Year: 1887

page_text: I, WILLIAM WILKIE of Arnloss Colliery, Slamannan, in the County of Stirling,
North Britain, Coalmaster do hereby declare the nature of this invention to be as
follows:-
This Invention relates to an improvement in effecting the combustion of fuel on
grate bars and it is applicable to all kinds of fire grates on which coal or other
carbonaceous fuel is burnt and the esssential feature of it consists in utilizing the air
which passes up through the grate bars as a vehicle for the vapour of water.
It has often been proposed to admit steam beneath the grate bars of furnaces and
fireplaces but when so employed the steam used being of greater pressure than the
pressure of the atmosphere displaces the air which would otherwise pass naturally up
through the grate bars thereby diminishing the quantity of air meeting the fuel.
According to the present Invention steam is not used but the aqueous vapour which
arises or escapes from water heated below the boiling point. Aqueous vapour of this
character is led in below the fire grate and the air moving up through the fire bars
mechanically picks up the ascending aqueous vapour so that only so much thereof as
the air can carry as a vehicle for the vapour passes up through the fire bars and meets
with the burning fuel.
It is obvious that this Invention may be carried out in a variety of ways, the mode of
carrying it out not forming an essential part of the improvement, but to illustrate how
it may be applied to an ordinary domestic fire grate or to a fire grate such as is used
in steam boilers or in other furnaces of a large kind, I here explain that a convenient
way of practising my improvement is to place a shallow trough at such a distance
below the fire bars that the heat radiating downwards from the fuel and fire bars will
evaporate the water from the upper surface thereof thereby causing a constant
ascending flow of aqueous vapour. Under another arrangement the aqueous vapour
may be produced by leading steam from a boiler into a trough containing water, the
said trough being also arranged beneath the fire grate.
ST. JOHN V. DAY,
115, St. Vincent Street, Glasgow,
Petitioner's Agent.

page_text: An Improvement in Effecting the Combustion of Fuel.
I, WILLIAM WILKIE of Arnloss Colliery, Slamannan, in the County of Stirling,
North Britain, Coalmaster do hereby declare the nature of this invention and in what
manner the same is to be performed, to be particularly described and ascertained
in and by the following statement :-
My Invention relates to an improvement in effecting the combustion of fuel on
grate bars and it is applicable to all kinds of fire-grates on which coal or other
carbonaceous fuel is burnt and the essential feature of it consists in utilizing the air
which passes up through the grate-bars as a vehicle for the vapour of water.
It has often been proposed to admit steam beneath the grate bars of furnaces and
fire-places but when so employed the steam used being of greater pressure than the
pressure of the atmosphere, displaces the air which would otherwise pass naturally up
through the grate bars thereby diminishing the quantity of air meeting the fuel on
the grate.
According to my present improvement steam is not used, but instead thereof the
aqueous vapour which arises or escapes from water heated below the boiling point.
Aqueous vapour of this character is led in below the fire-grate and the air moving up
through the fire-bars mechanically picks up the ascending aqueous vapour so that only
so much thereof as the air can carry as a vehicle for the vapour passes up through the
fire-bars and meets with the burning fuel.
It is obvious that my Invention may be carried out in a variety of ways, the mode of
carrying it out not forming an essential part of the improvement, but to illustrate how
it may be applied to an ordinary domestic fire-grate or to a fire-grate such as is used in
steam boilers or in other furnaces of a large kind, I here explain that a convenient way
of practising my improvement is to place a shallow trough at such a distance below the
fire bars that the heat radiating downwards from the fuel and fire bars will evaporate the
water from the upper surface thereof thereby causing a constant ascending flow of
aqueous vapour. Under another arrangement the aqueous vapour may be produced
by leading steam from a boiler into a trough containing water, the said trough being
also arranged beneath the fire-grates.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said
Invention and in what manner the same is to be performed, I declare that what
I claim is
The improvement in effecting the combustion of fuel consisting in providing fire-
places or furnaces with means for causing aqueous vapour as distinct from steam to
be supplied below the fire-grates of furnaces and fire-places so that the said aqueous
vapour is carried by the ascending current of air up through the grate-bars to meet
the fuel burning thereon, substantially as hereinbefore described.
Dated this 11th T..1.. 1000
ST. JOHN V. DAY,
115, St. Vincent Street, Glasgow,
Applicant's Agent.