Improvements in and relating to Steam Boiler Furnaces.
Year: 1894

page_text: Date of Application, 27th Nov., 1894-Accepted, 19th Jan., 1895
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
[Communicated from abroad by EDWARD D. MEIER, of No. 421, Olive Street,
St. Louis, Missouri, United States of America, Manufacturer ]
Improvements in and relating to Steam Boiler Furnaces.
I, HENRY HARRIS LAKE, of the Firm of Haseltine, Lake & Co. Patent
Agents, 45 Southampton Buildings, in the County of Middlesex, 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 certain improvements in steam boiler furnaces and
boilers, and is an improvement upon the invention for which Letters-Patent of
the United States were granted to Hermann Heine, August 26, 1884, No. 304,195.
The invention has for its object to provide for the thorough combustion of the
fuel and inflammable gases produced by the partial combustion thereof in the
fuel chamber before permitting the products of combustion to pass to the heating
surfaces of the boiler so that the said products, at their greatest temperature,
will be applied directly to boiler tubes, the most effective heating surfaces of the
boiler, before reaching the steain drum and overheating the same, and thus prevent
injury to the riveted plates thereof.
My invention further has for its object to provide a free passage for the
products of combustion around the water tubes and lower portion of the boiler
unobstructed by any partitions or deflecting walls, which by interfering with the
draft, tend to reduce the steam-generating capacity of the boiler.
My invention has also for its object to prevent the top or crown of the furnace
above the fire-box and the boiler, from burning out, melting down or becoming
warped or displaced, or otherwise injured by the intense heat of the furnace.
My invention has also for its object to arrange the details of construction so
that the outer portion of the boiler and boiler tubes may be readily cleaned and
deposited soot quickly removed without lowering the temperature of the furnace,
and consequently interfering, for the time, with the generation of steam.
My invention further has for its object to so construct the furnace that the
various interior parts may be readily and conveniently put together or removed
and replaced when repairs are necessary, all as more fully hereinafter set forth.
In the drawings,
Fig. 1, is a longitudinal sectional view of my improved furnace, taken on the
line 1-2 of Figure 2;
Fig. 2, is a transverse vertical section of the same, taken on the line x-x of
Figure 1, looking forward;
Fig. 3, is a transverse vertical section taken on the line y-y of Figure 1,
looking backward;
Fig. 4, is a horizontal sectional view, taken on the line -
Fig. 5, is an enlarged sectional view of a portion of the
showing the hollow stay bolts and their stoppers or closing
Dozzle for blowing off soot;
of Figure 1;
boiler and furnace,
devices, and a steam
Fig. 6, is a sectional view, taken on the line a-a of Figure 5, looking
forward;
Figs. 7 and 8, are perspective views of the tiles of the lower row;

page_text: Fig. 9, is a perspective view of the upper row of tiling, and
Fig. 10, is a metallic substitute for the tile shown in Fig. 9;
Fig. 11, is a section showing the arrangement of slides and tiles.
A A, are the outer walls of the furnace, which are constructed of brickwork,
as usual in this class of furnaces.
B is a
steam drum which forms the upper
section of the boiler and C C), are two chambers or water legs, at the front and
rear of the boiler, connected to and communicating with the drum or upper
section of the boiler, as shown. From the inner sheets, of these chambers extend
the water tubes D D, which, with the chambers, form the lower section of the
boiler, the water tubes communicating respectively with the separate chambers.
The water tubes are "staggered," or in other words, the tubes are placed in
parallel rows one above the other, the spaces between the tubes in one row
alternating with the tubes in the adjacent rows, and vice versa, as shown in
Figures 2 and 3 of the drawings. When a proper relation is preserved between
the conducting capacity of the water tubes and the throats of the water legs, the
inclination of the boiler as a whole may be reduced to a minimum, and I find
that an inclination ranging from one foot in height to ten in length, to one foot in
height to fourteen feet in length, is quite sufficient to insure free circulation,
permitting the steam to pass quickly to the steam drum.
E, is the fire-box located in the front of the furnace, as usual, and G, the
bridge wall, at the rear of the fire-box. Back of the bridge wall between the
same and the rear of the furnace is a combustion chamber H, into which the hot
gases from the fire-box pass before passing to the lower section of the boiler, so
as to insure the thorough combustion of the unconsumed gases passing from the
fire-box, before reaching the heat.ng surfaces of the boiler and thus thoroughly
utilize the heat, economize fuel, and avoid as far as possible the deposition of soot
upon the heating surfaces or tubes of the boiler. In order to effect complete
combustion in the combustion chamber, and at the same time utilize the
heat which would otherwise be absorbed by the walls of the furnace and radiated
and wasted, the walls surrounding the furnace, as well as the bridge wall are
provided with connected flues, I, K, L, leading from the open air at M. Figure 4,
into the combustion chamber through slots in the upper portion of the bridge
wall, at N. To increase the draft and intensify the combustion in the chamber,
a series of steam jets P, extending from a suitable pipe, are arranged behind the
openings N, so as to inject steam into said combustion chamber when desired,
the pipe being properly connected with the generator for the purpose and supplied
with a regulative valve. Those portions of the fire-box which are subjected to
intense heat are lined with fire brick as usual, and the bridge wall, the internal
walls of the combustion chamber as well as the floor of the combustion chamber
are so lined. The roof of the fire-box is located at a suitable distance above it
and extends backward at the same inclination as the lower boiler section partially
over the combustion chamber, as shown in Figure 1. Said roof is formed partly
by the lower row of water tubes and partly of a series of fire clay tiles S,
which are supported by the tubes and bridge the spaces between them. These
tiles are trough-shaped, having a groove on their upper faces of somewhat
greater radius than the tubes, which serves to collect the soot and ashes carried
along with the products of combustion, and enables the tiles to be inserted,
removed and replaced with facility without disturbing the other parts of the
furnace or boiler. To introduce the said tiles, they are inserted edgewise between
two adjacent tubes of the lower row from below and turned around the tube next
the hollowed portion of the tile until the tile has passed upward and some
distance beyond the central line of the tube, when the said tile can be readily
moved into place. The groove also when the tile is adjusted comes under the
tubes of the tow next above them, thus permitting the second row to be brought
nearer the first than hitherto possible without interfering with the setting or
removal of the tiles. The lower row of tubes is always made a "long row,'
that is, it always contains one or more tubes than the row above it, thus enabling
1
"

