IMPROVEMENTS IN STEAM ROTTERS AND TE THE ARRANGEMENT OF FLUES IN CONNECTION THEREWITH
Year: 1863

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to William Hadfield, of Bolton, in the County of
Lancaster, Boiler Maker, for the Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN STEAM
ROTTERS AND TE THE ARRANGEMENT OF FLUES IN CONNECTION THEREWITH."
Sealed the 21st August 1868, and dated the 28th February 1868.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said William Hadfield at tho
Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on the 28th
February 1863.
I, WILLIAM HADFIELD, of Bolton, in the County of Lancaster, Boiler
Maker, do hereby declare the nature of the said Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS
IN STEAM BOILERS, AND IN THE ARRANGEMENT OF FLUES IN CONNECTION THERE-
WITH," to be as follows:-
My Invention is applicable to boilers with internal flues, the object being to
impart strength, to obtain a large internal and external heating surface, and
in arranging the flues in the most advantageous manner to equalise the
heat, so as to avoid or reduce the injurious effect of unequal expansion and
contraction.
In performing my Invention I place the fire-grate or grates in one or more
flues, which deliver the products of combustion through openings at each side
of the boiler into side flues, which are brought back towards the front of the
boiler, and then unite in a flue passing under the whole length of the boiler,
the products of combustion then enter an internal flue or flues, which deliver

page_text: them through openings at each side of the boiler to two side flues which are
in communication with the chimney.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent, filed
by the said William Hadfield in the Great Seal Patent Office on the
28th August 1863.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, WILLIAM
HADFIELD, of Bolton, in the County of Lancaster, Boiler Maker, send
greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her Letters
Patent, bearing date the Twenty-eighth day of February, in the year of our
Lord One thousand eight hundred and sixty-three, in the twenty-sixth year of
Her reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant unto
me, the said William Hadfield, Her special license that I, the said William
Hadfield, my executors, administrators, and assigns, or such others as I, the
said William Hadfield, 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 STEAM BOILERS, AND IN THE ARRANGEMENT OF FLUES IN CONNECTION
THEREWITH," upon the condition (amongst others) that I, the said William
Hadfield, 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.
NOW KNOW YE, that I, the said William Hadfield, do hereby declare the
nature of my said Invention, and in what manner the same is to be per-
formed, to be particularly described and ascertained in and by the following
statement (that is to say) :-
My Invention is applicable to boilers with internal flues, the object being to
impart strength, to obtain a larger internal and external heating surface, and
in arranging the flues in the most advantageous manner to equalize the
heat, so as to avoid or reduce the injurious effects of unequal expansion and
contraction.

page_text: In performing my Invention I place the fire-grate or grates in one or more
flues, which deliver the products of combustion through openings at each side
of the boiler into side flues, which are brought back towards the front of the
boiler, and then unite in a flue passing under the whole length of the boiler;
the products of combustion then enter an internal flue or flues, which deliver
them through openings at each side of the boiler to side flues, which are in
communication with the chimney.
And in order that my Invention may be fully understood and readily
carried into operation, I will proceed to describe the three accompanying
Sheets of Drawings, which represent various modifications of my Invention.
In all the different views similar parts are marked with corresponding letters
of reference.
On Sheet 1, Fig. 1 is a longitudinal section of one of my improved steam
boilers, and of the brickwork or seating in which it is set; Fig. 2 is a trans-
verse section of Figure 1; Fig. 3 is a plan in section; and Fig. 3* is another
transverse section taken near the front.
a is the external cylindrical shell of the boiler; 6, the front end plate; c,
the back end plate, and d, the seating or brickwork; e, e, are two internal
flues, containing the fire-grates f, f, and bridges 9, 9. The flues e are furnished
with firing doors in the usual manner, and both flues e open into the transverse
flue h, the ends of which are attached to the interior of the casing a. The
products of combustion from the fire-grates f, after passing over the bridges g,
enter the transverse flue h, and pass through openings in the casing a into
the lateral exterior flues i, as shewn by the arrows in Fig. 3; they then return
towards the front of the boiler, and unite in the bottom flue j, passing under
the whole length of the boiler. The object of thus bringing the products of
combustion back to the front of the boiler immediately after they have left
the fire-grates is to ensure an equal expansion of the plates, as the internal
and external heat is nearly equal; another advantage is that the light cinders
carried over the bridges g, and through the flue h, are deposited at the bottom
of the lateral flues i, and can be easily removed through doors in the front of
the boiler seating, thus preventing the flues from being choked up. When the
products of combustion arrive at the back end of the bottom flue j, they rise
up and enter the internal flues k, k, both of which open into the transverse
flue ; the ends of this flue are also attached to the interior of the casing a.
The products of combustion are delivered through the ends of the flue to the
external side flues m, m, as shewn by the arrows in Fig. 3, which unite beyond
the end of the boiler in the flue n, communicating with the chimney. The
flue n has a damper o of the usual construction. The transverse flues and

