US1200028A - Process of burning powdered coal and analogous fuel. - Google Patents

Description

E. P. ROBERTS.

PROCESS OF BURNING POWDERED COAL AND ANALOGOUS FUEL.

APPLICATION FILED DEC. Io, 1915.

1,200,028. y Patented OCI-.3,1916.

"MQW 1M v.; W

. F nel.l of which the following is a full, clear,

UNITED sTA'rEsmirENT oEEroE. y

EDWARD P. ROBERTS, or CLEVELAND, omo. l

PROCESS OF BURNING POWDERED COA-L AND ANALOGOUS FUEL.

Application led December 10, 1915.

To all whom t may concern:

' Be it known that I, EDWARD P. ROBERTS, a citizen of the United States, residing at Cleveland, in the county of Cuyahoga and State of Ohio, have invented a certain new and useful Improvement in Processes of Burning Powdered Coal and Analogous and exact description.

This invention has for its special object to practically and efficiently burn powdered coal in a shorter combustion chamber than is now required when mechanical baffles. are not used. and under conditions such that` a substantially complete combustion of the fuel may be effected, and the produced heat controlled and distributed as required, and the fuel particles prevented from impinging against the walls or other parts of the combustion chamber. It will be apparent, however, that the invention may be advantageously employed in the burning of oil or gas, although the beneficial results of so doing may not be relatively as great as when powdered coal is used as the fuel.

To these ends the invention consists in the herein described method by which to so deflect the flaming stream of air and fuel which is blown into the combustion chamber in the usual way, that said stream will follow any desired sinuous path through the combustion chamber without allowing the fuel content to contact with the walls thereof, and whereby also the originally introduced supply of fuel and air may be supplemented by the introduction of additional airand additional fuel to what extent may be desirechwwhich invention is hereinafter described and definitely set forth in the appended claims. I

In the dra-wing, Figure 1 is a Sectional. side elevation of-a combustion chamber associated with means by which to control in the desired manner the burning stream of air and fuel discharged forcefully into the same; Fig. 2 is a sectional plan view of another combustion chamber and associated means whereby to deflect said burning stream of fuel and air horizontally from one side of the combustion chamber to the other as it travels from the inlet to the outlet of said combustion chamber; Fig. 3 is a longitudinal sectional view of another combustion chamber associated with somewhat dierent means for causing the required de- Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Oct. 3, 1916.

Serial No. 66,028.

flection of the stream of air and fuel which has been blown into said chamber.

Referring to the parts by reference characters, A represents the combustion chamber which, as shown in Figs. l and 2, is rectangular', but may have any desired shape. It may be constructed of any suitable lna/terial, and it has at one end the inlet B and at the opposite end the outlet C. A stream of fuel and air is to beblown through the inlet into the combustion cham- Y ber in the usual Way and by the usual or any suitable means,-\vhiclrstream will be immediately ignited within the combustion chamber, and will therefore appear as a long flame therein. The heated products of combustion will leave the combustion chamberthrough the outlet C, and may be led to any desired point of use. l

It will be noted that the combustion chambers shown in Figs. 1 and 2 are wholly unobstructed, 'and that the combustion chamber shown in Fig. contains nothing by which the stream of fuel and air will be mechanically obstructed in its passage from the inlet to the outlet of said combustion chamber. Therefore, except for the supplemental streams of air, or air and fuel, to be introduced as hereinafter described, the burning main stream of fuel and air blown forcefully into this chamber through the inlet would pass directly to and through the outlet.

Referring particularly to Fig. 1, D, E, F and G represent respectively nozzles whkich pass through the walls of the combustion chamber so that they-may discharge air, or air and fuel mixed; and these may be set at any angle tothe flaming main. Stream, such that the supplemental air streams will intersect said main stream`and deflect it to `the desired extent and in the desired direction. The number and capacity of these nozzles, and the position in which they are placed, will depend upon what particular results one desires to obtain by means of the streams of air or air and fuel discharged through them into the combustion chamber. In this figure the nozzle D is directed downward through the top wall of the combustion chamber; the nozzle E is directed'horizontally through the end wall near the bottom of the combustion chamber, and the nozzle F is directed upward through 4the bottom wall 0f the combustion chamber, and

