IMPROVE- MENTS IN FUEL ECONOMISERS OR APPARATUS FOR HEATING THE FEED WATER PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION
Year: 1872

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Robert John Lees, of Glossop, in the County
of Derby, Manufacturer, and James Henry Garforth, of Dukinfield,
in the County of Chester, Engineer, for the Invention of "IMPROVE-
MENTS IN FUEL ECONOMISERS OR APPARATUS FOR HEATING THE FEED WATER
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Robert John Lees and
James Henry Garforth at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents,
with their Petition, on the 9th November 1872.
We, ROBERT JOHN LEES, of Glossop, in the County of Derby,
Manufacturer, and JAMES HENRY GARFORTH, of Dukinfield, in the
County of Chester, Engineer, do hereby declare the nature of the said
Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN FUEL ECONOMISERS OR APPARATUS FOR
HEATING THE FEED WATER OF STEAM GENERATORS," to be as follows:_ .
Our Invention relates more particularly to the fuel economisers which
consist in each case of a series of vertical pipes through which feed
water is forced before being allowed to enter the steam generator or
generators with which the economiser is in connexion. Such econo-

page_text: ►
misers are ordinarily mounted within a flue or chamber through which
the gases and products of combustion from the furnace or furnaces of
the steam generator or generators are caused to flow on their way to the
chimney. Certain of the products of combustion become deposited on
the outer surfaces of the pipes in the form of soot, or of a carbonaceous
deposit, and it is necessary to remove such deposit during the working
of the apparatus, the first part of our Invention consisting in an
improved method of effecting such removal. For this purpose we by
preference employ a series of scrapers to each pipe, each scraper
removing the deposit from a portion of the length of the pipe. Each
scraper is formed of metal and is provided with an arm or with arms by
means of which it is hinged to a vertical rod or to one of two or more
rods, which is or are attached to rings, which are fitted to revolve
around or upon the said pipe and are actuated by worm gearing, or by
other suitable gearing. Each scraper is suspended from the upper ring
by means of a rod, which is inclined in such a manner as to cause the
scraper to fall inwards and to press against the surface of the pipe.
As the said rings and rods revolve each scraper acts upon a portion of
the outer surface of the pipe.
A remaining portion of our Invention relates to the circulation of the
water through the series of pipes, and consists in causing the water to
flow in an upward direction through the space between the inner surface
of the said pipe and an inner tube, the said water returning through the
said inner tube to the tube or tubes, or pipe or pipes, which convey the
said water to the steam generator or generators.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent,
filed by the said Robert John Lees and James Henry Garfortli
in the Great Seal Patent Office on the 8th May 1873.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, we, ROBERT
JOHN LEES, of Glossop, in the County of Derby, Manufacturer, and a
JAMES HENRY GARFORTH, of Dukinfield, in the County of Lancaster,
Engineer, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her
Letters Patent, bearing date the Ninth day of November, in the year'

page_text: of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and seventy-two, in the thirty-
sixth year of Her reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give
and grant unto us, the said Robert John Lees and James Henry Garforth,
Her special license that we, the said Robert John Lees and James
Henry Garforth, our executors, administrators, and assigns, or such
others as we, the said Robert John Lees and James Henry Garforth;
our executors, administrators, and assigns, should at any time agree
with, and no others, from time to time and at all times thereafter 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 Invention for
"IMPROVEMENTS IN FUEL ECONOMISERS," upon the condition, amongst
others, that we, the said Robert John Lees and James Henry Garforth,
by an instrument in writing under our hands and seals, should par-
ticularly 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 Seal Patent Office within six calendar months
next and immediately after the date of the said Letters Patent.
NOW KNOW YE, that we, the said Robert John Lees and James
Henry Garforth, do hereby declare the nature of our said Invention,
and in what manner the same was to be performed, to be particularly
described and ascertained in and by the following statement and
accompanying Drawings, that is to say.:-
Our Invention relates more particularly to the fuel economisers which
consist in each case of a series of vertical pipes through which feed
water is forced before being allowed to enter the steam generator or
generators with which the economiser is in connection. Such
economisers are ordinarily mounted within a fire chamber through
which the gases and products from the furnace or furnaces of the steam
generator or generators are caused to flow on their way to the chimney.
Certain of the products of combustion become deposited on the outer
surfaces of the pipes in the form of soot or of a carbonaceous deposit,
and it is necessary to remove such deposit during the working of the
apparatus, the first part of our Invention consisting in an improved
method of effecting such removal. For this purpose we by preference
employ a series of scrapers to each pipe, each scraper removing the
deposit from a portion of the length of the pipe. Each scraper is
formed of metal and is provided with an arm or with arms, by means of

