IMPROVEMENTS IN FURNACES
Year: 1866

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Edward Brown Wilson, of Edinburgh, for the
Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN FURNACES."
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Edward Brown Wilson
at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on the
11th October 1866.
I, EDWARD BROWN WILSON, of Edinburgh, do hereby declare the nature
of the said Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN FURNACES," to be as follows:-
This Invention relates to the furnaces of marine and stationary engine
boilers, also to puddling and other like furnaces.
When altering a marine boiler I insert a water space or brick arch at the
top of the furnace, about eighteen inches deep, some distance within the boiler.
I remove the bars and introduce a cast-iron plate, which may be covered with
fire-bricks or not as preferred. I continue this plate some distance into the
boiler, and leave an open space at the end thereof, putting in a bridge at
some distance from the end of such plate, which bridge may be of fire-bricks,
or may consist of a water space as desired, or may sometimes be dispensed
with. In front of the plate at the top I fit a grid or opening or openings, or
a grid and opening or openings combined, and at the top or over the grid I

page_text: .
place a cast-iron plate, which may be covered with fire-brick or not, and in
the front of. the grid I place a door or doors so as to form a hot air chamber.
I sometimes put a plate below the cast-iron plate above described, thereby
forming an air conduit, through which air may be supplied into the hot air
chamber, or it may be supplied in any other convenient manner, as, for
example, through side conduits or through the door or doors. At the top of
the furnace I put à door or doors opening into the fuel chamber, and some-
times small slides may be inserted in such door or doors for pushing forward
the fuel. The coal is supplied at the top of and rests on the plate above
described. The air passes through the grid or opening or openings, or grid
and openings combined, into the incandescent fuel, and thence through the
flue or flues to the chimney, and may be let in at the bottom of the fuel plate,
or doors may be placed at the bottom, or a plate may be put in to form
another air admission partly down the fuel plate. I prefer the fuel plate to
be inclined downwards to assist the descent of the fuel. When using an
opening or openings only for admitting air into the incandescent fuel I prefer
the air. to be admitted by side admissions, the feeding door for fuel being in
the centre. I sometimes continue the plate only part of the way into the
boiler, and put in grate bars for the remaining part; or the grate bars may
be continuous. When putting in a fuel plate and bars combined I prefer
that the bars be a little below the fuel plate. It is obvious that this arrange-
ment is adapted to furnaces generally, more particularly to Cornish boiler
furnaces.
When altering a puddling, heating, or other similar furnace I form in the
fuel chamber a hopper by hanging down an arch within a short distance of
the bottom or bars, and I prefer sloping each side to facilitate the descent of
the fuel. I put a door on the top through which the fuel may be fed and air
partially admitted or not; or the fuel may be fed through the front end or
sides with a door or doors to close the entrance at the top. Air may be
admitted by side conduits into the top, which air may be heated by any of the
-well-known plans. I insert at the bottom a plate, partially covered with
brick or not as required, towards the bridge, the remaining distance being
filled in with grate bars, or grate bars may be used throughout. I make holes
in the front of the furnace for pushing forward the fuel or for admitting air.
If desired these holes may be closed by doors.

page_text: SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent, filed
by the said Edward Brown Wilson in the Great Seal Patent Office on
the 11th April 1867.
.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, EDWARD
BROWN WILSON, of Edinburgh, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her Letters
Patent, bearing date the Eleventh day of October, in the year of our Lord
One thousand eight hundred and sixty-six, in the thirtieth year of Her
reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant unto me, the
said Edward Brown Wilson, Her special license that I, the said Edward
Brown Wilson, my executors, administrators, and assigns, or such others
as I, the said Edward Brown Wilson, my executors, administrators, or
assigns, should at any time agree with, and no others, from time to time and
at all times thereafter during the term therein expressed, should and lawfully
might make, use, exercise, and vend, within the United Kingdom of Great
Britain and Ireland, the Channel Islands, and Isle of Man, an Invention for
"IMPROVEMENTS IN FURNACES," upon the condition (amongst others) that
I,, the said Edward Brown Wilson; my executors or administrators, by an
instrument in writing under my hand and seal, should particularly describe and
ascertain the nature of the said Invention, and in what manner the same was
to be performed, and cause the same to be filed in the Great Seal Patent
Office within six calendar months next and immediately after the date of the
said Letters Patent.
NOW KNOW YE, that I, the said Edward Brown Wilson, do hereby.
declare the nature of my said Invention, and in what manner the same is to
be performed, to be particularly described and ascertained in and by the fol-
lowing statement, reference being had to the accompanying Drawings and to
the letters and figures marked thereon, that is to say :-
My said Invention relates to the furnaces of marine, locomotive, and
stationary engine boilers, also to puddling and other furnaces.
When altering a marine or similar boiler I insert a water space, or, if
preferred, a brick arch at the top of the furnace, some distance within the
boiler; I remove the bars, introduce a cast-iron plate or a water space, if
preferred, which may or may not be covered with fire-bricks. I continue this
plate some distance into the boiler, and leave an open space at the end thereof,
putting on a bridge at some distance from the end of such plate, which bridgę
may be of fire-bricks or may consist of a water space, as desired, or may
sometimes be dispensed with. In front of the plate at the top I fit a grid or

