Improvements in Apparatus for Preventing the Deposit and Formation of Incrustation upon the Surface of Boiler Flues and for Removing such Incrustation if Formed.
Year: 1886

page_text: Date of Application, 14th July, 1886.
Complete Left, 14th Apr., 1887.
Complete Accepted, 17th May, 1887.
Improvements in Apparatus for Preventing the Deposit and
Formation of Incrustation upon the Surface of Boiler Flues and
for Removing such Incrustation if Formed.
I, JAMES GEORGE GALLEY, of Forest Gate, in the County of Essex, Engineer,
do hereby declare the nature of this invention to be as follows:-
My invention relates to the flues of steam boilers, upon the outer surface of which
flues scale and incrustation are liable to be deposited from the water contained in
the boiler, such incrustation being a bad conductor of heat and interfering materially
with the effective generation of steam.
It is applicable more especially to the internal flues of marine boilers and other
boilers of the like kind, which flues are frequently made corrugated circumferentially
with a number of parallel waved corrugations.
Supposing that my invention is to be applied to a boiler containing two or more of
such internal corrugated flues, the outer surface of which it is desired to keep clean
and free from incrustation, I fit freely round the outside of the corrugated flue near
its ends inside the boiler, a ring of cast iron, steel or other suitable material, provided
with a sufficient number-preferably six or more of friction rollers or wheels turning
in bearings in the ring and touching or nearly touching the outer surface of the flue,
so that the ring is steadily supported but at the same time can be easily turned round
with little friction. The external circumference of the rings is provided with teeth,
into which gear corresponding pinions fixed upon a shaft parallel with the flue, and
one or both ends of this shaft pass out through stuffing boxes at the ends of the boiler,
so that the shaft can be turned round and by doing so cause the rings also to turn
round upon the flues.
The rings are connected together by a sufficient number, preferably six or more, of
parallel stays, and upon one or more of these stays are arranged side by side from end
to end of the flue a number of scrapers or cleaning tools. Each of these scrapers
consists of a lever having an eye turning freely upon the stay which supports it, and
having formed upon or fixed to it, upon each side of the eye on which it turns, an
inclined scraping blade of steel or other suitable material the outer edge of which is

page_text: made of a shape corresponding with the part of the corrugated flue against which it is
pressed by the weight of the lever, so that when the rings are made to revolve, the
scrapers pass round the flue removing any sediment which may be deposited or any
incrustration which may be formed upon it. One of the inclined scraping blades
being arranged upon each side of the centre upon which the lever turns the two blades
come into operation alternately as the rings revolve and the weighted lever presses
each in turn against the flue.
The remaining flues in the boiler are fitted in the same way as that described, with
toothed rings, friction wheels or rollers, stays, and scrapers, the rings round them being
geared with toothed pinions of such diameter as to gear simultaneously with two sets
of adjoining rings, and the scrapers being adjusted so that they move in the proper
direction round the flues. Or each set of rings and scrapers may be provided with a
separate driving shaft and pinions.
By properly shaping the edges of the scrapers, it is evident that they may be used
for the purpose of keeping clean plain cylindrical flues as well as corrugated ones;
and suitable notches or openings may be made if necessary where rivets have to be
passed over.
The end of the shaft which is brought through a stuffing box in the end of the boiler
as described, is provided with a pulley or wheel by which it can be set in revolution
by means of a strap or cord from the Engine which the boiler supplies, or from a
separate Engine, or from other convenient power, so that all the rings round all the
flues are made to move slowly round, carrying with them the scrapers by the action
of which any sediment is prevented from settling upon the flues and any incrustation
formed there is removed. Where there is a tendency for such sediment or incrusta-
tion to collect upon the top of the flues only, the rings may be made to reciprocate
backward and forward instead of rotating continuously, the scraping devices being
arranged upon their upper sides only.
Instead of scraping edges as described, the levers may be provided with brushes or
cleaning instruments of suitable shape of steel or other wire or other suitable material,
and in this way the surface of the flues is kept clean and free from deposit and the
effective evaporating power of the boiler is maintained.
The rings may be made in two or more parts screwed or bolted together.
Where the flues are of considerable length, one or more intermediate rings with
friction wheels or rollers may be arranged between those at the ends of the flue as
first described, and the proportion, shape, and method of arranging and of actuating
the several parts of the apparatus may be varied more or less according to the shape
of the flues and the character of the boiler to which the invention is to be applied.
Dated this 11th day of July 1886
EDWARDS & Co.,
35, Southampton Buildings, London,
Agents for the Inventor.
4

