IMPROVED APPARATUS FOR THE DISTRIBUTION OF GAS AND AIR IN REGENERATIVE STEEL MELTING, GLASS MELTING AND OTHER FURNACES WHEREIN GASEOUS FUEL IS USED FOR HEATING THE SAME to be as follows:
Year: 1884

page_text: I, JOHN PHANUEL ROE of Consett House Consett in the County of Durham
do hereby declare the nature of the said invention for "IMPROVED APPARATUS
FOR THE DISTRIBUTION OF GAS AND AIR IN REGENERATIVE STEEL MELTING,
GLASS MELTING AND OTHER FURNACES WHEREIN GASEOUS FUEL IS USED FOR
HEATING THE SAME to be as follows:-
"
In gas regenerative furnaces it has been found that the valvo in general use for
controlling the direction of the gas and air currents consisting of an oval shaped
cast iron plate oscillating in a circular pipe or chamber does from its form warp
and get out of adjustment when acted on by the hot gases. When this happens
and the reversing flap or valve does not lie home on its seat, a loss of fuel takes
place through leakage, and also injury to the furnace and its belongings from
combustion of the gas so leaked being set up in flues and other wrong places.
Another and still greater defect in the plate reversing valve, is that it is
powerless to regulate the quantity of the spent gases passing from the furnace
through the chambers separately whereby the ports and flues (notably those in
connection with the gas chambers) are unequally melted away and enlarged thus
causing irregularity in the working of the furnace.
Now my invention has for its object in the first place the prevention of the loss
of gaseous fuel, and consequent injury to the furnace. And in the second place
the better regulation and control of the currents of waste or spent gases flowing
from the furnace through the regenerative chambers to the chimney thereby
distributing the waste heat from the furnaces through the chequer work of the
chambers and by preventing the over heating of one and the underheating of the
other chamber and contributing much to their durability.
It almost invariably happens after a furnace has been in operation for some time,
that the gas and air flues have become enlarged through the melting away of the
brickwork, and that the relative areas originally given to the flues have materially
altered. The gas flues cutting away more rapidly than the air flues, admit an
undue proportion of the waste heated gases from the furnace to pass through, the
gas regenerative chambers; hastening the destruction of the flues and chequer
work while the air chambers do not receive their due proportion of the escaping

page_text: heat, and are unable to heat the inflowing air sufficiently or in other words the
gna chambers are over heated to their injury and the air chambers underheated,
It being borne in mind that the ordinary plate reversing valve has no controlling.
power over the gas and air currents beyond reversing their direction.
This overheating of some of the chambers and underheating of others together i
with the waste of gas arising from warped or bent reversing plato valves; will be
prevented by my invention which consists of an arrangement of valves attached to
each end of an oscillating lover..
These valves are, arranged in pairs one over the other. The top one being placed
at the upper end of a vertical pipe and the bottom valve at the lower end of the
same pipo. The bottom valve is preferably conical but may be globular or
cylindrical and is fastened to a rod sliding in a sleeve forming a part of the upper
valve, but moving along with it when the lever oscillates.
These valves are worked in the following manner-When the lover is depressed
at one end the lower valve connected to it is opened and the spent gases from the
furnace pass through the regenerator chambers to the chimney the top valve being
shut. At the opposite end of the lever the bottom valve is shut cutting off
'communication with the chimney the top valve being open and admitting gas into.
the furnace through the chamber-The top valves are by preference a portion of a
sphere, but may be flat or otherwise shaped.-By depressing the opposite end of
the lever the action of the valves, and the gas and air currents are reversed.
The control of the spent or waste gases escaping from the furnace through the
regenerator to the chimney may be effected by a regulating screw on the upper
part of the bottom valvo rod. By means of this screw the outlet through the
valve can be diminished to any axtent; or it can be altogether closed-so that heat
passing downwards through each chamber can be accurately regulated. By the
ordinary reversing valve or flap that is impracticable.
In conclusion it is a matter of great importance in the working say of a gas
regenerative steel melting furnace that as much beat be abstracted from the out-
going products of combustion as practicable before they pass into the chimney-
this heat to be taken up by the entering currents of gas and air. But in order to
do this effectually tho chequer work in the chambera inust be kept open for the
free passage of the gases.
Now in the flues leading from the chambers to the body of the furnace and
in the top of the chambers themselves, the heat is normally so intense,, that if
there is any excess of hoat in the gas, over the air chamber, the bricks in the
former melt and drop down as slag directly on to the chequer work, or bricks
placed in open order in the chambers, and choking the interstices diminish the
heat absorbing surfaces exposed to the escaping gases, and by consequence less
hent is returned to the furnace.
By having the means of regulating within certain limits, the temperature of
the chambers when the vertical flues and ports get enlarged, much of this melting
of bricks and consequent clogging up of the chequer work may be avoided the
life of the furnace extended and greater uniformity in the products secured.
Dated this 16th day of Sentember 1884.

