IMPROVEMENTS IN APPARATUS FOR SUPPLYING FUEL TO STEAM BOILER AND OTHER FURNACES
Year: 1868

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to William Rye, of the Low Moor Iron Works,
Oldham, in the County of Lancaster, Engineer, for the Invention
of "IMPROVEMENTS IN APPARATUS FOR SUPPLYING FUEL TO STEAM BOILER
AND OTHER FURNACES."
Sealed the 10th November 1868, and dated the 4th June 1868.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said William Rye at the
Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on the
4th June 1868.
I, WILLIAM RYE, of the Low Moor Iron Works, Oldham, in the
County of Lancaster, Engineer, do hereby declare the nature of the said
Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN APPARATUS FOR SUPPLYING FUEL TO STEAM
BOLLER AND OTHER FURNACES," to be as follows:-
My Invention is particularly applicable to steam boilers furnished
with one or more internal flues containing the fire grate or grates, but
it may be applied to boilers without flues and to other furnaces, and it
consists in an improved apparatus for distributing the fuel evenly over
the said grates. The fuel is fed into a hopper, then passes between

page_text: crushing rollers, and it is distributed by a fan to which a reversing
motion is applied so as to cause it to revolve first in one direction
and then in the other; the reversing motion may be obtained by an
open and a crossed strap in the same manner as the reversing motion of
a planing machine, or otherwise. The feed rollers are driven by
independent gearing, whereby the rollers can be turned round either
faster or slower, or stopped and started when required without affecting
the motion of the fan. The damper leading to the chimney is connected
to the strap forks of the driving straps, so that when the straps that
drive the fan are on the loose pulley the damper will be closed or
partially closed. The position of the damper is regulated by the
pressure or heat of the steam. When steam pressure is used the piston
rod of a small steam cylinder is connected to the levers and rods of the
damper, and when heat is applied to effect the object the expanding or
contracting of a bar of metal connected to levers and rods of the damper
causes it to close or open. The modes of applying pressure and heat
to regulate the position of the damper may be considerably modified.
By distributing the fuel in the manner above described the smoke is
to a great extent consumed, as the smoke arising from the fresh fuel
will be ignited in passing over the incandescent portion of the fire.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent,
filed by the said William Rye in the Great Seal Patent Office on
the 3rd December 1868.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, WILLIAM
RYE, of the Low Moor Iron Works, Oldham, in the County of Lancaster,
Engineer, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her
Letters Patent, bearing date the Fourth day of June; in the year of
our Lord One thousand eight hundred and sixty-eight, in the thirty-
first year of Her reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give
and grant unto me, the said William Rye, Her special license that I,
the said William Rye, my executors, administrators, and assigns,
or such others as I, the said William Rye, my executors, adminis-
trators, and assigns, should at any time agree with, and no others,
from time to time and at all times thereafter during the term

page_text: 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 "IMPROVEMENTS IN
APPARATUS FOR SUPPLYING FUEL TO STEAM BOILER AND OTHER FURNACES,"
upon the condition (amongst others) that I, the said William Rye,
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 Rye, 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 statement (that is to say) :-
it
:-
My Invention is particularly applicable to steam boilers furnished
with one or more internal flues containing the fire grate or grates, but
may be applied to boilers without flues, and to other furnaces, and it
consists in an improved mode of driving the apparatus for distributing
the fuel evenly over the said grates. The fuel is fed into a hopper, then
passes between crushing or feeding rollers, and it is distributed by a
fan to which a reversing motion is applied so as to cause it to revolve
first in one direction and then in the other; the reversing motion may
be obtained by an open and a crossed strap in the same manner as the
reversing motion of a planing machine, or otherwise. The feed rollers
are driven by independent gearing, whereby the rollers can be turned
round either faster or slower, or stopped and started when required
without effecting the motion of the fans which are continually in
motion. The damper leading to the chimney is connected to the strap
forks of the driving straps, so that when the strap that drives the
feeding rollers is on the loose pulley the damper will be closed or
partially closed. The position of the dampers and the motion of the
feed rollers are regulated by the pressure of the steam. A piston or float
acted upon by the steam is connected to the levers and rods in connec
tion with the damper. The modes of applying the pressure of steam to
regulate the position of the damper may be considerably modified.

