CELESTIAL PHENOMENA FOR JUNE, 1841.

THE

London

JOURNAL AND REPERTORY

OF

Arts, Sciences, and Manufactures.

CONJOINED SERIES.

No. CXV.

Recent Patents.

To CHARLES WYE WILLIAMS, of Liverpool, in the county of Lancaster, gent., for certain improvements in the construction of furnaces and boilers.-[Sealed 17th November 1840.]

THIS invention consists, firstly, in a novel and peculiar mode, by which heat may be transmitted with increased rapidity, and in large quantities, through the plates of which boilers, stills, or refrigerators are constructed; and secondly, in the adoption of such mechanical arrangements as will perform the operation of charging furnaces with fuel more uniformly than is practicable by manual labour, and by which the formation of clinkers is prevented.

The objects of the first part of this invention, being to transmit heat with the greatest rapidity and in the largest quantity, to or from water, or other liquids, to be heated,

VOL. XVIII.

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evaporated, or cooled, is effected by inserting into the plates, of which boilers, stills, pans, or refrigerators are formed, or the flues, tubes, or pipes, belonging to the same, a number of metallic pins or conductors, through, and by means of which, heat may be conducted in much greater quantities than is practicable where the action of such heat, or the heated products of combustion, are confined to the surfaces of such plates or tubes.

These metallic conductors may be made of iron, copper, brass, or other metal, and of such length and thickness, and distances apart, as the nature of the plates in which they are inserted, and of the liquid to be heated or cooled, may render advisable. In iron-plate boilers, for the generation of steam, these conductors may be from four to six inches long, and from one-half to three-quarters of an inch thick, and placed about two to three inches apart. The portion of such conductors, which projects into the flue to receive the heat, being about two-thirds of the length, and that which projects into the water, to give out the heat so transmitted, being about one-third.

In the case of locomotive engines, these conductors should be more numerous, and about one-quarter of an inch in thickness, and of proportionate length, and made of copper or brass, as those metals have a high conducting power; but it may be desirable to vary the proportions here mentioned, according to the nature and thickness of the material through which the heat is to be transmitted, or the liquid or vapour to be heated or cooled.

This mode of conducting heat by conduction, longitudinally through metallic pins or bars, is applicable to all operations in which a heating, cooling, or condensing process is required, as in the case of refrigerators or condensers for vapours or gases; or of evaporative pans, or in any of the operations of distillation; or boiling in close or

open vessels.

The various modes, however, of applying those conductors, are sufficiently obvious not to require enumeration.

Where the fluid or vapour, to be acted on, is likely to adhere to the conductors, they may be plated, tinned, or coated with other metal not subject to corrosion, incrustation, or oxidation. These conductors may be fixed in the plates or tubes, in the nature of screws or rivets, or driven into drilled or punched holes, or by any of the other wellknown means. Where, however, the liquid is to be evaporated to dryness, or to the state of crystallized saline or earthy matter, as in the evaporation of alkaline compounds; or where the projection of the conductors might interfere with the process of mixing or agitating the liquids to be evaporated,—in such cases, any projection of the conductors inwards, is avoided.

Where the evaporative pan or boiler is made of cast-iron, these conductors may be of the same material, and cast solid with it.

The second part of the invention consists in so constructing the bars of a furnace, and giving them a peculiar longitudinal and alternating motion, that the fuel may be urged forward into the body of the furnace. These bars being made to project beyond the body of the furnace, receive the fuel as it descends from a hopper; while, by the motion described, a uniform supply is given; and, consequently, a uniform quantity of combustible gaseous matter is evolved from such fuel. The following will describe some of the modes by which the above purposes are effected:

Plate XV., fig. 1, represents a section of a land-engine boiler, shewing one of the modes of inserting the metallic conductors. a, a, represent the conductors; the larger portions of which project into the flue to receive the heat, and the shorter portions into the fluid, to give it out. For

the purpose of refrigerating, this arrangement may be altered, by allowing equal portions to project on each side, or by exposing the longer end to the cooling action of the liquor, to increase the rapidity of the abstraction of heat.

Fig. 2, is a portion of an evaporative pan, in which the conductors are of the same material as the pan, and are cast solid with it.

Fig. 3, represents a side view of a furnace, with the bars and hopper, as already described. b, b, are the bars; c, the hopper; d, the centre or working shaft, by which the cams or excentrics e, e, are made to revolve, and by which, motion is conveyed to the bars. This shaft may be moved by hand power, or connected with the steam-engine or other prime mover, and made to revolve at whatever speed may be found most desirable;-one revolution of the excentrics, every two minutes, having been found to be a useful rate of going. This, however, will depend on the nature of the fuel and the length of the bars. f, is a cross bearer, on which the bars rest, as on a fulcrum, and in a hollow left in the under side of the bars; g, is a sliding door or trap in the hopper, by which the supply of coals may be cut off when requisite; h, the ordinary fire-door, through which the fuel is introduced when the fires are first lighted; i, is a second sliding door, by which any small coal, that falls through, may be occasionally withdrawn. In cases where it may be advisable to increase or diminish the quantity of coals to be used, or give an increased activity to the fires,-this may be effected by increasing the speed at which the excentrics d, revolve; or by lowering the further end of the bars, so as to give them a greater incline; and where the furnace or grate may be wider than the entrance door, one or more bars, on each side, may be made stationary, as in ordinary furnaces, as there will always be a sufficient tendency in the fuel to