IMPROVEMENTS IN THE CONSTRUCTION AND ARRANGEMENT OF STEAM BOILERS
Year: 1870

page_text: "
LETTERS PATENT to Edward Green, of the Firm of E. Green and Son,
of the Phoenix Works, Wakefield, in the County of York, and of
14, Saint Ann's Square, Manchester, in the County of Lancaster,
Fuel Economiser Manufacturer, for the Invention of “IMPROVEMENTS
f
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Edward Green at the
Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on the
17th May 1870.
I, EDWARD GREEN, of the Firm of E. Green and Son, of the Phoenix
Works, Wakefield, in the County of York, and of 14, Saint Ann's
Square, Manchester, in the County of Lancaster, Fuel Economiser
Manufacturer, do hereby declare the nature of the said Invention for
"IMPROVEMENTS IN THE CONSTRUCTION AND ARRANGEMENT OF STEAM BOILERS," to
be as follows:-
-
The object of my Invention is to construct a boiler with a series of
tapered tubes connected to barrels in such a manner that a larger

page_text: heating surface shall be obtained than usual, that facilities shall be given
for clearing or removing the soot from the tubes or for repairs, and that
a large area shall be obtained at the water level to admit of the steam
getting away from the water more quictly or with less agitation than is
usual, and so to prevent priming.
The Invention is carried out in the following manner:--I first take a
barrel of a length corresponding to the length of the flues or thereabouts,
this barrel has a series of holes or apertures in it, over which tapered
tubes are attached by rivets which are passed through the flanges of the
tubes into the barrel. The narrow or smaller ends of the tubes are
either formed with the flanges on them from the same piece or picces of
metal, or rim flanges are secured to them as found most convenient. I
arrange a series of such barrels side by side in a structure of brickwork,
so that the whole of the surfaces of the barrels are subject to be acted
upon by the fire or the products of combustion thrown off from it, with
the exception of the fore ends which come through the front wall and
allow for clearing out the sediment. The barrels, touch one another to
close up the spaces between them, and to form a roof or crown to the
fire-box or flame fluc, so that the flame and products of combustion may
pass to the back of the barrels and mix themselves between the tubes on
their way to the uptake or chimney or to side flues, as the case may be.
The upper parts of the tapered tubes are connected near their ends by
short tubes one to the other to preserve the water level and allow of the
steam mixing. The tops of the tubes are closed by covers which are
bolted down to inside flanges on the tubes to make them steam-tight.
By this method a single lid or cover can be removed without disturbing
the connections. The connection from tube to tubo may in some cases
be made by pipes leading from one top lid to another. I prefer to set
four barrels side by side in boilers of moderate sizes, but any number of
them may be set in ono structure as required.
In the above arrangement or construction of boilers a clear unbroken
space or alley is left between each two series of tapered tubes to allow of
a workman crawling in to remove the soot or for repairs; and I propose
that the barrels shall also be of sufficient diameter to admit of a person
crawling inside them, by this means any faulty tapered tube could be
removed and a fresh one fixed without disturbing the brickwork. Or
should it be necessary to remove a barrel from the setting it will only bo

page_text: compulsory to take down the brickwork in the front of the same. I
take the steam independently from each row of tubes, and I connect
their pipes to one main steam pipe to lead it to the engine or engines..
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent,
filed by the said Edward Green' in the Great Seal Patent Office on
the 17th November 1870..
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, EDWARD
GREEN, of the Firm of E. Green and Son, of the Phoenix Works,
Wakefield, in the County of York, and of 14, St. Ann's Square,
Manchester, in the County of Lancaster, Fuel Economiser Manufacturer,
send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her
Letters Patent, bearing date the Seventeenth day of May, in the year
of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and soventy, in the thirty-
third year of Her reign,, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give
and grant unto me, the said Edward Green, Her special licence that I,
the' said Edward Green, my executors, administrators, and assigns, or
such others as I, the said Edward Green, my executors, administrators,
and assigns, should at any time agree with, and no others, from time
to time and. at all times thereafter during the term therein expressed,
should and lawfully might make, usc, exercise, and vend, within the
United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland, the Channel Islands, and
Isle of Man, an Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN THE CONSTRUCTION AND
ARRANGEMENT OF STEAM BOILERS," upon the condition (amongst others)
that I, the said Edward Green, my executors or administrators, by an
instrument in writing under my, or their, or one of their hands and
seals, should particularly describe and ascertain the nature of tho said
Invention, and in what manner the same was to be performed,. and
cause the same to be filed in the Great Seal Patent Office within six
calendar months next and immediately after the date of the said Letters
Patent.
NOW KNOW YE, that I, the said Edward Green, do hereby declare the
nature of my said Invention, and in what manner the same is to bo

page_text: following statement thereof, reference being had to the Drawings here-
unto annexed, that is to say:-
The object of my Invention is to construct a boiler with a series of
tapered tubes connected to barrels in such a manner that a larger heating
surface shall be obtained than usual, that facilities shall be given for
cleaning or removing the soot from the tubes or for repairs, and that a
large area shall be obtained at the water level to admit of the steam
getting away from the water more quictly or with less agitation than is
usual, and so to prevent priming.
The Invention is carried out in the following manner :- -I first take a
barrel of a length corresponding to the length of the flues or thereabouts;
this barrel has a series of holes or apertures in it over which tapered
tubes are attached by rivets which are passed through the flanges of the
tubes into the barrel. The narrow or smaller ends of the tubes are cither
formed with the flanges on them from the same picco or pieces of metal,
or rim flanges are secured to them, as found most convenient. I arrange
a series of such barrels side by side in a structure of brickwork, so that
the whole of the surfaces of the barrels are subject to be acted upon
by the fire or the products of combustion thrown off from it with the
exception of the fore ends, which como through the front wall and allow
for cleaning out the sediment. The barrels touch one another to close
up the spaces between them and to form a roof or crown to the fire-box
or flame flue, so that the flame and products of combustion may pass to
the back of the barrels and mix themselves between the tubes on their
way to the uptake or chimney, or to side flues, as the case may be. The
upper parts of the tapered tubes are connected near their ends by short
tubes one to the other to preserve the water level and allow of the steam
mixing. The tops of the tubes are closed by covers which are bolted
down to inside flanges on the tubes to make them steam-tight. By this
method a single lid or cover can be removed without disturbing the
connections. The connections from tube to tube may in some cases be
made by pipes leading from one top lid to another. I prefer to set four
barrels side by side in boilers of moderato sizes, but any number of them
may be set in one structure, as required.
In the above arrangement or construction of boilers a clear unbroken
space or alley is left between each two series of tapered tubes to allow of

