IMPROVEMENTS IN STEAM BOILERS AND IN APPARATUS FOR HEATING THE SAME, AND ALSO FOR OBTAINING HEAT FOR OTHER PURPOSES
Year: 1867

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to John Russell Swann, of Windsor College, Mont-
gomery Street, Edinburgh, for the Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN STEAM
BOILERS AND IN APPARATUS FOR HEATING THE SAME, AND ALSO FOR OBTAINING
HEAT FOR OTHER PURPOSES."
Sealed the 17th September 1867, and dated the 20th March 1867.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said John Russell Swann at
the Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on the-
20th March 1867.
I, JOHN RUSSELL SWANN, of Windsor College, Montgomery Street,
Edinburgh, do hereby declare the nature of the said Invention for "IM-
PROVEMENTS IN STEAM BOILERS AND IN APPARATUS FOR HEATING THE SAME, AND
ALSO FOR OBTAINING HEAT FOR OTHER PURPOSES," to be as follows:-
This Invention has for its object improvements in steam boilers and in
apparatus for heating the same, and also for obtaining heat for other purposes.
Passing through the boiler from end to end I employ a flue or tube
containing the furnace, as in a Cornish boiler, or more than one such flue or
tube may be employed; around each flue or tube there is a casing or outer
tube, and holes are formed through this casing at the bottom and at the top;
in this way a rapid circulation is established around the flues or tubes. In

page_text: order to heat the boiler I evaporate petroleum or other similar volatile and
inflammable liquid in a small boiler placed over or near the main boiler, and
heated by means of a steam pipe from the main boiler led through it, and I
supply the inflammable vapour thus generated to nozzles or jets at the front of
the fire-place or furnace. Also I conduct through the flues of the furnace a pipe
or pipes, into which at one end air is forced by a fan or other contrivance, and
from the other end the highly heated air is caused to pass to the nozzles or
jets by which also the vapour issues. In this way compound jets of vapour
and air in a state of ignition are thrown into the furnace and a high heat is
thus maintained.
Other furnaces may be similarly heated, and for some purposes the jets
may be employed unenclosed; thus this Invention is applicable to furnaces
in which masses of iron are heated preparatory to forging, the ignited jets
being thrown into the furnace, as already described in respect to steam boiler
furnaces; or naked jets may be employed in heating bars of iron preparatory
to forging.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent, filed
by the said John Russell Swann in the Great Seal Patent Office an the
19th September 1867.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, JOHN
RUSSELL SWANN, of Windsor Cottage, Montgomery Street, Edinburgh, send
greeting,
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her Letters
Patent, bearing date the Twentieth day of March, in the year of our Lord
One thousand eight hundred and sixty-seven, in the thirtieth year of Her
reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant unto me,
the said John Russell Swann, Her special licence that I, the said John Russell
Swann, my executors, administrators, and assigns, or such others as I, the
said John Russell Swann, my executors, administrators, and assigns, should
at any time agree with, and no others, from time to time and at all times
thereafter 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 STEAM BOILERS AND IN APPARATUS FOR HEATING THE SAME, AND ALSO FOR
OBTAINING HEAT FOR OTHER PURPOSES," upon the condition (amongst others) that
I, the said John Russell Swann, my executors or adminstrators, by an instru

