IMPROVEMENTS IN APPARATUS FOR GENERATING HEAT
Year: 1864

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to John Leslie, of Conduit Street, Hanover Square, in
the County of Middlesex, Esquire, for the Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS
IN APPARATUS FOR GENERATING HEAT."
Sealed the 16th September 1864, and dated the 22nd March 1864..
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said John Leslie, at, the
Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on the
22nd March 1864....
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ร
I, JOHN LESLIE, of Conduit Street, Hanover Square, in the County of
Middlesex, Esquire, do hereby declare the nature of the Invention for
"IMPROVEMENTS IN APPARATUS FOR GENERATING HEAT," to be as follows:-
This Invention has for its object the constructing apparatus in such manner
as to burn.hydrocarbons advantageously in generating heat to be applied to the
evaporation of fluids and to other uses. For this purpose apparatus is constructed
and employed in the following manner-A number of shallow trays or vessels
are arranged one over the other. Above each tray or vessel there is a narrow
air passage to admit of a free flow of atmospheric air over the fluid contained
in each tray or vessel. These trays or vessels are enclosed in and are at the
front end of a flue or chamber, the construction and arrangement of which will
depend on the purpose to which the heat is to be applied. Beyond these trays'
or vessels, and parallel therewith, are a series of tubes or passages, the open
ends of which pass out through the sides of the chamber or flue in order that
atmospheric air may flow freely into such tubes or passages and away from
them through longitudinal slits or openings into the chamber or flue. These

page_text: tubes or passages are placed one above the other, and there is a narrow
passage between each pair of them through which the flames coming from the
trays or vessels pass. A supply of hydrocarbon is to be kept up in each tray
or shallow vessel which is to be lighted. The effect of this arrangement is,
that atmospheric air rushes over the ignited fluid in the trays or vessels. The
flames thus produced act on the tubes or tubular passages, which become
highly heated. Atmospheric air is thus caused to flow into the tubes or
tubular passages, and becomes highly heated before it passes out from the slits
or outlets. In some cases a fan or other apparatus is employed to put the air
in motion. The heated air thus obtained combines with the flames produced
as above explained, and by this means the chamber or flue above mentioned
is heated.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent, filed
by the said John Leslie in the Great Seal Patent Office on the 21st
September 1864.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, JOHN
LESLIE, of Conduit Street, Hanover Square, in the County of Middlesex,
Esquire, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her Letters
Patent, bearing date the Twenty-second day of March, in the year of our
Lord One thousand eight hundred and sixty-four, in the twenty-seventh
year of Her reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant
unto me, the said John Leslie, Her special licence that I, the said John
Leslie, my executors, administrators, and assigns, or such others as I, the
said John Leslie, my executors, administrators, and assigns, should at any
time agree with, and no others, from time to time and at all times there-
after 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 "IMPROVE-
MENTS IN APPARATUS FOR GENERATING HEAT," upon the condition (amongst
others) that I, the said John Leslie, my executors or administrators, by an
instrument in writing under my, or their, or one of their hands and seals,
should particularly describe and 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.

page_text: NOW KNOW YE, that I, the said John Leslie, do hereby declare the
nature of tho said Invention, and in what manner the same is to be performed,
to be particularly described and ascertained in and by the following statement
thereof, that is to say :-
This Invention has for its object the constructing apparatus in such manner
as to burn hydrocarbons advantageously in generating heat to be applied to
the evaporation of fluids and to other uses. For this purpose apparatus is
constructed and employed in the following manner:-A number of shallow
trays or vessels are arranged one over the other. Above each tray or vessel
there is a narrow air passage to admit of a free flow of atmospheric air over
the fluid contained in each tray or vessel. These trays or vessels are enclosed
in and are at the front end of a flue or chamber, the construction and arrange-
ment of which will depend on the purpose to which the heat is to be applied:
Beyond these trays or vessels, and parallel therewith, are a series of tubes or
passages, the open ends of which pass out through the sides of the chamber or
flue in order that atmospheric air may flow freely into such tubes or passages
and away from them through longitudinal slits or openings into the chamber
or flue. These tubes or passages are placed one above the other, and there is
a narrow passage between each pair of them through which the flames coming
from the trays or vessels pass. A supply of hydrocarbon is to be kept up in
each tray or shallow vessel which is to be lighted. The effect of this arrange-
ment is, that atmospheric air rushes over the ignited fuel in the trays or
vessels. The flames thus produced act on the tubes or tubular passages, which
become highly heated. Atmospheric air is thus caused to flow into the tubes.
or tubular passages, and becomes highly heated before it passes out from the
slits or outlets. In some cases a fan or other apparatus is employed to put
the air in motion. The heated air thus obtained combines with the flames
produced as above explained, and by this means the chamber or flue above
mentioned is heated.
Having thus stated the nature of my said Invention, I will proceed more.
fully to describe the manner of performing the same.
In place of constructing the fire-places of furnaces with horizontal or
inclined fire-bars to receive coal or other fuel thereon as heretofore, a furnace
or fire-place will be constructed of a series of shallow trays placed one above
the other and parallel to each other, the length of which trays will vary
according to the width of the fire-box or space or flue in front of which the
trays are applied. These trays are made about one inch deep, but this may.
be varied, and about three or four inches wide, but this also may be varied.
An air space is left above each tray of about a quarter of an inch, so that

