US1356397A - Firing means for tijnnel-kiiins - Google Patents

Description

J. B. OWENS: FIRING MEANS FOR TUNNEL KILNS.

APPLICATION FILED AUG. 14| 1918.-

Patented Oct. 19,

ado/Lun,

PATENT ortica.

JOI-IN B. OWENS, Cvll METUCHEN, NEW JERSEY.

riante ron TUNNEL-.Kitas Specification of Letters Patent.

. Application filed 4August 14, 1,918. Serial No.724'9,82 7.

. while moving faster than is possible with tunnel kilns now known to the art, thereby increasing the quality and production on kilns ol this character.

I-Ieretoieore the common practice has been to provide a single combustion chamber, or two chambers located opposite each other at the same point of the length of the tunnel, and to thereby produce a single tiring zone within the tunnel. For instance,l the Owens tunnel kiln has vheretofore had such single firing zone and such a kiln per- `forms its work well although the travel oi the cars bearing the goodsor ware to be burned has, ot necessity, been quite slow to enable the goods or ware to be subject toV the requisite s oaking heat for a sutlicient period oi time. f

In my present invention I provide a multiple firing or burning Zone within the tunnel and produce the heat therefor by a plurality of combustion lchambers located at different, tliough relatively close, points of the length oi' the tunnel. In practice two such combustion chambers at Vdiilerent points of ithe length of the tunnel, thus providing a double tiring or burning Zone, will meet all requirements of the desired results but the invention is not thus limited, as any number, beyond one, may be employed. A sinble combustion chamber, corresponding in length to the aggregate of the lengths of a plurality of combustion chambers, will not serve the same purpose as a plurality of separate combustion'chambers for the reason that substantially complete combustion, such as I obtain in my improved combustion chamber, will not be obtainable in a single combustion chamber of a length suliicient to provide the length oi liring or burning Zone in the tunnel which it is the object of the present `:invention to provide.

Vith the multiple firing zone obtained by the use of a plurality of combustion chambers at dilierent points of the length ot the tunnel, the period oi' time during which the goods or ware on the cars is subject to the soaking heat necessary to efifect proper burning or firing is such that the cars may have a relatively fast movement in the tunnel, as compared to the relatively slow movement possible where there is but a single firing zone. Relatively pertect comhustionand adequately high temperature being obtained from the combustion chamber I employ and which is set forth and claimed iiranother application executed of even date herewith, (Serial No. 251,29@ a pluralityV of such combustion chambers at dii-ferent points of the length oin the tunnel insures proper burning of the goods or ware which a single long combustion chamber `with several outlets into the tunnel, will not provide.

While my invention is particularly adapted for use in connection with the Y Owens type of tunnel" kiln, it is adapted or.use in connection with any tunnel kiln. The disclosure hereinafter given and found in the drawings is,therefore by way of illustration of the invention yand not in limitation thereof.

`In the accompanying drawings z' Figure l, is a longitudinal section through a kiln having the presentV improvements' Fig. 2, a cross section on line 2 2, 1;- and VFig, 3, a vertical longitudinal section on line 3 3, Fig.Y 2. l

The tunnel of the kiln appears at l, the

stack or other draft means at 2, and the rails on which the cars travel at 3. The cars carrying the goods or ware enter the right-hand end of the kiln at l and emerge from the lett-hand end thereof at 5. The preheating zone of the kiln is lshown at 6 and the cooling zone at 7. Between these two zones is the iiring or burning Zone 8.

Heretofore the iring or burning Zone has been what may be termed single, due to the fact that only one combustion chainber (or two on opposite sides ot the zone at the same point of the len 1th thereof) has been employed to furnish t ie heat for said zone. Consequently, the soaking heat available for the goods or ware on the cars traveling on the track 3 is limited: to a Zone of relatively short length. Therefore, the cars must, necessarily, in a single ring Patented oct. 19, i920.`

zone tunnel kiln, travel relatively slow to L keep the goods or ware within said zone for a suflicient period of time for the latt-er to receive proper burning before passing into the cooling zone 7. The capacity of a single burning zone is thus limited.

My present invention provides a multiple firing or burning zone 8, that is, one which is much longer than obtainable by the use of a single combustion chamber. In practice the zone 8 will be double the length of the usual firing Zone but it may be three, or four times the length of the usual single zone. Consequently, the cars carrying the goods or ware may travel relatively fast, as compared to their travel in a single firing zone kiln and the goods or ware be subjected to the requisite soaking heat, with resulting increase in the output of the kiln.

