IMPROVEMENTS IN OR CONNECTED WITH FURNACES OR HEATING APPARATUS FOR BURNING LIQUID HYDROCARBONS
Year: 1884

page_text: I JOHN HENRY JOHNSON of 47 Lincoln's Inn Fields in the County of Middlesex
Gentleman do hereby declare the nature of said Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN
OR CONNECTED WITH FURNACES OR HEATING APPARATUS FOR BURNING LIQUID
HYDROCARBONS" which Invention has been communicated to me from Jules Buffet
of Paris in the Republic of France to be as follows:-
This Invention relates to furnaces or apparatus in which heat is produced by the
combustion of liquid hydrocarbon fuel which is converted into vapour or spray by
the pulverising action of steam and caused to burn when in this condition as
hereinafter described.
The heat thus obtained is inexpensive easily controlled and very regular and
powerful in its action and owing to the perfect combustion the whole of the carbon
in the liquid fuel is utilized.
The apparatus constructed according to this Invention is provided with a box or
case arranged in front of a fire place or combustion chamber and supplied with
hydrocarbon or liquid fuel and steam by separate pipes. The liquid enters the
combustion chamber in the form of a thin sheet or jet which is broken up or
dispersed in the form of spray or vapour by the action of a jet of steam.
Before entering the aforesaid box or case the steam and liquid pass through a
beater consisting of a case in which the steam and liquid move in opposite directions
that is to say the hydrocarbon or liquid contained under pressure in a suitable
reservoir is caused to flow along a pipe passing through the case whilst the steam
circulates in the said case and thereby heats the liquid flowing in the pipe. From
this heating apparatus the steam and hydrocarbon pass through separate pipes to
the box hereinbefore referred to which is provided with two slides capable of being
shifted by excentric pins on the ends of two spindles so as to move towards or away
from a partition arranged opposite an opening in the side of the box which is
divided by the said partition into two compartments one of which communicates
with the pipe supplying the hydrocarbon liquid. The said spindles are provided
at their extremities with a key or handle by which they may be turned so as to
D...All
•

page_text: regulate the supply of steam and liquid. The slide in the compartment containing
the liquid is preferably provided with notches or recesses for the purpose of dividing
the stream of liquid.
The apparatus is supplied with steam at a pressure of preferably about one and
a half atmospheres and may be arranged to turn upon jointed pipes or connections
attached to the heater herein before described which may be secured to the masonry
of the furnace. The steam is first turned on and afterwards the hydrocarbon
gradually the area of the discharge orifices being adjusted by means of the spindles
and slides herein before described so that the steam issues in a sheet of jet from
between the edge of one of the slides and the side of the partition and the hydro-
carbon issues in the form of another jet or sheet from between the edge of the
other slide and the other side of the partition. The orifices are inclined so that
the two sheets or jets converge and the jet or sheet of steam meeting the jet or
sheet of liquid breaks up or evaporises the latter and the combined jet or sheet
of spray or vapour enters a fireplace or combustion chamber which may be the
fireplace or combustion chamber of an ordinary steam boiler or other furnace and
is there ignited. The heat thus generated may be employed to heat a steam boiler
or for other purposes. The apparatus constructed according to this Invention
may be employed independently or be applied to existing furnaces of ordinary
construction so as to be used in combination with the combustion of ordinary fuel
or otherwise.

page_text: I JOHN HENRY JOHNSON of 47 Lincolns Inn Fields in the County of Middlesex
Gentleman do hereby declare the nature of said Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS
IN OR CONNECTED WITH FURNACES OR HEATING APPARATUS FOR BURNING LIQUID
HYDRO CARBONS "which invention has been communicated to me from abroad by
Jules Buffet of Paris in the Republic of France and in what manner the same is
to be performed to be particularly described and ascertained in the following
statement:
This Invention relates to furnaces or apparatus in which heat is produced by the
combustion of liquid Hydrocarbon fuel which is converted into vapour or spray by
the pulverizing action of steam and caused to burn when in this condition as
hereinafter described.
Numerous attempts have been made but without success to utilise hydrocarbons
for heating purposes especially in regions where coal is scarce and oils of petroleum,
naphtha, schist resin and the like are abundant. According to this invention the
desired result is obtained by means of specially constructed apparatus in which
steam is employed as the pulverising agent The hydrocarbon or liquid fuel is
caused to flow in a thin sheet over an inclined surface as indicated at a figure 4 of
the accompanying drawings and the steam issuing in the form of a jet from a
contracted orifice or slit at 6 breaks up this stream of liquid and converts it into
spray or vapour which may be burned in any suitable combustion chamber or
furnace in combination or not with other fuel.
The beat thus obtained is inexpensive easily controlled and very regular and
powerful in its action and owing to the perfect combustion the whole of the carbon
in the liquid fuil is utilized An apparatus constructed according to this Invention
can be fitted up at a small cost in combination with or applied to existing furnaces
without necessitating any modification in the construction of the latter thus
enabling the oils hereinbefore referred to to be employed either alone or occa-
sionally alternately with or in combination with coal or other fuel burned in the
ordinary way.
And in Order that the said Invention may be fully understood I shall now
proceed more particularly to describe the same and for that purpose shall refer to
the several figures on the annexed sheet of drawings the same letter of reference
indicating corresponding parts in all the figures.
Figure 1 is a side elevation of an apparatus constructed according to this
Invention applied to an ordinary steam boiler and figure 2 is a front elevation of
the same.
Figures 3 and 5 are sections drawn to a larger scale of parts of the apparatus
hereinafter described.
This form of apparatus may evidently be modified in various ways according to
circumstances and is merely given as an illustration of a convenient arrangement
for carrying out the Invention in practice when applied to a steam boiler.
One part (indicated at A figures 1 and 2) of an apparatus constructed according
to this Invention consists of a box or case D arranged in front of a fire place or
combustion chamber Y and forming a spray producer being supplied with Hydro-
carbon or liquid fuel through a pipe B and with steam through a pipe E. The
liquid enters the combustion chamber through an opening F in the side of the
case D in the form of a thin sheet or jet which is broken up or dispersed in the
form of spray or vapour by the action of the jet of steam escaping through the
same orifice.

