Improvements in Ovens for Drying Slurry and other similar Substances.
Year: 1885

page_text: PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Ovens for Drying Slurry and other similar
Substances.
I JABEZ HOLMES WOOD of Whitewall Frindsbury in the county of Kent
Gentleman do hereby declare the nature of my said invention for IMPROVE-
MENTS IN OVENS FOR DRYING SLURRY AND OTHER SIMILAR SUBSTANCES, to be as
follows:-
The ovens that are at present used for drying slurry in the manufacture of
Portland cement and other similar substances are formed with one large platform
or floor made of thick metal plates below which are the series of furnaces wherein
coal is chiefly used and the heated gases therefrom pass through flues below this
platform or floor and meet together at the further end thereof before they pass to
the chimney. According to this practice a great evil is experienced in that the
heat of these furnaces causes the plates of which the platforin or floor is made to
buckle and then to be disintegrated or burnt whereby frequent renewals and
repairs are required and the platform or floor or a part thereof cannot be used
until these renewals and repairs are accomplished. Thus there is a great waste of
time besides the expense of these renewals and repairs in labour and material. The
slurry or other substance also does not always dry equally or at the same time and
yet all the furnaces are kept burning although some of the said slurry or other
substance may have been sufficiently treated whereby there is a great waste of
fuel. The buckling of the plates aforesaid also often causes the brick or other
foundations of the platform or floor to become loosened or even to fall down and
thus also frequent repairs are required. Now the object of this my invention is to
remedy and obviate this aforesaid evil and thus effect a great economy and saving
in all the aforesaid particulars.
To carry out this object the usual chamber or building is erected in which the
necessary process is performed but instead of forming therein one large platform or
floor as aforesaid wherefor extremely good foundations are required I make a
series of metal preferably steel rectangular or other troughs which are of a suitable
length and breadth to cover or to apply to and use with one of the furnaces and
the flue or flues therefrom and any suitable longitudinal supports and guides are
made between each furnace and the flue or flues thereof to carry these troughs and
[Price Sd1

page_text: allow the same to be placed in the proper positions in the chamber or building
above the furnaces. These supports and guides can very conveniently be made in
the form of metal girders which thus would only require to be supported at each
end or they may be made of brick or stone or concrete or other material. The
furnaces and the flues therefrom can be made in the usual or other convenient
manner but at the further ends thereof these flues would lead separately into the
chimney so that each furnace could be used separately without waste of heat.
For obtaining heat in these furnaces I should preferably use gaseous fuel
according to any usual and suitable method and when gas is used I should form
two small flues through the spandril or at the sides of the crown of the arch of
each furnace between the same and the trough above which small flues would open
into the furnace flue or flues some way along their lengths thus supplying more
heated air to mix with the products of combustion on their way to the chimney
and increasing and maintaining the heat thereof.
The slurry or other substance can be poured into these troughs in a semiliquid
state just as it comes from the washmill thus saving more labour and when it is
sufficiently treated it can be removed therefrom in the usual manner.
According to this my method therefore the material in each trough would be
treated quite separately with a separate furnace and flue or flues therefor and
whatever fuel is used there need be no waste thereof while if as is preferable
gaseous fuel is used it can be turned off and on as required and if one of these
troughs does require repair or renewal it can easily be removed and even if it is not
desired immediately to replace it by another no interference will be caused to the
continued use of the other troughs still in position and no heat will be wasted
through the vacant space.

page_text: COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Ovens for Drying Slurry and other similar
Substances.
I JABEZ HOLMES WOOD of Whitewall Frindsbury in the county of Kent
Gentleman 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:-
The ovens that at present are commonly used for drying slurry in the manu-
facture of Portland cement and other similar substances are formed with one large
platform or floor made of thick metal plates below which are the series of furnaces
wherein coal is chiefly used and the heated gases therefrom or the products of
combustion pass through flues below this platform or floor and meet together at
the further end thereof before they pass to the chimney.
According to this practice a great evil is experienced in that the heat of these
furnaces causes the plates of which the platform or floor is made to buckle and then
to be disintegrated or burnt whereby frequent renewals and repairs are required
and the platform or floor or even a part thereof cannot be used until these renewals
and repairs are accomplished. Thus there is a great waste of time besides the
expense of these renewals and repairs in labour and material. The slurry or other
substance also does not always dry equally or at the same time all over the
platform or floor and yet all the furnaces are kept burning although some of the
said slurry or other substance may have been sufficiently treated whereby there is
a great waste of fuel. The buckling of the plates aforesaid also often causes the
brick or other foundations and supports of the platform or floor to become loosened
or even to fall down and thus also frequent repairs are required.
Now the object of this my invention is to remedy and obviate these aforesaid
evils and thus effect a great economy and saving in all the aforesaid particulars.
To carry out this object the usual chamber or building is erected in which the
necessary process is performed but instead of forming therein one large platform or
floor as aforesaid wherefor extremely good foundations and supports are required
I make a series of metal rectangular or other troughs preferably of steel which
troughs are of a suitable length and breadth to cover or to apply to and use with one
of the ovens or one of the furnaces and the flue or flues therefrom and any suitable
longitudinal supports and guides are made between the two adjoining ovens or the
furnaces and the flue or flues thereof when a series of ovens are made in the same
building or when only one oven is so inade on each side thereof and on and by
these supports and guides each trough is carried and is placed in the proper position
in the chamber or building above the oven. These supports and guides can be
made in the form of metal girders which thus might only require to be supported
at each end or more conveniently they can be made of brick or stume or concrete or
other similar and suitable material in which case they can act not only as the

