IMPROVEMENTS IN FURNACES FOR CONSUMING PETROLEUM AND OTHER HYDROCARBONS
Year: 1866

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Samuel Lees, of Salford, in the County of Lancaster,
Manufacturing Chemist, for the Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN
FURNACES FOR CONSUMING PETROLEUM AND OTHER HYDROCARBONS."
Sealed the 7th December 1866, and dated the 12th June 1866.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Samuel Lees at the
Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on the
12th June 1866.
I, SAMUEL LEES, of Salford, in the County of Lancaster, Manufacturing
Chemist, do hereby declare the nature of the said Invention for "IMPROVE-
MENTS IN FURNACES FOR CONSUMING PETROLEUM AND OTHER HYDROCARBONS," to
be as follows:-
My Invention consists in constructing the furnace for consuming hydra-
carbons of a metal trough lined with fire-bricks; this trough is filled with
metal or other balls, some of which are solid and the others hollow and per-
forated; this trough occupies the space in the furnace usually taken up by
the grate bars, and air is supplied to support the combustion through perfora-
tions in the door of the furnace; a bafile plate is placed near the door and
above the trough to guide the air into the trough. The petroleum or other
hydrocarbon to be consumed is supplied by a pipe from a cistern to the front
end of the trough; in this pipe is a tap to regulate the supply. Before

page_text: starting the furnace all the balls are taken out of the trough; the requisite
quantity of the hydrocarbon is then run into the trough and the small solid
balls forming the first layer of balls, after being heated, are placed in the
trough; the bydrocarbon is thus ignited, and then the hollow perforated balls
are placed in the trough; these latter may be put in cold, and I prefer to
employ balls of different diameters for cach layer, having the largest at the
top; the heat from the burning bydrocarbon gradually heats all the balls till
they are red, and the gases evolved, mixing with the air supplied through
the door and that contained in the hollow balls, are entirely consumed as they
pass to the flues of the boiler or other vessel to be heated. This improved
furnace may also be used for any purpose where ordinary furnaces are
now employed, and by connecting the tap in the supply pipe to a mercury or
other gauge the supply of hydrocarbon can be regulated according to the
temperature required.
My Invention may be modified by the application of hollow perforated
revolving grate bars, either in combination with or in addition to the balls
ábove described.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent, filed
by the said Samuel Lees in the Great Seal Patent Office on the 11th
December 1866.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, J, SAMUEL
I,
LEES, of Salford, in the County of Lancaster, Manufacturing Chemist, send
greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her Letters
Patent, bearing date tho Twelfth day of June, in the year of our Lord
One thousand eight hundred and sixty-six, in the twenty-ninth year of Her
reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant unto me,
the said Samuel Lees, Her special license that I, the said Samuel
Lees, my executors, administrators, and assigns, or such others as I, the
said Samuel Lees, 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 FURNACES FOR CONSUMING PETROLEUM AND OTHER HYDROCARBONS," upon
the condition (amongst others) that I, the said Samuel Lees, my executors or

