IMPROVEMENTS IN STEAM BOILERS
Year: 1884

page_text: I ROBERT ABELL, of Brook Street, Derby in the County of Derby, Engineer,
do hereby declare the nature of my Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN STEAM
BOILERS," to be as follows:-
This Invention has for its object improvements in steam boilers and relates to
that class of boiler known as the "horizontal flue" type and is designed to produce
a boiler of simple, cheap and efficient construction in which no furnace bridge is
required and consequently the containing capacity of the boiler increased by the
absence of a combustion chamber behind the bridge usually employed while the
hot gases still are permitted to thoroughly traverse the boiler before escaping into
the smoke stack or chimney.
In carrying out my Invention I arrange a fire box consisting of a dome shaped
or half circular crown plate, the outer edges of which plate are rivetted in their
proper position to the shell of the boiler in which is a corresponding opening in
which the fire bars are fixed forming a surface of sufficient area for the different
sizes of boilers the back end of the fire box is formed by a semicircular disc or
plate flanged all round and rivetted to the dome plate and the bottom of the boiler
shell.
To this flanged disc I rivet an angle iron bearer to support the back ends of the
fire bars their front ends being supported by a bearer fixed to the boiler front.
I rivet a flue to the disc or plate, before described, opening into the furnace, I also
rivet the flue at the other extremity to the end plate of the boiler shell and opening
through same into a chamber at the back of the boiler (preferably fitted with
doors for getting at the flues for cleaning or repairing) from this chamber a flue or
flues proceed back to the front of the boiler opening into a similar chamber leading
to the smoke stack or chimney. By my construction and arrangement of the fire
box, sufficient space is acquired for the return flue or flues, which, with the main
flue, give a large and valuable amount of heating surface with ample water and
steam capacity.
Manhole and mudholes are used where necessary.
The hot gases from the furnace traverse the flue to the back chamber or smoke
box, depositing a good deal of their soot therein, and thence back through the
return flue or flues to the front of the boiler escaping into the front chamber or
smoke box and up the stack or chimney.
Dated this Fourth day of January 1884.

page_text: I, ROBERT ABELL, of Brook Street, Derby, in the County of Derby, Engineer,
do hereby declare the nature of my Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN STEAM
BOILERS," 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 improvements in steam boilers and relates to
that class of boilers known as "horizontal flue type "and is designed to produce
a boiler of simple, cheap, and efficient construction in which no furnace bridge is
required and consequently the containing capacity of the boiler is increased by the
absence of a combustion chamber behind the bridge usually employed, while the
hot gases still are permitted to thoroughly traverse the boiler before escaping into
the smoke stack or chimney.
In carrying out my Invention I arrange a fire box consisting of a dome shaped
or half circular crown plate, the outer edges of which plate are rivetted in their
proper position to the shell of the boiler in which is a corresponding opening in
which the fire bars are fixed forming a surface of sufficient area for the different
sizes of boilers. The back end of the fire box is formed of a semi-circular disc or
plate flanged all round and rivetted to the dome plate and the bottom of the boiler
shell.
To this flanged disc I rivet an angle iron bearer to support the back ends of the
fire bars, their front ends being supported by a bearer fixed to the boiler front.
I rivet a flue or flues to the disc or plate, before described opening into the furnace.
I also rivet the flue or flues at the other extremity to the end plate of the boiler
shell and opening through same into a chamber at the back of the boiler, (preferably
fitted with doors for getting at the flues for cleaning or repairing). From this
chamber a flue or flues proceed back to the front of the boiler opening into a
similar chamber leading to the smoke stack or chimney.
By my construction and arrangement of the fire box sufficient space is acquired
for the return flue or flues, which, with the main flue, give a large and valuable
amount of heating surface with ample water and steam capacity.
Manholes and mudholes are used where necessary.
The hot gases from the furnace traverse the fue to the back chamber or smoke
box depositing a quantity of their soot therein and thence back through the return
flue or flues to the front of the boiler, escaping into the front chamber or smoke
box and up the stack or chimney.
And in order that my Invention may be understood and carried into practical
effect I have caused to be annexed to this Specification the accompanying Sheet of
Drawings and to the Figures and letters marked thereon I now refer,
Figure 1 is an end elevation of my boiler.
Figure 2 a vertical sectional side elevation.
A shews the fire box formed as before described by rivetting a dome shaped or
balf circular crown plate B to the shell C of the boiler.
D shews the fire bars resting on a bearer E.
F is the flanged plate forming the back of the fire box.
G is a flue, or I may use two or more if desired, passing through the boiler to
the chamber H.
This chamber may be a casting and is fitted with a door or doors for getting to
the flues.
From the chamber H flues or tubes I, I, I, proceed to a chamber or smoke box J
at the front of the boiler. This may be a casting and is fitted with a flange to
receive the end of the smoke stack or chimney as shewn,

page_text: The hot gases pass through flue G to chamber H and are returned through
flues I to chamber J and so up the smoke stack or chimney, thus traversing the
boiler twice and parting with a great deal of their heat in so doing.
The number and size of the tubes or flues must of course be proportioned to the
size and required duty of the boiler.
The chamber J is also fitted with a door or doors to get to the tubes or flues L
If desired the walls of the boiler may be stayed by screwed or other stays and
a steam dome drum or chamber may be fitted to the top of the boiler.
For the purpose of forcing the draft a steam jet or blower can be fixed in the
chamber H to assist in forcing the hot gases through the tubes.
These boilers will be found very applicable to launches and small steamers and
in fact wherever a small amount of space is available as boiler room.
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,
A horizontal boiler containing an internal dome shaped fire box, a main flue or
flues or tubes connecting the same with a chamber at the back of the boiler, the
said chamber being connected by smaller tubes or flues traversing the length of
the boiler to a smoke box or chamber at its front, substantially as described.
Dated this 22nd day of May 1884.
ROBERT ABELL.
By. E. Gardner Colton,
(Fellow of the Institute of Patent Agents),
Of the firm of Popplewell, Colton & Co.,
17 & 18, Southampton Buildings, W.C.