Abstract: A vapor generator including an upright furnace section the boundary walls of which are formed by a plurality of tubes, a portion of which extend at an angle with respect to a horizontal plane. Fluid is passed through the length of the furnace section to convert a portion of the fluid to vapor or to heat the fluid. A plurality of vertical bars are provided which define support surfaces for the tubes and which are welded to the tubes for supporting same.

Abstract: A preheating device for hot water heaters which employs hot gases of combustion from the flue to preheat incoming cold water and to continually preheat water stored in the water tank by natural recirculation. Use of the device provides for increased fuel efficiency because hot combustion gases from the heat source are used for warming of water before venting to the atmosphere, the result being an average increased temperature within the tank so that lesser amounts of fuel are required to reach any desired hot water temperature.

Abstract: An improved arrangement for preheating feedwater in a steam boiler system prior to the feedwater entering a fuel economizer in order to prevent corrosion due to condensation of flue gas in the fuel economizer and in the exhaust of the boiler system. The feedwater, prior to entering the fuel economizer, is heated in a preheater with a portion of steam from a boiler. The amount of steam entering the preheater is regulated by two temperature control valves. A first temperature control valve is regulated by the temperature of the feedwater prior to entering the fuel economizer. A second temperature control valve is regulated by the temperature of the flue gas in the boiler exhaust stack.

Abstract: A fluidized bed for the burning of pulverized fuel having a specific waterwall arrangement that comprises a structurally reinforced framework of wall tubes. The wall tubes are reversely bent from opposite sides and then bonded together to form tie rods that extend across the bed to support the lateral walls thereof.

Abstract: An ignition, warm-up and low-load-stabilization system for furnaces fired by pulverized coal. In conjunction with a system in which pulverized coal is sent directly from a coal mill to a load-bearing nozzle and in which combustion air is brought to the nozzles from an air preheater that uses hot furnace gases to warm the combustion air, ignitor nozzles are provided that are supplied by pipes bearing coal from which the drying air has been separated. Combustion air for the ignitor nozzles is heated by an independent heat source that heats the combustion air or a portion thereof to a temperature higher than that of the air supplied by the air preheater. Such a coal-fired ignitor burner can replace oil or gas-fired ignitors and warm-up guns and thereby reduce the amount of oil or gas used in ignition, warm-up, and low-load stabilization.

Abstract: An industrial boiler comprising a combustion chamber having a furnace therein, means for feeding products of combustion from the combustion chamber to a heat exchanger to heat water/stream therein, a pyrolytic retort, means to feed said products of combustion into heat transfer relationship with the retort to pyrolize material therein and means to feed products of pyrolysis from the retort.

Abstract: A solar panel suitable for panelized building construction as an integral part of a roof is described. The solar absorber plate of the panel consists of a thermally conductive sheet folded along a plurality of parallel lines to form sharp vees or corrugations. The folded solar absorber plate is attached to or formed as part of a flat sheet, also with high thermal conductivity. The folded absorber plate with its vee-shaped corrugations in combination with the flat sheet form a plurality of contiguous triangular ducts through which the fluid to be heated flows. The fluid is in direct contact with the solar absorber plate and the flat thermally conductive plate which together form the triangular ducts. A pliable insulating board may be provided as a backing member to the triangular duct assembly, said insulating board serves as an elastic mounting means for the solar panel on a building roof or wall.

Abstract: Hot water or steam boiler comprising a furnace section and a convection section in which the furnace section is limited by a wall section formed of liquid or steam tubes placed side by side, said tubes being arranged transversal to the flue gas flow and at fixed interrelated distances to form slots allowing passage of gas or steam.

Abstract: A solar energy concentrator comprising a cylindrical Fresnel lens, a specially shaped and positioned reflecting mirror, and a shaped tubular receptor for conveying the collected energy to terminals is described. These concentrators are arrayed parallel and contiguous to each other and oriented generally along an East-West line to receive the sun's radiant energy, and the lenses together with the special reflectors and designed to accomodate large elevation angle variations of the sun. The large acceptance angles achieved with the image collapsing concentrator, while at the same time maintaining a high concentration ratio, improves the reception of diffused as well as direct sunlight and the small surface area of receiving tubes diminishes the thermal radiation losses. A method for determining the shape and location of the special image collapsing reflector is described and applied to solar concentrators employing both lenses and reflectors of cylindrical and three dimensional forms.

Abstract: The invention relates to a solar energy collector or cell comprising a fixed spherical mirror placed on the ground by its convex face and a boiler in which circulates a heat-transfer fluid and which is movable about the center of the mirror. The boiler comprises a low concentration boiler surmounted by a high concentration boiler. The spherical mirror has a visor in the form of a spherical sector which moves on the periphery of the mirror.