page_text: I JOHN PHANUEL ROE of Consett House Consett in the County of Durham do
hereby declare the nature of my invention for "IMPROVED APPARATUS FOR the
DISTRIBUTION OF GAS AND AIR IN REGENERATIVE STEEL MELTING, GLASS MELTING,
AND OTHER FURNACES WHEREIN GASEOUS FUEL IS USED FOR HEATING THE SAME "
and in what manner the same is to be performed, to be particularly described and
ascertained in and by the following statement:-
In regenerative gas furnaces it has been found that the valve in general use for
controlling the direction of the gas and air currents consisting of an oval shaped
cast iron plate oscillating in a circular pipe or chamber does from its form warp
and get out of adjustment when acted on by the hot gases; when this happens and
the reversing flap or valve does not lie home on its seat a loss of fuel takes place
through leakage and also injury to the furnace and its belongings from combustion
of the gas so leaked, being set up in flues and other wrong places.
Another and still greater defect in the plate reversing valve, is that it is power-
less to regulate the quantity of the spent gases passing from the furnace through
the chambers separately wliereby the ports and flues notably those in connection
with the gas chambers are unequally melted away and enlarged thus causing
irregularity in the working of the furnace.
Now my invention has for its object in the first place, the prevention of the loss
of gaseous fuel and consequent injury to the furnace and in the second place the
better regulation and control of the currents of waste or spent gases flowing from
the furnace through the regenerative chambers to the chimney-thereby distri-
buting the waste heat from the furnace through the chequer work of the chambers
and by preventing the overheating of one, and the underhenting of the other
chamber contributing much to their durability.
It almost invariably happens after a furnace has been in operation for some time
that the gas and air flues have become enlarged through the melting away of the
brick work and that the relative areas originally given to the flues have materially
altered-The gas flues cutting away more rapidly than, the airflies, admit an undue
proportion of the waste heated gases from the furnace to pass through the gas
regenerative chambers hastening the destruction of the flues and chequer work;
while the air chambers do not receive their due proportion of the escaping heat
and are unable to heat the inflowing air sufficiently, or, in other words the gas
chambers are overheated to their injury-and the air chambers underheated. It
being borne in mind that the ordinary plate reversing valve has no controlling
power over the gas and air currents beyond reversing their direction. :
This overheating of some of the chambers and underheating of others, together
with the waste of gas arising from warped or bent reversing plate valves will be
prevented by, my invention which consists of an arrangement of valves attached
to each end of an oscillating lever.

