Improvements in Steam Boilers.
Year: 1894

page_text: Date of Application, 16th Oct., 1894-Accepted, 24th Nov., 1894
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Steam Boilers.
I, JOHN VANES, of No. 110 Montgomery Street, Brazil, in the County of Clay,
and State of Indiana, United States of America, Manufacturer, 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:-
My present invention relates to steam boilers of that class known to the art as
"water-tube" boiler in which the water is exposed or subjected to the heat by
circulation through a series of tubes; and the objects that I have in view are,
first, to simplify and strengthen the construction of parts, secondly, to increase the
heating surface, and promote the combustion, and thirdly, to so organize and
arrange the parts that ready access can be had to the water tubes and the
combustion chamber for the purpose of cleaning the tubes from the scale that is
deposited on the interior thereof and of removing the soot and ashes that
accumulates in the combustion chamber below the water tubes.
In my improved boiler, a furnace chamber is provided by fastening a shell
within the external boiler-shell, at the lower front part of the latter; and a
combustion chamber is formed in the external boiler-shell by the employment of two
flue sheets and an internal shell which are suitably united together to form a closure
or chamber through which the heat and products of combustion are free to pass
from the furnace chamber to the exit pipe or flue, the flue sheet near the front
end of the boiler being formed with a flanged neck or nozzle to which is united the
rear end of the shell which forms the furnace chamber, while the other flue sheet
near the rear end of the boiler is likewise formed with a flanged neck or nozzle,
near its upper part, to receive the inner end of the exit pipe or flue for the smoke
and products of combustion.
These two flue sheets are set or arranged in an upright inclined position,
substantially parallel to each other, and in these flue sheets are formed the flue
holes or openings to receive the water tubes which are fastened in the flue sheets
in the ordinary or any preferred way. By thus disposing the flue sheets, I am
able to employ straight tubes between the sheets, and the ends of said tubes open
through the flue sheets above the furnace shell and below the smoke exit pipe,
respectively, whereby ready access can be had (by means of man-holes in the
boiler-heads) to the water tubes for the purpose of running a scraper, or other
implement, through the water tubes and removing the scale from the interior
thereof, as well as for easily inspecting the interior of the tubes to ascertain the
place and extent of scale deposit. This inspection and cleaning of the interior of
the tubes is important, particularly when "hard water" is used in the boiler, and
the employment of straight tubes is advantageous as the attendant can readily look
through the tubes and easily cleanse them.
.
To promote combustion, I couple the internal shell with the outside boiler shell
by means of hollow stay bolts which are placed in rear of the furnace shell, below
the series of straight inclined water tubes, for the purpose of admitting air to the
combustion chamber so as to commingle with the flame and products of combustion
after they emerge from the furnace chamber and diffuse around the inclined water
tubes. A manhole, and cover therefor, is provided in the bottom of the boiler,
in rear of the furnace chamber, to enable access to be had to the combustion
chamber for the purpose of removing soot and ashes therefrom.
To enable others to understand my invention, I have illustrated the preferred

page_text: embodiment thereof in the accompanying drawing, forming a part of this
Specification, and in which,-
Figure 1 is a vertical longitudinal sectional view through my boiler.
Figures 2 and 3 are detail views of the flue sheets.
Figure 4 is a longitudinal sectional view through a boiler embodying my
invention in which the bottom manhole and hollow stay bolts are dispensed with.
Figure 5 is a detail view of one of the flue sheets adapted for use in connection
with a series of furnace chambers.
Like letters of reference indicate corresponding parts in all the figures, referring
to which,―
A designates the external boiler shell, and a, a', the front and rear heads thereof,
these parts being constructed in any form and manner approved by those skilled
in the art. The front boiler head, a, is provided near its lower edge, with a
flanged opening b for the introduction of fuel into the furnace chamber, and which
opening is designed to be closed by a door or doors (not shown), while the rear
head a is provided, near its upper edge, with a flanged opening for the exit of
the smoke and products of combustion into a suitable escape pipe or flue (not
shown).
Within this external boiler shell, A, I construct a combustion chamber C by
employing two flue sheets D, E, and an internal shell F which are riveted or
otherwise suitably united together. The front flue sheet D is provided, near its
lower side and on a line with the opening b, with a flanged neck or nozzle, d, and
said flue sheet D and the front boiler head a are coupled or connected together by
the shell G which forms the surface chamber G', within the lower front part of the
boiler, one end of this furnace shell G being united to the flange of the opening b
and the other end of the shell G being riveted or otherwise fastened to the neck or
nozzle d of the front flue sheet D, as shown in Figures 1 and 4. The rear fluc
sheet E is provided, near its upper side, with a flange forming the neck or nozzle, e,
that is in line with the flanged exit opening 6', and between this rear flue sheet E
and the rear boiler head a¹ is an exit pipe H which has its ends riveted or otherwise
united to the neck or nozzle e and the flange around the opening &, respectively.
The grate, I, is supported in the furnace-chamber-shell G in any suitable way
and it is elevated above the bottom of said shell to form the ash pit, g, access to
which may be had by a suitable door.
The flue sheets D, E, are set in an upright slanting or inclined position and they
are arranged parallel to each other, and in each flue sheet is drilled or formed a
plurality of openings to receive the ends of the water tubes J, a large number of
which may be employed and which have their ends expanded in the openings of
the flue sheets or otherwise suitably secured to said flue sheets. These tubes J
extend through the shell forming the combustion chamber in a manner to permit
the heat and other products of combustion to circulate freely around them, and the
ends of the tubes open into the water chambers J', J", the front part or
chamber J¹ being formed between the boiler-head a and the flue sheet D, and the
rear part or chamber J" being formed by and between the rear boiler head a¹ and
the flue sheet E. It will be noted that the tubes J which 1 employ are straight
tubes, without any bend therein, and that they are set in an inclined position to
insure free circulation of the water therein. By the employment of the flue sheets
set in an inclined or slanting position within a boiler shell, I am able to use
these straight water tubes and to set them in an inclined position at right angles to
the flue sheets, which organization of parts is advantageous as it enables a scraper
to be easily run through and operated in the tubes to remove the scales and
sediment that becomes deposited on the interior surfaces of the tubes, and also
enables the attendant to readily look through the tubes to ascertain the extent and
place of scale deposit. The front ends of the water tubes open through the flue
sheet D above the furnace shell G, and access can be had to these ends of the tubes
through a manhole k provided in the head a of the boiler shell, said manhole
being closed by the head of any suitable construction. The rear ends of the

