IMPROVEMENTS APPARATUS FOR THE COMBUSTION OF SMOKE AND SMELLS
Year: 1878

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to George Edward Davis, of the City of Manchester, Consult-
ing Chemist, and Robert Charles Menzies, of Musselburgh, in the County of
Edinburgh, Paper Manufacturer, for the Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS
APPARATUS FOR THE COMBUSTION OF SMOKE AND SMELLS."
IN
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said George Edward Davis and
Robert Charles Menzies at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents on the
25th April 1878.
GEORGE EDWARD DAVIS, of the City of Manchester, Consulting Chemist, and
ROBERT CHARLES MENZIES, of Musselburgh, in the County of Edinburgh, Paper
Manufacturer. "IMPROVEMENTS IN APPARATUS FOR THE COMBUSTION OF SMOKE
AND SMELLS."
Our Invention has for its objects
Firstly. The combustion of the smoke arising from fires and furnaces now in use,
so as to prevent the emission of such smoke into the atmosphere, or that the heated
gases from such fires or furnaces may be used for purposes of evaporation, in those
cases where the presence of smoke or soot would otherwise interfere.
And, Secondly. The destruction of noxious or strongly smelling vapors, which
emanate from many manufactures and industrial operations to the annoyance of
residents in the vicinity of such works.
The apparatus which we employ consists of a brick or otherwise constructed
chamber, of any suitable form or size, by preference lined internally with good fire-
bricks, and which is connected by a short flue with the fire-places, furnaces, incin-
erators, or other smoke or smell producing apparatus. The aforesaid chamber is
packed loosely with good fire-clay ware, which may be bricks, blocks, or tiles of any
convenient size or shape disposed in such a manner as to leave interstices between
the fire-clay material for the passage of the heated gases, which are brought forward
from the fire-places, furnaces, incinerators, or other smoke or smell producing ap-

page_text: paratus. In operation the fire-clay ware is raised to a red heat, and the carbon-
aceous vapors by simply passing through the mass of red-hot] fire-clay material, are
converted into colorless and inodorous carbonic acid.
In order to prevent the fire-clay material from getting too hot, provision is made
in the outer walls for the admission of air when desired, which provision is some-
times necessary when the supply of oxygen in the heated gases is insufficient for
the more complete combustion of the carbonaceous vapours.
To the aforesaid chamber we provide an entrance flue through which the gases
pass after having undergone combustion.
Precisely the same effect is produced in this before-mentioned chamber, whether
the heated gases are allowed to pass upwards, downwards, from side to side, diago-
nally, or through the length of the chamber, but we prefer to bring the heated gases
from the fire-places, furnaces, incinerators, or other smoke or smell producing appar-
atus upon the top of the fire-clay ware in the aforesaid chamber, and to pass them
downwards through the red-hot fire-clay ware, allowing them to escape from the
chamber by means of a flue or flues at the bottom thereof, from whence they pass
away to the chimney or to an evaporator, where they may be utilized for the pur-
poses of evaporation.
The supply of air necessary for the combustion of the fuel may be either obtained
by the use of a chimney, by means of an air engine, or by means of an injector.
A pan for evaporating purposes may be placed above the chamber when found
necessary.
It will readily be seen that many variations of detail are possible with regard to
the arrangement of the fire-clay ware, as to the form, size, and position thereof, and
these will depend in great measure, upon the nature of the material to be consumed,
the quality of the fuel used, and the dimensions of the fire-places, furnaces, inciner-
ators, or other smoke or smell producing apparatus, to which our Invention is
applied.

