IMPROVEMENTS IN FURNACES FOR BURNING GREEN SUGAR CANE AND SIMILAR MOIST SUBSTANCES
Year: 1884

page_text: PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
I ARTHUR WILLIAM LOVELL REDDIE of the Office for Patents 6 Breams
Buildings, Chancery Lane, in the County of Middlesex Patent Agent, do hereby
declare the nature of my invention for IMPROVEMENTS IN FURNACES FOR
BURNING GREEN SUGAR CANE AND SIMILAR MOIST SUBSTANCES, to be as follows:-
As is well known to render green sugar cane fit for fuel it is usual to spread it
out in the sun to dry for a considerable period an operation which requires much
space, time and a numerous staff which are not always available and in wet weather
the delay and expense are considerably increased.
Many attempts have been made to burn the cane in its green state without
previous drying. Some inventors have sought to attain this result by modifying
the construction of ordinary,steam boiler furnaces. Others have constructed special
and separate furnaces in which to burn the green cane, the products of combustion
thus obtained being led from the furnaces beneath the generators by means of a
special system of pipes or conduits.
Hitherto the results obtained by these means have failed to give satisfaction and
their practical application in factories has always presented grave difficulties such
as the following.
1. A great draught is required which cannot always be obtained except at
heavy cost.
2. Even when a great draught is available it is absolutely necessary to combine
the dry cane with the moist cane or bagasse from the mills in order to maintain
the efficiency of the furnace:
3. The clinkers formed by the mineral matters contained in the bagasse tend to
choke the fire bars and vent holes and necessitate frequent cleaning out.
4. In introducing the bagasse into the furnace and spreading it evenly over the
fire bars a large volume of cold air enters which causes a notable loss of heat and
favours the deposit of cinders in the air passages and on the fire bars which tends
to rapidly choke them,

page_text: 5 In furnaces as hitherto specially adapted for burning green cane or bagasse it
is impossible to burn coal should that fuel be required at any time.
The present invention relates to a novel construction and arrangement of furnace
which while utilizing the special form of firebars employed for the bagasse is not
open to the objections above named.
The new furnace comprises the use of a bagasse furnace preferably of the
"Godillot" kind having the firebars arranged in pyramidal form or of other suitable
kind.
This furnace is constructed with or has adapted to it other furnaces suitable for
burning coal wood or other ordinary combustible. These auxiliary furnaces are
preferably arranged at the sides of and communicate on one side with the central
bagasse furnace by suitable passages and. on another side with a common conduit
which leads the products of combustion to the generators by means of openings
fitted with register doors.
The ash pits of the side furnaces are fitted with doors by which the supply of air
can be regulated or shut off entirely when the central bagasse furnace is working
properly.
The operation is as follows:-
The bagasse furnace is fed from above with fuel by suitable means and when in
proper working order the ashpits of the side or coal furnaces are closed and their
action ceases; if on the contrary the supply of bagasse fails or its furnace ceases to
act efficiently air is admitted to the ashpits of the side furnaces and the coal therein
is lighted. By opening the registers above named the flame passes to the
generators by the main shaft direct without passing through the bagasse furnace
and consequently without causing damage or loss.
When the bagasse furnace is burning, but the combustion does not take place in
a proper manner the registers are closed and the flame entering the central furnace
by the side openings provides the heat necessary for the proper combustion of the
moist bagasse. When the central furnace is again in working order and the
auxiliary furnaces are no longer needed they may be extinguished by closing the
doors of their ash pits.
The essential part of these improvements consists in the combination with a
bagasse furnace of auxiliary coal or wood burning furnaces from which by a special
arrangement of openings, conduits and doors or valves the gases may be caused
to pass either direct into a common outlet such as the conduit for heating the
steam boilers or into the bagasse furnace as required and the necessary heat for the
boilers be maintained without interruption.
Dated this 29th dex of Anril 1884

