Improvements in Furnaces for the Destruction of Town Refuse.
Year: 1897

page_text: Date of Application, 9th Nov., 1897
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Furnaces for the Destruction of Town Refuse.
I, GEORGE WATSON, of Athenaeum Buildings, Park Lane, in the City of Leeds,
Managing Director of the Horsfall Furnace Syndicate Limited, whose registered
office is situate at Athenaeum Buildings aforesaid, do hereby declare the nature
of this invention to be as follows:-
-
This invention relates to improvements in that class of furnaces used for the
destruction of street and house and other refuse and relates more particularly
to the method of introducing the refuse into the furnace. Hitherto such furnaces
have generally been fed intermittently a complete charge being introduced into
the furnace at stated intervals and my invention has for its object an improve-
ment in the method of introducing such charge in a simple manner without
affording an outlet for smoke for any undue length of time with a minimum
of labour while at the same time facilitating the storage and transport of the
refuse without handling of the same.
My invention consists in part in the construction of a very large opening into
the furnace from its deck or top so arranged that the refuse when placed therein
falls to a convenient part of the furnace either on to the fire itself or into such
a position that it may easily be dragged forward on to the fire from the front
end of the furnace. This feeding hole may be made conveniently of the full
width of the furnace and about half that width from back to front and it may be
of considerable depth so that when it is filled with refuse it forms a storage for
refuse within the furnace. Thus when the refuse is dragged away from the
bottom the refuse from above falls down and is in its turn ready to be dragged
forward. It has been customary to make such holes into such furnaces of some-
what smaller dimensions and to so arrange them that the refuse itself closes them
when the operation of feeding is not proceeding. But in my invention a deck
house which may be conveniently formed of brickwork and ironwork is built
over the feeding hole and this being closed by a door in a vertical or sloping
position prevents the escape of smoke from the furnace and so obvates the necessity
of choking the hole by means of refuse. When formed of brickwork the deck-
house may be conveniently constructed by carrying up the side walls on three
sides of the hole or opening into the furnace to a convenient height and forming
a brickwork arch over the hole. The third side of the deckhouse is open and
may conveniently face toward that part of the deck of the furnace on which
room is provided for a tipping waggon and the open side of the deckhouse is fitted
with a convenient door preferably balanced and sliding vertically or on the slope
according to whether that side of the deckhouse slopes or is vertical. Rails or
plates are placed upon the deck in such a manner that a tipping waggon may
be brought close to the opening in the deck house which is preferably about the
same size as the top of the box of the tipping waggon. It is also preferable to
make the tipping waggons of such a size that they will hold a full cart load. It
is suggested that a sufficient number of tipping waggons be provided to hold the
077

page_text: whole of the refuse to be stored between the times of collecting such refuse and
that the tipping waggons should be placed in a dock so arranged that the refuse
carts may easily discharge into them from above. If the dock accommodation
be not sufficient they may be removed after filling to a siding. In order to raise
them to the deck of the furnaces when necessary a lift may be provided or other-
wise a sloping railway up which they may be hauled by power.
The method of operating is as follows:-A waggon being filled is
brought on to the deck of the furnace and placed opposite the opening
in the deckhouse. The door is then opened and the waggon immediately tipped
over so as practically to close the opening while at the same time discharging
its contents into the furnace. Any smoke which may arise from the refuse as it
first falls into the hot furnace is prevented from escaping by the tipping waggon
which practically blocks up the opening. The door may then be closed before
the waggon is either tipped back to its normal position or removed from the
mouth of the deckhouse.
GEORGE WATSON.
Filed by Thomas Dalton, Solicitor, Leeds,
Agent for the Applicant.
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Furnaces for the Destruction of Town Refuse.
I, GEORGE WATSON, of Atheneum Buildings, 9, Park Lane, in the City of
Leeds, Managing Director of the Horsfall Furnace Syndicate Ld., whose
registered office is situate at Atheneum Buildings aforesaid, do hereby declare
the nature of this invention and in what manner the same is to be performed,
to be particularly described and ascertained in and by the following statement:-
My invention relates to improvements in the class of furnaces used for the
destruction of street and house and other refuse, among which are included fur-
naces such as are described in the Specifications of former Patents No. 14,70988.
1424593, 2185695, and has for its object introducing the charge into the furnace
in a simple manner, without affording an outlet for smoke for any undue length
of time, with a minimum of labour, whilst at the same time facilitating the storage
and transport of the refuse without handling the same.
In this specification I shall describe my invention as applied to furnaces when
built back to back.
In carrying out my invention, as applied to furnaces built back to back, I form
a flat deck upon or over the top of the furnace, and I employ a large feeding
hole between a pair of furnaces placed back to back, which is common to both,
and this feeding hole, which extends downward from the top or deck of the fur-
naces, is so arranged that the refuse, when placed therein, falls to a convenient
part of the furnaces, either on to the fires, or into such a position that it may
easily be dragged forward on to the fire from the front of each furnace. The
feeding hole may be made conveniently of a length equal to the full width of the
furnace, and of a width of about half the length of the furnace. It forms a storage
for refuse within the furnace, so that when refuse is dragged away from the
bottom, that which is above falls down, and is, in its turn, ready to be dragged
forward. In working, it is intended generally that the feeding hole or pit shall
be so far filled with refuse, that the openings into the furnace shall be choked
thereby, but, in addition, the feeding pit is closed in by what I may term a
"(leck house," to prevent the escape of smoke.

