US2800114A - Multi-chambered furnace unit - Google Patents

Description

July 23, 1957 J. KGLLING MULTI-CHAMBERED FURNACE UNIT 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed Aug. 24, '1953 SN mw mm mm INVENTOR abizazm ffdz/ ATTORNEY J. KbLLlNG MULTI-CHAMBERED FURNACE UNIT July 23, 1957 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed Aug. 24, 1953 ATTORNEY United States Patent- O MULTI-CHAMBERED FURNACE UNIT Johann Kiilling, Oberhausen, Rhineland, Germany, as signor to The Babcock & Wilcox Company, New York, N. Y., a corporation of New Jersey Application August 24, 1953, Serial No. 37 6,020

4 Claims. (Cl. 122-240) The present invention relates to a multi-chambered furnace unit, and more particularly to a fluid heater furnace arrangement in which a plurality of primary combustion chambers are provided by cyclone furnaces generally of the construction disclosed in U. S. Patent 2,594,312. Gases resulting from the combustion of fuel in the cyclone chambers are discharged into a secondary chamber which is partitioned into successive compartments corresponding to the number of cyclone furnaces.

A multiple cyclone furnace structure of such arrangement provides good possibilities for partial load operation since, under those conditions, one or more of the cyclone furnaces can be shut down while the remaining cyclone furnace or furnaces may be maintained in operation at their respective full load capacities. However, with prior furnace constructions, the feasibility of such operation would ordinarily be limited by the cooling efiect of the secondary chamber through which the combustion gases and slag must necessarily flow. For variable load operation, it is therefore desirable if, in accordance with the present invention, the secondary chamber is suitably partitioned so as to provide a separate secondary chamber gas-receiving compartment for each cyclone furnace.

Although the partition walls absorb heat from the gases, they also serve to confine the flow of'gases from the respective combustion zones to predetermined regions of the secondary chamber. that the compartments be completely separated from each other since gases from the respective cyclone chambers are guided mainly by the upright rear wall portions of individual compartments.

The various features of novelty which characterize my invention are pointed out with particularity in the claims annexed to and forming a part of this specification. For a better understanding of the invention, its operating advantages and specific objects attained by its use, reference should be had to the accompanying drawings and descriptive matter in which I have illustrated and described a preferred embodiment of my invention.

Of the drawings:

Fig. 1 is a vertical section, in the plane of symmetry, of a vapor generator furnace unit constructed in accordance with the invention; 1

Fig. 2 is a front elevational view of the furnace unit shown in Fig. 1; and

Fig. 3 is a plan section of Fig. 1, taken along line 3--3, in the plane of the cyclone furnace axes.

The illustrative embodiment of the invention thus comprises a plurality of similar cyclone furnaces 4 which constitute the firing means of a vapor generating unit, herein shown only in part. The cyclone furnaces are arranged to discharge into a secondary furnace chamber 5 from which the combustion gases are directed upwardly through a tubular slag screen 6 and thence into an upper radiation chamber 7 of which only the lowermost portion is shown. After passing through the radiation chamber, the gases are directed in known manner through other fluid heating components of the unit.

It is not essential however 31 through which slag is discharged, under exclusion ice The cyclone furnaces 4 are suitably arranged at a common leveland mounted in the front upright wall 8 of the secondary chamber 5, with their axes horizontally disposed and parallel, and inclined downwardly toward the secondary chamber at a relatively small angle. The cyclone furnaces 4, of substantially circular cross section about their longitudinal axes, are enclosed by circumferential boundary walls 9,10 formed with cooling tubes 12 and 13, which, on their furnace sides, are covered in known manner with refractory material, and on their outer sides, with heat insulating material and an exterior metal casing. v

Solid fuel particles, suspended in a high velocity whirling stream of primary combustion air, as discharged from a fuel inlet chamber, not shown, are caused to enter each cyclone furnace 4 through an axially positioned opening 14 at the outer end. The burning fuel and air are caused to move in a helical path along the circumferential wall 10, toward an opposite end wall 15 which is formed in common with the inner, front wall 8 of the secondary chamber. The cyclone end wall 15 is formed with a central, reentrant throat section 16 by which a gas outlet 17 is defined. A slag outlet 18 is formed in wall 15 adjacent the bottom. Secondary combustion air is supplied from a suitable source through upright ducts 19, and thence through curved connecting nozzles 21 which open tangentially into the respective cyclone chambers 4, in the same direction as the rotational movement of the burning fuel-air mixture therein.