page_text: are connected by short tubes p, p, to unite the whole firmly together; the
tubes p are perforated to allow the water to circulate through them. By
carefully supplying fuel to the grates f, f, alternately, the smoke is to a great
extent consumed, but in order to consume the smoke more effectually I
propose to supply heated air at or near the bridges, and at the junction of the
flues i and j, and to convey the smoke from the green fire past the heated
gases arising from the incandescent fuel in the other in the following manner:
-x, x, are two pipes open above to the atmosphere, and passing through the
brickwork into the side flues m, m; ¹ is a transverse pipe passing through
the flue h, and connected to the pipes x. The pipe x is perforated under the
bridges g, so that the constant supply of air passing along the pipes x may
escape at or near the bridges. The pipes a also pass along the side flues i,
and they are prolonged until they reach the point where the flues i join the
bottom flue j; at this place each pipe x terminates in a disc valve y, which is
opened and closed by the levers y'. The dampers z, z, are placed in the flues i,
near the front end of the boiler; these dampers are opened or closed by
means of levers fixed outside the brickwork to the axles on which they are
hinged; the dampers z are connected to the levers y¹ by links y. The mode
of operation is as follows:-In Fig. 3* both the valves y and dampers = are
shewn closed, but when fresh fuel has been applied to the left-hand flue e, the
corresponding valve y and damper z are closed, and the right-hand valve y and
damper zare opened, so as to compel the products of combustion from the
green fire past the flame and heated gases escaping from the incandescent fuel
in the right-hand flue e. As soon as the fresh fuel supplied to the left-hand
flue e has become thoroughly ignited, and it is requisite to feed the fire in the
right-hand flue e, the position of the dampers and valves is reversed.
Figs. 4, 5, and 6 represent another of my improved steam boilers; in these
views the firing flues e, e, and return flues k, k, are made continuous, and
extend from end to end of the boiler, but the communication is closed in each
flue by the curved plates q, q, which are placed between the lateral openings
hand. The water enters between the plates q, through perforations in the
internal flues. By this arrangement the products of combustion from the fire-
grate pass separately into the lateral flues i, but they unite below the firing
end of the boiler in the bottom flue j. In like manner the products of com-
bustion in the flues k pass separately to the flues m, and unite in the flue n.
Figs. 7, 8, and 9 represent a boiler very similar to that shewn in Figs. 1,
2, and 3, but in this instance the transverse flues h and I are semi-cylindrical
instead of cylindrical, as before; the flat sides of the flucs h and are con-
uccted by stays to unite and impart strength to the whole boiler.

