Improvements in the Method of and Means for Cleaning Boiler Flues.
Year: 1894

page_text: Date of Application, 1st Nov., 1894
Complete Specification Left, 1st Aug., 1895-Accepted, 7th Sept., 1895
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in the Method of and Means for Cleaning Boiler
Flues.
We DANIEL MORRISEY of 16 Chapter Terrace, Kennington, London S.E.
Builder and FRANCIS HENRY THOMAS of Lucknow Lodge, Hanwell in the
County of Middlesex, Colonel in Her Majesty's Bengal Army do hereby
declare the nature of this invention to be as follows:-
This invention relates to improvements in the method of and means for, cleaning
boiler flues and has for objects to facilitate the operation of cleaning the flues of
steam boilers, thereby rendering it possible to much more quickly than hitherto
remove all soot and other refuse accumulating and without any of the disadvantages
and inconveniences at present involved.
The operation is much expedited in accordance with this invention by reason of
it not being necessary in the method we employ for a man or men to enter the
flues; the whole operation of cleaning being performed from the outside of the
boiler hence is obviated the at present existing necessity of waiting several hours
after the fires are drawn till the boiler is sufficiently cool to allow of a man entering
the flue.
Now in accordance with this invention the means we employ in our method of
cleaning the flues of boilers consist essentially of a sledge or scraper of steel or
other suitable metal of a plain flat surface or of a curved or circular shape to suit
any shaped flue.
To the sledge or scraper is screwed or otherwise attached an arm of a convenient
length, and again to enable a greater depth to be reached, to this arm may be
screwed or otherwise attached another arm and so on in such manner that any length
of flue may be reached by the sledge or scraper when manipulated from the front
and outside of furnace.
To perform the operation of cleaning the flue in accordance with this invention
the operator stands in front of the furnace and passes therein the sledge or scraper.
To this sledge or scraper he then screws on a portion of the handle and when this
is passed into the flue its full length further portions or sections of handle are
screwed on until a requisite length is obtained.
The soot and other deposits are withdrawn upon the sledge or scraper and as
aforesaid by our method of and with our means for, performing the operation the
flues may be cleaned in much less time and at less cost than hitherto and with the
advantage of obviating the danger from heat and poisonous gases now experienced
in men entering the flues for cleaning purposes.
The sledge or scraper we employ may be formed with a guard or ridge around
its sides and back and again to regulate its width to that of the flue to be cleaned
it may be formed with expanding slips consisting of additional strips or plates of
metal adjustably attachable to the sledge or scraper preferably by means of set
screws working in slots formed in said additional strips and in accordance with the
width of the flue so may be regulated the width of the scraper.
Dated this 1st day of November 1894.
HUGHES, ELI & HUGHES,
76 Chancery Lane, W.C., Agents for Applicants.

