Improvements in Apparatus for Indicating the Density or Thickness of Smoke given off from Furnaces and the like.
Year: 1899

page_text: Date of Application, 25th Apr., 1899
Complete Specification Left, 20th Jan., 1900-Accepted, 17th Mar., 1900
Improvements in Apparatus for Indicating the Density or Thickness
of Smoke given off from Furnaces and the like.
I, VICTOR AICHER, of II. Obere Donaustrasse 23, Vienna, in the Empire of
Austria, Engineer, do hereby declare the nature of this invention to be as
follows:-
This invention relates to an apparatus for indicating the density or thickness
of smoke given off from furnaces or the like and is for the purpose of showing
the fireman immediately, or at any time the fire has been charged with fresh
combustibles, if smoke is created or not, so that he can regulate, according to the
indication of the apparatus, the air entrance, so that the combustion takes place
whilst developing as little smoke as possible thus obtaining the greatest possible
heating efficiency, and limiting to a minimum the harm to the surroundings by
smoke. The apparatus consists essentially of a straight pipe closed at both
ends by glass or any other transparent material, through which pipe a certain
amount of the produced smoke is conducted from the fire-box by means of a
suitable device, for instance, by means of an injector and an introduction pipe.
At one end of the straight pipe a suitable lighting source is arranged such as
a lamp or the like, which the fireman observes through the straight pipe.
According to the lighter or darker colour of the smoke the lighting source
appears more or less obscured thus immediately showing the state of the com-
bustion.
In order to make the indication of the apparatus clearer and distinct also at a
distance, the straight pipe conducting the smoke is surrounded by a second pipe
and the light is projected through both tubes upon a transparent screen.
The viewing opening shows in the absence of smoke two concentric circles
of uniform light produced by the outlines of the inner and the outer pipes, but
if there is a little smoke present the inner circle space is feebly illuminated
and with much smoke present it is entirely darkened, whilst the lighting of the
outer circle remains unchanged.
In order to use the apparatus for comparing smoke quantities, the pipes are
not arranged concentrically but for instance parallel, one beside the other, and
one observes through both tubes one and the same or two equally powerful
lighting sources.
Suppose the maximum quantity or density of smoke to be such as to entirely
obscure a lighting source of known intensity when viewed through a smoke
column of for instance one yard long by mixing smoke of such density with air
in proportions of 1, 2, or 3 as desired, different degrees of colour or brightness
can be attained from which colour copies in coloured glass, transparent paper or
the like can be made which when held before the outer pipe, obscure the light
rays of the observed light source in exactly the same manner as the smoke in
the inner pipe.
The copies may be arranged in form of sectors on a disk which, arranged before

page_text: the pipes, can be rotarily displaced whilst observing the lighting source through
the inner and outer pipe.
By this means the density or quality of the smoke produced can be ascertained.
If the movements of the disk are registered by a suitable mechanical device a
diagram of the times and conditions of the smoke quantities can be recorded.
Dated this 25th day of April 1890
HERBERT HADDAN & Co.,
Agents to Applicant.
Improvements in Apparatus for Indicating the Density or Thickness
of Smoke given off from Furnaces and the like.
I, VICTOR AICHER, of II, Obere Donaustrasse, 23, Vienna, in the Empire of
Austria, 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 relates to an apparatus for indicating the density or thickness
of smoke given off from furnaces or the like and is for the purpose of showing
the fireman immediately or at any time when the fire has been charged with fresh
combustibles if smoke is created or not, so that he can regulate the air entrance
according to the indication of the apparatus, thus enabling the combustion to
take place whilst developing as little smoke as possible, and thus obtaining the
greatest possible heat efficiency, and limiting to a minimum, damage to the
surroundings by smoke.
As shown in the annexed drawing the apparatus consists essentially of a
straight pipe b, Fig. 4, closed at both ends by glass or any other transparent
material a, through which pipe a certain amount of the smoke produced is
conducted from the fire box by means of a suitable device, for instance the
ejector d, through an introduction pipe m.
Adjacent to one end of the pipe a lighting source e is arranged, such as a
lamp or the like, which may be observed by the fireman through the said pipe b.
According to the density of the smoke this lighting source appears more or
less obscured, thus immediately showing the state of the combustion.
In order to make the indication of the apparatus clearly visible and distinct
also at a distance, the pipe b conducting the smoke is surrounded by a second
pipe g, and the light is projected through both tubes upon a transparent screen
f
(Fig. 4), arranged at the end of said pipe b remote from the lighting source.
The viewing opening o, in the absence of smoke, shows two concentric circles
of uniform light, h and i; however if there is a small quantity of smoke present
in the pipe b the inner circle his feebly illuminated, and with much smoke
present it is entirely darkened, whilst the lighting of the outer circle i remains
unchanged (Figs. 5 and 6).
In order to use the apparatus for comparing smoke densities the uniformly
transparent screen f is substituted by a screen or disc s on which the circle corre-.
sponding to the beforementioned circle is divided into a number of sectors"
forming a transparent scale for showing the degrees of density of the smoke
(Fig. 7).
The degree of density of the smoke passing through the pipe b is found by
comparing the colour of the circle h on the disc s with that of the various
sectors and ascertaining the one to which it corresponds.
The discs provided with the scale sectors may also be arranged to revolve

page_text: round the pipe b, and a further arrangement is made by which only one of the
sectors at a time is illuminated by the lighting source e, by means of a suitable
opening or a pipe g running parallel to pipe b. In order to then ascertain the
density of the smoke in pipe b the disc's is caused to revolve until the sector
which obscures the light in the same degree as the smoke in pipe b is opposite
the opening or pipe communicating with the lighting source. If the movements
of the discs are registered by a suitable mechanical device a diagram showing
the times and conditions of the smoke quantities can be obtained.
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: :-
An apparatus for rapidly ascertaining the density of smoke in furnaces and
the like in which a small quantity of smoke from the fire box is conducted through
a pipe closed at both ends with any suitable transparent material, the degree
of density of the smoke being indicated by the extent to which a source of light
observed through the said pipe is obscured, substantially as described.
Noted thi. 2011.
1000
HERBERT HADDAN & Co.,
Agents to Applicant. 18, Buckingham Street, Strand, London.