IMPROVEMENTS IN THE CONSTRUCTION OF FLUES, CHIMNEYS AND GRATES FOR SMOKE-CONSUMING AND VENTILATING PURPOSES
Year: 1883

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Robert Harris Reeves of N° 4 Finsbury Circus in the City
of London Engineer and Samuel Reeve of N° 18 Little Marylebone Street in
the County of Middlesex Builder for an Invention of IMPROVEMENTS IN THE
CONSTRUCTION OF FLUES, CHIMNEYS AND GRATES FOR SMOKE-CONSUMING AND
VENTILATING PURPOSES
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Robert Harris Reeves
& Samuel Reeve at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents on the
7th April 1883.
ROBERT HARRIS REEVES of N° 4 Finsbury Circus in the City of London
Engineer and SAMUEL REEVE of N° 18 Little Marylebone Street in the County
of Middlesex Builder IMPROVEMENTS IN THE CONSTRUCTION OF FLUES, CHIMNEYS
AND GRATES FOR SMOKE-CONSUMING AND VENTILATING PURPOSES
Our invention consists of two parts First for the more perfect consumption of
smoke whereby a great economy of fuel in addition to the other advantages is
obtained, and secondly for more perfectly ventilating rooms.
In order to effect the first part of our invention, instead of constructing a
chimney or flue from the fireplace to the top of the building above the fire-line, we
construct an air shaft or flue for each grate from the basement of the building to
the top passing at the back of the fireplace. This flue or air shaft is open at the
top and bottom and preferably to the external air. In existing buildings where
such a structural alteration would be inconvenient or too expensive we utilize the
existing chimney for the upper part of the flue or air shaft and connect the lower
part with the external atmosphere by a pipe or other suitable means of communi-
cation along the floor line or in any other convenient position.
The object of this flue or air shaft is to provide a continuous upward current.
At the floor line this flue or air shaft is so constructed as to form a hollow chamber
ID 21

page_text: at the back or sides of the grate. It is there heated by the fire and forms a hot
blast for assisting in the consumption of smoke and then continues its course up
the flue.
The smoke instead of passing direct up the chimney passes through perforations,
hollow bars or lumps placed at the back, sides or bottom of the grate into the air
shaft. When it is in the air shaft the hot blast is retarded by means of plates
perforated firelumps or other suitable heat retaining indestructible substance and
thus the smoke is consumed in the flue or air shaft itself.
We utilize this hot blast for the second part of our invention namely for
ventilating purposes in the following manner. We connect a pipe open at the top
in the upper part of the rooms where the vitiated air is collected with the hot
blast by means of which a vacuum is created in the pipe and the vitiated air is
drawn down into the hot blast. In order to increase the downward current the
pipe except that portion which is connected with the hot blast should be as far as
possible from the heat of the fire.

