IMPROVEMENTS IN STEAM ENGINES
Year: 1856

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to William Edward Newton, of the Office for Patents
66, Chancery Lane, in the County of Middlesex, Civil Engineer, for the
Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN STEAM ENGINES."-A communication.
Sealed the 21st April 1857, and dated the 5th November 1856.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said William Edward Newton
at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on the
5th November 1856.
I, WILLIAM EDWARD NEWTON, of the Office for Patents, 66, Chancery
Lane, in the County of Middlesex, Civil Engineer, do hereby declare the
nature of the said Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN STEAM ENGINES," to be as
follows:-
The object of this Invention is to do away with the separate condensor
usually employed in condensing engines, and which, as is well known, com-
municates with the steam cylinder, and the steam escaping from such cylinder
passes into the condensor, in which it is condensed by the injection of cold
water. The condensor communicates also with the air pump, which serves to
create a vacuum in the condensor and carry off the products of condensation.
In carrying out this Invention, the air pump is made to perform the
function of the condensor, by causing it to communicate direct with the steam

page_text: cylinder. When the steam passes from the cylinder into the air pump, it is
condensed by injecting into the air pump water, both above and below the
piston.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent, filed
by tho said William Edward Newton in the Great Seal Patent Office on
the 5th May 1857.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, WILLIAM
EDWARD NEWTON, of the Office for Patents, 66, Chancery Lane, in the County
of Middlesex, Civil Engineer, send greeting.
WHEREAS Iler most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her Letters
Patent, bearing date the Fifth day of November, in the year of our Lord
One thousand eight hundred and fifty-six, in the twentieth year of Her reign,
did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant unto me, the said
William Edward Newton, Her special license that I, tho said William Edward.
Newton, my executors, administrators, and assigns, or such others as I, the said
William Edward Newton, my executors, 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 "IMPROVE-
MENTS IN STEAM ENGINES," being a communication from abroad, upon the
condition (amongst others) that I, the said William Edward Newton, by an
instrument in writing under my hand and seal, should particularly describe
and ascertain the nature of the said Invention, and in what manner the samo
was to be performed, and cause the same to be filed in the Great Seal Patent
Offico within six calendar months next and immediately after. the date of the
said Letters Patent.
NOW KNOW YE, that I, the said William Edward Newton, do-hereby
declare tho 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, reference. being had to the Drawing hereunto annexed,
and to the letters and figures marked thereon. (that is to say) :-
The object of this Invention of "Improvements. in: Steam Engines".is .to
dispense with the use of the separate. condenser usually employed in condensing.
engines, and which, as is well known, communicates with. the steam.cylinder,
so that the steam on escaping from such. cylinder passes into the condenser,

page_text: in which it is. condensed by the injection of cold water.. The condenser
communicates also with the air pump, which serves to create a vacuum in the
condenser and carry off the products of condensation..
In carrying out the present. Invention, the air pump. is made to perform the
function of the condenser, by causing it to communicate direct, with, the steam
cylinder. The steam passes from the cylinder direct into the air pump, whero
it is condensed by injecting into the air pump water, both above and below
the piston. By this arrangement. the air pump is not required to create a
vacuum, as is usually the case, as the water of injection, together with the air
which it contains, enters the air pump of itself. This is the case also with
the escape steam, which enters the air pump and carries with it any small
quantity of air which may have found its way into the cylinder through the
packing. The condenser pump has, in fact, according to this arrangement,
but one office to perform, namely, to expel at every stroke of the piston the
air and water of condensation, which arrive there in the usual course of
working.
The result of this arrangement is, that as the air cannot accumulate in the
organs of condensation, a better vacuum is obtained, without augmenting for
that purpose the volume of the water of injection; it will even be possible to
diminish this latter by causing the injections (by a suitable arrangement
of slide valves or cocks) to act with all their force only at the moment of
evacuation of the cylinder. In Watt's condensers, where the injections act
uniformly with the same intensity, a great part of the water falls into the con-
denser and enters the pump without having served for the purpose of condensation,
and the temperature of the interior of the condenser is always much higher than
that of the water which is carried off by the pump. Now, by diminishing the
water of injection in marine engines, water at a higher temperature and less
salt will be carried back to the boiler, two points which are worthy of con-
sideration, both as regards the feeding of the boilers and the advantageous
employment of caloric.
The Figures in the accompanying Drawing represent different arrangements
of pumps which may be employed in carrying out this Invention. Fig. 1
represents a vertical single-action pump, into which the steam enters from the
cylinder through the pipe E, the products of condensation being discharged
from the pump through the pipe F. I, I', are injection pipes, the pipe I'
being provided with a stop valve I", which is closed by the return of the
water. The injection at I is always in operation, whether the piston be rising
or falling.
In this kind of pump, the injection through I' is not of very great

