Improvements in Tubular Boilers.
Year: 1894

page_text: Date of Application, 24th Aug., 1894
Complete Specification Left, 6th Mar., 1895-Accepted, 24th Aug., 1895
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Tubular Boilers.
I, JOHN JAMES BROWN, of 1750 East Preston Street, in the City of Baltimore,
and State of Maryland, United States of America, Marine Engineer, do hereby
declare the nature of my invention to be as follows:-
The object of the invention is to improve upon the general construction of
tubular boilers: and to that end the nature of the invention consists of constructions
and combinations all as will hereinafter be set forth in the Specification, reference
being had to the accompanying drawings in which---
Fig. 1, is a front view of the boiler with smoke cap removed and part of the face
broken away to show the interior of the boiler ;
Fig. 2, a median longitudinal section excepting through the bent tubes
projecting from the right hand side of the boiler said tubes being shown in
elevation;
Fig. 3, a horizontal section taken on the right hand side of the figure above the
bent tubes and on the left hand side between the lower side, between the lower
parts of the bent tube, the standard pipes being removed from one end and shown
in dotted lines at the other end and ;
Fig. 4, a skeleton view showing a modification of the manner of connecting the
manifolds or base pipes.
A represents the manifolds or base pipes on each side of the furnace at or below
the line of the grate bars, and connected together by bars A, as shown in
Figs. 1, 2 & 3, or by tubes a¹× as shown in Fig. 4, said bars or tubes supporting
the grate or grate bars.
The upper side of the manifolds A, are provided with two series of openings a
and a one on the outer side and the other on the inner side thereof, the openings a
on the outer being opposite the spaces between the openings a on the inner side.
A is a steam drum or reservoir supported by the manifolds by means of pipes
located outside of the boiler. The steam drum has on each side two rows of
openings marked a³ and a*. The openings in the upper row are opposite the spaces
between the lower row and the openings a are in the same vertical plane as
openings a in the manifolds A while openings a occupy a similar position relative
to openings in the manifolds. The standards supporting the steam drum are also
channel ways for the return of the water froin the drum to the manifolds and may
be of any desired construction. The preferred form is made of pipes A' inclined
inwardly from the manifolds toward each other and secured together at their upper
ends by a three way coupling or Y (A³) that is secured by its stem to the underside
of the steam drum.
It has heretofore been customary in this type of boiler in forming the up channel
ways to connect the steam drum and manifolds by means of tubes or headers
leading directly from one to the other. The objection to such a construction lies
in the fact that the opposite ends of the tubes or headers are subjected to different
temperatures. The lower end of the tube or header receives the cooler water while
the upper end of the tube or header receives the water after it has been subjected
to the heat of the fire box. The result is unequal expansion of the tube or header
resulting generally in leakage at the joints and often in the warping and cracking
of the pipes. To overcome this objection the headers in my boiler between the
drum and manifolds are made in three parts, to wit: sections A' projecting from

page_text: the inner row of openings in the manifolds, and sections. A, projecting from the
lower rows of openings a³ in the steam drum and bent tubes A connecting the
sections A' and A°. The sections A and A project toward each other but have
an open space of sufficient distance between them to permit of their expanding
without danger of their meeting. So also can they move independently of each
other as the connection between the two is such that if one should expand or
contract its movements would not be imparted to the other but would be taken up
by the tubes A³. It is therefore clear that no matter what the temperature may be
of the water on entering sections A and the amount of heat it may receive during
its course through tubes A, and after its entrance into headers A° before passing 1
into the drum, all of these parts will be free to adapt themselves to the different
temperatures to which they are subjected without regard to the difference in the
expansion and contraction of one another, thus avoiding all danger of strains, warps
and cracks.
