An Improved Method of and Apparatus for Facilitating the Burning of Liquid Fuel in Steam Boiler and other Furnaces
Year: 1889

page_text: Date of Application, 23rd Sept., 1889-Accepted, 26th Oct., 1889
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
An Improved Method of and Apparatus for Facilitating the Burning
of Liquid Fuel in Steam Boiler and other Furnaces.
1. CHARLES LEON GOODRIDGE of No. 52 Free Street, Portland, in the County of
Cumberland and State of Maine United States of America, 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:-
My invention relates to furnaces and boilers using kerosene oil for fuel by means
of an injector and it has for its object to devise a method by which the injector or
atomizer flame may be kept continuously burning.
In these furnaces oil is injected into the fire-pot or combustion chamber placed
within the walls of the furnace by means of an atomizer which is supplied with
steam from the boiler. Hitherto great difficulty has been experienced in keeping
this flame continuously burning and many accidents have occurred by the explosion
of oil injected into the furnace from the atomizer after the flame had become
extinguished.
When used. in steam launches this flame was particularly liable to become ex-
tinguished from one or more of the following causes, viz. The plugging of the
atomizer from dirt and the oil: being blown out by the wind: the condensing of the
steam in the supply pipe by taking water over the side of the boat by the foaming
of the boiler whereby the steam pipe was filled with water which must discharge itself
through the atomizer: by the rapid expansion and cooling effect of the jet of steam
as it came from the atomizer and from other, numerous, causes.
An attempt has been made to remedy this difficulty by placing an ordinary lamp
beneath the nozzle of the atomizer but this has failed to operate satisfactorily, for the
reason that the same cause which extinguished the main flame was liable to extinguish
the lamp also.
My invention consists in heating a mass of refractory material such as fire-brick or
asbestos, by placing it in contact with the main flaine and then conducting, into
contact with said refractory material a substantially continuous supply of oil or other
inflamable material independent of the main supply. It further consists of the
apparatus herein, shown for carrying this process into effect.
The apparatus by which this process is preferably carried into effect consists of a
fire-brick or mass of asbestos placed within the walls of the furnace and, at the side of
an opening out in the fire pot,.a drip nozzle for dripping oil continually upon the fire
brick or asbestos and a sight feed connected with a source of supply.
In the accompanying drawing 1 illustrate a form of apparatus designed to carry
my process into effect. The drawing represents a part sectional view through a
kerosene oil burning boiler of ordinary construction.
A A represents the boiler casing; B is the water-back; CC are the tubes; D is
the fire pot and E is the atomizer.
The parts above described are common to all boilers of this description and are no
part of my invention.
In the side of the fire pot D and as near the casing as possible I cut a slot or
opening and at the side of this slot I place a fire brick or mass of asbestos F.
Directly over the fire brick F I cut a hole in the casing and insert therein a drip
nozzle G so that its end will be directly over the fire brick F. Secured to the outside
of the casing A is a support or bracket K on which is a sight feed glass H connected
with a cock I.
The drip nozzle G is connected with the sight feed glass H and the cock I is
connected with an oil supply at a higher level by means of the pipe J.
In operating the device the main Hause may be lighted in the usual manner and the
drip started by turning the cock L.

page_text: The drip at once takes fire on the surface of the fire-brick H by the flame from the
aperture.d.
The drip, having once ignited continues to burn and whenever the main flame is
extinguished the fame from the drip is drawn in through the opening & relighting
the fire instantly.
It will be observed that the drip has three separate and independent means of
lighting first, each drop as it burns on the surface of the fire brick lights, the drop
which follows it; second, the fire brick F after becoming sufficiently heated causes
the drip to burn as fast as it falls and third, the flame from the aperture d will also
light it should it ever become extinguished.
In ordinary use care must be taken not to allow the oil to fall in a continuous
stream from the drip nozzle but to fall drop by drop:
When absorbent material like asbestos is used in the place of the fire brick however,
the flame of the drip may be used for getting up steam in the boiler by simply
lighting it and allowing it to fall onto the asbestos in a sufficiently large stream.
The device here illustrated renders the use of kerosene oil, boilers and engines
absolutely safe from the dangers resulting from the extinguishing of the fires and
this has been in the past the only serious objection to the use of this form of boiler.
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 I
claim is :-
:-
1-The herein described process of producing and sustaining an auxiliary flame for
relighting a principal hydro-carbon or other flame which consists in heating a mass of
refractory material by placing it in contact with said principal flame and then
conducted into contact with said refractory material, a substantially continuous
supply of inflamable material independent of the main supply, substantially as
shown.
2-The herein described process of producing and sustaining an auxiliary flame-for
relighting the principal hydro-carbon or other flame which consists in placing a mass
of refractory material in contact with said principal flame and then continually
dropping upon said refractory material a supply of inflamable material independent of
the main supply, substantially as shown.
3-The herein described apparafus for relighting the flame of an injector burner
consisting of a fire pot, having in the side thereof a slot or opening, a mass of re-
fractory material placed adjacent to said slot or opening, a drip nozzle extending
through the casing over said refractory material, a sight feed connecting said drip
nozzle with an oil supply, in combination substantially as shown.
Dated th
HASELTINE, LAKE & Co.,
45, Southampton Buildings, London, Agents for the Applicant.