IMPROVEMENTS IN FURNACES APPLICABLE FOR HEATING STEAM BOILERS AND GAS RETORTS, AND FOR OTHER LIKE PURPOSES
Year: 1878

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to William Robert Lake, of the Firm of Haseltine, Lake,
& Co., Patent Agents, Southampton Buildings, London, for the Invention of
"IMPROVEMENTS IN FURNACES APPLICABLE FOR HEATING STEAM BOILERS
AND GAS RETORTS, AND FOR OTHER LIKE PURPOSES." [A communication
from abroad by Charles William Kriens, of Gladbach, Germany.]
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said William Robert Lake at the
Office of the Commissioners of Patents on the 15th March 1878.
WILLIAM ROBERT LAKE, of the Firm of Haseltine, Lake, & Co., Patent Agents,
Southampton Buildings, London. "IMPROVEMENTS IN FURNACES APPLICABLE
FOR HEATING STEAM BOILERS AND GAS RETORTS, AND FOR OTHER LIKE PUR-
POSES." [A communication from abroad by Charles William Kriens, of Gladbaclı,
Germany.]
This Invention relates to furnaces especially constructed for the production of
carbonic oxide, and the mixing of the same with air heated by the waste heat froin
the furnace.
In practising my Invention, I may build the furnace of any suitable form and
dimensions, according to the particular purpose for which it is to be employed, but
the same must be provided with a fire-place or chamber wherein the fuel is burned,
and which communicates with a chamber or space in which the air is admitted to
mingle with the carbonic oxide rising from the fire-place.
But the important and novel feature of my Invention is, that no more air is
admitted than necessary to form the carbonic oxide to the said fire-place or chamber,
which has no fire bars or grate like an ordinary furnace, but is provided with a
solid plate or slab of fire-resisting material on which the fuel is laid.
If the brick work is not specially arranged to exclude the percolation of air, no air
need be admitted at all at the bottom, enough finding its way through. But I
prefer to arrange the brickwork with double walls filled with gauister, sand or such
other fire-resisting material to prevent the filtration of air, and only admit the air

page_text: below through a fire-clay pipe or any other suitable device. The outer bricks I also
soak in heated pitch, to make them as non-porous as possible.
I prefer that the said fire-place should have a sloping portion extending from the
front down to the bottom plate or slab, which should be the narrowest portion of
the fire-place. At the top of the said fire-place I provide a door.through which the
fuel is supplied to the fire-place, which door when closed is air-tight. I also provide
a door near the bottom and in front of the furnace, which door is also air-tight when
closed, and which is only opened to permit the raking out of the ashes and clinkers
when necessary.
The part of my improved furnace which encloses the boiler or the gas retorts, or
other apparatus to be heated, is arranged above the fire-place in such a manner that
the carbonic oxide produced from the combustion of fuel in the fire-place will rise
into the same through a flue or two or more flues or passages provided for this
purpose. And into this upper chamber or portion of the furnace I admit the air
through suitable apertures in properly regulated quantities, so that the volume of
air admitted may be in the proper proportion to that of carbonic oxide.
By thus burning the fuel without the usual free admission of air, I ensure the
production in the furnace of a large quantity of carbonic oxide, whereas in furnaces
in which air is admitted through a grate to the fuel, carbonic acid is produced in
the fire-place, and the great heating effect obtained by the mixture and combustion
of the carbonic oxide and air under and around the boiler or gas retorts or other
apparatus to be heated is lost.
My Invention effects a great saving of fuel, as a practically perfect combustion of
the fuel is effected, for the reason that no cold air is admitted to the fire-place or
fuel combustion chamber, and by the mixture and combustion of the air and
carbonic oxide as above described a very great heating effect is obtained.
If my improved furnace is used for the heating of gas retorts, a result of this
great heating effect will be an increased yield or production of gas of a much higher
illuminating power than can be obtained by an equal quantity of coals carbonized
in the ordinary manner. This result is partly due to the equality of temperature
maintained in my improved furnace, as the flame produced therein is regular or
constant, and equally distributed over the entire area of the surfaces to be heated,
instead of being localized or confined to a small space or area, as in furnaces
wherein the ordinary method of firing is adopted. And when coke is used, I am
enabled to charge the furnace more heavily and more frequently than an ordinary
furnace, and thereby still further increase the productive capacity of the gas retorts.
Or I can diminish the number of retorts and other portions of the plant.
Moreover the walls or brickwork of the said improved furnaces, and the surface
heated thereby, will not be subject to rapid destruction or deterioration by the
sudden changes of temperature to which they are liable in other furnaces.
The said improved furnaces permit the use therein of any kind of fuel, and will
be very advantageous for the utilization of coke, breeze, slack, coal dust or other
wasto or refuse carbonaceous matter.
In the above description, I have more particularly referred to furnaces for
generating steam and heating gas retorts, but the application of my Invention is
not limited to these purposes.

