IMPROVEMENTS IN STEAM BOILERS OR GENERATORS, AND IN APPARATUS IN PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION GENERATOR APPA- RATUS IN CONNEXION THEREWITH
Year: 1855

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to William Thomas Henley, of Saint John Street Road,
. London, Electric Telegraph Engineer and Machinist, for the Invention
of "IMPROVEMENTS IN STEAM BOILERS OR GENERATORS, AND IN APPARATUS IN
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION .left by the said .William Thomas Henley
at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on the
10th January 1855.
I, WILLIAM THOMAS HENLEY, of St. John St. Road, London, Electric
Telegraph Engineer & Machinist, do hereby declare the nature of the said.
Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN STEAM BOILERS OR GENERATORS, AND IN APPA-
RATUS IN CONNEXION THEREWITH," to be as follows:
My first improvement consists in applying to boilers a system of water
passages or pipes of a new description, by which a. great increase of heating
surface is obtained without impairing the draught. Of course, one principal
object aimed at in the construction of a boiler is to obtain the greatest
possible effect from the consumption of fuel, or in other words, to sift, as it
were, as much caloric as possible. from the current of flame and heated air in
its passage from the furnace to the chimney. In the ordinary flue boiler, the
flame shoots through without imparting a twentieth of its heat to the water
in the boiler; and although, when the latter is set in brickwork, the current
is made to traverse along the sides and under the boiler as well, not much
I

page_text: effect is produced thereby. Various contrivances, such as hanging bridges and
the like, have been employed to retard the flame in its passage through the
central flue of the boiler, but such appliances have only tended to impair
the draught and consequent combustion of the gases. Even in tubular
boilers, which consist of a multiplication of flues, there is always a portion of
flame in the centre of the tube which is not brought in contact with the Dietal
at all. What I aim at in my improvements is to bring every part of the
heated current in contact with the metal of the boiler.
Sheet 1, Fig. 1, shows a side elevation, Fig. 2 a plan, and Fig. 3 an end
view, of my boiler. A is the boiler; B, the fire grate; D, the flue, in this
instance made flat top and bottom, and slightly curved at the sides. a, a, a,
represent the pipes or water passages of a diamond or lozenge shape rivetted
to the top and bottom of the flue; the flame in its passage from the fire grate,
after passing between the first row of pipes, is split and subdivided by the
other rows.
The centre of the current or hottest part, by reason of its not
having been in contact with the first row, is brought into direct contact with
the next, and is deflected to all the surfaces of the pipes, by which a much
greater proportion of its heat is conducted through the metal to the water
than in the ordinary boilers. The current is not retarded or throttled, as it
is termed, as it is when passing through the small tubes of the ordinary
tubular boiler, on account of which, with the latter, it is necessary to create
an artificial draught by exhausting the steam in the chimney or other means.
Figs. 4, 5, and 6 show plan, side, and end elevations of another arrangement
of land boiler; the furnace is underneath, the return being through the
central flue, in which are placed the tubes. Fig. 7 shows the principle as
applied to marine boilers; same letters of reference as in Figs. 1, 2, 3. I am
aware that water tubes have been employed in flue boilers, but they have
always been circular and few in number; but I claim in making the pipes or
water passages, in which the shape departs from a circle or square. Fig. 8
shows some shapes that may be used advantageously. I do not confine myself
to placing them in a vertical position, as of course the position may be varied,
neither do I confine myself to placing them within the flue of a boiler, but
reserve to myself the liberty of using them in any way for the purpose of
imparting the heat from a flame or a current of heated air to water contained
in the pipes. The pipes may be placed the whole extent of the flue, and
the furnace built underneath the boiler, the centre acting as a return flue, or
it may be altered in a variety of ways. The furnace door I have cast full of
holes, with an internal slide with stud standing through a slot in the door,
so that the holes can be partially or wholly closed, if necessary, when the fire

page_text: is clear, or when coke is used. Under the bridge end of the fire bars, I have
a suspended bridge of thick cast iron, shown at E; this is cast full of holes,
and has a sliding shutter for partially closing them, similar to the furnace
door; this can be raised for cleaning out the dust and ashes that may have
accumulated on the other side between the tubes. Perforated furnace doors
and bridges having been used before, I only claim as new the method of using
the same as herein specified at the end. Above the fire bars I also place the
bridge F, which I prefer of thick cast iron, as the fire-brick bridges soon
knock to pieces in stoking, and my only object in using a bridge here is to
prevent the fuel falling over among the tubes, and not for the purpose of
deflecting the flame to the roof of the fluc, as in other boilers. I want the
heat to distribute itself amongst the tubes; therefore I prefer making the
upper bridge in the form of a grating, so that whilst it keeps the fuel back it
will freely allow the heated gases to pass through. Both the upper and under
bridges must be fixed in a very simple manner, so as to be easily replaced
when damaged. As the current passing through the flue cannot be cooled
down lower than the temperature of the water in the boiler, I sometimes
purpose to employ other tubes of the same shape attached to a separate vessel
containing the water to supply the boiler, which may by this waste heat have
its temperature considerably raised.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent, filed
by the said William Thomas Henley in the Great Seal Patent Office
on the 10th July 1855.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, WILLIAM
THOMAS HENLEY, of Saint John Street Road, London, Electric Telegraph
Engineer and Machinist, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her Letters
Patent, bearing date the Tenth day of January, in the year of our Lord One
thousand eight hundred and fifty-five, in the eighteenth year of Her reign,
did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant unto him, the said
William Thomas Henley, Her special licence that I, the said William Thomas
Henley, my executors, administrators, and assigns, or such others as I, the said
William Thomas Henley, my executors, administrators, and assigns, should
at 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