page_text: Improvements in the Method of and Means for Cleaning Boiler
Flues.
We, DANIEL MORRISEY, of 16 Chapter Terrace, Kennington, London, S.E.,
Builder, and FRANCIS HENRY THOMAS, of Lucknow Lodge, Hanwell, in the
County of Middlesex, Colonel in Her Majesty's Bengal Army, 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:-
This invention relates to improvements in the method of, and means for, cleaning
boiler flues, and has for object to facilitate the operation of cleaning the flues of
steam boilers and the like, thereby rendering it possible to much more quickly than
hitherto remove all soot and other refuse accumulating, without any of the
disadvantages and inconveniences at present involved.
The operation is much expedited in accordance with this invention by reason of
it not being necessary, in the method we employ, to wait several hours after
the fires are drawn for the boiler to cool sufficiently to allow of a man entering
the flue.
Now, in accordance with this invention the means we employ in our method of
cleaning the flues of furnaces consist essentially of a sledge or scraper of steel or
other suitable metal of a plain flat surface, or of a curved or circular shape to suit
any shaped flue. To the sledge or scraper is screwed or otherwise attached an arm
of a convenient length, and again (to enable a greater depth to be reached) to
this arm may be screwed or otherwise attached another arm, and so on, in such
manner that any length of flue may be reached by the sledge or scraper when
manipulated from the front and outside of the furnace.
And in order that this our invention may be more fully understood and readily
carried into effect, we will now proceed to describe same with reference to the
accompanying drawings and to the letters and figures of reference marked thereon,
that is to say:
Figure 1 represents in perspective view a sledge or scraper of a plain flat surface,
and various sections or segments of arm or handle to enable same to be manipulated
at various depths from the outside of the furnace.
Figure 2, is a perspective view of a sledge or scraper having a guard or ridge
formed or attached around its sides and back.
Figure 3, is a plan view of a sledge or scraper formed with expanding slips
adjustably attachable by means of set screws thereby adapting the sledge or scraper
to various widths of furnace and flues.
Figure 4, is a sectional perspective elevational view of a furnace flue illustrating
the operation of this invention, and Figures 5, 6 and 7, are respectively end views
of flat, curved and circular furnaces with correspondingly flat, curved, and circular,
sledges or scrapers shewn therein.
Similar letters of reference indicate like parts throughout all the figures.
a is the sledge or scraper which may be of a flat surface as shewn in
Figures 1. 2. 3. 4. and 5. or curved as shewn in Figure 6, or semi-circular as seen
in Figure 7,
As shewn in Figure 2, a ridge or guard b may be formed around three sides of
the sledge or scraper a. c is a socket attached to the sledge or scraper a into which
the arm or handle d is inserted and screwed.
The handle d is made in sections, see particularly d. d¹ Figure 1. Each section
of the handle is formed at one end with a screw e and at the other with an internally
screwed socket f.

page_text: In operation, after the soot doors have been off four hours a single sledge or
scraper is used to each flue at the same time to clean them out. If there be no
front plate to the flame bed, the soot can be cleared from each flue by means of a
smaller sledge or scraper.
After this the furnace doors are closed, the soot doors replaced, and dampers left
out for a desired time, say three to four hours, after which the back plates are
removed, all poisonous gases will then escape and a man may be sent down each
top flue to clean galloways and top flues and the operator standing in front of the
furnace passes therein the sledge or scraper a close up to the bridge, the men then
passing the soot over the bridge into the sledge without injury to the bridge.
To this sledge or scraper a is screwed on a portion or section of the handle d and
when this is passed in its full length, further portions d' d' of the handle are screwed
on and so on until a requisite length is obtained. The soot and other deposits are
withdrawn upon the sledge or scraper a aud as aforesaid by our method and with
our means for performing the operation, the flues may be cleaned in much less
time and at less cost than hitherto and with the advantage of obviating the danger
from heat and poisonous gases now experienced when men enter the flues for
cleaning purposes.
To regulate the width of the scraper a to that of the flue to be cleaned, it may
be formed with expanding slips as shewn particularly in Figure 3 of the drawings.
The expanding slips consist of additional strips or plates of metal g adjustably
attachable to the sledge or scraper a preferably by means of set screws h working
in slots k formed in said additional strips 9 and in accordance with the width
of the Aue so may be regulated the width of the scraper as shewn in dotted
lines, Figure 3.
Having thus particularly described and ascertained the nature of our said inven-
tion and in what manner the same is to be performed, we declare that what we
claim, is:
1. The improvements in the method of, and means for, cleaning boiler flues,
substantially as herein before described and shewn in the accompanying drawings.
2. In means for cleaning boiler flues, the combination of a sledge or scraper a
formed with socket e and jointed handles d. d' 2 screwed or otherwise attached
in lengths desired, substantially as and for the purposes hereinbefore described
and shewn.
3. In means for cleaning boiler flues, the construction of sledge or scraper a
with expanding slips g adjustably attachable to the sledge or scraper a in such
manner that in accordance with the width of the flue so may be regulated the
width of the sledge, substantially as hereinbefore described and illustrated
particularly in Figure 3 of the accompanying drawings.
Dated this 31st day of July 1895.
HUGHES, ELI & HUGHES,
76, Chancery Lane, London, W.C., Agents for the Applicants.