page_text: which it is hinged to a vertical rod or to one of two or more rods, which
is or are attached to rings which are fitted to revolve around or upon
the said pipe, and are actuated by worm gearing or by other suitable
gearing. Each scraper is suspended from the upper ring by means of
a rod which is inclined in such a manner as to cause the scraper to fall
inwards and to press against the surface of the pipe as the said rings and
rods revolve.
And in order that our said Invention may be fully understood we
will now refer to the accompanying Sheet of Drawings, wherein is
represented a fuel economiser constructed in manner according with
our said Invention drawn to a scale of about three-quarters of an inch
to the foot, and marked with letters of reference, corresponding letters
indicating the same parts in the various Figures. In the said Drawings
Fig. 1 represents a side elevation, Fig. 2 an end elevation, and Fig. 3
a plan of a fuel economiser.
In the example chosen for illustration the water pipes or tubes a, a,
are cast in pairs, the two pipes or tubes in each pair being united at
their lower ends so as to form a double pipe of a U form as seen in
Fig. 2. The whole of the double pipes throughout the series are
connected together by means of the elbow pipes b, b, each of which
serves to convey water from the outlet end of one double pipe to the
inlet end of the next double pipe in the series, the water flowing in a
downward direction through one limb in each double pipe and in an
upward direction through the other limb of the said pipe. The water
enters the apparatus at c, and after flowing through the entire series of
pipes in the direction indicated by the arrows leaves the apparatus at d.
The elbows b, b, are made of a rectangular form in order that plates e, e,.
may be fitted between them to enclose the upper ends of the water
pipes. The form and arrangement of the water pipes may be greatly
varied so long as our improved method of scraping such pipes is
retained. On the upper end of each pipe or as in the example
illustrated, on the upper end of each limb of each double pipe is
mounted a spur wheel frepresented drawn to a larger scale in Fig. 5,
which is a view of the under side of one of the said wheels, and in
Fig. 6, which represents a cross section thereof. To each of the said
wheels are fixed the upper ends of two metal rods g, g, the lower ends of
the said rods being connected together by means of a ring n, represented
in plan and in cross section at Figures 7 and 8. On the said rod are

page_text: mounted arms which carry the scrapers h, h, there being in the example
illustrated four separate scrapers to each pipe a, that is to say, to each
limb of each double pipe each scraper acting upon a portion of the length
of the said pipe, if preferred however, or found to be more suitable in
any case, only one scraper or less or more than four scrapers to each pipe
may be employed. Each scraper is loosely mounted by means of its
arms upon one of the two rods g, 9, and is not prevented by the said rod
from rising or falling or from moving towards or from the pipe a. Each
scraper in a set of four scrapers is suspended by means of a rod i from
the spur wheel f, one end of the said rod being hooked or otherwise
attached to the said scraper, the other end being attached to the said
spur wheel. In the example each spur wheel is provided with two
staples k, k, to which the upper ends of the said rods are hooked. In
Fig. 4, which represents a horizontal section of one of the pipes a, two
scrapers marked 1 and 2 for distinction are shown in position. The
staple from which the first scraper is suspended is in about a line with
the rod on which the second scraper is mounted by means of its arms
as aforesaid, the staple from which the second scraper is mounted being
in about a line with the rod on which the first scraper is mounted. This
disposition of the parts causes the scrapers to have a tendency to fall
inwards towards the pipe, and the edge of the scraper is therefore
maintained in contact with the said pipe without the necessity for the
employment of springs. The spur wheels in each row and all the spur
wheels in the series are thus caused to revolve by means of worms on
the cross shaft 7, which gear with the worm wheels m, m, each of which
is fixed to the same shaft as a pinion which gears with the first spur
wheel in each row. As the said spur wheels revolve the whole of the
scrapers are caused to act upon the outer surfaces of the pipes. To
avoid confusion the said scrapers are only shown on two of the pipes in
Fig. 1. The said scrapers may be formed of steel or of cast iron or
other suitable metal, and may be fixed to their arms or be cast or
formed in one piece therewith as may be preferred or found to be most
suitable, the most important feature of our Invention being the manner
in which the said scrapers are suspended. A part of our Provisional
Specification referred to the circulation of the water, but this part we
have not included herein and we therefore make no claim in respect
of it.

page_text: manner of carrying the same into practical effect, we would in con-
clusion have it to be understood that we claim,-
First. The manner of suspending or of suspending and mounting
scrapers, substantially as and for the purpose herein set forth and
indicated.
And lastly. The general arrangement and combination of parts forming
a complete fuel economiser, substantially as set forth and indicated
herein and by the accompanying Drawings.
In witness whereof, we, the said Robert John Lees and James
Henry Garforth, have hereunto set our hands and seals, this
Sixth day of May, in the year of our Lord One thousand eight
hundred and seventy-three.
KOBERT JOHN LEED. (L.S.)
JAMES H. GARFORTH. (L.S.)
Signed and sealed by the said Robert
John Lees and James Henry Garforth,
in the presence of
EDWARD K. DUTTON,
Agent for the Patentees,
Manchester.