Abstract: A boiler has a cylindrical firebox surrounded by a water jacket which, in turn, is surrounded by a hot water boiler. The firebox has a cylindrical primary furnace, in which a burner for liquid or gaseous fuel is located, and a cylindrical secondary furnace which is of greater diameter than the primary furnace. Combustion gases are removed from the secondary furnace through fire tubes arranged in a circular array around the fire box and extending axially thereof through the water jacket. The water jacket and hot water boiler are separated by a partition which lies against the circular fire tube array inside the water jacket.

Abstract: A water-tube boiler (1) of the "D" type is disclosed which includes a water-cooled rear wall comprising a plurality of vertically disposed riser tubes (14a, b) located at the rear end of the furnace chamber (5). Novel sealing means are disclosed for sealing the aforesaid rear wall to its adjacent vertically extending walls of the furnace chamber (5) and convection section (7). A further aspect of the invention lies in the particular feeder conduit means (9, 10, 11, 12, 13) provided for supplying water to the riser tubes of the water-cooled rear wall and also in the particular return conduit means (15a, b; 16a, b) provided for connecting the riser tubes (14a, b) to the steam drum (3). In yet another aspect of the invention, novel construction is provided associated with the convection section for discharging flue gases from the boiler.

Abstract: A closed heat transfer system which is capable of providing more efficient heat transfer by virtue of the fact that a small fuel burner is operated for a longer period of time but with much less consumption of fuel than compared to a conventional cycled heating system. The system includes a heat sink containing a suitable heat storage fluid, a heat source, heat transfer means, a preheater means, hot water feed means, and circulator means. The heat sink preferably takes the form of a closed container operable in the manner of a boiler and filled with a suitable heat storage fluid.

Abstract: The invention provides a solar heat energy collector, more particularly of the kind used for heating water which comprises two members, for instance, metal sheets, between which is sandwiched sealing means located towards the periphery of the members to provide a receptacle. The two members are held in sealing contact with the sealing means by means of clamping means which is forced over peripheral portions of the two members. Provision is made for restricting movement of the sealing means between the plates and against dislodgement of the clamping means.

Abstract: A solar heat collector constructed from transparent material utilizes a circulating absorptive fluid medium to collect solar energy. The collector comprises a plurality of cascaded fluid reservoirs, each reservoir having a self-draining feature active during a stagnant condition.

Abstract: A solar heat collector is illustrated wherein a flat box has an inlet port and an outlet port connected by a tortuous flow path defined by upright baffle means, said tortuous flow path including a plurality of individual side-by-side interconnected passageways.

Abstract: A heat exchanger system for preferably heating water in a space heating system, in which a plurality of heat exchanger units are connected in parallel between inflow and outflow conduits for the fluid to be heated, said heat exchanger units being housed in a common duct constituting a flue for gaseous products of combustion from said units.

Abstract: A system including conduit connected to a source of solid waste, a shredder for particlizing solid waste, an igniter for igniting particlized waste, a gas burner for initially heating the liner of the igniter to a temperature above ignition temperatures for the waste, and an air duct for transporting burning particles of waste along a vortexing path extending downwardly through the igniter, then through an agitating conduit, within which the burning particles are maintained in suspension and are finally introduced upwardly into a particle trap within which combustion of ignited particles is completed. A by-products recovery system is connected with the trap for collecting ash, for subsequent usage, and for recovering heat to be returned to the gin.

Abstract: The fire box unit inserted into a water casing of a boiler includes a tubular cast iron body fluid-tightly mounted in the apertures of the end walls of the steel sheet casing. The cast iron body is shaped to converge frusto-conically from its inlet to its outlet end and has a plurality of radially inwardly extending webs. A combustion chamber shell is mounted in the inlet end of the cast iron body and has a fuel burner inlet for burning a fuel in the chamber defined by the shell. A closure wall opposite the fuel burner inlet deflects the combustion gases of the burnt fuel towards the fuel burner inlet where the deflected gases are received in a gas guide chamber. The shell with the gas guide chamber and a gas collecting chamber adjacent the closure wall at the outlet end of the cast iron body is supported on the webs and defines therewith gas flues leading from the gas guide to the gas collecting chamber.

Abstract: Sewage sludge is dewatered with the aid of lime and then incinerated using high sulfur fuel. During incineration the lime reacts with the sulfur in the fuel and with oxygen to form the solid CaSO.sub.4 for disposal and thus prevent formation of the pollutant, SO.sub.2 gas. High sulfur coal may be crushed and used as an additional filter aid or sludge conditioner and then serve as the auxiliary fuel during incineration.