US2015756A - Apparatus for burning solid carbonaceous fuel - Google Patents

Description

C. J. MOIR APPARATUS FOR BURNING SOLID CARBONACEOUS FUEL Qct. 1, 1935.

5 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed June 7, 1932 INVENTOR TORNEY Oct. 1, 1935. c.. J. MOIR APPARATUS FOR BURNING SOLID CARBONACEOUS FUEL 3 Sheets-Sheet 2 v Filed June 7, 1932 Oct. 1, 1935. M m 2,015,756

APPARATUS FOR BURNING SQLID CARBONACEOUS FUEL Filed June 7, 1932 3 Sheets-Sheet 3 I I IINV.ENTOR ATTORNEY Patented Oct. 1, 1935 UNITED STATES PATENT APPARATUS FOR BURNING SOLID CARBONACEOUS FUEL Charles J. Moir, New York, N. Y., assignor to Flameking Company, Incorporated, New York,

N. Y., a corporation of New York Application June '1, 1932, Serial N6. 615,809 11 Claims. (01. 126-145) operating advantages over those knownat pres- Other objects and advantages of the invention will appear hereinafter. A preferredembodiment of the invention selected for purposes of illustration is shown in the accompanying drawings, in which,

Figure l is a section on the line l-l of Figure 2, partly broken away and partly in plan to better illustrate the construction. 20 Figure 2 is a section on the line 2--2 of Figure 1. Figure 3 is a front elevation.

Figure 4 is a sectional view illustrating the side sections adjusted for a larger size fire box.

Figure 5 is a detail view showing the support- 25 mg hangers. Figure 6 is asemi-diagrammatic view illustrating the method of combustion.

From time immemorial it has been almost universal practicein burning solidcarbonaceous 30 fuel to cause-air to penetrate and move through a the fuel bed inorder to support combustion. This is usually accomplished by admitting air to the bottornofthe fuel bed. It hasalso been proposed to' so support the fuel bed that air might be ad- 35 mitted to the sides of the fuel bed in order to improve combustion, but so far as I am aware, such admission of air to the sides of the fuel bed "has always been accompanied by direct admission ":of air to the bottom of the fuel bed, so that in 40 any event'there'was substantial movement/of air through the fuel bed.

According to the present invention itisproposed to substantially eliminate movement of "air through the fuel bed by preventing the admis- 'Qsion of air to the bottom of the fuel bed, and by permitting admission of air to the sides of the fuel bed insuch manner that instead of penetratingand moving through the fuel bed, theair ffinoves' along the sides of the fuelbed; As'thisair 50 oves' alongthe sides of the'fuel bed, combusti on occurs which distills and liberates gas from *the fuel lying immediately above. This gasin turn moves along the sides of the fuel bed, and is xed with additional quantities of air, after 55 which the mixture is conducted to a point above the fuel bed Where it is burned.

- he above described method of burning will be more fully explained in connection with the following description of an apparatus inwhich the method may practiced.

Referring to the drawings, the, firepot been illustrated as applied to a substantially circular fire box; but it will be understood that the method involved, as well as some of thestructural features of the invention may be applied tofire pots 5 adapted to be fitted into fire boxes of other shapes. The fire pot comprises generally a supporting member, as for example, the ring, I, upon which are mounted a. plurality of side sections: 2 forming the side walls of the pot. Also mounted m on the ring I is a member 3 of a. size tofillthe-e central aperture of the ring I so as to support the fuel bed from beneath. The entire assembly may be supported in the fire box in any suitable manner, as for example, by means ofhangers 4 which 15 may be designed to fit into the ordinary grate bare 1 sockets of stoves and furnaces of standard construction.

The side sections 2 comprise an arcuate upper member 5 and an arcuate lower memberrlL-the upper and lower 'members being connectedibyw means of spaced grate bars]. The saidbarslare preferablyformed with one cross-sectionaLdimension greater than the other, as for example,

substantially pear-shaped in cross section, "and stand substantially vertical-:for more than'half of their length, and then areflared outwardly to their points of connection with the upper member -5.

i A feature of importance in connection with the construction of'the side sections relates to'the pro-v vision of spaces 8 between the bars I so arranged that in addition to providing for free 'fi'ow of air and gas into and out of the fire pot, a; poker .may be easily inserted between the bars'for "firing purposes.

The doors provided for this-- purpose'in most furnaces are quite small, and

consequently the range of movement of the poker is small, and it is important that the poker beadmitte'd through as many bars as possible. ".For 40 this purpose,the bars of the side sections are :so arranged that when they are projected on the chord of the arc of the section, the projected bars are substantially equally -spaced and thespa'ces are substantially equal in width. Furthermore, in cases where the bars have one cross-sectional dimension greater than the other, as illustrated in the preferred embodiment herein, the bars are preferably so arranged that vertical planes through the longer cross sectional. dimension lie parallel to one another and perpendicular togther' chord of the arc. in this manner, as 'illustrated in Figures 1 and 3, adequate space is provided between each of the bars for the reception of a poker inserted through the usual doors provided for the purpose. The above construction also re-"= .ducesthe cost of theside section castings due to the fact that when so constructed, the pattern may be removed from the mold without breaking the mold. Q9

- standard dimensions.

