IMPROVEMENTS IN APPARATUS FOR HEATING WATER AND GENERATING STEAM
Year: 1884

page_text: COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
I ALMON HENRY HEARINGTON of 51 Regents Park Road in the County of
Middlesex Gentleman. do hereby declare the nature of the said Invention for
"IMPROVEMENTS IN APPARATUS FOR HEATING WATER AND GENERATING STEAM,"
and in what manner the same is to be performed, to be particularly described
and ascertained in and by the following statement :-
My Invention relates to improved apparatus for rapidly heating water by gas,
for domestic and other purposes including the generation of steam, and it consists
essentially in the employment of coiled tubes for the circulation of the water to be
heated, in combination with tubular gas burners, the tubes and burners being
variously combined and arranged as hereafter described and illustrated in the
accompanying Drawings forming part of this Specification.
I will proceed to describe the Invention with reference to the Drawings wherein
Figure 1 is a part sectional elevation and Figure 2 a horizontal section of one
form of coiled tube water heater.
Figure 3 is a part sectional elevation and Figure 4 a horizontal section of a
modified form of water heater. Figure 5 is a part sectional elevation and Figure 6
a horizontal section of another modification. Figure 7 is a detail, Figure 8 is a
part sectional elevation, and Figure 9 a horizontal section of another modification.
Figure 10 is a part sectional elevation and Figure 11 a cross section of a
further modification of water heater. Referring to Figures 1 and 2 A A¹ are inner
and outer concentrically coiled tubes of copper or iron, each connected at the upper
end with a water reservoir B, which is only partly shown in the Drawing, and at
D is the
the lower ends a a' with a common outlet C for drawing off the water.
gas burner being a perforated pipe situated axially within the coiled water
tubes A. A¹. This tube has a helical series of perforations d of the same pitch as
the inner coil A. and situated opposite the interval between its convolutions. This
burner is supplied with a mixture of gas and air, the gas before entering the
burner being caused to traverse a coil E concentric with, and situated between, the
water coils A A' whereby the gas is heated and its combustion, and consequently
its beating power, is increased. The lower end of this coil E is connected with the
lower end of the burner by an elbow e terminating in an atmospheric inlet as
shown, whilst the upper end is carried straight down through the base of the
apparatus, at e³, for attachment of a gas pipe.

page_text: The whole of the coils are enclosed in a sheet iron casing G provided with a
chimney G¹ for the escape of the burnt gases.
In Figures 3 and 4 A is a coil as before connected at top with a water chamber
or reservoir B and at bottom with another chamber B¹, said coil surrounding a
series of vertical straight tubes A¹ also connected with the lower chamber B¹ and
either opening into the upper chamber B, or capped at their upper ends, as shown.
The coil A in this case is closely wound so that its convolutions touch one another,
and the burner for the gas is formed by driving a needle punch between the turns
of the coil whilst the latter is held firmly and prevented from springing apart,
thereby indenting, or notching, its surface as shown in Figure 4 (without however
perforating the tube) and forming minute orifices for the passage of the gas
between the turns of the coil. The coil is enclosed in a cast iron, or fireclay,
casing G embracing the upper and lower parts of the coil, closely, but forming a
circumferential chamber about the middle part of the coil to which a mixture of
gas and air is admitted which passes through the orifices between the turns of the
coil and burns at the inside thereof in contact with the coil and with the upright
pipes A'; a draw off connection is applied to the lower chamber B¹.
The vertical pipes A' act as stays for the coiled tubes and also as reservoirs for
steam and water.
Referring to Figures 5, 6, and 7, A, A, are coiled water pipes connected at top
with a common reservoir B, and below with a common exit C for drawing off the
water. Ɑ¹ is a spiral water pipe connected only with the common exit, the top
being plugged as shown in the Drawing. The coils A are connected to the
reservoir or steam chamber B by being screwed into the flanged tubes a passing
through the reservoir or chamber B, and secured at top by a screw cap whereby the
reservoir or chamber B is also stayed. The tubes a are in communication with the
reservoir by a lateral aperture a¹. The connections at the lower end are similar.
In the case of a large boiler it would be constructed in parts rivetted or bolted
together in any usual and suitable way. D, D, are gas burners perforated for the
gas, in spirals of the same pitch as the tubes, the perforations coming opposite the
spaces between the tubes. The top ends of these burners are plugged and the
lower ends are connected together and are supplied with a mixture of gas and air
in the ordinary way. The whole is enclosed in a sheet iron casing which forms
a chimney at top. Figure 6 is a plan showing the position of the coils, and
Figure 7 shows a plan of the hot water reservoir or steam chamber.
Referring to Figures 8 and 9, A A are spirally coiled copper or iron water pipes
connected at top, a a with a reservoir B and at bottom, b, with a common exit C.
These tubes are coiled, the one inside and the other outside the perforated spiral
gas burner D and in close juxtaposition thereto, the perforations of the coil D
being situated directly opposite the spaces between the water coils so that the
flames shall come in contact with both sides of the coils. The mixture of gas and
air enters by the pipe c, traverses the outer spiral E from top to bottom, and passes
by the elbow F into the perforated spiral burner D the perforations in which come
exactly opposite the spaces between the water pipes. The burnt gases pass away
by the chimney G¹. The whole apparatus is enclosed by sheet iron or other
metal G.
In Figures 10 and 11, A is a spirally coiled water tube running alternately with
a spirally coiled gas burner D, the two tubes encircling a straight water pipe B, the
water coil A and straight central pipe B being both in connection with the
reservoir and with the common exit for hot water. The gas enters at a and
traverses the outer spiral E from top to bottom, and then passes by the elbow F
past the atmospheric inlet into the perforated spiral burner D. The gases pass off
by the chimney G¹ and the whole is enclosed in sheet iron or other metal G."
In all the hereinbefore described arrangements the casing may be left sufficiently
open at the bottom to admit enough air to ensure perfect combustion, and carry off
the burnt gases.

page_text: 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,
1st A water heater or steam generator composed of one or more coiled water
tubes, in combination with one or more gas burners, substantially as specified.
2nd The construction and arrangement of water heater or boiler composed
essentially of two water coils, an intermediate gas heating coil, and a central gas
burner, substantially as herein described and represented in Figures 1 and 2 of the
Drawings.
3rd The construction and arrangement of water heater or boiler composed
essentially of a closely coiled water tube with orifices for the passage of the gas
formed between the coils as described, in combination with an enclosing casing and
with straight tubular stays, substantially as herein described and shown in
Figures 3 and 4 of the Drawings.
4th The construction and arrangement of water heater or boiler composed of a
series of water coils connected to reservoirs common to all, and each encircling a
perforated gas burner substantially as herein described and represented in
Figures 5, 6 and 7 of the Drawings.
5th The construction and arrangement of water heater or boiler composed
essentially of a coiled gas burner situated between inner and outer coiled water
tubes, and of a gas heating coil, the whole combined for operation substantially as
herein described and represented in Figures 8 and 9 of the Drawings.
6th The construction and arrangement of water heater or boiler composed
essentially of a coiled gas burner alternating with a coiled water tube, a central
straight water tube and a gasheating coil, the whole combined for operation
substantially as described and shown in Figures 10 and 11 of the Drawings.
Dated this 3rd day of March, 1884.