page_text: ment 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.
NOW KNOW YE, that I, the said John Russell Swann, 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 ful-
lowing statement thereof, that is to say :—
This Invention has for its object improvements in steam boilers and in
apparatus for heating the same, and also for obtaining beat for other
purposes.
The first part of my Invention consists in arranging steam boilers in the
following manner:-Passing through the boiler from end to end I employ
a flue or tube containing the furnace as in a Cornish boiler, or more than one
such flue or tube may be employed. Around each flue or tube I arrange a
casing or outer tube, and holes are formed through this casing at the bottom
and at the top; in this way a rapid circulation is established around the flues
or tubes.
In Figure 1 of the annexed Drawings a longitudinal section is shown of a
boiler constructed according to this part of my Invention; Figure 2 shows
a transverse section of the boiler.
a, a, is the outer shell of the boiler; b, b, are the fire tubes or flues of which
in the arrangement shown there are two; c, c, are the casings or outer tubes
with which I surround the fire tubes or flues; these casings are perforated
at the upper part at c¹, c', at the end over the fires, and at the lower part
at,, the other extremity at a distance from the fire. The area of the
perforations should be such as to give a free passage to the water so that
there may be a rapid circulation through the casings from the back of the
boiler towards the front; d, d, are water tubes which may extend from side to
side of the fire tubes or flues to increase the heating surface..
The second part of my Invention consists in so arranging apparatus that a
highly heated blast of air may be mixed with the vapour of petroleum or
other similar volatile and inflammable liquid, and the compound jet of vapour
and air in a state of ignition thrown into a furnace or otherwise employed
as a source of heat in various manufactures. In order to heat a boiler I
evaporate the petroleum or other similar volatile and inflammable liquid in
a small boiler placed over or near the main boiler and Leated by means of a

page_text: steam pipe from the main boiler led through it, and I supply the inflammable
vapour thus generated to nozzles or jets at the front of the fire-place or
furnace. Also I conduct through the flues of the furnace a pipe or pipes
into which at one end air is forced by a fan or other contrivance, and from
the other end the highly heated air is caused to pass to the nozzles or jets, by
which also the vapour issues. In this way compound jets of vapour and air
in a state of ignition are thrown into the furnace and a high heat is thus
maintained. The boiler shown at Figures 1 and 2 is represented as heated
in this manner.
e, e, is a small boiler mounted over the smoke box and
also having a steam pipe e', e, from the main boiler passing into it; it may
either be kept filled with petroleum or similar liquid, as is indicated by the
dotted line, or preferably the petroleum or liquid may be supplied in a small
stream as it is required by the perforated pipe ; f is a tube which leads
away the petroleum or other vapour; 9 is a pipe passing through the smoke
box, and so arranged as to expose a considerable surface, through it a
blast of air is forced by a fan or otherwise; it is led along underneath the
boiler to the front, where the pipe is divided into two branches which enter
the furnaces, and immediately prior to their entrance they meet the tube g,
which also has two branches, and supplies the inflammable vapour to the
blast. There are regulating cocks on the two branches of the tube g. Steam
is got up in the first place by means of a fire upon the fire-bars h, which may
be let out as soon as the ignited jets come into full work. Furnaces may also
according to my Invention be otherwise arranged to be heated by ignited jets
of highly heated air and vapour.
Figure 3 is a vertical section and Figure 4 is a plan of an arrangement
suitable for a locomotive boiler. a is a fan driven in any convenient manner
and forcing air through a system of heated pipes b, b, in the fire-box, and
thence into the vessel c, also within the fire-box, and to which petroleum or
other liquid is supplied by a perforated pipe d from a tank d. The hot
blast and vapour then passes into the perforated burner tubes e, e, from
which it is burnt. Also some of the gas and vapour is led into a larger per-
forated pipe beneath the vessel c, and is then burnt to ensure a sufficient
heat to the vessel c.
In some cases the compound blast of heated air and vapour may be burnt
as a jet without being enclosed in a furnace. Thus Figure 5 represents a
smith's fire for heating iron for forging and welding. a is a water tuyere;
b, a pipe bringing a blast of air; and c is a small pipe admitting petroleum or
other inflammable liquid into the blast just before it issues at the tuyere. In

page_text: a similar way the tuyeres of blast furnaces may be supplied with petroleum or
other inflammable liquid.
In witness whereof, I, the said John Russell Swann, have hereunto set
my band and seal, this Seventeenth day of September, in the year of
our Lord One thousand eight hundred and sixty-seven.
JOHN RUSSELL SWANN. (L.S.)