The secondary chamber 5 is formed with an upright outer rear wall 23 which extends throughout the width of the setting, and which is continued upwardly to form the corresponding boundary of the radiation chamber 7. The front wall 3 is extended upwardly and forwardly to form the inclined front wall 24. Opposing side walls 25 are similarly extended to form the corresponding lateral walls of chamber 7. The secondary chamber 5 is divided by upright partitions 26 into successive rectangular compartments 27 equal in number to the number of cyclone furnaces, 4, and substantially equal, one to another, in horizontal cross-sectional areas. The partitions 26 extend inwardly from the outer wall 23 and terminate in spaced relation to the inner front wall 8 so as to provide an intercommunicating space 28, between adjoining compartin the vertical axial plane of the corresponding cyclone furnace. Each slag outlet 29 opens into a vertical shaft of air, into a water tank, not shown.

The furnace walls, exterior and interior, are formed with cooling tubes through which a flow of fluid is maintained, suitably under natural circulation, in parallel with the circulatory system of a boiler section, not shown. There is therefore provided a bottom drum 35 to which liquid, such as water, is supplied through tubes 32 from an upper boiler compartment, not shown. Tubes 36 leading from drum 35 thus serve to conduct water to tubes associated with the conical outer end walls 9 of cyclone furnaces 4, whereas other tubes 37 conduct water to tubes 13 associated with the cylindrical walls 10; the tubes 13 extending longitudinally of walls 10 and connected at one end to an annular inlet header 38' and, at the opposite outer end, to an annular outlet header 39, each of which headers is formed with one-half of circular contour, and

- the opposite half of involute contour, so as to conform to the circumferential curvature of wall 10 and thereby define, in part, a radial space for the assembly of secondary air nozzles 21 in tangential relation to the inner wall surface. Certain flow connections, as indicated in part, are arranged to provide for natural circulation of liquid through the circumferential wall cooling tubes 12 and 13.

Other conductors 41 extend from drum 35 to an intermediate header 42 from which tubes 43 extend along the front wall 8 of secondary chamber 5, and thereby including portions associated with the cyclone furnace gas outlet nozzles 16; the tubes 43 also continuing upwardly as front wall-tubes 43 of the radiation chamber 7. Tubes 45, in a separate group, extend from drum 35 along the bottom wall of chamber 5, leaving the slag outlets 29 open, and continuing upwardly as rear wall cooling tubes 46. The tubes 45' are further extended to form the slag screen 6 after which they continue upwardly along the inclined upper front wall 24 as components of the tube group 43. Tubes 47, in an additional row, extend vertically fromdrum 35 as cooling tubes along rearwall 23.

The partition walls 26, between the secondary furnace compartments 27, are formed with cooling tubes 48 which extend upwardly from bottom headers 49 arranged longitudinally of cyclone furnaces 4, suitably in the planes of partitions 26. Water is supplied to headers 49 through conductors 51 which extend from the bottom drum 35. Upright tubes 52, in side walls 25, are connected at their lower ends to longitudinal headers 53 to which water is supplied through tubes 54 from drum 35.

In operation, the hot gases of combustion discharging from the respective cyclone chambers 4, through nozzles 16, are thus directed into the corresponding secondary furnace compartments 27, the gas streams combining above the partitions and flowing through the slag screen 6 and thence into the upper radiation chamber 7. The molten slag discharging from separate cyclone furnaces 4, through slag outlets 18, flows into the respective secondary chamber compartments 27 from which it is discharged through bottom outlets 29 for ultimate disposal.

