US434953A - Pottery-kiln - Google Patents

Description

(No Model.) 3 Sheets-Sheet 1.

1-. C. ROBERTS. POTTERY KILN.

No. 434,953. I Patented Aug. 26, 1890.

1212mm aw 3 Sheets-Sheet 2.

(No Model.) I

F. G. ROBERTS.

POTTERY KILN. No. 434,953. Patented Aug. 26, 1890.

Inventor 3 Sheets-Sheet 3.

(No M51161.

' F. G. ROBERTS.

POTTERY KILN.

Patented Aug. 26, 1890*.

W ll Inventoh UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE;

FRANK O. ROBERTS, OF PHILADELPHIA, PENNSYLVANIA.

POTTERY-KILN.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent N 0. 434,953, dated August 26, 1890.

Application filed December 5, 1889.

.To all whom it may concern.-

Be it known that I, FRANK O. ROBERTS, of Philadelphia, and State of Pennsylvania,have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Pottery-Kilns, whereof the following is a specification, reference being bad to the accompanying drawings.

The object of my invention is to adapt the regenerative system to convenientuse in a pottery-kiln, and the accompanying drawings illustrate the invention in a convenient form for application to the most usual type of kiln.

In said drawings, Figure 1 represents a horizontal section through the kiln and chimney, showing in dotted lines the general arrangement of the fines. Fig. 2 is a central vertical section on the lines 20 w of Fig.'1, and Fig. 3 is a similarsection on the line mm of Fig. 1.

The kiln proper is constructed with a circular wall A, having a dome-shaped roof B and a fioor C. At or near the center of said floor is a downtake-flue E above which is a raised disk-shaped cover D, having a central opening V in its top and radial openings U around the sides so arranged as to cause a uniform outflow from all directions to the flue E. The flue E descends for a considerable distance and communicates with a horizontal flue E, which extends outward and rises into a valve-chamber G, containing a pivot-valve W. This may be the ordinary form of reversing-valve used in regenerative furnaces, and it controls the communication with two horizontal flues II I, which extend around the base of the kiln, preferably below the surface of the ground, as shown, and lead into a valve chamber K, in which is a second pivot-valve L, controlling communication with the chimney J and with that part of the chamber K which is open to the air. The flues H and I are preferably formed with enlarged portions h t for a short distance on each side of the valve-chamber G, and this space may conveniently be filled with checker-work such as is commonly used in regenerative furnaces. The fines H and I are alternatively, of course, exitrfiues for the products of combustion and entrance-fines for air, and the control of these fines by means of the pivot-valvesW and L is effected in the usual manner, the air being admitted at the chamber K.

Serial No. 332.847. (No model.)

The chamber G communicates with the intake-flue Q, which leads to an annular vertical intake-flue R, from whose upper end a number of horizontal intake-fines Svextend radially outward beneath the floor 0 of the kiln and communicate by short horizontal inletpassages on each side of the vertical dischargejets T.

The main inlet-passage for gas is shown at M, (see dottted lines, Fig. 1,) which communicates with an annular flue N, surrounding the base of the kiln and communicating at intervals by means of upwardly-inclined intake-passages O with discharge jets P into the kiln proper. jets T for air are arranged in groups of three, each gas-jet being between two air-jets, and each group may be situated in a short vertical piece of brick-work rising some distance above the floor of the kiln, so as to project the mingled air and gas currents well up into the kiln before combustion takes'place.

