An Improved Apparatus for Liquid Fuel Burning without Smoke in Steam Boiler Furnaces and the like.
Year: 1898

page_text: Date of Application, 28th Oct., 1898
Complete Specification Left, 27th July, 1899-Accepted, 30th Sept., 1899
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
An Improved Apparatus for Liquid Fuel Burning without Smoke in
Steam Boiler Furnaces and the like.
I, ROBERT GREGORY, of 23, Brooksby Street, Islington, London, in the County
of Middlesex, Engineer, do hereby declare the nature of this invention to be as
follows:-
1
This invention relates to an improved system of burning liquid fuel with or
without coal or other fuel. In carrying out my invention I employ an injector
constructed with an inlet to allow a constant supply of liquid fuel to pass through.
a central tube according to the requirements of the furnace. This tube is
surrounded by the outer casing of the injector which is formed with a second
inlet for a supply of steam which will be made to flow arround the tube and
issue from an annular opening slightly Vd out at the bottom. Attached to this
outlet of the injector will be a pipe with an expanding chamber which forms a
mixer, it being contracted at the outer end from which the steam and fuel will
be made to issue. The injector is then fixed centrally in a bell mouthed bend
pipe which is fitted with dies of gauze wire at the large end to minimise the
noise caused by the steam and air meeting. The large end of the bell mouthed
pipe will also be fitted with an adjustable cover for regulating the supply of air
which is induced through by the action of the steam under pressure. The steam
fuel and air is carried forward to a retort pipe which is fitted to the small end
of the bell mouthed pipe and carried into the furnace and which I term a
vapouriser. The whole then becomes superheated and forms a gasous vapour
which is conveyed to a spreader with copper centre check peices which splits the
gaseous vapour and gives it an impetus to spread over the whole surface of the
furnace. The retort pipe or vapouriser can be carried to any length or bent to
any angle to suit the requirements of the boiler or furnace.
Dated this 28th day of October 1898.
An Improved Apparatus for Liquid Fuel Burning without Smoke in
Steam Boiler Furnaces and the like.
I, ROBERT GREGORY, of 23, Brooksby Street, Islington, London, in the County
of Middlesex, Engineer, do hereby declare the nature of this invention and in
what manner the same is to be performed, to be particularly described and ascer-
tained in and by the following statement:-
My invention relates to an improved system and apparatus in connection

page_text: therewith for burning liquid fuel, with or without coal or other fuel, as a means
for raising the temperature of water for the production of steam in steam boilers.
My invention is particularly applicable for use in connection with the fur-
naces of dust destructors as a means for enhancing the combustible properties of
same, and in connection with the furnaces of the boilers of steam engines employed
for generating a current for electric-lighting, in cases where (the accumulators
being fully charged) the boiler fire or fires has or have been allowed to run
low in day-light, and the fires may need rapid resuscitation upon the sudden
appearance of fog and the immediate universal demand for the electric light,
and its adaptability for such purposes will be fully understood from the descrip-
tion of my invention hereinafter contained.
In the accompanying drawings I have chosen to illustrate my invention as
applied to an ordinary horizontal boiler, of which Fig. 1 is a vertical section of
such a boiler with my invention affixed thereto and shewn partly in section.
Fig. 2 is a much enlarged sectional plan of my said invention, Fig. 3 being
an elevation of the left hand end of Fig. 2, while Fig. 4 is a side view of the
right hand end of same with the mouth closed.
In carrying my invention into effect I cast or otherwise provide of any suitable
metal or combination of metals a chamber A, the lower or smaller end of which
may be provided with lugs or flanges 13 and 13, for bolting the same to, and
covering an aperture leading into the furnace C of the boiler, while its upper,
larger, and bell mouthed end is adapted to receive and retain one or more sur-
faces of gauze-wire D), this or these being to break up the air and minimise the
noise caused by the meeting of the air and steam in A as hereinafter explained.
The mouth of A is provided with external lugs a and b for the reception of a
movable cover E, provided with corresponding projections c and d, the said cover
being connected to A. by means of a bolt e passing through holes in c and b, as
shewn in Fig. 2, the said bolt e being of sufficient length to receive a spiral
spring (Fig. 4) between its head and the lug b, the tension of which said spring
serves to cause the cover E to bite upon the periphery of the mouth of A, so that
the said cover may thereby be retained in any open position thereon without
fastening of any kind, the said cover if finally closed being retained in that
position by a bolt passed through the holes in d and a.
The upper surface of the chamber A is provided with swellings F and G,
(Fig. 1) in which holes are formed, the former for receiving the lower end of a
steam pipe H, governed by a cock J, the opposite or upper end of H being passed
through, and secured at any convenient part of, the boiler C, so as to communi-
cate with the steam space C₁ above the water level. The hole G is for the
reception of any suitable form of receiver, such as a funnel K, into which may fall
the discharge of petroleum or other liquid fuel exuding from a tap governed
pipe L, in connection with a supply tank M located in any convenient or
adjacent position.
Within the chamber A is placed and fixed the injector for the steam, air, and
liquid fuel, which I prefer to form in two hollow parts N and O, the former of
which is in fixed connection with the swelling G, and has a hole g (Fig. 2) which
communicates with, and receives the liquid fuel coming from the receiver K, one
end of N being closed by a plug P, while its opposite end has a hollow tapered
nosing R, (shewn by dotted outline in Fig. 2) through which exudes the liquid
fuel from N. The part O may conveniently be arranged to screw upon N and
surround without touching the nosing R, and in 0 is a hole h which communi-
cates with and receives the steam passing through the steam-pipe H and swell-
ing F, and upon the outer end of is screwed or otherwise fixed a pipe or
mixer S, preferably flattened at its outer end so as to expand the mixture
of steam, and fuel as it issues therefrom. Surrounding the said pipe or
mixer S, and connected to or formed integrally with the inner or smaller end of
the chamber A, is a retort pipe or tube T, which I term the vapourizer, and this
is carried through the front of, and extends for any desired distance into the

