IMPROVEMENTS IN APPARATUS FOR CONSUMING SMOKE AND SAVING FUEL
Year: 1884

page_text: JOHN CORNFORTH 210 Burbury Street Lozells Aston Juxta Birmingham Iron
Founder and Smoke consuming Apparatus Manufacturer do hereby declare the
nature of my invention for IMPROVEMENTS IN APPARATUS FOR CONSUMING SMOKE
AND SAVING FUEL to be as follows:-
This invention consists of a combination of air passages, and smoke passages
made, and formed for use in conjunction with hot air, cold air, smoke, or other
vapour, and in conjunction with boilers, stoves, and muffles, of various shapes for
the purpose of consuming smoke, and thus saving fuel.
For vertical and other boilers, of a like character I introduce a metal tube A, and
place the same inside the chimney or flue, or funnel, in an upright position, the
bottom of the tube is fixed to a circular or other convenient shaped chamber B, the
Baid chamber containing a number of walls or partitions c, and being provided with
perforations in the top.
The top end of the tube A would by preference, be formed into two branches, or
it may be formed into three, four, or more branches, all of which are so fixed as to
communicate with the cold air outside the chimney or funnel as shewn at a and a¹.
At a suitable distance above the branches of the tube, I cut small holes through
the brick work, of the chimney, or through the funnel, through which enters cold
air into the chimney proper, or main outlet of chimney or funnel.
The action is as follows, cold air enters the branches from the outside of chimney,
or funnel, and passing down the upright tube into the partitioned chamber, it there
gets heated, and passing out through the perforations in said chamber, comes in
contact with the flameable gasses in the chimney proper, creates heat, and thus
consumes the smoke by combustion.
The supply of cold air through the small holes above the branches, assisting in
perfecting the process.
In some cases such as Locomotives and steam-ship-boilers I produce the same
result as hereinbefore obtained in the following manner.
Inside the ordinary circular or other shaped flue, or funnel, I fix an internal Blue,
corrugated on its external surface, in such a manner that when it fits closely to the
inside of the ordinary main outlet flue, or funnel, the corrugations, would, in

page_text: conjunction with the said external flue, or funnel, form a number of seperate air
passages. Holes are pierced in the shell or wall of external flue or funnel, leading
into each of the grooves or passages, formed by the corrugations.
A ring or cover would then be fixed over the whole of the top ends of the said
grooves; it will be readily understood that cold air would enter each of the grooves
or corrugations and in its passage through the grooves get hot and thus produce the
result in the chimney proper as hereinbefore described.
The same process of combustion applies to either of the cases herein set forth.
Dated this 2nd day of May 1884

page_text: JOHN CORNFORTH 210 Burbury Street Lozells Aston Juxta Birmingham Iron
Founder and Smoke Consuming Apparatus Manufacturer do hereby declare the
nature of my invention for IMPROVEMENTS IN APPARATUS FOR CONSUMING SMOKE
AND SAVING FUEL and in what manner the same is to be performed, to be
particularly described and ascertained in and by the following statement:-
This invention consists of a combination of air passages, and smoke passages
made, and formed for use in conjunction with hot air, cold air smoke or other
vapour, and in conjunction with boilers, stoves and muffles, of various shapes for the
purpose of consuming smoke, and thus saving fuel.
For vertical and other boilers of a like character I introduce a metal tube, and
place the same inside the chimney or flue, or funnel, in an upright position the
bottom of the tube is fixed to a circular or other convenient shaped chamber, the
said chamber containing a number of walls or partitions, and being provided with
perforations in the top.
The top end of the tube would by preference be formed into two branches or it
may be formed into three, four or more branches, all of which are so fixed as to
communicate with the cold air outside the chimney or funnel. At a suitable distance
above the branches of the tube I cut small holes through the brickwork, of the
chimney or through the funnel, through which enters cold air, into the chimney
proper, or main outlet of chimney or funnel.
The action is as follows cold air enters the branches from the outside of chimney
or funnel, and passing down the upright tube into the partitioned chamber, it there
gets heated, and passing out through the perforations in said chamber, comes in
contact with the flameable gasses in the chimney proper, creates heat, and thus
consumes the smoke by combustion.
The supply of cold air through the small holes, above the branches assisting in
perfecting the process.
In some cases such as locomotive and steam-ship boilers I produce the same result
as herein before obtained in the following manner. Inside the ordinary circular or
other shaped flue or funnel, I fix an internal flue corrugated on its external surface
in such a manner that when it fits closely to the inside of the ordinary main outlet
Blue or funnel, the corrugations would in conjunction with the said external flue or
funnel, form a number of seperate air passages. Holes are pierced in the shell or
wall of external flue or funnel leading into each of the grooves or passages formed by
the corrugations. A ring or cover would then be fixed over the whole of the top
ends of the said grooves it will be readily understood that cold air would enter each
of the grooves or corrugations and in its passage through the grooves get hot and
thus produce the result in the chimney proper as hereinbefore described.
The same process of combustion applies to either of the cases herein set forth.
I will now proceed to describe with reference to the accompanying drawings the
manner in which the apparatus is constructed and used.
Figure 1 is a sectional Elevation shewing the inlet tubes and chamber, fixed inside
an ordinary vertical boiler.
Figure 2 is a plan of the (moveable) top plate of chamber B-Fig 1 shewing the
outlet air holes,
Figure 3 is a side elevation of the funnel or chimney Fig 1.
Figure 4 is a section through the air chamber of Fig 1 at C D.
· Figure 5 is a sectional elevation of the fluted corrugation arrangement fixed to an

