IMPROVEMENTS IN THE COMBUSTION OF LIQUID FUEL, AND IN THE FURNACES AND APPARATUS EMPLOYED THEREIN
Year: 1868

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to John Henry Johnson, of 47, Lincoln's Inn
Fields, in the County of Middlesex, Gentleman, for the Invention
of "IMPROVEMENTS IN THE COMBUSTION OF LIQUID FUEL, AND IN THE
FURNACES AND APPARATUS EMPLOYED THEREIN."-A communication from
abroad by Clement Sauvage, of Paris, in the Empire of France,
Engineer.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said John Henry Johnson
at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on
the 17th September 1868.
I, JOHN HENRY JOHNSON, of 47, Lincoln's Inn Fields, in the County
of Middlesex, Gentleman, do hereby declare the nature of the said
Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN THE COMBUSTION OF LIQUID FUEL, AND IN THE
FURNACES AND APPARATUS EMPLOYED THEREIN," a communication to me from
abroad by Clement Sauvage, of Paris, in the Empire of France, Engineer,
to be as follows:-
This Invention relates to a mode of and apparatus for burning
liquid fuel in steam boiler and other furnaces, and consists in burning

page_text: such fuel directly and without any admixture of steam or water there-
with upon a peculiar grate disposed either vertically at an angle or
horizontally. When horizontally disposed the liquid fuel should be
impelled or caused to flow over the surface of the grate by pressure.
The liquid fuel flows in a number of small streams along the face
of the several grate bars, which are grooved or channelled longitudinally
for that purpose, each grooved bar having connected thereto at its upper
end a small liquid fuel supply pipe. These several supply pipes are fed
from a regulator above, which regulator receives the liquid through
pipes and a stop cock in connection with a tank or reservoir situate at
a higher level. The air for supporting combustion enters between the
grate bars as in the ordinary furnace grates. The furnace chamber
may either be composed of fire-clay or surrounded with water spaces,
and fire-brick deflecting arches or bridges may be disposed therein as
found requisite. When applied to a locomotive boiler the draught
may be produced by the usual steam blast up the chimney, or special
blowers may be employed. The inlet for the air is regulated by air
valves or dampers fitting against the outside of the grate; the liquid
fuels which may be used are the liquid hydrocarbons generally,
petroleum and schist or coal oil, the oil prepared from gas tar, and
also gas tar itself, as well as those bitumens which are more or less
liquid or liquifiable.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent,
filed by the said John Henry Johnson in the Great Seal Patent
Office on the 17th March 1869.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, JOHN
HENRY JOHNSON, of 47, Lincoln's Inn Fields, in the County of Mid-
dlesex, Gentleman, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her
Letters Patent, bearing date the Seventeenth day of September, in the year
of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and sixty-eight, in the thirty-
second year of Her reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give
and grant unto me, the said John Henry Johnson, Her special licenso
that I, the said John Henry Johnson, my executors, administrators,

page_text: and assigns, or such others as I, the said John Henry Johnson, my.
executors, administrators, or 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 "IM-
PROVEMENTS IN THE COMBUSTION OF LIQUID FUEL, AND IN THE FURNACES AND.
APPARATUS EMPLOYED THEREIN," a communication from abroad by Clement
Sauvage, of Paris, in the Empire of France, upon the condition (amongst
others) that I, the said John Henry Johnson, my executors or adminis-
trators, by an instrument in writing under my hand and seal, or under
the hand and seal of one of them, 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 Henry Johnson, 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, reference being had to the accom-
panying Drawings, and to the letters and figures marked thereon, that
is to say :-
The said Invention relates to a mode of and apparatus for burning
liquid fuel in steam boiler and other furnaces, and consists in burning.
such fuel directly and without any admixture of steam or water there-
with upon a peculiar grato disposed either vertically at an angle or
horizontally. When horizontally disposed the liquid fuel should, bo
impelled or caused to flow over the surface of the grate by pressure.
The liquid fuel flows in a number of small streams along the face of
the several grate bars, which are grooved or channelled longitudinally
for that purpose, such grooved bar having connected thereto at its upper
end a small liquid fuel supply pipe. Those several supply pipes aro
fed from a regulator above, which regulator receives the liquid through
pipes and a stop-cock in connection with a tank or reservoir situate
at a higher level. The air for supporting combustion enters between
the grate bars as in the ordinary furnace grates. The furnace chamber
may either be composed of fire-clay or surrounded with water spaces,

