AN IMPROVED BOILER FOR GENERATING PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATIONLER FOR GENERATING STEAM
Year: 1882

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Henry Clay Bull, of Brooklyn New York, United States
of America, but at. present of 1 Häckins Hey, Liverpool in the County of
Lancaster for an Invention of "AN IMPROVED BOILER FOR GENERATING
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Henry Clay Bull at the
Office of the Commissioners of Patents on the 7th October 1882.
HENRY CLAY BULL, of Brooklyn, New York, United States of America, but at
"AN IMPROVED
present of 1 Hackins Hey, Liverpool, in the County of Lancaster,
BOILER FOR GENERATING STEAM,"
My Invention relates to an improved boiler for generating steam, such boiler to
be worked on the gas firing, principle, the gas producers forming part of the boiler,
namely being self contained in the boiler.
A boiler according to my Invention consists of three cylindrical vessel's arranged
and connected together in the following manner, namely a central cylindrical
vessel, or shell filled with a nest of vertical tubes, extending between a top and
bottom tube plate, the said vessel being divided by a tube plate, or diaphragm, into
two portions, the under portion being water filled and a steam generator, and the
upper portion being steam filled and a superheater, as hereafter described. This
cylindrical tube filled vessel is placed over a gas combustion chamber, built of fire
brick, or equivalent material and is surmounted by an uptake communicating with
the chimney. The other cylindrical vessels are placed one on either side of the
tube filled vessel and a description of one will suffice for both, namely each side
vessel consists of a cylindrical shell with a dome top and an interior conical shell
bottom extending partly up inside the outer shell and finally opening out through
the side of the shell where it is provided with a suitable charging door, there being
a branch, being a gas supply pipe leading from the upper part of the internal
conical shell, or retort furnace passing through the water space of the side vessel
and passing down and entering the gas combustion chamber of the central vessel.
Each conical shell is set over a closed furnace, constituting a retort similar to an
ordinary gas producing furnace, built in fire brick, or equivalent material, each

page_text: furnace being provided with fire bars and a cleaning door. The side cylindrical
vessels are water holders and are each connected by a branch at the bottom to the
bottom of the water space of the central steam generator and again connected by a
branch from the top of the said central steam generator. The side vessels are filled
with water to just above the top of the central steam generator.
The upper
portion of the side vessels forming steam chambers and being connected by an
internal pipe and branch with the top of the central super heater, the said internal
pipe opening into the side vessels at the top thereof. The gas combustion chamber
and manhole doors and the ashpits of the gas producing furnaces have suitable
closing doors. Each gas producing furnace is provided with a combined steam and
air jet for assisting combustion therein.
+
The method of working my improved boiler is thus: the boiler is filled with water
to a level slightly above the top of the central steam generator. The gas producers
in the side vessels are filled with suitablo gas producing fuel, say coal, and the gas,
as it is given off from the producers is led to the gas combustion chamber of the
central vessel where combustion takes place, the heat of which passes up through
the tubes of the steam generator and superheater of the central vessel. The hent
in the steam generator causes the water to freely circulate froin the side vessels up
through the steam generator back to the side vessels, the generated steam escaping
to the top or steam chambers of the side vessels and from thence through the
internal pipes to the superheater of the central vessel from whence it is drawn
for use..
Although I have stated that the tubes in the central vessel are of vertical type,
it will be ovident that by slightly modifying the shell they can be arranged
horizontally.
Suitable valves and dampers may be fitted to the gas supply pipes, where
required.

page_text: SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent filed
by the said Henry Clay Bull in the Great Seal Patent Office on the
7th April 1883.
"
HENRY CLAY BULL, of Brooklyn, New York, United States of America, but at
present of 1 Hackins Hey, Liverpool in the County of Lancaster AN IMPROVED
BOILER FOR GENERATING STEAM"
My Invention relates to an improved boiler for generating steam, such boiler to
be worked on the gas firing principle, the gas producers forming part of the boiler,
namely being self contained in the boiler.
A boiler according to my Invention consists of three cylindrical vessels arranged
and. connected together in the following manner, namely a central cylindrical
vessel, or shell filled with a nest of vertical tubes extending between a top and
bottom tube plate, the said vessel being divided by a tube plate, or diaphragm into
two portions, the under portion being water filled and a steam generator, and the
upper portion being steam filled and a superheater, as hereafter described. This
cylindrical tube filled vessel is placed over a gas combustion chamber, built of fire
brick, or equivalent material and is surmounted by an uptake communicating with
the chimney. The other cylindrical vessels are placed one on either side of the
tube filled vessel and a description of one will suffice for both, namely each side
vessel consists of a cylindrical shell with a dome top and an interior conical shell.
bottom extending partly up inside the outer shell and finally opening out through
the side of the shell, where it is provided with a suitable charging door, there
being a branch, or branches being a gas supply pipe, or pipes leading from the
upper part of the internal conical shell, or retort furnace, passing through the water
space of the side vessel and passing down and entering the gas combustion
chamber of the central vessel. Each conical shell is set over a closed furnace,
constituting a retort similar to an ordinary gas producing furnace, built in fire
brick, or equivalent material, each furnace being provided with fire bars and a
cleaning door. The side cylindrical vessels are water holders and are each connected
by a branch at the bottom to the bottom of the water space of the central steam
generator and again connected by a branch from the top of the said central steam
generator. The side vessels are filled with water to just above the top of the
central steam generator. The upper portion of the side vessels forming steam
chambers and being connected by an internal pipe and branch with the top of the
central superheater, the said internal pipe opening into the side vessels at the top
thereof. The gas combustion chamber of the central vessel is provided with
suitable cleaning and manhole doors and the ashpits of the gas producing furnaces
have suitable closing doors. Each gas producing furnace is provided with a
combined steam and air jet for assisting combustion therein.
- The method of working my improved boiler is thus; the boiler is filled with
water to a level slightly above the top of the central steam generator. The gas
producers in the side vessels are filled with suitable gas producing fuel, say coal,
and the gas as it is given off from the producers is led to the gas combustion
chamber of the central vessel where combustion takes place, the heat of which
passes up through the tubes forming the steam generator and superbeater of the
central vessel. The heat in the steam generator causes the water to freely
circulate from the side vessels up through the steam generator back to the side
vessels, the generated steam escaping to the top, or steam chambers of the side
vessels, and from thence through the internal pipes to the superheater of the
central vessel from whence it is drawn for use,
'

