IMPROVEMENTS IN STEAM BOILER AND OTHER FURNACES, AND APPARATUS FOR CONSUMING PADDY HUSKS, SAW- DUST, AND OTHER VEGETABLE REFUSE, SMALL COAL, OR OTHER SIMILAR FUEL
Year: 1881

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to James Henderson, of Fenchurch Avenue, in the City
of London, for an Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN STEAM BOILER AND
OTHER FURNACES, AND APPARATUS FOR CONSUMING PADDY HUSKS, SAW-
DUST, AND OTHER VEGETABLE REFUSE, SMALL COAL, OR OTHER SIMILAR
FUEL." A communication from abroad by John Rankine Russell, Engineer,
of Rangoon, British Burmah.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said James Henderson at the
Office of the Commissioners of Patents on the 1st June 1881.
JAMES HENDERSON, of Fenchurch Avenue, in the City of London. " IMPROVE-
MENTS IN STEAM BOILER AND OTHER FURNACES, AND APPARATUS FOR CONSUMING
PADDY HUSKS, SAW DUST, AND OTHER VEGETABLE REFUSE, SMALL COAL, OR
OTHER SIMILAR FUEL" A communication from abroad by John Rankine Russell,
Engineer, of Rangoon, British Burmah.
This Invention relates to improvements in the arrangement and construction of
furnaces and apparatus for steam boilers or other works or purposes to be fired
with fuel, such as paddy husks, saw dust, or small coal possessing the following
advantages.
First. A complete method of stoking, this being done by machinery, the fuel being
equally spread over the fire grate, which ensures a steady supply of steam.
Second. Taking up little space, and being applicable to almost any form of
boiler, it can be made quite portable, and capable of being removed without
breaking it down as it is mounted on rails and wheels.
Third. The plan or method of supplying or feeding the furnace with fuel is by
means of a slotted fixed plate forming the top of furnace; over this is another plate
corresponding with the fixed one; this upper plate is hung on springs, rods, or
rollers (as may be found most convenient) a swinging motion being given to it by

page_text: cranks, eccentrics, or cams, so that when the slots in both plates come over one
another a portion of the fuel is admitted into the furnace. The quantity of fuel
is regulated by altering the amount of travel of the top plate, so that the openings
can be enlarged or lessened as required.
Another arrangement of apparatus for feeding fuel to furnaces in accordance
with this Invention is by having fluted or plain rollers laid longitudinally or
transversely to form the top of furnace, these rollers being driven by suitable gear
at a sufficient speed to supply the requisite amount of fuel.
Fourth. The fire grate surface is made of a concavo form, having segments of
perforated plates or bars with rollers intervening; these rollers are hollow and
perforated so as to allow a current of air to pass through them, or to admit of a
blast of air or steam to keep them clear or accelerate or increase combustion.
These rollers remove the ashes or refuse as the fuel is burnt, which is discharged
into a hopper, in which a worm or screw is placed to remove the ashes or refuse
to any convenient place.
This improved construction and arrangement of furnace is suitable for almost
any form of boiler, and when it is applied to an internal flued one or Lancashire
boiler there is a cast iron mouth pieco made suitable to go inside of the internal
tube or flue of the boiler; this is bolted to the furnace but left slack in the boiler
to allow for expansion: It is lined with fire brick, and the furnace is also lined
with fire brick on the sides and back. Brackets are arranged for carriers for the
furnace, to which wheels and their bearings are attached, which rest on rails, thus
making the furnace entirely portable.
A blast pipe is introduced for cleaning the revolving bars.