page_text: Figures 1, 2, and 3 on Sheet 1 shew a two-flued boiler to which my
improvements are applied, Figure 1 being a front elevation, Figure 2 a
side elevation, and Figure 3 a plan.
a is the outer shell of the boiler; a¹, a¹, the two flues; a³, a³, the
fire-grates; and a³ are the dampers placed in the flues leading from the
boiler to the water-heating apparatus or to the chimney. b, b, are two
shafts which drive the fans 6' placed near the bottom of the hopper b².
These fans are made in the usual manner and spread the fuel over
the fires. b, 63, are the usual crushing rollers driven by the vertical
shaft b', which gives motion direct by worm and pinion to the driving
axle of the rollers b³. So long as these rollers revolve the coal or
fuel is passed through them and spread over the fires by means of
the fans b¹. One of the shafts b and the shaft 6 are driven by straps
and pulleys from the main driving shaft h. The fans are driven
alternately in contrary directions, so as to distribute the fuel evenly over
the fires in the following manner :- The driven shaft 6 is provided with
fast and loose pulleys q, seen in Figures 1, 2, and 3, and on an enlarged
scale in Figures 4 and 5. On the driving shaft h is a pulley, on which
are two straps driving the shaft b; one of these straps is open and the
other crossed. On the shaft 6 is also a small grooved pulley which drives
the shaftj; on this shaft is a worm geering into a wheel k fixed on the
shaft ; the tumbler lever / fits loosely on the shaft k'; in the face of
the wheel k is a pin k³, which in its rotary motion comes into contact
with the tumbler lever 1, resting against one of the stationary studs m
fastened to the frame m¹. When the pin comes against the tumbler
lever it drives it over the centre until it falls against the other
stationary stud m. As the lever moves from its position to that shewn
in dotted lines it moves the levers and connecting rod with it, the
lever, with a fulcrum at *, causing the rod with the strap forks to
descend, thereby guiding the belts along the pulleys q, thus bringing
a different belt on to the fast pulley of the driven shaft b and causing it
to revolve in the contrary direction. As soon as the motion of the
shaft 6 is reversed the grooved pulley transmits the change of motion to
the shaft j, which causes the worm and wheel to be reversed, conse-
quently the tumbler lever remains in its new position shewn in dotted
lines, and the wheel k with the pin return in the opposite direction

page_text: till the pin strikes the lever and again reverses its motion; and these
operations are repeated so long as motion is imparted to the shaft j and
wheel k. These reverse motions of the distributing fans cause the fuel
to accumulate first on one side of the fire-grate and then on the other,
thereby allowing the smoke rising from the partially consumed fuel
at one side of the grate to pass over the incandescent fuel on the other
side, by which means the smoke is to a great extent consumed. The
shaft is also driven by the shaft h, and is provided with fast and loose
pulleys, so that the feed rollers 63 are stopped and started by self-acting
machinery in the following manner: The tube c, shewn best in
Figures 6, 7, and 8 of Sheet 2, is filled with mercury and is connected
to the steam space of the boiler; the other end of this mercury tube fits
into a pipe of larger diameter c', in which is a float resting on the
mercury. To the upper end of this float is connected a wire fastened to
the end of the lever d which has a fulcrum ; the pendant arm of this
lever passes through a stationary guide e, and its extremity is slotted to
receive the arm f¹ of the swinging frame f; this frame is moved by this
lever d according as the float is carried up or falls with the mercury in
the pipe c. The eccentric g on the shaft g' has a constant rotary motion
imparted to it by the driving shaft g², on which is a worm driving a
wheel on the shaft g'.
It will be seen by referring to Figures 6, 7, and 8 that the frame fis
so made that the eccentric g will always act on one side or edge
of the frame, and continue to do so until the frame f is moved
sufficiently by the pendant arm of the lever d to bring the arm f¹ of
the frame as far as the guide e will allow it to move, which is only
equal to the breadth of the arm f¹; when this motion has taken place
the eccentric g will catch on the opposite side of the frame f, and
so move the frame f and all the parts connected to it in the direction
of the arrow. When the frame f is in the position shewn in
Figures 1, 2, and 3 the mercury is low in the tube c, and the steam
pressure is at or below its maximum point, consequently the strap
from the driving pulley to the shaft 6' is running on the fast pulley
and so gives motion to the feeding rollers 63, but when the steam
pressure gets beyond the desired limit the lever d moves the frame f
into position for being traversed in the contrary direction by the
eccentric g and the link f jointed below to the frame f and above
to the double lever f³ causes this lever to raise the driving strap from
the fast to the loose pulley on the shaft 6' and so stops the supply of

page_text: fuel and at the same time closes the dampers a³, as will be described
hereafter.
In Figures 1, 2, and 3 this apparatus, which forms no part of my
Invention excepting when used in combination with my present
improvements, is shewn in connection with the pulleys and straps for
driving the feeding rollers 63 in the hopper 62, the same apparatus is
also employed for varying the position of the dampers a³ in the
following manner :-The dampers a³ are opened and closed as the frame
f is moved in one direction or the other. At the extreme end of the
arm of the frame fis a pin which fits loosely in a slotted lever i
keyed to the shaft which has two other slotted lever keyed to it,
and these give a lateral motion to the rods or bars which slide on
rollers; on the end of each of these bars is a pin working in the slot
of a lever ; this lever is keyed on the spindle of the dampers a³. By
this arrangement it will be seen that the dampers are partially closed
when the steam pressure gets above the desired point, and that they
are again opened when the steam falls below the maximum point.
Having thus stated the nature of my Invention, and described the
manner of performing the same, I declare that I claim,―
First. The general combination of the parts forming the improved
as shewn and
self-acting apparatus for supplying fuel to furnaces
described.
Secondly. The improved machinery described for reversing the
direction of motion of the fans which distribute the fuel on to the fire-
grates.
Thirdly. Driving the crushing or feed rollers independently of the
distributing fans.
And, lastly. The improved machinery for varying the position of the
dampers as shewn and described.
In witness whereof, I, the said William Rye, have hereto set my
hand and seal, this First day of December, One thousand eight
hundred and sixty-eight.