IMPROVEMENTS IN AND IN THE CONSTRUCTION OF GAS KILNS AND FURNACES, AND ARRANGEMENTS FOR SUPERHEATING STEAM THEREIN.
Year: 1882

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to David Thompson and William Henry Thompson, of
Queen Square, Leeds, in the County of York, Plumbers and Glaziers,' for an
Invention of IMPROVEMENTS IN AND IN THE CONSTRUCTION OF GAS
KILNS AND FURNACES, AND ARRANGEMENTS FOR SUPERHEATING STEAM
THEREIN.
"
"
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said David Thompson and William
Henry Thompson at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents on the
13th January 1882.
DAVID THOMPSON, and WILLIAM HENRY THOMPSON, of Queen Square, Leeds in
the County of York, Plumbers and Glaziers. "IMPROVEMENTS IN, AND IN THE
CONSTRUCTION OF, GAS KILNS AND FURNACES, AND ARRANGEMENTS FOR
SUPERHEATING STEAM THEREIN."
Our Invention relates to certain improvements in furnaces, for which Letters
Patent were granted to us on the 20th April 1881, No. 1719; the object of our
present Invention being to lessen the first cost of construction in certain cases, the
cost of working, and the time occupied in working such furnaces, as applied to.
bending, burning, staining, and annealing glass, and burning art tiles or pottery,
and also japanning and enamelling iron and other useful purposes; and relates
also to an adaptation of such improved furnaces to the method of preserving iron
and steel from rust, by what is known as the "Barff" process, whereby the time
and cost of carrying out such process are greatly lessened.
We construct the kiln, oven, or furnace (herein after called the kiln) with a
series of flues, regulated by dampers, and fitted with louvres in the chimney for
preventing down draught, as severally described in the Specification to our said
Letters Patent No. 171981, and of the sectional form therein described, or of any
other sectional form, according to the purposes for which the kiln may be intended,
and we place the necessary number of gas burners, in one or more rows, near to the
level of the floor of such kiln; and arrange flues surrounding the bottom, sides,
and top of such kiln, in order, economically to utilize the heat produced by the
combustion of the gas.
1

page_text: We also, when desirable, make use of any cheap kind of heating gas, which has
but small illuminating power and great heating power, and which does not require
any special form of "atmospheric " burner.
When adapting our said Invention to the process known as the "Barff" process
for protecting iron and steel from rust, we fit into the said kiln a suitably formed
iron oven, in which the articles to be protected are placed. The upper part (by
preference) of this oven, is partitioned off by a horizontal partition of iron or other
suitable material, and this upper portion is filled with fragments of iron and brick
or fireclay, thereby forming a mass of broken materials. High pressure steam is
forced into one end of this chamber, which passes to and out of the other end
thereof, and in its passage it percolates and mixes with the heated materials and
thereby becomes superheated and more or less decomposed.
This steam then passes downwards, by means of suitable pipes placed in the side
flues; receiving further heat thereby; and is then conveyed to a space suitably
arranged under the oven in the kiln. The oven being supported by open brick
work in the kiln. From this space the steam passes upwards through suitable
perforations in the bottom of the oven, and thereby comes into contact with the
surfaces of the iron and steel goods or other articles to be protected and rendered
rust proof.
A suitable door is provided to enable the "goods to be placed in and removed
from the oven, and suitable taps, pipes and valves are provided for the ingress and
egress of the steam previously to and after the process of superheating.
We also sometimes arrange two or more steam superheating and decomposing
chambers, at and along the sides and top of the kiln, instead of at the top only, in
order to obtain a greater amount of heating surface, the several steam pipes being
varied to suit such altered conditions.
The Invention and arrangements herein described may be used in conjunction
with the carriage and other appliances or some or one of them described in our
said former Specification No. 171981 or independently of such carriage and any one
or more of such other appliances.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent
filed by the said David Thompson and William Henry Thompson in the
Great Seal Patent Office on the 13th July 1882.
DAVID THOMPSON and WILLIAM HENRY THOMPSON of Queen Square, Leeds in
the County of York, Plumbers and Glaziers. "IMPROVEMENTS IN AND IN THE
CONSTRUCTION OF GAS KILNS AND FURNACES AND ARRANGEMENTS FOR
SUPERHEATING STEAM THEREIN."
Our Invention relates to certain improvements founded upon those for which
Letters Patent were granted to us on the 20th April 1881 No. 1719; the object of
our present Invention being to construct kilns and furnaces of an improved
character lessening the first cost of construction and in certain cases the cost of
working and the time occupied in working such furnaces as applied to burning art
tiles or pottery and also japanning and enamelling iron and other useful
purposes.
-

