US541063A - Process of and apparatus for combustion of fuel - Google Patents

Description

(No Model.) 2 Sheets-Sheet 1.

, W. BLACK. PROCESS OF AND APPARATUS FOR COMBUSTION 0P FUEL. No. 541,063. Patented June 18, 1896.

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(No Model.) 2 Sheets-Shem; 2.

W; BLAOK. PROCESS OF AND APPARATUS FOR COMBUSTION OF FUEL.

Patented June 18, 1895.-

UNrrn STATES ,ATENT Erica.

WALTER BLACK, OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS.

PROCESS OF AND APPARATUS FOR COMBUSTION OF FUEL.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 541,063, dated June 18,1895, Application filed August 1,1894. Serial No. 519,143. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, WALTER BLACK, Of Chicago, Illinois, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Processes of and tional elevation taken on line 1 of Fig 2;. Fig.

2, a side elevation in section taken on line 2 of Fig. 1, and Fig. 3 a portion of the side wall of the furnace hereinafter described.

My invention relates more particularly to the construction of the fire box and the process of,combustion carried on therein.

It has been the aim of personsskilled in this particular art to produce a furnace in which complete combustion could be carried on; or, in other words,in which the maximum efficiency of the fuel during combustion might be obtained. Various improvements have been made in this line to obtain the desired result, and various'resultshavethereby been obtained.

In carrying outmy improved process and constructing a heating apparatus in which the process'may be performed, I provide two fuel chambers, A, A", adjacent to each other, which are supplied with the usual grate bars, a a, and a common ash pit, B, thereunder. An ordinary bridge wall, 0, separates these two fuel chambers and is provided, preferably near its lower end, with a series of openings, 19, which permit a communication between the two chambers. Each of these fuel chambers are provided in the rear with hinged doors, D, D, adapted to beopened or closed when desired to permit the heated gases and products of combustion to pass out and through the boiler into a smoke stack.

I place the fuel tobe consumed first in one chamber-say the chamber A,ignite the same, apply thefdraftin the usualmanner,

through the doors, B, of the ash pit, until the fuel contained insuch chamber has reached a point approximate to an incandescent heat. It will be understood, of course,

that the draft door atthe rear of the chamber will be opened duringthis initial combustion. As soon as the coal in the first chamber, A, has reached a point of incandescence, I start a fire in the other fuel chamber, A, and add green fuel to the same. I immediately close the door, D, in the initial chamber, which action forces the heated gases and products of combustion to pass through the openings, 1), in the bridge wall over the mass of burning green fuel and intermingle with the distilled gases in the same. This action furnishes a sufficient degree of heat above the point where the distilled gases are formed, over the green fuel; and, as hereinafter described,furnishes such distilled gases with the necessary amount of oxygen, so that they immediately take fire and combustion takes place before the same has passed out of the fuel chamber into the ordinary combustion chamber, where it may contact-with a boiler or other receptacle to be heated. This action prevents the formation of smoke, and as a consequence gives me a very high eificiency in the combustion of fuel. I

To supply either furnace with an additional quantity of atmospheric air necessary to sup- ..port combustion, after the addition of green fuel to either chamber,I makethe lower portion of the bridge wall, immediately under the openings that connect each chamber, with a smooth face to a point above the height of the burning fuel-say six inchesand I provide this portion of the bridge wall with an air chamber, E, having its openings, e e, into each of the individual fuel chambers. This chamber, E, is provided with steam pipes, G, that are connected by means of the pipes, G, with the boiler, for the purpose of furnishing them with a supply of steam under boiler pressure, and each of these pipes is provided with valves, g, to regulate the amount of steam furnished to either of the pipes, G. The steam pipes in the air chamber are provided with a series of nozzles, 9, that project almost, but not quite, through the openings,

ea, at an angle of about forty-five degrees wall and extend out a desired distancesay about five inches.

In operation, when the fuel in one chamber has become coked and green fuel has been added to the adjacent chamber, steam is admitted to one of the pipes, G, preferably the one whose nozzles extend out toward the fuel chamber in which the green fuel is being con su med. As shown in the drawings, it extends into the chamber, A, so that it impinges directly against the deflecting plate and is projected in a cloud or spray above such burning fuel, so that it keeps the heated gases which pass from the coked fuel in the adjacent chamber, down in contact with the bed of green fuel. The steam jets also act as an injector, creating artificial draft-that is, draw in from the air chamber, E, a certain amount of atmospheric air which furnishes the desired amount of oxygen to support combustion. As soon as the green fuel has been consumed to such an extent that it becomes coked, the steam is shut off from entering that chamber, its rear door closed and the door opened in the opposite passage, to which green fuel may be added if desired, and the process reversed.

