IMPROVEMENTS IN APPARATUS FOR REMOVING SOOT FROM THE SURFACES OF HEATING TUBES
Year: 1868

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to James Heywood Whitehead, of the Royal George
Mills, near Manchester, Woollen Manufacturer, for the Invention
of "IMPROVEMENTS IN APPARATUS FOR REMOVING SOOT FROM THE SURFACES
OF HEATING TUBES."
Sealed the 2nd October 1868, and dated the 9th April 1868..
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said James Heywood
Whitehead at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his
Petition, on the 9th April 1868.
I, JAMES HEYWOOD WHITEHEAD, of the Royal George Mills, near
Manchester, Woollen Manufacturer, do hereby declare the nature of the
said Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN APPARATUS FOR REMOVING SOOT FROM
THE SURFACES OF HEATING TUBES," to be as follows:-
This Invention has for its object improvements in apparatus for
removing soot from the surfaces of heating tubes.
The heating tubes are arranged in the smoke box, they are placed
horizontally and parallel the one to the other, they are divided into
Price 8d.]

page_text: several sets, and the tubes in each set are placed vertically one over
the other. Over every alternate set a horizontal axis is placed having
chain pinions, one at each end, on which endless chains hang; these
chains encircle the set of tubes and pass around guide pulleys at their
lower ends. To the endless chains are fixed scraping blades of thin
sheet steel, each blade being parallel with the pipes and fixed to one
of the endless chains at either end; the blades are curved so as
approximately to fit to the pipes. There are scrapers both on the outer
and inner sides of the endless chains; those on the inner sides scrape
the pipes which the chains carrying them encircle, whilst the scrapers
on the exterior scrape on one side the pipes of each of the adjacent
sets. The axes with the chain pulleys upon them are slowly rotated
in any convenient manner, and as each scraper is brought opposite
a space between the tubes it springs into the space, and as the chains
slowly travel the scraper yields back to pass the tube, its edge scraping
against it all the time, and it thus passes over about the half of the
circumference of the tube, and the other half is scraped from the
other side.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent,
filed by the said James Heywood Whitehead in the Great Seal
Patent Office on the 9th October 1868.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, 1, JAMES
HEYWOOD WHITEHEAD, of the Royal George Mills, near Manchester,
Woollen Manufacturer, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her
Letters Patent, bearing date the Ninth day of April, in the year of
our Lord One thousand eight hundred and sixty-eight, in the thirty-
first year of Her reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs, and successors, give
and grant unto me, the said James Heywood Whitehead, Her special
licence that I, the said James Heywood Whitehead, my executors,
administrators, and assigns, or such others as I, the said James Heywood
Whitehead, my executors, administrators, and assigns, should at any
time agree with, and no others, from time to time, and at all times.
thereafter during the term therein expressed, should and lawfully might

page_text: make, use, exercise and vend, within the United Kingdom of Great
Britain and Ireland, the Channel Islands, and Isle of Man, an Invention
for "IMPROVEMENTS IN APPARATUS FOR REMOVING SOOT FROM THE SURFACES OF
HEATING TUBES," upon the condition (amongst others) that I, the said
James Heywood Whitehead, my executors or administrators, by an
instrument in writing under my, or their, or one of their hands and seals,
should particularly describe and ascertain the nature of the said
Invention, and in what manner the same was to be performed, and
cause the same to be filed in the Great Seal Patent Office within six
calendar months next and immediately after the date of the said Letters
Patent.
NOW KNOW YE, that I, the said Henry Heywood Whitehead, do
hereby declare the nature of the said Invention, and in what manner the
same is to be performed, to be particularly described and ascertained
in and by the following statement thereof, that is to say:-
This Invention has for its object improvements in apparatus for
removing soot from the surfaces of heating tubes.
The heating tubes are arranged in a smoke box or chamber in
the flue; they are placed horizontally and parallel the one to the other;
they are divided into several sets, and the tubes in each set are placed
vertically one over the other. Over every alternate set a horizontal
axis is placed, having chain pinions one at each end, on which endless
chains hang; these chains encircle the set of tubes and pass around
guide pulleys at their lower ends. To the endless chains are fixed
scraping blades of thin sheet steel, each blade being parallel with
the pipes and fixed to one of the endless chains at either end. The
blades are curved so as approximately to fit to the pipes. There are
scrapers both on the outer and inner sides of the endless chains, those
on the inner sides scrape the pipes which the chains carrying them
encircle, whilst the scrapers on the exterior scrape on one side the
pipes of each of the adjacent sets. The axes with the chain pulleys
upon them are slowly rotated in any convenient manner, and as each
scraper is brought opposite a space between the tubes it springs into
the space, and as the chains slowly travel the scraper yields back
to pass the tube, its edge scraping against it all the time, and it thus
passes over about the half of the circumference of the tube and the
other half is scraped from the other side.

page_text: Figure 1 is a plan; Figure 2 a transverse section, and Figure 3 a
longitudinal section of a water heating apparatus with mechanism
arranged according to my Invention applied thereto for removing the
soot from the surfaces of the heating tubes.
a, a, is a smoke box or chamber into which the products of com-
bustion from the furnace or furnaces pass; b, 61, 62, 63, are the several
series of heating tubes; the tubes are horizontal, and those of each set
are placed vertically over each other. The tubes of the several sets
are all connected together as is seen in the plan, so as to form a
single coil through which the fluid which it is desired to heat,
usually feed water, in its passage to the boiler or boilers is caused
to pass; c is the entrance to the chimney; d, d, are horizontal axes
mounted over the tubes, one for every alternate set of tubes; e, e, are
corresponding axes underneath the tubes. On the axes d are chain
pulleys d', one at each end of each axis, and endless chains f, f, pass
around them. A portion of one of these chains is shown full size at
Figures 4; e¹, e¹, are grooved pulleys on the axes e around which also
the endless chains pass. These parts are clearly seen at Figure 5,
which is a portion of a transverse section, but to a larger scale than
that to which Figure 2 is drawn; g, g, are bars of light angle iron
rivetted to the chains f, f, and extending horizontally from one chain
to the other on the same axis; h, h, are scraping blades rivetted
to the angle irons; they are of steel plate about No. 14 or No. 16
of the wire gauge in thickness and of such a length and so curved
as to reach well over and under the tubes. The scrapng blades are
about 1 inches wide, and each angle iron bar carries as many of them
as can be placed upon it between the chains, leaving just space between
one scraper and the next to allow them to work freely. The axes d
with the chains and scrapers are driven by worm wheels d at the ends
of the axes gearing with worms i on a shaft driven in any convenient
way and at such a speed that the chains go once round in five or
six hours. Or for the worm wheels d2 and worms i ratchet wheels

page_text: and pawls may be substituted as is shewn at Figure 6, or in other
ways the endless chains may receive the slow motion which they
require.
In witness whereof, I, the said James Heywood Whitehead, have
hereunto set my hand and seal, this Seventh day of October, in
the year of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and sixty-
eight.
JAMES HEYWOOD WHITEHEAD. (L.S.)