Improvements in Furnaces for Burning or Smelting Household Refuse and the like.
Year: 1898

page_text: PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Furnaces for Burning or Smelting Household Refuse
and the like.
I, CARL WEGENER, of 14/15, Gitschinerstrasse, Berlin, Germany, Engineer, do
hereby declare the nature of this invention to be as follows:-
-
My invention relates to a furnace by means of which household refuse or
other waste material can be consumed without the production of smoke or offensive
gases, and its incombustible components can be transformed into a glassy and
very hard slag, whilst the products of combustion possess at the outlet of the
furnace a considerable value on account of their high temperature. The slag
thus produced is capable of very various applications, as for instance for the
preparation of emery or glass paper, as an addition to ordinary glass materials
and so forth. The heat of the escaping gases may be utilized, in the case of a
refuse destructor according to this invention, for the purpose of heating steam-
boilers, the steam energy from which by means of steam-engines may be con-
verted into electricity for being distributed in the neighbourhood.
In consequence of the intensity of heat prevailing in the furnace chamber and
with the aid of the air for combustion supplied into this chamber, the combustible
parts of the refuse are burned and the remainder, which composes the slag, is
melted. This mass then flows through openings in the bottom of the furnace
into horizontal conduits arranged beneath the furnace chamber, and at the end
of these conduits through lateral openings the slag either drops away continuously
or is periodically removed. The gases of combustion caused by the heating on
the one hand and the combustion of the refuse on the other, escape from the
furnace chamber likewise through the bottom openings above mentioned and
accompany the slag through the horizontal conduits. Within these conduits by
means of a remainder of air contained in the gases of combustion any combustible
materials which may have flowed down with the slag are burned. At the same
time the presence of the hot gases acts together with the position of the horizontal
conduits beneath the furnace chamber to prevent any premature cooling and
hardening of the slag. Where the horizontal conduits again unite, the gases turn
upwards and pass into a vertically ascending conduit in order to surround the
lower part of two inclined refuse feeding flues, after which they turn round above
the latter and again passing round the upper part of these flues, descend into'
another vertical conduit. From this latter they pass into the horizontal exit flue
or fox which preferably discharges into the furnace of a steam-boiler. Immediately
behind the furnace proper the hot gases are utilized to heat the air for combustion,
which entering through suitable conduits into heating chambers, which are
arranged within a widened part of the fox, passes from these into a collecting
chamber from whence it is conducted partly to the coal dust feed apparatus,
partly immediately to the furnace chamber and partly to the hoppers arranged
at the top of the refuse feeding flues. The motive force for the motion of the air
consists only in the draught of the chimney which at the same time operates the

page_text: coal dust firing apparatus. By means of the heating of the refuse feeding flues
in the contrary direction to the refuse descending through these flues, the said
refuse is gradually brought to a very high temperature so as to be not only dried
but also subjected to dry distillation before it enters the furnace chamber. The
gases and vapours thereby generated pass, together with the air introduced into
the hoppers, to the lower end of the feeding flues; and into the furnace chamber,
where they take part in the combustion so that the whole apparatus is free of
smell.
The smokelessness of the apparatus is secured by reason of the intense heat in
the furnace necessary for smelting the refuse and the complete combustion which is
easily attainable at this heat. For exactly regulating the combustion dampers or
the like are placed in the air flues.
Improvements in Furnaces for Burning or Smelting Household Refuse
and the like.
I, CARL WEGENER, of 14/15, Gitschinerstrasse, Berlin, Germany, Engineer, do
hereby declare the nature of this invention, and in what manner the same is to be
performed, to be particularly described in and by the following statement:-
My invention relates to a furnace by means of which household refuse or
other waste material can be consumed without the production of smoke or offensive
gases, and its incombustible components can be transformed into a glassy and
very hard slag, whilst the products of combustion possess at the outlet of the
furnace a considerable value on account of their high temperature. The slag
thus produced is capable of very various applications, as for instance for the
preparation of emery or glass paper, as an addition to ordinary glass materials
and so forth. The heat of the escaping gases may be utilized, in the case of a
refuse destructor according to this invention, for the purpose of heating steam-
boilers, the steam energy from which by means of steam-engines may be con-
verted into electricity for being distributed in the neighbourhood.
In consequence of the intensity of heat prevailing in the furnace chamber and
with the aid of the air for combustion supplied into this chamber, the combustible
parts of the refuse are burned and the remainder, which composes the slag, is
melted. This mass then flows through openings in the bottom of the furnace
into horizontal conduits arranged beneath the furnace chamber, and at the end
of these conduits through lateral openings the slag either drops away continuously
or is periodically removed. The gases of combustion caused by the heating on
the one hand and the combustion of the refuse on the other, escape from the
furnace chamber likewise through the bottom openings above mentioned and
accompany the slag through the horizontal conduits. Within these conduits by
means of a.remainder of air contained in the gases of combustion any combustible
materials which may have flowed down with the slag are burned. At the same
time the presence of the hot gases acts together with the position of the horizontal
conduits beneath the furnace chamber to prevent any premature cooling and
hardening of the slag. Where the horizontal conduits again unite, the gases turn
upwards and pass into a vertically ascending conduit in order to surround the
lower part of two inclined refuse feeding flues, after which they turn round above

