Improvements in Smoke-consuming Arrangements in Steam Boiler and other Furnaces.
Year: 1890

page_text: Date of Application, 24th Feb., 1890
Complet Specification Left, 20'h June, 1890-Accepted, 26th July, 1890
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Smoke-consuming Arrangements in Steam Boiler
and other Furnaces.
JAMES RIXSON 35 Chelsea Terrace Elton Bury Lancashire Bleacher I do hereby
declare the nature of this invention to be as follows:-
For improvement in the abatement of smoke from steam boiler furnaces and furnaces
of any description. The first method of carrying out my Improvement is by heating
the air before being introduced to the furnace such being heated by any method I
may think suitable such as taking the air pipe through the steam in the boiler or flue
or any furnace to heat the air and conduct the said hot air over the furnace fire in
pipes tubes or air shafts suitable for that purpose I cause the blast of hot air to be
forced by steam injection or fan or any other motive power.
The air being hot, and being much lighter than cold air, works in more harmony
with the heat from the furnace and the force with which I introduce such heated air
through the furnace, causes the smoke to revolve and be consumed, thus producing
heat in the furnace.
Through the furnace getting to such an extensive heat I introduce small steam jets,
under the fire bars to prevent the burning of the bars and clinkering of the fuel on the
bars and thereby assisting the hot air introduced on the top of the furnace fire, in the
abatement of smoke.
11° 00
1
n
1000
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Smoke-consuming Arrangements in Steam Boiler
and other Furnaces.
I JAMES RIXSON of 35 Chelsea Terrace, Elton, Bury, in the County of Lancaster
Bleacher 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 and accompanying drawings
In
My said Invention relates to means intended to produce an abatement of smoke and
an economy of fuel in steam boiler and other furnaces. According to my invention 1
discharge heated air into the front of the furnace and down upon the fuel, the heated
air being forced into the furnace by a jet of steam or it might be by other means.
order to heat the air I cause the supply tube or tubes to pass through the steam or
water space of the boiler or I might conduct the said hot air pipe from or through the
flue or flues for removing the smoke and products of combustion or through the
furnace or I might heat the air by auxiliary means.
To preserve the bars from injury by overheating and to prevent clinkering of the
fuel on or between the bars I arrange a jet or jets beneath the bars and blow steam
through the said jets upon the bars thus keeping them sufficiently cool to prevent
injury. The prevention or diminution of clinkering and the consequent freer passage
of air between the bars has the effect of more thoroughly promoting combustion and
thus decreasing the liability of the furnace to produce smoke.
To render my invention perfectly clear 1 will now proceed to describe the same
more particularly, reference being had to the annexed two sheets of drawings.
Fig. 1 of the said drawings is a front view of a double flued Lancashire boiler to
which my invention is shewn applied.
Fig. 2 is a longitudinal sectional view of the same at right angles to Fig. 1 the fig.
being broken in the middle for want of space.

page_text: Fig. 3 is a sectional plan of Fig. 2.
Fig. 4 is a modified detail view shewing a method of conducting air from beneath
the furnace bars to the back of the bridge.
Figs. 5, 6, 7, and 8, on Sheet 2 illustrate further modifications of my Invention.
Referring in the first place to Figs. 1, 2, and 3 on Sheet 1 the boiler shell is
marked a₁ the flues b, the furnaco bars and the bridge d. The air which is forced
into the furnace is heated by passing through the pipes e which extend through the
steam space of the boiler from back to front. The pipes e are shewn broken off at the
end of the boiler in Fig. 2 but they may be led to any suitable position for receiving
a supply of atmospheric air. The pipes e pass through the front of the boiler and are
connected to pipes e' which project downward to the top of each furnace where they
are connected to nozzles with slightly curved mouths projecting a short distance
into the flue as shewn in Fig. 2 and which direct the air downward upon the flue on
the furnace bars.
Fig. 2 shews the hot air delivery nozzle e to an enlarged scale.
The delivery end is cut off at an angle thereby giving increased delivery area and
consequently spreading the blast. The nozzle is also slightly curved so as to throw
the hot air blast downwards. In order to force the air into the furnace, each nozzle e
contains a steam injector or blast pipe f to which steam is conveyed from the boiler by
the pipes g which branch from a central pipe h and are provided with stop valves i to
regulate or cut off the supply of steam. When the valves i are opened the steam
rushes through the injectors or blast pipes fand forces or carries the heated air from
the pipes e through the nozzles e into the furnaces. A current of air is thus set up
through the pipes e and the said air currents in passing along the pipes e become
highly heated so that the air is discharged into the furnaces in the condition most
favorable for promoting perfect combustion of the fuel and consumption of the smoke.
The air current is discharged by the steam, downwards upon the fuel near the front
of the furnace upon the part where the fuel is generally green or unconsumed and
where the greater part of the smoke is usually generated. This heated air current
quickens the fuel at once into life and by mixing with the smoke and products of
combustion thoroughly oxygenises them and causes them to burst into flame while at
the front of the furnace. The effect of this early combustion of the fuel is that not
only is the formation of smoke prevented or diminished, but a considerable extent of
the boiler flue towards the frout, which under ordinary circumstances is of little
value as heating surface, becomes at once useful and adds greatly to the steam
developing powers of the boiler. The heated air blast being directed towards the
middle of the fuel on the furnace bars in front, drives the smoke, flame and
heated products of combustion towards each side of the flue and away from the
centre, causing the flames to play directly upon the interior of the flue instead of
wasting their heat towards the centre of the flue as usual. As the forced draught
carries them forward the flames following the curvature of the flue develop a spirally
whirling movement against the interior of the flue and being fed with heated oxygen
from the central blast they develop their heating power to the fullest extent while
the smoke is entirely or almost entirely consumed. The heated air currents instead
of being forced by injectors or steam jets as described and shewn might be forced by
other suitable air forcing or blowing means and the air tubes e instead of being heated
by passing through the boiler might be passed through the side flues or through an
economiser where such is used or it might be heated separately in a reservoir or in a
jacket on the boiler or by other methods. As the increased heat developed in the
furnaces by the application of my invention might in many cases injure the grate bars
or induce clinkering of the fuel I use means to assist in keeping the bars cool.
The said means consist of jets of steam blown from pipes k arranged across the
front of the furnaces and beneath the bars c. The pipes branch from the
central steam pipe h and the supply of steam to the said pipes can be regulated
or cut off by a stop valve 1. The jets of steam are directed upwards against the
bottom of the bars and prevent fusing or sagging from overheating. The applica-
tion of these cooling steam jets is not however an essential part of my invention

