IMPROVEMENTS IN THE CONSTRUCTION OF FURNACES, OVENS, OR KILNS FOR DRYING, BAKING, OR BURNING POTTERY, EARTHENWARE, BRICKS, TILES, OR OTHER SIMILAR ARTICLES, AND IN THE MEANS OF COLLECTING AND CONDENSING THE SMOKE, GASES, OR VAPORS EVOLVED FROM THE FUEL IN SUCH OR OTHER FURNACES OR FIRE- PLACES, OR THAT ESCAPES FROM THE RETORTS AND OTHER PARTS OF THE APPARATUS USED IN. THE MANUFACTURE OF GAS
Year: 1856

page_text: PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by John Kirkham at the Office of
the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on the 3rd November
1856.
I, JOHN KIRKHAN, of Tonbridge Place, New Road, in the County of
Middlesex, Civil Engineer, do hereby declare the nature of the said Invention
for "IMPROVEMENTS IN THE CONSTRUCTION OF FURNACES, OVENS, OR KILNS FOR
DRYING, BAKING, OR BURNING POTTERY, EARTHENWARE, BRICKS, TILES, OR OTHER
SIMILAR ARTICLES, AND IN THE MEANS OF COLLECTING AND CONDENSING THE SMOKE,
GASES, OR VAPORS EVOLVED FROM THE FUEL IN SUCH OR OTHER FURNACES OR FIRE-
PLACES, OR THAT ESCAPES FROM THE RETORTS AND OTHER PARTS OF THE APPARATUS
USED IN. THE MANUFACTURE OF GAS," to be as follows:-
My Invention of improvements in the construction of furnaces, ovens, or
kilns for drying, baking, or burning pottery, earthenware, bricks, tiles, or other
similar articles, and in the means of collecting and condensing the smoke,
gases, or vapors evolved from the fuel in such or other furnaces or fire-places,
or that escapes from the retorts and other parts of the apparatus used in the
manufacture of gas, relates, in the first place, to an improved mode of con-
structing the furnaces, ovens, or kilns for the above-named purpose; and,
second, to a means of collecting and condensing smoke and gases or vapors,
which means is not only applicable to the furnaces above referred to, but

page_text: also to all furnaces, retorts, or apparatus from which such gases may be
evolved.
In carrying out the first part of my Invention, the furnace or oven should
be built with brickwork, and the crown or top arched over or otherwise made
close and air-tight, and the internal capacity constructed in a suitable manner
for the quantity of materials required to be burnt at any one time, for which
purpose one, two, or more fire-places may be constructed in the bottom part of
the oven, and air is admitted over the top of the fuel from the sides or ends of
the furnaces to assist the combustion of the gases evolved therefrom. The
flame and heat circulates through the oven, and is then drawn down and
through descending and horizontal flues constructed in the bottom of the oven,
and from thence is carried through a second, third, or more ovens, whereby
the spare heat may be beneficially employed in drying and preparing the
-articles-or-wares-to-be-next-burnt.-The heat-and-gaseous_vapors_are_drawn,
as-before-described,-through-the ovens and flues, so_that_as much as possible
of the heat may be used and economised; the vapors are then conducted
through close condensing vessels containing pebble stones or other suitable
materials for increasing the contact surfaces. The vapors or gases are drawn
by fans or other machinery suitable for such purpose, and water is injected in
and amongst the pebble stones contained in the condensing vessels, whereby
the gaseous vapors, in passing through the condensing vessels, will be condensed
and absorbed by the water.
The second part of my Invention, viz., that for collecting and condensing
the gases and vapors, as above described, is also applicable to all ordinary
furnaces, from which smoke and gases will be prevented from issuing by
exhausting from the flues of the furnaces, and collecting and condensing all
such gases and vapors produced either by heat, or distillation, or combustion
of coals, coke, tar, or any other substances, as well as the gases and vapors
arising from decomposition or from any other cause. This part of my Inven-
tion is also applicable to the exhausting, collecting, and condensing of all
gases and vapors arising from any fuel used for heating any or all kinds of
boilers, coke ovens, kilns, glass-house furnaces, retorts, and retort houses, or
other distilling or heating apparatus, or any furnaces whatsoever; also for the
ventilating by exhausting, collecting, and condensing the smoke and gaseous
vapors produced in retort houses, purifying houses of gasworks, or any other
buildings requiring ventilating, and which gases would otherwise escap into
the atmosphere.
In order to more fully describe my Invention, as applicable to ventilating
retort houses or any other buildings, I would observe, that I cause the roofs and

page_text: upper windows or openings in walls to be closed and made air-tight. The
fresh atmospheric air will flow into the building by the lower windows, door-
ways, or other openings, and press the smoke and all other gaseous vapors
upwards under the roof, from whence the smoke and vapors are drawn down
through pipes, trunks, or brick shafts, either of which is carried up under the
roof to within a suitable distance from the upper part, and the top of such
pipes or trunks is to be opened out into a hopper or bell-mouthed shape. The
smoke and gaseous vapors are drawn down and through pipes or other channels,
to and through the close condensing chamber or chambers above described by
a revolving fan or other suitable exhausting machines, the smoke and gaseous
vapors being drawn into the condensing chamber, is there condensed and
absorbed by water, as before described.