IMPROVEMENTS IN OBTAINING POWER WHEN STEAM OR OTHER VAPOUR IS USED
Year: 1852

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Julius Jeffreys, of Croydon, in the County
of Surrey, for the Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN OBTAINING
POWER WHEN STEAM OR OTHER VAPOUR IS USED."
Sealed the 24th January 1853, and dated the 1st November 1852.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Julius Jeffreys at
the Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on
the 1st November 1852.
I, JULIUS JEFFREYS, of Croydon, in the County of Surrey, do hereby
declare the nature of the said Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN OBTAINING
POWER WHEN STEAM OR OTHER VAPOUR IS USED" to be as follows:-
"The respiring engine," so named from its drawing in again and
again perpetually the same vapor and heat.
That part of the following Invention which relates to the recovery of
heat is based on the principles of my Invention, the respirator, and on a
suggestion of their application in a particular form to an air engine,

page_text: which I made before the Institution of Civil Engineers at their meet-
ing on the 10th June 1845, which suggestion is closely followed in
Capt Ericcson's recent air engine.
The present is a vapor engine, and the points of novelty and in-
portance in the Invention are,―
First, the recovery of nearly all the latent and apparent heat of steam
or other vapor of each inflation of the cylinder, and the saving thereby
of the greater part of the fuel.
Secondly, the use of the same vapor continually, which may be that
of pure distilled water, ether, spirits of wine, ammoniacal vapors, or any
other agent admitting of ready alternation between the liquid and
vaporous condition.
Thirdly, the use, in conjunction with these provisions, of vapour in au
exsiccated state, i.e. heated above its point of vaporization and rendered
more elastic.
Fourthly, compactness, lightness, strength, simplicity of construction,
and economy, so that the bulk and weight of an engine will be trifling
in comparison with its power, while its cost will be less than that of an
ordinary condensing engine.
I attain these objects by availing myself of the slow conducting
power, the incompressibility and the ready divisibility of water and cer-
tain other liquids. For this end I employ a twin apparatus, consisting
of two vertical columns placed side by side, having no communication
with each other, but each at their summits connected with the working
cylinder by tubes entering it, one at the top and the other at the
bottom. Each of the vertical columns consists of the following parts:
At bottom is a small cylinder containing a few pounds of water or
other liquid employed. This cylinder is supported on feet, it's piston
rod projecting downwards through an air-tight collar.
As the piston
rises it pushes the water upwards and leaves a vacuum under itself.
Over this small cylinder is a head' with a set of small tubes, 20 or more
in number, from 6 to 30 inches long, according to the size of the
engine. Over these tulies, and communicating with them, is a peculiar
conducting apparatus, consisting of a series of fine metallic passages,
extending to one or more feet in height and in the diameter of their

page_text: base. Above these series of passages is a set of vertical tubes, similar
to those below. These upper tubes receive heat from a furnace at top
through a fluid bath, while the tubes below: the metallic series are kept
cold by a cistern of cold water surrounding them. The upper tubes
terminate in a small chamber or head, from which proceeds, the pipe
connecting it with the main cylinder.
On the water piston being forced up, the water is injected through all
the passages of the metallic series, its summit receiving heat from them
and passing into vapor, while the bulk of the water acts as an incom-
pressible ram, the lower part of which remains cold. On ascending
from the metallic conductors the vapor rises through the heating tubes
above and becomes exsiccated; and in this state, entering the main
cylinder, it acts with additional force on the working piston, driving it
to the other end of the cylinder. At that moment the water piston
being liberated below, the elastic steam acting from above forces it and
the column of water down, and is itself condensed on returning through
the metallic series, to which it gives back the greater part of the heat
it received from them, together with the small additional heat it had
received in the exsiccating tubes in going and returning from the main
cylinder.
:
on the water piston of the
The force of the descending water piston is made to act, by means of
a rack on its piston, upon a wheel acting on
twin column of water, which is driven up as its fellow column descends
some way into the heated metallic series above it. The summit of the
water being converted into steam ascends through the rest of the series
and the heating tubes, and entering the main cylinder puts its piston in
motion back again, which then, by means of a yoke and lever, seizes
the ascending water piston rod and finishes its stroke.
The water ram
being driven up by the piston to a level with the top of the conducting
series, its summit yields at last the full complement of steam, which
being exsiccated in passing the heating tubes completes the stroke of
the working piston. At that moment the water piston of this column
is liberated below, like its fellow, by means of an escape movement, and
the column is forced down by the expanding steam above, and in its
turn drives up the fellow water ram until the piston rod of the latter is

page_text: caught by the yoke from the working piston and made to finish its
stroke, when it is liberated in its turn and descends. Thus each water
column or ram has steam forming at its summit all the time it ascends,
and condensing upon it while it descends, the metallic conducting series
alternately giving heat to it and taking heat from it.
By this construction there is formed alternately on each side of the
working piston a steam vacuum, which may be under 100° of tempera-
ture, and a pressure of only 1 lb. on the square inch, and a plenum of
steam at 200 lb. or more on the inch, and this without any boiler or
separate condensing apparatus or intervening valves; and of the few
pounds of liquid employed the summit only is heated into steam, the
bulk of it remaining cold, and being used as a fluid ram permeating all
the minute passages of the conducting apparatus, and pushing up its
own summit into fresh regions of heat.
A small quantity of fluid being employed, and none of it wasted,
excepting an occasional escape through the safety valves, any suitable
liquid besides water may be used, such as those named above, and with
certain advantages.