Improvements in and in Apparatus for Burning Liquid Hydro- carbons for Generating Steam or other Heating or Lighting Purposes.
Year: 1894

page_text: Date of Application, 12th June, 1894
Complete Specification Left, 12th Mar., 1895-Accepted, 27th Apr., 1895
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in and in Apparatus for Burning Liquid Hydro-
carbons for Generating Steam or other Heating or Lighting
Purposes.
I, TAYLOR BURROWS of 88 Upper Kennington Lane, London, S.E. Engineer,
do hereby declare the nature of this invention to be as follows:-
It is well known that many attempts have been made to burn crude or other
petroleum oil or other liquid hydro-carbons in a variety of ways and by a still
greater variety of means but hitherto the use of liquid fuel has not proved very
satisfactory especially when applied alone as the means of raising steam in large
steam generators.
Now my present invention is designed to overcome the difficulties heretofore
experienced and to render the burning of liquid fuel simple and economical either
for raising steam in steam generators or for any other purpose to which same may
be applicable.
According to my present invention I proceed as follows:-
A suitable case or enclosing wall (of either cylindrical or other suitable form in
cross section) is advantageously arranged vertically or in other suitable manner
(a shaft or chimney being added to create sufficient draught if required) and at
the bottom of this case or enclosing wall same is closed (or may have a pan or
removable vessel acting in an equivalent manner) into which bottom receptacle the
crude petroleum oil (or other suitable liquid hydro-carbon-which for the sake of
brevity I shall hereinafter refer to as oil ") flows or is fed in any suitable manner
(for instance by the well-known bird fountain feed) so as to keep a constant level
of the "oil" in such bottom receptacle.
66
This latter may advantageously have blocks of incombustible material (such as
balls of fire-clay, asbestos, etc.) placed therein to about the level of the oil in same
or otherwise.
Air inlet and ignition holes or openings are formed in the case just above or
about the said level of the oil or around the said bottom oil receptacle and the oil
in the latter is there ignited and acts as hereinafter explained.
Just over this flame (and advantageously over said air inlet holes) I mount
a grid or cross bar (somewhat after the manner of the ordinary bottom bars of a
boiler furnace or fireplace) upon which grid is supported any suitable non-
combustible material in blocks pieces granulated or other separated form so that
when piled or placed in a heap on said grid they will not form a solid body but will
on the contrary form a porous or openwork body through which vapour gas or air
can freely ascend or pass and in order to form such a porous body suitable for my
purpose I may use balls or irregular or other shaped pieces or blocks of fire-clay
asbestos or metal or metal chains or the like which are piled in a body to a suitable
height for instance in an apparatus three feet high such porous body may be at
least one foot from the grid or support thereof up to the top of said body.
At a point near the top of this porous body air inlet holes are provided through
the wall or case and also additional air supply may be provided by means of a
tube or tubes arranged centrally or otherwise in the porous body and either
drawing in the air from inlets at the side or from the very bottom of the apparatus
or both and any suitable deflecting plate or plates or other equivalent arrangement
may be introduced to direct the air at the point of ultimate combustion above the

page_text: porous body so as the better to ensure good or perfect combustion ; also a further
set of air inlet openings may be arranged towards the top of the case or wall to
assist combustion.
In some cases the oil may be fed into the middle or other part of the porous
body down which it trickles and is vaporised (or some of it) by the ascending heat
from the said lower flame which latter may be fed entirely by the oil coming from
such supply or this upper feed may be used in addition to or as an auxiliary of the
bottom feed before described.
The operation is as follows:
The oil having been ignited in the bottom receptacle the combustion at this
point is limited by the close proximity of the aforesaid porous body over same
through which porous body the said lower flame will not pass. A vaporising action
of the oil however is set up and such vapor together with the air drawn in and the
products of such combustion as takes place at this lower point and any unconsumed
hydro-carbons all ascend together through this porous body which becomes highly
heated and on arrival at the top of said porous body they are here ignited and
burn with intense heat-the aforesaid additional air supply or supplies being
regulated according to the purposes for which this apparatus is to be used.
