Year: 1887

page_text: Date of Application, 8th June, 1887.
Specification Accepted, 12th July, 1887.
I, CHARLES ALBERT KNIGHT of the Babcock and Wilcox Company, 107 Hope
Street, in the City of Glasgow, Engineer, do hereby declare the nature of this invention
and in what manuer the same is to be performed, to be particularly described and
ascertained in and by the following statement :-
This invention relates to steam generators.of the well known Babcock and Wilcox
type and the improvements are in part designed to make provision whereby that type
of generator may be worked in practice without the usual overhead steam and water
drum wherein the steam generated from water circulating through the tubes is disen-
gaged and collected the object being in a safety boiler to minimise the effect of
explosion by reducing the volume of the individual parts as provided for by the law of
certain countries and to reduce principally the bulk of the steam: reservoir to facilitate
To that end the inclined water tubes which
transportation to places difficult of access.
are carried through the combustion chamber of the boiler furnace as usual are
connected to headers or water boxes at front and rear which are connected by horizontal
return water tubes also within the combustion chamber but at a higher level, and
above these water tubes but under the crown of the furnace a series of steam tubes is
fitted and connected either to the same or to separate headers to receive the steam
disengaged from the water circulating through the water tubes, a steam chest provided
with the usual safety valve and pipe connections being connected to the upper end of

page_text: the front header or headers to receive the steam which collects and is dried in
traversing the steam tubes. The invention also relates to boilers of the same type as
adapted for heating water to be circulated through piping for heating apartments of
buildings, the boiler consisting in this case of a series of inclined water tubes connected
to a header or headers at each end and the upper part of the boiler being connected
to a hot water flow pipe whilst the return pipe is connected to the mud drum or lower
end of the boiler. The invention further einbraces an improved arrangement of the
heating tubes in staggered clusters of two or more with the headers of steam and
water boilers of the type above referred to, the headers being provided with hand holes
with removable covers arranged with relation to each cluster of tubes so that the end
of each tube is exposed to the hand hole opening the object being to obtain convenient
access to the ends and interior of the heating tubes for the purpose of introducing and
operating an expanding tool for securing the tubes, or a tool for scraping and
cleaning the interior of the tubes. The hand hole openings are in the operation of
punching dished or pressed out to form ring seats which are afterwards faced to ensure
the formation of water tight joints without the use of rubber or other packing rings
when the closing caps or covers are secured over the openings; or for the like purpose
short tubes having flanged ends are expanded or, if oblong, pressed or otherwise
secured in the hand hole openings and the flanged ends are suitably faced.
As represented in longitudinal vertical section at figure 1, and in front elevation at
figure 2, of the accompanying drawings the improved steam generator is composed of
a series of inclined water tubes A, A, passing through the combustion chamber B of
a boiler furnace C, and connected at each end to a header or headers D, D. To the
upper part of the front headers or to separate headers connected by nipples or other-
wise thereto a series of horizontal return water tubes E, E, is carried lengthwise of the
furnace and connected to headers D' at the rear having connections d to the lower
rear headers D, D. Above the normal water level in the headers D' a series of steam
tubes F, F, carried under the crown B¹ of the combustion chamber connects the
headers D at the rear to headers or steam boxes.D2 in front, the latter being rested
loosely upon the front headers D, so that they may freely give under elongation or
contraction of the tubes F. The several series of heating tubes A, E, F, are arranged
in clusters of four tubes in the line of each opening as hereinafter explained. The
headers D2, are connected by nipples or short tubes to a steam chest G, which may be
of the smallest diameter and of a length just sufficient to provide for the connection to
it of the several headers D², and upon this steam chest the pressure gauge and safety
valve are fitted and from it the usual pipe connection is taken to the point where the
steam generated in the boiler is to be used. In practice the steam is disengaged at
the water level in the rear upper headers D' and in its passage through the tubes F, it
is dried and partially superheated before being delivered through the front header D²
to the steam chest G. The mud drum H, which may also be of the smallest diameter
is protected by brickwork and is connected to the lower end of the rear headers D), and
provided with feed pipe and blow off connections and also with a connection to a stand.
pipe fitted with a water gauge.
In a modification shown in figures 3 and 4, the lower headers to which the inclined
water tubes A, are connected are placed vertical and the return water tubes E, are
. connected in front to separate headers D2, to which the lower front headers are
connected by nipples or short tubes. The upper front headers D2, also serve for the
connection of the steam pipes F, and to prevent water being carried up into the steam
space in said headers, dash plates J, are fitted at any convenient point above the water
level and under the line of the steam tubes F. The nipples or short tubes connecting
the upper and low headers in this example provide to some extent, and in general
sufficiently, for movement of the upper headers due to unequal elongation or contrac
tion of the steam and water tubes.
Figures 5, and 6 represent in longitudinal vertical section, and cross section
respectively the improved boiler as adapted for circulating hot water through piping
in apartments of buildings and for like purposes. In this case no provision is made