page_text: water tubes open through the flue sheet E below the exit pipe H, and access to
these ends of the flue tubes is had by a manhole in the boiler head a', which
manhole is closed by a head l¹.
A similar manhole m is provided in the bottom of the boiler, in rear of the
furnace shell G, and opening into the combustion chamber C below the water
tubes J, for the purposes of cleaning the combustion chamber of the soot, ashes and
other refuse that may be carried from the furnace and deposited in the combustion
chamber; and this manhole m is closed by the head m' which is fastened in place
by the usual yoke or bolt or any equivalent fastening.
To insure the proper supply of air and promote combustion in the chamber C,
I connect the internal shell F and the boiler shell A by the hollow stay bolts L
which are placed at the bottom side of the boiler and which forms the passages by
which air may pass from the outside of the boiler into the combustion chamber
in rear of the furnace chamber and independently of the latter, but I would have it
understood that I do not strictly confine myself to the use of the manhole m and
the hollow stay bolts L as they may be dispensed with and the boiler constructed as
shown by Figure 4.
If desired, a series of the furnace shells may be used in lieu of the single furnace
shown by Figures 1 and 3, according to the size and capacity of the boiler,
and if a series of furnace shells, are used, the head a and flue sheet D are
constructed with a corresponding number of flanged openings b, as indicated by
Figure 5.
It will be noted by reference to Figures 1 and 4 that my boiler is not constructed
with a bridge wall between the grate chamber and the water tube chamber, but
that in my improved construction, the flame, smoke and products of combustion pass
horizontally through the open rear end of the furnace shell directly into the
combustion chamber C and thence circulate upward and rearward, around the
inclined tubes J, to the exit pipe H, and it will be furthermore observed that these
water tubes J are inclined from a line above the furnace chamber to a line substan-
tially on a level with the furnace chamber so that the water tubes are thus
interposed or arranged directly in the path of the products of combustion as they
pass through the boiler.
I am aware that changes in the form and proportion of parts and in the details
of construction of the mechanism herein shown and described as an embodiment of
my invention can be made without departing from the spirit or sacrificing the
advantages of my invention and I therefore reserve the right to make such
modifications and alterations as fairly fall within the scope of my invention.
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 combination with an external boiler shell, of the internal shell and flue
sheets connected together and forming a combustion chamber within the boiler shell,
a furnace chamber situated between the front flue sheet and boiler head and having
the respective ends of its shell G united to said flue sheet and the boiler-head, a
smoke exit pipe connected to the other flue sheet and boiler-bead, and the straight
water tubes extending through the combustion chamber and united to the flue sheets,
substantially as and for the purposes described.
2. The combination with an external boiler shell, of the flue sheets and internal
shell connected together and forming the combustion chamber within said boiler
shell, said flue sheets being set in inclined or slanting positions and substantially
parallel to each other, the furnace shell fastened to one flue sheet and boiler-head
and opening directly through the flue sheet into the combustion chamber, the exit
pipe coupled to the other flue sheet and boiler head above the plane of the
opening between the furnace shell and the front flue sheet, and the inclined
straight water tubes fastened to said flue sheets, substantially as and for the
purposes described.

page_text: 3. The combination with an external boiler shell, of the inclined flue sheets
therein, the internal shell united to the flue sheet and boiler head and communi-
cating, at its rear end, directly with the combustion chamber, the exit pipe
connected to the other flue sheet and boiler head on a line above the furnace shell,
and the water tubes united to the two flue sheets and inclined downwardly from the
front flue sheet to the rear flue sheet and arranged directly in the path of products
of combustion as they emerge from the furnace chamber, substantially as and for
the purposes described.
4. The combination with an external boiler shell having manholes at or near
the ends thereof, of the inclined flue sheets, the internal shell united to said flue
sheets, the furnace shell united to the lower part of one flue sheet and boiler head
and communicating directly with the combustion chamber, the exit pipe coupled
to the other flue sheet and boiler shell on a line above the furnace shell, and
the straight inclined water tubes fastened to the front flue sheet above the furnace
shell and having their rear ends united to the rear flue sheet substantially in line
with the furnace shell and below the exit pipe, substantially as and for the purposes
described.
5. The combination with an external boiler shell, of the flue sheets and internal
shell connected together and forming the combustion chamber, the furnace shell
united to one flue sheet and boiler head and opening directly into the combustion
chamber, the exit pipe coupled to the other flue sheet and boiler head on a line
above the furnace shell, the hollow bolts between the external and internal shells,
at the lower part of the boiler, and forming air inlet passages to the combustion
chamber in rear of the furnace chamber, and the water tubes united to the front flue
sheet above the furnace shell and coupled to the rear flue sheet below the exit pipe,
substantially as and for the purposes described.
Dated this 16th day of October 1894.
HASELTINE, LAKE & Co.,
45, Southampton Buildings, London, W.C., Agents for the Applicant."