If the oil is fed into the porous body aforesaid-thereby still more oil is vaporised
(as same trickles down) by the ascending heat.
The interposition of this porous body between the lower or vaporising" flame
and the upper actual point of combustion constitutes an essential and important
element in my present invention.
Dated this 12th day of June 1801
TONGUE & BIRKBECK,
34, Southampton Buildings, Chancery Lane, London, W.C.,
Agents for the Applicant.
Improvements in and in Apparatus for Burning Liquid Hydro-
carbons for Generating Steam or other Heating or Lighting
Purposes.
I, TAYLOR BURROWS of 88 Upper Kennington Lane, London, S.E. Engineer,
do hereby declare the nature of this invention and in what manner the same is to
be performed to be particularly described and ascertained in and by the following
statement:-
It is well known that many attempts have been made to burn crude or other
petroleum oil or other liquid hydro-carbons in a variety of ways and by a still
greater variety of means but hitherto the use of liquid fuel has not proved very
satisfactory especially when applied alone as the means of raising steam in large
steam generators.
Now my present invention is designed to overcome the difficulties heretofore
experienced and to render the burning of liquid fuel simple and economical either
for raising steam in steam generators heating stoves or for any other purpose to
which same may be applicable.
And in order that my present invention may be easily understood and readily
carried into practice will proceed to fully describe same with reference to the
accompanying sheet of drawings: -
Fig. 1 is a vertical section and Fig. 2 a cross section on line 1-1 Fig. 1 of my
improved apparatus for burning petroleum.
A suitable case or enclosing wall a (of either cylindrical shape as shown in Fig. 2
or of any other suitable form in cross section) is advantageously arranged vertically

page_text: or in other suitable manner (a shaft or chimney being added to create sufficient
draught if required) and at the bottom of this case or enclosing wall a same is
closed (or may have a pau or removable vessel acting in an equivalent manner)
into which bottom receptacle & the crude petroleum oil (or other suitable liquid
hydro-carbon-which for the sake of brevity I shall hereinafter refer to as "oil ")
flows or is fed in any suitable manner for instance from a reservoir such as e or c¹
(regulated for instance by the well-known bird fountain feed or by a floating ball
and valve etc.) so as to keep a constant level of the "oil" in such bottom
receptacle b.
This latter may advantageously have blocks of incombustible material d (such as
balls of fire-clay, asbestos, etc.) placed therein to about the level of the oil in same
or otherwise.
Air inlet and ignition holes or openings e are forined in the case a or around the
said bottom oil receptacle above the said level of the oil and the latter is there
ignited and acts as hereinafter explained.
Just over this flame I mount a grid or cross bars f (somewhat after the manner
of the ordinary bottom bars of a boiler furnace or fireplace) upon which grid fis
supported any suitable non-combustible material g in blocks pieces granulated or
other separated form so that when piled or placed in a heap on said grid they
will not form a solid body but will on the contrary remain permeable through
which gas vapour or air can freely ascend or pass and in order to form such
permeable body suitable for my purpose I may use balls or irregular or other
shaped pieces or blocks of fire-clay asbestos or metal or metal chains or the like
(metal chains g are shown in the drawings) which are piled in a body to a suitable
height in the case-for instance in an apparatus three feet high such body g may
be say 1 foot (or more or less) from the grid or support thereof up to the top of
said mass g.
At a point near the top of this body g-air inlet holes are provided through
the wall or case a and also additional air supply may be provided by means of a
tube i (or tubes) arranged centrally or otherwise in the permeable body g and
either drawing in the air from inlets jj at the side (or from the very bottom of
the apparatus or both) and any suitable deflecting plate k (or plates) or other
equivalent arrangement may be introduced to direct the air at the point of
ultimate combustion above the body so as the better to ensure good or perfect
combustion; also a further set of air inlet openings may be arranged towards the
top of the case or wall a to assist combustion-or if desired the central air tube i
and connections may be dispensed with sufficient air supply for most purposes
being obtained from the aforesaid openings in the enclosing wall.
l
In some cases the oil may be fed into the middle or other part of the body
for instance as shown at and it then trickles down the chain etc. g and is
vaporised (or some of it) by the ascending heat from the said lower flame which
latter may be fed entirely by the oil coming from such supply at or this upper
feed may be used in addition to or as an auxiliary of the bottom feed before
described.