page_text: "
Although I have stated that the tubes in the central vessel are of vertical type,
it will be evident that by slightly modifying the shell they can be arranged
horizontally.
Suitable valves and dampers may be fitted to the gas supply pipes where
required.
now
The beforegoing being the nature and object of this Invention I will
describe more in detail how the same may be carried out and for that purpose I
have hereunto attached two sheets of Drawings marked with letters and figures of
reference corresponding with those in the following explanation. Like letters
denote like parts throughout the various views.
Figure 2 is a section through X X Figure 1.
Figure 3 is a plan of Figure 1 shown in section through Y. Y.
Figure 4 in a plan of the grates and combustion chamber Figure 1, shown in
section through Z Z.
A is the central cylindrical vessel filled with the nest of vertical tubes B which
extend between the top tube plate a and the bottom tube plate c. The vessel A
is divided by the diaphragm b into two portions the under portion, namely the
portion between the diaphragm b and the tube plate c, is water filled and forms the
steam generator. The upper portion, namely the portion between the diaphragm b
and the upper tube plate a is steam filled and forms the superheater. The vessel A
is placed over the gas combustion chamber D. E is the uptake leading to the
chimney E. FF are the side vessels, a description of one will suflice for both.
Each vessel contains a gas producer G opening out through the shell of the vessel F,
where it is provided with a charging door H. II are branches from the producer G
being pipes which lead into the down pipes JJ and thence to the combustion
chamber D. The producer G is formed by the conical shaped retort placed over the
brick fire grate as shown. The vessel F is filled with water as shown in dotted
lines. The space above the water line serves as the steam space. The vessels FE
are connected to the vessel A as shown by branch ways, namely the branch
ways kk connect the lower portion of the vessels A and FF and the branch
ways connect the upper portion of the steam generator of the vessel A with the
vessels F. F, and the branch ways mm connect the superheater of the vessel A with
the steam space of the vessels FF through the internal pipes nn. The brickwork
on which the three vessels are mounted is encased by metal plates as shown. The
front plates are provided in the case of the combustion chamber D with the door ??
and gas inlets q leading from the down pipes J, J and in the case of the producers G
with the doors and ashpit doors & The firegrates of the producers G are supplied
with a forced draught by the steam and air injector t. The grates of the producers G
are so constructed that the grate bars can be replaced when requisite while the
producer is still in work as shown at w.
In operation the boiler being filled with water as previously described, the
producers Gare charged with suitable gas producing fuel such as coal, which is
kindled and the gaseous products evolved pass up through the tubes II into the
down pipes JJ and through the inlets q into the combustion chamber D where
they are ignited in the manner usual under like circumstances, the flames passing
up through the nest of tubes B and heating the water by which the tubes B in
the generator are surrounded and also super heating the steam which surrounds the
tubes B in the superheater. The water in the vessels FF is also heated by the
heat of tho producers and pipes II. The differential heat of the steam generator
of the vessel A, and the vessels FF causes circulation of water from the vessels F F
into the steam generator of the vessel A through the branch ways and from
the generator through the brancli ways 11, the steam being liberated in the

page_text: vessels F F and passing into the superheater through the pipes nn from whence it
is drawn for use.
Having now described my Invention and shown how the same may be carried
out into practical effect, I would have it understood that my Invention is not
limited to the use of the three vessels in the exact configuration and form as shown
in the Drawings, as it will be evident that such combination may be varied without
departing from my Invention. What I claim as my Invention and secured to me
by Letters Patent as aforesaid.is :—
A boiler for generating steam consisting of a vessel comprising a steam generator,
and a superheater, and a vessel or vessels, comprising a gas producer, a water
holder and steam chest, and connected as herein described, and mounted over a
combustion chamber, and a grate, or grates, and supplied with forced draught of
air and steam, under pressure, arranged, constructed, and operating, as herein set
forth and as shown in the Drawings hereto annexed.
In witness whereof, I the said Henry Clay Bull, have hereunto set my hand
and seal this sixth day of April in the year of our Lord one thousand
eight hundred and eighty three.
HENRY CLAY (L.S.) BULL