US226120A - Benjamin f - Google Patents

Description

-B.' P. SHERMAN. Means for Promoting Combustion.

No. 226,120 Patented MarQSO, I880.

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MEANS FOR PROMOTING COMBUSTION.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 226,120, dated March so, 1880.

Application filed January 6, 1880.

To all whom it may concern Be it known that I, BENJAMIN F. SHERMAN, of Ballston Spa, in the county of Saratoga and State of New York, have invented an Improved Means for Promoting Combustion, of which the following is a full, clear, and exact description, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, forming part of this specification, in which- Figure l is a vertical transverse, and Fig. 2 a vertical longitudinal, section of a furnace embodying my improvements.

It is well known that the cause of smoke is that the fresh air, entering the incandescent coal from below through the grate, has often all its oxygen consumed before it has passed half-way through the layer of 'coal, so that the upper part of the layer cannot burn, but is simply heated by the underlying incandescent coal, while the products of the combustion of the lowerlayer of burning coal pass through the upper heated and not-burnin g layer, and carry with them the combustible gases evolved by the heat, but which cannot take fire for the want of free oxygen. In order to furnish these combustible gases ascending through the upper layerof coal with thenecessa-ryoxygen to burn, I introduce airin the furnace with adownward injection upon the fire by a vertically-adjustable arrangement of pipes, which may be placed close to the coals or farther from them, according to the requirement of the case, as hereinafter described.

In the drawings, F F F F are a series of parallel longitudinal pipes connected at their ends by cross-pipes K. These pipes have perforations in the top, out of which a blast of air will issue when it is driven in by the communicating vertical pipes and flexible tube H E, Fig. l, which pass upward either at the side or back of the grate G G. Over these pipes are cast iron hoods E E E E. The upper sides of these hoods are cylindrical, but their under sides have longitudinal V-shaped grooves in them, in which the pipes F F are fitted and fixed at a distance of about a half an inch from the surface of said hoods. The air blowing upward through the holes in the upper part of the pipes strikes the angles in the hoods and is deflected downward on both sides on the surface of the coal, thus furnishing the smoke and combustible gases ascending through them with oxygen enough to secure their perfect combustion, while the heating of this air in the pipes, which become necessarily hot, will increase the heat of the flame ascending between the hoods, while at the same time this continued blast of cold air through the pipes will keep their temperature down below the point at which they might suffer damage.

In order to feed the furnace with fuel, the whole system of pipes and hoods is raised to the position indicated by the dotted lines in both figures, and marked E E. This is accomplished by a crank under the furnace-door turning on two cog-wheels, B B, Fig. 1, acting on racks or teeth in the two vertical bars D D, one placed in front and one behind the grate, and passing through proper channels in the wall beyond the reach of the fire. This permits fuel to be charged into thefurnace without interfering with said air-pipes, and yet by the adjustment of the latter the blast of air is carried down so close to the coalthat itis utilized in combustion instead of being simply rarefied and repelled.

It is evident that the raising and lowering of the apparatus might also be done by suspendin g it by chains and acting upon those from above by winding them on drums; but I prefer the arrangement described, as found more satisfactory in practice.

As this blowing of air over and on the top of the fuel mightinterfere with the upward draft from the ash-pit, I introduce also a blast there, and take for this purpose some of the air and gases passing upward through the chimney, so that I have two blasts, one of hot air and gas collected from the chimney and blown in under the grate, and one of entirely fresh and hot air blown in on top of the coal through my apparatus, as described.

Instead of introducing the air through a and yet be raised out of the way when fresh fuel is to be put on. The peculiar arrangement of the pipes with respect to the hoods above them also secures the distribution of air in sheets upon the fire, allows the heat to radiate between them to strike the boiler, and causes the ascending blasts of gases to be pinched or contracted as they rise between the hoods, and burned under a pressure that entirely consumes the smoke.

What I claim as new is 1. The combination, with a furnace-grate, of a set of air-pipes, F F, having discharge-orifices, and a corresponding setof separate over- BENJAMIN F. SHERMAN.

Witnesses:

SAML. F. DAY, EDWARD G. HAWKES.

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