page_text: atmospheric air may pass freely under one tray and over the liquid in the next
below it. A supply pipe descends from a suitable reservoir (containing the
hydrocarbon fluid) placed in any convenient position above the uppermost
tray. From this supply pipe a branch tube is connected to each tray with a
cock or valve to stop off and to. regulate the supply of liquid to each tray.
When the trays are of considerable length a supply pipe is applied at each
erid with branches. to each tray; or in place of simply allowing the liquid to
flow by its own gravity, a pump or forcing apparatus may be employed to
supply the liquid to the trays. A sliding plate is applied of a width and depth
capable of covering the front of all the trays and of. the air spaces between
them, and also to cover the outer ends of all the air tubes presently described.
By this plate or slide the whole or any part of the trays and the spaces between
them may be put out of action; or separate slides, or shutters, or flaps may
be used to cover the air. spaces between the trays. and the open ends of air
tubes above mentioned. The object of these slides, shutters, or flaps is, as
above stated, to shut off or put out of action any number of the trays when it
is desired to work with only part of the whole set.. When the air space over
any tray is closed the supply of the liquid to that tray is to be stopped. The
slides, shutters, or flaps used for these purposes may be arranged so as to
admit of being adjusted, and thus to regulate the quantity of air admitted over
the trays from time to time, as circumstances may require. At the back of
each tray, and on a level with the air space in front, is a tube, the ends of
which are bent and come through the front of the furnace, so that when the
sliding plate, or the shutter, or flap used to shut off the air from entering and
passing over the surface of the liquid in the tray it may also close over the
open ends of these air tubes. In each of these air tubes is a longitudinal slit,
or it may be numerous small holes along its upper surface, by which a stream
or numerous streams of atmospheric air will be supplied to the flame and any
products coming from the surface of the liquid in each tray. The effect of this
arrangement is, that a very strong heat will be produced, whilst the air tubes will
be highly heated, and the air passing through them will be also highly heated
before passing out of the tubes. The heat thus produced will be then caused to
act on a steam or other boiler, or evaporating pan, or other form of vessel, which
will be set or fixed in any ordinary manner; but in place of having common
furnaces or fire-places constructed thereto, arrangements of trays, such as are
above described, one above the other, will be applied in front of the chamber
or fire-box communicating with the flues and the flames and heat passing
from the trays; the heat 'will be conducted under or through or around such
boilers, pans, or vessels; as heretofore, depending on the form of the boilers,

page_text: pans, or vessels, and of the construction and arrangements of the flues em-
ployed therewith. When the Invention is applied to reverberatory furnaces,
then, in place of the ordinary fire-bars and fire-place containing them, the
front of the furnace will be built with an open space in front to receive the
arrangement of trays, and there will be a short space between the back edges
of the trays and the front bridge, forming a chamber, into which the flames
coming from the several trays will be received, and will from thence pass over
the front bridge and be reverberated by the arched tops of the furnaces in the
usual manner. In like manner will the fire-places or furnaces of ovens and
other structures requiring to be heated be constructed. Usually an ordinary
chimney will be employed, but where desired the requisite draft may be
obtained by other means.
In witness whereof, I, the said John Leslie, have hereunto set my
hand and seal, this Twentieth day of September, in the year of our
Lord One thousand eight hundred and sixty-four.
JOHN LESLIE. (1.8.)