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In the north of England, long near-horizontal chimneys were built, often more than 3 km (2 mi) long, which typically terminated in a short vertical chimney in a remote location where the fumes would cause less harm. In the 18th and 19th centuries, the methods used to extract lead from its ore produced large amounts of toxic fumes. To control downdrafts, venting caps (often called chimney pots) with a variety of designs are sometimes placed on the top of chimneys. Later chimneys were constructed by placing the bricks around tile liners. Early chimneys were of simple brick construction. Since then chimneys have traditionally been built of brick or stone, both in small and large buildings. Industrial chimneys became common in the late 18th century.Ĭhimneys in ordinary dwellings were first built of wood and plaster or mud. Another step in the development of chimneys was the use of built-in ovens which allowed the household to bake at home. Because the air going up the shaft was cooler, these could be made of less fireproof materials. These were typically much wider than modern chimneys and started relatively high above the fire, meaning more heat could escape into the room.
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Smoke hoods were an early method of collecting the smoke into a chimney. However, they did not become common in houses until the 16th and 17th centuries. The earliest surviving example of an English chimney is at the keep of Conisbrough Castle in Yorkshire, which dates from 1185 AD. However, domestic chimneys first appeared in large dwellings in northern Europe in the 12th century. Industrial chimney use dates to the Romans, who drew smoke from their bakeries with tubes embedded in the walls. History A smoke hood in the Netherlands Chimney pots in London, seen from the tower of Westminster Cathedral A seagull sits on top of a hot gas cooling chimney at The World of Glass in St. The dispersion of pollutants over a greater area can reduce their concentrations and facilitate compliance with regulatory limits. Additionally, the dispersion of pollutants at higher altitudes can reduce their impact on the immediate surroundings. The height of a chimney influences its ability to transfer flue gases to the external environment via stack effect. The term smokestack (colloquially, stack) is also used when referring to locomotive chimneys or ship chimneys, and the term funnel can also be used. In the United States, the term smokestack industry refers to the environmental impacts of burning fossil fuels by industrial society, including the electric industry during its earliest history. Chimneys are adjacent to large industrial refineries, fossil fuel combustion facilities or part of buildings, steam locomotives and ships.
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The space inside a chimney is called the flue. Chimneys are typically vertical, or as near as possible to vertical, to ensure that the gases flow smoothly, drawing air into the combustion in what is known as the stack, or chimney effect. A chimney remaining after the destruction of a 19th-century two-story house in Mount Solon, VirginiaĪ chimney is an architectural ventilation structure made of masonry, clay or metal that isolates hot toxic exhaust gases or smoke produced by a boiler, stove, furnace, incinerator, or fireplace from human living areas. 1858 A chimney by the old fire station near Culture Center Vernissa in Tikkurila, Finland The world's tallest chimney, the GRES-2 power plant in Ekibastuz, Kazakhstan, stands 419.7 m (1,377 ft) tall. JSTOR ( March 2013) ( Learn how and when to remove this template message)Ī vertical chimney erected on the mechanical penthouse of a residential high rise in Ontario for ejecting combustion products from the building's water boiler Smokestacks in Manchester, England, c.Unsourced material may be challenged and removed. Please help improve this article by adding citations to reliable sources. This article needs additional citations for verification.
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