USRE120E - Improvement in furnaces for economizing fuel and consuming smoke - Google Patents

Description

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

IMPROVEMENT IN FURNACES FOR ECONOMIZING FUEL AND CONSUMING SMOKE.

Specification forming part of Letters Patent No. 1,148, dated May 9, 1839; Reissue No. 120, lllfd July 1l, 184B.

T0 all whom it may concern.:

Be it known that I, Fnunnnicn P. DIMPEEL, of the city and county of Philadelphia, and State of Pennsylvania, have invented new and useful Imjjirovements in Furnaces; and I do hereby declare that the following is a full, clear, and eXact description of the principle or character which distinguishes them from all other things before known, and of the manner of making', constructing, and using the same, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, making part of this specification, in which- Figure l represents a vertical section of a furnace and blowing apparatus, the respective parts of which are so arranged as to exhibit the manner in which my im] n'ovements may be carried into effect. The other figures Wil-l be referred to in the description. 1

The first part of my invention consists in causing the products of combustion to escape from the furnace through a bed or mass of gravehor other equivalent means of impeding the passage of the products of combustion and subdividing the passage thereof, when this is combined with a fan-blower connected with a closed ash-pit, that the products of combustion, instead of escaping from the furnace by exhaustion into a chimney, shall be forced out through the interstices ofthe bed by reason of the blast in the aslrpit, whereby the flame, instead of being carried in the direction of the chimney by reason of the exhaustion, shall be longer retained within the furnace or iluesV and be rendered more effective therein.

The second part of my invention consists in returning to and forcing through the fire a portion of the products of combustion with atmospheric air to effect a more perfect cornbustion.

The third part of my invention consists in combining with the supplying a blast 0f mixed atmospheric air and a portion of the products of combustion the method above pointed out of impeding the escape of the products of combustion, or any equivalent or partial equivalent therefor, whereby the pressure in the furnace will cause the more pure gaseous products of combustion to pass out through the intcrstiees, meshes, or apertures 0f such impeding n1ediun1,while all impurities and combustible matter are forced by the pressure and blast to return, together With atmospheric air, (the supporterzof combustiom) to the flre, whereby not only is economy of fuel attained, but the escape of smoke and sparks is in a great measure prevented.

The fourth part of myinvention consists in placing the fan-blower within an enlargementA of the furnace, chimney, or flue, or in any part between the furnace and escape-pipe that it may be surrounded by the heated products of combustion, that the atmospheric air in passing through the fan-blower may be thereby heated. And the fth and last part of my invention consists in connecting and combining the damper which governs the pipe through which the blast passes from the fan-blower to the furnace with the furnace door in such manner that when the furnacedoor is opened for any purpose the damper in the blast-pipe shall be closed, and vice versa, that the blast may be cnt off from the furnace whenever the furnace-door is opened for any purpose.

In the accompanying drawings, Fig. l represents the vertical section of a furnace and blowing apparatus, the respective parts of which are so arranged as to exhibit the man ner in which my improvement may be earried into effect. A is the inelosed ash-pit of the furnace, of which B is the lire-chamber. D is a fan-wheel which is to revolve within its case C C, the wind from which passes into the inclosed aslrpit at E. The fanwheel,with its case, is represented as inelosed within a box or enlargement of the flue leading from the furnace, (marked FR) and through which the gaseous products of combustion escaping from the fire are to pass. G G- is a pipe or fine leading from the furnace into the box F F, where a considerable portion of its heat will necessarily be transmitted through the cage C C of the fan-wheel to the fresh atmospheric air passing through it. The center tube or opening, H, into the fan-wheel coincides with an opening through one side of the box F for the admission of air to the vane in the ordinary way.

The furnace and blowing apparatus are rep` resented as standing on the top of a hollow chamber, I I, there being an openingbetween the box or enlargement F and the chamber I I, in which is placed the box J J, which contains the pebbles, stelles, or other substances intended to obstruct the draft. At Fie'. 2 this box is shown separately in perspective. K li is a pipe or ilue leading from the chamber I I and carrying ott' the gases wllicll have passed through il.

Instead of the ellalnher l I and its appendages, there ill-tty be a llue or ehinlney leading froln the opening in wllieh the box J Jis represented as plaeell, and said box lnay be situated at the lop or ill any part of said chinlney, alld still answer the purpose of keeping np the pressure in the furllaee, by the aid of which tinle allowed for a lllore perfect conlbustion ot' llle snloke and inllalnnlable gases than would otherwise lake plaee, and also for the eolnnlunieation ofthe heat which is gellerated to a boiler or to whatever else it is illtended lo heal. VWhere wood or other fuel emitting sparks is burned, the application of the box .l .l will effeetually arrest or extingnish thenl. Such a box adapted to the ehinlney of a loeonlolive steantengine would, it is confidently believed, be perfectly effective in this respeet, and the resislaneewhieh it would offerto the draft would be eoullterilcted by the use oi' a fun-wheel, requiring but little power to drive il. he pressure may be preserved ill the furl laee during the period of supplying ilY with fuel by tlle addition thereto of either of l he well-known kinds of feeding apparalus whieh have been used ill other furnaees with a silnilar intention. I, however, have invented a new deviee for the purpose of arresting the entrain-e of wind into the ash pit when the furnace-door is opened to supply fuel, which is as follows:

ln the passage leading froln the falrwheel to the ash-pit there is a valve, u, Fig. I, represented as open. il o is a rod or shaft, the deseent ol' u llieh eloses the valve r1` by depressing the iointpiere n, (shown in dotted lines,) whieh is attached to the shaft of the valve u. At its upper end the shaft Il is attached to the vibrating lever e, wlliell also has attaehed to it the rod 1. the lower elld ot' which is so t'ornied as lo be lalehed by the springeateh e. thhown separatelyin llig. t.) Then the latch ol' the door is raised. it strikes the piece e, disengages it from the rod rl, and leaves the rod b to descelnhwllieh it does by its own gravity, and thus closes the valve a. ly the saine action a valve at j' nlay be opened, so as to give an escape to thedraft through the pipeg, the rod il being` connected by a joint -pin with the piece n, attaehed to the shaft of the valve. I have, however, found the valve a sul'lieient for illy purpose without the addition ot' that at y.