page_text: the latter and again passing round the upper part of these flues, descend into
another vertical conduit. From this latter they pass into the horizontal exit flue
or fox which preferably discharges into the furnace of a steam-boiler. Immediately
behind the furnace proper the hot gases are utilized to heat the air for combustion,
which entering through suitable conduits into heating chambers, which are
arranged within a widened part of the fox, passes from these into a collecting
chamber from whence it is conducted partly to the coal dust feed apparatus,
partly immediately to the furnace chamber and partly to the hoppers arranged
at the top of the refuse feeding flues. The motive force for the motion of the air
consists only in the draught of the chimney which at the same time operates the
coal dust firing apparatus. By means of the heating of the refuse feeding flues
in the contrary direction of the refuse descending through these flues, the said
refuse is gradually brought to a very high temperature so as to be not only dried
but also subjected to dry distillation before it enters the furnace chamber. The
gases and vapours thereby generated pass, together with the air introduced into
the hoppers, to the lower end of the feeding flues, and into the furnace chamber,
where they take part in the combustion so that the whole apparatus is free of
smell.
The smokelessness of the apparatus is secured by reason of the intense heat in
the furnace necessary for smelting the refuse and the complete combustion which is
easily attainable at this heat. For exactly regulating the combustion dampers or
the like are placed in the air flues.
Referring to the construction of my new furnace illustrated by way of example
in the accompanying drawing:
Figure 1 shew's a longitudinal section on the line 1-1 of Figure 2.
Figure 2 is a horizontal section through one half of the furnace on the line 2-2
in Figures 1, 3 and 4^.
Figure 2 illustrates the other half of the furnace in a horizontal section on the
line 22 of Figures 1, 3 and 4.
Figure 3 is a vertical section on the line 3-3 of Figures 2 and 24.
Figure 4 is a half vertical section on the line 4-4 of Figures 1 and 24.
Figure 4 is a complementary section to the foregoing on the line 4"-4", in
Figures 1 and 2.
The furnace is designed as a double furnace in as much as the furnace chamber
itself which is simple is arranged to be fed at two places and also possesses two
exits. At the upper end of each of the two sloping tubular feeding flues i is
placed a hopper. The flues discharge below over the upper part of the sloping
bottom of the furnace chamber d whilst at the other end of this bottom are placed
the discharge openings do. Above these latter and opposite to the exits of the
feeding flues i, are placed the mouths of two conduits a both proceeding from the
apparatus . From the openings are issuing two approximately horizontal
conduits d, which pass underneath the furnace chamber and hereafter come
together again at a point where they communicate with one or two side openings r;
they then connect to the bottom end of a perpendicular conduit e. This latter
is, separated by means of a partition f rising to the height of the feeding flues i
from a conduit g passing downwards. The conduits e and g communicate above
the feeding flues i, the former surrounding a lower portion and the latter an
upper portion of the flues. At its lower end the conduit g discharges into the
substantially horizontal conduit h, the section of which at a correspondingly
widened part is divided by chambers s¹ into three separate parts, which again unite
together behind these chambers. The chambers s are connected below with the
conduits and by means of these with the open flues & and above they are con-
nected with a space s². The tube which leads to the apparatus aº passes out of
one side of this space whilst on the other side another tube u has its commencement
and branches into two tubes wand a third v. The tube terminates between
the two lower ends of the feeding flues in the furnace chamber d,
whilst each one of the tubes wc is connected to a hopper k. In order to set the