page_text: supports and guides of the troughs but also as the walls of the flues. The furnaces
and the flues therefrom cau be made in any usual or convenient manner but at the
further ends thereof these flues are led separately into the chimney that be
may
common to a number of flues so that each oven could be used separately without
any waste of heat.
The furnaces may be constructed to consume any kind of fuel that may be
convenient in each case according to any known or usual plan but when it is
possible or convenient so to do I should preferably use gaseous fuel according to
any usual and suitable method as I am of opinion that better and more economical
results will be obtained by the use of this fuel than by the use of any other but
I would have it understood that I do by no means limit myself thereto for the heat
required in the ovens may be produced and obtained in and by any material and
any method.
In the accompanying drawing I have shewn this my invention as adapted to and
for the use of gaseous fuel.
Figure 1 is a vertical longitudinal section of an oven or of a furnace and a flue
therefrom with a trough in position thereover.
Figure 2 is an horizontal section thereof taken at different levels along the
line a. b. in Figure 1.
Figure 3 is a vertical transverse section taken at c. d. in Figure 1.
The
In this furnace the gas passes up the passage A to the combustion chamber B
where it mingles with the air that enters by the passage C and this mixture is
consumed. The hot gases and the products of combustion pass along the flue D to
the chimney E the entrance to which is governed by the damper plate F.
sides of this flue D are formed by the walls H made of brick or other suitable
material which walls H also form the supports and guides for the trough K which
rests thereon. This trough K extends the whole length of the oven and lugs L are
fitted thereon by which the said trough K can be lifted up bodily when required.
When the trough K is broad it is very convenient to support the bottom plates of
the same in the middle or thereabouts by the brick or other posts M placed at
suitable distances apart which will not interfere with the passage of the heated
gases to any appreciable extent along the flue D.
When two or more ovens are made in the same building as is usually the case
each wall H between the two adjoining ovens is made broad enough to carry the
two adjacent troughs K as shewn in Figures 2 and 3 and each flue D is led
into the chimney E separately and in different positions as may be suitable in
each case.
I have thus described and I have shewn in the drawing a very suitable and
simple method of constructing these my ovens but I do not limit myself thereto for
the furnaces can be made as is aforesaid after any manner and the flues thereof can
also be made and formed and if necessary or desirable subdivided as may be
expedient in each case and the troughs can also be made of such shapes both in
plan and in vertical section whether with a flat bottom as shewn or with a
concave bottom or otherwise as may be desired without departing from this my
invention.
The slurry or other substance can be poured into these troughs in a semi-liquid
state just as it comes from the washmill which cannot conveniently be done when
the usual platform or floor is used whereby labour is saved and a further economy
is effected and the troughs are filled to such a depth as is usual or convenient with
the slurry or other substance and when the same is sufficiently treated it can be
removed from the troughs in the usual manner.
According to this my invention therefore as hereinbefore described the material
in each trough is treated quite separately with a separate furnace and flue or flues
therefrom leading separately into the chimney and whatever fuel is used there need
be no waste thereof while if as is preferable gaseous fuel is used it can be turned
off and on as is required.

page_text: When a trough requires any repair or renewal it can easily be removed and
another trough can be used in its place or if it is not desired immediately so to
replace it by another no interference will be caused or given to the continued use
of the other troughs still in position and no heat will be wasted through the
vacant space.
Again when the foundations of the oven or the walls of the flue or flues or the
supports and guides of the trough or the central supporting posts thereof if any
require any repair or renewal the trough can easily and quickly be lifted at
any time and the desired repair or renewal can readily be effected also without
interfering with the continued use of the other troughs still in position.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said
invention and in what manner the same is to be performed I declare that what
I claim is
1. The arrangement of apparatus substantially as herein before described for
drying slurry and other similar substances in separate troughs over separate ovens
the flues wherefrom pass separately to the chimney as set forth.
2. In ovens for drying slurry and other similar substances the arrangement and
combination of the separate troughs the separate ovens and the separate flues
the separate entrances whereof to the chimney are governed by damper plates
substantially as and for the purpose herein before described and declared.