page_text: Improvements in Apparatus for Preventing the Deposit and
Formation of Incrustation upon the Surface of Boiler Flues and
for Removing such Incrustation if Formed.
I, JAMES GEORGE GALLEY, of Forest Gate, in the County of Essex, 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, and accompanying drawings, (that is to say) :-
:-
My invention relates to the flues of steam boilers, upon the outer surface of which
flues scale and incrustation are liable to be deposited from the water contained in the
boiler, such incrustation being a bad conductor of heat and interfering materially with
the effective generation of steam. It is applicable more especially to the internal flues
of marine boilers and other boilers of like kind, which flues are frequently made
corrugated circumferentially with a number of parallel waved corrugations.
In the accompanying drawings, which are in illustration of my invention, figure 3
is a transverse section, and figure 4 a longitudinal section on a larger scale of such a
marine boiler having three internal corrugated flues.
Figures 1 and 2 are views shewing upon a larger scale details of the method of
construction which 1 prefer to adopt.
a, b, c, are the internal corrugated flues, the outer surface of which it is desired to
keep clean and free from incrustation, I fit freely round the outside of each corrugated
flue near its ends inside the boiler, a ring d of cast iron, steel or other suitable
material, provided with a sufficient number-preferably six or more- of friction rollers
or wheels e turning in bearings fin or attached to the ring and touching or nearly
touching the outer surface of the flue, so that the ring is steadily supported but at the
same time can be easily turned round with little friction. The external circumference
of the ring is provided with teeth g, into which gear corresponding pinions h, h³, fixed
upon shafts i, i, parallel with the flue, and one or both ends of the shafts pass out
through stuffing boxes j, at the ends of the boiler, so that the shafts can be turned
round and by doing so cause the rings d also to turn round upon the flues.
The rings d are connected together by a sufficient number, preferably four or more,
of parallel stays k, and upon one or more of these stays are arranged side by side from
end to end of the flue a number of scrapers or cleaning tools indicated at 1, in figure 4.
These scrapers 1, may consist of brushes or cleaning instruments of suitable shape, of
steel or other wire preferably galvanized, or other suitable material attached directly
to the bars or to levers connected to the bars, and in this way as the apparatus
revolves the surface of the flues is kept clean and free from deposit and the effective
evaporating power of the boiler is maintained.
Each of the scrapers I may consist of a lever having an eye turning freely upon or
hinged to the stay which supports it, and having formed upon or fixed to it, upon
each side of the eye on which it turns, an inclined scraping blade of steel or other

page_text: suitable material the outer edge of which is made of a shape corresponding with the
part of the corrugated flue against which it is pressed by the weight of the lever, so
that when the rings d are made to revolve, the scrapers pass round the flue removing
any sediment which may be deposited or any incrustation which may be formed upon
it. One of the inclined scraping blades being arranged upon each side of the centre
upon which the lever turns, the two blades come into operation alternately as the rings
revolve and the weighted lever presses each in turn against the flue.
All the flues in the boiler are fitted in the same way with toothed rings, friction
wheels or rollers, stays, and scrapers (as shewn in figure 3), the rings round them
being geared with toothed pinions of such diameter as to gear simultaneously with
two sets of adjoining rings, and the scrapers being adjusted so that they move in the
proper direction round the flues. Or each set of rings and scrapers may be provided
with a separate driving shaft and pinions.
By properly shaping the edges of the scrapers or brushes, it is evident that they
may be used for the purpose of keeping clean plain cylindrical flues as well as
corrugated ones, and suitable notches or openings may be made if necessary where
rivets have to be passed over.
The ends of the shaft which is brought through a stuffing box in the end of the
boiler as described, is provided with a pulley or wheel m (figure 4) by which it can be
set in revolution by means of a strap or cord from the Engine which the boiler supplies,
or from a separate Engine, or from other convenient power, so that all the rings round
all the flues are made to move slowly round, carrying with them the scrapers by the
action of which any sediment is prevented from settling upon the flues and any
incrustation formed there is removed. Where there is a tendency for such sediment
or incrustation to collect upon the top of the flues only, the rings may be made to
reciprocate backward and forward instead of rotating continuously, the scraping
devices being arranged upon their upper sides only. Instead of the toothed wheels
and pinions described and shewn, pitch chains and wheels may be used.
The rings may be made in two or more parts screwed or bolted together as shewn
at n in figures 1 and 2.
Where the flues are of considerable length, one or more intermediate rings with
friction wheels or rollers may be arranged between those at the ends of the flue as first
described, and the proportion, shape, and method of arranging and of actuating the
several parts of the apparatus may be varied more or less according to the shape of
the flues and the character of the boiler to which the invention is to be applied.
I do not confine myself to any precise form, material, or method of arrangement of
the scrapers or brushes by which the surface of the flues is cleaned as described, nor to
any particular method of actuating such scrapers or brushes, but having now
particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said invention, and in what
manner the same is to be performed, I declare that what I claim is :-
The method of cleaning and keeping free from deposit or incrustation the surface
of flues in boilers, by means of scrapers, brushes, or equivalent devices caused to move
continuously or intermittently over the surfaces which are to be so kept clean,
substantially as described and shewn in the drawings.
Dated this 14th day of Anril 1887