Improvements in or relating to Obtaining More Perfect Combustion in Steam Boiler or other Furnaces and Flues and in Apparatus thereof.
Year: 1888

page_text: Date of Application, 2nd Aug., 1888
Complete Specification Left, 2nd May, 1889-Accepted, 2nd Aug., 1889
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in or relating to Obtaining More Perfect Combustion
in Steam Boiler or other Furnaces and Flues and in Apparatus
thereof.
We, ABSALOM FRANCIS of 18 and 20 Crooked Lane, in the City of Liverpool, and
ERNEST MANBRÉ of 30 Argyle Road, Garston, in the County of Lancaster, Civil
Engineer, and Chemical Engineer respectively, do hereby declare the nature of
this invention to be as follows:-
This invention has for its object a method of and apparatus for obtaining greatly
increased economy in industrial furnaces and especially of boiler furnaces.
In order to keep the combustion under control and obtain a perfect absence of
smoke, we introduce into the flues against the current of the effluent gases and in a
sufficiently hot part to cause combustion, compressed air or compressed air and oxygen
in a series of fine jets.
The supply of compressed air or air and oxygen is regulated by a cock or other
other hand regulator so that the instant the attendant notices any smoke appearing he
can let in a little more air or air and oxygen.
In carrying out our invention for steam boilers we run the pipe of compressed air
(preferably compressed air of 80 to 250 lbs. pressure) along the bottom of the
flue and place bridges at intervals with a perforated pipe along the top of each with
the perforations pointing towards the furnace and against the current of the gases. A
separato pipe with independent regulator can if desirable be brought to each bridge.
If there are three or more bridges we prefer that the alternating ones should be
hollowed out below and be brought up higher than the others so that a part or the whole
of the flame and gases, shall alternately impinge against the bottom and the top of
the flue.
By this invention not merely is the smoke burned but the combustion is intensified
and the heat raised in a much shorter period than by the ordinary arrangements.
Dated this 1st day of August 1888.
WM. P. THOMPSON & Co.,
Of 6, Lord Street, Liverpool, Patent Agents for the Applicants.
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in or relating to Obtaining More Perfect Combustion
in Steam Boiler or other Furnaces and Flues and in Apparatus
thereof.
We, ABSALOM FRANOIS of 18 and 20 Crooked Lane, in the City of Liverpool, and
ERNEST MANBRÉ of 30 Argyle Road, Garston in the County of Lancaster, Civil
Engineer and Chemical Engineer respectively 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 :-.
This invention relates to the economising of fuel in heating furnaces, and it has
for its objects a method of and apparatus for obtaining a greatly increased economy
of fuel by means of a more complete combustion, in any kind of heating furnace, but
especially in steam boiler furnaces.
It is well known that coal, or other combustible material, employed in furnaces,
flues, or the like, does not undergo complete combustion, by reason of the insufficiency
of the supply of oxygen which is necessary for such combustion. The quantity of

page_text: air usually supplied to heating furnaces is frequently insufficient to provide the amount
of oxygen which is essential to complete combustion.
Now according to our invention, we obtain a more complete economy of fuel by
heating the combustion under control and by consuming the smoke. This we
accomplish by means of a series of fine jets of air, which, under a pressure of 3 pounds
per square inch or upwards, is directed against the current of gases passing towards
the chimney, and in a sufficiently hot part of the furnace or flues to insure the
proper combustion of the said gases. We prefer about 10 pounds per square inch.
The jets may be of any convenient number, shape, or size.
By means of the jets, nearly the whole of the smoke is retained in the hot furnace
and flues, and a sufficient amount of air is mixed with it to bring about its complete
combustion. This results in a. considerable saving of fuel, and the smoke is thereby
reduced to a minimum.
The manner in which we carry our invention into effect may be understood from
the accompanying drawing, which shows a longitudinal section of our apparatus as it
may be applied to a cylindrical internally flued boiler.
A is the furnace or grate, B is the first bridge, bereinafter called the grate bridge.
Other bridges D B¹, etcetera, of suitable material may be placed in the flue Cat a
convenient distance apart, say about 8 or 10 feet apart, in a boiler 30 feet long.
H is a pipe (or pipes) supplying the compressed air to the jets.
This pipe is
placed in any convenient position along the lower part of the flue C and preferably
below the level of the grate, and is provided with a cock I, or other hand regulator,
by means of which the attendant may increase the supply as soon as he notices any
smoke issuing from the chimney, or otherwise regulate the supply as he thinks fit.
The pipe H is provided at each bridge with a branch G, which is connected with a
second pipe or long, chamber F lying along the top or in front of the bridge. The
pipes Fare provided with suitable perforations or slots, which face towards the
front of the boiler, and out of which the jets may issue at any convenient angle so
long as they are in a direction contrary to that of the draught.
In some instances, especially in long flues, it may be found desirable to make each
of the alternate bridges D higher than the others, and to provide them at their lower
parts with an opening E, as shown in the drawing. This causes the whole or a portion
of the furnace gases to take a sinuous course, as seen by the arrows, so that the lower
part of the flue is heated as well' as its upper portion.
In some
cases, a separate pipe H and cock I may be provided for each
bridge. Also the grate bridge B may be, if desired, made higher, and a second
jet pipe F placed in front of it between the upper pipe and the grate bars.
By this invention, not only is the smoke burned, but the combustion is intensified,
the heat raised in a much shorter period than by the ordinary arrangements, and a
considerable economy of fuel is effected.
It is obvious that with slight modifications the apparatus may be applied to other
kinds of furnaces, besides the one shown in the drawing.
We are well aware that air has before now been introduced into the flue at the
bridge or other part, also that forced draughts of divers kinds have beon used,, also
that steam jets and combined air and steam jets, the steam being under pressure and
inducing the air, have been applied to various forms of furnaces, also that air under
pressure is regularly supplied to blast and other furnaces to maintain combustion, and
we make no claim for any of these.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of our said inven-
tion and in what manner the same is to be performed, we declare that what we
claim is :-
1. The method of obtaining more perfect combustion in steam boiler or other
furnaces and flues, which consists in emitting compressed air against the current
of the effluent gases or products of combustion, while the latter are still sufficiently
hot to ignite when brought in contact with the said compressed air."

page_text: 2. In connection with a furnace, the combination of an air pump accumulator or
other source of compressed air with pipes leading to one or more bridges or points
of restricted area in the flue or flues, and one or more jets or orifices pointing against
the general current of the effluent gases and discharging the compressed air into
the gases against that current at a point or points where the temporature of the gases
is sufficiently elevated to cause ignition with the compressed air.
Dated this 1st day of May 1880
WM. P. THOMPSON & Co.,
Of 6, Lord Street, Liverpool, Patent Agents for the Applicants.