According to the present invention it is desired to provide spaces-between the upper members 5 and the wall of the firebox, in order to permit flow of air and gas therebetween as hereinafter explained. For this purpose, for use in connec-' tion with smooth walled fireboxes, the periphery of the upper member of the side sections may also be provided with spaced lugs 9 which contact with the side walls of the firebox, thus providing the spaces) for the passage of air and gas.

It will be understood, however, that when used with corrugated fireboxes, it may not be necessary to provide the lugs 9, because the corrugations themeselves may provide adequate space for the passage of air and gas.

The lower member 6 of each side section is 7 preferably provided-with a bevelled bottom face II as illustrated in Figure 2, in order that when the side sections are secured to the ring by means 'of bolts l2, the setting up of the bolts will cause the side sections to tilt outwardly in order that the outer periphery of the upper member may be brought into contact with the side wall of the fire box Since the side sections are secured only atthe bottom, the upper portions are free to expand and contract as necessary under varying heat conditions.

' The supporting ring I is provided with a plurality of apertures through which the side sections may be secured to the ring. In the embodimentillustrated in the drawings, in order to provide a wide range of adjustability, three series of apertures are provided, each being arranged circumferentially around the ring, and designated byreference numerals I3, IA and I5. The positions of these series of apertures are so arranged that'side sections of fixed standard dimensions may be fitted to furnaces of widely varying di- This may be done by so calculating the radii of circles passing through the apertures of each series that the circumference of each circle is a whole multiple ofthe length of the arc of the bottom member of a side section of Thus, as illustrated in the drawings, the series of apertures 13 is arranged along a circle whose radius is such that six side sections of standard dimensions may be accommodated, with the end of the bottom member of each side section abutting fairly closely the end of the bottom member of the next adjacent side section as illustrated in Figure l. The radius of the second series of apertures I l is-so calculated that the circle passing through the said series of apertures will accommodate seven side sections of standard dimensions. Similarly, as illustrated in Figure 4, the radius of the third series of apertures I5 is so calculated that the circle passing through the said series of apertures will accommodate eight side sections of standard dimen- R. being the radius of the circle, X being the number of side sections, and 0 being the length of the are of the bottom member of a standard side section. Solving for R, we find As will be observed, by using the above formula, the radiiof any series of apertures may be calculated for any desired number of side sections having any desired length of arc.

Due to the provision of the bevelled face ll tures.

attlie bottom of the side sections, a limited range of adjustability'is provided'when the side sections are secured along'any given series of aper- Thus when the side sections are secured to series it, as illustrated in Figures 1, 2 and 3, the range of adjustability is such that the side sections may be fitted to a fire box of any inside diameter from that equal to the diameter of the circle formed by the upper members 5 when abutting end to end, up to that sufiicient to accommodate the side sections when mounted on the second series of apertures. Similarly, the range of adjustability in that position is such that the side sections may be fitted to a fire box of any inside diameter up to that sufiicient to accom- 15, modate the side sections when mounted on the third series of apertures.

As will be observed, in Figures 1 and2, when the side sections are tilted outwardly in making. such adjustments, a V-shaped space appears between the adjacent ends of the upper portions of the side sections, but this space in most cases isn-ot sufiiciently large to be objectionable. If it. is too large, however, it may be filled by a V-- shaped insert piece which may be secured to the side sections in any suitable manner.

When the side sections are securedto the ring along the series M, the apertures of series I3. may be filled either with metal inserts, or with. cement in order to prevent admission of substantial quantities of air to the bottom of the fuel bed, and similarly, when the side sections are secured to the ring along the series l5, the apertures of series l3 and i i should both be filled for the same; reason. 35

The fire bed is supported at the bottom by a member 3 which ispreferably cone-shaped as illustrated in the drawings. The said member may be provided with trunnions l8 and I9 which rest; in sockets 2E! and 21 formed in the ring I in order that the said grate may be rocked from side to side, when it is desired to shake the fire.

, a plurality of hangers 4 having 9. lug 23 adapted;

to fit into the grate bar socket 24 of a furnace of 5 ordinary construction, and having a horizontal flange 25 provided with apertures through which it may be bolted to the ring I at any convenient location as illustrated in Figure 5. The length of the flange 25 may be adjusted as necessary to 0 suit various conditions in various installations.

The operation of the apparatus and the method of burning will be explained with particular reference to Figure 6 in which the location of the burning areas and the general directions of flow of 5 the air and gas have been indicated by long and short dash lines respectively.

