Improvements in Furnaces and in Apparatus for Supplying Steam and Air thereto in order to cause more Perfect Combustion of Fuel.
Year: 1884

page_text: Improvements in Furnaces and in Apparatus for Supplying
Steam and Air thereto in order to cause more Perfect
Combustion of Fuel.
I ROBERT HENRY HEPBURN of Palace Chambers Victoria Street Westminster,
Engineer do hereby declare the nature of my invention for IMPROVEMENTS IN
FURNACES AND IN APPARATUS FOR SUPPLYING STEAM AND AIR THERETO IN ORDER
TO CAUSE MORE PERFECT COMBUSTION OF FUEL to be as follows:-
My invention consists of improvements in furnaces and in apparatus for supplying
steam and air thereto to cause more perfect combustion of fuel.
At the upper part of the fire bole of furnaces I place a narrow chamber the
contour of which approximates to that of the fire hole; this chamber which may
be divided longitudinally into compartments is open at front and back, and at the
front or outer end I place steam nozzles which inject steam into and through the
chamber or the compartments thereof. The steam jets draw in air at the open
outer end of the chamber and this air commingled with the steam is injected into
the furnace above the fire and in order the better to spread it the inner end of the
chamber may have a diverging mouth. The chamber above described may when
thought desirable be carried on the inside of the door or in furnaces which have a
deflecting plate at the upper part of the fire hole this plate may be utilized to form
the said chamber by doubling or jacketting it and closing the sides.
I supply steam and air to furnaces above the level of the fire hole by constructing
at the front of the furnace one or more compartments or chambers with openings
at their outer end; in each compartment I have one or more spreaders or cones
the mouth of which projects into the furnace. Behind each spreader or coue
is a steam nozzle which injects steam into and through it; this steam draws in air
through the open end of the compartment and the commingled air and steam are
injected into the furnace. The spreaders or cones are preferably perforated at the
sides for the admission of air. If this improvement is applied to furnaces in which
a portion of the boiler or water space is in front of the fire box (as in those of tho
locomotive type) the compartments or chambers containing the cones or spreaders
may conveniently be fixed between the boiler shell and the fire box walls,
I admit steam and air to furnaces through the bridge by constructing in the
bridge one or more chambers in each of which is an inner chamber open at front

page_text: and back preferably tapered and also by preference perforated at the sides with a
number of holes at right angles to the line of the taper. Behind each inner
chamber is a steam nozzle; the nozzles project through passages in the wall of the
fire box or are carried by a pipe which is passed through a transverse passage in
the bridge.
I admit steam and air to the lower part of the chimney of furnaces by con-
structing at that part chambers communicating by passages at their rear with the
outside of the chimney; in these chambers I fit steam nozzles so that the steam
jets therefrom may draw in air from outside, the commingled steam and air being
injected into the chimney. If a blast pipe be in the chimney or smoke box this
improvement can be conveniently effected by jacketting the blast pipe and
supplying air to the jacket through passages communicating with the external air;
the blast pipe would by preference be divided into compartments.
In order to conveniently place in position the compartments or chambers for
supplying steam and air to furnaces by means of steam nozzles, I make the upper
part of the compartments with a flange or hook or eye at their outer end to fit or
hook or take on to the steam pipe which carries the nozzles; this pipe therefore
supports this end of the compartments without further attachment. The inner
ends of the series of compartments may be connected together by a bolt passed
through lugs thereon and the so connected series may be supported at about their
middle by nuts on one or more bolts; by adjusting the nuts on the bolts the angle
of the compartments and therefore the direction in which the steam and air are
injected into the furnace can be regulated. I also construct the series of compart-
ments or chambers for supplying steam and air to furnaces of top and bottom
plates with dividing pieces of the required taper form placed between them these
pieces being rivetted to the top or bottom plate or to both. I perforate the sides
of the dividing pieces with a number of holes at right angles to the line of taper
and also similarly perforate the bottom or top plate or both according to the part
of the furnace to which the apparatus is applied.
Dand L .
ea

page_text: I ROBERT HENRY HEPBURN of Palace Chambers, Victoria Street, Westminster,
Engineer do hereby declare the nature of my invention for IMPROVEMENTS IN
FURNACES AND IN APPARATUS FOR SUPPLYING STEAM AND AIR THERETO IN
ORDER TO CAUSE MORE PERFECT COMBUSTION OF FUEL and in what manner the
same is to be performed, to be particularly described and ascertained in and by
the following statement:—
My invention consists of improvements in furnaces and in apparatus for supplying
steam and air thereto to cause more perfect combustion of fuel
At the upper part of the fire hole of furnaces I place a narrow chamber the
contour of which approximates to that of the fire hole; this chamber which may
be divided longitudinally into compartments is open at front and back, and at the
front or outer end I place steam nozzles which inject steam into and through the
chamber or the compartments thereof. The steam jets draw in air at the open
outer end of the chamber and this air commingled with the steam is injected into
the furnace above the fire and in order the better to spread it the inner end of the
chamber may have a diverging mouth. The chamber above described may when
thought desirable be carried on the inside of the door or in furnaces which have n
deflecting plate at the upper part of the fire hole this plate may be utilized to form
the said chamber by doubling or jacketting it and closing the sides.
This part of my invention is represented as applied to a furnace of the locomotive
type in Figures 1 and 2 of the annexed drawings, Figure 1 being a longitudinal
section and Figure 2 a front elevation; the injecting apparatus is also seen in plan
in part of Figure 3. a is the furnace, bb the boiler or water space and c the fire
hole. At the upper part of the fire hole is a chamber d the contour of which
approximates to that of the fire hole; it is shown as divided longitudinally into
compartments but this is optional; it is open at front and back and at the front
end are steam nozzles e supplied with steam by a pipo f; these nozzles inject steam
into and through the chamber d or the compartments thereof; the steam draws in
air at the outer end of the chamber and the air and steam commingled are injected
into the furnace above the fire. The chamber d is shown as fixed to the boiler
shell, but if preferred it may be fixed to the inside of the door. As has been
already mentioned, when the furnace has a deflecting plate at the upper part of the
fire hole this plate may be utilized to form the chamber d by doubling or jacketting
it and closing the sides.
I admit steam and air to furnaces through the bridge by constructing in the
bridge one or more chambers in each of which is an inner chamber open at front
and back preferably tapered and also by preference perforated with a number of
holes at the sides. Behind each inner chamber is a steam nozzle; the nozzles
project through passages in the wall of the firebox or are carried by a pipe which
is passed through a transverse passage in the bridge.

