IMPROVEMENTS IN STEAM BOILERS WITH COMBINED AIR HEATING ATTACHMENT AND CONDENSER
Year: 1874

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Alfred Vincent Newton, of the Office for Patents,
66, Chancery Lane, in the County of Middlesex, Mechanical
Draughtsman, for the Invention of “IMPROVEMENTS IN STEAM BOILERS
WITH COMBINED AIR HEATING ATTACHMENT AND CONDENSER."-A com-
munication from abroad by Benjamin Talbot Babbitt, of the City
and State of New York. United States of America.
Sealed the 3rd July 1874, and dated the 4th February 1874.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Alfred Vincent Newton
at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition,
on the 4th February 1874.
I, ALFRED VINCENT NEWTON, of the Office for Patents, 66, Chancery
Lane, in the County of Middlesex, Mechanical Draughtsman, do
hereby declare the nature of the said Invention for “ImproVEMENTS IN
STEAM BOILERS WITH COMBINED AIR HEATING ATTACHMENT AND CONDENSER," to
be as follows :-
This Invention consists in a novel arrangement or combination
of steam boiler with an air heating attachment operating also as a

page_text: condenser, whereby not only are the products of combustion as they escape
from the fire-place or furnace of the boiler utilized in heating a current
or currents or air, but such air is made capable of diversion by giving it
an upward or downward draft either to supply the furnace with heated
air to promote combustion or to conduct the same to one or more apart-
ments of a building, according to the season and other controlling
circumstances, also the exhaust steam of the engine supplied by the boiler
is more or less condensed.
Adjacent to the boiler furnace is a cold air condenser for the exhaust
steam of an engine worked by the boiler and forming, or partially so, also
a heater for supplying hot air either to the furnace of the boiler or to the
apartments of a building.
The boiler and the condenser have preferably a similar sectional con-
struction although the Invention is not restricted to any particular
construction for either of them. They are composed for the most part of
a number of hollow uprights of a serpentine form mounted on drums,
also connecting with upper drums and having attached to them a
number of hollow radial arms of tapering construction in their longi-
tudinal section, and set "staggering" in relation with each other to
produce a more effective surface action. The products of combustion
after circulating amongst the uprights and tapering arms of the boiler
leave the furnace by an upper side opening leading into a horizontal flue
or chamber which connects at its outer end with the chimney. This
horizontal flue or chamber is fitted with vertical pipes arranged to
connect above and below with cross passages or chambers situated in
such relation with each other, that is, the upper ones with the lower ones,
and the pipes being so disposed to connect with said chambers that air
suitably introduced for the purpose is free to circulate successively up
one set of pipes and down through the next, or vice versa, throughout
the length of the flue or chamber, and so that the escaping products of
combustion passing through the flue serve to more or less heat the air
circulating through the pipes and passages. The direction which such
air is made to take relatively to the length of the flue depends on
the purpose to which it is proposed to apply the heated air. Thus it
has an upward or downward draught given it through the condenser
chamber for circulation amongst or around the uprights and tapering
arms contained therein, either by admitting it to or allowing it to pass
off through the heating pipes nearest the chimney, according as it is

page_text: required to supply the furnace with heated air to promote combustion or
to conduct hot air into the building for warming purposes. The space
with which the upper ends of the pipes nearest the chimney connect is
provided with one or more horizontal or outside air inlets, and one or
more vertical or top outlets, both controlled by a valve or damper
arranged so that when it is turned to open the inlets it closes the outlet,
and vice versa. There also is a passage connecting the upper end of the
condenser chamber with the lower ends of the pipes nearest the boiler,
likewise an air inlet connecting the lower partition of the chamber at the
end furthest from the boiler with the outside atmosphere, which inlet is
opened or closed as required by a damper. The opposite end of the
condenser chamber at its bottom connects with the ash-pit of the furnace
by a passage which is also opened or closed by a damper. The exhaust
steam from the engine is introduced to the condenser tubes, and after
circulating through the same passes off as water of condensation.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent,
filed by the said Alfred Vincent Newton in the Great Seal Patent
Office on the 1st August 1874.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, ALFRED
VINCENT NEWTON, of the Office for Patents, 66, Chancery Lane, in the
County of Middlesex, Mechanical Draughtsman, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her
Letters Patent, bearing date the Fourth day of February, in the year
of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and seventy-four, in the
thirty-seventh year of Her reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors
give and grant unto me, the said Alfred Vincent Newton, Her special
licence that I, the said Alfred Vincent Newton, my executors, admi-
nistrators, and assigns, or such others as I, the said Alfred Vincent
Newton, my executors, administrators, and assigns, should at any time
agree with, and no others, from time to time and at all times there-
after during the term therein expressed, should and lawfully might
make, use, exercise, and vend, within the United Kingdom of Great
Britain and Ireland, the Channel Islands, and Isle of Man, an Inven-
tion for "IMPROVEMENTS IN STEAM BOILERS WITH COMBINED AIR HEATING

