CERTAIN IMPROVEMENTS IN WATER TUYERES
Year: 1866

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Noah Dunn, of Tipton, in the County of Stafford,
Engineer, for the Invention of "CERTAIN IMPROVEMENTS IN WATER
TUYERES."
Sealed the 12th March 1867, and dated the 15th September 1866.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Noah Dunn at the Office
of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on the 15th September
1866.
I, NOAH DUNN, of Tipton, in the County of Stafford, Engineer, do hereby
declare the nature of the said Invention for "CERTAIN IMPROVEMENTS IN WATER
TUYERES," to be as follows:-
The use and employment of water tuyeres in iron furnaces is well known,
and need not be further referred to; but it is found from experience that the
heat of the furnace becomes sometimes so excessive that water cannot circu-
late freely through the tuyere. When the free circulation of water ceases,
steam becomes immediately generated, and an explosion of a very destructive
character frequently ensues. When the steam generated is not sufficient to
cause an explosion, the nose of the tuyere is burnt, and is generally damaged so

page_text: much as to be afterwards practically useless. Now the object of this Invention
is to remedy these evils by the means berein-after explained. Attached to and
communicating with the discharge pipe is a piston working in a cylinder
arranged in such manner that when the water has free circulation a valve
attached to the said apparatus shall be open, so as to allow the stream of
water to run through; but should the water cease to flow the said valve is
closed, the piston falls, and the steam or foul air generated is directed to
a whistle or other signal, which instantly calls the attention of the attendant
to what is going on; the same result follows when the flow of water is not
altogether stopped, but when the heat of the furnace is so great as to
generate steam in the tuyere. The cause of the destructive explosions to
which allusion has been made, and which from time to time occur, is that
steam is allowed to generate in the nose of the tuyere. Now, from what has
been said it will be seen that by my Invention the steam is brought from
the nose of the tuyere, so that no vacuum being created no explosion can
take place.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent, filed
by the said Noah Dunn in the Great Seal Patent Office on the 15th
March 1867..
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, NOAH
DUNN, of Tipton, in the County of Stafford, Engineer, send greeting.
1
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her Letters
Patent, bearing date the Fifteenth day of September, in the year of our
Lord One thousand eight hundred and sixty-six, in the thirtieth year of Her
reign, did for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant unto me, the
said Noah Dunn, Her special licence that I, the said Noah. Dunn, my
executors, administrators, and assigns, or such others as I, the said Noab
Dunn, my executors, administrators, and assigns, should at any time agree
with, and no others, from time to time and at all times during the term
therein expressed, should and lawfully might make, use, exercise, and vend,
within the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland, the Channel
Islands, and Isle of Man, an Invention for "CERTAIN IMPROVEMENTS IN
WATER TUYERES," upon the condition (amongst others) that I, .the said Noah
Dunn, my executors or administrators, by an instrument in writing under my,
or their, or one of their hands and seals, should particularly describe and

page_text: ascertain the nature of the said Invention, and in what manner the same was
to be performed, and cause the same to be filed in the Great Seal Patent
Office. within six calendar months next and immediately after the date of the
said Letters Patent.
NOW KNOW YE, that I, the said Noah Dunn, do hereby declare the
nature of the said Invention, and in what manner the same is to be per-
formed, to be particularly described and ascertained in and by the following
statement (that is to say):-
The use and employment of water tuyeres in iron furnaces is well known,
and need not be further referred to; but it is found from experience that
the heat of the furnace becomes sometimes so excessive that water cannot
circulate freely through the tuyere. When the free circulation of water ceases,
steam. becomes immediately generated, and an explosion of a very destructive
character frequently ensues. When the steam generated is not sufficient to
cause an explosion the nose of the tuyere is burnt, and is generally damaged
Now the object of this
so much as to be afterwards practically useless.
Invention is to remedy these evils by the means herein-after explained.
Attached to and communicating with the discharge pipe is a piston working
in a cylinder arranged in such manner that, when the water has free circu-
lation a valve attached to the said apparatus shall be open so as to allow the
stream of water to run through, but should the water cease to flow the said
valve is closed, the pistón falls, and the steam or foul air generated is directed
to a whistle or other signal, which instantly calls, the attention of the attendant
to what is going on. The same result follows when the flow of water is not
altogether stopped; but when the heat of the furnace is so great as to generate
steam in the tuyere. The cause of the destructive explosions to which
allusion has been made, and which from time to time occur, is that steani
is allowed to generate in the nose of the tuyere. Now from what has
been said it will be seen that by my Invention the steam is brought froin
the nose of the tuyere, so that no vacuum being created no explosion can
take place.
That my Invention may be fully. understood, I have annexed Drawings
thereof, which I now proceed to describe...
Fig. 1 is a side elevation, partly in section, shewing one method of carrying:
out my Invention.
a is the water tuyere of the customary form; b is the inlet pipe for the
water, which flows from the usual cistern or tank (not shewn in the Drawings);
c is the outlet pipe by which the heated water returns to the tank; d is a

page_text: portion of the outlet or discharge pipe c, in which is contained a piston or
float e attached to a valve f; g is a pipe, to the upper end of which is fixed a
whistle h. So long as the flow of water is properly maintained, and the pipe d
thereby kept full of water, the valve f is held open, and the water flows freely
through the said valve; but if steam be formed in the nose of the tuyere
it is led at once to the pipe d, which will then contain steam instead of water,
or partly steam and partly water. The float e being then no longer upheld
by the water falls and closes the valve f; the steam is thereby directed to
the whistle h, and whilst escaping calls the attention of the attendant to what
is taking place.
Fig. 2 shews another method of carrying out my Invention, and is a modifi-
cation of that just described; the piston or float and the valve herein-before
described are dispensed with, and the water contained in the inverted syphon
pipes i, k, is caused to act instead thereof, and to produce the same effect. Should
steam be formed in the nose of the tuyere, it forces down the water in the
descending pipe i, and in so doing encounters a resistance from the column of
water in the ascending pipe k, and acquires sufficient pressure to sound the
whistle h, and thus to call the attendant.
An important feature in my Invention is the leading of the outlet
pipe c from the nose of the tuyere. It has hitherto been sometimes
the practice to extend the inlet into the nose of the tuyere, but not the
outlet pipe; but by my method of extending the outlet well into the
tuyere any steam which may have become generated is withdrawn from
the nose of the tuyere immediately upon its becoming generated, and so there
is no risk of any accident occurring from an accumulation of steam in the
tuyere.
Having now described the nature of my said Invention, and the manner in
which the same is or may be performed, I desire it to be understood that
without limiting myself to the precise details herein-before described (as these
may be to some extent varied or modified without departing from the nature
of my said Invention), I desire to claim as the Invention to be protected by
the herein-before in part recited Letters Patent, -
First, the principle of bringing the outlet pipe (c) from the nose of the
tuyere, as herein-before explained and illustrated in the Drawings hereunto
annexed.
Second, the mode or manner should steam become generated in which, it
is allowed to escape, and whilst escaping be directed to the whistle (h) by
which the attention of the attendant is immediately called to what is taking

page_text: place, as herein-before explained and illustrated in the Drawings hereunto
annexed.
In witness whereof I, the said Noah Dunn, have hereunto set my hand
and seal, this Fourteenth day of March, in the year of our Lord
1867.
Witness,
G. R. HOLLAND,
Patent Office,
Birmingham.
NOAH DUNN. (Ls.)