IMPROVEMENTS IN WASHING THE PRODUCTS EVOLVED FROM FURNACES
Year: 1844

page_text: TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, PAUL
GRIFFITHS, of Holywell, in the County of Flint, Millwright, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her present most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her
Letters Patent under the Great Seal of Great Britain, bearing date at
Westminster, the Fourth day of June, in the seventh year of Her reign, did,
for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant unto me, the said Paul
Griffiths, Her especial licence, full power, sole privilege and authority, that I,
the said Paul Griffiths, my exors, adiiors,, and assigns, or such others as
I, the said Paul Griffiths, my exors, adiiors, or assigns, should at any time
agree with, and no others, from time to time and at all times during
the term of years therein expressed, should and lawfully might make, use,
exercise, and vend, within England, Wales, and the Town of Berwick upon
Tweed, my Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN WASHING THE PRODUCTS EVOLVED
FROM FURNACES," in which said Letters Patent is contained a proviso that I,
the said Paul Griffiths, shall cause a particular description of the nature
of my said Invention, and in what manner the same is to be performed, to
be inrolled in Her said Majesty's High Court of Chancery within six calendar
months next and immediately after the date of the said in part recited Letters
Patent, as in and by the same, reference being thereunto had, will more fully
and at large appear.

page_text: NOW KNOW YE, that in compliance with the said proviso, I, the said
Paul Griffiths, do hereby declare that the nature of my said Invention, and
the manner in which the same is to be performed, are fully described and
ascertained in and by the following statement thereof, reference being had
to the Drawing hereunto annexed, and to the figures and letters marked
thereon, that is to say :-
My Invention has for its object the so arranging machinery or apparatus
that the products of combustion of furnaces may be withdrawn by mechanical
means as they are evolved, so as to maintain the requisite draft, and then pro-
pelled into a suitable chamber pervaded by spray or water in a finely divided
state, so that the products evolved from furnaces may be more effectually and
advantageously washed than heretofore. And in order that the Invention may
be fully understood and readily carried into effect, I will proceed to describe
the means pursued by me.
DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWING.
Figure 1 represents a side section of apparatus, arranged suitably for carry-
ing out my Invention. Figure 2 is a plan thereof. a represents a chamber or
compartment, which is to be caused to be pervaded with a spray of water by
any suitable means. I prefer to use wheels or agitators b, b, such as are
shewn, to which quick rotatory motion is to be communicated by any suitable
power. c is a cover to the chamber a. Water is to be supplied to the
chamber a by means of a suitable supply pipe d, to the height or level shewn.
e, e, are openings covered with slides, by which the contents are, from time
to time removed as the water becomes highly impregnated with the pro-
ducts from a furnace or furnaces, such products being more or less useful,
as heretofore, according to the processes which may be carried on in the
furnaces to which such apparatus is applied; and the same will be, amongst
other uses, found particularly advantageous when smelting lead, copper,
zinc, as well as when employing other furnaces, with a view to prevent
nuisance, and obtain useful products, as by the use of such apparatus much, if
not the whole, of the loss heretofore sustained in that process, will be prevented.
f is a flue coming from a furnace or furnaces. g is a fan, which is revolved by
a steam engine or other power with a speed suitable for removing the products
as they are evolved, regulating the speed according to the amount of draft
required. In order to keep the fan cool when near the furnace and liable to be
highly heated thereby, it is desirable to place over it a metal cover h, into which
a constant supply of water is kept up, which flows from the cover into the
chamber a. By this arrangement of machinery and apparatus the products of

page_text: a furnace or furnaces will be continuously withdrawn by mechanical means,
and forced into a chamber pervaded by water in a finely divided state,
which will more effectually wash the products coming from the furnace
than has heretofore been accomplished. The apparatus shown in the Drawing
is such as has by me been applied to two fires or furnaces, each being four feet
by three on the fire bars; but similar apparatus may be employed to other
furnaces where it is desirable to wash the products evolved; and although I
believe a fan and two agitating wheels, such as are shown, to be the best
arrangement for the purpose, yet I do not confine myself thereto, so long as
the peculiar character of the Invention be retained, as it will be evident that
other apparatus may be used for withdrawing the products of combustion from
a furnace or furnaces, and other means may be resorted to for causing a suit-
able chamber a to be pervaded with water in a finely divided state.
And I would remark, that I am aware that it has before been proposed to
employ apparatus to withdraw products of combustion from furnaces, and then
to propel such products into water; and I am aware that it has before been
proposed to use water in a finely divided state in flues, to wash the products of
combustion evolved from furnaces; and I mention these circumstances in order
to state that I do not claim the same, when uncombined; but what I claim is,
the mode of washing the products evolved from furnaces by causing them to be
continuously withdrawn by a fan or suitable apparatus, and forced into a suitable
chamber pervaded with water in a finely divided state, as herein described.
In witness whereof, I, the said Paul Griffiths, have hereunto set my
hand and seal, this Twenty-second day of November, in the year of our
Lord One thousand eight hundred and forty-four.