The form of the sections is immaterial but for convenience in making I prefer to
make them in two parts. In the drawings I have shown the sections A' as made
of a casting A" and a tube Aª which is secured by one end to one of the openings a
in the manifolds A, and by the other to the casting A". This casting is provided
with a series of openings a arranged in a vertical row and is closed at the end a
to divert the water into said openings.. The sections A' are also preferably formed
of two parts a casting A" and a tube A10. The tube is secured by one end to the
drum and carries the casting at the other. The casting is also provided with a
series of vertical openings like those marked a" on casting A" and its lower end a
is closed so that the water. passing therein will flow upward into tube A10 and from
thence into the drum. There are as many of the openings a" in the sections as
may be desired-the same number being in each section. The tubes. A which
connect the two sections are secured to the latter by nipples or other holding
devices screwed into said openings, a". The tube A8 which is secured to. the
lowermost opening a" of the section A is bent in such a manner that its other end
can be and is secured to the topmost opening in the section A°. The second tube
is secured respectively to the second lowermost opening in section A' and the
second or next to the top opening in the section A and so on until all are secured
forming a nest with the innermost tube A8 secured to the upper. opening in
section A. By this arrangement of the tubes A³ the cold or cooler water entering
the section A is deflected into the tubes by the closed end a. The intense heat in
the fire box will draw the water into the tubes AB. The hottest water will rise
to the topmost opening and will have a short circuit to reach section A'. The
coldest water will enter the tube A³ connecting with the lowest opening a" in
section A and will have the longest circuit to travel before reaching section A°.
By this arrangement of sections and tubes the water entering the header A' is so
distributed that the coldest water will have to travel farther than the warmest
before entering the header A' and after reaching the latter is met by an ascending
current of hot water diverted in that direction by the closed end a' and passed
therewith into the drum or reservoir A³ where the steam separates from the water
which then descends to the manifolds A through the channels formed by couplings A³
and standards A. The sections on one side of the furnace are opposite the spaces
between the sections on the other side of the furnace so that the tubes. A on one
side project between the tubes of the opposite side and form a sort of a crown sheet
over the fire.
On each side of the furnace between the castings D D and the headers and
opposite the space between the headers is a second row of tubes A* having their
lower ends secured to the opening a in the outer side of the manifold and their
upper ends secured to the steam drum at a. These tubes while subjected to a
great heat are not subjected to the heat of the same intensity as the headers and
the tubes connecting them as the sections A' are next to the fire and the tubes A³
are immediately over the fire and sections A protect the upper ends of the tubes A
from the intense heat that is deflected by the bottom of the steam drum. Again

page_text: the tubes A are not subjected to 'the cooling influence of the feed water which is
introduced into the manifolds A and diverted by means which I shall now describe
into the headers Aº.
:
"
At the rear end of the furnace is a coil of pipes B the lowermost resting upon a
wall B' having an inclined: face b under the rear nests of tubes A³ so that some of
the products of combustion will be deflected against the coil of pipes B. These
pipes have a connection with a suitable water supplying device (not shown) and an
outlet pipe B provided with two branches B³ each having an extension B running
from the rear end to the front end of the manifolds. The end of the extension B*
at the front end of the manifold is closed and a number of openings 6 (see Fig. 2)
equaling in area the area of the pipe, are found in the upper side of the pipe about
opposite the point where the headers are joined to the manifolds. The object of
this construction is to avoid supplying the feed water in a volume but to sub-divide
it into a number of jets at points opposite the headers so that it will not chill or
check that part of the boiler into which it is admitted, as would be'the case if the
water were admitted at a single point in a stream the size of the bore of the pipe.
If desired the openings 64 may be enlarged and nipples 6 inserted therein as shown
in Fig. 1. These nipples project into the headers and insure the delivery of the
feed water into the circulation and at a point where it will be taken up rapidly.
The tubes and a greater part of the drum are enclosed in a suitable casing D.
If made of metal it is lined with fire brick, asbestos or other non-conducting
material. When used for stationary work it may be enclosed in masonry in the
usual manner. The upper part of the casing is made to converge to form a flue.
If the boiler be a very long one a stop plate or draft guide may be placed above
the shell tubes before passing out of the smoke stack. If a fire be made at both
ends of such a boiler a similar plate is placed at each end of the furnace for the
same purpose.
The drum is provided with the usual dry pipe for taking the steam and man
holes at one or both ends for cleaning the drum. Other well known appliances
such as a surface blower and scum pipe may be attached thereto.
Dated this 24th day of August 1894.
WHEATLEY & MACKENZIE,
Agents for the Applicant.
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Tubular Boilers.
I, JOHN JAMES BROWN of 1750 East Preston Street in the City of Baltimore,
State of Maryland, United States of America, Marine Engineer, do hereby
declare the nature of my invention for Improvements in Tubular Boilers and in
what manner the same is to be performed, to be particularly described and
ascertained in and by the following statement :-
The object of the invention is to improve upon the general construction of this
class of devices; and to that end the nature of the invention consists of constructions
and combinations all as will hereinafter be set forth in the Specification and pointed
out in the claims reference being had to the accompanying drawings, in which:
Figure 1 is a front view of the boiler with smoke cap removed and part of the
face broken away to show the interior of the boiler.
