IMPROVEMENTS IN REVERBERATORY FURNACES
Year: 1881

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to George Fenwick, of Gateshead, Engineer, and Brodie
Cochrane, of Durham, Colliery Owner, for an Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS
IN REVERBERATORY FURNACES."
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said George Fenwick and
Brodie Cochrane at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents on the
28th June 1881.
GEORGE FENWICK, of Gateshead, Engineer, and BRODIE COCHRANE, of Durham,
Colliery Owner. IMPROVEMENTS IN REVERBERATORY FURNACES."
Our Invention relates to improvements in that class of furnaces known as
reverberatory furnaces employed for metallurgical, chemical, and other manu-
facturing operations, and it has for its object utilizing the heat under the most
advantageous conditions in order to effect economy in the consumption of fuel.
In carrying out our Invention in order to effect this object we form a chamber
or chambers over the top of the furnace, communicating at the rear end
with the body of the furnace by a small regulated opening or openings, and
terminating at the front end in a closed ash pit. The chamber or chambers
are provided with a series of baffles, which are formed of brick work placed at an
angle, and are so arranged that whilst they admit of a portion of the flame (caused
to enter the said chamber or chambers from the interior of the furnace by suitably
adjusting the extent of the opening) to pass freely along the said chamber or
chambers into the closed ash pit, and thence by passing over and through the firo
bars to intensify the heat; they will at the same time form an obstruction to the
return of any gaseous products under the draft of the chimney. We may also
employ an additional chamber or chambers arranged over the top of the furnaco,
with an opening or openings at the rear end for the admission of cold air, which
becomes heated by passing along the said chamber or chambers, and is conducted
into a common mixing chamber communicating with the closed ash pit, and in
which the fire chamber or chambers also terminate, so that the heated air and the
flame gasses from the fire chamber or chambers are mixed together, and the
mixture is caused to pass through the fire, thereby further intensifying the beat.
We prefer to employ two fire chambers, arranged one at each side at the top,
with two air chambers between them, and which may be provided with per-
forated brick partitions if required.
•

page_text: SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent filed
by the said George Fenwick and Brodie Cochrane in the Great Seal Patent
Office on the 28th December 1881.
GEORGE FENWICK, of Gateshead, Engineer, and BRODIE COCHRANE, of Durham,
Colliery Owner. "IMPROVEMENTS IN REVERBERATORY FURNACES."
Our said Invention relates to improvements in that class of furnaces which are
known as reverberatory furnaces employed for metallurgical, chemical, and other
manufacturing operations, and it has for its object utilizing the heat under the
most advantageous conditions in order to effect economy in the consumption of
fuel.
In carrying out our said Invention in order to effect this object we form a
chamber or chambers (hereinafter designated the fire chamber or chambers) over
the top of the furnace, communicating at the rear end with the body of the furnace
by a small regulated opening or openings, and terminating at the front end in a
closed ash pit. The fire chamber or chambers are provided with a series of baffles,
which are formed of brick work or other suitable material placed at an angle, and
are so arranged that whilst they admit of a portion of the flame (caused to enter
the said chamber or chambers from the interior of the furnace by suitably
adjusting the extent of the opening) passing freely along the said chamber or
chambers into the closed ash pit, and thence by passing over and through the fire
bars to intensify the heat; they will at the same time form an obstruction to the
return of any gaseous products under the draft of the chimney. We may also
employ an additional chamber or chambers (hereinafter designated the air chamber
or chambers). arranged over the top of the furnace with an opening or openings for
the admission of cold air, which becomes heated by passing along the said chamber
or chambers, and is conducted into a common mixing chamber communicating with
the closed ash pit, and in which the fire chamber or chambers also terminate, so
that the heated air and the flame gases from the fire chamber or chainbers are
mixed together, and the mixture is caused to pass through the fire, thereby further
intensifying the heat. The air admitted from the exterior may be preliminarily
heated before being conducted into the air chamber or chambers by causing it to
pass through a heated chamber beneath the hearth of the furnace and along heated
passages terminating in the air chamber or chambers.
We prefer to employ two fire chambers arranged one at each side at the top,
with two air chambers between them, and which may be provided with perforated
brick partitions if required.
And in order that our said Invention may be fully understood, we will 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 letters of
reference indicating corresponding parts in all the Figures.
Figure 1 of the accompanying Drawings represents a longitudinal section taken
along the line 1, 2 (Figure 4) of a furnace constructed according to our said
Invention; Figure 2 is a horizontal section of the same taken along the line 3, 4
(Figure 1); Figure 3 is a longitudinal section taken along the line 5, 6 (Figure 2);
Figure 4 is a transverse section taken along the line 7, 8 (Figure 1); and Figuro 5
is a similar section taken along the line 9, 10 (Figure 3).
A are the fire-bars, situate over a closed ash pit B; C is the working hearth, and
D is the crown of the furnace, E being the chamber in which combustion takes
place and the heat and flame gases are reverberated.
Over the top of the chamber E are formed two chambers F, which in the present
example are arranged one at each side of the furnace; these chambers (which we

