An Improvement in Regenerative Gas Retort Furnaces.
Year: 1886

page_text: Date of Application, 19th June, 1886
Complete Left, 18th Mar., 1887.
Complete Accepted, 19th Apr., 1887.
[Communicated from abroad by FREDERICK SIEMENS, of Dresden, in the Empire
of Germany, Engineer.]
An Improvement in Regenerative Gas Retort Furnaces.
I, OLIVER IMRAY of No. 28 Southampton Buildings, Chancery Lane, in the County
of Middlesex, Fellow of the Institute of Patent Agents, do hereby declare the nature
of this invention to be as follows:-
In regenerative gas retort furnaces as they are at present arranged, combustible
gas produced by partial combustion of fuel in a gas producer enters the combustion
chamber where it meets and burns with air heated by its passage through flues
arranged side by side with those which carry off the waste products of combustion.
Usually the gas
enters the combustion chamber in a horizontal direction and the hot
air rises vertically to meet it, so that the main heat of the combustion is directed
immediately upon the structure above, causing rapid deterioration of the structure
and producing deposits and incrustations which seriously interfere with the free.
passage of the gases, and render necessary frequent stoppages and repairs. The object
of the present invention is to remedy this evil in such furnaces, which is effected in
the following manner. The hot air flues, instead of opening vertically into the
combustion chamber, are continued beyond the point where the gas enters it; they
are then directed upwards to about the level of the combustion chamber, and open
with widened mouths into the flame chamber where the air meets the gas and enters
into combustion with it.
The gas and hot air being thus made to meet on the same level, as they are moving
horizontally, the flame, instead of being directed upwards impinging on the structure
above and causing intense local heat, sweeps freely along the flame chamber,
delivering its heat uniformly over the furnace, without such local intensity as can
damage the structure.
It is found, moreover, that by thus permitting the flame to take a free course,
impinging as little as possible on any solid obstacle, more perfect combustion and
complete evolution of heat are secured.
DL: 1011 h
CT1006
ABEL & IMRAY,
28, Southampton Buildings, London, W.C.,
Agents for the Applicant.

page_text: COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
An Improvement in Regenerative Gas Retort Furnaces.
I, OLIVER IMRAY of No. 28 Southampton Buildings, Chancery Lane in the County
of Middlesex, Fellow of the Institute of Patent Agents 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 :—
In regenerative gas retort furnaces, as they are at present arranged, combustible
gas, produced by partial combustion of fuel in a gas producer, enters the combustion
chamber where it meets and burns with air heated by its passage through flues
arranged side by side with those which carry off the waste products of combustion.
Usually the gas enters the combustion chamber in a horizontal direction and the
hot air rises vertically to meet it, so that the main heat of the combustion is directed
immediately upon the structure above, causing rapid deterioration of the structure
and producing deposits and incrustations which seriously interfere with the free
passage of the gases, and render necessary frequent stoppage and repairs. The object
of the present invention is to remedy this evil in such furnaces, which is effected in
the following manner. The hot air flues instead of opening vertically into the
combustion chamber, are continued beyond the point where the gas enters it, they are
then directed upwards to about the level of the combustion chamber and open with
widened mouths into the flame chamber where the air meets the gas and enters into
combustion with it.
The gas and hot air being thus made to meet on the same level, as they are moving
horizontally, the flame, instead of being directed upwards impinging on the structure
above and causing intense local heat, sweeps freely along the flame chamber,
delivering its heat uniformly over the furnace, without such local intensity as can
damage the structure.
It is found, moreover, that by thus permitting the flame to take a free course,
impinging as little as possible on any solid obstacle, more perfect combustion and
complete evolution of heat are secured.
The accompanying drawings are vertical sections shewing this invention applied to
a regenerative gas retort furnace, these sections being taken on different planes as
follows:-
Fig. 1 in its left half is a section on A B and in its right half on C D E F of
Fig. 2, which on its left half is a section on G HIKLMNO, and on its right on
GHIK PO of Fig. 1. Fig. 3 is a section on Q R of fig. 1 and Fig. 4 is a section
on S, T of Fig. 2. The gas generated in the producer a passes by the flues into the
combustion chamber c where it meets with the supply of heated air and burns. As
indicated by the arrows, the flame which is mainly developed in the chamber c and the
products of combustion circulate between and around the retorts d, and then the
products descend along the zig zag channels e to the flues f whence they pass to
the chimney shaft.

page_text: The air entering at g¹ ascends the zig zag channels h which are arranged between
the channels e and separated from them by thin partitions, so that the air in its
ascent along the channels becomes heated. The uppermost channel h is extended
beyond the mouth of the gas flue b, and an uptake from its end expands, as shewn in
Fig. 4, to a wide mouth, opening into the combustion chamber c at about the same
level with the gas flue b. Thus the heated air, directed across the stream of gas,
mingles with it supporting combustion and producing a gentle flow of flame along the
chamber e indicated by the arrows, the flame and products thence diffusing
themselves among the retorts.
Instead of a single mouth to the gas flue band to the air supply k, there may
obviously be several mouths, so as to subdivide the gas and air into several streams,
directed either obliquely across or parallel to one another, so as to produce a flame
travelling horizontally along the combustion chamber c.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of this invention and
in what manner the same is to be performed I declare that what I claim is :-
In regenerative gas retort furnaces, the construction of the inlet for the heated air
supply to the combustion chamber in such manner as to direct the flame horizontally
along the Chamber, substantially as and for the purpose herein set forth.
Dated this 18th day of March 1887.
ABEL & IMRAY,
Agents for the Applicant.