page_text: Before entering the aforesaid box or case the steam and liquid pass through
another part of the apparatus forming a heater indicated at G figure 2 and in
detail in figure 5 consisting of a Case B in which the steam and liquid move in
opposite directions that is to say the hydrocarbon or liquid contained under
pressure in a suitable reservoir as indicated at R figure 2 is caused to flow along
a pipe H leading to the lower part of the case B whilst the steam supplied by a
pipe leading to the upper part of the case circulates in the said case around
the pipe H (figure 5) and thereby heats the liquid flowing in the said pipe From
this heating apparatus the steam and hydrocarbon pass through separate pipes to
the box D or spray producer herein before referred to which is provided with two
slides R R¹ as indicated in figures 3 and 40 capable of being shifted by eccentric
pins II on the ends of two spindles K K¹ so as to move towards or away from an
internal partition M arranged opposite the opening at F in the side of the box D
which is divided by the said partition into two compartments one of which com-
municates with the steam supply pipe V whilst the other compartment communicates
with the pipe H supplying the Hydro carbon liquid-The extremities of said
spindles are arranged to receive a key or handle by which they may be turned so
as to regulate the supply of steam and liquid by shifting the slides R R¹.
The slide R in the compartment containing the liquid is preferably provided with
notches or recesses for the purpose of dividing the stream of liquid as shewn
at d d fig 40.
The principle on which the distribution or dispersion is performed will be readily
understood by referring to fig 4-The spray producing apparatus is supplied with
steam at a pressure of preferably about one and a half atmospheres and in the
-example illustrated is arranged to turn upon joints or unions Gat the point where
the pipes are attached to the heater G hereinbefore described-which heater may be
secured to the front of the boiler or to the masonry of the furnace for example-
The steam is first turned on and afterwards the hydro carbon gradually the area of
the discharge orifices being adjusted by means of the spindles and slides herein-
before described so that the steam issues in a sheet or jet from between the edge of
one of the slides R and the side of the partition M and the hydrocarbon issues in
the form of another jet or sheet from between the edge of the other slide and the
other side of the partition.
The volume of the jets is regulated by shifting the slides R R¹ according to the
degree of heat required and is so adjusted as to avoid producing smoke which when
present shows that the combustion is imperfect-The orifices are inclined so that
the two sheets or jets converge and the jet or sheet of steam meeting the jet or
sheet of liquid breaks up or converts the latter into spray or vapour and the
combined jet or sheet of spray or vapour thus produced enters the fire place or
combustion chamber which may be the fire place or combustion chamber of an
ordinary steam boiler or other furnace and is there ignited preferably by means of
a fire previously kindled in the said combustion chamber.
After a short period the heat of the chamber itself suffices to keep the combined
jet of steam and oil alight without any supplementary fire.
In all cases a small quantity of fire wood placed upon the grate suffices to ignite
the jet.
The heat thus generated may be employed to heat a steam boiler as indicated in
the drawing or for other purposes-The apparatus constructed according to this
Invention may be employed independently or be applied to existing furnaces of
ordinary construction so as to be used in combination with the combustion of
ordinary fuel or otherwise.
In works where a number of boilers are employed the steam under pressure
from one boiler may be used to produce the jet or jets for heating the others The
expenditure of steam is so small that it has no practical effect on the production of
the generator whether the latter be employed to produce steam for motive power
or for other purposes.

page_text: Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of the said
Invention and in what manner the same is to be performed I declare that what
I claim is
First In furnaces or heating apparatus the employment of hydrocarbon liquids
in the form of spray or vapour produced by the action of a jet of steam substan-
tially as herein before described with reference to the accompanying drawing.
Secondly: In furnaces or heating apparatus the employment of the apparatus
consisting of a spray producer or disperser in combination with a heater for
promoting the evaporation or pulverisation of the hydrocarbon and regulating the
distribution of the combined jet of steam and vapour substantially as hereinbefore
described and illustrated in the accompanying drawings.
Thirdly-A furnace or heating apparatus heated exclusively by means of hydro-
carbon liquids consumed in apparatus constructed and operating substantially as
hereinbefore described.
Fourthly: A furnace or heating apparatus heated by the combustion of ordinary
fuel in combination with or supplemented by hydrocarbon liquids consumed in
apparatus constructed and arranged substantially as hereinbefore described.
Dated this 19th day of January 1885.
J. HENRY JOHNSON.