page_text: On Sheet 2, Figs. 10, 11, and 12 are three views of another of my improved
steam boilers; in this case the firing flues e, e, are connected to the chamber r,
the ends of which are closed, and are sufficiently distant from the interior of
the casing a to allow for the circulation of water. The products of combus-
tion, after uniting in the chamber r, escape through the lateral openings h
into the external flues i, which unite in the bottom fluej; this flue, instead of
extending to the end of the boiler, as in the previous instances, branches into
the side flue m', see Fig. 12, which conveys the products of combustion
through the opening into the internal flue k, through which they pass to the
end of the boiler, then through the external flue to the second internal.
flue k, from whence they pass through the second opening into the external
flue m, as indicated by the arrows; the flue m passes round the back end of
the boiler, and delivers the products of combustion to the bottom flue ", which
communicates with the chimney through the flue n. The perforated tubes p
form stays between the chamber r and the elbow ends of the flues k, which are
connected by the perforated tube l'. This boiler, although somewhat different
in the details, possesses the same advantages as those before described, that is
to say, the heat is evenly distributed, and a large heating surface and great
strength are obtained.
Figs. 13, 14, and 15 represent a boiler with a single firing flue constructed
according to my improvements. In this case the firing flue e and the return
flue kare made together, as in Figs. 4, 5, and 6, and the communication
between the two is closed by the plates q; the arrows clearly indicate.the
passage of the products of combustion from the firing flue e to the flue n,
which communicates with the chimney. Figs. 16, 17, and 18 represent a
boiler with a single firing flue e and two return flues k. The products of com-
bustion when united from the side flues i, in the bottom flue j, pass to the end
of the boiler, then rise up the external flue m' into the side flue m; from thence
through, the opening into the internal flue k, which delivers them to the
external flue ; they then enter the second flue k, and pass out through the
second opening into the opposite side flue m, which is in line with the fluen
leading to the chimney. The flues h and are connected by the perforated
stays p, and the flue is closed at the centre of its length by two plates with
a water space between then, as shewn in Fig. 18.
On Sheet 3, Figs. 19, 20, and 21 represent three views of a boiler with two
firing flues e and two return flues k, which are connected respectively together
by the openings and k³; these openings allow the products of combustion to
pass from one flue to the other, and they also strengthen the boiler; the
flues are also stayed to the interior of the casing a by the perforated tubes a¹.

page_text: The ends of the flues e and k are connected by the short perforated tubes p.
In all the essential features this boiler is similar to that shewn in Figs. 1, 2, and 3.
Figs. 22, 23, 24, and 25 are four views of a boiler, shewing how my
Invention can be applied to boilers having firing flues at each end. The firing
flues e, e, at each end of the boiler join the transverse flue h, both these flues
are closed in the middle, so that the products of combustion from each fire-
grate go separately into the side flues i, but they unite near each end of the
boiler in the bottom flue j, which branches into the external rising flues m',
from these the products of combustion enter through the transverse flue 1, the
internal flues k, from whence they escape through the openings to the side
flues m, which unite in the bottom flue j', communicating with the fluen
leading to the chimney s. The firing flues e are in communication with each
other through the openings e³, and the transverse flues and are stayed
together by the perforated tubes p; the flues and k are divided lengthwise by
the plates g.
Having thus stated the nature of my Invention, and described several modes
of performing the same, I wish it to be understood that I am aware that it
has before been proposed in the Specification of a Patent granted to Richard
Pollit, on the Ninth day of July, One thousand eight hundred and sixty,
No. 1644, to construct a steam boiler with internal flues, which flues are bent
downwards beyond the bridge, and are in communication with a flue, which
extends along the bottom of the boiler, and conducts the products of com-
bustion to one end of another flue within the boiler, I do not therefore claim
the same; but what I claim are the improvements herein described, whereby
the products of combustion are conducted through openings in each side of the
boiler into one or more flues, which carry the products of combustion to the
front end of the boiler immediately after passing the bridge or previous to
reaching it, where such products unite in a flue passing under the boiler, from
which flue the said products enter an internal flue or flues, which deliver them
through openings at each side of the boiler to two side flues which are in
communication with the chimney.
In witness whereof, I, the said William Hadfield, have hereto set my
hand and seal, this Twenty-fifth day of August, in the year of our
Lord One thousand eight hundred and sixty-three.
WILLIAM HADFIELD. (L.S.)