The operation of the system is as follows: The gas (produced by means of any suitable generator) is admitted to the passages MN 0 and flows into the kiln through the jets P. The air is admitted at the valve-chamber K and flows around through the flue I-I until it is deflected by the pivot-valve G into the passage Q; thence it rises through the annular flue R, and, flowing through the radial fines S, is discharged at the jets T on each side of the gas-jets P. The kiln is filled with the pottery arranged in the usual manner, and the firing is effected by the combustion of air and gas, which is diffused throughout the kiln by means of the numerous outlets. The products of combustion pass out through the openings V U, descend by the downtakeflue E to the horizontal continuation thereof F, and rise into the valve-chamber G, where they are deflected by the valve WV into the flue I, by which they pass to the valve-chamber K, where they are deflected by the valve L into the chimney J, and 'escape. The courses of entering air and gas are indicated by the arrows to, and the course of the outgoing products of combustion is indicated by the arrows b, the direction of which of course will be reversed with each reversal of the valves W and L, If preferred, the gas to be burned may also be heated by means of a The jets P for gas and the similar regenerative systemsuch as, for instance, a vertical or horizontal subdivision of the annular flues II and Ione portion of which can thus be used to heat the air and the other portion to heat the gas, while both subdivisions of the flues can be heated by the outgoing productions of combustion.

I am of course aware that the application of the regenerative system to a pottery-kiln is not, broadly speaking, new, and I do not claim such application broadly. I have found,

however, that to make the principle available for use in a pottery-kiln it is essential that the flow of the currents within the kiln proper should always be in the same direction. If, as is the case with ordinary regenerative systems, the openings into the kiln are alternately used as exit-fines for products of combustion and entrance-fines for air, it is not practicable to maintain a heat sufficiently uniform to properly burn pottery, and an irregular and defective product will result. My present invention overcomes this diffic'ulty, and one of its most important features lies in the fact that the reversal of direction of the currents takes place outside of the kiln only, this mode of operation being permitted by the use, in connection with the permanent inlet and outlet passages,of a pair of exterior regeneratorpassages. So faras I am aware this principle has never been developed in any previous application of the regenerative system to pottery manufacture, and I therefore desire to claim its embodiment broadly and irrespective of the particular arrangement of the inlet and outlet passages, it being only necessary that they should be in such a symmetrical relation to the kiln as shall produce a thorough and uniform distribution of the heat.

Having thus described my invention I claim 1. I11 a regenerative pottery-kiln, the combination, with the kiln proper, of a central downtake-passage and flue leading therefrom, a pair of regenerator-passages communicating with said flue, a series of intake-passages having jets arranged circumferentially within said kiln and leading into the same, a flue connecting said intake-passages with the regenerator-passages, a chimney, an air-inlet, a pair of reversing-valves controlling the communication between the regenerator-passages and the said fines, air-inlet, and chimney, and a gas-inlet having suitable passages leading into said kiln, substantially as set forth.

2. In a regenerative pottery-kiln, the combination of a kiln proper, a central downtakepassage having a cover and radial and vertical openings in said cover, a flue leading from said downtake, a pair of semicircular regenerator-passages communicating with said flue, an.air-inlet and chimney, an intake-flue communicating with said regenerator-passages, reversing-valves controlling the communication between the regeneratorpassages and the said chimney, said air-inlet, and said intake-flue, an annular passage leading from the intake-flue and surrounding the downtake-fiue, radial passages leading from said annular passage, inlet-jets arranged in pairs around the interior of said kiln and connected with said radial passages, a main inlet for gas, an annular passage connected therewith, and upwardly-inclined intake -passages leading from said annular passage to the interior of the kiln and arranged between the pairs of air-inlet jets, substantially as set forth.

3'. In a regenerativepottery-kiln, the combination, with the kiln proper, of a permanent outlet-passage for products of combustion, a pair of regenerator-passages communicating therewith, a plurality of permanent inlet-passages for gas and air having dischargeorifices distributed in substantial symmetry within said kiln, flues connecting the air-inlet passages with the regenerator-passages, a chimney, a main gas-inlet, and a pair of reversing-valves controlling the communication between said regenerator-passages, said outlet-passages, said air-passages, said chimney, and said main air-inlet, substantially as set forth.

FRANK O. ROBERTS. \Vitnesses:

THEo. TOPLIN, JAMES H. BELL.

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