IMPROVEMENTS IN FURNACES AND APPLIANCES FOR BURNING PETROLEUM AND OTHER HYDRO-CARBONS
Year: 1882

page_text: PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by James Findlay at the Office of the
Commissioners of Patents on the 4th October 1882.
JAMES FINDLAY, of Glasgow, in the County of Lanark, North-Britain,
"IMPROVEMENTS IN FURNACES AND APPLIANCES FOR BURNING PETROLEUM AND
OTHER HYDRO-CARBONS,"
This Invention relates to improvements in furnaces and appliances for burning
petroleum and other hydro-carbons, for generating steam in boilers, and for domestic
and general heating purposes.
The Invention consists essentially in combining or fitting in connection with
furnaces, such as the furnaces of land, marine, and locomotive steam boilers, or with
domestic grates or stoves, a novel arrangement of appliances in which a series of
tubular burners fitted with wicks of asbestos, are made to draw up and burn or
consume liquid fuel, such as petroleum or semi-liquid hydro-carbons, such as tallow
or grease.
In applying the improvements to the furnaces of steam boilers, it is preferred to
make the furnace with a smaller combustion chamber than usual, and to fit it with
a series of water tubes in the flue, over or beyond the improved appliances, and
otherwise arrange it so as to expose the greatest possible heating surface to the
action of the burning fuel. The improvements are however equally applicable to
existing boilers, and as so applied, it may not in general be necessary to remove the
ordinary fire-grate which is used in burning solid fuel.
The improved appliances comprise a large shallow box or vessel of iron or other
metal made to suit the form of boiler, and fitted in old boilers within the flue or
flues over the usual fire-grate, and in new boilers in the place of the fire-grate.
This box is fitted with a series of short open tubes passing down through it, and
projecting a short distance over the top of the box. The joints between the tubes
and the lower shell of this box, are made liquid-tight, and between each tube and
the upper shell is left a narrow annular space, to admit a tubular wick of asbestos,
which is passed over each burner and extends down through this space inside the
box to the bottom. The box or vessel is filled or partially filled with petroleum.or
other hydro-carbon, and when the burners are lighted, the liquid or semi-liquid
hydro-carbon is drawn by capillary action up the wicks surrounding the tubes, and
is consumed as in a lamp. The tubes are however open to a large air space below
Pin 11

page_text: (which in the usual construction of boilers forms the ashpit) and air, which may bo
previously heated, freely passes up those tubes, and causes rapid and complete
combustion of the hydro-carbon, while the wick being made of asbestos withstands
the heat and does not even require trimming.
To prevent the formation of smoke, or to consume it when formed, jets of steam
may be blown in either through the tubes in the box, or at the bridge of the
furnace. In some cases,, also, the air space below the box or vessel is enclosed, and
air.is blown in under pressure to force combustion. Caps or hoods, which may be
made of firo-clay or similar refractory material, and through which air is admitted,
may be fitted over the series of tubes, in order, by becoming highly heated to assist
in consuming any smoke which may be formed by imperfect combustion. The
box or vessel within the boiler flue is supplied automatically through valves from a
vessel outside, in which the petroleum or other hydro-carbon may be kept under
pressure.