IMPROVEMENTS IN EFFECTING THE CON- SUMPTION OF SMOKE AND ECONOMY OF FUEL IN STEAM BOILER AND OTHER FURNACES
Year: 1868

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Jeremiah Driver, of Keighley, in the County of
York, for the Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN EFFECTING THE CON-
SUMPTION OF SMOKE AND ECONOMY OF FUEL IN STEAM BOILER AND OTHER
FURNACES."
Sealed the 6th November 1868, and dated the 14th May 1868.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Jeremiah Driver at the
Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on the
14th May 1868.
I, JEREMIAH DRIVER, of Keighley, in the County of York, do hereby
5 declare the nature of the said Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN EFFECTING
THE CONSUMPTION OF SMOKE AND ECONOMY OF FUEL IN STEAM BOILER AND OTHER
FURNACES." to be as follows:
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Jeremiah Driver at the
Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on the
14th May 1868.
I, JEREMIAH DRIVER, of Keighley, in the County of York, do hereby
5 declare the nature of the said Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN EFFECTING
THE CONSUMPTION OF SMOKE AND ECONOMY OF FUEL IN STEAM BOILER AND OTHER
FURNACES." to be as follows:
The object of the improvements is the consumption of smoke produced
and economy of fuel used in steam boiler and other furnaces. For

page_text: this purpose air to support combustion of the fuel is forced into the
ash-pit or chamber under the furnace bars from a fan or blower; there
is also a passage from the flue or chimney by which smoke or heated
products from the fire with air heated by passing through the fire may
pass into the fan or blower and with fresh air be again forced to the
ash-pit or chamber under the furnace bars. By these means a stream
of snioke and hot air will be continuously flowing through the fire and
the fan or blower. The fan or blower may operate for several furnaces
regulated by valves, and the amount of smoke diverted to the fan or
blower may also be regulated by valves or dampers.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent,
filed by the said Jeremiah Driver in the Great Seal Patent Office
on the 13th November 1868.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, JEREMIAH
DRIVER, of Keighley, in the County of York, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her
Letters Patent, bearing date the Fourteenth day of May, in the year of
our Lord One thousand eight hundred and sixty-eight, in the thirty-first
year of Her reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and
grant unto me, the said Jeremiah Driver, Her special licence that I, the
said Jeremiah Driver, my executors, administrators, and assigns, or such
others as I, the said Jeremiah Driver, my executors, administrators,
and assigns, should at any time agree with, and no others, from time
to time and at all times thercafter 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 "IMPROVEMENTS IN EFFECTING THE CON-
SUMPTION OF SMOKE AND ECONOMY OF FUEL IN STEAM BOILER AND OTHER FURNACES,'
upon the condition (amongst others) that I, the said Jeremiah Driver,
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

page_text: 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 Jeremiah Driver, do hereby declare
the nature of the 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 :-
The object of the improvements is the consumption of the smoke
produced and economy of the fuel used in steam boiler and other
furnaces.
But that the Invention may be fully understood I will, aided by the
accompanying Drawing, proceed to describe means pursued by me in
carrying the same into effect.
In carrying out my Invention, the ash-pit under the furnace is capable
of being closed by: a door, and the air to the ash-pit or chamber under
the furnace bars to aid tho combustion of the fuel is forced into such
ash-pit or chamber by means of a fan or blower, and there is a passage
from the flue by preference at a point beyond where the heated products
from the fire have passed through the flues from the fire-place to the
stack or chimney by which such smoke and heated products from the
fire may pass to the centre or feed portion of the fan or blower employed,
and I prefer that the fan employed be such that the opening for the
smoke and heated products from the flue to such fan or blower occupy
about one-third of the inlet passage to such fan or blower, leaving the
other two-thirds or thereabouts of such opening to the fan or blower for
the admission of atmospheric air, when the smoke and heated products
from the fire or furnace will mix with the atmospheric air, and together
in a combined form they will be condensed and forced forward from the
fan or blower to the ash-pit or chamber under the fire-bars.
The Figures of the Drawing show the front end of an ordinary self-
contained furnace and single flue or furnace box boiler with parts
arranged to aid my improvements.
Figure 1 shows a front view of such front end, and Figures 2 and 3,
front and transverse sections of such front. part, a in each case being the

page_text: fire-place, and 6 the ash-pit or chamber under the fire-bars. The smoke
and heated products condensed together with the atmospheric air drawn
and forced forward by the fan or blower employed are thence conducted
by a suitable channel to the passage c, which at its upper part is formed
with the passages c¹, c³, and c. The opening c¹ opens by the passage c³
into the ash-pit or chamber under the fire-bars, the passage c² opens by
the passage into a chamber d formed in the mouth-piece e of the fire-
place or furnace, and thence by the passage d' to the front end of the
fire-place over the dead plate; the passage c³ opens into a channel c*
separated from the ash-pit and leading back to the flue behind the fire
bridge. There is also a damper in the passage leading to the chamber c
which may be closed when it may be desired to admit of the smoke and
heated products from the fire-place or furnace passing in the ordinary
way direct to the chimney or stack without their being controlled to pass
through the fan. The chamber c is provided with a valvef by which either
of the passages c¹ or c³ may be closed as indicated, such valve being capable
of turning on its axis f" when moved by means of the handle f. When
supplying fresh fuel to the fire-place or furnace I turn the valve f so
as to close the passage c', and simultaneously I open the passage 63
by means of a valve c', when the smoke and heated products forced
forward by the fan or blower will be directed to pass partly by the
passages c, d, and d³, to the fire-place or furnace, and partly by the
passages cand c to the flue beyond the fire-bridge. When the feed of
fuel for the time is complete and the fire-door is closed I turn the valves
fand c so as to close those passages and c and open the passage c¹,
and then the smoke and heated products from the fire together with
the atmospheric air will pass by the passage c' to the ash-pit or chamber
under the fire-bars, and thence through the fire-bars and the fire,
and so on.
Having thus described my Invention and means which I adopt in
carrying my improvements into effect, I would have it understood that
variations may be made in the arrangement of the parts adapted to the
character of the furnace to which the improvements are to be applied,
and the fan or blower may operate on several furnaces so as to cause
them to be operated on in succession, valves or dampers being employed
to. regulate the passages; but what I claim is, the adaptation or
combination of means by which the smoke and heated products from

page_text: the fire may be caused to combine with atmospheric air, and be
condensed and carried forward to the fire in manner substantially as
described.
In witness whereof, I, the said Jeremiah Driver, have hereunto set
my hand and seal, this Tenth day of November, in the year of
our Lord One thousand eight hundred and sixty-eight.
Witness,
WILLIAM THOMPSON,
Northworth Shed,
Keighley.
JEREMIAH DRIVER. (L.S.)