Improvements in Apparatus for Regulating the Admission of Air and Steam to Furnaces for the Prevention of Smoke.
Year: 1892

page_text: COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Apparatus for Regulating the Admission of Air
and Steam to Furnaces for the Prevention of Smoke.
I, JOSEPH KNOWLES BROADBENT, of 4 Islington Square, Salford, in the
County of Lancaster, 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:-
In order to prevent the emission of black smoke from furnaces immediately
after stoking, it bas for some time been customary to admit air freely to the furnace
by temporarily opening louvres in the furnace door or by making some other
temporary opening for the admission of air, and it has also been usual in such
apparatus, to employ a jet of steam or as it is called, a "steam poker," within the
furnace to induce a keener current of air, and various means have been adopted
for the purpose of automatically opening and closing at the proper times, the air
and steam inlets.
Means for automatically regulating the admission of air alone, are described in
the Specification of Letters Patent granted to me, No. 5927, dated the
23rd April 1887, and No. 19983, dated the 18th November 1891, and my present
invention relates to such means and apparatus which I now employ for the
additional purpose of regulating the admission of steam to the steam poker also, so
that the admission of both the air and the steam are simultaneously and automatically
regulated by the same means.
I will describe my invention with reference to the accompanying drawings, in
which
Figure 1, is a front elevation of part of a boiler front with my apparatus applied
thereto; and
Figure 2, an elevation on an enlarged scale, of a shackle by means of which the
length of the connecting chain may be adjusted.
Figure
3 is a horizontal transverse section, and
Figure 4, a vertical longitudinal section of the steam admission valve which I
prefer to employ.
A, is the boiler front; B, the furnace door; C, the louvres in the door; D, the
meter by means of which the period of admission of the air and steam is deter-
mined; and E, the chain connecting the meter with the louvres. These parts may
be constructed and arranged as described in my former Specifications.
The lever of the meter is extended upon the opposite side, and there is connected
to it the chain or link F, in which the adjustable shackle G, is arranged. This
shackle may be of any ordinary and suitable construction, and may consist of the
link H, in the lower part of which a nut is formed for the adjusting screw I. Thus,
by turning the screw, the effective length of the connection F, may be increased or
diminished at will. The lower end of the connection is attached to the valve
lever K, by means of the loop L, and the tightening screw M.
Steam is admitted to the jet within the furnace, through the pipe N, which may
enter the furnace above the door, and it is advisable to have in this pipe the stop
cock O, by means of which the supply of steam may be wholly shut off, should it at
any time be desirable.
The automatic steam admission valve P, has secured upon its spindle, the
weighted lever K, connected to the meter as already described. The object of the
weight is to cause the lever to fall and thus to open the valve when the furnace
door is opened, thereby admitting steam to the jet.
The construction of the automatic valve which I prefer to employ is illustrated
by Figures 3 and 4. In order to avoid the necessity for packing, 1 make the

page_text: spindle and its bearing of greater length than usual, and form in the spindle, two
or more annular grooves Q, and form a collar on the spindle, which fits closely
upon the inner end of the spindle bearing. The valve is made with four ports as
shewn, in order that it may be fully opened and closed by a quarter turn of
the spindle. The lower part of the valve abuts upon the end of the adjusting
screw T, the accidental rotation of which may be prevented by the lock-nut U.
Although I prefer to employ the control valve illustrated and described, I do not
limit myself thereto, but may use any suitable valve.
When the furnace door is opened, the weighted lever K, falls, and pulls down
the meter lever, so that when the door is again closed, the louvres are held
open for the admission of air as at present. The action of the meter then
allows the weight of the louvres to restore the meter lever to its original position,
by which motion the valve is simultaneously and gradually closed. Thus the air
supply and the supply of steam to the steam jet, are both, simultaneously opened
regulated and closed.
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. Apparatus for opening regulating and closing the admission of steam to a
steam poker, consisting of a valve having attached to its spindle a weighted lever
connected with a meter, constructed arranged and operated substantially as herein-
before described and as illustrated by the accompanying drawings.
2. Apparatus for simultaneously regulating the admission of steam to a steam
poker and air to the furnace in which the steam poker is used, constructed arranged
and operated, substantially as hereinbefore described and as illustrated by the
accompanying drawings.
Dated this 19th day of August A.D. 1892.
WILLIAM E. HEYS,
Agent for the Applicant.