US24675A - Bagasse-eurnace - Google Patents

Description

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

LOUIS TREGRE, OF ST. JOHN THE BAPTIST PARISH, LOUISIANA.

BAGASSE-FURNACE.

Specification of Letters Patent No. 24,675, dated July 5, 1859.

.To all 'whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, LoUrs TREGRE, of the parish of St. John the Baptist, in the State of Louisiana, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Bagasse-Furnaces, of which the following is a full, clear, and exact description, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, forming part of this specification, in which* Figure 1, represents a perspective view of a bag-asse furnace embracing my improvements, Fig. 2, represents a transverse sectional elevation through the furnace and also through the boilers. Fig. 3, represents a longitudinal section through the center of the upper part of the furnace. Fig. 4, represents a longitudinal section through the rear part of the boiler and chimney.

The great difficulty experienced in the economical use of bagasse as a fuel to generate steam in the boilers for the purpose of driving the engine used to actuate the machinery of sugar works, or for other purposes, arises mainly from the great amount of moisture contained in the bagasse, and the necessity of driving off this moisture before the bagasse becomes available as fuel, and can be used without the admixture of a large proportion of other kinds of fuel to generate steam.

Many varieties and forms of furnaces have been invented for the purpose of drying and burning the bagasse, but most of them require a large admiXture of other kinds of fuel, in order to dry the bagasse suiiiciently to make it burn.

The object of my invention is to lessen the amount of other fuel that has heretofore been necessary to use with the bagasse, for the purpose of generating steam to drive the engine in sugar mills-and my invention for effecting this object consists in the application of a double feeder to deliver the bagasse to the furnace. so arranged that the bagasse will be retained in it longer than heretofore, and while in it will be exposed to the direct action of the heat of the furnace, by which, in a great degree, the moisture is driven off before the bagasse enters the furnace. And it also consists in forming a chamber between the two feeders to receive the bagasse as it is delivered by the upper feeder, and retain it until carried down by the lower feeder, and it also consists in constructing theupper feeder of greater capacity than the lower feeder in order to fill the intermediate chamber with the surplus bagasse received by the upper feeder. And it further consists in introducing an independent current of hot dry air from the boiler flue to the chamber separating the feeders, in order to mingle with the hot air from the furnace after it has passed through the lower feeder, and to pass with it through the bagasse in the chamber, and through the upper feeder.

In the accompanying drawings is represented a bagasse furnace embracing my improvements, and also the boilers connected with the furnace, and it consists of a furnace (A) rectangular in form on the eXte rior, and octangular on the interior, and is arched over and closed at the top, with the exception of an opening (a) of sufficient size to feed the bagasse through.

In the sides of the furnace are openings (m.) which may be 'provided with doors 1f thought expedient. A side flue (n) from the furnace connects with an under flue (L), and an upper flue (K) passing beneath the boiler and the flue (n) is provided with a sliding door by which the draft through the flues (K and L) is regulated, or the flame cut off from entering the upper flue (K). These flues K and L) are separated from each other the entire length of the boiler by a brick arch, and at the rear end are two sliding doors (N and O)-the one (N) opens and closes the passage of the upper flue(K) into the chimney, and the one (O) opens and closes the passage from the lower flue to the chimney, so that the flame from the furnace may be directed through either or both fines as occasion requires.

The apparatus for feeding the bagasse to the furnace consists of two hollow cylindrical cases (B and 0,) closed at both endsarranged one above the other, and connected by side flanches (b) and between the twocylinders is an intermediate chamber (G) for the purpose hereinafter mentioned. A longitudinal opening is made-*through the top and bottom of both cases in line with each other-and the cases are located directly over the opening (a) in the top of the furnace. so that the opening through the cases will correspond with the opening in the top of the furnace. Each case is provided with a revolving feeder, consisting of a central shaft (o) with radial arms or blades-which extend near to the inner periphery in both cases.