page_text: SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent filed by
the said George Edward Davis and Robert Charles Menzies in the Great
Seal Patent Office on the 12th October 1878.
GEORGE EDWARD DAVIS, of the City of Manchester, Consulting Chemist, and
ROBERT CHARLES MENZIES, of Musselburgh, in the County of Edinburgh, Paper
Manufr. "IMPROVEMENTS IN APPARATUS FOR THE COMBUSTION OF SMOKE AND
SMELLS."
Our Invention has for its objects,―
Firstly. The combustion of smoke arising from fires and furnaces now in use, so as
to prevent the emission of such smoke into the atmosphere, or that the heated gases
from such fires or furnaces may be used for purposes of evaporation in those cases
where the presence of smoke or soot would otherwise interfere,
And, Secondly. The destruction of noxious or strongly smelling vapours which
emanate from many manufactories and industrial operations to the annoyance of
residents in the vicinity of such works.
The apparatus which we employ is especially useful for the recovery of soda in
papermaking, and is illustrated by the Drawings Figs. 1, 2, and 3, Sheet I.; and
Figs. 4, 5, and 6, Sheet II., which show different arrangements in longitudinal section;
cross section, and plan. A chamber of any suitable form and size, constructed of
brick or otherwise, and which may or may not be lined internally with good fire-
brick, is connected by a short flue with the fire-places, furnaces, incinerators, or other
smoke or smell producing apparatus. That chamber is packed loosely with good
fire-clay ware, which may be bricks, blocks, or tiles of any convenient size or shape,
disposed in such a manner as to leave interstices between the fire-clay material for
the passage of the heated gases, which issue from the fire-places, furnaces, inciner-
ators, or other sources of smoke or smell. In operation the fire-clay packing is raised
to a red heat, and the carbonaceous vapours by simply passing through the red-hot
mass are converted into colorless and inodorous carbonic acid.
In order to prevent the fire-clay material from getting too hot, the outer walls
are provided with openings through which air can be admitted if desired. This
supply of fresh air is also necessary for the more complete combustion of the carbon-
aceous vapours if the heated gases contain an insufficient quantity of oxygen.
The effect of the apparatus is the same whether the heated gases are allowed to
pass upwards or downwards, or from side to side diagonally, or through the length
of the chamber, but we prefer to conduct the heated gases from the place where they
are generated to the top of the aforesaid chamber, and to pass them downward
through the red-hot fire-clay packing, allowing them to escape from the chamber by
means of a flue or flues at the bottom thereof, from whence they pass away to the
chimney or to an evaporator where their heat may be utilized for evaporation.
The supply of air necessary for the combustion of the gases may either be obtained
by the use of a chimney, or by an air engine, or by an injector. If found con-
venient a pan for evaporating purposes may also be placed over the chamber.

page_text: In the arrangement shewn on Sheet I. the hot gases enter at the bottom of the
chamber, passing through the loose fire-clay ware B 1, and after having been subject
to a partial deflection by the projections D1 and D2, pass through a second wall
B 2, from whence they escape to the chimney.
In the arrangement illustrated on Sheet II. the whole chamber A is loosely packed 5
with fire-bricks; the hot gases enter at the top of the chamber and escape through
the flues O. We do however not limit ourselves to the special arrangement
of the fire-clay ware shown by these two examples, nor to the shape, size, and posi-
tion thereof, or to the shape and size of the chamber; these details depend in a great
measure upon the nature of the material to be consumed, the quality of the fuel 1
used, and the dimensions of the fire-places, furnaces, incinerators or other smoke or
smell-producing apparatus, to which our Invention is applied.
What we claim as our Invention is substantially as set forth,―
1. To conduct the hot gases and smoke emanating from fire-plates, furnaces, or
other sources of smoke through a chamber, which is loosely packed with fire-clay 1
ware or other suitable material, in order to effect the combustion of smoke and smell
by the heat that is thus obtained.
2. To introduce atmospheric air into this chamber in order to prevent the fire-
clay packing from getting too hot for the purpose of supplying additional oxygen
if the quantity contained in the hot air current is insufficient for the complete 2
combustion of the smoke.
Witness,
C. WETTER,
Clerk to A. Hildebrandt,
Patent Agent,
Bow Chambers,
Manchester,
The 14th day of September 1878.
GEORGE EDWARD DAVIS. (L.S.)