page_text: furnace C, the said vapourizer being preferably so curved downwardly as to
point towards the coal or other fuel C in the furnace, and becomes superheated
thereby, the outer end of the said vapourizer having attached thereto, or is
formed to provide a flat mouth W, substantially as at Fig. 3, this being so
arranged that the vapourized mixture issuing therefrom is thereby spread over
the whole width of the furnace. The operation takes place as follows:-
The feed of liquid fuel from the reservoir M (passing through the pipe L
governed by the tap L') the steam (passing through the pipe H governed by the
cock J) and the inlet of air into A (through the gauze surface or surfaces D
regulated by the position of the cover E) having been adjusted according to the
desired richness of the explosive mixture, and the force at which it is required
to enter the furnace, the said liquid fuel would pass through the receiver K into
the chamber N, while the steam would pass through the pipe H and cock J into
the chamber 0, and from this out into the mixer S, and the suction created by
such passage of steam would induce a current of liquid fuel through the chamber N
and nozzle R into the mixer S, and a current of air through the chamber A, the
steam, air, and fuel meeting in the vapourizer T, and these becoming intimately
mixed and vapourized would by the pressure of the steam exude with great
force from the mouth W directly on to the fuel C2 that may need enriching or
enlivening as suggested by Fig. 1, and when the fire in C2 has become sufficiently
resuscitated, and the steam in Craised to the required pressure, the flow of liquid
fuel may be caused to cease by closing the tap L', while the flow of steam may be
discontinued by closing the cock or valve J, and at the same time the super-
draught of the furnace C may be regulated at will by the degree at which the
cover E is permitted to close over the mouth of the chamber A.
I may find it convenient to provide a second passage coming from the steam
space for use when the steam pressure is low, such a duplicate passage being
indicated by dotted outline at H¹ Fig. 1, the lower end of which may be arranged
to pass through a hole in the chamber A and be connected with the chamber N,
by removing the plug Pas shewn, which said duplicate passage may then extend
through the chamber N and be connected with the chamber R, so that the steam
passing through H¹ may mingle with the steam coming from H.
I may provide upon the inner surface of the lower portion of the chamber () a
V shaped longitudinal groove for collecting any leakage of fuel and be dealt
with by the passing steam if found convenient for the purposes of my invention.
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
I claim is:-
1. The improved system and apparatus in connection therewith, for burning
liquid fuel in steam boiler furnaces and the like, substantially as herein described
and shewn by the appended drawings.
2. In an improved system and apparatus for burning liquid fuel in steam-
boiler furnaces and the like, the combination of a chamber such as A, adapted
for fixation upon the face plate of such a furnace C, and having a bell shaped
mouth adapted to receive and hold one or more wire-gauze surfaces D, and to be
wholly or partly closed by a cover E, suspended by a bolt e having a spring f.
the said chamber carrying internally an injector, consisting of a chamber
connected to a hopper such as K, adapted to receive a regulated supply of liquid
fuel from a store tank M, the said chamber N having a nozzle R, surrounded
by a chamber 0, in connection with a cock-governed steam pipe H, coming from
the boiler of the said furnace, the said chamber 0 having connected thereto a
mixer such as S, surrounded by a vapourizer such as T, connected to A and
passing through the face plate of, and into the said furnace, the free end of the
said vapourizer being arranged to form, or have connected thereto, a spreader
such as W, for diffusing over the entire width of the furnace the combined air

page_text: steam and liquid fuel vapour issuing therefrom, the whole connected, combined,
and operating substantially as and for the purposes herein detailed, and shewn
by the accompanying drawings.
GEO. THOS. HYDE,
1, Broad Street Buildings, Liverpool Street, London, E.C.,
Agent for the Applicant.