page_text: importance; it serves to condense the vapors which rise to the upper part of
the pump through the valves of the piston during the descent of this latter.
Fig. 2 represents a vertical section of a double-action condensing pump, in
which both the injection pipes I and I are provided with stop valves. The
steam on escaping from the cylinder enters the pump at the orifice E, either
above or below the piston, according to whether the piston is at its upward or
downward stroke. The piston is not provided with valves, but is perforated.
with a number of small holes, for the purpose of allowing any air which might
accumulate under the piston when descending to rise into the upper part
above the water of injection, and be expelled by the piston when rising.
These holes must be sufficiently small to allow of the passage of but a very
small quantity of water of injection from the pipe 1', which is over the piston.
They also serve for clearing out the pump on setting the engine to work.
Horizontal double-action pumps only differ from that just described in the
arrangement of the valve boxes, which in some engines are as large as the
body of the pump, so that the body of the pump is always full of water. In
pumps of this kind, the injections I and I', instead of entering the body of
tho pump enter the valve boxes, which arrangement does not, however, alter
the principle.
Fig. 3 represents a vertical section of a horizontal condensing pump of a
novel construction. It is double acting, and is provided with only two in-
jection valves. The steam enters the pump by an orifice in the middle, and
which only occupies one-third of the circumference of the pump. A small
bar divides this opening into two parts, and serves to guide the metallic
packing of the piston. The orifice E is somewhat larger than the thickness
of the piston, in order that the communication between the steam cylinder
and pump may be always established. The volume of water of injection
must be such, that when the piston shall have arrived at half stroke, the
water cannot reach the orifice E. For that purpose the volume of water
injected into the pump at I & I' at each stroke of the piston should not
exceed one-half the volume of the pump; it will therefore always be easy
to calculate the dimensions of a pump required for an engine of a given size.
Having now described this Invention of "Improvements in Steam Engines,"
as communicated to me by my foreign correspondent, I would observe, in con-
clusion, that I do not mean or intend to confine myself rigidly to the details
herein shewn and described, as the same may be varied to some extent,
without departing from the naturo and object of the Invention; but that
which I consider to be new, and desire to claim as the Invention secured to
me under the above in part recited Letters Patent, is,-

page_text: First, effecting the condensation of the steam by injecting cold water into
the air pump of condensing engines, whereby the employment of the con-
densing vessels or chambers ordinarily employed in engines of this construction.
may be dispensed with. I claim this mode of condensing steam, whether air
pumps of the ordinary and well-known construction, or any other form of
air pump more specially adapted, be employed for the above purpose.
I also claim the use and application of the construction of condensing pump
represented at Fig. 3 of the Drawing.
In witness whereof, I, the said William Edward Newton, have hereunto
set my hand and seal, the Fifth day of May, in the year of our Lord
One thousand eight hundred and fifty-seven.
Witness,
J. W. MOFFATT,
66, Chancery Lane.
W. E. NEWTON. (L.S.)