page_text: whereby circulation through the boiler alone may take place, the boiler being.composed
simply of a series of inclined water tubes A, A, connected at each end to a single
header or a series of headers D, D, and the front or upper headers being connected to
a small cross drum G, to which is connected the hot water flow pipe whilst the return
flow pipe from the circulating piping or other course through which the hot water is
circulated is connected to the mud drum H at the lower end of the rear headers. The
arrangement of the furnace and combustion chamber may be the same as in steam
generators of the type hereinbefore referred to, I also propose to employ this form of
boiler by suppressing the fire grate and front, and attaching it to the chimney flue of
a steam generator to serve as a means of heating the feed water for the generator.
Figures 7 and 8 are respectively a front view and plan of one of the cross headers
of a boiler of the type referred to showing the application thereto of the heating tubes
as arranged in staggered clusters of three. Figures 9, 10 and 11 are a front view,
plan and end view of such a header in which four heating tubes are fitted in each
cluster.
As shown by these figures the hand holes have removable covers arranged with
relation to each cluster of tubes so that the end of each tube is sufficiently exposed to
the hand hole opening for the purpose of securing and cleaning, and one or two fully
exposed for removing direct.
D represents the header, K the hand hole plate or cover, K¹ the yoke or clamp for
holding the plate in place, and a, a', a² the heating tubes..
In figure 7 of the drawings a cluster of three heating tubes is shown, the end of one
tube, being fully exposed to the hand hole opening, and the ends of the adjacent tubes
but partially exposed.
The tube a, is capable of direct removal and the tubes a¹ are removed or replaced
indirectly through the aperture that contained the tube a.
In figures 9 and 10 of the drawings, clusters of four tubes cach are shown, two of
which a², being capable of direct removal and the others capable of indirect removal or
insertion through either of the fully exposed apertures.
It will be observed that in the polygonal form of headers shown, the width of the hand-
hole opening is necessarily restricted, and but one or two of the tubes clustered and
staggered as shown can possibly be included in the direct line of the opening. It will
also be observed that an additional amount of tube heating surface can be connected to
each header, and as the header is the most expensive part of the structure the greater
the connected heating surface, the less will be the total cost.
The seat formed around the hand hole opening for the closing cover is either pressed
out to the form shown at & figure 12 in the operation of punching the hand hole from
the interior of the header or a tubular bush or nipple k₁ of a form and size adapted to
fill the opening having on its outer end a flange adapted to form a seat for the closing
cover is secured in the opening by being expanded therein or by having its inner end
pressed over the inner edge of the orifice or in the case of a circular orifice by screwing
or otherwise.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of the said invention
and in what manner the same is to be performed, I declare that what I claim is
1 A water tube safety steam boiler specially adapted for convenient transportation
and composed of the series of inclined and horizontal water tubes A, E, and steam
tubes F, connected at either end to headers D, D1, D2, whereby perfect circulation of
the water and consequent rapid generation of steam are secured, the ordinary steam
and water drum being dispensed with and replaced by the return water tubes E, and
steam tubes F, provision being made for elongation and contraction of said tubes the
parts being arranged and combined substantially as described with reference to
figures 1, 2, 3 and 4.
2 A hot water boiler or heater consisting of a series of inclined water tubes carried
through a furnace or combustion chamber and connected at either end to headers to
which at one end is connected the flow pipe and at the opposite end the return pipe of

page_text: piping for circulating the hot water for heating apartments or for heating feed water;
substantially as described with reference to figures 5, and 6, of the annexed drawings.
3 A header för steam generators of polygonal form in cross section, having a series
of clusters of heating tubes connected therewith and provided with hand hole openings
located opposite the ends of said clusters of tubes, so that a portion is fully exposed to
the hand hole openings and the remaining portion partially exposed, whereby all the
tubes composing the cluster may be cleaned, removed or replaced, as set forth.
4 A header for steam generators having formed integral with it around the hand
hole orifices ring seats adapted to form with the closing caps or covers water tight
joints without the use of packing rings, substantially as set forth.
5 In a header for steam generators ring seats for the closing caps or covers of the
hand hole orifices formed by expanding or otherwise securing therein flanged tubes or
bushes, substantially as set forth.