Improvements in the Utilization of Gas for Heating Purposes and in Apparatus therefor.
Year: 1890

page_text: Date of Application, 15th Nov., 1890
Complete Specification Left, 17th Aug., 1891-Accepted 19th Sept., 1891
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in the Utilization of Gas for Heating Purposes and
in Apparatus therefor.
I, MICHAEL MARY BROPHY, of the firm of James Slater and Company, of
251, High Holborn, in the County of London, Engineers, do hereby declare the
nature of this invention to be as follows:
:
My invention has for its object to employ the heat produced by the combustion
of gas more effectively than heretofore, for heating hot-plates, cooking and ironing
stoves, boilers and other apparatus, by utilizing the waste heat for heating the air
necessary for the combustion of the gas.
In carrying out my invention I provide a basket containing what is known as
asbestos fuel or other incombustible material and I arrange in conjunction therewith
atmospheric or other burners whereby the same may be rendered incandescent.
In order to heat the air for supplying the atmospheric burners and thus obtaining
a higher state of incandescence in the fuel than would otherwise be possible, I
place at each side of the basket a regenerative chamber also containing incom-
bustible material and communicating with the chimney, a valve operated in a similar
manner to that described in the Specification filed with my Application for Letters
Patent No. 6660 of 1890 being employed for placing the regenerative chambers
alternately in communication with the chimney and with the atmospheric air.
Around the basket is a casing for preventing the atmospheric air from passing
directly to the burners, the interior of which is in communication with the
regenerative chambers.
In the operation of the apparatus the heat produced by the burners is allowed to
escape through one of the said regenerative chambers for a certain time until the
material therein is thoroughly heated, the valve being then reversed the products of
the combustion will pass through the other regenerative chamber to heat its
contents, the air for supporting the combustion being caused to pass through the
heated material in the chamber whereby the air is highly heated.
Dated the 15th day of November 1890.
G. F. REDFERN & Co.,
4, South Street, Finsbury, London, Agents for the Applicant.
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in the Utilization of Gas for Heating Purposes and
in Apparatus therefor.
I, MICHAEL MARY BROPHY, of the firm of James Slater and Company, of
251, High Holborn, in the County of London, Engineers, 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 has for its object to employ the heat produced by the combustion
of gas more effectively than heretofore, for heating hot-plates, cooking and ironing
stoves, boilers and other apparatus, by utilizing the waste heat for heating the air
necessary for the combustion of the gas.
In carrying out my invention I provide a basket containing what is known as
asbestos fuel or other incombustible material and I arrange in conjunction therewith
atmospheric or other burners whereby the same may be rendered incandescent.
In order to heat the air for supplying the atmospheric burners and thus obtaining
CD027