page_text: designate fire chambers) communicate at the rear end with the combustion or
reverberatory chamber E by a small opening or openings a capable of being
regulated by a valve or valves f, and terminate at the front end in the closed ȧsh
pit B.
By suitably adjusting by the aid of the valve or valves f the degree of opening
at a, a portion of the flame from the chamber E is diverted from escaping to the
chimney at d, and is drawn into the fire chambers F, along which it passes into
the closed ash pit B; it then passes over and through the fire bars A (as indicated
by the arrows) and intensifies the heat in the chamber, this process being continued
so as to maintain a circulation from the chamber E through the chambers F over
and through the fire bars A and back to the chamber E. The fire chambers are
provided with a series of baffles e, e, which are composed of brickwork placed at
an angle and are so arranged that whilst they adinit of a portion of the flame
drawn in from the chamber E, as before mentioned passing freely along the
chambers F, the said battles will at the same time form an obstruction to the return
of any gascous products under the draft of the chimney.
We may also employ in combination with the firo-chambers F an additional
chamber or chambers G (which we designate air chambers) arranged over the top
of the furnace, and which may be conveniently constructed between the two
chambers F, as shewn. Cold air is admitted at g into a hot chamber H beneath
the hearth of the furnace, and from which chamber the air partially heated is
conducted by passages i into the air chamber or chambers G. The air then
becomes highly heated by passing along the said chambers and is mixed at k with
the flame gases from the chambers F, the mixture thence passing over and through
the fire-bars and further intensifying the heat. The air chambers G may` be
provided with perforated brick partitions if required.
By cutting off the communication with the chimney by means of a damper, the
products of combustion may be caused to circulate continuously from the chamber E
along the fire-chambers F, through the chamber F again to the fire chambers, and
so on in succession as long as required.
Having now described and particularly ascertained the nature of our said
Invention, and the manner in which the same is or may be used or carried into
effect, we would observe in conclusion that what we consider to be novel and
original, and therefore claim as the Invention secured to us by the hereinbefore
in part recited Letters Patent is,―
First. The employment of a chamber or chambers (hereinbefore designated the
fire chamber or chambers) extending over or along the furnace, and communicating
nt one end with the reverberatory or combustion chamber, and at the other end
with a closed ash pit, substantially as and for the purpose herein before
described.
Second. The combination with the fire chamber or chambers of a chamber or
chambers (bereinbefore designated the air chamber or chambers) extending over or
along the furnace, and communicating at one end with the external atmosphere and
at the other end with the closed ash pit, substantially as and for the purpose
hereinbefore described.
In witness whercof, I, the said George Fenwick, on behalf of Brodie
Cochrane and myself, have to this our Specification set my hand and seal,
this Twenty eighth day of December, One thousand eight hundred and
GEORGE FENWICK. (L.S.)