IMPROVEMENTS IN STEAM GENERATORS
Year: 1872

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to John Franklin Allen, of Mott-Haven, in the
County of Westchester, in the State of New York, and in the United
States of America, for the Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN STEAM
GENERATORS."
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION filed by the said John Franklin Allen at
the Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition and
Declaration, on the 23rd March 1872, pursuant to the 9th Section
of the Patent Law Amendment Act, 1852.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, JOHN
FRANKLIN ALLEN, of Mott-Haven, in the County of Westchester, in
the State of New York, and in the United States of America, send
greeting.
WHEREAS I am in possession of an Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS
IN STEAM GENERATORS," and have petitioned Her Majesty to grant unto me,
my executors, administrators, and assigns, Her Royal Letters Patent for

page_text: Me, and
first Inventor thereof.
NOW KNOW YE, that I, the said John Franklin Allen, do hereby
declare that the following Complete Specification, under my hand and
seal, fully describes and ascertains the nature of the said Invention, a
and in what manner the same is to be performed, in and by the following
statement:
-
The first part of my Invention relates to the combination of a series
of doubled pipes with an upright standing pipe forming sections of which
two or more may be connected together to obtain any required capacity 1
of boiler; the object of this part of my Invention being to reduce
the number of joints usual in sectional boilers and to ensure perfect
circulation.
Further my Invention relates to the arrangement of a reservoir or
water chamber situated above the boiler and connected with the upright
standing pipe or pipes in such a manner that the boiler will be supplied
automatically with water from said reservoir whenever the water in the
boiler falls below the desired and fixed level.
In order to explain this Invention as completely as possible I now
proceed to describe the best means I am acquainted with for carrying
the same into practical effect, reference being had to the accompanying
Sheet of Drawings hereunto annexed, and to the letters of reference
marked thereon.
Figure I. represents a longitudinal section of a steam generator
embodying my Invention.
Figure II. is a cross section of the same at the line y, z, in Figure I.
Figure III. is an end view of the back of the boiler.
⋅
In the accompanying Drawing E are upright standing pipes or
chambers built partly into the back wall of the boiler and forming the
back of the combustion or fire chamber, and F are bend or doubled pipes
situated altogether in the fire chamber. The upper legs a of these
doubled pipes F run horizontally and are attached to the upper end or
steam room of the pipe E, while the lower legs n of said doubled pipes F
run diagonally downwards and are attached to the lower end or water
space of the pipe E. The bend part of the pipes F should be made
of as easy a curve as the nature of the boiler will allow, The mean
"

page_text: water line will be at the line x or just below the lowest pipe of the series
of the upper horizontal legs a of the pipes F. To the top of the pipe E
a pipe G is attached slanting upwards, and connected to the steam
drum H situated above the horizontal legs a of the pipes F. The lower
part of this steam drum H is connected through a pipe J with the lower
part of the pipe E to allow any water which may be carried over with the
steam into this steam drum to flow back again. The pipes F, the pipe G,
part of the pipe or pipes E, and the lower part of the drum H are
inclosed by the walls A, A, forming the fire or combustion chamber:
A plate C is arranged behind the bridge wall B to give the desired
direction for the flame and gases which escape through an opening D`ini
the back wall below the pipe E into the chimney. In the back of the
pipe E holes s are provided to give access to the inside of the pipes F
to facilitate the cleaning of said pipes. These holes s are situated in a
line with the inside of the legs a and n of the pipes F, and are closed by
means of suitable plugs screwed into the same from the inside of the
pipes E, for which purpose suitable hand holes m are provided near those
holes s to screw in or unscrew said plugs. Above and outside of the
boiler a reservoir or water tank K is arranged, into which the feed water
to supply the boiler. is forced by means of a feed pump or any other
desired manner. The lower part of this reservoir K is connected through.
the pipe L with the lower part or water space of the pipe E, or the same
may be connected with the pipe J connecting the steam drum H with:
the lower part of the pipe E as here represented. To the top of this
reservoir K a pipe M is attached, the other end of which is connected.
to the pipe E at the line x, or at that point intended to be the water
line of the steam generator. When two or more of the pipes E or
sections are attached and arranged side by side holes v, v, are made at
top and bottom in the sides of these pipes E to form a communication
between them, and through the centre of which holes suitable bolts w
pass to fasten the same together. The steam generated in the inclined
legs n and bent part 7 of the pipes F passes through the horizontal
legs a of said pipes Finto the upper part of the pipe E, and through
the pipe G into the steam drum H. These horizontal legs a of the
pipes F as well as the pipe G being exposed to the heat of the flame and
gases, any water which may be carried up with the steam will be readily
converted into steam while passing through said pipes, and the steam
at the same time be superheated. Any excess of water will after
entering the upper part of the pipe E. fall back into the body of water

page_text: in the lower part of said pipe, or if passed into the steam drum H will
return through the pipe J into the boiler.
In sectional steam generators which contain only a small body of
water, great care is required to keep the water always at its proper level.
By the above-described arrangement of the reservoir K, and the manner
of connecting the same with the steam generator, the water in the same
will always be kept at its proper level, and this operation will be per-
formed automatically. As soon as the water falls below the opening of
the pipe M or the line x, and which as before mentioned is the level of
the water desired to be always maintained in the boiler, steam will enter
into this pipe M pressing upon the water in the reservoir K, and forcing
thereby the water in the same through the pipe L into the lower part
of the pipe E or boiler until the water rises again above the opening of
the pipe M, closing thereby the same, and consequently prevents the
further entrance of the steam into said pipe M when the pressure upon
the water in the reservoir K will diminish, and the flow of water out
of said reservoir K into the boiler will stop until the water falls again
below the line x or below the opening of the pipe M, when the same
operation will be repeated. The feed pump if at work will replenish
the water in this reservoir K during the time the water level in the
boiler is above the line a or while the mouth of the pipe M is below the
water line. When the feed pump becomes deranged by accidents or is
not in operation, this reservoir K will be capable of supplying the boiler
with water for some length of time, which is of the utmost consequence
in sectional boilers containing only a small and limited quantity of
water. A water guage p must be placed on the side of this reservoir K
to indicate the amount of water in the same, and the operation of the
feed pump may be regulated thereby.
Having now fully described and set forth my Invention, and the
manner in which the same is or may be used, I hereby declare that
what I claim as my Invention and desire to secure by Letters Patent
is,—
First. The combination of doubled pipes F having the upper legs a
horizontal and the lower legs n inclined downwards with an upright
pipe E, substantially in the manner and for the purpose herein described.
Secondly. I claim the combination of the doubled pipes F attached to
an upright pipe E, the inclined pipe G, steam drum H, and pipe J,.
substantially in the manner and for the purpose set forth.
;

page_text: Thirdly. In combination with a steam generator I claim the arrange-
ment of a tank or reservoir K and pipes M and L connected to the
steam generator in the manner and for the purpose substantially as set
forth and described.
In witness whereof, I, the said John Franklin Allen, have here-
unto set my hand and seal, this Seventh day of March, in the
year of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and seventy-two.
JOHN FRANKLIN ALLEN. (L.S.)
Witness,
HENRY E. ROEDER,
Solicitor of Patents,
302, Broadway, New York.