IMPROVEMENTS IN BOILERS AND FEED HEATERS, PARTLY APPLICABLE TO APPARATUS FOR HEATING AND REFRIGERATING FLUIDS
Year: 1875

page_text: PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by James Matthews at the Office
of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on the 25th
October 1875.
I, JAMES MATTHEWS, of Dunwear Villa, Bridgwater, in the County
of Somerset, do hereby declare the nature of the said Invention for
"IMPROVEMENTS IN BOILERS AND FEED HEATERS, PARTLY APPLICABLE TO APPARATUS
FOR HEATING AND REFRIGERATING FLUIDS," to be as follows:-
In the Specification of a Patent granted to me on the 19th October
1874, No. 3586, I described an improved form of vertical steam boiler
having a central fire-box, from the crown of which a pocket projected
downwards towards the fire and having a central smoke tube rising
from the bottom of the pocket to a smoke box above the steam space,
and other smoke tubes from the crown of the fire-box to the said smoke
box, also bent water tubes forming a communication from the outer
water shell to the pocket.
According to my present Invention I introduce in this form of boiler
other smoke tubes extending from the bottom of the pocket to the

page_text: smoke box;
I also modify the construction so as to form a double steam
boiler of this kind by making the outer shell and fire-box of oval form,
introducing two pockets with their tubes, and staying the crown of the
fire-box between the pockets by bolts to a cross plate fixed to the sides
of the boiler between the crown of the fire-box and the crown of the
boiler, which plate may in addition be supported by bolting up to the
crown of the boiler, or it may be entirely suspended by bolts from the
crown of the boiler without fastening to its sides. By the use of the
said plate I dispense with the girder stays usually employed, and so
avoid the accumulation of deposit among such stays.
This improved form of roof stay may also be employed in connection
with locomotive and other known forms of steam boilers. Further I
modify the form of boiler described in my former Specification, so as to
rendor it applicable as an open boiler for heating liquids, in which casc
I dispense with the smoke box above and carry bent smoke tubes from
the crown of the fire-box into the central smoke tube. An open boiler
or pan thus constructed having its internal fire-box and its fire-grate
arranged therein, has the advantage of being self contained and re-
quiring no brickwork setting. A similar construction is applicable as a
vessel for cooling or refrigerating liquids, the fire-grate being in this
case removed, and in lieu thereof a pipe being introduced for conveying
a blast of cold air from a blowing engine or fan into the internal cavity.
On the mouth of this air pipe I suspend an adjustable deflector, which
causes the current of air to spread out on all sides instead of rushing
directly up the central tube.
For heating the feed water of steam boilers, such as I have described
or of other steam boilers, I employ an apparatus suited more particularly
for double engines, such as those of a locomotive; it consists of a flat
vessel having a semicircular crown and tapering at the bottom to a
mouth-piece, to which is fitted a blow off pipe and cock. Within the
vessel is formed a "breeches" pipe having at bottom two mouths,
one connected to the eduction or exhaust pipe of each of the cylinders.
The two branches from these mouths meet in one pipe which issues
from the crown of the vessel. The vessel is placed in the smoke box,
where its exterior is exposed to the action of the hot products of
combustion passing from the boiler flues to the chimney, and the waste
steam from the cylinders blowing off through the breeches or enclosed
exhaust pipe heats its interior which is charged with the foed water.

page_text: .
The deposit from the feed water can be blown off from time to time by
opening the blow off cock. I prefer to construct the vessel with a
man-hole on the one side, which, when the heater is of cast metal gives
facility of casting, and which afterwards is useful for giving access to
3 cleanse the interior.