IMPROVEMENTS IN OR APPLICABLE TO STEAM BOILER AND OTHER FURNACES FOR CONSUMING SMOKE, ALSO PARTLY APPLICABLE TO THE MANUFACTURE OF GAS, TO VENTILATING MINES, AND FOR UTILISING AND PURIFYING NOXIOUS VAPOURS AND GASES, AND RENDERING THE SAME IN- NOCUOUS AND NON-EXPLOSIVE
Year: 1876

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Francis Erskine, of the City of Manchester, Engineer,
for the Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN OR APPLICABLE TO STEAM BOILER
AND OTHER FURNACES FOR CONSUMING SMOKE, ALSO PARTLY APPLICABLE TO
THE MANUFACTURE OF GAS, TO VENTILATING MINES, AND FOR UTILISING AND
PURIFYING NOXIOUS VAPOURS AND GASES, AND RENDERING THE SAME IN-
NOCUOUS AND NON-EXPLOSIVE."
Sealed the 28th October 1876, and dated the 29th April 1876.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Francis Erskine at the Office
of the Commissioners of Patents on the 29th April 1876.
FRANCIS ERSKINE, of the City of Manchester, Engineer.
"IMPROVEMENTS IN
OR APPLICABLE TO STEAM BOILER AND OTHER FURNACES FOR CONSUMING SMOKE,
ALSO PARTLY APPLICABLE TO THE MANUFACTURE OF GAS, TO VENTILATING MINES,
AND FOR UTILISING AND PURIFYING NOXIOUS VAPOURS AND GASES, AND REN-
DERING THE SAME INNOCUOUS AND NON-EXPLOSIVE."
As applied to steam boiler and other furnaces this Invention consists in the
construction of a fire-bar, the back extremity of which is carried upwards in front of
the bridge leaving a channel between each of the fire-bars for the admission of air
from the ash-pit to the furnace, and which finds an entrance thereinto imme-
diately facing the products of combustion as they approach the bridge.
This Invention further relates to a method of treating the products of combustion
after leaving the furnace, and consists instead of permitting such products to pass
into the chimney in forcing or drawing the same by a fan, pump, or other suitable
apparatus through an air-tight vessel of special construction, herein-after called the
purifier, containing water, lime and water, or other suitable purifying liquid,
whereby such products are separated from all unconsumed particles which are left
retained by the purifier, the sooty particles being preserved for dyeing or other
useful purposes, and the gases are then either received into a gas holder, whence
they may be used for illuminating or heating purposes as required, or such gases
may pass direct from the purifier to the place where they are required to be used.
(Price 6d1

page_text: The purifier is so internally arranged that the entrance of the products of com
bustion causes the liquid contents to be agitated either by the gases entering below
the surface of the liquid or by the purifier being internally divided into compart-
ments by division plates extending downwards into the liquid, and which com-
partments communicate together through a suitable revolving wheel or apparatus
which conveys the gases from one compartment to the other. The water contained
in the purifier becoming heated may be used for feeding the boiler, the supply
being kept up by a supply cistern.
In some cases I force or draw the air which supplies the furnaces through a
series of tubes which are placed in an enlarged part of the flue, and thus I heat
such air before entering the furnace, and I sometimes pass the products of com-
bustion from the furnace through a flue heated by the waste heat from the furnace
previous to taking such products through the purifier herein-before mentioned.
As applied to the manufacture of gas I dispense with the use of retorts for con-
taining the gas producing material, and I introduco such material into a furnace
from which I force or draw the gas as it is evolved through a purifier similarly
constructed to the one herein-before mentioned, and thence convey the purified
gas into the gas holder, a modification of this apparatus being useful as a self-feeding
furnace for steam boilers.
In ventilating mines, say, for instance, to remove the dangerous gases from the
face of the workings, I convey tubes from a fan or pump to such localities, and
thus draw such gases through the fan or pump, and thence force the same through
the purifier in order to purify and save the 'gases or permit the same to escape
through a separate shaft into the outer atmosphere. This method of ventilating
mines permitting extra lengths of piping or tubing to be added so as to follow up
the work of the miners as they advance from place to place; and in order to indicate
that the ventilating apparatus is performing its functions I apply a vane at the
nouth of the tube which is caused to rapidly revolve by means of the draught,
and I further employ dampers to regulate the drawing off of the gases so as to
insure every part being ventilated and inade easy for the miners to work in.
It will be readily apparent that this system of ventilating and of purifying
gases is applicable for the purpose of removing noxious vapours and gases from
chemical works and other places, and rendering the same innocuous and non-
explosive.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent filed by the
said Francis Erskine in the Great Seal Patent Office on the 28th October 1876.
FRANCIS ERSKINE, of the City of Manchester, Engineer.
"IMPROVEMENTS IN
OR APPLICABLE TO STEAM BOILER AND OTHER FURNACES FOR CONSUMING SMOKE,
ALSO PARTLY APPLICABLE TO THE MANUFACTURE OF CAS, TO VENTILATING MINES,
AND FOR UTILISING AND PURIFYING NOXIOUS VAPOURS AND GASES, AND REN-
DERING THE SAME INNOCUOUS AND NON-EXPLOSIVE."
As applied to steam boiler and other furnaces this Invention consists in the
construction of an improved fire-bar, as illustrated in Figs. 1 and 2 of the necom-
panying Drawing, which represent respectively a side view and plan of two pairs.
of fire-bars constructed in accordance with this Invention. The back extremity A
of each of these fire-bars is carried upwards in front of the bridge B, leaving a
channel C between each of the fire-bars for the admission of air from the ash-pit
to the furnace, and which finds an entrance thereunto in the direction of the
arrows, and immediately facing the products of combustion as they approach the
bridge. The introduction of air at this part of the furnace (and which air has
become highly heated by passing in close contact with the heated extremities A