page_text: I ARTHUR WILLIAM LOVELL REDDIE of the Office for Patents, Bream's Buildings
Chancery Lane in the County of Middlesex, Patent Agent do hereby declare the
nature of my invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN FURNACES FOR BURNING GREEN
SUGAR CANE AND SIMILAR MOIST SUBSTANCES," and in what manner the same is
to be performed, to be particularly described and ascertained in and by the
following statement:-
As is well known in order to utilize green sugar cane or "bagasse" as a fuel in
sugar cane mills it is necessary to dry it in the sun for a considerable time which
operation requires much space, time and a numerous staff which is not always
readily available. Moreover in wet weather the operation becomes excessively
protracted and the cost assumes considerable proportions.
Numerous attempts have hitherto been made to burn bagasse without this
preliminary drying. Some inventors have thought to achieve this result by
modifying the construction of the ordinary, steam boiler furnaces, others have built
special and independent furnaces in which the combustion of the moist baga-se is
effected, the gas and flame arising therefrom being directed beneath the boilers by
means of specially arranged flues.
None of these methods have up to the present given completely satisfactory
results, and their adaptation to Mills has always presented in practice grave
inconveniences of which the following are the more important.
1° They require an exceptional draught which can only be produced in some
Mills at very great outlay.
2° Even when a strong draught is available, it is essential to mix the moist
bagasse as it comes from the crushing rolls with a proportion of dry bagasse in order
to keep the furnace going properly.
3° The clinkers formed by the mineral matters contained in the bagasse are
deposited in masses on the sides or walls of the vent passages, in the form of
stalactites which tend to choke the vent holes, thus necessitating frequent
cleaning out.
4° In introducing the bagasse into the furnace as actually practised and while
spreading it evenly over the fire bars, a large volume of cold air enters the furnace
which causes an appreciable loss of heat and, by chilling the furnace favours the
formation of the stalactites of the cinders along the air passages.and on the fire bars,
which tends to rapidly choke them as above mentioned.
5° It is impossible to burn coal on the special grates in use for burning bagasse
and hence such grates cannot be made use of when it is desired to heat the boilers
with that fuel.
The present invention relates to a novel construction and arrangement of furnace,
which while utilizing the special forms of grate and arrangement of fire bars
employed for burning the bagasse is not open to any of the objections 'abovo
named. In fact this new combination and arrangement of furnace for sugar cane,
as will be shortly explained, is able to work under the following conditions:-
1° With a moderate draught.
2° Without the addition of dried bagasse to the moist bagasse from the Mills.
3° Without the necessity for frequently removing the cinders or clinkers from
the air vents and fire bars,
4° Without having its temperature lowered by cold air entering the feeding
door.
5° With facility for employing coal fuel when the supply of bagasse fails,

page_text: On reference to the accompanying drawings the arrangement and action of the
new furnace by which these results are attained will be easily understood.
As will be seen from the Drawings the apparatus comprises as already stated the
employment of a bagasse furnace or fire place A preferably formed with an inclined
iron grate but which may also be constructed in any other suitable manner for the
special object for which it is intended. To this fireplace are adapted two ordinary
fire grates B, that is to say grates or fire bars on which may be burned either coal
or any other suitable dry fuel.
These laterally arranged fire boxes B.communicate on one side with' the bagasse
furnace A through the openings a, and on the other side with the common flue C
by which the products of combustion pass to the boilers, through openings b fitted
with slides or registers c.
Lastly the ash pit d of the laterally arranged fire boxes B is provided with doors
by which the admission of air may be controlled and even completely stopped when
the bagasse furnace A is working satisfactorily.
-
The action of the furnace thus arranged as a whole is as follows:-
The central bagasse furnace A having been charged in any convenient manner
and in regular working, the doors of the ash pits d of the laterally situate fire
boxes B B, are closed and their action is nil; if on the other hand the supply of
bagasse fail, or if from any cause the furnace A cease to operate the doors of the
ash pits d are opened and the coal or coke fires B are lighted, the registers c being
opened, the flame will pass to the boilers by the conduit C without traversing the
fire place A and consequently without doing any mischief therein.
When on the other hand the furnace A is in operation, but the combustion
therein is not as it should be, the registers c are closed, and the flame entering the
furnace A by the apertures a provides this furnace with the heat necessary for the
proper combustion of the moist bagasse.
Then when the furnace A is again working normally and the assistance of the
fires B is no longer required, these latter fires are put out by closing the doors of
the ash pits d.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said
Invention and in what mauner the same is to be performed, I declare that what
I claim is
1st The adaptation to furnaces for burning bagasse or other moist substances, of
auxiliary fire places in which dry fuel such as coal and wood may be burned,
substantially as described with reference to the Drawings whereby facilities are
afforded for assisting the combustion of the bagasse when necessary and for
maintaining the efficiency of the furnace should the supply of bagasse fall short, as
set forth.
2. In a furnace for burning bagasse and similar moist substances the combination
with the bagasse furnace A having inclined fire bars of iron and general combustion
chamber C, of the auxiliary dry fuel fire places B B and means substantially as
described whereby the said auxiliary fireplaces may be brought into direct
connection at will either with the furnace A or with the combustion chamber C, as
set forth.
Doted this 22nd day of Avant 1981.