7 As will be observed, air enters the fire pot along flow lines a, coming from below the fire pot and entering the fire pot through the spaces between the bars I and flowing in a direction substantially along the flow line b, although it will be under- 75.

stood that in practice this space will ordinarily be filled and closed by deposits of ashes. The air entering along the lines a and 1) comes in contact with the body of incandescent coke lying in the area indicated generally by c where it is consumed, thus supplying heat to the fuel area d lying immediately above the coked area and causing the evolution of gas therefrom. This gas also flows along the sides of the fuel bed and emerges from the fire pot through the spaces between the bars 1, as indicated by flow lines e, in-

- stead of moving upward through the fuel bed d because the said gas can move more freely in that direction than it can through the closely packed fuel bed. Some slight amount of gas may emerge through the outer edge of the fuel bed, as indicated, for example, by the fiow line I, because of the thinness of the fuel bed at that point, but this amount will be small.

As the gas emerges from the fire pot it is mixed with air flowing upward along the line g, and the mixture, which is highly inflammable, is conducted through the spaces ID to a point above the fuel bed where it is burned in the area indicated by h.

It Will be observed that the relatively small amount of air entering the pot through the space between the member 3 and the ring I follows the same general direction as the main flow of air which enters through the sides of the fire pot. In the event that the side sections are mounted on one of the outer series of apertures I4 or I5 the same result occurs, for even if the said apertures are not filled as previously described, they soon become filled by deposits of ash, and the quantity of air admitted is relatively small. But even if the apertures are open, the flow of air therethrough follows the general direction indicated by the flow lines in Figure 6.

It is important, however, to prevent the admission of air to the central portion of the fuel bed, because in that case the burning action would be similar to ordinary furnaces and fire pots in which air enters through the grate and moves upward through the fuel bed. I have found that the fuel may be burned more efficiently and with greater general satisfaction if air is caused to move along the sides of the fuel bed as hereinbefore described, rather than through the fuel bed.

It will be understood that the invention may be variously modified and embodied within the scope of the subjoined claims.

I claim as my invention:

1. A fire pot comprising, a plurality of side sections, a ring for supporting said side sections, and means for securing said side sections to said ring along a plurality of spaced concentric rows, said rows being so spaced from the center of the ring that the circumferential distance around the ring at each-row is substantially an even multiple of the arcuate length of the bottom of one side section.

2. A fire pot comprising, a plurality of side sec tions, a ring for supporting said side sections, said ring having apertures therein arranged in con centric circumferential rows, the radii of said rows being such that the circumferential distance around each row is substantially an even multiple of the arcuate length of the bottom of one side section, and means for securing said side sections to said ring through said apertures.

3. A fire pot comprising, a plurality of side sections, a ring for supporting said'side sections, said ring having apertures therein arranged in con- 5 centric circumferential rows, the radii of said rows being substantially equal to the arcuate length of the bottom of one side section multiplied by the number of side sections and divided by two pi, and means for securing said sections to said ring through said apertures.

4. A fire pot comprising, a plurality of side sections, a ring for supporting said side sections, and means for securing said side sections to said ring at any one of a plurality of different distances from the center of the ring, whereby the fire pot may be adjusted to furnaces of different sizes.

5. A fire pot comprising, a plurality of side sections, a ring for supporting said side sections, said ring having apertures therein arranged in spaced circumferential rows, and means to secure said side sections to said ring along any one of said rows, whereby the fire pot may be adjusted to furnaces of different sizes.

6. A fire pot comprising, a plurality of side sections, a member for supporting said side sections, and means for securing said side sections to said member, each of said side sections having a bevelled bottom surface permitting said sections to tilt outwardly toward the furnace wall as said securing means is tightened.

7. A fire pot comprising, a plurality of side sections, a member for supporting said side sections, said member having apertures therein, bolts for securing said side sections to said member through said apertures, each of said side sections having a bevelled bottom surface permitting said sections totilt outwardly toward the furnace wall when said bolts are set up.

8. A fire pot comprising, a plurality of arcuate members together forming a circumferential enclosure, each member including a plurality of longitudinal bars and connecting arcuate members, the bars of each member being elongated in cross-section with the major cross-sectional axis of each bar parallel to that of the other bars of that member.

9. A side section for a circular fire pot comprising, an arcuate upper member, an arcuate lower member, spaced bars between and connecting said members, said bars having one cross-sectional dimension greater than the other, said bars being so arranged that vertical planes through the longer cross-sectional dimension will be perpendicular to the chord of the arc of the lower member.

10. A side section for a circular fire pot comprising, an arcuate upper member, an arcuate lower member, spaced bars between and connecting said members, said bars being so arranged that when projected on the chord of the arc of said lower member, the projected bars are substantially. equally spaced.

11. A side section for a fire pot comprising a plurality of substantially parallel bars, arcuate 5 connecting members joining the ends of said bars, said bars being elongated in cross-section, the longer cross-sectional axes of said bars being substantially parallel to each other and lying perpendicular to the chord of the arc.

CHARLES J. MOIR.

Images