Improved Means for Promoting the Combustion in Steam-boiler and other Furnaces.
Year: 1896

page_text: Date of Application, 19th June, 1896
Complete Specification Left, 15th Apr., 1897-Accepted, 15th May, 1897
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
Improved Means for Promoting the Combustion in Steam-boiler
and other Furnaces.
We, JOSEPH APSEY, Engineer, of 252 South Lambeth Road, and FREDERICK
BARKER HILL, Engineer, of 30 Glengall Road, Old Kent Road, both in
the County of Surrey, do hereby declare the nature of this invention to be
as follows:-
Our inveution relates to improved means for promoting the combustion in
steam-boiler and other furnaces by the supply of air to the smoke and gases rising
from the fuel on the grate.
Our said invention is designed to provide for the heating of the air to a suitable
temperature before it comes in contact with the said smoke and gases, and for the
uniform distribution of the heated air and the mixture of the same with the said
smoke and gases so as to ensure the complete combustion thereof.
According to our said invention, we provide at the upper part of the front end
of the furnace, either on the inside or outside. thereof, a closed chamber or box
which is preferably made of cast iron, and which is in communication, by means of
a suitable passage, with a steam-jet injector suitably arranged on the exterior of
the furnace, whereby air may be drawn or forced into said chamber or box from
the exterior. In the inner side or wall of the, said box or chamber are mounted
one or more tubes which extend for a suitable distance over the grate before
opening into the furnace, so that the air, as it passes through the said tube or
tubes, will be heated, say to about the same temperature as the smoke and gases in
the furnace. The air which is caused to enter the said box or chamber, after
being heated by its passage through the said tubes, inixes with the gases in the
furnace and assists in the combustion of the same instead of cooling them as it
would if the air were simply introduced into the furnace through a hole in the
front thereof.
By causing the air to pass through the said tube or tubes, therefore, we ensure
its being very efficiently heated before it mixes with the smoke and gases from the
fuel, and by using several of such tubes in the furnace, the heated air is thoroughly
diffused and caused to mix very uniformly and intimately with the smoke and gases
to be consumed. Moreover, the appearance of smoke at the chimney will be
entirely prevented and increased economy of fuel will be obtained.
We find it advantageous to fix the said tube or tubes in the said box or chamber
in such a manner that they can be very readily removed and renewed, when
required, at a nominal cost.
Our improved apparatus may be used alone for the purpose above specified, or
it may be advantageously employed in conjunction with air-heating forced-draught
apparatus arranged beneath the grate in a closed ash-pit, such, for example, as
apparatus comprising perforated casings having internal tubes through which air
is supplied from the exterior by means of a steam-jet injector, or in any other
suitable manner; the air entering in this manner is heated by its passage between
the said tubes aud casings and is uniformly distributed beneath the grate by the
perforated casings above mentioned.
Dated the 18th day of June 1896.
D. YOUNG & Co.,
11 & 12 Southampton Buildings, London, W.C.,
Agents for the Applicants.

