Improvements in and relating to Apparatus for Supplying or Feeding Fuel to Boiler and other Furnaces, and for similar purposes.
Year: 1891

page_text: Date of Application, 23rd Sept., 1891
Complete Specification Left, 15th Oct., 1891-Accepted, 21st Nov.; 1891
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in and relating to Apparatus for Supplying or
Feeding Fuel to Boiler and other Furnaces, and for similar
purposes.
I, JOHN STEVENSON, of The New Conveyor Company, Limited, 1 Metal
Exchange Buildings, in the City of London, Engineer, do hereby declare the nature
of this invention to be as follows:-
My invention relates to apparatus for supplying or feeding fuel to boiler and
other furnaces, and for similar purposes.
My said invention is chiefly designed to facilitate the working of apparatus of
this kind or class wherein coal or other fuel is fed from a hopper or the like, by
means of a conveyor, along a trough, whence the said fuel is delivered into a series
of mechanical stokers attached to boiler or other furnaces.
With apparatus of this kind or class as heretofore constructed, it is necessary for
an attendant to arrest the motion of the conveyor as soon as the hoppers of the said
mechanical stokers are filled, and to set the conveyor in motion again before either
of the said hoppers is emptied. And considerable inconvenience is occasioned
should the attendant neglect his duty in connection with the said apparatus, the fuel
being delivered from the end of the conveyor upon the ground, if the conveyor is
not stopped at the proper time, and one or other of the furnaces being left
unsupplied with the required quantity of fuel if, after stopping the conveyor, it is
not set in motion again at the proper time.
Now by my invention I provide for the automatic stoppage and starting of the
conveyor, and thus obviate the necessity for the performance of these operations by
the attendant, and the liability to the above mentioned inconveniences.
For this purpose I employ suitable means whereby, when the last hopper of the
series is filled or nearly filled, the notion of the conveyor will be arrested by
the continued feeding of the fuel along the trough by the said conveyor, and
whereby, when a suitable quantity of the fuel has been delivered from the said
hopper into the corresponding furnace or furnaces, the said conveyor will be
again set in motion.
In carrying my said invention into practice, I find it advantageous to employ
a screw-conveyor in the trough, and to combine, with this conveyor, a plate or
disc which is fitted to slide upon the shaft of the said conveyor and is arranged
above the last hopper of the series. This plate or disc is connected in any.
convenient manner with mechanism for shifting a belt from a fast to a loose
pulley, or for throwing out of gear a friction or other clutch, or for otherwise
disconnecting the conveyor from the driving-shaft. When the hopper is full or
nearly full, the conveyor pushes the fuel in the trough against the said plate
or disc, thus causing the same, through the said mechanism, to effect the dis-
connection of the said conveyor from the driving-shaft. A suitable weight or
spring is combined with the said mechanism, whereby, when a sufficient quantity
of fuel has been delivered from the said hopper, the return movement of the
said plate or disc will be effected, and the said belt will be moved back from
the loose to the fast pulley, or the said clutch be put into gear, or the conveyor
connected with the driving-shaft in any other convenient manner.
When a conveyor having the form of a spiral coil is used, I sometimes com-
bine therewith one or more spiral blades of suitable dimensions, which will exert
a great amount of force to push the fuel against the said plate or disc.
In some cases, I provide a steam, hydraulic or pneumatic cylinder for operating
the mechanism for disconnecting the conveyor from, and connecting it with the

page_text: driving-shaft, the distribution of the fluid to the said cylinder being controlled
automatically through the medium of the said plate or disc.
It is evident that by my invention, I provide, in a very efficient manner, for
the automatic regulation of the supply of coal or other fuel from hoppers, into
which it is delivered from wagons or trucks, to the mechanical stokers for
feeding it to the furnaces.
I do not limit myself to the special devices above mentioned for effecting the
stoppage and starting of the conveyor by means of the fuel itself, as it is obvious
that my method of automatic regulation can be carried out through the medium
of other suitable devices.
It is, moreover, obvious that my improvements are also applicable to apparatus
for supplying or feeding other substances by means of a conveyor.
Dated this 23rd day of September 1891.
HASELTINE, LAKE & Co.,
45, Southampton Buildings, London, W.C., Agents for the Applicant.