I have merely outlined my theory of what I consider the actions that take place in the furnace by watching it closely in operation. It is probable that other chemical actions take place of which I am not aware, and I do not, therefore, desire to be understood as givin g a full scientific explanation of the theory of combustion taking place in my furnace,

- nor do I think it necessary; but only so much of it as will enable those skilled in the art to construct a furnace and put it into practical operation.

For convenience in construction, I mount the rear doors, D and E, upon pivots, d and d, which are provided with levers, D at their outer ends which may be engaged with suitable notches, C22, in the side of the brick wall of the furnace, for the purpose of holding it in its open or partially open positions.

The fuel chamberis provided with the usual doors, I, through which fuel is added to the chambers when desired.

In other respects, the boiler, K, may be made of any usual form of constrnction-my improvements being entirely in the process of using and the construction of the fuel, or fire box, as some term it.

It is well known that smoke once formed cannot be consumed; but it is a common error among inventors to suppose that it can be and numerous apparatus have beendesigned to pass smoke and uneonsu med gases which have once been formed over or through a mass of incandescent fuel to consume it, which is demonstrated to be a common error. Smoke is not consumed. It is rendered invisible by passing the same through an incandescent bed of fuel. The gist of my invention, as set forth, is that I make an initial fire which is raised to a high temperature, preferably above a point where it ceases to smoke, then making a second green fire and passing the highly heated gases of the first or live fire over the mass of green burning fuel in the second fire. This operation is very advantageous, in that the requisite amount of atmospheric air which is highly heated is furnished to the mass of green burning fuel to mingle with the distilled gases before smoke is formed.

While I have described my invention with more or less minuteness, and as being embodied in precise forms, I do not intend to be limited thereto unduly any more than is pointed out in the claims. On the contrary, I contemplate all proper changes in form, construction and arrangement, the omission of parts and the use of equivalents, as circumstances may suggest or necessity render expedient.

I claim- 1. The process in the combustion of fuel which consists in making an initial fire, then a second or green fire, passing the heated gases from the first or live fire over the mass of burning fuel of the second or green fire to assist in consuming the distilled gases of the second fire, substantially as described.

2. The process in the combustion of fuel which consists in making an initial or live fire, then a second or green fire, passing the heated gases from the first live fire over the mass of burning fuel in the second or green fire to supply the requisite amount of oxygen and assist in consuming the gases of the second green fire, adding fresh fuel to the initial live fire, whereby it becomes a green fire, and passing the heated gases from the second fire which has become a live fire over the bed of green fuel in'the initial fire to assist in consuming the distilled gases arising from such green fuel, substantially as described.

3. In heating apparatus, the combination of a furnace provided with two fuel chambers, a bridge Wall separating such chambers and provided with an openingorseries ofopenings, and a deflecting plate in the bridge wall above such openings, substantially as described.

4:. In heating apparatus, the combination of a furnace provided with two or more fuel chambers, a bridge wall separating such chambers and provided with perforations near its lower end, a wall in the rear of such fuel chambers each provided with an opening, means fol-opening and closing such rear openings as desired, a portion of the bridge wall near its lower end provided with an air chamber having perforations connected with each of the fuel chambers, and steam pipes in such air chamber connected with a source of steam pressure for admitting steam and injecting air into either fuel chamber as desired, snbstantially as described.

5. In heating apparatus, the combination of a furnace provided with two fuel chambers, a bridgewall separating such fuel chambers provided with openings or perforations conmeeting each fuel chamber near its lower end and an air chamber in such bridge wall provided with perforations communicating with each of the fuel chambers,.a deflector plate ineach fuel chamber located above the openings of the bridge wall, and two steam pipes in such air chamber provided with nozzles extending outin the direction of the deflector plate for the purpose of furnishing a supply of steam and injecting air into either chamber as desired, substantially as described.

6. In heating apparatus, the combination of a furnace provided with two fuel chambers,

a bridge wall separating such fuel chambers and provided with an opening or series of openings and an air chamber in'its lower portion, and a series of perforations connecting such air chamber with each fuel chamber for the purpose of furnishing an additional supply of air above the point of the burning fuel, substantially as described.

7. In heating apparatus, the combination of a furnace provided with two fuel chambers,

a bridge wall'separating such chambers provided with openings near its lower end and an air chamber having perforations connected described.

WALTER BLACK. Witnesses: I

THOMAS F. SHERIDAN, JOHN BLACK.

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