IMPROVEMENTS IN HEATING STRUCTURES AND ARTICLES, AND IN THE MODE OF AND APPARATUS FOR OBTAINING HEAT FROM PETROLEUM AND OTHER HYDRO- CARBONS, AND IN APPARATUS FOR SUPPLYING AIR TO FURNACES
Year: 1868

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Robert Alfred Wright, of Homerton, in the
County of Middlesex, Engineer, for the Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS
IN HEATING STRUCTURES AND ARTICLES, AND IN THE MODE OF AND
APPARATUS FOR OBTAINING HEAT FROM PETROLEUM AND OTHER HYDRO-
CARBONS, AND IN APPARATUS FOR SUPPLYING AIR TO FURNACES."
Sealed the 2nd October 1868, and dated the 9th April 1868.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Robert Alfred Wright
at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition,
on the 9th April 1868.
I, ROBERT ALFRED WRIGHT, of Homerton, in the County of
Middlesex, Engineer, do hereby declare the nature of the said Invention
for "IMPROVEMENTS IN HEATING STRUCTURES AND ARTICLES, AND IN THE MODE
OF AND APPARATUS FOR OBTAINING HEAT FROM PETROLEUM AND OTHER HYDRO-
CARBONS AND IN APPARATUS FOR SUPPLYING AIR TO FURNACES," to be as
follows:-
Instead of using water to heat houses, carriages, baths, and drying
stoves, and for other heating purposes, I employ a solution of glycerine,

page_text: which may be more or less concentrated, if desired, and which I employ
in circulation pipes coiled where required.
One mode of heating the glycerine, which mode may be employed
for obtaining, maintaining, and increasing heat for other purposes in
furnaces, consists in blowing or projecting one or more currents or jets
of steam or air (superheated or otherwise) across or over the mouth of
a pipe or chamber containing petroleum or other hydrocarbon, which is
thereby projected in minute particles or sprays into the furnace on to
fuel, clinkers, or other substances on the grate bars or hearth. At the
same time air is drawn or forced into the furnace. Great heat is thus
obtained. I prefer to project the steam or air by fantail, bat-wing, or
Sometimes the
such like nozzles or jets to obtain greater diffusion.
petroleum or hydrocarbon is subjected to pressure or heat, or both
before being projected, and its flow may be regulated by a cock or
valve actuated or controlled by the pressure of steam in the boiler when
one is used.
An improved valve for supplying air to this and other furnaces
consists of a balance plate placed in the furnace door or fire-door
preferably extending nearly its whole breadth, or it may be in a flue or
air passage. This valve works on a sharp or knife edge like the centre
of a scale beam, or it may work by rolling motion on a sharp edge; it
carries a weight regulated by set screw or otherwise. When fresh fuel
is charged and the draft momentarily stopped through the bars the
furnace draft will open the valve and admit air. The valve closes when
the draft through the bars is re-established. The glycerine may be
heated by a cone covered with flat rope or other frictional agent working
frictionally in a cone in the glycerine vessel, such first cone may be
driven by the axle when used in carriages.
Other modes of heating the glycerine may be employed.

page_text: WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her
Letters Patent, bearing date the Ninth day of April, in the year of
our Lord One thousand eight hundred and sixty-eight, in the thirty-
first year of Her reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give
and grant unto me, the said Robert Alfred Wright, Her special licence
that I, the said Robert Alfred Wright, my executors, administrators, and
assigns, or such others as I, the said Robert Alfred Wright, my
executors, administrators, and 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 HEATING STRUCTURES AND ARTICLES, AND IN THE MODE OF AND APPARATUS
FOR OBTAINING HEAT PROM PETROLEUM AND OTHER HYDROCARBONS, AND IN
APPARATUS POR SUPPLYING AIR TO FURNACES," upon the condition (amongst
others) that I, the said Robert Alfred Wright, my executors or
administrators, by an instrument in writing under my, or their, or 'one
of their hands and seals, 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 Robert Alfred Wright, do hereby
declare the nature of the said Invention, and in what manner the
same is to be performed, to be particularly described and ascertained in
and by the following statement thereof, reference being had to the
accompanying Drawings and to the letters and figures marked thereon,
that is to say :-
My Invention consists of the following improvements. Instead of
using water for heating houses, carriages, baths, and drying stoves, and
for other heating purposes, I employ a solution of glycerine which may
be more or less concentrated if desired, and which I employ in ordinary
circulation pipes coiled where required.
One mode of heating the glycerine, which mode may also be employed
for obtaining, maintaining, and increasing heat in furnaces for other
purposes, consists in blowing or projecting one or more currents or jets
of steam or air (superheated or otherwise) across or over the mouth of
a pipe or chamber containing petroleum or other hydrocarbon, which