page_text: as they might be dispensed with or I might employ tubular or other bars to receive
cooling currents of air or water according to systems now well known.
In case all of the smoke might not be consumed in the furnace I might provide
subsidiary means to assist complete combustion even after the smoke had passed over
the bridge. For example as illustrated in Fig. 4 I might lead a pipe m through the
bridge and lead heated air from beneath the furnace to a certain distance behind
the bridge the air being discharged upward through the branch m² as shewn by the
arrows. The unconsumed smoke and heated products of combustion in passing
over the pipe m are met by this up current of heated air and become ignited.
The pipe
preferably placed at an angle as shewn so as to facilitate cleaning
and the foot of the branch m¹ is left open for the same purpose. The admission
of air to the front of the pipe is governed by a hinged flap or valve opened and
closed from the front of the boiler and not appearing in the drawings.
Referring to Sheet 2 of the drawings,
Fig. 5 is a front elevation and
Fig. 6 a portion of a plan view of a double flued boiler a the brick setting o being
shewn in section.
In this instance the air pipes e instead of being led through the boiler space are
conducted through the side flues p formed by the brick setting o.
The pipes
e are thus
heated by the outflowing heated products of combustion and the air flowing through
the pipes is heated before being discharged into the furnace. The distributing nozzle
and steam injecting or forcing means are used in a manner precisely similar to that
shewn and described relative to Sheet 1. Movable scrapers or other means might be
used to keep the outside of the pipes e free from soot.
Fig. 7 is a longitudinal vertical section and
Fig. 8 a front view of a single flued boiler a in which the furnace bars c are utilised
to heat the air to be blown into the furnace.
The bars c are made hollow as shewn and may be made in one length or in two as
desired. At the back ends of the bars care openings c¹ through which the air passing
beneath the furnace enters the bars. The air thus traverses in the direction of the
arrows to a D or other shaped chamber r in front of the furnace and with which all of
the hollow bars are in communication. The distributing nozzle e is connected to the
upper part of this chamber and the air is blown into the furnace by a steam injector f
as before. The hollow furnace bars per se are no part of my invention. Instead of
making the delivery mouth of the nozzle e² open as in Sheet 1 I might perforate the
nozzle as shewn in Fig. 7 the perforations being of such varying sizes and tending
in such directions as will distribute the heated air somewhat in the manner shewn
by the arrows. The chamber is made separate from the bars and is preferably
furnished with a cover on the front which could be removed so as to allow a
cleaning tool to be inserted into the hollow bars.
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. The general arrangements constructions and combinations of parts comprising
my improved means for facilitating the combustion of smoke and effecting an
economy of fuel in steam generator and other furnaces substantially as hereinbefore
described and illustrated or any mere modification thereof.
2. As an arrangement for facilitating the combustion of smoke and effecting an
economy of fuel in the furnaces of steam generators, the air heating pipes e
passing through the steam or water space of a boiler or through the side flues
and leading to nozzles projecting into the upper part of the front of the furnaces
in combination with steam jets or blast pipes for forcing the heated air into the
furnaces substantially as herein before described and shewn.
3. The hot air delivery nozzles with slightly curved delivery orifices of
enlarged area or having perforations at the delivery end for directing and dis-
tributing the air downwards, and the position of such nozzles above the furnace

page_text: bars and in front of the furnace, in combination with steam blasts or jets or steam
injectors substantially as described and shewn.
4. The steam jet pipes arranged beneath the furnace bars to assist in keeping the
bars cool substantially as herein described and shewn.
Dated this 19th day of June 1890.
DUTTON & FULTON,
1, St. James Square, Manchester, Agents.