Specification of James Blackwell : evaporating furnaces.

  • Blackwell, James.
Date:
1855
Catalogue details

Licence: Public Domain Mark

Credit: Specification of James Blackwell : evaporating furnaces. Source: Wellcome Collection.

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    Blackwell's Improvements in Evaporating Furnaces. NOW KNOW YE, that in compliance with the said proviso, I, the said James Blackwell, hereby declare that my said Invention has relation generally to all furnaces employed for the purpose of evaporating fluids or bodies in a fluid state, as water, brine, oils, syrups, &c., and has for its nature or object the producing and sustaining of an intensity of heat in such furnaces greater than usual, a saving in the consumption of fuel, and the avoidance or diminu¬ tion of smoke; and I further declare that the manner in which the said Inven¬ tion is performed is fully set forth in the following description thereof, reference being had to the Drawings hereunto annexed; that is to say:— The said Drawings exemplify my said Invention as applied to a furnace suitable for the evaporation of brine or manufacture of salt. Figure 1 is a front elevation of this furnace; Figure 2 a longitudinal section of it; and Figure 3 a plan on the line a, b, of Figure 1. A, A, A, are the external walls of the furnace, which are formed throughout of fire brick. B is the fire place, and a, a, a, the grate bars. B1 is the bridge, which is composed, like the outer walls, of fire brick. C is an ante-chamber through which the fireplace is supplied with fuel in manner to be presently herein-after explained. D, D, D1, D1, are two sets of air holes formed in the front wall of the furnace immediately over and under the fuel supply chamber C, which holes lead into the fireplace B, and are left always open. Beneath D1, D1, there is an open passage E, leading to the part of the fireplace immediately above the grate bars, which serves also as an inlet for air, and through which all such solid residual matters as are left on the bars are raked out from time to time. F is the ash pit, G salt pan, and H the passage to the chimney. The. manner of operation is as follows: A fire is first made in the fireplace B, with wood and coal as usual; the ante-cliamber C is then filled to the top and from end to end with coal or good coal slack. The fire as it burns in B gradually cokes the green or crude fuel in the adjoining chamber C, and draws from it various gaseous vapours which contribute more or less combustible matter to the fire. When the original supply of fuel to the fireplace B begins to be exhausted (which the person in charge can readily ascertain by looking through the open passage E), a farther supply is furnished by pushing forward the contents of the ante-chamber C, and to the extent of the void thereby made in that cham¬ ber it is refilled with fresh coal or coal slack. When that second supply is nearly consumed a third is pushed forward in like manner, and so on. For the first time or two that the contents of the ante-chamber C are ejected upon the fire they are commonly in an imperfectly coked or carbonized state, and there is consequently a considerable escape of smoke (or unconsumed fuel) from the chimney (though still much less than usual); but after the fire has £ Y 10 15 20 f p $ 25 * ■ $ I 30 35