page_text: petroleum or hydrocarbon is thereby projected in minute particles or
sprays into the furnace on to fuel clinkers or other substances on the
grate bars or hearth, at the same time air is drawn or forced into the
furnace, great heat is thus obtained. I prefer to project the steam or
air for the above purpose by fantail, bat-wing, or such like nozzles or
jets so as to obtain greater diffusion. Sometimes I subject the petroleum
or hydrocarbon to pressure or heat, or both, before being projected, and
I may regulate its flow by a cock or valve actuated or controlled by
the pressure of steam in the boiler when one is used.
My improved valve for supplying air to this and other furnaces
consists of a balance plate placed in the furnace door or fire door, and
preferably extending nearly its whole breadth, or this valve may be
in a flue or air passage. The valve works on a sharp edge or knife
edge like the centre of a scale beam, or it may work by rolling motion
on a sharp edge. It carries a weight regulated by set screw or other-
wise. When fresh fuel is charged into the furnace and the ordinary
draft through the bars momentarily stopped or checked, the furnace
draft as afterwards more particularly described will open the valve and
admit air. The valve closes when the draft through the bars is re-
established. The glycerine may be heated by a cone covered with flat
rope or other frictional agent working frictionally in a cone in the
glycerine vessel, such first cone may be driven by the axle when used
in carriages.
C
Other modes of heating the glycerine may be employed.
In carrying my Invention into effect the density of solution of
glycerine which I recommend is 16° Baumé in ordinary cases, but I
do not confine myself to this density.
Figures 1, 2, and 3 of the accompanying Drawings exemplify my
arrangements for obtaining, maintaining, and increasing heat by blowing
or projecting a jet of steam or air (superheated or otherwise) across
or over the mouth of a pipe or chamber containing petroleum or other
hydrocarbon.
A, Figure 1, is a pipe terminating at one end in a nozzle a, which
I sometimes prefer to form in the manner shewn in the view Figure 2.
This nozzle is placed just over but not in contact with the top of a
pipe B, which contains petroleum or other hydrocarbon fed thereto
from a reservoir so placed with respect to the mouth of the pipe B

page_text: that the petroleum or hydrocarbon may be kept up to or nearly up to
the top or mouth of the pipe B. Air or steam is forced through the
pipe A by any ordinary means, and is thus projected or blown across
the mouth of the pipe B, whence it takes up the petroleum or hydro-
carbon therein and carrying it with it projects it in minute particles
or sprays into the furnace on to the fuel clinkers or other substances
supported on the grate bars or hearth thereof, air being at the same
time drawn or forced into the furnace. The flow of the petroleum or
hydrocarbon may be regulated by a cock or valve which is actuated
or controlled by the pressure of steam in the boiler when a boiler is used;
and in carrying this into effect I prefer to use the well known plan or
contrivance called Barretts' steam damper or regulator. In Figure 3
a reservoir C is used at the angle or bend of the pipe B to receive and
collect the deposits from the petroleum. Whence it may be removed.
through a hole closed by a screw plug c.
Figures 4, 5, 6, and 7 refer to my improved valve shewn as applied
to a furnace door.
Figure 4 is an elevation of a furnace door to which my valve is
applied; Figure 5 transverse section through the door showing the
valve; Figure 6 plan of valve (or one leaf of a double valve, as it máy
be described). The furnace door D is hollow, that is to say, it forms
a box or chamber being composed of front and back perforated plates D
connected together at the top, bottom, and sides by solid or non-
perforated plates D*. The door D should be as broad as possible so as to
extend entirely or nearly entirely across the whole width of the furnace.
The plates D are slotted or perforated with apertures d, d; E is my
improved valve which is placed within the furnace door D between the
front and back plates thereof. This valve consists of a metal balance
plate, that is to say, a plate weighted at one end and centered or working
on a knife edge f, supported in a circular, tubular, or annular socket
or collar g fixed to the sides D* of the chamber forming the furnace
door. The knife edge is screwed or otherwise attached to the plate E
or it may be in a piece therewith. The knife edge f and its supporting
socket g are shown enlarged in Figure 7. H is a counterbalance weight
attached by adjusting or set screws h, h, to the outer end of the valve E.
There are two such valves E with arrangements f, g, H, h, in the
interior of the furnace door, as shown in Figure 5, so placed that
when closed their inner edges meet, as shown; i, i, are partitions fixed