page_text: of the fire-bars) materially assists the consumption of the products of combustion
by igniting their unconsumed particles before passing over the bridge. In Fig. 2
pair of Erskine's corrugated or vandyked fire-bars are shewn, as also a pair of
ordinary fire-bars in order to illustrate the application of my improvements to
both forms of fire-bars.
This Invention further relates to a method of treating the products of com-
bustion after leaving the furnace, and consists instead of permitting such products
to pass into the chimney in forcing or drawing the same by a fan, pump, or other
suitable apparatus through an air-tight vessel of special construction, herein-after
called the purifier, containing water, line and water, or other suitable purifying
Liquid, whereby such products are separated from all unconsumed particles which
are left retained by the purifier, the sooty particles being preserved for dyeing or
other useful purposes, and the gases are then either received into a gas holder,
whence they may be used for illuminating or heating purposes as required, or such
gases may pass direct from the purifier to the place where they are required to
be used.
On the accompanying Drawing Fig. 3 is a side sectional view, and Fig. 4 a
sectional plan of a purifier constructed in accordance with my Invention, and
drawn to a scale of about half an inch to the foot. Fig. 5 is a transverse section
of Figs. 3 and 4 across the line a—b.
This purifier is an enclosed vessel, by preference of a rectangular form, and
constructed of wrought-iron plates, although for smaller sizes cast iron may bo
employed. In all the views A, A, are partition plates, which extend downwards
slightly below the level of the liquid X contained within such purifier, so as to
divide the upper part into a series of air-tight compartments, which are severally
marked B, C, and D. At or near the lower edge of each of these partition plates
a communicating wheel or agitator E is mounted upon a shaft F, one extremity of
which shaft passes through a stuffing box G to the outside in order that revolving
notion may be communicated in suitable proportion from any convenient motive
power to each of the communicating wheels E, by means of the speed pullies H. and
endless strap I. These communicating wheels E consist of a number of blades J,
fixed at an angle upon a drum or cylinder, and which blades extend from one side
of the purifier to the other, and thus constituto a series of revolving cells or
buckets for conveying the products of combustion or gas through the liquid X from
one compartment to the other. K is the inlet pipe which is bent downwards inside
the purifier, as illustrated, in order that the products of combustion entering the
compartment B shall be compelled to pass bodily through the liquid, the vertical
portion or branch L of such inlet pipe which is open to the liquid at its lowest
extremity being provided to ensure a constant flow of liquid through such inlet
pipe, a current being induced to ascend such branch L'in the direction of the
arrows, and thus to take the place of any liquid which may be blown out or
displaced from the inlet pipe by the incoming gases. M is the outlet pipe com-
municating with the compartment D, and O is a manhole for periodically cleaning
out the contents of the purifier.
The action of this purifier may be described as follows:-The products of com-
bustion from the flue of a steam boiler or other furnace are forced into this purifier
by means of a fan, pump, or other suitable forcing apparatus, and enter the saine
through the inlet pipe K; these products as herein-before explained are compelled
to pass bodily through the liquid X, which may consist of water, lime and water,
or other purifying liquid, according to the purpose for which the gas or products
of combustion are being collected, and thus before entering the compartment B the
gases and other products of combustion become to a certain extent washed and
separated from the solid particles of soot and dirt which are left retained in the
liquid X. The communicating wheels or agitators E being now in motion in the
direction of the arrows, the contents of the compartments B are gradually passed by
means of the revolving cells or buckets into the compartment C, and thus the
gases and other products of combustion are again passed through the liquid X,

