AN IMPROVED SMOKE-CONSUMING FURNACE
Year: 1855

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to William Smith, of 10, Salisbury Street, Adelphi, in
the County of Middlesex, Civil Engineer, for the Invention of "AN
IMPROVED SMOKE-CONSUMING FURNACE "A communication
IMPROVED SMOKE-CONSUMING FURNACE
communication
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said William Smith at the
Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on the 1st
September 1855.
I, WILLIAM SMITH, of No. 10, Salisbury Street, Adelphi, in the County of
Middlesex, do hereby declare the nature of the said Invention for "AN
IMPROVED SMOKE-CONSUMING FURNACE," that it is a communication from a
foreigner residing abroad, to be as follows:-
It consists in the arrangement of a double set of furnace bars mounted in a
horizontal frame, which turns upon a vertical axis, and by a half revolution
presents alternately one of two sets of the furnace bars for a charge of fresh
fuel; and the more remote hearth or set of furnace bars will contain the fuel
in the high state of ignition or incandescence, whilst the gases given off from
the fresh fuel must pass therethrough, and become ignited and consumed
thereby.

page_text: A perforated bridge may divide the two furnaces, extending from side to
side, and permitting the gases and particles of carbon from the outer furnace,
or that nearest to the front of the boiler, to pass only in the desired direction.
This furnace effects considerable economy in the consumption of fuel, because
the heat which in furnaces of ordinary construction escapes in the form of
smoke or fine particles of carbon, whilst they cannot so escape in my furnace.
Moreover, the cold air which is admitted into an ordinary furnace, producing
a cooling and injurious effect during the time that the door remains open, is
entirely prevented from so acting in my improved furnace.
When the fuel in the second furnace, or the one furthest from the front of
the boiler, is sufficiently consumed, the frame is so turned as to bring that
furnace or hearth immediately in front of the opening ready to receive a fresh
charge of fuel. Thus, these hearths or frames alternately change places.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent, filed
by the said William Smith in the Great Seal Patent Office on the
1st March 1856.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, WILLIAM
SMITH, of 10, Salisbury Street, Adelphi, in the County of Middlesex, Civil
Engineer, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her Letters
Patent, bearing date the First day of September, in the year of our Lord
One thousand eight hundred and fifty-five, in the nineteenth year of Her reign,
did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant unto me, the said
William Smith, Her special licence that I, the said William Smith, my
executors, administrators, and assigns, or such others as I, the said William
Smith, my executors, administrators, and assigns, should at any time agree with,
and no others, from time to time and at all times thereafter during the term
therein expressed, should and lawfully might make, use, exercise, and vend,
within the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland, the Channel Islands,
and Isle of Man, an Invention for "AN IMPROVED SMOKE-CONSUMING FURNACE,"
(a communication,) upon the condition (amongst others) that I, the said William
Smith, my executors or administrators, by an instrument in writing under
my, or their, or one of their hands and seals, should particularly describe and
ascertain the nature of the said Invention, and in what manner the same was
to be performed, and cause the same to be filed in the Great Seal Patent

page_text: Office within six calendar months next and immediately after the date of the
said Letters Patent.
NOW KNOW YE, that I, the said William Smith, do hereby declare the
nature of my said Invention, and in what manner the same is to be per-
formed, to be particularly described and ascertained in and by the following
statement:
This Invention, as communicated to me, consists in the arrangement of a
double set of bars mounted on a horizontal frame, which turns upon a vertical
axis, and by a half revolution presents alternately one of two sets of the
furnace bars for charge of fresh fuel; and in more remote hearth or set of
furnace bars will contain the fuel in the high state of ignition or incandescence,
whilst the gases given off from the fresh fuel must pass theirthrough, and
become ignited and consumed thereby.
A perforated bridge may divide the two furnaces, extending from side to
side, and permitting the gases and particles of carbon from the outer furnace,
or that nearest to the front of the boiler, to pass only in the desired direction.
This furnace effects considerable economy in the consumption of fuel, because
a large amount of the gases or heat-giving qualities which in furnaces
of ordinary construction escapes in the form of smoke and fine particles of
carbon, whilst they cannot so escape in this furnace, but impart fresh aliment
to the second furnace. Moreover, the cold air which is admitted into an
ordinary furnace, producing a cooling and injurious effect upon the furnace and
the fuel during the time the door remains open, is entirely prevented in the
present furnace from so acting.
When the fuel in the second furnace, or the one further from the front of
the boiler, is sufficiently consumed, the frame is turned sufficiently far to bring
that furnace or hearth immediately in front of the opening ready to receive a
fresh charge of fuel. Thus, these hearths or furnaces alternately change
places, and the fresh fuel placed alternately thereupon becomes consumed inore
perfectly and economically, giving out the largest quantity of heat, preventing
formation of smoke in the furnace, and which would otherwise escape from
the chimney. This construction of furnace can be applied with similar
advantage to locomotive boilers and the boilers of marine and land engines,
also for brewery, distillery, and other kinds of furnaces.
The general construction and arrangement of furnaces made according to
this Invention will, on reference to the following description and the accom-
panying Drawing, which, although it exhibits its application to one form of
boiler only, will readily convey the mode of applying the same construction
of furnaces to other forms or description of boilers :-