page_text: COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improved Means for Promoting the Combustion in Steam-boiler
and other Furnaces.
We, JOSEPH APSEY, Engineer, of 252 South Lambeth Road, and FREDERICK
BARKER HILL, Engineer, of 30 Glengall Road, Old Kent Road, both in the
County of Surrey, 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 :-
Our invention relates to improved means for promoting the combustion in
steam-boiler and other furnaces by the supply of air thereto in such a manner that
it will mix with the smoke and gases rising from the fuel on the grate.
Our said invention is designed to provide for the heating of the air to a suitable
temperature before it comes in contact with the smoke and gases, and for the
uniform distribution of the heated air so that it will mix with the said smoke and
gases in such a manner as to ensure the complete combustion thereof.
According to our said invention, we provide at the upper part of the front end
of the furnace, either on the inside or outside thereof, a closed chamber or box
which is preferably made of cast iron, and which is in communication, by means of
a suitable passage, with a steam-jet injector suitably arranged on the exterior
of the furnace, whereby air may be drawn or forced into said chamber or box from
the exterior. In the inner side or wall of the said box or chamber, we fix one or more
.tubes which extend for a suitable distance over the grate before opening into the
furnace, so that the air, as it passes through the said tube or tubes, will be heated,
say to about the same temperature as the smoke and gases in the furnace. The
air which is caused to enter the said box or chamber, after being heated by its
passage through the said tubes, mixes with the gases in the furnace and assists
in the combustion of the same without cooling them as it would do if the
air were simply introduced into the furnace through a hole or holes in the
front thereof."
By causing the air to pass through the said tube or tubes, therefore, we ensure
its being very efficiently heated before it mixes with the smoke and gases
from the fuel, and by using several of such tubes in the furnace, the heated
air is thoroughly diffused and caused to mix very uniformly and intimately with
the smoke and gases to be consumed. Moreover by our invention the appearance
of smoke at the chimney will be entirely prevented and increased economy of fuel
will be obtained.
We find it advantageous to fix the said tube or tubes in the said box or chamber
in such a manner that they can be very readily removed and renewed, when
:required, at a nominal cost.
In the accompanying drawing
Figure 1 is a longitudinal section, and
Figure 2 a front end elevation illustrating our invention as applied to the furnace
of a steam-boiler.
Figure 3 is a section on the line a, a, Figure 1.
C
a is a heating chamber or box, which, in the arrangement shown, is fixed in
the interior of the furnace above the door thereof. b is an injector which is
provided with an air-admission aperture and with a pipe e terminating in a
jet or nozzle c¹. d is a pipe connecting the casing of the injector with the
chamber or box a... e, e are tubes arranged in. a curved series or group beneath the
furnace-crown and fixed in the chamber or box a. These tubes extend from
the said chamber or box over the fire-grate. for a sufficient distance to ensure
the heating of the air introduced into the said chamber or box to about the
same temperature as the smoke or gases from the fire, before it issues from the

page_text: mouths of the said tubes. Air is drawn into the injector by the action of a jet
of steam or compressed air issuing from the nozzle c', and is forced into the
chamber or box a, whence it is discharged under a suitable pressure through
the tubes e.
The air which is thus caused to enter the said box or chamber is heated to
some extent therein and is then further heated during its passage through the
tubes e, before it mixes with the gases in the furnace.
By causing the air to pass first through the said chamber a and then through
the said tubes e, we ensure its being very efficiently heated before it mixes with
the smoke and gases from the fuel, and by using several of such tubes in the
furnace, the heated air is thoroughly diffused and caused to, mix very uniformly
and intimately with the smoke and gases to be consumed, so that there will be no
appearance of smoke at the chimney and increased economy of fuel is ensured.
We find it advantageous to make the said tubes e of pieces of iron piping
which are screwed into the said box or chamber a in such a manner that they can
be very readily removed and renewed, when required, at a nominal cost.
In cases where the box or chamber a and tubes e cannot conveniently be arranged
above the door of the furnace, we attach the said box or chamber to the door
itself, preferably to the exterior thereof, or make it as a part of the said door, and
we make the said tubes of such length as will allow of the opening of the door
without the said tubes or either of them coming into contact with the furnace-front.
In this case we also secure the injector to the fire-door in such a manner as to permit
the proper action of the apparatus without interfering with the opening and closing
of the door; and we provide suitable means whereby the steam or compressed air
for actuating the injector will be automatically shut off when the door is opened
and turned on again when the door is closed.
•
Our improved apparatus may be used alone for the purpose above specified, or it
may be advantageously employed in conjunction with air-heating forced-draught
apparatus arranged beneath the grate in a closed ash-pit, such, for example, as the
apparatus described in the Specification of former Letters Patent granted to us
and dated 27th February 1896, No. 4392, which apparatus comprises perforated
casings having internal tubes through which air is supplied from the exterior by
means of a steam-jet injector, or in any other suitable manner; the air entering in
this manner being heated by its passage between the said tubes and casings and
being uniformly distributed in a heated condition beneath the grate through the
perforations of the said casings.
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 :-
First. The combination, with the fire-grate of a steam-boiler or other furnace, of
a heating chamber or box secured to the furnace-front or door over the said grate,
an injector secured to the exterior of the furnace-front or door and communicating
with the said chamber or box, and one or more heating tubes fixed in the said
chamber or box and extending therefrom over the fire, substantially as, and for
the purposes, above specified.
Second. The modification of our invention wherein the heating chamber or box
is secured to or forms a part of the door of the furnace and suitable provision is
made whereby the steam or compressed air for actuating the injector will be
automatically shut off when the door is opened and turned on again when the door
is closed, substantially as described.
Dated the 15th day of Anril 1807
D. YOUNG & Co.,
11 & 12 Southampton Buildings, London, W.C.,
Agents for the Applicants.