page_text: to the top and bottom plates D* of the hollow furnace door to pre-
vent air from entering the furnace through the door otherwise than
between the valve plates E. When fresh fuel is charged into the
furnace the draft through the grate bars is of course thereby temporarily
stopped or checked; but as during this interval the ordinary furnace
- draft occasioned by the chimney or uptake continues, a partial vacuum
is produced in the furnace above the grate bars, and the external
atmospheric air in the hollow or chambered furnace door entering
through the perforations d in the outer plate D of the furnace door
will impinge against the valve plates E, and by its pressure will open
them, causing their ends e to separate and allow the air to pass into
the furnace through the apertures d in the inner plate D of the furnace
door. When the draft through the grate bars is re-established, and the
vacuum is overcome, the ends e of the valve plates E will come together
or close and shut off access of external atmospheric air into the furnace
through the door. The valve E may be placed and work in like
manner in a flue or air passage of a furnace. Instead of the valve
plate E working on a knife edge as shown, it may work by rolling
motion on a knife edge. For this purpose a roller may be attached to
the valve plate E instead of attaching the knife edge thereto. This
roller runs or works on a knife edge, which may be attached to or in
a picce with the roller, and which works in the annular socket or collar;
or such knife edge may be attached to or form part of the socket or
collar, and the roller will work thereon.
Figure 8 is an end elevation, and Figure 9 a. longitudinal section
shewing apparatus for heating and applying glycerine for warming
railway carriages.
K is a chamber or vessel in which is fixed or formed a cone or
conical recess L; M is a cone covered with flat rope m and carried
by an axis N. It is placed and works within the conical socket L,
in which it is fitted in such manner that the outer sides of the flat
rope m come in contact with the inner sides of such recess L, L; n³ is
a set screw or adjusting screw for regulating the position of the cone M
with respect to the socket L, whereby the degree of friction is regulated;
or a spring may be used for the purpose. Rotary motion is com-
municated to the cone M by means of its axis N, such axis being
actuated by a pulley o thercon worked by a band p, deriving motion
from a pulley on the axis Q of the railway carriage wheels. The

page_text: frictional contact of the rope with the sides of the cone L produces
heat and warms the glycerine, the heated glycerine rising through the
pipe K*, which communicates with circulation pipes fitted in and
warming the interior of the railway carriages. As the glycerine after
passing through the circulation pipes becomes cool it passes from such
pipes into the pipe k³, which communicates with the chamber K and
the glycerine becomes reheated, and rising as it becomes heated passes
up again through the pipe K*; hence a constant circulation of the
glycerine is obtained. r, r, are brackets for supporting the glycerine
vessel K. These brackets are attached to the under part of the carriage;
8, bracket for supporting the end of axis N which is loose in the
bush.
I am aware that the method of and the apparatus for obtaining heat
by the frictional motion of a cone covered with rope or other frictional
agent and working in a conical socket, are not new per se and apart
from the employment thereof for the heating of glycerine for the purpose
of obtaining and applying heat from such glycerine for the heating of
houses, carriages, and other structures; such method and apparatus
which I believe to be newly applied by me to the heating of glycerine
for the purpose I describe have been previously used for generating
steam from water, but not for heating glycerine, as set forth.
Having now described the nature of the said Invention, and in what
manner the same is to be performed; I declare that I claim,-
First. The employment of solution of glycerine in circulation pipes
for heating purposes.
Second. The mode of and the arrangement and combination of
apparatus for obtaining, maintaining, and increasing heat by blowing
or projecting a current or jet of steam or air, superheated or otherwise,
over and across the mouth of a pipe or chamber containing petroleum
or other hydrocarbon so as to project the same in minute particles or
sprays into a furnace or fire-place, substantially as described.
Third. The construction and arrangement of weighted valve working
on a sharp edge or knife edge like the centre of a scale beam or working
by rolling motion on a sharp edge, such valve being constructed and
working substantially as described.
Fourth. The heating of glycerine by conical apparatus, substantially
as described for the purposes above set forth; but I do not claim the

page_text: said conical apparatus in respect of the construction and arrangement
of such apparatus and apart from its application for the purpose of
heating glycerine in such manner that its heat may be utilized, as
described.
In witness whereof, I, the said Robert Alfred Wright, have
hereunto set my hand and scal, this Seventh day of October,
in the year of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and sixty-
eight.
Witness,
M. HENRY,
68, Fleet Street,
London.
ROBT. A. WRIGHT. (L.S.)