page_text: the roof to be completely closed without attaching any portion of the same to the
side walls of the furnace, which would be necessary if the lower row of tubes
were a "short row," and which would by expansion and contraction rack the
walls, produce cracks and leaks in the same, and consequently reduce the
efficiency of the furnace and boiler. One or more cross rows of the tiles have
transverse grooves in their upper faces, in which are placed anchor bars T, that
enter the side walls to prevent the tiles from sliding down the tubes. They bave,
however, considerable play in all directions to avoid the injurious consequences of
expansion and contraction. U U, are tiles or concavo-convex blocks which in
connection with the upper row of tubes form a partition or diaphragm which
extends from the rear toward the front of the furnace. The tiles rest between
said tubes on the row below similarly to the tiles forming part of the roof of the
fire-box, before mentioned. The said partition, as will be seen, inclines upward
from the rear to the front of the furnace and as its rear rests against the rear wall
of the furnace, no anchor bars are needed.
V, is the roof or crown of the furnace. This roof is also composed of tiles or
blocks of suitable material, which rest upon shoulders W, at the sides of the
furnace, and the supporting bars X, extending along the sides of the upper section
of the boiler, at or a little below the water level. The said roof extends from the
front of the furnace toward the rear thereof and terminates at the opening Y,
leading to the smoke stack.
The chambers forming the heads of the lower section of the boilers are provided
with hollow stay bolts A similar to those employed in the Patent before mentioned.
The said bolts are of a greater diameter, however, to permit of the insertion of the
Injecting nozzle when desired, for the purpose of removing soot and deposits from
the outer surfaces of the tubes and boiler, as more fully hereinafter explained.
The hollow stay bolts are arranged at points midway between the ends of three
or four of the adjacent tubes throughout the series, so that when the injecting tube
or nozzle is inserted it can be worked between three or four adjacent tubes of the
set, and by means of side jets, as shown, cause currents of steam or steam and air
to play upon the outside of the tubes or heating surfaces of the boiler, and thus
effectually cleanse them, at the same time supplying air to support combustion of
the soot, and thereby augment the heat in the furnace. The outer ends of the
stay bolts are provided with plugs or stoppers B', for closing them when not in use,
so as to prevent access of cold air to the furnace and the diameter of the passages
through them is such that the nozzle will about fit therein, so that cold air cannot
pass them into the furnace when in use. It will be seen that the temperature of
the furnace will not be reduced while cleansing the heating surfaces at the time
when the heat is most needed, but will be augmented by the consuming soot,-a
manifest advantage over the ordinary methods of cleaning where large apertures
The nozzles
are necessary for the insertion of the cleansing tools or instruments.
consist of a straight pipe closed at the end and perforated at the sides and they are
of sufficient length to enter the boiler to about half way between its front and rear,
so that the entire surfaces of the tubes may be cleaned. Where it is only
practicable to work the nozzles from the front, they may be made the whole length
of the tubes as sufficient space in front of the boiler is generally to be provided
in the boiler room for the insertion of the boiler tubes, and of course would be
ample for the proper working of the nozzles.
To provide for cleaning the upper portion of the furnace above the diaphragm U,
openings D' are provided in the side or end walls of the furnace which are closed
by suitable covers and to remove ashes and deposits from the combustion chamber,
it is provided at its rear with an opening closed by movable block e and a cap E'.
In the operation of my improved furnace and boiler it will he perceived that the
hot products of combustion and unconsumed gases from the burning fuel in the
fire-box instead of passing directly into the chamber in which the lower or tube
section of the boiler is located are directed back by the roof of the fire-box into
the combustion chamber, where they meet with a current of heated air and steam,