The operation is as follows:-
The oil having been first ignited in the bottom receptacle the combustion at this
point is limited by the close proximity of the aforesaid permeable body g over
same through which body y the said lower flame will not pass. A vaporising action
of the oil however is set up and such vapour together with the air drawn in at the
aperture e and the products of such combustion as takes place at this lower point
and any unconsumed hydro-carbons all ascend together through this permeable
body g (which latter becomes highly heated) and on arrival at the top of said
permeable body g they are here ignited and burn with intense heat-the aforesaid
additional air supply or supplies i j (if used) being regulated according to the
purposes for which this apparatus is to be used.
If the oil is fed into the permeable body g at as aforesaid thereby still more
oil is vaporised (as same trickles down) by the ascending heat.

page_text: "
"
The interposition of this permeable body g between the lower or vaporising
flame and the upper actual point of combustion constitutes an essential and
important element in my present invention.
In experimenting I have found that by placing the permeable body g a little
distance (for instance 2 or 3 inches) above the lower point of ignition too much
combustion takes place there and consequently the successful action of the
apparatus is interfered with whereas by placing the bottom of this body g close
down (almost touching) the top of the material d in the bottom pan bat which
point the air inlet apertures e are arranged consequently the flame at this point
only burns or appears to burn a very little way inwards all round-the close
proximity of the bottom of the body g serving to smother more complete combustion
and consequently the liquid hydro-carbons are vaporised in the central part of this
ring of flame and such vapour passes upwards through the body g to be burnt at
the top thereof.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said inven-
tion and in what manner the same is to be performed I declare that what 1
claim is :-
:-
1. An apparatus for burning liquid hydro-carbons in which the liquid hydro-
carbons are ignited or burn at two separated points and the respective resulting
flames therefrom separated by an interposed body of non-combustible material in
a granulated or other suitable form to produce such a permeable body as will
permit the passage of vapour from one flame to the other but prevent the passage
of flame therethrough.
2. An apparatus for burning liquid hydro-carbons in which the liquid hydro-
carbons are fed to the lower part of the apparatus and there ignited and the
resulting vapour therefrom passes through an interposed body of asbestos lime or
other suitable non-combustible material in a granulated or other suitable form such
as pieces of metal, metal chain or the like to form a suitable permeable body above
said lower point of ignition which will permit air or vapour to pass therethrough
but prevent the passage of flame substantially as and for the purposes described.
3. An apparatus for burning liquid hydro-carbons in which the liquid hydro-
carbon is fed in at the lower part and there ignited and having a permeable body
of any suitable material arranged just over said point of ignition which prevents
the passage of the flame therethrough but permits the passage therethrough of
the vapour or unconsumed hydro-carbons and air which after passing through said
permeable body are ignited above same and there burnt (in a second and separate
flame) and also having means to introduce air. to either the exterior or interior (or
both) parts of this second flame substantially in the manner and for the purposes
hereinbefore described.
4. An apparatus for the purposes described having an euclosing wall such as a
a bottom receptacle such as b and air inlets e at which point the liquid hydro-
carbons are ignited or vaporised in combination and acting in conjunction with a
permeable body such as g mounted on cross bars such as ff just over such point
so as to prevent flame ascending through this body g but permitting vapour to
ascend therethrough and air inlet openings such as at the point of final ignition
above said permeable body substantially in the manner and for the purposes
herein before described and illustrated in the drawings hereunto annexed.
5. The improved apparatus for burning liquid hydro-carbons constructed and
arranged to act substantially in the manner and for the purposes hereinbefore
described and illustrated in the drawings hereunto annexed.
TONGUE & BIRKBECK,
Southampton Buildings, Chancery Lane, London, W.C.,.
Agents for the Applicant.