IMPROVEMENTS IN STEAM BOILER AND OTHER FURNACES
Year: 1873

page_text: PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by William Skelton and William
Mobberley at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with their
Petition, on the 7th May 1873.
We, WILLIAM SKELTON, of the Pleck Iron Works, Walsall, in the
County of Stafford, Iron Manufacturer, and WILLIAM MOBBERLEY, of
Pensnett, in the said County, Fire-brick Manufacturer, do hereby declare
the nature of the said Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN STEAM BOILER AND
OTHER FURNACES,” to be as follows:—
Our Invention is applicable to the furnaces of steam boilers whether
externally or internally fired, and to the puddling and heating furnaces
used in the manufacture of iron, as also to furnaces for other purposes,
and consists in dividing the fire-grate or combustion chamber from
the flues or heating chambers by means of a perforated partition made
or built up of fire-bricks or other refractory material, and provided with
perforations of a size and number proportionate to the area of the fire-

page_text: grate and through which the products of combustion must pass before
entering the heating chambers or flues.
In applying this Invention to the furnace of an externally fired boiler
we substitute for the ordinary fire-bridge a perforated fire-brick partition
built right across the seating and up to the boiler, the upper part corre- 5
sponding with the shape of the boiler. The perforations, of which there
may be one or more in each single brick or block forming the partition,
are more or less equally distributed over the area of the partition, which
may be of sufficient thickness to cause the perforations to assume the
proportions of short tubes or pipes, the perforations may either be 1
cylindrical, or funnel shaped, and may be of from two to six inches. bore
in the smallest part, or any other approved dimension, and they may be
either horizontal or incline upwards or downwards to suit any arrange-
ment of furnace and boiler. If preferred to circular the perforations
or tubular openings may be made of square, oblong, oval, or other shape 1
in transverse section.
When the furnace is in operation the partition becomes white hot,
and the gases from fresh charges of fuel are quickly ignited in passing
through the perforations or tubular openings and more perfect combus-
tion is thus attained and consequently a greater economy of fuel and
freedom from smoke than heretofore.
The above description is in the main equally applicable to the furnaces
of internally fired boilers of the Cornish or Lancashire types. In order
however to give sufficient total area to the perforations or tubular
openings in the partition it may be placed some little distance behind
an ordinary fire-bridge or stop, and the whole of the furnace flue or tube
utilized, or the partition may be constructed in an inclined position to
increase the area of its working face. In fire-box and tubular boilers
the perforated partition may be placed either horizontally, angularly,
or vertically, and in the two former positions should be arched. In any
case however we prefer to arrange for a mixing chamber between the
fire-box and boiler tubes.
In a puddling or heating furnace for the manufacture of iron, con-
structed in accordance with this Invention, a perforated partition of a
smilar description to that above described is built in the position usually
occupied by the fire-bridge and is carried up to and conforms to the
shape of the arched roof of the furnace. Instead of being vertical the
partition may be of any approved angle and may form the segment of a

page_text: circle on the plan so that the currents of flame and gas may be caused
to converge or diverge if so required.
It is obvious that this Invention is applicable to furnaces of almost
every description, including those used for brick and pottery kilns, for
warming public rooms, and for drying stoves.