IMPROVEMENTS IN APPARATUS FOR HEATING WATER OR ATMOSPHERIC AIR
Year: 1883

page_text: PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by Matthew Steel and Thomas Smales at
the Office of the Commissioners of Patents on the 21st July 1883.
MATTHEW STEEL and THOMAS SMALES both of Gosforth in the County of
Northumberland, Plumbers and Gasfitters, "IMPROVEMENTS IN APPARATUS FOR
HEATING WATER OR ATMOSPHERIC AIR"
Our invention relates to improved apparatus for heating water by coal, coke, or
other fuels, or by gas, for various purposes such as baths, greenhouses, warming
rooms, washing or other domestic uses; also to heating air for the purpose of
warming rooms in the manner of gas or similar stoves.
We will describe our apparatus as adapted for heating water by gas which is the
form in which we consider it can be applied to most advantage.
For this purpose we construct a cylindrical vessel, preferably of sheet-copper, to
contain the water the bottom of which vessel is supported at a sufficient height
above the level on which it stands to allow of the introduction (between the bottom
and a perforated plate) of a gas burner of peculiar construction which we will
describe hereafter. In the bottom of this vessel is formed a cone shaped aperture
joining a chamber surrounded by water, which chamber is joined to an upper
chamber, also surrounded and covered over the top by the water. From the bottom
of this upper chamber a pipe descends, through the lower chamber, the bottom end
of which pipe joins the cone shaped aperture. The upper and lower chambers are
connected to each other by pipes for the circulation of the heated air and these
pipes are also surrounded by the water. From the lower chamber an escape pipe
conveys away the burnt air and gas fumes after they have circulated through the
apparatus and imparted their heat to the water. The burner we propose to use
consists of a ring into the annular portion of which the gas is admitted by an
ordinary gas pipe with adjustable nozzle, and the upper surface of this ring is
formed of renewable gauze or sheet metal perforated with a number of small holes
through which the gas issues and to increase the efficiency of this burner we
introduce into the centre space a cone shaped pipe opening through the perforated
plate below the burner so as to cause a current of air to enter the centre of the
burner and intensify the burning of the gas. The flame issuing from the burner
enters the cone, the heat passing up the central pipe into the upper chamber wher
intense heat is generated and the water in contact with which is quickly raised in

page_text: temperature to the boiling point or to the required pressure. The gas or heated
air returns through the tubes from the upper to the lower chamber raising the
temperature of the water at that part and passes off by the escape pipe. The
water when heated is caused to circulate through pipes from the apparatus to any
required point and to return to it in the usual manner.
When air is to be heated instead of water the arrangement is the same except
that the water vessel contains air and that a series of corrugated cylindrical vesssels
may be used to increase the heating surface no circulating pipes, as in the case
of water, being required the action of the apparatus being concentrated as in
stoves.
When coal, coke, or other solid fuel is to be used the apparatus is provided with
suitable grate for the burning thereof and when paraffin or other liquid fuel is used
a suitable burner is arranged to ignite it under the cone shaped aperture leading to
the heating chambers and connecting pipes or tubes before described.