Year: 1886

page_text: Date of Application, 21st Apr., 1886.
Complete Left, 21st Jan., 1887.
Complete Accepted, 22nd Feb., 1887.
I, CHARLES THEOPHILUS RAMSAY of 18 South Castle Street, Liverpool, in the
County of Lancaster, Consulting and "Marine Superintending Engineer, do hereby
declare the nature of this invention to be as follows:
This is an arrangement for shutting off the connection between a furnace and
combustion chamber in a steam boiler when cleaning and working fires.
It is fixed at the combustion chamber end of the furnace, and can be conveniently
shut or opened by a mechanical arrangement.
The advantages claimed for its use are, economy in fuel and in the maintenance of
the boilers.
Economy in fuel. In the case of two or more furnaces being common to one
combustion chamber; as each fire is being cleaned a cold rush of air is admitted into
the chamber, seriously affecting good combustion, this is entirely stopped by this
damper.
Economy in maintenance of boilers :- By closing this damper a fire can be cleaned
or worked without admitting cold air into the chamber, by this means the heating
surfaces are not chilled, unequal expansion and contraction is avoided, work in
repairs is accordingly much reduced, and the life of the boiler prolonged.
There are various plans by which my invention could be carried out dependent on
the character of the flue. If the flue be an internal round one, the damper could be
a semi circle, rotated on a pivot by a handle direct, or by gearing, or it could be
formed of a series of blades linked together, so as to spread out or shut up like a fan
by suitable mechanical means, or it could be hinged in some cases to rise up or sink
into a hollow on the bridge. If an under fired boiler, the damper could be pushed up
from below or from one side. In each case however by links, rods, or levers, I prefer
to work the damper from the working front of the furnace.
WM. P. THOMPSON & Co.,
Of 6, Lord Street, Liverpool,
Patent Agents of the Applicant,

page_text: COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in or Appertaining to Steam Boilers.
I, CHARLES THEOPHILUS RAMSAY of 18ª South Castle Street, Liverpool in the
County of Lancaster, Consulting and Marine Superintending Engineer, 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 has for its object the better control of the draught of air in boilers,
and the prevention of cooling effects while cleaning and stoking, and consists
essentially in a method of and apparatus for cutting off the connection-between the
furnace being cleaned or stoked and the uptake, he means of intermediate dampers
either in the furnace, the combustion chamber or uptake. The dampers of any
convenient construction so placed as to cut off.the furnace to which it is applied; from
the uptake and from the other furnaces.
In order the better to explain it, I have appended the accompanying drawings.
Figure 1 is a sectional elevation of the plan preferred in cases where two or more
flues or furnaces open into a common combustion chamber:
!...
Figure 2 a similar view showing a very convenient plan where the combustion
chambers are not united, but each furnace has its own combustion chamber.
In the first plan a damper A formed of iron and fire-brick or other refractory
material works in a slot B at the bottom of the combustion chamber so as to leave the
area above the bridge C completely open as shown in dotted lines, or closed as in full
lines. Link P of the actuating. lever is carried to the front of the boiler and can he
linked. there to handle or lever working in a notched quadrant or otherwise.
Figure 2 is a convenient plan where each furnace has its own combustion chamber.
In this A is the damper shown in full lines, closed and in dotted lines open. In this
case as it is placed beyond the tubes and hinged at the bottom of the smoke box, it can
be of iron without fire, brick covering. A simple notched handle D passes through
the smoke box door and fits into a catch of any convenient construction on the
outside thereof. In each case the handle for working the damper is at the front of the
boiler, but the damper can be placed in whatever part of the Hue, from the bridge to
its union with the flues of the other furnaces that is found most desirable in practice in
each instance.
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The advantages claimed for its use are economy in fuel and in the maintenance of
the boilers.
Economy in fuel. In the case of two or more furnaces being common to one
combustion chamber, as each fire is being cleaned a cold rush of air is ordinarily
admitted into the chamber, seriously affecting good combustion, this is entirely.
stopped by this damper.
Economy, in maintenance of boilers By closing this damper a fire can be cleaned
or worked without admitting cold air into the chamber, by this means the heating
surfaces are not chilled, unequal expansion and contraction is avoided, work in repairs
is accordingly much reduced, and the life of the boiler prolonged.

page_text: There are various plans by which my invention could be carried out dependent on
the character of the flue. If the flue be an internal round one, the damper could be a
semi-circle, rotated on a pivot by a handle direct, or by gearing, or it could be formed
of a series of blades linked together, so as to spread out or shut up like a fan by
suitable mechanical means, or it could be hinged on a single piece as shown, to rise up
or sink back against the wall smoke-box door or a hollow in the back or bridge. If
an under fired boiler, the damper could be pushed up from below or from one side;
in each case however by links, rods, or levers. I prefer to work the damper from the
working front of the furnace and to form it in one piece as shown in the drawings.
In conclusion, I would state that I am well aware that dampers have been used to
cut off the communication of boilers from the chimney on land, and I make no claim
for such, but I have never heard of any case where separate dampers have been used
for each flue of a two or three flued boiler, or for each boiler of a series of single
furnaced boilers ranged together with a common uptake in sea use.
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. The improvement appertaining to steam boilers, which consists in providing the
flue from each of several furnaces with a damper worked from the front, whereby the
gases of the furnace can be cut off from mingling with those of the others while
the said furnace is being cleaned or charged.
2nd. The combination with each furnace flue of a steam boiler or range of steam
boilers with a common uptake at sea of a separate damper worked from the front of
the boiler and capable of cutting off its special furnace from the rest, substantially as
and for the purposes described.
WM. P. THOMPSON & Co.,
Of 6, Lord Street, Liverpool,
Agents for the Applicant.