page_text: by which all unconsumed gases are ignited. The products intensely heated then pass
into the lower rear end of the chamber containing the tubes, striking the most
effective heating surfaces. The products then pass freely forward through the nest
of tubes, meeting with no obstructions, such as vertical partitions or inclined
deflecting walls, and thence freely back under the water space of the steam drum
to the smoke stack, thus effectively utilizing the heat and preventing the burning
or overheating of the riveted portions of the boiler and consequent injury to the
same.
By the present construction, the chamber in which the tubes are located is made
of ample dimensions and the opening into it or the exit from it may be increased or
decreased at will by simply adding to or removing a portion of the tiles from the
diaphragms S and U respectively so that the amount and nature of the contact of
the gases of combustion and the heating surfaces are under control and can be
varied to suit varying circumstances of fuel and draft. Moreover, the tiles being
easily removed and replaced there is little difficulty when making repairs.
It is often found in practice after careful adjustment of the tiles to regulate the
size and character of the opening from one chamber to another, that the draft will be
greater at one side than the other or greater in the middle than at the sides, and
to overcome this difficulty and also to provide for ready adjustment of the draft
after the furnace has been erected and while in operation, I arrange a series of
slides z zone over each row of tiles adapted to be moved back and forth by means
of hooks or bars x x inserted through the hollow stay bolts. Dampers o o are
also arranged to increase or diminish the opening from the upper chamber to the
stack, as shown.
Having now particularly described and ascertained, the nature of said inven-
tion, and in what manner the same is to be performed, as communicated to me by
my foreign correspondent, I declare that what I claim is :-
1. In a boiler furnace the combination of a fuel chamber a nest of staggered
tubes arranged above and extending beyond said chamber a plain diaphragm
consisting of tiles or blocks resting upon the tubes of the lower row extending from
the front backward over the chamber and a plain diaphragm consisting of tiles or
blocks resting upon the tubes of the upper row extending from the rear of the
furnace forward over the fuel chamber and lower tubes, to provide a single
unobstructed passage of uniform capacity between the diaphragms so that all the
tubes are in the single flue traversed by the products of combustion.
2. In a boiler furnace, the combination of a fire-box, a nest of staggered tubes
arranged above said fire-box and tiles or blocks grooved substantially as described
so that they may be inserted and removed from below the tubes to facilitate
construction and repairs of the furnace and boiler, substantially as described.
3. In a boiler furnace, the combination of a nest of staggered water tubes, and
tiles or blocks longitudinally grooved to facilitate adjustment and transversely
grooved to provide for anchoring them in place in the furnace, substantially as
described.
4. In a boiler furnace, the combination of a fire-box, a combustion chamber, a
nest of staggered water tubes above the same, the lower row of tubes containing
one more tube than that above it and tiles or blocks arranged between the
lower row of tubes to form the roof of the fire-box independent of the side walls
of the furnace, substantially as described.
5. In a boiler furnace, the combination of a combustion chamber, a nest of water
tubes above said chamber, a row or rows of tiles arranged between and supported
by said tubes, and a series of slides arranged and operating as described.
6. In a boiler furnace, the combination of a combustion chamber, a nest of
staggered water tubes above said chamber, a row of tiles arranged between and
supported by said tubes, a series of slides arranged as described, and detachable
handles for operating the slides, substantially as described.
7. In a boiler furnace of the character herein described having a free passage

page_text: through the nest of tubes and large hollow stay bolts opening into said passage
between the tubes, the combination of such furnace and a straight steam tubular
nozzle having lateral openings to cause the steam to impinge forcibly at right
angles to the surface of the tubes, substantially as described.
Dated this 27th day of November 1894.
HASELTINE, LAKE & Co.,
45, Southampton Buildings, London, W.C., Agents for the Applicant.