page_text: SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent filed by
the said William Robert Lake in the Great Seal Patent Office on the 14th
September 1878.
WILLIAM ROBERT LAKE, of the Firm of Haseltine, Lake, & Co., Patent Agents,
Southampton Buildings, London. "IMPROVEMENTS IN FURNACES APPLICABLE
FOR HEATING STEAM BOILERS AND GAS RETORTS, AND FOR OTHER LIKE PUR-
A communication from abroad by Charles William Kriens, of Gladbach,
POSES.'
Germany.
This Invention relates to furnaces especially constructed for the production of
carbonic oxide, and the mixing of the same with air heated by the waste heat from
the furnace.
In practising my Invention, I may build the furnace of any suitable form and
dimensions, according to the particular purpose for which it is to be employed, but
the same must be provided with a fire-place or chamber wherein the fuel burned,
and which communicates with the space in which the air is admitted to mingle
with the carbonic oxide rising from the fire-place.
with a steam boiler.
Figure 1 is a vertical longitudinal section on the line A, B, Figure 3.
Figure 2 is a vertical transverse section on the line C, D, E, F, of Figure 1.
And Figure 3 is a horizontal section on the line G, H, C, I, of the same Figure.
In Figures 4, 5, 6, and 7 I have shewn furnaces constructed according to my
Invention in connection with a series of gas retorts.
Figure 4 is a vertical longitudinal section, the part to the left of the line 1, 2,
being taken on the line, J, K, of Figure 5, and that to the right of the said line
being taken on the line L, M, of the same Figure.
Figure 5 is a vertical transverse section of the said furnaces and series of retorts,
the parts to be left of the lines 3, 4, and 5, 6, being taken on the lines N, O, aud
P, Q, of Figure 4, the part to the right of the line 5, 6, being taken on the line P, R,
of the same Figure.
Figure 6 is a vertical section of a portion of Figure 5, the part to the left of the
line 7, 8, being taken on the line L, M, of Figure 5, and that to the right on the
line S, T, of the same Figure.
Figure 7 is a horizontal section, the part to the left of the line 9, 10, being taken
on the line U, V, of Figure 5, and the part to the right of the said line being taken
on the lines W, X, and Y, Z, of Figures 4 and 5.
a is the fire-place or chamber for generating the carbonic oxide gas; bis the
aperture or door for feeding the said chamber with fuel; c represents the aperture
or door for removing the ashes and clinkers; d represents the aperture for the
entrance of the air; d, d, are the horizontal and vertical passages through which
the air passes to the outlet e in the chamber f, into which the carbonic oxide gas
passes from the fire-place or chamber a; g, g, represent a series of bricks with open
spaces between them and arranged above the chamber f and outlet e. These bricks
serve to mix the gas and air passing from the aforesaid chamber f; h, h, represent
the retorts arranged in connection with the said fire-place or chamber a.
The important and novel feature of my Invention is, that no more air is admitted
than necessary to form the carbonic oxide to the said fire-place or chamber a,
which has no fire-bars or grate like an ordinary furnace, but is provided with a solid
plate or slab a¹ of fire-resisting material on which the fuel is laid.