page_text: furnace in operation coal-dust and air are driven into the furnace chamber d by
means of the apparatus aº, which may be of any known construction for this
purpose. The mixture thus introduced is kindled by means of a fire temporarily
lighted in the furnace chamber. As soon
as the walls of this chamber have
been heated to a white heat each hopper k is filled with rubbish until also the
feeding flues i placed at the lower ends of the said hoppers are filled and the bottom
of the chamber is partly covered with the rubbish.
In consequence-of-the intensity of heat prevailing in the furnace and with aid
of the air for combustion supplied by means of the tubes v and w, the combustible
parts of the refuse are burned and the remainder, which composes the slag, is
melted. This mass then flows through the openings into the conduits d¹ and at
the end of the latter through the openings either drops away continuously or is
periodically removed. The gases of combustion caused by the heating on the
one hand and the combustion of the refuse on the other, escape from the chamber d
through the openings and accompany the slag through the conduits d'. Within
these conduits by means of a remainder of air contained in the gases of combustion
any combustible materials which may have flowed down with the slag are burned.
At the same time the presence of the hot gases acts together with the position
of the conduit beneath the furnace chamber d to prevent any premature cooling
and hardening of the slag. Where the two conduits d¹ again unite, the gases
turn upwards and pass into the conduit e in order to surround the lower part of
the two feeding flues i, after which they turn round above the latter and again
passing round the upper part of these Hues, descend into the conduit g.
From
this latter they pass into the horizontal conduit which preferably discharges
into the furnace of a steam-beiler. Immediately behind the furnace proper the
hot gases are utilized to heat the air for combustion, which entering through the
flues passes by means of the conduits so into the heating chambers s and from
these into the common collecting chamber 2 from whence it is conducted through
the tube t to the coal dust feed apparatus a", and through the tube u and its
branches on the one hand and won the other hand partly immediately to the
furnace chamber d'and partly to the hoppers k. The motive force for the
motion of the air consists only in the draught of the chimney which at the same
time operates the apparatus 7. By means of the heating of the feeding flues i
in the contrary direction to the refuse descending through these flues, the said
refuse is gradually brought to a very high temperature so as to be not only dried
but also subjected to dry distillation before it enters the furnace chamber d. The
gases and vapours thereby generated pass, together with the air introduced through
the tubes into the hopper k, to the lower end of the feeding flues and into the
furnace chamber, where they take part in the combustion so that the whole
apparatus is free of smell.
The smokelessness of the apparatus is secured by reason of the intense heat in
the furnace necessary for smelting the refuse and the complete combustion which
is easily attainable at this heat. For exactly regulating the combustion dampers
or the like (not shown in the drawing) are placed in the air flues t, v, w.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of this
invention, and in what manner the same is to be performed, I declare that what
I claim is―
1. In a furnace for consuming refuse the combination with the furnace chamber
of a flue for feeding the refuse, a fuel feeding apparatus, tubes for supplying air for
combustion and an exit for both the gases of combustion and the molten slag,
essentially as described.
2. In a furnace for consuming refuse the combination with the furnace chamber
of a refuse feeding flue, a fuel feeding apparatus, tubes for supplying air for
combustion, an exit at the bottom of the furnace chamber for both the gases of
combustion and the molten slag, and a horizontal conduit situated below the

page_text: furnace chamber and leading from the said exit opening to the slag discharge
opening and to the exit flue of the combustion gases, essentially as described.
3. In a furnace for consuming refuse the combination with the furnace chamber
of a refuse feeding flue, a fuel feeding apparatus, tubes for supplying air for
combustion, an exit at the bottom of the furnace chamber for both the gases of
combustion and the molten slag, a discharge opening for the slag and a flue for the
escape of the combustion gases, at first ascending and surrounding a lower part of
the refuse feeding flue and then descending and surrounding an upper part of the
said flue, essentially as described.
4. In a furnace for consuming refuse the combination with the furnace chamber
of a refuse feeding flue, a fuel feeding apparatus, air supply tubes, an exit at the
bottom of the furnace chamber, a conduit issuing from the said exit and leading
to a discharge opening for the slag and to an exit flue surrounding the refuse
feeding flue, and an air tube arranged to supply air into the upper end of the refuse
feeding flue, essentially as described.
5. In a furnace for consuming refuse the combination with the furnace chamber
of a refuse feeding flue, a fuel feeding apparatus, tubes for supplying air for
combustion, an exit for both the gases of combustion and the molten slag and
an air heating chamber disposed within the exit flue for the gases of combustion
and discharging into the said air supply tubes, essentially as described.
Dated the 12th day of April 1899.
W. P. THOMPSON & Co.,
Of London, Liverpool, Manchester and Birmingham.