I provide a plurality, two being shown, of combustion chambers 9, arranged in pairs on opposite sides of the kiln. These chambers, in the broadest aspect of the invention, may be fired in any desired manner but, to obtain the most desirable results, I prefer to arrange the chambers and fire them in the manner set forth in another application executed of even date herewith (Serial No. 251,294). Accordingly, the chambers on opposite side of the tunnel are connected by an arch 10, preferably semicircular, whose end portions constitute the outermost Walls of the chambers 9 and whose crown constitutes the top of the tunnel. Bafiles 11 depend from the arch in line with the inner faces or walls of the benches l2 of the chambers 9. The chambers are fired from one or both ends thereof substantially parallel to the tunnel. Preferably, the firing will be initiated at the end of the chamber 9 nearest the exit end 5 of the kiln. This manner of firing, lengthwise of the chambers 9, and the employment of the arch l0, insures substantially complete combustion of the fuel prior to the passage of the heat into the tunnel through the openings 13. Furthermore, the arch deflects and radiates the heat into and throughout the goods or ware on the cars.

Coal may be used for fuel. I have, however, shown means at 14 and 15 for the introduction of either fuel oil or gas into the chambers 9.

A short space 16 exists between the chambers to afford the necessary access thereto for supplying fuel and regulating the fires. The space, however, is so short that there is practically no loss of heat in the travel of the goods or ware from one section of the multiple zone 8 to another section thereof.

The firing Zone S is, in effect, a multiple of zones blended into one zone.

I consider it necessary to employ a plurality of combustion chambers 9 instead of one long chamber having a plurality of outlets into the tunnel for the following reasons. Complete combustion of the fuel prior to the passage of the heat into the tunnel is, in my improved chamber, obtained, so that an oxidizing ire results which burns, but does not speck, blacken, discolor, or otherwise damage the goods or ware. Were a single long chamber substituted for the pIurality of combustion chambers of the present invention, complete combustion within said chamber could not be obtained and there would be a loss of fuel, inability to obtain a high heat such as is required in the zone 8, and, instead of an oxidizing fire, there would result a reducing fire with incident loss of heat units and damage to the goods or ware. Furthermore, too long a combustion chamber, fired from one point in the direction of its length, causes the breaking up of large heat units by such expansion as is caused by contact with heated walls or intensely heated air.

My invention contemplates the provision of a plurality or multiple of combustion chambers, providing a multiple firing Zone in a tunnel kiln for the purpose of subjecting the goods or ware to a longer soaking heat at the apex of the temperature necessary to burn the goods or ware.

lVhat I claim is:

`1. A tunnel kiln having a multiple firing or burning Zone, a plurality of combustion chambers communicating with the multiple firing or burning zone at different points of the length thereof, means for firing said combustion chambers in a direction other than toward their communication with the firing zone, said chambers having means to directly and initially deliver the heat and products of combustion derived from firing onto the lower portions of the ware in the tunnel, said chambers maintaining said multiple firing zone for the purpose of subjecting the goods 0r ware to a relatively long soaking heat at the temperature necessary to burn the same, and draft means adapted to cause the heat and products of combustion to directly flow from said chambers into the tunnel and in the same direction through the multiple firing zone after first striking the lower portions of the ware.

2. A tunnel kiln havin a multiple ring or burning zone, a plurality of combustion chambers communicating with the multiple firing or burning zone at different points of the length thereof, means for firing said combustion chambers in a direction substantially parallel to the length of the tunnel and angular to that of the delivery of the heat and products of combustion therefrom into the multiple firing zone, said combustion chambers having means for defiecting the heat and products of combustion into the tunnel, and draft-inducing means for causing the heat and products of combustion to directly flow from all of said chambers into the tunnel and in the same direc tion through the multiple firing zone.

3. The method of firing a tunnel kiln consisting in maintaining a multiple ring zone therein by heat and products of combustion derived from substantially complete combustion developed independently in each of a plurality of chambers outside the tunnel in a direction other than toward the communication of the chamber With the firing zone of the tunnel and directly deflected from said chambers to dili'erent points of the length of said zone, and by draft means causing the heat and products of combustion to travel directly from all the combustion chambers into the tunnel and in the same direction through the multiple firing Zone.

In testimony lwhereof I affix my signature.

JOHN B OWENS.

Images