When I wisll lo pass a portion of the gaseous products ot' combustion a seti-ond tinle tllrougll the lire along with the atmospheric air supplied by the falrwheel, I nlake all aperture through tile ease (t C of the falrwlleel within the box lll l". This opening I locate so that the pressure ot' the air within the fanwheel at the plaee where it is formed shall be nearly the salue with that of the condensed air Contained witllill the furllaec or within the box F F, as this air is not to enter in eonsequenee ot' anything like exhaustion being plo duced ill the fnrnaee, as instead otl this a eonstant pressure is lo be nlailltained there so long as the fall-wheel is ill action7 as upon this, mainly, I alll dependent vfor the advantages proposed to be attained b v ine.

Fig. Il is a top View of the box l? F, llle @over of which. is renloved to show the easing of the fan-wheel within it, whieh is supposed to be lny improved wheel above referred lo. CC is the easing ot' this wheel, and ll il is the openingr for the admission of the heated air into the body of the wheel through the ellanl ber formed by the neek `l l', which portion of the apparatus is shown separately at Fig. 4, which is a section ot il.

I regulate the size of the opening Il lt by nleans of a sliding shutter, which lnay serve to close it entirely, if de ired. lhis shutter is marked jj in the drawings. lt is curved so as to adapt it to the Cylindrical portion ofthe casing, and slides ill and out through an aperture iliade to receive it.

Then the eonlnlon i'anvwheel is employed, I malte all opening through one end ot' the easing which Contains it, as shown at 7l: lf, Fie'. 5, sneh opening being nlado at a point where it is judged or experiment lalay show that the pressuleof the air in the box F li will Cause it toenter inproper quantity, or, rather, with the proper pressure, as its quantity nlay be regulated by a sliding shutter or valve.

It will be obvious frolll the foregoing that various nloditiealious nlay be nlade ill the inode of applying lny invention without changing tlle essential principle thereof, the leading ollieet of the ilrst part ot' luy inventioll being` as stated above, to retain the gaseous products ol'neolnbustion within the furnace under pressure, not only to illsnre as near as practicable the eolnbusl ion of all the eolnbustible nlatter, and lo prevent the llanle front passing out too rapidlytoward the chine ney. Instead of the bed of pebbles or earthy matter, any other refractory lnatter ill lunlps or balls lllay be substituted, or silnple wire4 gauze or perfo 1ated niet al )nay be substituted, and produee lo a certain extent the intended result, although the bed of gravel or balls of fire-clay will be t'onlld the nlost effective. So ofthe second part ot' illy invention, the objeet of whiell is lo return to the fire a portioll ot' the product s of the eonlbusl ioll together with a blast of :lt nlospherie ail'. Instead of causing these to mingle together in the one lian-blower, the same end7 varying only in degree, may be attained by usi ng two t`an-blowers-one for l he blast of atlnospherie air, alld the other for the return of a portion of the products of the eonlbustion-the two currents either uniting ill a blast-pipe leading to tlle ash-pit or passing through separate pipes and nlingling ill the ash-pit; or, when a single blower is used, illstead of carrying the products of eolnbnstion through the fan, they may be made to mingle with the atmospheric air by a pipe leading from the furnace into the blastpipe and inthe direction of the blast of air, that-the pressure within the furnace, together with the influence of the direction of the blast of air, may give the required supply to the products of combustion. In short, any desired plan may be adopted by which a portion of the products of combustion may be carried back to the tire, together with a blast of atmospheric air, although it will be found preferable to cause the atmospheric air and the products of combustion to be mingled together in the fan-blower.

As to the insertion of the fan-blower within an enlargement of the chimneyA or due, or an extension thereof, it will be obvious that any variation of form or location of this may be adopted, so long as the heated products of combustion are caused to surround or pass around wholly or partly the case of the fanblower to heat the atmospheric air as it passes through it. It will also be evident that instead of using a blowing-Wh eek-such as I have herein described-any other efficient blower may be substituted.

\Vhat I claim as my invention, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is-

1. The meth od of iinpeding the escape ofthe products of combustion by means of the bed of gravel, or other solid equivalent thereof, substantially as herein described, in combination with a blast in a closed ash-pit, as set forth. whereby the gaseous products of com` bustion are maintained under pressure in the furnace, and escape therefrom by reason of the pressure in the furnace instead of exhaustion in the chimney. l

2. Returning to and forcing through the fire a portion of the products of combustion. together with atmospheric air, substantially as herein described, that the inflammable or combustible matter may be the more thoroughly consumed, as herein describen.

3. In combination with the supplying of the blast of mixed atmospheric air and a portion of the products of combustion, the method of impeding the escape ofwthe products of coinbastion from the furnace, or the equivalent thereof, substantially as herein described.

4. Placing the fanblower Within an enlargement of the furnace, or chimney, or flue, substantially as described, that it may be surrounded or acted upon by the heated products of combustion for the purpose of heating the atmospheric air as it passes through for the blast, as described. Y

5. Connecting and combining the damper that governs the pipe through which the blast passes from the fan-blower to the furnace with the furnace-door in such manner as that the opening of the one shall close the other, and vice Versa, for the purpose and in the manner substantially as herein described.

F. P. DIMIFEL.

Witnesses:

C. H. Frsnin, M. CAMPER'

Images