IMPROVEMENTS IN STEAM BOILERS
Year: 1863

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to George Tomlinson Bousfield, of Loughborough Park,
Brixton, in the County of Surrey, for the Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN
STEAM BOILERS."-A communication from abroad by Edward Dickerson,
socidios at Nom Vark in the United States of America
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said George Tomlinson Bous-
field at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition,
on the 1st April 1868.
I, GEORGE TOMLINSON BOUSFIELD, of Loughborough Park, Brixton, in the
County of Surrey, do hereby declare the nature of the Invention for "IM-
PROVEMENTS IN STEAM BOILERS," to be as follows:-
The improvements in boilers consist in combining tubes, through which the
water passes, and which are in the furnace, with tubes through which the pro-
ducts of combustion pass, and which are surrounded with steam or with steam
and water, so that after the heat of combustion has partly spent itself iu
heating the water which passes through the water tubes it will superheat or
dry the saturated steam which is evolved from the water tubes, thereby com-
manding the highest evaporating power in the smallest compass, and with the
greatest facilities for cleaning and repair. The fire-box or furnace is made
with a water space on all sides, through one of which sides the opening or
openings are formed where the fire-door or doors are applied, the fire-bars or
grating on which the fire is made being situated below the fire-door or doors.

page_text: The water spaces which surround the furnaces contain the greater part of the
water used. The water tubes which run through the furnaces may be curved
or straight, as desired. The products of combustion pass through the steam
or superheating tubes to the up-take, which may be of any form or material.
Suitable doors or plates are applied, which can readily be removed from the
boiler, and which, when removed, expose the ends of the water tubes to
inspection. The steam pipe through which the steam is drawn off from the
boiler should be rivetted on the shell so as to cover perforations, through which
the steam may pass from the boiler to the pipe. There is a space between the
upper row of water tubes and tho lower ends of the steam tubes, and a man-
bole should be made to permit a man to enter into this space, so that he may
come at the lower ends of the steam tubes when desirable. By these arrange-
ments three of the four ends of the two sets of tubes are accessible from
without the boiler, and the remaining end of the steam tubes is easily got at
from the furnace by a man-hole.
When two sets of boilers are placed in a ship face to face, with a fire-room
between them, the products of combustion passing out from the ends of the
curved tubes will all go into a common up-take, which may also be used as a
beater to evaporate water to supply leakage or otherwise.
The operation of the boiler is simple. The hot gases or products of com-
bustion first impinge upon the nest of water tubes above the fire and set the
water into rapid circulation from the back water spaco at the back of the fire
up through a bent or inclined water tube into the water and steam space
above the fire, where the steam is evolved; the heat and products then pass
into the steam tubes and rise up through them to the up-take, giving out, as
they pass, to the steam which surrounds these tubes some of the remaining
heat of the products. The steam which is evolved at the upper end of the
water tubes finds itself in the steam space above them unable to escape from
the boiler except through the steam pipe, to reach which it must pass around
and among the cluster of inclined or curved steam tubes whose interior is
filled with the hot products of combustion, and it therefore must be dried or
superheated according to the degree of heat remaining in the gases when they
escape from contact with the water tubes. In order to compel the steam to
pass among the cluster of tubes as it escapes from the boiler, care should be
taken to shut up any vacant space which, in construction, would occur between
consecutive clusters of tubes or between the cluster of tubes and the sides of
the boiler, so that no passage is open for the steam but through the cluster of
heated tubes. The steam-pipe perforations ought to extend, as far along the
shell of the boiler as the tubes extend, so as to draw the steam uniformly over

page_text: the superbeating tubes, which will produce the best results. For war vessels
this arrangement is practically good, as it gives dry steam without requiring
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent, filed
by the said George Tomlinson Bousfield in the Great Seal Patent Offico
on the 30th September 1863.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, GEORGE
TOMLINSON BOUSFIELD, of Loughborough Park, Brixton, in the County of
Surrey, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her Letters
Patent, bearing date the First day of April, in the year of our Lord
One thousand eight hundred and sixty-three, in the twenty-sixth year of Her
reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant unto me, the
said George Tomlinson Bousfield, Her special licenco that I, the said George
Tomlinson Bousfield, my executors, administrators, and assigns, or such others
as I, the said George Tomlinson Bousfield, 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 Ireland, the Channel Islands, and Isle of Man, an Invention for
"IMPROVEMENTS IN STEAM BOILERS," a communication to me from abroad by
Edward Dickerson, a person resident at New York, in the United States of
America, upon the condition (amongst others) that I, the said George Tomlinson
Bousfield, my 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 performed, 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 George Tomlinson Bousfield, do hereby
declare the nature of the said Invention, and in what manner the saine is
to be performed, to be particularly described and ascertained in and by the
following statement thereof, that is to say:-
The improvement in boilers consists in combining tubes, through which the
water passes, and which are in the furnace, with tubes through which the pro-
ducts of combustion pass, and which are surrounded with steam or with steam

