Improvements in Steam Bollers, and Furnaces therefor.
Year: 1895

page_text: Date of Application, 6th Nov., 1895-Accepted, 4th Apr., 1896
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Steam Bollers, and Furnaces therefor.
I, JOHN WALKER FLAVELL SOLE, of Number 36 Gordon Street, in the City
of Guelph, and County of Wellington, Province of Ontario, Canada, Baker, 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 :-
The object of my invention is to provide a furnace in which the combustion
chamber is so constructed as to secure a more perfect combustion of fuel than is
usual, and in which the fuel may be consumed without making smoke, and it
consists, essentially, in providing a combustion chamber closed at its rear end
against which the heat and liberated gases from the fire chamber are projected by
the draft, in such a manner as to be deflected backwards until finally, after the
beavier particles have been completely consumed, the heated and inflamed gases pass
through short tubes in the lower portion of the boiler immediately over the fire
chamber to a chamber in the front of the boiler, from whence they pass through the
long tubes of the boiler in a highly heated condition, and finally escape through
the smokestack at the rear end of the boiler with a minimum amount of smoke, as
hereinafter particularly described.
Fig. 1 is a longitudinal section through the centre of the boiler and furnace.
Fig. 2 is a transverse section through x-y in Fig. 1.
Fig. 3 is a perspective view of my improved furnace.
In the drawings like letters of reference indicate corresponding parts in the
different figures.
In Fig. 1-A is the ash chamber through which the air enters the interior of
the combustion chamber.
B are the grate bars which are preferably as shown and described in my
Canadian Letters Patent No. 14603 and which are specially adapted to my
improved furnace as they divert the heated and liberated gases so as to enter the
combustion chamber in an oblique direction-these grate bars are shown in Fig. 1
and their front ends are deflected or bent upwardly as shown for the purpose of
directing the draft which comes from below these grate bars so that the flame may
be carried in an oblique direction as shown by the arrow.
B is the fire chamber which when used with the ordinary grate may be of
ordinary construction.
C is the inlet from the fire chamber to the combustion chamber. This inlet is
formed between the fire bridge wall C¹ and the bottom of the boiler H.
D is the combustion chamber preferably shaped as shown with the bottom
rounded as at F¹.
E is the rear wall of combustion chamber. This rear wall in my improved
furnace is extended upwardly so as to reach the bottom of the boiler and thus
completely close the rear end of the combustion chamber for the purpose
hereinafter more particularly set forth.
F is portion of the rear wall of the combustion chamber against which the heat
and liberated gases from the fire chamber are projected, and thence deflected.
H' are short tubes formed in the bottom of the supplementary portion of the
boiler H.
I, is the front chamber of the boiler, and J are the long tubes extending
longitudinally through the boiler and which are surrounded by the water M.
}

page_text: K, is the rear chamber which receives the heated and inflamed gases and smoke,
after passing through the long tubes in the boiler, and L is the smokestack, through
which these gases and smoke may escape to the outside.
N, is a steam dome on the boiler, of usual construction.
In this figure it will be seen by the arrows, the course the liberated and inflamed
gases take in passing through my improved furnace and boiler.
After the heated gases are liberated from the fuel in the chamber, they pass in
the direction of the long arrow and impinge against the rear vertical wall of the
combustion chamber at that portion thereof marked by the letters F. Here these
gases are deflected, the more completely inflamed and lighter portious rising to the
top of the combustion chamber, as indicated by the small arrow, while the heavier
particles being the cooler, or imperfectly consumed portions, descend to the rounded
portions of the combustion chamber at FI, and thence are deflected backwards to
the front of the chamber and reaching the point G, on the fire bridge wall, they
again meet with the inflowing gases from the fire chamber, and are carried back
again towards the portion F, of the rear wall E, when, being now more completely
consumed and the gases being in an inflamed condition, they rise to the top of the
combustion chamber, as already indicated, when referring to the lighter portions,
already referred to, and pass from thence, being deflected backwards into the
outlet formed by the short tubes H¹, more particularly shown in the cross
section x-y in Fig. 2.
By reason of the gases being thrown back by the closed rear wall and not being
permitted to escape in the usual manner at the rear end of the combustion chamber,
more perfect combustion of all the parts is attained, and I am enabled to consume
the fuel without making smoke, which is preferable to trying to burn it after the
smoke has been made.
This improved furnace, which diverts and throws back the inflowing gases,
permits of the gases being mixed with the oxygen from the air flowing in from the
ash chamber, and being converted into flame, and, passing through the increased
length of the tubes, as shown, by the short tubes H and the long tubes J, will not
only supply more heat than the smoke which ordinarily passes through the tubes of
the boiler, but will also deposit little, if any, soot, as all the particles have been
completely consumed in my combustion chamber before entering these tubes.
This non-deposition of the soot will be of great advantage, as soot is a non-conductor
of heat.
Fig. 2, in cross section, shows the orifices h, through which the heated and
inflamed gases pass to the forward end of the boiler. This is a view looking to the
rear into the combustion chamber.
In Fig. 3,
shown more particularly the shape of the combustion chamber with
the vertical rear wall E closed and the lower portion thereof rounded so as to
facilitate the rotary motion of the heavier and unconsumed particles of fuel, which
enter the combustion chamber, which, as they are not permitted to escape at the
rear end of the combustion chamber by reason of the closed wall E, are caused to
circulate within the combustion chamber until they have become completely
consumed, and the gases are then carried over from the upper portion of the
combustion chamber, as already indicated.
The courses of the heated gases, after entering the short tubes H' are indicated
by the arrows, which show the gases rising into the front chamber I and passing from
thence through the long horizontal tubes of the boiler to the front chamber K
which communicates directly with the smoke stack L, in the usual manner.
The liability of my boiler burning at any point, such as directly over the bridge,
as in the present way of setting boilers, is greatly lessened, the heat being
distributed over the surface of the boiler and not concentrated at one point.
This improved form of furnace and boiler will prove very effective, where forced
draft, such as stem jets, are used, and will prove very economical in marine boilers,
or boilers where the combustion chamber is surrounded by a water chamber as well
as in water tube boilers.