page_text: This part of my invention is shown in the longitudinal section Figure 1 and in
horizontal section in Figure 3 one half of which latter figure illustrates tho
modification in which the nozzles project through passages in the wall of the
firebox while the other half illustrates the modification in which the nozzles are
carried by a pipe which is passed through a transverse passage in the bridge; it is
of course to be understood that these two modifications will not both be applied to
the same furnace and that they are only shown in one figure for convenience.
is the bridge which is constructed with chambers hh; each of these chambers
has an inner chamber i open at front and back. Behind each inner chamber is a
steam nozzle k which either projects through a passage in the wall of the firebox
and is connected to a steam pipe m as seen in the lower half of Figure 3, or is
carried by a steam pipe n which is passed through a transverse passage o in the
bridge.
I admit steam and air to the lower part of the chimney of furnaces by con-
structing at that part chambers communicating at their rear with the outside of
the chimney; in these chambers I fit steam nozzles so that the steam jets therefrom
may draw in air from outside, the commingled steam and air being injected into
the chimney. Figure 4 illustrates this part of my invention. p is the chimney.
999 are chambers at the lower part of same in communication at their rear with
the outside of the chimney. rrare nozzles in the chambers qq supplied with
steam by a pipes; the steam issuing from these nozzles draws in air from outside
and the commingled steam and air are injected into the chimney.
If a blast pipe be in the chimney or smoke box, the last above described
improvement can be conveniently effected by jacketting the blast pipe and
supplying air to the jacket through a passage or passages communicating with
the external air; the blast pipe jacket would by preference be divided into com-
partments. Figures 5, 6, and 7 represent this improvement applied in the case of a
blast pipe in the smoke box; t is the blast pipe and u the jacket of same which
may extend the whole length of the blast pipe if desired; at the lower part of the
jacket are the steam nozzles the steam from which draws in air through the
passage and the commingled steam and air are injected through tho upper part
of the smoke box into the chimney p.
In order to conveniently place in position the compartments or chambers for
supplying steam and air to furnaces by means of steam nozzles, I make the upper
part of the compartments with a flange or hook or eye at their outer end to fit
or hook or take on to the steam pipe which carries the nozzles; this pipe therefore
supports this end of the compartments without further attachment. The inner
ends of the series of compartments may be connected together by a bolt passed
through lugs thereon and the so connected series may be supported at about their
middle by nuts on one or more bolts; by adjusting the nuts on the bolts the angle
of the compartments and therefore the direction in which the steam and air are
injected into the furnace can be regulated.
This part of the invention is illustrated in Figures 1 and 3. w ware com-
partments or chambers for supplying steam and air by means of nozzles to furnaces;
the figure shows them situated so as to inject the steam and air through the fire
bars. The compartments or chambers are formed with a hook x (or it might be
an eye) at their outer end to hook or take on to the steam pipe which carries
the nozzles so that this pipe supports the outer end of the compartment without
further attachment. is a bolt passed through lugs z¹ at the inner ends of the
compartments so as to connect them together and 2 is a bolt (there may be one or
more) to support the connected series. This bolt is fixed at its upper end to the
furnace, it passes vertically through the apparatus at about the middle of the
length of the latter and it carries a nut at its lower end by adjusting which the
angle of the apparatus can be regulated as required.
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

page_text: I claim in respect of furnaces and of apparatus for supplying steam and air thereto
in order to cause more perfect combustion of fuel is
1. Constructing at the upper part of the fire hole of furnaces a narrow chamber
open at front and back, and fitting steam nozzles in connection with said chamber,
substantially as and for the purpose hereinbefore described.
2. Constructing furnaces with one or more chambers in the bridge open at front
and back and fitting steam nozzles in connection with such chambers, the said
nozzles either projecting through passages in the wall of the firebox or being
carried by a pipe which is passed through a transverse passage in the bridge,
substantially as and for the purpose hereinbefore described.
3. Constructing furnace chimneys with chambers at their lower part com-
municating with the external air and fitting steam nozzles in the said chambers
substantially as and for the purpose herein before described.
4. Constructing furnace blast pipes whether in the chimney or smoke box with
a jacket communicating with the external air and fitting steam nozzles in the said
jacket, substantially as and for the purpose herein before described.
5. Constructing compartments or chambers for supplying steam and air to
furnaces by means of steam nozzles with a flange or hook or eye at their outer end
to fit or book or take on to the steam pipe which carries the nozzles substantially
as bereinbefore described.
6. In combination with a flange or hook or eye as referred to in claim 5, I claim
lugs at or near the inner ends of the compartments or chambers and a bolt passed
through the lugs to connect the compartments or chambers together as hereinbefore
described.
7. In combination with a flange or hook or eye as referred to in claim 5 and
with means for connecting the series of compartments or chambers together,
I claim one or more bolts and nuts for supporting the connected series and for
adjusting the angle of the same, substantially as herein before described.