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in and relating to Apparatus for Supplying or
Feeding Fuel to Boiler and other Furnaces and for similar
purposes.
I, JOHN STEVENSON, of The New Conveyor Company Limited, 1 Metal
Exchange Buildings, in the City of London, Engineer, do hereby declare the nature
of this invention and in what manner the same is to be performed to be particu-
larly described and ascertained in and by the following statement :-
My invention relates to apparatus for supplying or feeding fuel to boiler and
other furnaces and for similar purposes.
My said invention is chiefly designed to facilitate the working of apparatus
of this kind or class wherein coal or other fuel is fed by means of a conveyor
along a trough and is thence delivered into a series of mechanical stokers
attached to boiler or other furnaces.
With apparatus of this kind or class as heretofore constructed it is necessary
for an attendant to arrest the motion of the conveyor as soon as the hoppers of
the said mechanical stokers are filled, and to set the conveyor in motion again
before any one of the said hoppers is emptied. And considerable inconvenience
is occasioned, should the attendant neglect his duty in connection with the said
apparatus, the fuel being delivered from the end of the conveyor upon the ground,
if the conveyor is not stopped at the proper time, and one or other of the
furnaces being left unsupplied with fuel if the conveyor after having been
stopped is not set in motion again at the proper time.
Now by my invention I provide for the automatic stopping and starting of
the conveyor at the required times, and thus obviate the necessity for the
performance of these operations by the attendant and the liability to the above
mentioned inconveniences..
For this purpose I employ suitable means whereby when the last hopper of
the series is filled the motion of the conveyor will be automatically arrested by
the continued feeding of the fuel along the trough by the said conveyor, and
whereby when a suitable quantity of the fuel has been delivered from the said
hopper into the corresponding furnace or furnaces, the said conveyor will be
again set in motion.
In the accompanying drawings I have shown how my invention may be carried
into practice as applied to steam boilers.
Figure 1 is a front elevation of two boilers provided with mechanical stokers
fed by a conveyor above the same and having my present improvements applied
thereto.
Figure 2 is an end elevation of the same showing a portion only of the boiler.

page_text: Figures 3 and 4 are similar views illustrating a modincation of my invention,
and
Figures 5, 6, 7 and 8 are similar views respectively of still further modifica-
tions of my invention.
Like letters of reference indicate corresponding parts throughout the drawings.
A A are the boilers; B, B; B', B₁ are the mechanical stoker hoppers; C is
the conveyor trough; D, D; D', D' are the shoots leading from the trough C
to the hoppers B, B₁ and down which the fuel is delivered to the said hoppers;
and E is the conveyor. The said conveyor and trough may be of any desired
length as is well known to suit any number of boilers. The two boilers shown
in Figures 1, 3, 5 and 7 may be taken either to represent a range of two boilers
or the last two boilers in a range of three or more.
With reference first to Figs. 1 and 2:-I combine with the conveyor E a plate or
disc which is fitted to slide upon the shaft or axle of the said conveyor and
is arranged above the last hopper B₁ of the series. This plate or disc is con-
nected by means of a forked lever G and rod H with the belt shifting fork I
of the belt J which drives the conveyor. The said lever G is pivoted at G₁ to
suitable standards G' mounted on the conveyor trough and it is formed with an
arm G³ on which is mounted a movable balance weight Gʻ for the purpose
hereinafter specified. K, K' are the fast and loose driving pulleys respectively
on which the belt J works. The action of the said mechanism is as follows.
When the last hopper B¹ is full and cannot take any more fuel, the conveyor
then pushes the fuel in the trough against the plate or disc F and slides the
same along the conveyor shaft. The lever G is thereby turned about its pivot G¹
and is caused through the rod H to push the belt J on the loose pulley, thereby
disconnecting the conveyor from the driving shaft and arresting the motion of
the said conveyor. When a sufficient quantity of fuel has been delivered from the
said hopper so as to make room for a further supply from the conveyor trough,
the return movement of the said plate or disc F will be effected by means of the
balance weight G and the belt J will be thus moved back from the loose to the fast
pulley and so automatically start the conveyor again. It is obvious that I may
use a suitable spring in lieu of the balanced weight G, also that I may utilize
a friction or other clutch for driving the conveyor, said clutch being put in and
out of gear by the movement of the rod H; or I may connect and disconnect
In
the conveyor to and from the driving shaft in any other convenient manner.