The revolving feeder in the upper case (B) is of greater diameter than the lower case, and is provided with six radial blades (f) forming six compartments in the feeder to receive the bagasse, The lower feeder only has four blades (g) and four Vcompartments, and these blades are punctured full of holes to allow the heat o-f the furnace to pass through the lower feeder to the upper.r

The shafts to the feeders extend beyond the end of the case, and have attached to them sprocket wheels (e) of equal size and are connected by an endless chain passing from one to the other-thus both turn with equal velocity. Motion is communicated to the feeders from the shaft of the conveyer (E) which carries the bagasse from the rollers to the feeders, and this shafthas on its outer end a sprocket wheel (h.) from which an endless chain passes to the sprocket wheel (I) on the shaft of the upper feeder. The upper case is provided with a hopper (D) to receive the bagasse from the conveyer.

' AY pipe (F) leads from the flues beneath the boiler to the chamber (G), admitting a current of hot dry air into this chamber to mingle with the hot air Vfrom the furnace after it has passed through the lower case.

From the arrangement of the feeders, one above the other, with openings punctured through the blades of the lowerfeeder, it will be seen that the hot air from the furnace passes freely from the lower to `the, upper feeder-that all the time the bagasse is retained in the feeders it is subjected to the drying influence of the current of hot air. The bagasse is much longer subjected to the vaction of the heat of the furnace when fed through this double feeder than it is when fed through a single feeder as heretofore-- therefore, it comes into the furnace in a much better state for combustion.

The introducing of anindependent current of dry air into the chamber between the feeders, greatly facilitates the drying of the bagasse, as the heat from the furnace, after passing through the lower feeder, is charged withinoistu're and cooled down-and this independent current of hot dry air, minglng with the air from the furnace, raises its temperature and dries it so that it is in a better condition to act upon and dry thebagasse in the upper feeder. Y

The irregularity with which the cane is fed to the vcrushing rollers, causes a corresponding irregularity in the delivery of the bagasse by the conveyer, to the feeding apparatus; at one time delivering it more rapidly than it is fedto the furnace and overrunning thefeeder, and at another in insuflicient `quantities to maintain a regular re, and only'partiallyY filling the feeders. In

constructing the upper feeder of greater capacity than the lower, with an intermediate chamber between, the bagasse is delivered with much greater regularity to theV furnace, than with the single feeder, as the inf creased capacity of the upper feeder enables itto receive more than the lower feeder can discharge, the surplus of which accumulates in the intermediate chamber, and supplies the lower feeder at the time when the supply from the rollers. is insufficient to fill the chambers in the lower feeder. This increased capacity of the upper feeder, also forms a reservoir to receive and retain the bagasse, as when the lower feeder and intermediate chamber are fully supplied, the surplus is retained in thecompartments of the upper feeder, carried around with it and deposited in the intermediate chamber when there is an insuiiicient supply from the crushing rollers. By means of this increased size of the upper feeder, not only is the supply of the furnace rendered more uniform, and the intermediate chamber filled with bagasse, but the bagasse is for a greater length of time subjected to the drying influence of the hot air of the furnace, and is thus in a better state for combustion.

The capacity of the intermediate chamber may be varied according to circumstances either increased or diminished and the relative proportion of the feeders varied as circumstances may require.

The upper feeder may be made the same size with the lower feeder, and run at greater velocity than the lower feeder, which will produce the same effect in depositing a supply in the intermediate chamber to equalize the feed. V

Having thus described my improvements in bagasse furnaces, what I claim therein as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent is- Y l. The employment of a double feeder arranged substantially as described,with openings through the blades of thev lower feeder to allow the hot air from the furnace to pass from the lower feeder tothe upper feeder for the purpose set forth. And I also claim, arranging between the two feeders an intermediate chamber to receive and retain the bagasse as it passes from the upper to the lower feeder. n

2. And I claim constructing the upper feederof larger size than the lower feeder, with or without an increased number of blades-or inr an equivalent manner for the purpose herein set forth.

3. And I further claim `introducing an independent current of hot dry air into the chamber between the'two feeders substantially as herein described for the purpose set forth.

In testimony whereof I have subscribed my name.

LOS. TREGRE.

Witnesses:

THos. J. BURKE, A. B. PHILIPS.

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