page_text: SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent filed
by the said Robert Harris Reeves & Samuel Reeve in the Great Seal Patent
Office on the 6th October 1883.
ROBERT HARRIS REEVES of N° 4 Finsbury Circus in the City of London
Engineer and SAMUEL REEVE of N° 18 Little Marylebone Street in the County
of Middlesex Builder "IMPROVEMENTS IN THE CONSTRUCTION OF FLUES CHIMNEYS
AND GRATES FOR SMOKE CONSUMING AND VENTILATING PURPOSES ”
Our Invention consists of two parts
First for the more perfect consumption of smoke whereby a great economy of
fuel in addition to the other advantages is obtained, and secondly for more
perfectly ventilating rooms.
In order to effect the first part of our Invention, instead of constructing a
chimney or flue from the fire place to the top of the building above the fire line,
we construct an air shaft or flue for each grate from the basement of the building
to the top passing at the back of the fire place. This flue or air shaft is open at
the top and bottom and preferably to the external air-In existing buildings where
such a structural alteration would be inconvenient or too expensive, we utilize the
existing chimney for the upper part of the flue or air shaft and connect the
lower part with the external atmosphere by a pipe or other suitable means of
communication along the floor line or in any other convenient position.
The object of this flue or air shaft is to provide a continuous upward current.
At the floor line this flue or air shaft is so constructed as to form a hollow
chamber at the back or sides of the grate-It is there heated by the fire and forms
a hot blast for assisting in the consumption of smoke and then continues its course
up the perpendicular part of the flue. This arrangement obviates the necessity of
carrying the chimneys above the height of the roof line.
The smoke instead of passing direct up the chimney passes through perforations,
hollow bars or tubes, or lumps placed at the back, sides or bottom of the grate
into the air shaft. When it is in the air shaft the hot blast is retarded by means
of plates, perforated fire lumps or other suitable heat retaining indestructible
substances, and thus the smoke is consumed in the flue or air shaft itself.
We utilize this hot blast for the second part of our Invention namely for
ventilating purposes in the following manner-We connect a pipe open at the top
in the upper part of the rooms where the vitiated air is collected with the hot
blast. This pipe terminates in a coil in the hot blast, by means of which a vacuum
is created in the pipe and the vitiated air is drawn down into the hot blast-The
aperture of the pipe at the end of the coil is directed upwards to ensure a con-
tinuous extraction-In order to increase the downward current the pipe, except
that portion which is connected with the hot blast, should be as far as possible
from the heat of the fire.
In the drawing accompanying this Specification Figures I, II and III show our
improved plan of carrying out the first part of our Invention.
Figure I is a sectional elevation A A A A is the air shaft communicating at its
lower extremity with the external air-B B¹ B' in Figure I and B B and B in
Figure II is the hollow chamber formed by the air shaft surrounding the grate.
Figure II is a sectional plan of the grate surrounded by the shaft forming the
hollow air chamber shown at B¹ B' and B-A being the perpendicular part of the
air shaft The external air passes into the hollow chamber at an aperture marked C
in Figures I and II, it then passes downwards and along B³ (Figures I and II)
ascends at B in Figure II and then continues its course up the perpendicular part

page_text: of the air shaft. In order to facilitate the consumption of the smoke I place
in the perpendicular part of the air shaft as shown at D Figure I bars, lumps or
plates to retard the passage of the smoke and assit its consumption in the hot air
blast created in the air shaft-The smoke from the grate passes into the hot air
blast through perforations as shown at E Figure I.
Figure III is a sectional plan of the grate showing another mode of conducting
the smoke into the hot air blast to be consumed-E E is a series of tubes closed
at the top, open at the bottom on to a hollow fire lump at the bottom of the
grate. The smoke passes through perforations made in the tubes through the fire
lump into the air shaft A at a point below the obstruction described at D:
Figure I.
When our Invention is applied to existing buildings instead of an air shaft as
shown in Figure I we can employ a pipe as shown at the dotted lines F (Figure 1)
communicating in like manner with the external air at G
Figures IV and V show an adaptation of the second part of our Invention
namely for ventilating rooms.
Figure IV is a sectional elevation of the air shaft and grate. HHHH is the
pipe communicating at the top with the air in the room and terminating in the
hot blast with a coil at I
This pipe and coil is shown at Figure V which is an elevation at the back of
the grate H H being the pipe and II the coil.
Having now described the nature of our Invention and in what manner the
same can be carried out We claim as our Invention
First. The combination of the continuous air shaft formed with a hollow air
chamber at the back sides and bottom of the grate for the purpose of creating
a hot air blast with the obstruction in the air shaft for assisting the consumption
of smoke substantially in the manner hereinbefore described and for the purposes
herein before stated.
Secondly. The method of utilizing the hot air blast for the purpose of drawing
off the vitiated air from rooms substantially in the manner herein before described.
In witness whereof we the said Robert Harris Reeves and Samuel Reeve have
hereunto set our hands and seals this sixth day of October One thousand eight
hundred and eighty three.
TADRE TTINDIA
ANTHA