Improvements in Furnaces for Destroying the Refuse of Towns.
Year: 1892

page_text: Date of Application. 9th Nov., 1892-Accepted, 10th Dec., 1892
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Furnaces for Destroying the Refuse of Towns.
I WILLIAM HORSFALL, of Camp Road Mills, Leeds, in the County of York,
Engineer, 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 certain improvements in furnaces for buruing the refuse
of towns, the object being;-First, to overcome certain difficulties which have
arisen through the great heat developed in these furnaces, and secondly, to lessen
the cost of working the furnaces.
The great heat developed in these furnaces causes the clinker to adhere to the
brickwork sides of the furnaces, and in continually knocking off this clinker the
said brickwork gets damaged, necessitating frequent repairs.
The cost of working these furnaces has become a serious expense in wages
alone, and my improved furnace is intended to dispense with manual labour as
much as possible.
I attain the objects of my invention by placing in the furnace a saddle-shaped
boiler which forms the top and sides of the furnace, and in using in conjunction
with a large hopper a series of sliding plates or pushers and moving or rocking
grate bars which constantly and continually move the refuse forward through the
furnace until it is deposited on a dead plate at the front of the furnace in the
form of ashes and clinker.
In the accompanying drawings which illustrate a furnace embodying my
invention,
Figure Sheet No. 1 is a view in front elevation of the furnace.
Figure 2 Sheet No. 2 is a view in rear elevation thereof.
Figure 3 Sheet No. 3 is a view in longitudinal section through the furnace, and
Figure 4 Sheet No. 3 is a view in transverse section thereof on line x, x,
Figure 3.
Throughout the several views similar parts are marked with like letters of
reference.
The furnace A, of which there may be any desired number arranged side by side,
is constructed of brickwork in the manner set forth in my prior Patent No. 22531
of 1891 with a main flue A¹ running under the furnace or furnaces, with perforated
arch tops A2 putting the furnace into communication with the side flues A³ con-
nected with the main flue A', and with a blast apparatus A* as set forth in my
prior Patent No. 8999 of 1887.
In the furnace A is placed a saddle-shaped boiler B forming the top and sides
of the furnace. This boiler has a series of tubes b, h, etc. passing through its
crown forming openings for the products of combustion to pass through. The
boiler is provided with the usual fittings as shown by the accompanying drawings.
The underside of the boiler forming the top of the furnace may be lined with
firebrick B' as shown in the drawings if necessary or though desirable.
At the rear of the furnace A is a hopper C into which the refuse is shot. At the
bottom of the hopper are a series of sliding plates or pushers D, D, etc. adapted to
force the refuse forward on to the grate bars E, which are of the moving or
rocking type preferably constructed according to Settle's Patent No. 15482
of 1885. The pushers D, D, etc. extend the whole width of the furnace and they
are operated by means of eccentrics a through eccentric straps d' and rods d², the
shaft D' on which the said eccentrics are mounted being rotated slowly from any
suitable source of power. On the same shaft D' are also mounted cams F, F,
adapted to operate levers G, G, actuating the moving or rocking grate bars E

page_text: through suitable links or rods G³, G¹. By the use of these pushers and moving or
rocking grate bars the refuse and clinker are gradually moved forward so that the
ashes and clinker are deposited on the front dead plate H from which they are
removed at intervals through the door h.
The products of combustion after passing through the tubes b, b, etc. in the crown
of the boiler B pass through perforations or passages a, a, formed in the walls A*
on each side of the openings of the tubes b, b, into the chambers J, J, above the
boiler, from whence they pass to the main flue A¹ by the side flues A³ A³.
The steam generated in the boiler may be used for any desired purpose, such as
providing power for the generation of electric light.
It will be understood that there may be any number of these furnaces in which
case they are preferably arranged side by side.
I wish it to be particularly understood that I do not limit myself to the precise
details of construction and arrangement herein before set forth and shown by the
accompanying drawings, but that I hold myself at liberty to make such changes
and alterations as fairly fall within the spirit and scope of my invention.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said inven
tion, and in what manner the same is to be performed I declare that what I
claim is :-
1. The improvements in furnaces for destroying the refuse of towns, as herein-
before described and illustrated by the accompanying drawings.
2. In a refuse destructor, forming the crown or top and the sides of the furnace
as a steam boiler, as and for the purpose set forth.
3. In a refuse destructor, the combination with a hopper placed at the rear of the
furnace, of a series of sliding plates or pushers, and of rocking or moving grate
bars, adapted to continuously move the refuse forward through the furnace, as and
for the purpose set forth.
4. In a refuse destructor, the combination of a furnace having a saddle-shaped
boiler placed in it to form its crown or top and its sides, of a steam blast: or air
injector adapted to force combustion in the furnace, of a hopper placed at the rear
of the furnace and adapted to receive the refuse to be destroyed, of sliding plates
or pushers adapted to feed the refuse forward on to the grate bars from the bottom
of the hopper, and of rocking or moving grate bars adapted to move the refuse as
it is being consumed to the forward end of the furnace so as to deposit the ashes
and clinker on the dead plate placed there, all combined, arranged, and operating
as and for the purpose set forth.
Dated this ath d... f Novambaa 1902
ROBT. ED. PHILLIPS, M.I.M.E.,
Consulting Engineer and Patent Agent,
70, Chancery Lane, London, W.C., Agent for the Applicant.