page_text: Figure 6 is a section of Fig 5 at A B shewing the pipe with a plain cylindrical
chamber not fluted.
Figure 7 is a section of fig 5 at A B shewing the fluted corrugation arrangement.
Figure 8 shews the corrugated arrangement fixed to and connected with a tubular
boiler.
Figure 9 shews a section of Figure 8 at A B.
By the use of the apparatus as shewn at Figure 1 smoke is consumed in the
following manner.
Cold air enters at the inlet tubes a a¹ and passes down the vertical tube A into
the hollow chamber at B where it is divided, entering the partitions as shewn at C
Fig 4 where it gets heated rising through the perforations as shewn at arrows bb
The subdivided heated oxygen coming in contact with the smoke (carbon) produces
combustion and flame thus consuming the smoke, the volume of flame rising up the
flue or funnel in the direction of the arrows c, comes in contact with the cold air
entering the perforations shewn at D¹ Fig 1 and D Fig 3, the action of the said
cold air cutting off or confining the flame within suitable limits preventing it from
passing out at the top of flue or chimney.
By the use of the apparatus as shewn at Fig 5, smoke is consumed in the
following manner. I provide an internal flue or funnel to fit into the external flue
or funnel as represented at dd this internal flue is provided in some cases with
corrugations, forming seperate air passages as shown at e Fig 7 holes are pierced in
the shell or wall as shewn at ff Fig 5 through which air enters into the grooves or
passages, where it gets heated and passes through the outlets shewn at g g Fig 5,
also at h Figures 6 and 7 into the main flue or chimney and coming in contact with
the rising smoke produces precisely the same result as herein before described as
taking place at Fig 1, the holes at d³ in figure 5 are for the same purpose as holes
D1 and D Fig's 1 and 3. The apparatus as shewn at Figure 8 is similar to that
shewn at Figure 5 in so far as the corrugated air inlet arrangement shewn in
section at Figure 7 and the arrangement shewn in section at Figure 6 but differs
in the fact of being formed of a curved or angular shape to fit conveniently into the
flue of figure 8 which is of the sectional form shewn at Figure 9, instead of the
circular section similar to Figure 6.
I provide a tube or tubes E to admit air into the corrugations at R or into the
space e in section Fig 6 at any convenient point, which would be preferably at a
similar point to R. Fig 8.
The air admited into the corrugations or within the space indicated at e¹ Fig 6
gets heated in a similar manner to that hereinbefore described in connection with
Figure 5 and passing out through the opening as shewn by the arrows l rises into
the main outlet flue or funnel F¹ where it comes in contact with smoke or carbon
producing a similar combustion and consumption of smoke as herein before described
in connection with Figure 1.
The apparatus shewn at Figure 1'differs in shape to that shewn at Figures 5
and 8 but the action is precisely the same.
Figures 5 and 8 shew a similar arrangement to each other with the slight
difference that the chambered pipe is formed of a suitable shape to fix in possition
at the end of fire bars, further, in some cases I line the inner shell (of Fig 8) with
fire brick as shewn in section at C.
I do not confine myself to constructing the apparatus shewn at Figure 5 and
Figure 8 with flutes; in some cases I dispense with the flutes and leave a clear
space between the outer and inner shell as shewn in section at e¹ Figure 6.
It will be readily understood that by the use of the hereinbefore described
arrangements hot air is eventually introduced into the chimney flue or funnel
proper viz the usual smoke outlet, in streams or jets, these streams or jets striking
the smoke in every direction cuts it up or divides it into small independant
sections, each section of smoke being momentarily enclosed within walls formed by
the varying currents of hot air, acts independantly of each of the other sections.
The friction of the moving walls of heated oxygen against the sides of the
...

page_text: imprisoned smoke or carbon causes ignition, hence explosion, combustion and flame.
The smoke having been converted into flame will of necessity produce heat, thus
saving coal or other fuel.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said
invention and in what manner the same is to be performed I wish it understood
that what I claim is
1 The combination and arrangement of parts represented at Figures 1. 2. 3
and 4 for the purpose of consuming smoke.
2 The straight-corrugated, or chambered arrangement represented at Figures
5. 6 and 7 and the bent-corrugated or chambered arrangement represented at
Figures 8 and 9 for the purpose of consuming smoke.