page_text: and water, so that after the heat of combustion has partly spent itself in
evaporating the water which passes through the water tubes it will superheat
or dry the saturated steam which is evolved from the water tubes, thereby
commanding the highest evaporating power in the smallest compass, and with
the greatest facilities for cleaning and repair.
The annexed Drawing exhibits the new boiler in various forms, although it
is apparent that the forms are numerous in which it may be embodied.
Figure 1 is a cross section, and Figure 2 a front elevation, of the same
boiler; Figure 3, Figure 4, and Figure 5 are sections of different forms of
boilers on the same principle and mode of operation. The same letters are
used in all to designate the same parts.
-
G, G, are the grates; F, F, the furnace doors; L, L, the water spaces
which surround the furnaces and contain the greater part of the water used;
W, W, are the water tubes which run through the furnaces, and they may bo
curved or straight, as desired; S, S, are the steam or superheating tubes
through which the products of combustion pass to the uptake U, U, which
may be of any form or material; D, D, are doors or plates which can be
readily removed from the boiler, and which, when removed, expose the ends
of the water tubes to inspection; P, P, is the steam pipe through which the
steam is drawn off from the boiler, and it should be rivetted on the shell so as
to cover perforations, through which the steam may pass from the boiler to the
pipes; M, M, is that part of the furnace between the upper row of water
tubes and the lower ends of the steam tubes; and a man-hole should be made
to permit a man to enter it, so that he may come to the lower ends of the
steam tubes when desirable. By this arrangement three of the four ends of
the two; ets of tubes are accessible from without the boiler, and the remaining
end of the steam tubes is easily got at from the furnace by a man-hole.
'
Figure 2 shows two furnaces combined, but as many as desired may be
added endwise, and when the two sets of boilers are placed in the ship face to
face, with a fire-room between, the products of combustion passing out from the
ends of the curved tubes at U will all go into a common uptake, which may
also be used as a heater to evaporate water to supply leakage or otherwise.
The operation of the boiler is simple. The hot gases, following the course
of the red arrows, first evaporise upon the nest of water tubes and set the
water into rapid circulation from the back leg to the steam space above, where
the steam is evolved; they then pass into the steam tubes at greatly reduced
temperature, and through them seek the uptake, giving out, as they pass, to
the steam which surrounds these tubes some of the remaining heat. The
steam which is evolved at the upper end of the water tubes finds itself in the

page_text: steam space above them unable to escape from the boiler except through tho
pipe P, to reach which it must pass around and among the cluster of steam
tubes whose interior is filled with the hot products of combustion, and it
therefore must be dried or superheated according to the degree of heat
remaining in the gases when they escape from contact with the water tubes.
In order to compel the steam to pass among the cluster of tubes as it escapes
from the boiler, care should be taken to shut up any vacant space which, in
construction, would occur between consecutive clusters of tubes or between
the cluster of tubes and the sides of the boiler, so that no passage is open for
the steam but through the cluster of tubes. The steam-pipe perforations
ought to extend as far along the shell of the boiler as the tubes extend, so as
to draw the steam uniformly over the superheating tubes, which will produce
the best result. For war vessels this arrangement is particularly good, as it
gives dry steam without requiring any steam chimnies or independent super-
heating apparatus.
I claim the combination in a steam boiler of the water tubes with the
superheating tubes, relatively arranged and operating substantially as
described.
In witness whereof, I, the said George Tomlinson Bousfield, have here-
unto set my hand and seal, this Twenty-sixth day of September, in the
year of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and sixty-three.
GEO. T. BOUSFIELD. (L.s.)
GEO. T. BOUSFIELD. (L.s.)