While in accordance with the provisions of the statutes I have illustrated and described herein the best form of the invention now known to me, those skilled inthe art will understand that changes may be made in the form of v the apparatus disclosed without departing from the spirit of the invention covered by my claims, and that certain features of my invention may sometimes be used to advantage without a corresponding use of other features.

What is claimed is: v

1. A rnulti-chambered furnace unit comprising a fluid heater furnace having as its firing means a plurality of cyclone furnaces providing primary combustion chambers arranged about horizontally extending axes disposed in a laterally extending row, said cyclone chambers respectively having outlet end walls formed with heating gas outlets at one elevation and with slag outlets at a lower elevation, a secondary furnace having an upright front wall formed in part in common with said outlet end walls of said combustion chambers, upright partition walls of solid formation arranged in vertical planes parallel to the axes of said combustion chambers and dividing said secondary furnace into successive compartments arranged to receive gases and slag discharged from the respective combustion chambers, an upright wall arranged in opposing relation to said front wall and forming the outer wall of said secondary furnace, said partition walls extending forwardly from saidouter wall and terminating throughout the major portions of their heights in spaced relation to said upright front wall at positions closely adjacent thereto, each of said compartments having its horizontal depth dimension considerably less than its width and also less than the diameter of the corresponding cyclone furnace from which said gases are received.

2. A multi-chambered furnace unit comprising a fluid heater furnace having as its firing means a plurality of cyclone furnaces providing primary combustion chambers arranged about horizontally extending axes disposed in a laterally extending row, said cyclone chambers respectively having outlet end walls formed with heating gas outlets at one elevation and with slag outlets at a lower elevation, a secondary furnace having an upright front wall formed in part in common with said outlet end walls of said combustion chambers, upright partition walls of solid formation arranged in vertical planes parallel to the axes of said combustion chambers and dividing said secondary furnace into successive compartments adapted to receive gases and slag discharged from the respective combustion chambers, an upright rear wall arranged in opposing relation to said front wall and forming the outer rear walls of the respective compartments, said partition walls extending forwardly from said rear wall and terminating throughout the major portions of their heights in spaced relation to said upright front wall at positions closely adjacent thereto, each of said compartments having its horizontal depth dimension considerably less than its width, said compartments having associated with their respective rear walls a plurality of upright vapor generating tubes which at an elevation above said compartments are arranged in the path of gases discharging from the respective compartments.

3. A fluid heater furnace unit comprising a plurality of cyclone furnaces formed about horizontally extending axes disposed in a laterally extending row, said cyclone furnaces having outlet end walls respectively formed with heating gas outlets at the elevation of said axes and with slag outlets at a lower elevation, a secondary furnace having an upright front wall formed in part in common with said outlet end walls of said cyclone furnaces, upright partition walls of solid formation arranged in substantially vertical planes parallelto the axes of said cyclone furnaces and dividing said secondary furnace into successive compartments adapted to receive heating gases and slag discharged from the respective cyclone furnaces, each of said compartments having its horizontal depth dimension considerably less than its width, each of said compartments having a separate slag outlet formed in the bottom wall thereof at an elevation below said slag outlets from said cyclone furnaces, an upright rear wall arranged in opposing relation to said front wall and form- 'ing the outer rear walls of the respective compartments,

said partition walls extending inwardly from said rear wall and terminating throughout the major portions of their heights at positions closely adjacent to said front wall in spaced relation thereto, and upright fluid conducting tubes associated with each of said walls, certain of said tubes at an elevation above said compartments being extended along, said upright rear wall while others are arranged in the form of a slag screen disposed in the path of upflowing gases'discharging from the respective compartments.

4. A fluid heater furnace unit as defined in claim 3 wherein said upright front wall is formed with an upper portion inclined forwardly over said cyclone furnaces, in divergent relation to said upright rear wall of said secondary furnace,-said tubes forming said slag screen having portions extended along said inclined front wall portion.

References Cited in the file of this patent V UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,285,442 Kerr June 9, 1942 2,357,301 Bailey et al. Sept. 5, 1944 FOREIGN PATENTS 512,102 Belgium June 30, 1952 675,410 Great Britain July 9, 1952

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