleeve f and the fan I in combination, substantially as
herein shown and described.
3. The combination of the fan H, the conduit k, and trunk g, having the grate r
with a boiler furnace having an air chamber F and divided smoke box n, as herein
shown and described.
4. The combination with fan H of the perforated plate D, ash pit having air
passages b at the sides, and the air chamber F, as and for the purposes specified.
In witness whereof, I, the said Alexander Melville Clark, have hereunto set
my hand and seal, this Thirteenth day of September, in the year of our Lord
One thousand eight hundred and seventy nine.
A
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TADI
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