Figures 3 and 4 I have shown an arrangement wherein the belt fork I is
nctuated by a small steam, hydraulic, or pneumatic cylinder L.
In this arrange-
ment the forked lever G is connected to the spindle M of the distributing
valve of the said cylinder L, and is so arranged that when the plate or disc F
is pushed back by the fuel, the said distributing valve will be moved so as to
cause the piston of the cylinder to be actuated to shift the belt J to the
loose pulley. I provide a balance weight or spring for returning the disc F
as above described and so reversing the admission valve again and returning the
belt to the fast pulley.
In a further modified form of my invention I provide a screw or worm N
Figures 5 and 6 mounted on a vertical rotating shaft N' carried by suitable
bearings above the last hopper B', and so located that when the said hopper is
full, the said rotating worm will press on the fuel therein. The shaft N' is
driven by bevel wheels O from a shaft P and it is provided with a feather key
so that it may slide up and down through its driving wheel O while being
compelled to rotate therewith. The shaft N is coupled at its upper end by
means of a loose head piece or knuckle N fitted to turn thereon to one arm of
a bell crank lever G which is pivoted at G' on a suitable bracket G' the other
arm of the said lever being coupled to the belt shifting rod H. When the
hopper B is full and the worm N consequently presses on the fuel therein it
will tentd o lift itself out of the fuel in the manner of a cork screw when
rotated so as to be withdrawn from a cork. The direction of rotation of the

page_text: said worm N must of course be so arranged that the tendency will be for the
worm to screw itself out of the fuel instead of into the fuel. The lifting move-
ment of the shaft. N¹ is transmitted through the lever G and rod H and thereby
acts to move the belt on to the loose pulley and stop the conveyor. When the
level of the coal descends again in the said hopper B₁ the worm also descends
with it aided by the balance weight G, and the belt is thus moved back to
the fast pulley and the conveyor re-started.
Instead of arranging the lever G in combination with the worm N to act
directly on the belt shifting fork, I sometimes arrange it to operate the
distributing valve of a steam; hydraulic, or pneumatic cylinder the piston of
which is coupled to the belt fork in the manner described with reference to
Figures 3 and 4. Such an arrangement I have shown in Figures 7 and 8,
The cylinder in this case is the same as that described with reference to
Figures 3 and 4, and the other parts of the device are identical with those
shown in Figures 5 and 6.
It is evident that by my invention I provide in a very efficient manner for
the automatic regulation of the supply of coal or other fuel to the mechanical
stoker hoppers for feeding it to the furnaces. I do not limit myself to the
special devices above mentioned for effecting the stopping and starting of the
conveyor by means of the fuel itself, as it is obvious that my method of auto-
matic regulation can be carried out through the medium of other suitable devices.
It is moreover obvious that my improvements are also applicable to apparatus
for supplying or feeding other substances by means of a conveyor.
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 :-
First. A conveyor for feeding fuel to the hoppers of boiler and other furnaces
.having a plate or disc fitted to slide on its shaft for the purpose specified.
Second. In combination with the said plate or disc, the weighted or loaded
lever and rod connecting the same to the belt-shifting fork of the conveyor
driving-belt, substantially as described, and for the purposes specified.
Third. The combination, with the sliding plate or disc, of a steam, hydraulic,
or pneumatic cylinder so arranged that the said plate or disc governs the
movements of the distributing valve of the said cylinder, for the purpose
specified.
Fourth. A conveyor system, for feeding fuel to the hoppers of boiler and
other furnaces, having a rotary worm arranged to press upon the fuel in one of
the hoppers when the latter is full, for the purpose specified.
Fifth. The combination, with the said worm, of the lever and rod arrange-
ment for communicating the up and down sliding movement of the worm shaft
to the shifting fork of the conveyor driving belt, substantially as described.
Sixth. The combination, with the said worm, of a steam, hydraulic, or
pneumatic cylinder the distributing valve of which is actuated by the sliding
movements of the worm shaft, substantially as described, and for the purpose
specified.
Seventh. The apparatus constructed substantially as described with reference
to any one of the forms or modifications shown in the accompanying drawings,
and operating as specified.
HASELTINE, LAKE & Co.,
45, Southampton Buildings, London, W.C., Agents for the Applicant.