AN IMPROVED MODE OF AND APPARATUS FOR REMOVING THADHAM & MEAT FRAN OVING THE INCRUSTATION FROM STEAM BOILERS
Year: 1873

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Charles Henry Sieber, of Irwell Springs, near
Bacup, in the County of Lancaster, Manufacturing Chemist, for
the Invention of "AN IMPROVED MODE OF AND APPARATUS FOR REMOVING
THADHAM & MEAT
FRAN
DATED 35
Sealed the 13th June 1873, and dated the 9th April 1873.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Charles Henry Siober
at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition,
on the 9th April 1873.
I, CHARLES HENRY SIEBER, of Irwell Springs, near Bacup, in the
County of Lancaster, Manufacturing Chemist, do hereby declare
the nature of the said Invention for "AN IMPROVED MODE OF AND Appa-
RATUS FOR REMOVING THE INCRUSTATION FROM STEAM BOILERS," to be as
follows:-
My Invention consists in removing the incrustation from steam boilers
by the application of heat.
When the boiler is empty I apply heat by forcing jets of inflammable
gases such as hydrogen combined with atmospheric air or other suitable
inflammable gases against the incrustation; these gases are directed by

page_text: suitably jointed pipes which are connected to a fan or other apparatus
for giving the requisite pressure. The heat causes the incrustation to
be loosened from the plates of the boiler; or the heat may be applied
by placing pieces of metal or other suitable substance heated to a white
heat on the surface of the incrustation, or by applying heat to the 5
outside and inside of the boiler, or by other suitable means.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent,
filed by the said Charles Henry Sieber in the Great Seal Patent
Office on the 8th October 1873.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, CHARLES
HENRY SIEBER, of Irwell Springs, near Bacup, in the County of
Lancaster, Manufacturing Chemist, 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 seventy-three, in the 1
thirty-sixth year of Her reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and suc-
cessors, give and grant unto me, the said Charles Henry Sieber, Her
special licence that I, the said Charles Henry Sieber, my executors,
administrators, and assigns, or such others as I, the said Charles
Henry Sieber, my executors, administrators, and assigns, should at 2
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 make, use, exercise, and vend, within the United Kingdom of
Great Britain and Ireland, the Channel Islands, and Isle of Man, an
Invention for "AN IMPROVED MODE OF AND APPARATUS FOR REMOVING THE
INCRUSTATION FROM STEAM BOILERS," upon the condition (amongst others)
that I, the said Charles Henry Sieber, 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 per-
formed, 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 Charles Henry Sieber, do hereby
declare the naturen of
id Invention
what

page_text: same is to be performed, to be particularly described and ascertained
in and by the following statement (that is to say): -
The nature of my Invention consists in removing the incrustation
from steam boilers, and other vessels, by the application of heat either
to the surface of the incrustation within the boiler or flue, or to the
outside of the boiler or flue, or to both, my Invention consists also in
the apparatus employed for applying the heat to the boilers and flues.
And in order that my Invention may be fully understood, and readily
carried into operation, I will proceed to describe first the apparatus
which I prefer to use for applying heat to the surface of the incrustation
within the boiler, and secondly the mode of preparing the incrustation
and applying the heat for removing it.
The apparatus is shewn on the accompanying Sheet of Drawings,
Fig. 1 being a side elevation, Fig. 2 a transverse section, and Fig. 3 a
plan of an apparatus suitable for applying heat to the interior of an
ordinary cylindrical boiler, it is however to be understood that the form
and size of the apparatus must be varied to suit the shape of the boiler
or the flue to which it is applied. The apparatus consists of a sheet
metal vessel divided into two compartments marked a and b, the former
is supplied with atmospheric air through the pipe a¹, and the latter is
supplied with inflammable gas through the pipe b¹; both these pipes are
provided with stop taps to shut off the supply of gas and air when
required, and both the air and the gas are compressed by fans, bellows,
or other suitable means before they are supplied to the apparatus. The
partition between the compartments a and b serves as a support for the
blow-pipes or burners c, c¹, one of which is shewn full size in elevation
at Fig. 4, and in section at Fig. 5, each blow-pipe or burner consists of
an inner tube c', through which the air passes, and an outer bush c
having perforations for the admission of the inflammable gas, which
combined with the air produces when ignited the intense heat required.
The interior of the outer bush c is contracted beyond the end of the
tubes c¹ to cause the gas and air to unite when issuing from the blow-
pipe or burner.
The vessel with the blow-pipes or burners is fixed to
the frame d, through which pass the set screws d for regulating the
distance from the ends of the blow-pipes or burners to the sediment or
incrustation to be removed, and to the same frame is fixed the handle ď
for moving the apparatus about; the whole apparatus may be suspended
in the boiler by chains passing through the eyes d³, and the flexible

