Improvements in and relating to Furnaces for Burning Liquid Fuel.
Year: 1888

page_text: Date of Application, 14th Aug., 1888
Specification Accepted, 5th Oct., 1888
[Communicated from abroad by BENJAMIN APPLETON MOODY, of Boston, Massachusetts,
United States of America.]
Improvements in and relating to Furnaces for Burning Liquid Fuel.
I, HENRY HARRIS LAKE, of the firm of Haseltine, Lake & Co., Patent Agents,
Southampton Buildings, in the County of Middlesex, do hereby declare the
nature of this invention and in what manner the same is to be performed, to he
particularly described and ascertained in and by the following statement :-
This invention relates to furnaces adapted to the use of liquid hydrocarbons as
fuel, and has for its object the insuring of the perfect combustion of the fuel, and to
provide an efficient mode of regulating the flow of the hydrocarbons so that the
heat may be controlled.
And it
To this end the present invention consists in a novel construction of furnace, and
in the manner of connecting the liquid fuel and steam supply with the same.
also consists in a novel form of sprayer for feeding and regulating the liquid hydro-
carbons and steam, all of which will be hereinafter fully described.
The accompanying drawings illustrate a mode by which my invention has been
practically carried out in connection with a locomotive boiler, it being of course
understood that so far as the particular arrangement and details of the parts are
concerned they may be departed from within wide limits, as the requirements
of the particular furnace with which it is desired to employ the improvements,
necessitates.
In the said drawings
Figure 1 illustrates a sectional elevation of the fire box and portion of the boiler of
a locomotive provided with the present improvements.
Figure 2 is a sectional elevation of the superheater.
Figure 3 is an enlarged side elevation of the burner, showing its connections with
the steam and hydrocarbon supply pipe.
Figure 4 is a central sectional elevation thereof.
Figure 5 is a plan view of the same one of its covering plates being removed.

page_text: Figure 6 is an end view thereof the covering plate of the oil chamber being
removed and
Figure 7 is a view illustrating a mode of regulating the valves of the steam and oil
supply pipes.
Referring particularly to Figure 1 it is to be understood that A represents a portion
of a locomotive or other boiler and B the fire box thereof, of the ordinary construction.
In applying the present improvements thereto, it is preferred to remove the ordinary
grate bars and substitute in liew thereof a series of bars 10, supported just below the
bottom of the water legs by flanges secured to their opposite sides. Upon these
bars rests an iron plate 12, leaving an air passage 11 near the rear water leg, which
plate supports layers of fire brick or tile 13.
The layers of fire brick confine the heat to the fire box and protect the supporting
plate and the bars. Upon the fire brick is arranged a superheater C, of any suitable
construction, as herein shown, see Figure 2, it consists of a stout cast iron closed
structure of sufficient area to superheat all the steam required by the hydrocarbon
burner having induction and eduction openings 14, 15 and provided with a series of
partition walls 16 which cause the steam passing therethrough to take a circuitous
direction. This superheater is connected at its induction orifice 14 by a pipe 17 with
the steam space of the boiler and preferably the steam dome D, which pipe is provided
with an equalizing valve 18 and a controlling valve 19. The eduction orifice of the
superheater is connected by a steam pipe 20 to an oil and steam feed and regulating
device or burner E. Over this superheater and the foundation of layers of brick or
tile B, there is provided a bed of loose or broken fire brick or other suitable refractory
material F, either whole or broken in such quantity that the bed extends preferably to
about level with the lower row of boiler tubes.
The regulating device or burner E is contained in an opening 21 extending through
the rear water leg into the fire box, as best shown in Figures 1 and 3, in such position
that the hydrocarbon flames from it strike about mid way of the height of the refractory
material therein. As herein shown (see Figures 3 to 6) it consists of an irregular
casting 23 having a chamber 22 closed by a plate 24, that communicates with the
steam supply pipe 20. This steam chamber of the burner gradually tapers down to its
mouth 2, the width of the chamber remaining unchanged, so that the steam will issue
therefrom in a fine jet, but of considerable width.
