Method and Apparatus for Utilising Steam and Combustion Gases at very High Pressures as Motive Power.
Year: 1897

page_text: Date of Application, 13th Dec., 1897
Complete Specification Left, 13th Sept., 1898-Accepted, 10th Dec., 1898
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
Method and Apparatus for Utilising Steam and Combustion Gases at
very High Pressures as Motive Power.
I, CARL HUBER, of I Graben No. 28, Vienna, Austria, Engineer, do hereby
declare the nature of this invention to be as follows:-
As is well known steam can be employed the more economically the higher
its temperature and pressure is at which it is used, this being due to the fact
that while for example the production of 1 kilo. of steam at 6 atmospheres
requires 0134 kilo. of coal, the production of 1 kilo. at 50 atmospheres only requires
0'140 kilo. of coal, that is, only 0006 kilo, more than the steam at 6 atmospheres.
It has however hitherto been impossible to avail oneself of the great economy
that would result from the use of steam at very high pressures, because on the
one hand if used in cylinder and piston engines it would act destructively
upon these on account of its high temperature and would require a very large
number of successive expansion cylinders in order to utilize the motive power
to any practical extent. On the other hand, when used in rotary motors, such
as turbines and the like, these would require to run at enormously high speed
because such high pressure steam possessing no mass, would have to operate with
very great velocity in order to produce any degree of useful effect.
Now according to my present invention I overcome the above mentioned
difficulties and enable steam at very high temperatures and pressures to be use-
fully employed in connection with rotary motors or turbines by causing the
steam on its way to the motor to come into contact with and impart its velocity
to a body of a suitable heavy fluid at a high temperature, thus converting the
motive power represented by the very small mass of the steam moving at a very
high velocity into a power represented by a
at a much lower velocity, the vis inertia of which body I then employ to act
comparatively heavy mass moving
upon a rotary motor or turbine of any suitable known kind.
It will be obvious that apparatus can be constructed in a great variety of ways
for carrying out my said invention. Thus according to one arrangement I
cause the steam at very high pressure to be injected in a more or less finely
divided condition through a suitable nozzle or series of nozzles into a tubular
chamber containing a body of molten lead, tin, or other metal or mixture of
metals so as in impinging upon and carrying with it innumerable small par-
ticles of the metal to impart its velocity thereto and cause it to impinge upon
the blades of a turbine communicating with the tubular chamber, the the turbine
being of any suitable known construction such as a series of alternate rings of
guide vanes and of turbine blades, through which the steam and molten metal
are caused to pass successively, so as by the energy represented by the vis inertia
of the metal to effect the rotation of the turbine at a practically moderate speed.
The tubular chamber and turbine may either be so arranged that the molten
metal is injected directly into the latter in the axial direction, or there may

page_text: be two opposite turbines combined on the same shaft and the steam jets and
tubular chamber be so arranged that the metal receives its impulse at an inter-
mediate point between the two, and then flows in divided streams through suit-
able channels to each turbine. By this means the detrimental end-pressure to
which a single turbine is subjected is entirely obviated, as the end pressure on
the one turbine is balanced by that on the other. The tubular chamber contain-
ing the molten metal is preferably enclosed within an outer jacket through which
hot combustion gases or other hot fluids may be made to circulate so as to main-
tain the necessary temperature.
On issuing from the discharge end of the turbine, the molten metal is caused
to flow through a channel back into the tubular chamber, so that one and the
same body of metal serves over and over again while the steam is led off to
wherever required for doing further duty if necessary.
In some cases I provide a series of such turbines or rotary motors, and I cause
the steam after having done duty in one motor to act in the same way but
at a correspondingly lower velocity upon a liquid body in connection with the
next motor, and so on until the energy of the steam has been practically
exhausted, the liquid body employed in each successive motor being one that
will remain liquid at a correspondingly lower temperature than that in the
preceding one. Other liquid bodies may be used besides molten metals, such as
salts in liquid form, or petroleum and other oils, that will not be decomposed
by the high pressure steam with which they are brought in contact.
As the air contained in or becoming mixed with the steam would be liable
to oxidise metals such as lead, I counteract this effect by introducing into the
tubular chamber from time to time carbonaceous material, such as a hydro-
carbon liquid, that will have the effect of reducing the oxides formed. Or a
small quantity of such liquid may be introduced together with the steam.
Although I have spoken more particularly of turbines, it is to be understood
that any other kind of rotary motor may be used for the purposes of my in-
vention in which the propulsion is effected by the vis inertia of the motor fluid,
such as a bucket wheel acted upon by a tangential jet of fluid, and the like.
Instead of steam at very high pressures may also be employed gases at very
high temperatures and pressures, such as those produced by the combustion of
explosive mixtures of air and gas or oil vapours.
Dated this 13th day of December 1897.
ABEL & IMRAY,
Agents for the Applicant.
Method and Apparatus for Utilising Steam and Combustion Gases at
very High Pressures as Motive Power.
I, CARL HUBER, of I Graben No. 28, Vienna, Austria, Engineer, do hereby
declare the nature of this invention and in what manner the same is to be per-
formed, to be particularly described and ascertained in and by the following
statement:-
.
As is well known steam can be employed the more economically the higher
its temperature and pressure is at which it is used, this being due to the fact
that while for example the production of 1 kilo. of steam at 6 atmospheres
requires 0134 kilo. of coal, the production of 1 kilo. at 50 atmospheres only requires
0140 kilo. of coal, that is, only 0·006 kilo. more than the steam at 6 atmospheres.