page_text: DESCRIPTION OF THE APPARATUS.
Fig. 1 in the accompanying Drawing represents a longitudinal section made
at the axis of the apparatus, and lengthwise of the furnace; Fig. 2 is a
plan or horizontal section of Fig. 1, exhibiting the two sets of furnace bars,
bridge, &c.; Fig. 3 is a transverse section of Fig. 1 and 2, and exhibits the
construction of the furnace, the supporting frame, and other parts of the
arrangement; Fig. 4 is a front view of the boiler seating and the apparatus,
as seen externally. The same letters serve to indicate the similar parts in each
of those Figures.
By these Figures it will be seen that the apparatus consists of a circular
frame A, which bears the similar and opposite grates E, E, is furnished under-
neath with a toothed rack L, which it is worked by a pinion J, the prolonged
axis of which outside of the furnace is supplied with a crank handle to work by
hand whenever it is necessary to change the position of the furnace bars.
It is by means of this rack and pinion that the frame and the two grates are
caused to make a semi-revolution, so as to be brought forward alternately fr
the mouth of the furnace. For this purpose it is guided in its circumference
by an iron ring or tram plate O, partly imbedded in the brickwork, and it is
thoroughly supported by a vertical shaft or spindle B, which rests and turns
upon a fixed pivot or stud I. A brick bridge or partition C is formed under
the frame in order to divide the two grates, having therein one or several
openings D, forming a passage or passages for the air and gases to pass
through to the second furnace. This partition can evidently be constructed in
various ways, and the openings or holes may also be of different forms and
dimensions, according to the arrangement of the gra é or the proportion of
the furnace, or one part, the upper, may remain fixed, adapted at need to the
boiler, and it may be supported or held by one or several bolts, and the lower
part only may be moveable with the apparatus itself..
In the front of the furnace may be also placed a hopper. or feeder with a
projector, which being worked by the hand of the stoker would deliver, as
required, the necessary quantity of fuel upon the grate immediately underneath,
or the latter may be simply fed by means of a shovel, as is now done in the
ordinary system, by opening the door at the entrance R.
WORKING OF THE APPARATUS.
To set the apparatus in action, it is proper at first to cover one of the grates
with fuel, which is lit by the usual means. Immediately afterwards turn the
frame upon itself, so that this grate charged with coke becomes placed near

page_text: the bridge C, which divides the double hearth from the principal flue, running
the whole length of the tubes; the draught or current of air being necessarily
very strong in this position, the fire burns very briskly. Then the second grate
which has been brought forward is charged with fuel. The draught of this
hearth is evidently much less than that of the former. The result is, that the
smoke escapes but slowly and gradually, whilst the former fire becomes more
and more vigorous, and consumes it completely and imperceptibly as fast as it
makes the flames; the whole is left thus until the former grate becomes
cleared and the steam begins to fail. It is necessary, therefore, to cause the
frame to make a semi-revolution, so that this grate may be re-charged with
fresh fuel in the manner before described, and being brought forward to
take its place operates also in a similar manner, and thus consumes the
smoke completely. The stoker in turning the handle need never fear pro-
longing the movement of the frame beyond the necessary degree, because the
rack should be made exactly, so as to present one of its stops or its termina-
tion, so as to prevent the pinion from becoming ungeared or turning the frame
table too far.
Having described this Invention as communicated to me, and exhibited its
application to one form of boiler, as shewn in the accompanying Drawing, and
having also explained that it may be applied to other boilers and vessels of
various forms and for various purposes, I wish it to be understood that what
is claimed is, the arrangement of a double grate or sets of furnace bars divided
by a bridge, and affixed to or mounted upon a table capable of making a whole
or half revolution, turned by means of a circular rack and pinion or otherwise,
and whether supported upon a centre shaft or pillar, as shewn, or by any other
similar and equivalent means, by which the same general arrangement is
preserved.
In witness whereof, I, the said William Smith, have hereunto set my
hand and seal, the First day of March, in the year of our Lord One
thousand eight hundred and fifty-six.
Witness,
JOHN DYTE.
WILLIAM SMITH. (L.S.)