page_text: and fire-brick deflecting arches or bridges may be disposed therein as
found requisite. When applied to a locomotive boiler the draught may
be produced by the usual steam blast up the chimney, or special blowers
may be employed. The inlet for the air is regulated by air valves or
dampers fitting against the outside of the grate. The liquid fuels
which may be used are the liquid hydrocarbons generally, petroleum
and schist or coal oil, the oil prepared from gas tar, and also gas tar
itself, as well as those bitumens which are more or less liquid or
liquifiable.
And in order that the said Invention may be fully understood I
shall now proceed more particularly to describe the same; and for that
purpose shall refer to the several Figures on the annexed Sheet of
Drawings, the same letters of reference indicating corresponding parts
in all the corresponding Figures.
Figure 1 of the Drawings is a transverse vertical section of the fire-
box and improved furnace; Figure 2 is a longitudinal vertical section
of the same; Figure 3 is an external elevation of the fire-box, and
Figure 4 is a sectional plan taken along the line A, B, (Figure 1).
In these several Figures A is the pipe conducting the oil from any
convenient reservoir; B is a cock regulating its flow; C, the main
distributing pipe; D, the apparatus for regulating the flow of oil from
the pipe C; E are small distributing pipes; F, the fire-bars; G the
orifices from which the oil flows; E, the gutters for directing the oil; I,
the valve or damper for regulating the admission of air; K, the apparatus
for actuating the valve; L, the brick casing enclosing the furnace; M, a
brick vaulting for directing the products of combustion; N, a door
leading inside the fire-box. The oil is contained in a reservoir placed
either on the engine or tender and descends by the pipe A. This pipe
forms two branches each of which is provided with a cock B to regulate
the arrival of the oil at both ends of the long distributing pipe C which
itself fulfils the function of a cock. By means of a screw Da uniform
flow is obtained (which may be regulated at will) into the small pipes E
which distribute the oil to the firc-bars through the orifices G. The
fire-bars F are vertical and of a trapezoidal form somewhat approaching
the ordinary form, but the face of cach bar has a gutter H formed
along it to contain and direct the oil. The air necessary for the com-
bustion passes through the spaces between the bars, its admission being

page_text: regulated by means of a valve or damper I, the handle K for actuating
the same being within reach of the driver. A casing L and two brick
vaults M supported by iron stays direct the first course of the flame.
The door N of the fire-box is retained to facilitate the repair of the
tubes, but it is closed when the engine is running. The lighting is
effected by the aid of a few lighted shavings (the cocks being slightly
opened) assisted by the draught of the ordinary chimney. If it is
required to get up the pressure very quickly a supplementary draught
is employed produced by a jet of steam from any boiler near or by a
jet of air from a fan. In running the engine the natural admission of
the air may also be replaced by an air blast; it is obvious that other
refractory bodies may be substituted for the whole or part of the brick-
work, or a metal casing with water spaces filled with water may be
used in licu thereof. The number of fire-bars and their total surface
will vary according to the power of the engine, with this fuel ash-pits
are not required, consequently there would be no difficulty in substituting
a round for the flat form in fire-boxes.
The application shown in the Drawing is adapted to an existing
locomotive which it is required to convert at small expence, but for
new engines specially constructed to use this new fucl the forms may
be suitably modified without in anywise changing the arrangements
which characterize the said improved system of burning mineral oils.
As before stated the arrangements hercin-before described are equally
applicable to the furnaces of every description of fixed steam boilers
as well as to marine engines. The oils or substances which it is pro-
posed to burn in this apparatus are petroleums from every source, schist
oils, and oils from other mineral substances, gas tar oils and gas tars,
and bitumens more or less liquid or liquifiable.
Having now described and particularly ascertained the nature of
the said Invention and the manner in which the same is or may be used
or carried into effect, I would observe in conclusion that what I consider
to be novel and original and therefore claim as the Invention secured to
me by the hercin-before in part recited Letters Patent is, the special form
and arrangement of fire-grate, also the special arrangements hercin-
before described and shewn on the annexed Sheet of Drawings applied
to the fire-box of a locomotive engine or to the furnace of any other
steam generator, whereby the direct burning of mineral oils in the

page_text: furnaces of steam boilers may be effected without the admixture of
water or steam therewith.
In witness whereof, I, the said John Henry Johnson, have to this
my Specification set my hand and seal, the Sixteenth day of
March, One thousand eight hundred and sixty-nine.
J. HENRY JOHNSON. (L.S.)