the nozzle .G is .directed downward through the top wall of the combustion chamber. And allare so directed that the blasts therefrom will impinge against, and .therefore inlet to the outlet whensaid stream is delected by the supplemental streams which;

are blown into the combustion chamber through-those nozzles. lit will be noted that the main stream offuel and air as it enters the combustion chamber, is met by aproperly graduated blast from. the nozzle which deflectsl diagonally .'downward.'l v Be-- .fore it reaches the vbottom of the combustion chamber itis interceptedV by another prop erly graduated'blast from nozzlel E which deflects it horizontally before the fuel particles have contacted with the bottom of the chamber; and shortly thereafter it is again intercepted bya blast from the nozzle l? by which itis deflected diagonally upward; and linally it is met by a blast of air from nozzle F by which the flaming main stream is delected diagonally'downward and toward the outlet in which ordinarily therepwill be sulii- Vcient draftto carrythe products bf combus-` tion through it. By way of illustration, it

may be observed that' if the heat required inl the combustion chamber Vcalls .for the combustion of only a relatively small quantity of fuel, the rate .at whchthe main stream will be blown into the combustion chamber will be correspondingly reduced. lt might, therefore,- be possible to deect the amlng mainstream to an extent Vsulicient Ato burn all of this 'fuel by usin two nozzles, for eX- ample, nozzles D'and The first one w1ll deflect the, stream downward; the nozzle E may turn the stream horizontally; andthe draft usually presented to the outlet opening may be suficientto carry the flaming stream upward and through said outlet.

In the construction shown in Fig. 2 there are four nozzles E', E2, F, and Gr,`wh1ch pass through the side walls ofthe combustion chamber. The blasts blown through these nozzles successively encounter the flaming main stream of fuel and air and de' `fleet. it and prevent it from impingmg against the walls of the combustionchamber,`and cause it to follow the horizontally. sinuous path vindicated by thedotted line as it travels through the combustion chamber from the inlet to the outlet thereof. As to. this .apparatus shown in Fig. 2, it may 'be assumed that the so-called combustion cham-v berV is a furnace, the Hoor of which isJ the furnace. hearth. Y The flaming main stream, g

agonally into the combustion chamber from bypassing Asinuously back and forth over straight stream.

ln the constructlon shown '1n Fig. 3, the

' impinged against.

naoaoae combustion chamberA may be cylindrical or rectangular. A.v,supplemental air 'blast nozzle H is disposed directly opposite the inlet opening B. lf the chamber is cylindrical the ,outlet C may be an annular opening around the blast nozzle H. The air 'blast from nozzle H will, in that event, meet the main stream of air and fuel, head on, so to'say, and turn it outward and backward uponitself. l'llhe draft of the outlet may be vsudicient to again turn this stream outward `and backward toward' and throughthe outlet; .or an annular series of blast nozzles K vmay be disposed at the inlet end of said 'i chamber in such wise that the air blast therefrom will turn thedaming main stream back toward the outlet.

lThe three forms of combustion chamber.

and associated means for discharging the stream of fuel and air into the same and for discharging into it also the` necessary de,

fleeting supplemental streams, Ihave been shown as typical apparatus for practicing the. invention; and for the purpose of emphasizing the. fact that the apparatus may 'be wldely varied, and must be varied in accordance with the special functions tobe performed by the practice of the process.

The diliiculties which have heretofore' been encountered in the attempt to successfully use powdered coal as .fuel have been' stream,`fpromote the settling of the fuel out of the stream, and necessarily cause the impingement of the fuel particles against said bames and furnace walls, which causes more or less rapid deterioration of the 'surfaces ln many cases the use of very long combustion chambers is not practical; and even when it `can be used there is dilliculty in getting the air and fuel so completely mixed that all of the fuel will vbe burned. In any event the operator has,

