IMPROVEMENTS IN MEANS FOR OBTAINING MOTIVE POWER
Year: 1874

page_text: ;
LETTERS PATENT to Henry Smith Cropper, of the Town and County
of the Town of Nottingham, for the Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN
MEANS FOR OBTAINING MOTIVE POWER."
Sealed the 10th November 1874, and dated the 22nd September 1874.

page_text: Now according to my Invention I propose to use carbonic acid in
conjunction with steam, and in carrying my Invention into effect I take
advantage of the fact that water will absorb a considerable bulk of
carbonic acid without the employment of pressure to act thereon. In
availing myself of this fact I charge a steam boiler with carbonic acid
(evolved by any known means), when by the application of heat to the
contents of the boiler a much greater pressure will be acquired than if
the water were not so charged with carbonic acid, by which means a
great saving of fuel will be effected.
In carrying my Invention into effect I propose to employ no special 3
apparatus, but to use any effective known form of boiler and engine, and
in order to recover as much as possible of the carbonic acid after having
passed through the cylinder I condense the steam only to such a degree
as to cause a natural separation of the carbonic acid therefrom.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent,
filed by the said Henry Smith Cropper in the Great Seal Patent
Office on the 22nd March 1875.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, HENRY
SMITH CROPPER, of the Town and County of the Town of Nottingham;
send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her Letters
Patent, bearing date the Twenty-second day of September, in the year of
our Lord One thousand eight hundred and seventy-four, in the thirty-
eighth year of Her reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give
and grant unto me, the said Henry Smith Cropper, Her special license
that I, the said Henry Smith Cropper, my executors, administrators, and
assigns, or such others as I, the said Henry Smith Cropper, my execu-
tors, administrators, and assigns, should at any time agree with, and no
others, from time to time and at all times thereafter during the term
therein expressed, should and lawfully might make, use, exercise, and
vend, within the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland, the
Channel Islands, and Isle of Man, an Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS
IN MEANS POR OBTAINING MOTIVE POWER," upon the condition (amongst
others) that I, the said Henry Smith Cropper, my executors or admini-

page_text: strators, by an instrumenG THE WIN
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their hands and seals, should particularly describe and ascertain the
nature of the said Invention, and in what manner the same was to be
performed, and cause the same to be filed in the Great Seal Patent Office
within six calendar months next and immediately after the date of the
said Letters Patent.
NOW KNOW YE, that I, the said Henry Smith Cropper, do hereby
declare the nature of the said Invention, and in what manner the same
is to be performed, to be particularly described and ascertained in and
by the following statement thereof, that is to say :-
-
The present Invention relates to an improved mode of using carbonic
acid gas in obtaining motive power.
Hitherto in obtaining motive power by the use of carbonic acid gas,
the carbonic acid has been proposed to be used either in the form of gas,
or in a condensed (solidified) or in a liquid state.
Now according to my Invention I propose to use carbonic acid gas in
conjunction with water or steam, and in carrying my Invention into effect
I take advantage of the fact that water when not under pressure will
absorb a considerable bulk of carbonic acid gas without the employment
of other than atmospheric pressure to act thereon. In availing myself of
this fact I charge a steam boiler with carbonic acid gas (evolved by any
known means) when by the application of heat to the contents of the
boiler a much greater pressure will be acquired than if the water were
not so charged with carbonic acid gas, by which means a great saving of
fuel will be effected. When however the boiler is under steam pressure
the gas will require to be forced therein at a greater pressure.
In carrying my Invention into effect I do not propose to employ any
special apparatus, but to use any effective known form of boiler and
engine, and I pass the carbonic acid gas direct into the boiler from the
generating apparatus without passing through any intermediate receiver.
After the carbonic acid gas has passed through the cylinder I reduce
it to its normal condition by partial condensation and use it over again
by passing it through the water contained in the boiler. In cases where
the temperature is raised so high as to generate steam I condense the
steam after it has passed through the cylinder only to such a degree as
to cause a natural separation of the carbonic acid therefrom.
gas

page_text: I would here remark that since filing my Provisional Specification I
have ascertained that in the Specification of Letters Patent granted to
John Heaton, dated July 5th 1870, No. 1897, it was proposed to employ
carbonic acid gas in combination with water to obtain an elastic fluid
for use as a motive power, but in such case the carbonic acid gas and
water from separate sources of supply were forced under pressure into
a receiver where they combined and in which they were heated. From
this receiver by the force exerted in supplying them the combined gas
and water were forced through other heating means so as to raise their
temperature before passing into the boiler. I do not therefore claim the
mere combination of carbonic acid gas and water, but what I claim as
my Invention of improvements in means for obtaining motive power is
the mode herein described of charging steam boilers with carbonic
acid gas.
In witness whereof, I, the said Henry Smith Cropper, have here-
unto set my hand and seal, this Nineteenth day of March, in
the year of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and seventy-