page_text: In the ordinary method of boiler setting, the gases after being liberated by the
action of the heat of the furnace from the fuel, pass at once from a temperature too
low to secure their complete combustion to a gradually diminishing temperature till
they finally escape in dense volumes of black smoke, thus involving a great loss of
fuel as well as causing annoyance to residents in the neighbourhood.
I claim that the gas liberated from the fuel in my form of furnace will be so
mixed with sufficient oxygen as to ensure perfect combustion within the combustion
chamber and will be further heated in passing through the short tubes H¹ which
are located immediately over the fire bridge wall and the fire chamber, so that by
the time the gases enter the front chamber I, they are in a highly heated and
inflamed condition and pass through the long tubes in the boiler in this state, thus
affording a larger and more perfectly heated surface to generate steam from the
water surrounding these highly heated tubes. It is thus evident that by the time
the gases reach the smoke stack, they are merely freed from smoke, and the full
benefit of the heating property derived from the fuel will have been attained.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said inven-
tion and in what manner the same is to be performed, I declare that what I
claim is :-
1. In a device of the class specified, the combination of a combustion chamber
closed at its rear end, against which the heated and liberated gases from the fire
chamber may be projected in such a manner as to be deflected, and a boiler
provided with a series of short tubes so located as to be immediately over the fire
bridge wall and the fire chamber and forming outlets through which the inflamed
and deflected gases pass to the chamber in the front of the boiler, thence through
the long tube of the boiler to the rear chamber and smokestack, substantially
as described and specified.
2. In a device of the class specified, a combustion chamber having its rear end
completely closed so as to deflect and throw back the heat and liberated gases, and
the outlet therefrom located immediately over the fire bridge wall and the fire
chamber, so that the outflow of gases inflamed in the combustion chamber
may pass to the front of the boiler in a direction opposite to that in which
they entered the combustion chamber, substantially as described and for the
purpose specified.
3. A furnace so constructed that the draft from the fire chamber may enter in
an oblique direction, and provided with a combustion chamber having its rear end
completely closed, and the outlet therefrom immediately located over the fire bridge
wall and the fire chamber so that the outflow of inflamed gases may pass to the
front of the boiler in a direction opposite to that in which they entered the
combustion chamber, substantially as described and for the purpose specified.
4. In a device of the class specified, the combination of the ash chamber A;
the grate B; the inlet C, between the fire bridge wall C' and the boiler H; the
combustion chamber D, having its rear wall E built up to the boiler so as to close
the rear end; short tubes H formed in the lower part of the boiler H; front
chamber I long tubes J ; rear chamber K, and smokestack L, substantially as
described and for the purpose specified.
Dated this 6th day of November 1895.
TONGUE & BIRKBECK,
31 Southampton Buildings, Chancery Lane, London, W.C.,
Agents for the Applicant.