page_text: and become still further washed and filtered before entering the compartment C
and finally the contents of the compartment C are emptied into the compartment D
by being again passed through the liquid X by the other communicating wheel in
a sufficiently purified state to be allowed to escape through the outlet pipe M, and
thence to be led away to the gas holder if to be used for illuminating or heating
purposes, or to any other locality where they may be required to be used, or may
be permitted to escape into the atmosphere. It will thus be seen that this descrip-
tion of purifier not only dispenses with the necessity of a chimney to steam boiler
and other furnaces, and whereby the nuisance from smoke is entirely obviated, but
the products of combustion are separated, the soot being a saleable product, whilst
the gases may be collected or used as herein-before described.
I would here remark that the water contained in the purifier becoming heated
may be used for feeding the boiler, the supply to the purifier being kept up at the
proper level by a supply cistern and ball tap.
In some cases I force or draw the air which supplies the furnaces through a series
of tubes which are placed in an enlarged part of the flue, and thus I heat such air
before entering the furnace, and I sometimes pass the products of combustion from
the furnace through a flue heated by the waste heat froin the furnace previous to
taking such products through the purifier herein-before mentioned.
As applied to the manufacture of gas I dispense with the use of retorts for
containing the gas-producing material, and I introduce such material into a closed
furnace by means of revolving spiral blades and regulate the air supply accordingly,
and from this furnace I force or draw the gas as it is evolved through a purifier
similarly constructed to the one herein-before mentioned, and thence convey the
purified gas into the gas holder, a modification of this apparatus being useful as a
self-feeding furnace for steam boilers, but this modification having extended beyond
my expectations at the time of filing my Provisional Specification, I have preferred
to make the subject matter of an application for Letters Patent, dated October 7th,
1876.
In ventilating mines, say, for instance, to remove the dangerous gases from the
face of the workings, I convey tubes from a fan or pump to such localities, and thus
draw such gases through the fan or pump, and thence force the same through the
purifier in order to purify and save the gases, or permit the same to escape through
a separate shaft into the outer atmosphere. This method of ventilating mines
permitting extra lengths of piping or tubing to be added so as to follow up the
work of the miners as they advance from place to place; and in order to indicate
that the ventilating apparatus is performing its functions I apply a vane at the
mouth of the tube which is caused to rapidly revolve by means of the draught,
and I further employ dampers to regulate the drawing off of the gases so as to
ensure every part being ventilated and made easy for the miners to work in.
It will be readily apparent that this system of ventilating and of purifying
gases is applicable for the purpose of removing noxious vapours and gases from
chemical works and other places, and rendering the same innocuous and non-
explosive.
Having thus particularly described and ascertained the nature of this my said
Invention, together with the best methods with which I am acquainted for carrying
the same into practical effect, I wish it to be understood that I do not confine
myself to the precise details, relative proportions, or dimensions of the various parts
of the apparatus herein-before described and illustrated on the accompanying
Drawing, as the same may be considerably varied without departing from the
Invention, but that what I claim is―
1st. The improved construction of fire-bar for steam boiler and other furnaces,
ns and for the purposes herein-before described and illustrated on the accompanying
Drawing.
2nd. The general construction and arrangement of purifier when internally
divided into compartments communicating together as described, and fitted with

page_text: the special construction of inlet pipe, as and for the various purposes herein-before
described and illustrated on the accompanying Drawing.
In witness whereof, I, the said Francis Erskine, have hereunto set my hand
and scal, this 27th day of October, in the year of our Lord 1876.