The casting 23 also provides a second chamber 25 of smaller dimensions closed
by a cap 26, that is connected by a pipe 27 with the liquid hydrocarbon
reservoir or tank (not shown) which should be supported sufficiently high
to allow the liquid hydrocarbon to flow to the top of the burner. This oil
chamber 25 is also contracted towards its mouth 3, that is arranged just
beyond the mouth 2 of the steam chamber and preferably. the slightest degree
lower than said last named mouth. The extent of opening of the mouth 3 of.
the oil chamber is regulated by a valve 28 that is contained in bearings in the steam
chamber 22, the stem 29 whereof extends through a portion of the steam supply pipe
and a stuffing box 30 and is operated by a lever or other handle 31. The end of the
upper face of this valve 28 provides one side of the mouth 2 and its end also provides
one side of the mouth 3. This oil chamber mouth 3 may be raised or lowered with
respect to the mouth 2, to vary the effect of the jet of steam passing over said mouth 3,
by adjusting the position of the cap 26 through its attaching screws so that its flat
horizontal face 4 is approached toward or from the said jet of steam. The quantity
of oil rising to the level of the face 4 will be regulated to a nicety by adjusting the
position of the valve 23 so as to vary the size of the mouth 3. The position of the
mouths 2 and 3 with respect to each other is exceedingly important, as I have found
in practice that if the mouths are so arranged that the jet of steam issuing from its
mouth acts as an oil atomizer, in that it draws the oil from the oil mouth faster than
it will be naturally fed thereto it results in producing a flame which is completely out
of the control of the attendant, because the flow of oil in such a structure cannot be
regulated to such a degree as to produce a small flame. This defective operation is
wholly overcome in the improved structure herein before described, in that the feeding

page_text: of the oil and its being sprayed by the steam is not dependent upon the atomizer effect
of the steam jet. The action of the improved burner being such that the oil is
permitted to rise to the top of its mouth and spread in a thin film over a portion of
the face 4, so that the steam, its orifice being raised slightly above the oil orifice
strikes the film of oil upon said face at a point removed from the orifice 3 thus
permitting it to finely divide the oil thereon and carry it to the refractory material,
and preventing the steam from drawing upon the oil faster than it is allowed
to flow.
The escape of steam past the under face of the valve 28 is prevented by packing 32
held in a recess in the casting 23 and adjusted to exert more or less pressure upon
said valve by a plug 33 see Figure 6.
The operation of the furnace as thus far described is as follows:-it being under-
stood that the boiler A is supplied with water and the oil tank (not shown) with a
liquid hydrocarbon, the chamber 22 of the burner E will, if there be no steam in the
boiler, be connected with some independent steam generator (not shown) the steam
valve whereof and the valve controlling the flow of oil through the pipe 27 being
opened so that the steam is allowed to issue in the form of a jet from the burner
mouth 2 and the oil to rise to the top of its mouth 3 level with its horizontal face 4
and so as to just flow thereon in the form of a thin film.
The jet of steam striking the face 4 will take up the oil spread thereon and carry it
in the form of spray upon the refractory material F in the fire box, the sprayed
hydrocarbon being ignited in any suitable manner and air supplied thereto by the
opening 11.
The flame of the hydrocarbon speedily brings the refractory material to a red heat
and then to incandescence, more or less, the heat therefrom soon generating steam in
the boiler A. When this has been done the independent steam generator may be cut
off from communication with the burner steam chamber 22 and the steam from the
boiler A used for spraying the hydrocarbon. In this case the valve 19 of the steam
pipe 17 will be opened to permit steam to enter the superheater C which being heated
by the highly heated refractory material superheats the steam which issues therefrom
by pipe 20 and passes to said steam chamber 22 from whence it is sprayed with the
oil onto the refractory material.
Any convenient means may be employed to regulate the flow of steam and oil to
the burner E through their respective pipes such as ordinary valves; see 30, 31 shown
in Figure 1.
