IMPROVEMENTS IN FURNACES
Year: 1884

page_text: 12
I, WALTER ROBERTS JONES of the Gas Works, Rome, Italy, Gas Engineer do
hereby declare the nature of my said invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN FURNACES
to be as follows:-
This invention has reference to the construction of furnaces generally, but is
specially adapted to the heating of gas retorts, and has for its object the production
of apparatus whereby the heat generated and applied can be maintained with
greater regularity and economy, and with inferior fuel, than by those generally
employed.
The invention consists in forming a chamber somewhat like an ordinary furnace
provided with fire bars, the distance between the bars being variable according to
the fuel employed.
Above this chamber or furnace, another chamber or furnace is built, the bottom
being sloped on each side towards the centre, and communicating with the lower
one by a deep slit running the whole length of the bottom of the upper chamber.
On each side of the lower furnace a channel is formed in the brickwork from the
front to the back, from which it rises and is continued to or near the front end.
The upper channel of these two has a number of short passages which open into
the lower chamber, or the passages may be connected with the lower channel. On
cach side of the upper chamber there is also formed a channel very similar to that
described in reference to the lower chamber, or it may consist of a single channel,
but in either case one of the channels is provided with short passages that open
into the upper chamber. The upper chamber has also a number of openings above
those just described which communicate with the flues surrounding the retorts.
The front ends of the channels are furnished with sight plugs and doors to regulate
the size of the openings. At the front of the two chambers or furnaces there is a
furnace door to each, and a smaller door between the two, by which access may be
had to the slit and the short passages in the lower chamber.
The action or way in which the apparatus is used is as follows. The lower
chamber or furnace is supplied with fuel of the ordinary kind, and the upper
chamber is also supplied with coke, small coke, and breeze. When a certain
degree of heat has been attained air is admitted to the lower chamber by the
channels on each side, and as in its passage through the heated brickwork channels,
the air acquires a very high temperaturo its emission into the furnace greatly

page_text: assists the primary combustion. The carbonic acid and other gases generated in
this chamber mix with the heated air emitted from the channels and pass together
through the slit communicating from the lower to the upper chamber. The
mixture in its passage through the fuel in the upper chamber undergoes a change,
the carbonic acid taking up another atom of carbon becomes converted into
carbonic oxide, which when mixed with the heated air emitted from the channels
on each side of the upper chamber, produces vigorous combustion, and in that state
pass through the openings in the upper part of the top chamber, into the flues
surrounding the retorts and there impart to them the heat necessary for car-
bonization. When once the furnaces are well heated fuel is supplied to the upper
chamber only, the lower one being supplied by what falls through the slit in the
upper one. The slit is allowed to partially clinker up, or is kept quite free
according to the heat, the kind of fuel employed and other circumstances.
In addition to the arrangement described in the foregoing, these furnaces may be
placed over each other, side by side, or back to back to suit the convenience of the
particular place or purpose to which they are applied.
Although furnaces in accordance with my invention may be built of ordinary
fire bricks, a part of my invention consists-in-constructing the furnaces of specially
shaped lumps of firo clay, having the side-channels-formed therein_in_suitable
directions. By these means the liability to leaky joints is greatly reduced.
A modification consists in making the sides of the lower furnace slope towards
each other, the area of the furnace decreasing as it approaches the top or slit.

page_text: COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
"
I, WALTER ROBERTS JONES of the Gas Works, Rome, Italy, Gas Engineer do
hereby declare the nature of my invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN FURNACES
and in what manner the same is to be performed, to be particularly described
and ascertained in and by the following statement reference being had to the
accompanying drawings and to the letters and figures marked thereon, that is
to say :-
This invention has reference to the construction of furnaces generally, but is
specially adapted to the heating of gas retorts, and has for its object the production
of apparatus whereby the heat generated and applied can be maintained with
greater regularity and economy, and with inferior fuel, than by those generally
employed.
In order that the invention may be more easily understood drawings are
attached hereto and are referred to in the following description, similar letters
referring to the samo parts in each of the views. Fig 1 is a longitudinal sectional
elevation through A, B, of Fig 2 of one form of my furnace Fig 2 a transverse
sectional elevation through C, D, of Fig 1, and Fig 3 a front elevation. Fig 4 is a
longitudinal sectional elevation through E, F, of Fig 5 and is a modification of the
foregoing. Fig 5 a transverse sectional elevation through G, H, of Fig 4 and Fig 6
a front elevation of the same.
The invention consists in forming a chamber I somewhat like an ordinary
furnace provided with fire bars the distance between the bars being variable
according to the fuel employed. Above this chamber or furnace, another chamber
or furnace J is built, the bottom K being sloped on each side towards the centre,
and communicating with the lower one by a deep slit L running tho whole
length of the bottom of the upper chamber. On each side of the lower furnace a
channel M is formed in the brickwork from the front to the back, from which it
rises and is continued as N to or near the front end. The upper channel of these
two has a number of short passages O which open into the lower chamber, or the
passages may be connected with the lower channel M. On each side of the upper
chamber there is also formed a channel P, very similar to that described in
reference to the lower chamber, or it may consist of a single channel, but in
either case one of the channels is provided with short passages Q that open into
the upper chamber. The upper chamber has also a number of openings R above
those just described which communicate with the flues surrounding the retorts.
The front ends of the channels are furnished with sight plugs and doors to regulate
the size of the openings.
At the front of the two chambers or furnaces there is a
furnace door to each, and a small door between the two, by which access may be
had to the slit and the short passages in the lower chamber.
The action or way in which the apparatus is used is as follows. The lower
chamber or furnace is supplied with fuel of the ordinary kind and the upper
chamber is also supplied with coke, small coke, or breeze. When a certain degree
of heat has been attained air is admitted to the lower chamber by the channels
on each side. The gases generated in this chamber mix with the air emitted

page_text: from the channels and pass together through the slit communicating from the
lower to the upper chamber. The gases in their passage through the fuel in the
upper chamber undergo a change, the carbonic acid taking up another atom of
carbon becomes converted into carbonic oxide, which when mixed with the air
emitted from the heated channels on each side of the upper chamber produces
vigorous combustion, and in that state pass through the openings in the upper
part of the top chamber into the flues surrounding the retorts, and there impart
to them the heat necessary for carbonization. When once the furnaces are well
heated fuel is supplied to the upper chamber only, the lower one being supplied
by what falls through the slit in the upper one. The slit is allowed to partially 1
clinker up, or is kept quite free according to the heat, the kind of fuel employed,
and other circumstances.
In addition to the arrangement described in the foregoing, these furnaces may be
placed over each other, side by side, or back to back, to suit the convenience of the
particular place or purpose to which they are applied.
Although furnaces in accordance with my invention may be built of ordinary fire
bricks, a part of my invention consists in constructing the furnaces of specially
shaped lumps of fire-clay, having the side channels formed therein in suitable
directions. By these means the liability-to-leaky joints_is_greatly_reduced.
A modification, illustrations of which are shown in Figs 4, 5, and 6 consists in
making the sides of the lower furnace slope towards each other, the area of the
furnace decreasing as it approaches the top or slit and in many cases this form is
-found-to-possess. advantages over the one previously described. Although not
shown in the drawing, one or more channels-similar to those before described for
supplying air to the top-chamber may be applied to this modification, the channels
being continuous and passing backwards and forwards as many times as-may be..