Improvements in or relating to Liquid Fuel Furnaces.
Year: 1898

page_text: Date of Application, 23rd July, 1898-Accepted, 17th June, 1899
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in or relating to Liquid Fuel Furnaces.
A communication from HENRI JOSEPII PIRON, of 50, Rue Bara, Brussels, in
Belgium.
I, ALFRED JULIUS BOULT, of 111, Hatton Garden, in the County of Middlesex,
Chartered Patent Agent, do hereby declare the nature of this invention and in
what manner the same is to be performed, to be particularly described and ascer-
tained in and by the following statement:-
This invention relates to improvements in liquid fuel furnaces such as are
employed for industrial heating by hydrocarbons, and applies more particularly
to the Bachy sliding furnace in which the direct combustion of liquid hydrocarbons
without previous preparation or atomising is effected.
Fig. 1 of the accompanying drawing is a vertical longitudinal section of the
improved furnace applied to a fixed tubular boiler, selected by way of example
for this description.
It must be however understood that the invention may be applied also for any
other purposes of heating, more particularly for locomotive boilers etc.
Fig. 2 is a front elevation of the boiler and furnace and
Figs. 3 and 4 are respectively a plan of the furnace as arranged in said boiler,
and an elevation in cross section.
The liquid fuel arrives through a conduit J (Figs. 2 and 3) and passes through
cocks H, provided preferably with pointers and dials, into two branch tubes G
whence it flows into a transverse groove a (Figs. 1 and 3) in the front part of the
fuel box A, longitudinal grooves 6 extending from the transverse grooves a and
joining at the back another transverse groove a¹. The fuel or liquid hydrocarbon
thus supplied by the two tubes G arranged along the longitudinal sides of the
fore part D of the box A supporting the slide E (Fig. 1) spreads in a uniform
manner over the whole surface of the grooves b arranged in the fire-box A. These
grooves a band a¹ are covered by "plate-wicks" of special composition and
construction hereinafter fully described. These plates C may be in one piece
from one end of a longitudinal groove 6 to the other, or they may consist of several
parts thus forming squares or blocks. They can be smooth or rifled or provided
with perforations or rough surfaces, according to the desire of engineers, or accord-
ing to their destination or intended use.
"
Fig. 3 illustrates these different arrangements; thus the first groove b is sup-
posed to be covered by a plate-wick" C consisting of several parts and provided
with holes ; the second groove is covered by a plate C consisting of several
pieces, but smooth and plain, whilst the third is provided with a plate C made
in one piece. These plates may be smooth, roughened, grooved or perforated as
desired.
Like the plates-wicks, the longitudinal grooves & serving to receive and contain
the liquid fuel and to distribute it uniformly, can also be of different shapes. Thus

page_text: the first four grooves b (Fig. 4) the fourth of which is shown with its "plate-wick
removed, have a semi-cylindrical shape in cross section, while the two last are
formed with three smaller grooves 61. These grooves and b¹ are made in bodies B
forming receptacles, there being left between them intervals 63 having the shape of
a groove, slot or opening serving for the uniform supply of air between each row
of plates C.
It must also be pointed out that the perforations, holes or orifices c¹ made in the
wicks C, can be of greater or less size according to the fluidity or density of the
more or less heavy oils, and may be filled when required with asbestos wicks or
threads projecting to a slight extent upwards in order to facilitate lighting and
increase the capillarity of the wick-plates C. A great advantage lies in this
arrangement of wicks resting between flanges c² of the vessels B as thin currents
of air can rise between each series of wicks through the slots or hollow spaces 63,
in order to increase and regulate the combustion of the hydro-carbons. Instead
of using, as hitherto, a single wick for the filtering layer, the latter may be divided
into small ovals or squares, and the supply of air is uniformly distributed, so to say
over each square decimeter, thereby enabling furnaces to be made of small or
large size, and having an efficiency of combustion, that is to say, intensity per
square decimeter, the same all over the surface of the furnace.
According to the quality of the fuel to be burned in the furnace according to
this invention, the division of the "wicks" C as well as of the grooves b and bl
is suitably selected and the intervals 62 constituting the air-inlets, are made of
suitable size. The slide is constituted by a movable sheet metal plate sliding
between two shoulders on the edges of the box A, and carrying with it by means
of fingers or projections a roller F, the length of which is equal to the width of
the bottom and which can be advanced to a greater or lesser extent, the excess of
liquid with which the wick is impregnated being forced in front of the roller,
whereby it becomes possible to increase or reduce, as desired, the dimensions and
intensity of the combustion zone, as in the Bachy furnace.
But the different parts have received according to this invention modifications
ensuring a greater strength, a more easy manipulation and a greater durability
than is to be found in other liquid fuel furnaces.
The drawing shows the apparatus provided with windows O, P and door R,
enabling its working to be observed. The path of the air through the furnace up
to the tubes Q is shown by arrows K, L, M and N (Figs. 1 and 4).
The composition of the improved "wicks" employed in the furnace according
to this invention will now be described.
For this composition quartz sand is used mixed with 1% of liquid soluble glass,
said mixture being formed into a cake placed in a mould and burnt in the form
of bricks. This burning causes the grains of sand to adhere to one another firmly,
sufficient porosity being at the same time preserved to produce a capillary body, i.e.
a wick for use in the combustion of liquid hydrocarbon, such as petroleum
residue etc.
«
This composition for wicks is found to advantageously replace all other com-
positions in which asbestos plays the principal part.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of the said inven-
tion as communicated to me by my foreign correspondent and in what manner the
same is to be performed, I declare that what I claim is:-
1. In liquid fuel furnaces a metal box in the fire-box and comprising a series of
receptacles for liquid fuel, each provided with one or more longitudinal grooves
forming reservoirs and transverse grooves at the ends of the receptacles air-inlets
being provided between the longitudinal flanges of the receptacles which support
longitudinal "wick" or capillary plates in one or several parts and either smooth
roughened, grooved or perforated, substantially as described.
2. "Plate wicks" made of a mixture of quartz sand and liquid soluble glass in
suitable proportions, said mixture being formed into masses of the required shape

page_text: and burned to produce compact masses having the necessary porosity for acting
as capillary "wicks" substantially as described.
3. Capillary plate "wicks" provided with holes or orifices, filled or not with
fibrous incombustible material forming an auxiliary wick for facilitating the
lighting of the liquid fuel substantially as described.
4. A liquid fuel furnace substantially as described or illustrated in the accom-
panying drawings.