page_text: If the brickwork is not specially arranged to prevent the percolation of air, no
air need be admitted at all at the bottom, enough finding its way through. But I
prefer to arrange the brickwork with double walls filled with ganister, sand or other
fire-resisting material, to prevent the filtration of air, and only admit the air below
through a fire-clay pipe or other suitable device. The outor bricks I also soak in
heated pitch to make them as non-porous as possible. In some cases I may use
bauxite instead of fire-brick in the construction of the said furnace, which may be
arched or straight at its upper end as desired.
I prefer that the said fire-place should have a sloping portion extending from the
front down to the said bottom plate or slab a¹, which should be tho narrowest
portion of the fire-place. At the top of the said fire-place I provide the door b
through which the fuel is supplied to the said fire-place, which door when closed
is air tight. I also provide a door c near the bottom, and in front of the furnace,
which door is also air-tight when closed, and which is only opened to permit the
raking out of the ashes and clinkers when necessary.
The part of my improved furnace which encloses the boiler or the gas retorts or
other apparatus to be heated is arranged above the fire-place in such a manner that
the carbonic oxide produced from the combustion of fuel in the fire-place will rise
into the same through the flue, passage or chamber f, or two or more flues or
passages provided for this purpose, and into this upper chamber or portion of the
furnace I admit the air through the apertures e in properly regulated quantities, so
that the volume of air admitted may be in the proper proportion to that of carbonic
oxide.
By thus burning the fuel without the usual free admission of air, I ensure the
production in the furnace of a large quantity of carbonic oxide, whereas in furnaces.
in which air is admitted through a grate to the fuel, carbonic acid is produced in the
fire-place, and the great heating effect obtained by the mixture and combustion of
the carbonic oxide and air under and around the boiler or gas retorts or other
apparatus to be heated is lost.
My Invention effects a great saving of fuel, as a practically perfect combustion of
the fuel is effected, for the reason that no cold air is admitted to the fire-place or
fuel combustion chamber, and by the mixture and combustion of the air and carbonic
óxide as above described a very great heating effect is obtained.
If my improved furnace is used for the heating of gas retorts, a result of this
great heating effect will be an increased yield or production of gas of a much higher
illuminating power than can be obtained by an equal quantity of coals carbonized
in the ordinary manner. This result is partly due to the equality of temperature
maintained in my improved furnace, as the flame produced therein is regular or
constant, and equally distributed over the entire area of the surfaces to be heated,
instead of being localized or confined to a small space or area, as in furnaces wherein
the ordinary method of firing is adopted. And when coke is used, I am enabled to
charge the furnace more heavily and more frequently than an ordinary furnace, and
thereby still further increase the productive capacity of the gas retorts. Or I can
diminish the number of retorts and other portions of the plant.
Moreover, the walls or brickwork of the said improved furnaces and the surface
heated thereby will not be subject to rapid destruction or deterioration by the
sudden changes of temperature to which they are liable in other furnaces.
The said improved furnaces permit the use therein of any kind of fuel, and will
be very advantageous for the utilization of coke, breeze, slack, coal dust, or other
wasto or refuse carbonaceous matter.
In the above description, I have more particularly referred to furnaces for
generating steam and heating gas retorts, but the application of my Invention is
not limited to these purposes.
Having thus fully described the said Invention as communicated to me by my
foreign correspondent, and the manner of performing the same, I wish it understood'
that 1-claim,
-
2
The improvements in furnaces or fire-places consisting in constructing the same-

page_text: as set forth and shewn in the Drawings, so that the admission of the air may be
regulated or controlled, as and for the purposes specified.
In witness whereof, I, the said William Robert Lake, have hereunto set
my hand and seal, this Fourteenth day of September, in the year of our Lord
One thousand eight hundred and seventy-eight.
177M DADI TAZZ