It is many times desirable, especially when the hydrocarbon burner is employed
with a locomotive fire box as herein illustrated, to provide means whereby the valves
in the pipes, which ordinarily will be led some distance removed from the cab of the
locomotive, may be under the easy and direct control of the attendant therein. Such
an arrangement is shown in Figure 7 wherein 52 represents the floor of the locomotive
cab and 53 a hollow standard securely bolted thereto. This standard supports a
tubular rod 34 the lower end of which, by suitable connections 35 is connected to the
stem of the valve 30 its upper end above the standard has an operating handle 36 the
spring pawl of which engages with notches of a fixed segment 37. Within the tubular
rod 34 another rod 38 is supported connected by suitable levers and rod 39 to the
stem of the valve 31. This rod 38 also has an operating handle 40 having a spring
pawl engaging with the notch of a second segment 41 carried upon the handle 36.
The arrangement of the operating handles being such that in operating the single
handle 36 the other handle 40 will be carried thereby and thus both valves 30, 31 will
be simultaneously controlled and at the same time as will be obvious the handle 40
controlling the oil valve 31 may be operated independently for controlling the flow of
oil. From which it will be seen that the handles for operating the two valves are
contiguous with each other, one capable of operating both valves and both valves
under direct control of the attendant.
While the improved furnace and liquid hydrocarbon burner are illustrated in con-
nection with a locomotive boiler it is of course obvious that the furnace may be of any
kind, either for heating air, for heating water, or for generating steam.

page_text: It may also be remarked that while only one hydrocarbon burner has been
described as employed with the furnace two or more may be used according to its
size and the degree of heat desired.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of the said inven-
tion and in what manner the same is to be performed as communicated to me
by my foreign correspondent 1 declare that what I claim is :-
First A hydrocarbon burner consisting of a casing having oil and steam chambers
with their discharge passages at an angle to each other, and a sliding valve forming
two independent outlets at an angle to each other one of which outlets the valve
controls, substantially as described.
Second A hydrocarbon burner consisting of a casing having separate oil and
steam chambers with their discharge passages at an angle to each other, and a sliding
valve situated in one of the said chambers and fitting a flat seat terminating at the
oil outlet, the said valve separating the oil and steam outlets and being adjustable,
substantially as set forth.
Third A hydrocarbon burner having a casing provided with separate oil and steam
chambers having outlets converging into one elongated orifice, a plate partially closing
said orifice and forming separate steam and oil discharge outlets, and a flat horizontal
spreading plate adjacent to the oil orifice, the steam outlet being arranged to direct the
steam upon the plate in front of the oil outlet, substantially as described.
Fourth-The combination with a hydrocarbon burner provided with steam and oil
orifices, of a flat extended plate situated at substantially right angles to the oil orifice,
and in line with and below the steam orifice upon which the oil is adapted to flow
and spread in a thin film before being met by the steam and means for adjusting the
said plate toward and from the steam orifice, substantially as described.
Fifth A hydrocarbon burner having a chamber 22, with an orifice leading there-
from, and a chamber 25 enclosed in part by the burner and in part by a plate 26
having a flat extended upper face 4 in proximity to the orifice leading from the
chamber 25, substantially as described.
Sixth A hydrocarbon burner provided with a steam chamber 22, contracted
toward one end, and with a chamber 25 enclosed in part by the burner and in part
by a plate 26 having a flat extended upper face 4, and an adjustable sliding valve
plate 28 lying in the contracted end of the steam chamber which it contracts to form
a narrow orifice 2 and having its end opposite the plate 26, thereby forming a contracted
outlet from the chamber 25, substantially as described.
Seventh-A hydrocarbon burner provided with hydrocarbon and steam chambers
having orifices opening therefrom, a sliding valve plate adapted to regulate one of
the said orifices sliding in the steam chamber and a packing 32 below the plate to
prevent the escape of steam under the same, substantially as set forth.
Dotad this 14th day of Aus 1000
HASELTINE, LAKE & Co.,
45, Southampton Buildings, London, W.C.,
Agents for the Applicant.