IMPROVE- MENTS IN THE BUILDING OF FIRE-BOXES
Year: 1883

page_text: PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by Hugo Pataky at the Office of the
Commissioners of Patents on the 18th June 1883. A communication from
Heinrich Hempel fabrikant a person resident in Deuben-Gaschwitz near
Leipzig (Germany)
HUGO PATAKY Engineer and Patent Solicitor, in Berlin, Germany, "IMPROVE-
MENTS IN THE BUILDING OF FIRE-BOXES," a communication from Heinrich Hempel
fabrikant a person resident in Deuben-Gaschwitz near Leipzig (Germany)
The present invention has the purpose of generating gas in fire-boxes of all
kinds by burning coal with the access of decomposed steam, and of employing this
gas for heating boilers, stoves, or ovens.
The inventor attains this by the employment of a peculiar steam decomposing
apparatus and by the peculiar construction of his fire-boxes.
The decomposer may either be fixed to a tubular-boiler, or arranged standing.
The principle of construction consists in leading steam through several tubes into
the decomposer to be superheated or decomposed by its contact with the red-hot
sides of the decomposer, which the steam touches in its passage; and by the
construction and arrangement of the decomposer it is rendered possible to mix the
vapours coming fan-shaped out of the holes in the decomposer thoroughly with the
combustible products of the coal either above or in the fire. The steam decomposer
consists of a funnel-shaped part into which a cone projects in order to direct the
course of the steam.-The latter is conducted downwards along the sides of the
funnel-shaped part, upwards to the escape openings and from there into a heating
or combustion room. If the decomposer is arranged standing the funnel-shaped
part and the cone are reversed as compared with those fixed to the tubular boiler,
that is to say, the first above and the latter below.
The steam enters the standing decomposer from below, while in the decomposer
fixed to the tubular-boiler the steam enters from the side through a channel.
The conduits of the latter decomposer are narrowed towards the escape openings.
The object of their becoming narrower is to cause the steam to flow out with
great force so as to overflow the coals.
It will consequently penetrate to the very lowest layers so as to reach the
glowing fire and effect a complete consumption of fuel. When this decomposer is
fixed high above the glowing fire, this appliance is necessary; when standing, this
latter is superfluous, and the conduits are therefore made uniformly wide.

page_text: The decomposers are cast in two iron pieces screwed together by means of
flanges. A perforated sheet, serves to shut off the water of condensation that
collects under it.
The object of the present arrangement of Fire-box is
1, to make the best possible use of the fuel.
2, the perfect consumption of smoke without increasing the quantity of air
required for combustion.
•
These objects are firstly attained by peculiarly arranged channels, secondly by a
fire-box divided into two parts. This division is again effected either by a
peculiarly constructed fire-grate or by means of a slide, so that each fire-box
consists of a front and back compartment. The front compartiment is the charging
space, whereas the back compartment serves for the reception of coals made
red-hot in the charging space. In the back compartment there are continually
red-hot coals, which as the following details will show, have to fulfil an important
office.
For a horizontal boiler the fire-grate consisting of two parts is so divided that
the front part resting in bushes can be turned up and down, whereas the back part
is fixed. The first is arranged rather higher than the latter and a partition fastened
to the front part serves to shut off the space formed between these two parts. If it
is necessary to charge the back part with, red-hot coals, the front grate is turned up
by a lever, and the mass of glowing coals on it slides back on to the back grate.
In order to prevent the ingress of cold air when the front grate is turned up, there
is a front plate, provided with a knee and rivetted to the fire-door.
After having charged the back grate, the front grate is brought back into its
normal (horizontal) position, 'after which fresh fuel is placed on it in the usual
manner.
A fire-brick wall serves to effect a perfect division of the fire box.
This fire-brick wall divides therefore the fire-box into a front compartment and
a back compartment.
From the front compartment of the fire-box the products of combustion rise into
two side flues, stream through two flues running along the main-boiler and are
conducted from there downwards into two flues, arranged horizontally under the
main boiler to reach through two outlets each of which is provided with a throttle-
valve, the back compartment of the fire-box.-The fire-gases thus conducted and
mixed with air entering under the back grate flow through the red-hot coals in
the back compartment, touch the main boiler, are conducted through two flues on
the outside of the two lower boilers to the front again, and finally reach the
chimney after having come in contact with the inner side of the two lower
boilers.
In the case of vertical boilers the construction described above with flues and a
divided fire-box may likewise be employed.
The slide, which, as already mentioned, serves in the place of the grate described,
to shut off the front and back compartment from each other consists of two. broad
rails, which on their long sides are rivetted above and below to a slide piece.
The guides run at the top in a cross-piece formed by two square-irons, and below
in the gratebearer, which is provided with two projecting ribs.
Cross-piece and grate-bearer consequently form the guides of the slide. The
side of the slide turned towards the fire-box is provided with holes in order to let
air circulate between the two rails above mentioned and to prevent the slide from
distorting.
The employment of the front and back grate or of the slide renders it possible
to throw in more fuel and stir the fires without the cold air streaming in having
any detrimental effect whatever on the process of combustion and the heating
surface.
The latter is avoided firstly, because when the door is opened the cold air
entering by the latter cannot flow through the whole fire-box and over the heating
surface at once, but can only enter the first part of the fire-grate,-secondly,

page_text: because on its long way through the channels the air is warmed likewise by the
heat prevailing in the conduits.
By the employment of the fire-box divided into two parts the following
important advantages are gained :
1.) The red-hot coal and consequently a continually operating source of heat is
always at hand.
2. The gases, which pass through the conduits and are thereby cooled, are re-
heated by contact with the mass of glowing coal heaped up in the back compartment
and enabled to exert an energetic heating effect.
3. The products of combustion passing from the front compartment through the
conduits into the back compartment give the red-hot coal and even the cinders in
the latter fresh nutriment.