page_text: opening or openings, or a-grid and opening or openings combined, and at the
top or over the grid I place a cast-iron plate, which may be covered with fire-
brick or not, and in the front of the grid I place a door or doors, which may
be provided with slides, so as to form a hot air chamber. I sometimes put a
plate below the cast-iron plate above described, thereby forming an air conduit
through which air may be supplied into the hot air chamber; or it may be
supplied in any other convénient manner, as, for example, through side conduits
or through the door or doors, or by pipes from the deck of the vessel, regulated
by valves. At the top of the furnace I put a door or doors opening into the
fuel chamber, and sometimes slides may be inserted into such door or doors
for pushing forward the fuel. The coal is supplied from a hopper at the top,
and rests on the plate above described. The air passes through the grid or
opening or openings, or grid and opening combined, into the incandescent fuel,
and thence through the flue or flues to the chimney. Air may be let in at the
bottom of the fuel plate, or doors may be placed at the bottom; or a plate
may be put in to form another air admission partly down the fuel plate.
I prefer the fuel plate to be inclined downwards to assist the descent of the
fuel. When using an opening or openings only for admitting air into the
incandescent fuel I prefer the air to be admitted by side admissions, the
feeding door for fuel being in the centre. I sometimes continue the plate only
part of the way into the boiler, and put in grate bars for the remaining part.
When putting in a fuel plate and bars combined I prefer that the bars be a
little below the fuel plate. It is obvious that this arrangement is adapted to
furnaces generally, more particularly when altering Cornish boiler furnaces.
When altering a puddling, heating, or other similar furnace I form in the fuel
chambers a hopper by bringing down an arch within a short distance of the
bottom or bars; and I prefer sloping each side to facilitate the descent of the
fuel. I put a door on the top, through which the fuel may be fed and air
partially admitted or not; or the fuel may be fed through the front end or
sides with a door or doors to close the entrance at the top. Air may be
admitted by side conduits into the top or as before described, which air may be
heated by any of the well-known plaus. I insert at the bottom a plate, covered
with brick or not as required, towards the bridge, the remaining distance being
filled in with grate bars, or bars may be used throughout. I make boles in
the front of the furnace for pushing forward the fuel or for admitting air. If
desired these boles may be closed by doors, or slides, or any other convenient
arrangement.
And in order that my said Invention may be fully understood I shall now
proceed more particularly to describe the same; and for that purpose shall