page_text: that the barrels shall-also be of sufficient diameter-to admit of a person
crawling inside them; by this means any faulty tapered tube could bo
removed and a fresh one fixed without disturbing the brickwork. Or
should it be necessary to remove a barrel from the setting it will: only
be compulsory to take down the brickwork in the front of the same.
I take the steam independently from each row of tubes, and I connect
their pipes to one main steam pipe to lead it to the engine or engines.
The manner in which my Invention is carried into effect will be
well understood by referring to the accompanying Drawings, of which
Figure 1 is a longitudinal section of a boiler with four barrels or tubes
a, a, placed horizontally and close together upon the brickwork b, so
that no space is left between them; by this means the flame and products
of combustion are caused to play against their under sides to impart a
large amount of heat to them before the products return over them on
their passage to the flue or to the chimney. In Figure 2, which is a
transverse section, it will be observed that nearly the whole of the
exterior surfaces of the barrels are available for heating purposes, as they
touch one another only at one portion of their circumference. Each
barrel rests near its rear end upon an 'upright or support c; these offer a
slight check to the passage of the flame and products and tend to
increase their efficiency. The upper portion of the barrels is perforated
or has holes in them over which tapered tubes d, d, are rivetted or
otherwise secured, the smallest ends of the tubes being downwards to
admit of a comparatively larger space being formed between each row
to enable a man to pass for cleaning the soot or other deposit from them.
These tubes are of larger diameter at their upper parts, and are con-
nected one to the other by short connections e, e, so that the steam
generated in one tube can mingle with the steam in the next one, and
thus establish a large steam area proportionate to the size of boiler.
Each of the tubes has a cover or top plate f.f, which is secured to
a flange fitted in the inner edge thereof, so that the edges of the
covers are kept flush or nearly so with the top edges of the tubes, thus
the tubes as it were rest against each other and prevent the products
rising to the roof before they have given off their heating properties.
I prefer to fit a plate m from the back partition g to within a short
distance of the front to form a return flue along and between the tubes, by
this means the whole or nearly the whole of the heating properties of

page_text: the fuel are absorbed by the tubes before they reach the covers, but the
portions that do escape are taken up by the parts of the tubes above the
plate m, so that little else than a sulphurous gas passes into the
chimney fluch. The central tube of each row I prefer should have
the branch steam pipe i connected to it, and these should lead into one
main steam pipe j, by which the steam is led to the engine. The outer
branches only may have safety valves fitted on them, as shown, or all
the branches may be so fitted if found necessary. Of course it is not
essential that the central tubes only should have branches on them,
as any of the others may be arranged in that manner, but what I have
shown I consider to be the most efficient. The fore ends of the barrels
rest upon brickwork directly over the furnace door or doors and project
slightly therefrom to admit of the end covers & being removed at any
time for repairs or for cleaning out the sediment, as required. Just
above the barrel covers I arrange soot doors 7, and when these are open
the soot can be scraped to the front or pushed to the rear, or the tubes
can be swept without interfering with the fire or other part of the
'setting." This will be understood by referring to Figure 3, which is
a front view of the boiler and brickwork. The feed water pipe is shown
at the front of cach barrel, in this position it is protected from the
direct action of the flame, and yet receives an amount of heat from the
furnace to partly heat the water before it enters the barrels, but it may
be placed in any other position, as found convenient. In order to mako
these boilers of light weight and of sufficient strength to resist the
pressure put upon them I propose to construct them of steel plates,
and to make them or the parts of them of such a size that a man could
crawl into or between any part of them, as before explained. The water
level I propose should be above the plate m, and that ordinary guages
should be fitted on the front tubes, so that the height of water in them
can be seen, and the pressure guage arranged on the main steam pipe,
as is usual.
•
. Figure 4 is a sectional plan of four rows of tubes on four barrels set
in the same brickwork, but a fewer or a larger number of each of them
can be employed to suit the particular purpose for which the boiler is
'to be employed.
I do not limit myself to the height of the vertical tapered tubes, as
....

page_text: boiler has to be fitted, nor to the angle at which the taper should be
arranged, so long as the main objects of my Invention be retained,
videlicet,--
Firstly. Presenting as large an amount of heating surface as possible
compared to the area of the furnace space.
Secondly. Giving increased facilities for cleaning out the inside of the
barrels of sediment and the outsides of soot, as well as for admitting
repairs to be done without disturbing the brickwork.
And, thirdly. Giving a large space at the top of the tubes to allow
of the steam getting away from the water with less agitation than
usual, whereby the danger of priming is almost if not entirely removed.
And having now described the nature of my said Invention, and in
what manner the same is to be performed, I declare that I claim the
general arrangement and construction of boilers for the generation of
steam in the manner herein-before described and shewn.
In witness whereof, I, the said Edward Green, hath hereunto set
my hand and seal, this Sixteenth day of November, in the year
of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and seventy.