page_text: "Barff"
One modification of our improved furnaces is adapted for employing the process
of preserving iron and steel from rust by what is known as the
process whereby the time and cost of carrying out such process are greatly
lessened.
We construct the kiln, oven, or furnace (hereinafter called the kiln) with a
series of flues regulated by dampers and fitted with louvres in the chimney for
preventing down draught as severally described in the Specification to our said
Letters Patent No. 171981 and of the sectional form therein described or of any
other sectional form according to the purposes for which the kiln may be intended
and we place the necessary number of gas burners in one or more rows near to the
level of the floor of such kiln and arrange flues surrounding the bottom sides and
top of such kiln in order economically to utilize the heat produced by the
combustion of the gas.
We also when desirable make use of any cheap kind of heating gas which has.
but small illuminating power and great heating power and which does not require
any special form of atmospheric burner.
When adapting our said Invention to the process known as the " Barff" process.
for protecting iron and steel from rust we fit into the said kiln a suitably formed
iron oven in which the articles to be protected are placed. The upper part (by
preference) of this oven is partitioned off by a horizontal partition of iron or other
suitable material and this upper portion is filled with fragments of iron and brick
or fireclay thereby forming a mass of broken materials. High pressure steam is
forced into one end of this chamber which passes to and out of the other end
thereof and in its passage it percolates and mixes with the heated materials and
thereby becomes superheated and more or less decomposed. This steam then passes.
downwards by means of suitable pipes placed in the side flues receiving further.
heat thereby and becoming superheated to the required degree; it is then conveyed
to a space suitably arranged under the oven in the kiln, the oven being supported
by open brickwork in the kiln. From this space the steam passes upwards through
suitable perforations in the bottom of the oven and thereby comes into contact
with the surfaces of the iron and steel goods or other articles to be protected and
rendered rust proof.
A suitable door is provided to enable the goods to be placed in and removed
from the oven, and suitable taps, pipes, and valves are provided for the ingress
and egress of the steam previously to and after the process of superheating.
We also sometimes arrange two or more steam superheating and decomposing
chambers at and along the sides and top of the kiln instead of at the top only in
order to obtain a greater amount of heating surface the several steam pipes being
varied to suit such altered conditions.
The Invention and arrangements herein described may be used in conjunction
with the carriage and other appliances or some or one of them described-in our
said former Specification No. 171981 or independently of such carriage and any one
or more of such other appliances.
And in order that our said Invention may be more fully understood reference
is made to the accompanying Sheet of Drawings in which similar letters of reference
indicate corresponding parts in the several Figures.
The said Drawings illustrate the application of our said Invention to the method
of preserving iron and steel from rust and are not intended as exhaustive illus-
trations of the several applications and modifications of which this Invention is
capable but by the Drawings herewith such modifications of the construction in the
subject matters contained in our said former Patent will be understood without any
further or additional Drawings.
Fig. 1 is a front view of our said gas kiln fitted with our said steam superheating
and decomposing apparatus. Fig. 2 is a longitudinal sectional elevation on the
line xx.
Fig. 3 is a transverse sectional elevation on the line z z.
a a are the gas burners entering suitable apertures as shown. Other suitable
burners may be substituted for these burners and may be otherwise placed under

page_text: the floor of the oven b is the oven wherein the goods are placed to be operated
upon. This oven is formed of iron or other suitable material.
The upper part c is divided by a steam tight partition c¹ and the lower part is
fitted with a raised perforated floor d' whereby the chamber d is formed.
Doors e e are fitted to the front of the oven which may be lined w th fire brick
or other non-conducting material ƒ is a steam pipe whereby steam is conveyed
from any convenient source to the chamber c.-f1 is another steam pipe for con-
veying superheated and the decomposed constituents of the steam to the lower
chamber d. This pipe f¹ may be greatly elongated and led in a zig zag form down
the side Blues in order to absorb additional heat in its passage to the chamber d.
The chamber c is supplied with a quantity of fragments of iron, brick, fireclay or
other suitable materials which receive and retain heat and operate thereby upon the
steam. The steam then entering the lower chamber d receives an additional
amount of heat from the bottom g, upon the under side of which the direct heat
from the combustion of the gas first impinges. The perforated plate di permits
the steam thus prepared to enter the space b and operate upon the goods
placed therein. A pipe h is provided for letting off the surplus steam when
required.
ii are the lower flues k k are the side flues are the upper flues to which
dampers m m are fitted n is the main flue or chimney. In some cases we place
a flue in front of the door for carrying away heated-gases. For carrying out the
remaining purposes of this our said Invention herein before mentioned that is to
say for burning art tiles or pottery and also japanning and enamelling iron and
other useful purposes (where steam is not required the separate chambers c and d
and the partitions c' and d' are not required. In the latter case the muffle may
sometimes be constructed of fire brick, fire clay, asbestos mixtures and other
analogous materials instead of iron as before described.
Having thus described and ascertained our said Invention and the manner in
which the same may be performed and carried out we claim
First. The improved modifications of gas kilns and furnaces constructed sub-
stantially as hereinbefore described and shown on the Drawings annexed.
Second. The use of our improved gas kilns and furnaces when provided with the
means of superheating steam for the purposes and in manner substantially as
herein before described.
In witness whereof we the said David Thompson and William Henry
Thompson have hereunto set our hands and seals this Twelfth day of July
in the year of our Lord One thousand eight hundred, and eighty two.