page_text: 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 Samuel Lees, do hereby declare the
nature of my said Invention, and in what manner the same is to be performed,
to be particularly described and ascertained in and by the following state-
ment (that is to say) :-
:-
My Invention consists in constructing the furnace for consuming hydro-
carbons of a metal trough filled with metal or other balls, some of which are
solid and the others hollow and perforated; this trough occupies the space in
the furnace usually taken up by the grate bars, and air is supplied to support
the combustion through perforations in or near the door of the furnace; a
baffle plate is placed near the door and above the trough to guide the air into
the trough. The petroleum or other hydrocarbon to be consumed is supplied
by a pipe from a cistern to the front end of the trough; in this pipe is a tap
to regulate the supply. Before starting the furnace all the balls are taken
out of the trough; the hydrocarbon is then allowed to run into the trough,
and the small solid balls forming the first layer of balls, after being heated,.
are placed in the trough; the hydrocarbon is thus ignited, and then the
hollow perforated balls are placed in the trough; these latter may be put in
cold, and I prefer to employ balls of different diameters for each layer, having:
the largest at the top; the heat from the burning bydrocarbon gradually
heats all the balls till they are red, and the gases evolved, mixing with the air
supplied through the perforations in or near the door and that contained in
the hollow balls, are entirely consumed as they pass to the flues of the boiler
or other vessel to be heated. This improved furnace may also be used for any
purpose where ordinary furnaces are now employed, and by connecting the
tap in the supply pipe to a mercury or other gauge the supply of hydrocarbon
can be regulated according to the temperature required.
And in order that my Invention may be fully understood and readily carried
into effect, I will proceed to describe the accompanying Sheet of Drawings,
reference being had to the figures and letters marked thereon, similar letters
of reference being marked on similar parts.
Figure 1 represents a front view, and Figure 2 a section of part of a steam
boiler to which my improvements are applied; those parts of the boiler not
shewn in the Drawing are constructed and furnished with fittings in the
ordinary manner. Instead of the grate bars usually used in furnaces where

page_text: b
coal bas to be consumed a part of the fire-box is occupied by the metal
trough a, which extends across the fire-box in the direction of its breadth and
from the front of the boiler to the bridge, as shown in the Drawings, and this
trough may be lined with fire-brick or otherwise; b is the furnace door,
which is shewn as opening into the furnace by means of the handle c, the
notches in which hold the door 6 open when required; d is the baffle plate,
which is bent downwards at the inside of the furnace and extends to within
a little more than two inches of the bottom of the trough a, see Figure 2; in
the front plate of the boiler, or of the trough a, are the holes e for the purposo
of admitting air into the furnace; by making the door b double, and to open
outwards, and causing it to close against an inside plate, the holes e may be
made in the fire-door itself, but I prefer the method shewn in the Drawings;
the trough a is filled with balls f of metal of different sizes, the smallest ones
being solid or having a hole through their axes, the others being hollow and
also perforated after the manner shewn in Figure 3; the smallest of these
balls faro placed at the bottom of the trough a, the diameters increasing
towards the top layer, which are the largest; the pipe g, furnished with a cup
at its top end and entering the trough a about two inches from its bottom
surface, seo Figuro 2, is for the purpose of conveying the petroleum or other
hydrocarbon to be burned into the trough a; the supply of petroleum or other
hydrocarbon being obtained from a cistern placed in any convenient place above
the boiler through the pipe h, furnished with a stop-cock i for the purpose of
regulating the supply. The supply can be regulated either by hand or by
micans of a mercury gauge or other apparatus actuated by the pressure of
steam so as to stop off the supply when the said pressure becomes greater
than is required; but to this regulating apparatus I make no claim.
The mode of operation is as follows:-The trough a being empty the stop-
cock is opened and the petroleum or other bydrocarbon is allowed to run
down the pipe and into the trough a, as shewn by the brown lines in
Figure 2. The smallest of the balls f are placed at the bottom of the
trough a through the door b after being mado sufficiently hot to cause the
petroleum or other bydrocarbon used to ignite; hollow and perforated balls of
increasing diameters are then placed in layers in the trough a until it is filled;
the door being now closed the air required for combustion is supplied
through the holes e, being drawn under the bottom edge of the baffle plate d
in the direction of the arrows in Figure 2, and is thus brought in contact
with the external and internal surfaces of the hollow balls f which, becoming
red hot, effect the perfect combustion of the gasses as they are evolved.
Having thus stated the nature of my Invention, and described the manner

page_text: of carrying the same into operation, I declare that I claim as of my Invention
constructing furnaces for burning petroleum or other hydrocarbons in the
manner shewn and described in reference to Figures 1 and 2, and the hollow
perforated balls shewn and described in reference to Figure 3, or any
modification of the same, whereby the peculiar character of my Invention is
retained.
In witness whereof, I, the said Samuel Lees, have hereunto set my
hand and seal, this Tenth day of December, One thousand eight hundred
and sixty-six.
SAMUEL LEES. (L.S.)