The Sun.
London, England, 1852-03-25 00:00:00

INSTITUTION OF CIVIL ENGINEERS.

On Tuesday, James M. Bendel, &q., President, in the
chair, the first paper read was " On the Results of the
use of Tain'ar Boilers, or of Flue Boilers of Inadequate
Surface, or Imperfect Absorption of Heat," by Admiral
Earl Dundonahi.

This paper advocated the general introduction of what
were termed " economical heat trap boilers," or boilers
having vertical water tubes, instead of oblique fire
tubes, contained within a chamber, into the upper of
which the hot products of combustion were introduced,
and allowed to circulate until, by the abstraction of
heat. they descended to the bottom, and passed into the
chimney at a temperature little exceeding that of boil-
ing water. From some trials which had been made at
Woolwich and Chatham in 1844, as well as from the
experience which had been gained by their actual appli-
cation to some of the North American traneatlantio
steam-pscleetr, and some in the service of the Emperor
of Russia, it was contended that these boilers possessed
greater evaporative powers, and were more economical
than those ordinarily in use; and, moreover, that their
safety was much greater, owing to the products of com-
bustion passing into the chimney at a very low tempera-
ture, instead of the usual high temperature, from which
it was apprehended much danger had been, and might
still be, incurred.
The second paper read was, " On certain points in the
construction of Marine Boilers," by Mr. J. Scott Russell,
M. Inst. C.E.
The author having arrived at certain practical results
relative to the construction of marine butlers, put them
into practice about ten years back, in designing the
boilers for the Royal Mail Steam Packets Clyde, Tay,
Tweed, and Teviot; and as they had been in constant
work ever since, running from 42,000 miles to 48,000
miles per annum, without material repairs, he believed
their durability, combitv.d with effective combustion and
econony of fuel, had been fully established.
The principles on which these boilers were constructed
differed from those generally recognised. In the first
piece it was considered, that a judicious distribution of
the most intensely heated surfaces would be conducive
to durability; and for tlis purpose instead of returning
the flues over the furnaces, the top of the furnaces and
the hottest flues were brought to the surface of the water,
and the cool( r, or return flues were taken to the botto
of the water. The water was admitted at the be 4,1711,,
in contact with intensely
and was gradually waimed as it rose, the greatest-
heat being imparted at the last
were
large,capacity of the
by which means the bubbles of steam re pre-
yuch and their
vented from accumulating
heated metal. In the next place the
pionrcaltnindgeseseunrtfufca:lin these greaterboii,r a than
was
furnaces or fire boxes, was unusuamli
usual. The
aThcn,voe
evaporating
than three feet of evaporating surface also much more than customary, there being
every foot of
under the clues ere
no less
furnace bars. The process of blowing
water spaces, as reservoirs for the
for by arranging
and furnaces large
off of brine and other deposit.
off was provided
e collection and blowing
The last paper was
this steam
" M. Description of a Diaphragm
Steam Generator," b
upon which by
I. Boutigny (d'Evreux). The
principle
was that "bodies
This being receivedevaporate only from their surfaces."
surface an axioing,
the evaporating as
follow that in the eint eri
must
tnoert
necessarily
the construction of steam -boilers, either
was
based
should be extended to
its utmost limit, or of
metal
lid be so divided, and
its evaporating surfaces
water sho
multiplied, as to arrive at
the same end, of obtaining ca be so
remest amount of steam
by the expenditure fththe g
e least amount of fuel.
The steam generatoor was described to consist of verti-
cal cylinders of wrought iron, 25 inches high by 121
inches diameter; the base terminating in a hemisphe-
rical end, and the upper part closed by a curved lid,
upon which was attached the usual
steam
Tan safety
valves, feed steam, and other pipes, Sm. The interior
contained a series of diaphragms of wrought iron, pierced
with a number of fine holes, and having alternately con-
vex
and co„ass surfaces. They were suspended by.
iron rods,
three at given distances apart, in such a man-
ner as not to be in contact with the heated exterior, or
shell of the boiler. When any water was admitted
through the feed pipe it fell upon the upper (convex)
• which had a tendency to spread it to the periphery,
disc,
tbe largest quantity falling through the perforation in
the shape of globules; the second diaphragm being
concave, tended to direct the fluid from the circum-
ference to the centre, and so on, until if any fluid
reached the bottom of he cylinder, it mingled with a
thin film of water, in a high state of ebullition, that
being the hottest part of the boiler. It appeared, how-
ever, that in its transit through these diaphragms, the
water was so divided, that exposing a very large sur-
face to the caloric, it was transformed into steam with
great rapidity, and with great economy of fuel. The
boiler described had been worked for a long time at
Paris with great success, giving motion to a steam-engine
of two horses' power. The consumption of coal was
stated to be very small, 7891bs of water having been
converted into steam by 182Ibs of coal in nine hears,
under a pressure of ten atmospheres.
The chemical part of the question was carefully ex-
amined, and it was sheen, that at that temperature the
ken was exactly in the best condition to bear strain.
The prodeed application on a large scale was sub-
mitted to the engineers, the author having only proposed
the system tor.tuaall boilers and tinder circumstances of
wanting to obtain a motive power in situations of re-
stricted space, and where first cost was a great object.
It was announced that at the meetin of Tuesday,
rs
March 30th, the owl&
y ballot forg
Members would take
place, and the followit g paper would be real, " An Ac-
count of the drainege of the town of Richmond, Surrey,
under the autherit of the Metropolitan Commissioners
of Sewers in 1851," by M
r. George Donaldson, Assoc.
Inst. C.E.

Her Royal Highness the Duchess of Gloucester,
we are happy to state, continues in the enjoyment of im-
proved health at Glounater House, Park-lane. The vene-
rable Duch(si, now the only s.urviving offspring of likng
George 111., will complete her 76th year on the 25th of the
easluing mouth,