page_text: ”
pipes for supplying the compressed air and gas to the apparatus are
taken through the mud-hole or other aperture into the interior of the
boiler as shewn in Fig. 6.
The mode of operation is as follows, I first drain the water off the
steam boiler or other vessel from which the incrustation is to be removed,
and when cold and dry I apply heat by means of the apparatus above-
described. This heat is directed or applied on the surface of the incrus-
tation, or to the outside of the plate, when by the contraction and
expansion of the iron the scale will become loosened or split.
Before applying the heat, it is in most cases necessary to saturate the
dried incrustation by one of the following methods, or by a combination
of them :-
The first method consists in saturating the incrustation with a solution
of picrate of potash, chlorate of potash, or any other detonating salt
or compound which by percussion, hammering, or by heating, will dis-
agregate the incrustation.
The second method is by saturating the incrustation with hydro-
carbons in the liquid state, or hydrocarbons rendered previously liquid,
such as best refined petroleum, paraffine, naphtha, spirit of turpentine,
rosins, vegetable, animal, or mineral oils, or their essences, ether, spirits
of wine, methylated spirit, or such hydrocarbons that will dissolve in
spirits, or any other inflammable produce which can be easily absorbed
by the porosity of the incrustation, or form a layer on it which will
ignite by fire applied to the surface of the incrustation, or by an acid, or
by heating the plate from outside.
The third method is by saturating the incrustation with a solution of
a deflagrating salt, such as nitrate of potash, nitrate of soda, chloride of
sodium, or any other deflagrating salt, or salts or compounds.
In some cases the heat is produced by using a very concentrated acid
such as sulphuric acid, nitric acid, or any other strong acid, or a mixture
of them, these acids or a mixture of them is poured on the incrustation
which has been previously well saturated by one of the above methods
or combinations of methods, and when the incrustation has been so
heated that it is disintegrated, or has fallen to pieces, dust, or layers, I
wash away immediately the excess of acid used, and then apply an
alkaline solution to neutralize the acid which the water may not have
carried away.

page_text: I only apply the acids upon incrustation saturated with hydrocarbons
in such places where owing to the construction of the boilers the
burners cannot be applied. When the incrustation is of great thick-
ness I repeat the saturating methods as many times as required, using
afterwards either the apparatus above-described with the combination of
burners or the acids.
Having prepared the incrustations by the above-described method or
methods, I do not limit myself to the use of the apparatus above-
described for producing heat, nor the use of acids as described, but I
also use pieces of metal, fire-brick, or stone, heated to a red heat in a
furnace, or metal in a melted state, or other means may be adopted to
ignite the hydrocarbons, or decompose the salts used for preparing the
incrustation.
Having thus stated the nature of my Invention, and described the
manner of performing the same, I wish it to be understood that I do not
limit myself to the details given, as the same may be considerably varied
or modified, but what I claim is the improved mode of preparing the
incrustation of steam boilers and other vessels, and the apparatus for
removing the same by the application of heat, as shewn and described,
or any modifications of the same.
In witness whereof, I, the said Charles Henry Sieber, have hereto
set my hand and seal, this Thirtieth day of September, One
thousand eight hundred and seventy-three.
CHARLES H. SIEBER. (L.S.)