page_text: refer to the several Figures on the annexed Sheets of Drawings, the same
letters of reference indicating corresponding parts in all the Figures.
Figure 1 (Sheet 1) of my Drawings is a sectional elevation of a marine
boiler constructed according to my Invention. B is the furnace, and E, a
sloping plate partly covered if desired with fire-brick) forming the fuel bed
or bank; this may consist of a water space if desired. An inverted water
pocket or midfeather F forming a fire-bridge (which may, if preferred be
of brickwork) is constructed on the roof of the furnace à short distance from
the tube plate n, which latter may be provided with tubes o opening into the
chamber p, from which the return tubes 9 convey the products of combustion
to the smoke box and chimney at r. The fuel is supplied to the inclined fuel
bank E from a closed hopper I provided with a lid or door K. The roof of
the furnace consists of the water space s, and if desired the bottom of the ash-
pit M may also consist of a water space t, or it may be bars, or a plate with
two side air admissions. The coal hopper I passes through the upper water
space s, and opens directly on to the higher end of the inclined fuel bank E.
Air is admitted through a grating shown in dotted lines at H, and a hot air
chamber R is formed between this grating and the fuel plate provided with
doors U, which may have slides. Another inlet for air at the lower end of
the fuel bank is shewn at u. The ash-pit M may be provided with suitable
doors at O for the removal of the ashes when required. P is a second inclined
plate forming the hot air conduit Q.
Figure 2 on the same Sheet shows the application of my improved furnace
to a locomotive engine boiler or other similar furnace. B is the fire-box,
provided with an inclined fuel plate E, which may consist of a water space if
desired forming the fuel bank; F is a water space, fire bridge, or transverse
midfeather formed on the roof of the fire-box, or it may be brick. The fuel
is supplied from the closed hopper I, and the ashes are collected in the ash-
pan M covered or not with fire-brick, and recessed to hold the refuse, and
hinged so as to fall down in order to discharge its contents; or it may consist
of bars. A plate P is fitted some little distance below the ash-pan, and this
plate is also hinged so as to fall with the latter when requisite. The admission
of air is regulated by the doors at O and x, the door O leading direct into the
ash-pan, whilst the door opens into the hot air conduit Q, along which the
air passes into the hot air chamber R, and thence into the furnace through
the grating H at the upper end of the fuel plate; U is a door to the hot air
chamber; n is the tube plate; and o are the ordinary tubes; or the air may
be supplied with side pipes opening to face the engine chimney. with regu-
lating valves.

page_text: Figure 1 (Sheet. 2) is a sectional view of another modification of my
improved furnace as adapted to alter a Cornish boiler. In this adaptation
I construct a fire-brick arch or lining v extending some little distance inside
the flue b, an inverted fire-bridge F (which may be a water space, if preferred;
or may sometimes be dispensed with) being also constructed inside the flue.
In this way I obtain a furnace chamber B, in which the fuel rests upon an
inclined surface E and E", the upper part E" consisting of grate bars, whilst
the lower portion E is composed of a plate covered with fire-brick; or it may
be a water space. The fuel is supplied thereto from a closed hopper I-provided
with a lid or door K. P is a second inclined plate forming a hot air chamber R
immediately beneath and in front of the inclined fuel surface E"; U are the
doors to the hot air chamber; O is an air inlet at the bottom of the fuel plate,
and serving for the removal of the refuse. Another air inlet a is formed at
the top of the furnace immediately behind the coal hopper I.
Figure 2 (Sheet 2) represents a sectional elevation of another modification
of my improvements as adapted either to a puddling or to a general purpose
furnace according to the arrangement of the working chamber, which is
omitted in the Drawings; F is a fire-brick arch forming the mouth. of the
fuel chamber B; and G is a fire-bridge, above which at W the flame and
products of combustion pass into the working chamber; E is an inclined cast-
iron fuel plate, faced with fire-brick f at the lower end; or it may be covered
all the way; or ƒ may be made a water chamber or bosh, or air may pass
through it drawn by a chimney. Above the upper end of this there is fitted
the grid or air opening H; and above this again the fuel hopper I. This
hopper may be provided with a lateral opening near the bottom thereof for
loosening the fuel therein, and with a hinged lid or cover K at the top or front
thereof. Below the lower end of the fuel plate is situate the ash-pit M, the
bottom of which is formed by the set of loose bars 2, 1, or it may be a plate,
or the refuse may rest on the bottom of the pit. O, O, are air inlets formed
at the front and back of the lower part of the furnace; Q is the hot air
conduit formed by the second plate P; R is the hot air chamber; and U the
door or doors to the same, which may be provided with slides; a is an air
inlet through the top of the furnace immediately behind the fuel hopper I.
The perforated plate X inside the hopper I is for taking off into the furnace
any smoke formed in the hopper; or air may be admitted thereby, or air may
be admitted above the flame bridge G, or through it, or at any desirable
point.
Having now described and particularly ascertained the nature of my said
Invention, and the manner in which the same is or may be used or carried

page_text: into effect, I would observe, in conclusion, that what I consider to be novel
and original, and therefore claim as the Invention secured to me by the
herein-before in part recited Letters Patent, is, the general construction and
arrangement of furnaces, substantially as herein-before described.
In witness whereof, I, the said Edward Brown Wilson, have to this
my Specification hereunto set my hand and seal, this Eighth day of
April, One thousand eight hundred and sixty-seven.