APPLICABLE TO STEAM BOILERS FOR CONSUMING SMOKE AND ECONOMIZING FUEL IN THE GENERATION OF STEAM
Year: 1858

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Matthew Matley, of Ashton-under-Lyne, in the
IMPROVEMENTS
County of Lancaster, Engineer, for the Invention of "
APPLICABLE TO STEAM BOILERS FOR CONSUMING SMOKE AND ECONOMIZING FUEL
IN THE GENERATION OF STEAM."
Sealed the 21st January 1859, and dated the 21st July 1858.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Matthew Matley at the
Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on the
. 21st July 1858.
I, MATTHEW MATLEY, of Ashton-under-Lyne, in the County of Lancaster,
Engineer, do hereby declare the nature of the said Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS
APPLICABLE TO STEAM BOILERS FOR CONSUMING SMOKE AND ECONOMIZING FUEL IN
THE GENERATION OF STEAM," to be as follows:-
My Invention for consuming smoke and economizing fuel is applicable
principally to stationary or marine steam boilers, and my Invention for con-
suming smoke is especially applicable to such boilers as have their furnaces in
an internal fire-place. It consists in placing a partition at the firing end of
the furnace above the dead plate, so as to form a space or cavity between the
partition and the bottom of the boiler or top of the internal fire-place; this
partition having in it a number of perforations, so that air admitted to the
cavity at the ash place will become heated on entering the cavity, and will
then pass through the perforations and mix with the combustible gases. The

page_text: openings at the ash place, through which the air is admitted into the said
cavity, are provided with valves or dampers, by which the passage of the air
may be regulated or shut off. The arrangement described is used in com-
bination with an hollow bridge supplied with air from the ash place, which is
allowed to pass from the bridge through perforations made at the back of it.
Valves may be also used in connexion with the bridge to regulate or shut off
the air.
My Invention in economizing fuel further consists in arrangements for
heating feed water to be supplied to boilers, namely, by a pipe placed in the
upper part of the flues surrounding the boiler or boilers, the feed water being
forced in at one end of this pipe, and conducted to the boiler or boilers from
the other end of the pipe.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent, filed
by the said Matthew Matley in the Great Seal Patent Office on the
21st January 1859.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, MATTHEW
MATLEY, of Ashton-under-Lyne, in the County of Lancaster, Engineer, send
greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her Letters
Patent, bearing date the Twenty-first day of July, in the year of our Lord One
thousand eight hundred and fifty-eight, in the twenty-second year of Her
reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant unto me,
the said Matthew Matley, Her especial license that I, the said Matthew
Matley, my executors, administrators, and assigns, or such others as I, the said
Matthew Matley, 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, use,
exercise, and vend, within the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland,
the Channel Islands, and Isle of Man, an Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS
TO STEAM BOILERS FOR CONSUMING SMOKE AND ECONOMIZING FULL
IN THE GENERATION OF STEAM," upon the condition (amongst others) that I, the
said Matthew Matley, by an instrument in writing under my hand and seal,
should particularly describe and, ascertain the nature of the 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.

page_text: NOW KNOW YE, that I, the said Matthew Matley, do hereby declare
the nature of my said Invention, and in what manner the same is to be per-
formed, to be particularly described and ascertained in and by the following
statement and accompanying Drawings (that is to say):-
My Invention is applicable principally to stationary or marine boilers, more
especially to such boilers as have their furnaces in an internal chamber of the
boiler. It consists in placing a partition at the firing end of the furnace
above the dead plate, so as to form a space or cavity between the partition and
the bottom of the boiler or top of the internal fire-place, this partition having
in it a number of perforations, so that air admitted to the cavity from the
ash place will become heated on entering the cavity, and will then pass
through perforations, and mix with the combustible gases. The openings
at the ash place, through which the air is admitted into the said are
provided with valves or dampers, by which the passage of the air may be
regulated or shut off. The arrangement above described is used in com-
bination with an hollow "fire bridge," supplied with air from the ash place,
which is allowed to pass from the fire bridge through perforations made in the
back of it. Valves may be also used in connection with the bridge to regulate
or shut off the air, and the valves referred to in both cases may be arranged in
connection with self-acting mechanism or apparatus, which will gradually shut
off the supplies of air after each firing.
The accompanying Drawing illustrates the application of my Invention to
boilers of that class having two cylindrical flues through them, a fire-place
being made at one end of each of these flues.
manner.
Fig. 1 is an elevation of the firing or furnace end of the boiler, the fire door
and frame being supposed removed from one furnace, showing the dead plate
and cavity above in section, and also a section of mechanism and apparatus
for regulating the valves through which air is supplied; Fig. 2 shows a
longitudinal vertical section of the furnace end of the boiler, the section
passing through one of the furnaces. Both furnaces are arranged in the same
a is the dead plate; in this case it is made with a cavity on its
under side, having an opening in its centre to admit air, which opening is
provided with a swivel valve or damper b; c is a arch of iron, having two
side flanges; it fits above the dead plate (a), and comes nearly close to the
top of the fire flue or furnace; the ends of this arch come over openings made
in the dead plate (a), so as to communicate with the cavity (a') under the
dead plate (a), from which the supply of air is obtained. The flanges of the
arch carry a sheet of iron (c¹) forming a cover, so that the air does not come
in contact with the upper part of the fire-place. The arch (c) is perforated