page_text: ✓
น
These valves are arranged in pairs one over the other. The top ones CD being
placed at the upper ends of vertical cast iron pipes F G and the bottom valves HI
at the lower ends of the same pipes. The bottom valves are preferably conical
but may be globular or cylindrical and are fastened to rods PQ screwed at their
upper ends and sliding in sleeves RS forming a part of the upper valves but
moving along with them when the lever rocks. The upper part of the sleeves RS
is screwed and forms the nuts into which the rods PQ screw being turned by tho
hand wheels NO so that the relative positions of the valves CH and DI can be
adjusted as desired. These valves are worked in the following manner-When the
lever M is depressed at one end as shown in Figure 2.Sheet 1 the lower valve I
connected to it in opened and the spent gases from the furnace pass through the
regenerativo chambers to the chimney following the direction of the arrows; the
top valve D being shut. At the opposite end of the lever the bottom valve H.is
shut cutting off communication with the chimney-the top valve C being open
and admitting gas into. the furnace through the chamber-The top valve is by
preference a portion of a sphere but may be flat or otherwise shaped. By
depressing the opposite end of the lever the action of the valves and the direction
of the gas and air currents is reversed.
The incoming cool gas from the producers enters the valve box A through the
inlet branch E and following the direction of the arrows passes through the valve C
into the flue or conduit J and from thence through a continuation of J into the
gas chamber (not shown in the drawing) where the gas ascends through the
chequer work or bricks laid in open order with which the chamber is filled-and
from thence into the furnace. Concurrently with this the spent gases are passing
from the opposite end of the furnace downwards through the chequer work of the
gas chamber into the flue K following the direction of the arrows through the
valve I and into the flue L leading to the chimney-When the valve C is closed
and D opened the current of incoming gas is reversed and ascends through the
other gas chamber. This operation of reversal taking place at about half hour
intervals.
Now the air chambers (not shown) have the air currents distributed in precisely
the same way as the gas-through a similar apparatus of valves and gearing only
of somewhat larger area as shown on drawing Sheet No II, there being in addition
the air inlet valve Y in bottom of box A, in lieu of a branch at the side of the box
as in the gas valves.
The control of the spent or waste gases escaping from the furnace through the
regenerator to the chimney may be effected by the regulating screws on the upper
part of the bottom valve rods P and Q. By incans of these screws the outlet
through the valves can be diminished to any extent or it can be altogether closed
- so that heat passing downwards through each chamber can be accurately
regulated. By the ordinary reversing flap or valve this is impracticable.
Having thus set forth the nature of my invention I now proceed more particu-
larly to describe the apparatus and arrangements which I prefer to employ in
carrying the same into effect.
Figures 1 to 6 on Sheets I and II of the accompanying drawings show the two
principal arrangements for controlling the admission of gas and air through the
chambers into the furnace-and from the fornace through the chambers to the
chimney, as hereinbefore described.
Figures 1 to 8 on Sheet I show an arrangement of valves for the admission of
gas into the melting or other furnace and for passing the spent gases to the
chimney.
A being a box containing the gas valves C and D-B a lining of fire brick or
clay-E gas inlet branch-F and G vertical pipes-H and I bottom or chimney
valves and K flues leading to and from regenerative gas chambora-L flue
leading to chimnoy-M oscillating lever-N and O hand wheels-P and Q rods of
bottom valves R and S sleeves of top valves-T, U, V, W, cleaning doors-
✗ one nine

page_text: Figures 3 to 6 on Sheet II refer to an arrangement of air valves similar to that
on Sheet I. The same letters of reference applying in both cases except as regards
the regulating valve Y for the admission of air to the valve box and the air
inlet Z.
It is a matter of great importance in the working say of a gas regenerative steel
melting furnace that as much heat be abstracted from the outgoing products of
combustion as practicable before they pass into the chimney-this beat to be taken
up by the entering currents of gas and air-But in order to do this effectually the
chequer work in the chambers must be kept open for the free passage of the gases-
Now in the flues leading from the chambers to the body of the furnace and in the
top of the chambers themselves the heat is normally so intense that if there is any
excess of heat in the gas over the air chamber the bricks in the former melt and
drop down as slag directly on to the chequer work or bricks placed in open order
in the chambers and choking the interstices diminishes the heat absorbing surfaces
exposed to the escaping gases and by consequence less heat is returned to the
furnace,
By having the means of regulating the temperature of the chambers, especially
when the vertical flues and ports get enlarged, much of this melting of bricks and
consequent clogging up of the chequer work may be avoided, the life of the
furnace extended, and greater uniformity in the products secured.
The extension downwards of the pipe X is for the purpose of collecting the tar
which would otherwise flow into the box A and clog the valves. When the tar
in X thickens with the heat and will not run freely it may be melted by applying
a jet of ignited producer gas under the bottom of the pipe X.
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. In a gas and air distributing apparatus the combination with the box A into
which opens the gas branch E of the two pipes F and G communicating with the
flues J and K each pipe having a valve at each end connected with a rocking
lever M the whole constructed and operating substantially in the manner and for
the purpose specified.
2. In a gas and air distributing apparatus the combination with a valve H
having a screwed rod P of a valve C into the sleeve R whereof said rod P screws
substantially in the manner and for the purpose specified.
3. In a gas and air distributing apparatus the combination with the pipes F and G
of valves CHDI arranged in pairs the relative position of the valves forming
each pair being adjustable substantially in the manner and for the purpose
specified.
4. In a gas and air distributing apparatus the combination with the box A of
the air valve Y substantially as specified.
5. In the above described gas and air distributing apparatus the gas pipe X
extended downwards below the level of the gas branch E substantially in the
manner and for the purpose specified.