".
Figure 2, a median longitudinal section of the rear part of the boiler on the
line Z Z Fig. 1, with parts broken away.
Figure 3 a horizontal section of the front part of the boiler on the line 3,3 Fig. 1,
parts being broken away.
Figure 4 a detail showing a modification of the manner of connecting the
manifolds or base pipes by means of tubes instead of bars.
Figure 5 a detail showing the space between the headers.

page_text: A represents the manifolds or base pipes on each side of the furnace at or below
the line of the grate bars, and connected together by bars A" as shown in
Figs. 2 and 3, or by tubes A1x as shown in Fig. 4, said bars or tubes supporting
the grate or grate bars. The upper side of the manifolds A are provided with two
series of openings, a and a one on the outer side, and the other on the inner side
thereof, the openings a on the outer side being opposite the spaces between the
openings a on the inner side.
A is a steam drum or reservoir supported by the manifolds by means of pipes
located outside of the boiler. The steam drum has in each side two rows of openings
marked a³ and a Figs. 1 and 2. The openings in the upper row are opposite the
spaces between the lower row and the openings at are in the same vertical plane as
openings a in the manifolds A while openings as occupy a similar position relative
to openings aⓇ in the manifolds. The standards supporting the steam drum are
also channel ways for the return of the water from the drum to the manifolds and
may be of any desired construction. The preferred form is made of pipes A¹
inclined inwardly from the manifolds toward each other and secured together at
their upper ends by a three way coupling Y or (A2) that is secured by its stem to
the under.side of the steam drum.
:
It has heretofore been customary in this type of boiler in forming the up-channel
ways to connect the steam drum and manifolds by means of tubes or headers
leading directly from one to the other. The objection to such a construction lies in
the fact that the opposite ends of the tubes or headers are subjected to different
temperatures. The lower end of the tube or header receives the cooler, water
while the upper end of the tube or header receives the water after it has been
subjected to the heat of the fire box. The result is unequal expansion of the tube
or header resulting generally in leakage at the joints and often in the warping and
cracking of the pipes. To overcome this objection the headers in my boiler
between the drum and manifold are made in three parts to wit sections A
projecting from the inner row of openings in the manifolds and sections A°
projecting from the lower row of openings as in the steam drum and bent tubes A³
connecting the sections A and A which have lateral spaces between one another
as shown in Fig. 5 to prevent them from coming in contact with each other and
also to let the products of combustion to pass between. The sections A' and A'
project toward each other but have an open space of sufficient distance between
them to permit of their expanding without danger of their meeting. So also can
they move independently of each other as the connection between the two is such
that if one should expand or contract its movements would not be imparted to the
other but would be taken up by the tubes A8. It is therefore clear that no matter
what the temperature may be of the water on entering sections A' and the amount
of heat it may receive during its course through tubes A, and after its entrance
into headers A before passing into the drum, all of these parts.will be free to adapt
themselves to the different temperatures to which they are subjected without regard
to the difference in the expansion and contraction of one another, thus avoiding all
danger of strains, warps and cracks..
The form of the sections is immaterial but for convenience in making I prefer to
make them in two parts.
