Improvements in or connected with Steam Boiler Furnaces.
Year: 1897

page_text: PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in or connected with Steam Boiler Furnaces.
I, WILLIAM BROTHERS, of Higher Clewes Chemical Works, Rawtenstall, in the
County of Lancaster, Manufacturing Chemist, do hereby declare the nature of this
invention to be as follows:―
This invention is designed to provide for the more complete combustion of fuel
in connection with steam and other boilers, the increase of heat duty obtainable
from the fuel, the prevention or almost entire abatement of smoke at the chimney
in the raising of steam and other operations along with the entire or nearly entire
absence of the noxious carbonic oxide gas at the exit of the boiler flues.
In carrying out the invention so far as steam and other boilers are concerned, I
construct a furnace or furnaces of fire bricks or tiles or other suitable materials
inside a steam or other boiler preferably placed in the front part of the boiler or
boilers and I construct a combustion chamber or chambers of fire bricks or tiles or
other suitable materials behind such furnace or furnaces.
Around the whole or part of the sides and upper part of said furnace or furnaces
I build an air chamber or chambers of suitable size and dimensions composed of
fire bricks or tiles or other suitable material, and I heat said air chamber or
chambers by means of the heat from said furnace or furnaces.
I construct openings or ports of suitable size preferably in the side or sides of the
furnace or furnaces without however restricting myself to any specific place or
places for such openings or ports and I cause these openings or ports to lead into
or communicate with the said air chamber or chambers.
All the gases generated in said furnace or furnaces are allowed to pass through
said openings or ports into the air chamber or chambers in which the combustion
continues, the furnace or furnaces having preferably, with the exception of these
openings or ports and the charging door or doors of, and the fire bars underneath
the furnace or furnaces, no other outlet or inlet.
At the front of the air chamber or chambers or other convenient position I place
inlets provided with regulators for the admission of air into said chamber or
chambers.
The regulators of the inlets to the air chamber or chambers are opened from time
to time if or as much as may be required to admit air to aid combustion of the gases
when the furnace door or doors are closed.
Air passages may be constructed through the walls of the furnace or furnaces
or an air chamber or chambers to admit air direct to the combustion chamber or
chambers such air passages being provided with regulators which may be opened
or closed as desired.
To provide against an inrush of air into the furnace or furnaces when the furnace
door or doors are opened for whatever purpose the regulators of the inlets for the
admission of air to the air chamber or chambers are preferably connected by a
mechanical or other contrivance to the furnace door or doors or otherwise so
arranged or adjusted as to be opened' as much as necessary when the furnace door

page_text: or doors are opened. Dampers may also be provided for the ports or openings
leading from the furnace or furnaces to the air chamber or chambers to regulate
the passage of gases there-through.
I cause the said air chamber or chambers to communicate with the combustion
chamber or chambers and the combustion chamber or chambers to communicate
with the remaining portion of the boiler flue or flues.
The main principle of my invention consists in obtaining by means of my
furnace in conjunction with the air chamber and combustion chamber as described
and the duly regulated supply of air thereto by means of the inlets mentioned
(when once the fuel in the furnace has become sufficiently heated and the air
chamber has become fully heated) not only a very largely increased heat duty
from the fuel, a large if not entire abatement of the smoke nuisance but also the
nearly complete if not complete absence of the noxious and wasteful carbonic
oxide gas at the exit of the boilor flue.
In operation the fuel is thrown or fed into the furnace or furnaces upon the
burning fuel therein a regulated amount of air being admitted preferably through
the bars of the furnace or furnaces, hydro-carbon carbonic oxide and carbonic acid
gases being produced in the furnace or furnaces, and these gases passing through
the openings or ports of the furnace or furnaces into the air chamber or chambers
and supplied by the inlets there with such regulated amount of air as may be
required are passed into the combustion chamber or chambers and thence through
the remaining portion of the boiler flue or flues. In the air chamber or chambers
and in the combustion chamber or chambers the gases originally produced in the
furnace or furnaces undergo further or more complete combustion and attain a
much greater degree of heat than when they left the furnace or furnaces the com-
bustion being so perfect that little or no carbonic oxide gas is observable at the
exit end of the boiler flue or flues.
When the furnace or furnaces are in regular work there is little or no smoke
observable from the chimney, and further there is little or no smoke observable
from the chimney even when the furnace door or doors are opened for the purpose
of putting on fresh fuel or for clinkering, owing to the mechanical or other con-
trivance adopted by means of which the air inlets to the air chamber or chambers
and
or
air passages to the combustion chamber or chambers are opened to a greater
extent when the furnace door or doors are opened, so that the draught of the
chimney acting but little upon the furnace or furnaces draws but little additional
air through the door or doors of the furnace, such chimney draughts being mainly
satisfied with the secondary air supplied for the time being through the air inlets
opened simultaneously or as nearly as possible simultaneously by the mechanical
or other means when the furnace door or doors are opened.
Dated this 13th day of February 1897
WM. P. THOMPSON & Co.,
6, Bank Street, Manchester, Patent Agents.
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in or connected with Steam Boiler Furnaces.
I, WILLIAM BROTHERS, of Higher Clewes Chemical Works, Rawtenstall, in the 4
County of Lancaster, Manufacturing Chemist, do hereby declare the nature of this
invention and in what manner the same is to be performed, to be particularly
described and ascertained in and by the following statement:-
This invention is designed to provide for the more complete combustion of
fuel in connection with steam and other boilers, the increase of heat duty obtainable 50

page_text: from the fuel, the prevention or almost entire abatement of smoke at the chimney,
along with the entire or nearly entire absence of the noxious carbonic oxide gas
at the exit of the boiler flues.
This invention relates to a modification of that described in my Specification
No. 3724 of 1897, and consists essentially in placing or building a furnace of similar
construction to that described therein in the interior of a steam or other boiler.
It will be fully described with reference to the accompanying drawings, in
which, as an example, the invention is shown applied to a single flue boiler.
Fig. 1. Longitudinal sectional elevation.
Fig. 2. Transverse sectional elevation.
The furnace is built into the front of the flue of the boiler P. It is constructed
with a furnace chamber A, having fire bars or grate C to receive the fuel, air
chambers above or around the furnace chamber, connected thereto by passages H,
which enter the furnace chambers at or near the bottom by ports or apertures G
and a combustion chamber E situated behind, into which all the products of com-
bustion pass. The air chamber F is provided with air inlet f controlled by a door
or valve M which can be opened to admit a regulated amount of air. This regu-
lator door or valve M is connected by a chain O with the furnace door K by which
on the opening of the furnace door, the valve M is also fully opened, and admits
sufficient air as to prevent a great inrush of air through the furnace when the door
is opened.
All the gases generated in the furnace chamber A pass through the openings G
and passage H into the air chamber F, and from thence are carried on with an
additional supply of air into the combustion chamber E which is maintained at
a high temperature and in which secondary and more complete combustion takes
place.
The operation of the furnace is similar to that described in the Specification
No. 3724 of 1897.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of the said
invention and in what manner the same is to be performed, declare that what
I claim is:-
The combination with a steam boiler of a furnace similar to that described in
the Specification of Patent No. 3724 of 1897, built into the interior of the flue, sub-
stantially as described.
Dated this 11th day of November 1897.