heretofore, had no. substantialcontrol over the flame or the heat produced thereby. lln my invention, however all of these and other diculties which need Anot be catalogued, are substantially obviated. For example,the air streams which are blown dithe nozzles shown in the drawing, for the primary purpose of deflecting `the aming main stream of .fuel and air, will add air to this main stream. Therefore, the4 main stream may contain considerably less, air than is required to effect the. complete combustion of the fuel introduced. Not only will the deflecting air stream supply the supplemental air required, but they will promote the more complete mixture of the fuel with the air, and therefore, the more complete combustion of the fuel.l Additionally, it is not necessary that the main stream of fueland air shall contain all of the fuel to be burned. In case it does not, any one or more of the deflecting streams discharged from the inclined nozzles may be made up partly of fuel and partly of air. These streams may be made to ljoin the air stream lat any desired point, and therefore cause more uniform distribution of the heat in different parts of the combustion chamber. Again it may be desirable that some one or more of these deecting streams shall be neither air nor a mixture of air and fuel. For example, if in order to produce the desired deflections of the main stream the amount of air supplied in the supplemental streams delivered from the nozzles be greater than is required for the combustion of fuel, one or more of said deiiecting streams may comprise a gas which either contains no oxygen, or a smaller percentage ofoxygen than air. Such gas might, for example, be

drawn from the stack into which the prodv ucts of combustion are discharged. Again it might be desired to maintain a reducing iame throughout some part of the main stream travel, and to have a reducing atmosphere in contact with the material being heated, as in some classes of metallurgical processes, and at the same time to prevent fuel or ash being deposited. Some one or more of the nozzles therefore may be made to discharge such a reducing gas in the com bustion chamber.

From the foregoing it is apparent that an operator by intelligently controlling the volume of the main and supplemental streams, theproportion of fuel and air therein, and the force of said streams, may burn in a small combustion 'chamber powdered coal in any desired quantity, andl may control the iame and its heating effects in any mannery and to whatever extent desired. Likewise the deflecting streams may be of such character that they will in a very large degree prevent the settling of the fuel particles out of the main stream, wherefore as a corol1ary,.it will not be necessary that the' fuel be as fine as has heretofore been necessary. It will, therefore, be seen that to successfully carry on this process for produc# ing different specific results one may, While still employing the fundamental essentials of the process, vary it by varying the posi'-v tions of the nozzles, by varying 'their size or number, by supplying part of the air and part of the fuel through these nozzles, or by causing one or more ofthe supplemental said stream as an entirety as it is passingA through'said combustion chamber solely by blowing a number of -streams of gas into said combustion chamber in different directions but against and vtransversely of said main stream and with such force, as will cause said main stream as an entirety to be deiected and to follow a sinuous path between the inlet and outlet passages of said combustion chamber. i

2. The process of burning powdered coal,

gas or oil in a combustion chamber having inlet and outlet passages, which consists in forcefully blowing through said inlet passage linto said combustion chamber amain stream composed of-a mixture of fuel and air, in ignting said fuel stream, andinalso blowing a suitable number of other streams of gasinto said combustion chamber against said main stream, and in such vdifferent directions and with such force as will prevent the impingement of said main stream against those walls -of said combustion ehamber'toward which it flowed and said gas streams acting alone to cause said main stream to flow in a sinuous path between the inletand outlet passages of said chamber.

3. vThe described process. of burning powdered coal or other suspended fuel in a combustion chamber having inlet and out'- let passages, which consists in forcefully blowing into said combustion chamber through said inlet passage a main stream comprising a mixture of the fuel and a volume of air insuicient to produeejcomplete combustion of said fuel, in ignting said fuel stream, and in also blowing into said combustion chamber and against said main stream a suitable number of other course in said combustion chamber and will4 supply to said main stream such additional' air as may be required to promote substantially complete combustion ofthe fuel.

4. The described 1 process of burning powdered coal or other .suspended fuelin a combustion .chamber having inlet and outlet passages, which consists in forcefully v blowing into.r said combustion i chamber through the mlet passage al man1 stream comprising a mixture of fuel' and air, in

igniting said fuel stream, and in alsoblowing into ,said conbustion chamber and against said main stream a suitable number of other streams of 'airy-one of which contains also a quantity of fuel,-at such points and in such .different directions and with such force as Will vcause them 0to mix with the main stream and be the sole means of deflecting it bodily and.y thereby Cause it to mechas follow a sinuous course through said combustion chamber from the inlet to the outlet passages thereof. l

ln testimony. whereof, I hereunto aix Witnesses.

EDWARD P. ROBERTS. Witnesses:

E. L. THURsToN, M. M. ROYAN.

my signature in the presence of two 1Q

Images