In the drawings I have shown the sections A' as made of a casting A" and a
tube A which is secured by one end to one of the openings as in the manifolds A,
and by the other to the casting A". This casting is provided with a series of
openings a" arranged in a vertical row and is closed at the end to divert the water
into said openings. The sections A' are also preferably formed of two parts a
casting A1 and a tube A. The tube is secured by one end to the drum and
carries the casting at the other. The casting is also provided with a series of
vertical openings like those marked a" on casting A" and its lower end a' is closed
so that the water passing therein will flow upward into tube A and from thence
into the drum. There are as many of the openings a" in the sections as may be
desired the same number being in each section. The tubes A³ which connect the

page_text: two sections are secured to the latter by nipples or other holding devices screwel
into said openings a". The tube AB which is secured to the lowermost opening a"
of the section A is bent in such a manner that its other end can be and is: secured
to the topmost opening in the section A°. The second tube is secured respectively
to the second lowermost opening in section A' and the second or next to the top
opening in the section A and so on until all are secured forming a nest with the
innermost tube AB secured to the upper opening in section A. By this arrangement
of the tubes As the cold or cooler water entering the section A' is deflected into the
tubes by the closed end. The intense heat in the fire box will draw the water into
the tubes A. The hottest water will rise to the topmost opening and will have a
short circuit to reach section A". The coldest water will enter the tube AB
connecting with the lowest opening a" in section A' and will have the longest circuit
to travel before reaching section A. By this arrangement of sections and tubes
the water entering the header A' is so distributed that the coldest water will have
to travel farther than the warmest before entering the header A and after
reaching the latter is met by an ascending current of hot water diverted in that
direction by the closed end a' and passed therewith into the drnm or reservoir A*
where the steam separates from the water which then descends to the manifolds A
through the channels formed by couplings A2 and standards A'. The sections ou
one side of the furnace are opposite the spaces between the sections on the other
side of the furnace as shown in Fig. 3 so that the tubes A8 on one side project
between the tubes of the opposite side and form a sort of crown sheet over the fire.
On each side of the furnace between the casing D D and the beaders and
opposite the space between the headers is a second row of tubes A* Fig. 1 having
their lower ends secured to the opening a in the outer side of the manifold and
their upper ends secured to the steam drum at a'. These tubes while subjected to
a great heat are not subjected to the heat of the same intensity as the headers and
the tubes connecting them as the sections A' are next to the fire and the tubes A³
are immediately over the fire and sections A' protect the upper ends of the
tubes A from the intense heat that is deflected by the bottom of the steam drum.
Again the tubes A are not subjected to the cooling influence of the feed water
which is introduced into the manifolds A and diverted by means which I shall now
describe into the headers Aº.
At the rear end of the furnace is a coil of pipes B Fig. 2 the lowermost
resting upon a wall B' having au inclined face under the rear nests of
tubes A so that some of the products of combustion will be deflected against
the coil of pipes B. These pipes have a connection with a suitable water
supplying device (not shown) and an outlet pipe B2 provided with two
branches B each having an extension B running from the rear end to the
front end of the manifolds. The end of the extension B' at the frout end of
the manifold is closed and a number of openings 64 (see Figs. 1 and 2) equaling
in area the area of the pipe, are formed in the upper side of the pipe about opposite
the point where the headers are joined to the manifolds. The object of this
construction is to avoid supplying the feed water in a volume but to sub-divide it
into a number of jets at points opposite the headers so that it will not chill or
check that part of the boiler into which it is admitted, as would be the case if the
water were admitted at a single point in a stream the size of the bore of the
pipe. If desired the openings 64 may be enlarged and nipples 6 inserted therein
as shown in Fig. 1. These nipples project into the headers and insure the delivery
of the feed water into the circulation and at a point where it will be taken up
rapidly.
The tubes and a greater part of the drum are inclosed in a suitable casing D. If
made of metal it is lined with fire brick, asbestos or other non-conducting material.
When used for stationary work it may be inclosed in masonary in the usual
manner. The upper part of the casing is made to converge to form a flue. If the
boiler be a very long one a stop plate or draft guide may be placed above the shell
tubes before passing out of the smoke stack. If a fire be made at both ends of

page_text: such a boiler a similar plate is placed at each end of the furnace for the same
purpose. The drum is provided with the usual dry pipe for taking the steam and
man holes at one or both ends for cleaning the drum. Other well known appliances
such as a surface blower and scun pipe may also be attached thereto.
In Fig. 4 a slightly modified construction of parts is shown wherein the bars A¹
are omitted and tubes A** used in their stead. The manifolds A are connected
together by these tubes which also support the grate bars. The manifolds are
provided with the openings a and a and the tubes A and A leading therefrom as
illustrated and described in connection with the other figures of the drawings.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said
invention and in what manner the same is to be performed, I declare that what
I claim is :
The combination of the manifold A having a series of sections A' with a space
between every section which consists of a tube A and a casting A"; a drum A³
having a series of sections A' with a space between every section which consists
of a tube A and a casting A1, said sections A' and A' having a horizontal space
between them and connected together by the bent pipes A³.
Dated this 6th day of March 1895.
WHEATLEY & MACKENZIE,
40 Chancery Lane, London, W.C., Agents.