page_text: by numerous small holes at the end nearest the fire, so that the air admitted
into the cavity which it forms may be heated and distributed in numerous jets
to combine with the combustible gases; d is the hollow fire bridge, having
numerous perforations at the back side; and e is a rotating disc valve for
regulating the supply of air to the bridge; and f is a plate carrying fire bricks,
to protect the bridge d; and g are the fire bars. In the arrangements shown
the valve (b and e) are in each furnace both actuated by one shaft (h), which
has bearings in the dead plate (a) at one end, and in the hollow bridge (d) at.
the other end d¹ forms the opening by which air is admitted to the hollow
bridge (d); a quarter of a revolution of the shaft (h) will open both valves
(d and e) to the greatest extent. The valve shaft h is turned by a lever or
arm (i) fixed on its end, and the arm (i) of both shafts may be connected by.
a rod (j) so as to be worked simultaneously. The supply of air is only required:
for a time immediately after the supply of fuel to the fires, and may be gradually
diminished and wholly shut off within a certain period by mechanism and
apparatus shown in the Drawing. k is a standard, carrying a small cylinder
fitted with a piston, the rod from which passes through a suitable gland
packing, and is connected with the arm of the valve shaft (h) by a rod m.
Another standard (n) carries the fulcrum of a bell-crank lever p, one arm of
which has a slot in it, which fits on a pin in the piston rod, the other arm of
the lever carries a weight. The object of the weighted lever p is to shut the
valves when opened. The cylinder is filled with a liquid which the movement
of the piston will cause to pass from one side of the piston or one end of the
cylinder to the other through suitable passages; in these passages a valve and
screw plug are arranged, the valve allowing a free passage to the liquid in one
With
direction, but closes against any movement in the opposite direction.
this arrangement the piston allows the air valves to be easily opened, but will
only allow them to close slowly, as the liquid can only pass in the direction for
closing the valves through a limited opening, the extent of which can be
regulated by the screw plug r, and thus the time of closing may be increased
or diminished as required. A mechanic will be able very readily to arrange
levers which the furnace doors will come in contact with when they are
opened, these levers communicating with the levers on the valve shafts, so that
they will be turned to open the valves when the fire doors are opened.
From the illustration given, the manner of applying my Invention to other
stationary and marine boilers will be readily understood; that is, supplying air
to an hollow fire bridge in combination with air supplied to a cavity or to
cavities or boxes formed above. or at each side of the fire door above the dead
plate, such cavities.being supplied with air, and haying numerous perforations,

page_text: by which the air is distributed to combine with the combustible gases, the
supply of air to the hollow bridge and cavities being regulated by valves.
I have now particularly described the nature of my Invention, and the
method by which it may be carried into effect, and desire it to be understood
that I claim,-
Firstly, the combination of an hollow fire bridge, from which air is dis-
tributed through numerous perforations with cavities at the front end of the
furnace, also distributing air through numerous perforations, substantially as
herein-before described.
Secondly, the regulation or the admission of air to combinations of such
distributors as are referred to in my first claim by means of valves.
Thirdly, the regulation of the closing of valves referred to in my second
claim by mechanism or apparatus herein-before described.
In witness whereof, I, the said Matthew Matley, have hereunto set my
hand and seal, this Nineteenth day of January, in the year of our
Lord One thousand eight hundred and fifty-nine.
MATTHEW MATLEY. (L.S.)