page_text: Ireland,, the Channel Islands, and Isle of Man, an Invention for IMPROVE
MENTS IN STEAM, BOILERS OR GENERATORS, AND, IN APPARATUS IN CONNECTION
THEREWITH," upon the condition (amongst others) that I, the said William
Thomas Henley, by, an instrument in writing under my hand and seal, should
particularly, describe and ascertain the nature of the said Invention, and, in
what manner the same was to be performed, and cause the same to be filed
in the Great Seal, Patent Office within six calendar months next and imme-
diately after the date of the said Letters Patent.
NOW KNOW YE, that he, the said William Thomas Henley, do hereby
declare the nature of, his said Invention, and in what manner the same is
to be performed, to be particularly described and ascertained in and by the
following statement:-
My first improvement consists in applying to boilers, pipes or water
passages of a diamond or lozenge shape in the transverse section; these
pipes cross the internal flue of the boiler, either in a horizontal, vertical, or
oblique direction, connecting the water, spaces surrounding the flue. The
flame in passing through the latter is deflected in every direction in thin
sheets on to the faces of the pipes, and in, threading, its way through is
brought in contact with all their sides, and is made to impart its heat to the
metal and to the water within in a very efficient manner, so that although
the boiler may be but a few feet long, the heat is transmitted to the water,
and the issuing current at the other end of the flue is not hotter than the
water on the boiler; and owing to the sharp edges of the pipes presented to
the flame and the flatness of the sides, the draught is not at all diminished,
neither does soot accumulate at the back of the tubes as when they are of
the circular shape or other similar form. As the current passing through the
flue cannot be cooled down below the temperature of the water in the boiler,
I sometimes propose, to employ other tubes of the same shape attached to a
separate vessel containing the water to supply the boiler, which may by this
waste heat have its temperature considerably raised.
My second improvement relates to the admission of air to the furnace of
the boiler for the proper combustion of the fuel, which I do by making the
furnace door full of perforations, and having a sliding shutter also perforated,
but which by sliding is made to partially or wholly close the apertures in the
door; I also use a hanging shutter beneath and at the further' end of the fire
grate, which can be opened more or less by a handle on the outside, so as to
regulate a proper supply of atmospheric air to the flue.
Sheet 1 illustrates the first part of my Invention. Fig. Ishews a side
elevation, Figure 2 a plan, and Figure 3 an end-view, of one form of my-boiler.

page_text: A, the outer shell; B, the fire grate; D, the flue (in this instance made flat
top and bottom, and slightly curved at the sides). a, a, a, represent the pipes
or water passages of a diamond or lozenge shape rivetted to the top. and
bottom of the flue; the flame in its passage from the fire grate, after passing
between the first row of pipes, is split and subdivided by the other rows; the
centre of the current or hottest part, by reason of its not having been in
contact with the first row, is brought into direct contact with the next, and is
deflected to all the surfaces of the pipes, by which a much greater propor-
tion of its heat is conducted through the metal to the water than in the
ordinary boilers. The current is not retarded or throttled, as it is termed, as
it is when passing through the small tubes of the ordinary tubular boiler, on
account of which, with the latter, it is necessary to create an artificial draft
by exhausting the steam in the chimney or other means. Figures 4, 5,
and 6 show plan, side, and end elevations of another arrangement of land
boiler; the furnace is underneath, the return being through the central flue, in
which are placed the tubes. Figure 7 shows the principle as applied to marine
boilers; the same letters of reference are used as in 1, 2, and 3. Sheet 2,
Figure 8, shows another application of the same improvements to a boiler
suitable for marine purposes; in this case the pipes or water passages are
placed horizontally. A is the outer case of the boiler; D, the internal flue.
a, the lozenge shaped pipes, which are not placed the whole length of the
flue, there being a larger water space H over part of the fire grate. Tgas
after a proper admixture with atmospheric air in the lower part of the flue in.
a state of combustion finds its way between the pipes, and what heat is left
impinges against the upper part or roof of the flue. Although the lozenge-
shaped pipes are here shewn, I do not confine myself to this shape, but claim
as new, the arrangement of boiler shown by Figure 8, with pipes or water
passages of any sectional form. Figure 9 shews a locomotive or fire-box boiler;
in this arrangement the pipes are placed both in vertical and horizontal direc-
tions; in this way they act as stays to all parts of the internal tube or flue, and
render it so strong that it could not collapse with any pressure of steam.
The fire box of this boiler, as well as all the parts of those before described,
that are rendered weak by flat surfaces or otherwise, must be suitably stayed,
but as the mode of doing this is well understood by all boiler makers, I need
not describe it. The pipes may be placed the whole extent of the flue, and
the furnace built underneath the boiler, the centre acting as a return flue, or
it may be modified in a variety of ways. I do not confine myself to the
exact particulars of construction described in this Specification, so long as
the principle is not departed from.

page_text: Having described the various improvements embodied in this Patent, I
wish it to be understood that I claim,-
Firstly, the construction of vessels for generating steam with pipes of a
diamond or lozenge section, or wedge shape or similar form, as described in
this Specification, whether such pipes are arranged vertically or horizontally
or both ways.
Secondly, the combining and arranging horizontal water tubes as described
in Sheet 2, Figure 9, of this Spécification, and also horizontal and vertical
combination in one boiler, of whatever section such tubes may be.
Thirdly, the method herein-before described, of admitting air to the furnace
by means of a perforated door and slide, and by a hanging shutter, as before
described.
In witness whereof, I, the said William Thomas Henley, have hereunto
W. T. HENLEY. (L.S.)

page_text: LONDON: Printed by CEORGE EDWARD EYRE and WILLIAM SPOTTISWOODE
Printers to the Queen's most Excellent Majesty. 1855.