page_text: SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent filed by
the said James Henderson in the Great Seal Patent Office on the 30th
November 1881.
JAMES HENDERSON, of Fenchurch Avenue, in the City of London. "IMPROVE-
MENTS IN STEAM BOILER AND OTHER FURNACES, AND APPARATUS FOR CONSUMING
PADDY HUSKS, SAW DUST, AND OTHER VEGETABLE REFUSE, SMALL COAL, OR
OTHER SIMILAR FUEL" A communication from abroad by John Rankino Russell,
Engineer, of Rangoon, British Burmab.
This Invention relates to improvements in the arrangement and construction of
furnaces and apparatus for steam boilers or other works or purposes to be fired
with fuel, such as paddy husks, saw dust, or small coal, possessing the following
advantages.
First. A complete method of stoking, this being done by machinery, the fuel
being equally spread over the fire grate, which ensures a steady supply of steam.
Second. Taking up little space, and being applicable to almost any form of boiler
it can be made quito portable, and capable of being removed without breaking it
down, as it is mounted on rails and wheels.
Third. The plan or method of supplying or feeding the furnace with fuel is by
means of a slotted fixed plate forming the top of furnace; over this is another
plate corresponding with the fixed one; this upper plate is hung on springs, rods,
or rollers (as may be found most convenient) a swinging motion being given to it
by cranks, eccentrics, or cams, so that when the slots in both plates como over ono
another a portion of the fuel is admitted into the furnace. The quantity of
fuol is regulated by altering the amount of travel of the top plate, so that tho
openings can be enlarged or lessened as required.
Another arrangement of apparatus for feeding fuel to furnaces in accordanco
with this Invention is by having fluted or plain rollers laid longitudinally or
transversely to form the top of furnace, these rollers being driven by suitable gear
at a sufficient speed to supply the requisite amount of fuel.
Fourth. The fire grate surface is made of a concave form having segments of
perforated plates or bars with rollers intervening; these rollers are hollow and
perforated so as to allow a current of air to pass through them, or to admit of a
blast of air or steam to keep them clear or accelerato or increase combustion.
These rollers remove the ashos or refuse as the fuel is burnt, which is discharged
into a hopper, in which a worm or screw is placed to remove the ashes or refuse
to any convenient place.
And in order that the Invention communicated to me from abroad may be clearly
understood and readily carried into practice, I will proceed to describe the Drawings
hereto annexed.
DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS.
Figure 1 represents a half end section of a half end elevation, and Figure 2 a
longitudinal section of a furnace arranged and constructed in accordance with this
Invention.
O is the fire door on the end plate (for stoking in the usual manner) where the
fire is lighted or made so as to ignite the fuel passed or sifted through the slotted
plates or surfaces A, B.
The top plate is suspended by the springs or rods C, C, and motion is trans-
mitted to the plate A from the crank axis D by the connecting rod E and bell

page_text: G is a metal casing, box, or hopper to contain the paddy husks or other fuel to
be passed through the holes or slotted openings in the perforated plates or
surfaces A, B.
N is a shaft and pulley having a pinion P fixed thereon which gives motion to
the
spur wheels Q, Q, Q, fixed on the ends of the rollers I, I, I, which serve as
revolving fire bars and act to remove the ashes or refuse from the furnace, and
discharge the same into a trough, in which a revolving screw or worm R is
arranged to conduct it away to any convenient place.
Another form of grate may be used in this furnace, viz., by having longitudinal
or transverse roller bars which are driven at a speed sufficient to remove the ashes
or refuse.
This improved construction and arrangement of furnace is suitable for almost
any form of boiler, and as shown in the Drawings. When it is applied to an
internal flued one or Lancashire boiler there is a cast iron mouth piece mado
suitable to go inside of the internal tube or flue of the boiler; this is bolted to the
furnace, but left slack in the boiler to allow for expansion. It is lined with firo
brick, as shown at M, M, and the furnace is also lined with fire brick on the sides
and back, as shown at K, L. Brackets S, S, are arranged to serve as carriers for
the furnace, to which wheels T, T, and their bearings are attached, which rest on
rails, thus making the furnace entirely portable.
At Ja blast pipe is introduced for clearing the revolving bars I, I.
Having thus described the nature of the Invention communicated to me from
abroad by the said John Rankine Russell, I would that no claim is made to
any of the mechanical parts separately, which are well known and in common
use; at the same time the claim is not limited to the exact details herein before
described and represented in the Drawings annexed, as the same may be varied
without departing from the substantial features of the Invention. What I claim
under the above in part recited Letters Patent is,—
The improved arrangement, combination, and construction of steam boiler and
other furnaces for consuming paddy husks, saw dust, and other vegetable refuse,
small coal, or other similar fuel, by sifting or passing it from a hopper through
perforated plates or surfaces, such as A, B, (one or both of which are moveable),
into the furnace, the grate bars of which consist partly or wholly of revolving
hollow perforated rollers, or partly of fixed perforated surfaces placed between the
revolving bars, thus affording a free current of air through the grate to carry off
the ashes and refuse, this improved furnace being arranged to act substantially in
the manner and for the purpose herein before described and represented in the
Drawings hereto annexed.
In witness whereof, I, the said James Henderson, have hereunto set my
hand and seal, this Twenty fourth day of November, in the year of our Lord
One thousand eight hundred and eighty one.