page_text: a higher state of incandescence in the fuel than would otherwise be possible, I
employ two regenerative chambers also containing incombustible material and
communicating with the chimney, valves operated in a similar manner to that
described in the Specification filed with my Application for Letters Patent No. 6660
of 1890 being employed for placing the regenerative chambers alternately in
communication with the chimney and with the atmospheric air. Around the basket
is a casing for preventing the atmospheric air from passing directly to the burners,
the interior of which is in communication with the regenerative chambers.
To enable my invention to be fully understood I will describe the same with
reference to the accompanying drawings in which :-
Figure 1 is a plan of my improved apparatus with the cover of the regenerative
chambers removed and,
Figure 2 is a plan with the hot plate and the regenerative chambers removed.
Figure 3 is a section on the line x, x, Figure 2 and,
Figure 4 is a section on the line y, y, Figure 3.
a indicates the hot plate and b, b the removable parts of the same one of which
is provided with a series of openings closed by covers c, c. d indicates the basket
containing the incombustible material e, and f, f the atmospheric burners passing
up through the said material in such a manner that the flames are in contact with
the hot plate and thereby heat the same.
g is the casing surrounding the said basket d for preventing the atmospheric air
from passing to the burners without passing through one of the regenerative
chambers as hereinafter described.
h, are the two regenerative chambers, which, as shewn in the drawings, are
formed by dividing a casing i, supported upon the hot plate by a flange, into two
parts by means of a partition j, the top of the said regenerative chambers being
provided with a cover having a flue 1. 12 indicates the incombustible material in
the chambers h, h¹. m is a partition plate which serves to divide the space beneath
the portion of the hot plate not over the basket d, into two portions, the lower
portion serving for the passage of the atmospheric air from one of the regenerative
chambers to support combustion at the burners ff, while the upper portion serves
for the passage of the products of combustion from the said burners to the other
regenerative chamber. Above the plate m and between it and the hot plate I
" valves
arrange in conjunction with the chambers h, "hit-and-miss
12, n'
respectively, each of the said valves having a series of openings adapted to work in
conjunction with a corresponding series of openings in the walls of the said
chambers in a well known manner.
The partition m also extends beneath the regenerative chambers and in the said
extension are formed openings in conjunction with which valves o, o' work. In the
front walls of the chambers h, h' above the hot plate are similar openings having
arranged in conjunction with them valves p, p¹ respectively and, in conjunction with
suitable openings in a partition g in the upper part of the regenerative chambers,
valves l work.
These valves n, n', o, o¹, p, p, r, r² are arranged to be operated simultaneously,
for which purpose they are connected by arms s, s to two rods t, t jointed to a single
lever u, and the said valves are united to the rods in such a manner that when the
valves p, o, n, are open the valves r, n, o¹, p' are closed.
vis a baffle-plate which is placed between the hot-plate a and the plate m the
said baffle-plate serving to prevent the heat from passing too directly from the
burners to the regenerative chambers without heating the hot plate.
The operation of the apparatus with the arrangement of valves hereinbefore
described is as follows:-
Assume the valves p, o, n', ' to be open as shewn in the drawings. If now the
burners be lighted, the air for supporting the combustion will enter the
regenerative chambers through the valve p down through the incombustible
material in the chamber and through the valve o into the casing g and thence
up through the basket d, the products of combustion passing over the plate m
1

page_text: through the valve n' thence up through the material 2 in the regenerative
chamber hand through the valve r to the flue 1, the material in the said chamber
being thereby heated. If now the position of the valves be altered so that the
valves p, o n, r are closed and the valves r, n, o', p' opened, the air for supporting
the combustion of the gas will enter through the valve p¹ and pass down through
the heated material in the regenerative chamber ' whereby the air is heated, such
air thence passing through the valve o into the space beneath the plate m, and
thence up through the basket d, the products of combustion passing through the
valve n, the material in the regenerative chamber h and the valve to the flue l.
In practice it is not necessary to fill the basket d with incombustible material,
but I prefer to so fill it as such material will subsequently become highly heated by
the reflection of the heat from the underside of the hot plate, such heated material
then assisting to heat the air for supporting the combustion.
As hereinbefore stated I prefer to operate the valves by mechanism similar to
that described in the Specification of my Letters Patent No. 6660 of 1890, the
rocking shaft, in conjunction with which the weighted lever of such mechanism
works, being connected to the lever u at its centre. It will be obvious however that
any other suitable mechanism may be employed for operating the valves or that
they may be operated by hand.
Although I have described my invention for heating a hot plate for cooking
purposes, it is to be understood that it is equally applicable for heating boilers,
ironing stoves and the like.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said inven-
tion and in what mauner the same is to be performed, I declare that what I
claim is:
:-
1. The improvements in the utilization of gas for heating purposes consisting in
heating the air for supporting the combustion of the gas by passing it through a
chamber previously heated by the products of combustion of the gas, substantially
as described.
2. In apparatus for heating by gas, the combination with the burners of a casing
surrounding such burners and preventing the direct access of atmospheric air
thereto and of two regenerative chambers so arranged that the products of com-
bustion may escape through one chamber and the air for supporting the combustion
pass through the other one, valves being provided for causing the air for supporting
the combustion and the products of combustion to pass through cach chamber
alternately, substantially as described.
3. Apparatus for the utilization of gas for heating purposes constructed and
arranged substantially in the manner hereinbefore described and as illustrated in the
ccompanying drawings.
Dated the 17th day of August 1891.
G. F. REDFERN & Co.,
4, South Street, Finsbury, London, Agents for the Applicant.