page_text: This deck-house is formed on the front, or front and back sides, with large
openings provided with suitable hanging or other doors, which can be opened for
tipping, and closed up when the tipping has been effected. Rails or plates are,
in the arrangement which I prefer, laid upon the top of the furnaces in such
manner that the refuse may be brought in tipping waggons close up to the tipping
doors. These tipping waggons may be of such size that one waggon shall hold
one cart-load, and so constructed that when a waggon is tilted in front of the
tipping door, the top of the waggon shall effectually close up the opening while
the contents of the waggon are being discharged into the furnace. The escape
of smoke or gases from the furnace is prevented by the closing of the tipping
door, before the waggon is either brought back to its normal position or removed
from the mouth of the deck-house.
As a further safe-guard against the emission of smoke or gases from the fur-
naces during the operation of charging or otherwise, I have found that it is
desirable to provide a continuous air current through the deck-house, from which
a portion or the whole of the air for combustion may be drawn, either by a steam
blast apparatus or a fan or air compressor, when forced draught is employed, or
otherwise by natural draught or by artificial suction draught.
A sufficient number of waggons should be provided to hold the whole of the
refuse to be stored between the times of collecting, and the waggons should be
placed in a dock, so that the refuse carts may easily discharge into them from
above. If the dock accommodation be insufficient, the waggons may be removed,
after filling, to a siding. The waggons may be conveniently raised to the deck
of the furnaces by means of a lift or a sloping railway, up which they may be
hauled by power.
In the accompanying drawings: .
Fig. 1 is a longitudinal sectional elevation of a pair of furnaces built back
to back, shewing the position and size of the feeding hole, and the general con-
struction of the deck-house, with tipping waggons shown in position in front of
the doors, one in its normal position, and the other as tilted.
Fig. 2 is a front elevation of furnace.
a
Fig. 3 is a transverse sectional elevation on the line 1-2 of Fig. 1.
Fig. 4 is a transverse sectional elevation on the centre line 3-4 of Fig. 1.
Fig. 5 is a plan view, with the middle furnace in sectional plan, on line 5-6 of
Fig. 1, of a block of six furnaces built side by side and back to back.
Fig. 6 shows a modified arrangement, in which the deck is supported inde-
pendently over the top of the furnace. This arrangement is preferable in cases
where it is desired to bring the refuse carts on to the deck, so as to discharge
direct from the carts into the furnace, as the vibration caused by heavy carts.
would tend to damage the crown of the furnace.
A A are the furnaces; B is an arch, covering the main flue between the two
furnaces; C is the feeding hole; and D is the deck house, the openings through
which refuse is tipped into the furnaces being formed with an iron framework,
in which iron doors E E are hung, so as to open inwards. These doors may be
provided with balance weights to maintain them either open or closed, as may
be required. F F are balance weights, mounted on lever arms G G, provided
also with hand levers H H, by which the doors are opened and closed when tip-
ping is to be performed. The doors are kept closed by the balance weights F,
which are again thrown over to their normal position by the act of closing the door;
latches or other fastenings, not shewn, may be provided to secure the doors in
their closed position.
JJ are the rails on the top or deck of the furnaces. K represents a tipping
waggon in its normal position, ready for tipping. L is a waggon tilted, and dis-
charging its contents into the feeding hole. In Fig. 4, a dotted view of the
waggon is shown in its tilted position, covering up the doorway on the opposite
side of the deck-house. M M are air passages communicating with opposite sides
of the deck-house, and connecting on one side with the air and on the other side

page_text: with the blast apparatus, for the purpose of drawing off any gases escaping from
the refuse in the feeding holes. The passage M, where open to the air, is furnished
with a valve N for the admission of the whole, or a portion of the air supply. At
its other end, the air passage communicates with the down-cast O, for the purpose
of conveying the gases or air to the underside of the grate bars of the furnaces.
P is a valve for the admission of fresh air direct into the downcast, when required.
When there are a number of furnaces side by side, the deck house of each set
will be in connection with the deck house on either side of it, that air may be
passed through all of them, for the purpose before mentioned.
The method of operating is as follows: A full waggon K is brought on to the
deck of the furnace on rails J J, and placed opposite the door E of a deck house.
The door E is then opened by means of the hardle H (being kept open by the
balance weight F), and the waggon immediately tipped over, as shewn at L so
as to practically close the opening formed by the door frame D, at the same
time discharging its contents into the furnace-feeding pit C..
Any smell or smoke which may arise from the refuse as it first falls into the
hot furnace, is prevented from escaping by the tipping waggon, which practically
blocks up the opening. A further safeguard against the escape of any smell or
gases from the furnace, even during the time when the door is being thrown
open, is the suction caused by the draught passing through the deck houses to
the fire.
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. A furnace for the destruction of town refuse constructed with a deck for
bringing the refuse thereto in waggons or carts, and a deck-house with suitable
openings, substantially as herein before described.
2. A furnace for the destruction of town refuse constructed with a deck for
bringing the refuse thereto in waggons or carts, and a deckhouse with suitable
openings, and provided with suitable means for drawing air through the deck-
house, to prevent effluvia from escaping, substantially as described.
3. The improved furnace for the destruction of town refuse arranged and
operating substantially as described.
Dated this 3rd day of August 1898.