page_text: ATTACHMENT AND CONDENSER," being a communication to me from abroad
by Benjamin Talbot Babbitt, of the City and State of New York, United
States of America, upon the condition (amongst others) that I, the
said Alfred Vincent Newton, my executors or administrators, by an
instrument in writing under my, or their, or one of their hands and
seals, should particularly describe and ascertain the nature of the said
Invention, and in what manner the same was to be performed, and
cause the same to be filed in the Great Scal Patent Office within six
calendar months next and immediately after the date of the said Letters
Patent.
NOW KNOW YE, that I, the said Alfred Vincent Newton, do
hereby declare the nature of the said Invention, 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 Drawing
hereunto annexed and to the letters and figures marked thereon (that is
to say)
:-
This Invention consists in a novel arrangement or combination of
steam boiler with an air heating attachment operating also as a con-
denser, whereby not only are the products of combustion as they escape
from the fire-place or furnace of the boiler utilized in heating a current
or currents of air, but such air is made capable of diversion by giving it
an upward or downward draught, cither to supply the furnace with heated
air to promote combustion or to conduct the same to one or more
apartments of a building, according to the season and other controlling
circumstances, also the exhaust steam of the engine (supplied by the
boiler) is more or less condensed.
Having thus specified the object and nature of the Invention its
description will be proceeded with in reference to the accompanying
Drawing.
Fig. 1 represents a vertical longitudinal section of a steam boiler
with a cold air condenser and heater attached in accordance with the
Invention, the section being taken in the line x, x, on the plan view
Fig. 4; Fig. 2 is a like section on the line y, y, of the same Figure;
Fig. 3 is an irregular vertical transverse section on the line w, w, of
Fig 1, and Fig 4 is a horizontal section on the line z, z, of Fig. 1.
A is the boiler, and B an attached cold air condenser for the exhaust
steam of an engine worked by the boiler, and forming or partially so a

page_text: $6
"
licater for supplying hot air cither to the furnace of the boiler or to the
apartments of a building. Both structures A and B are represented as
of similar sectional construction although the Invention is not restricted
to any particular construction for either of them, the same as shown
however are composed for the most part of a number of hollow uprights
6 of a serpentine form mounted on drums c, also connecting with upper
drums d, and having attached to them a number of hollow radial
arms e of tapering construction in their longitudinal section, and
sct staggering in relation with each other to produce a more
effective surface action. C is the furnace built up to form an outer
casing to the boiler, and from which the products of combustion, after
circulating amongst the uprights and tapering arms e of the boiler A,
pass out by an upper side opening f to a horizontal flue or chamber D
which connects at its outer end with the chimney E. This horizontal
flue or chamber is interspersed or fitted with vertical pipes F arranged
to connect above and below with cross passages or chambers G situated
in such relation with each other, that is, the upper ones with the lower
ones, and the pipes F being so disposed to connect with said chambers
that air suitably introduced for the purpose is free to circulate
successively up one set of pipes F and down through the next, or vice
versa, throughout the length of the flue or chamber D, and so that the
escaping products of combustion passing through the flue D serve to
more or less heat the air circulating through the pipes F and passages
G. The direction which such air is made to take relatively to the length
of the flue D depends on the purpose to which it is proposed to apply the
heated air. Thus it has an upward or downward draught given it through
the chamber H for circulation amongst or around the uprights b, and
tapering arms e of the structure B, either by admitting or allowing it to
pass off through the pipes F nearest the chimney E, according as it is
required to supply the furnace with heated air to promote combustion,
or to conduct hot air into the building for warming purposes. To these
ends the space with which the upper ends of the pipes F nearest the
chimney connect is provided with one or more horizontal or outside air
inlets g, and one or more vertical or top outlets h, both controlled by a
valve or damper I arranged so that when it is turned to open the inlets g
it closes the outlet h, and vice versa. There also is a passage i con-
necting the upper end of the chamber H with the lower ends of the
pipes F nearest the boiler, likewise an air inlet & connecting the lower
partition of the chamber H at the end furthest from the boiler with the

page_text: outside atmosphere, and opened or closed as required by a damper J.
The opposite end of the chamber H at its bottom connects by a passage
which is opened or closed by a damper K with the ash-pit of the
furnace C. The exhaust steam from the engine is introduced at m
to the structure B, and after circulating through said structure passes off
as water of condensation at n.
The operation is as follows:-In winter when it is desired to employ
the heated air in warming the building, the inlets 9 are closed and the
outlets / opened by the damper I, the damper K also closed, and the
damper J opened. Cold air then entering at k operates to condense the
exhaust steam in the structure B, and is partially heated by surface
contact therewith, and afterwards more fully heated by its passage
through the pipes F and passages G, till escaping at the outlet h. This
is the upward draught.
In the summer season when the heated air is not required to warm 1
the building, the damper I is turned to open the inlets g and close the
outlet h, the damper J also closed, and the damper K opened. This
produces a downward circulation causing the air to pass in a reverse
direction through the pipes F and passages G, as indicated by red arrows
(the products of combustion escaping as indicated by the blue arrows),
and after circulating in a downward direction amongst the pipes and
arms of the structure B to enter the ash-pit by the passage 1, thus
supplying the furnace with hot air to promote combustion.
The pipes F and passages G may be variously arranged or a direct
passage connecting the chamber H with the inlets g and outlet h
may be substituted for them, but such arrangement would be inferior in
point of efficiency.
Having now set forth the nature of the Invention, of "Improve-
ments in Steam Boilers with Combined Air Heating Attachment and
Condenser," as communicated to me by my foreign correspondent, and a
explained the manner of carrying the same into effect, I wish it to be
understood that under the above in part recited Letters Patent I
claim,
First. The combination of one or more upper air inlets g and outlets h,
the damper I, the condenser or heater B, a passage or passages con- 3
necting the latter at its top with said inlets and outlets, the lower air

page_text: nlet k, the damper J, the passage 1, the damper K and the furnace C of
he boiler, substantially as and for the purposes herein set forth.
Second. The combination of the air circulating pipes F and passages
G with the flue D, the air inlets g, k, and outlets h, l, the dampers
I, J, K, the chamber H, the heater or condenser B, and the furnace C of
the boiler, essentially as and for the purposes described.
In witness whereof, I, the said Alfred Vincent Newton, have here-
unto set my hand and seal, the Thirtieth day of July, in
the year of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and seventy-
four.