page_text: It has however hitherto been impossible to avail oneself of the great economy
that would result from the use of steam at very high pressures, because on the
one hand if used in cylinder and piston engines it would act destructively
upon these on account of its high temperature and would require a very large
number of successive expansion cylinders. in order to utilise the motive power
to any practical extent. On the other hand, when used in rotary motors, such
as turbines and the like, these would require to run at enormously high speed
because such high pressure steam possessing no mass, would have to operate with
very great velocity in order to produce any degree of useful effect.
Now according to my present invention I overcome the above mentioned
difficulties and enable steam at very high temperatures and pressures to be use-
fully employed in connection with rotary motors or turbines by causing the
steam on its way to the motor to come into contact with and impart its velocity
to a body of a suitable heavy fluid at a high temperature, thus converting the
motive power represented by the very small mass of the steam moving at a very
high velocity into a power represented by a comparatively heavy mass moving
at a much lower velocity, the vis inertia of which body I then employ to act
upon a rotary motor or turbine of any suitable known kind.
It will be obvious that apparatus can be constructed in a great variety of ways
for carrying out my said invention. Thus according to one arrangement I
cause the steam at very high pressure to be injected in a more
divided condition through a suitable nozzle or series of nozzles into a tubular
or less finely
chamber containing body of molten lead, tin, or other metal or mixture of
metals so as in impinging upon and carrying with it innumerable small par-
ticles of the metal to impart its velocity thereto and cause it to impinge upon
the blades of a turbine communicating with the tubular chamber, the turbine
being of any suitable known construction such as a series of alternate rings of
guide vanes and of turbine blades, through which the steam and molten metal
are caused to pass successively, so as by the energy represented by the vis inertia
of the metal to effect the rotation of the turbine at a practically moderate speed.
The tubular chamber and turbine may either be so arranged that the molten
metal is injected directly into the latter in the axial direction, or there may
be two opposite turbines combined on the same shaft and the steam jets and
tubular chamber be so arranged that the metal receives its impulse at an inter-
mediate point between the two, and then flows in divided streams through suit-
able channels to each turbine. By this means the detrimental end-pressure to
which a single turbine is subjected is entirely obviated, as the end pressure on
the one turbine is balanced by that on the other: The tubular chamber contain-
ing the molten metal is preferably enclosed within an outer jacket through which
hot combustion gases or other hot fluids may be made to circulate so as to main-
tain the necessary temperature.
On issuing from the discharge end of the turbine, the molten metal is caused
to flow through a channel back into the tubular chamber, so that one and the
same body of metal serves over and over again while the steam is led off to
wherever required for doing further duty if necessary.
In some cases I provide a series of such turbines or rotary motors, and I cause
the steam after having done duty in one motor to act in the same way but
at a correspondingly lower velocity upon a liquid body in connection with the
next motor, and so on until the energy of the steam has been practically
exhausted, the liquid body employed in each successive motor being one that
vill remain liquid at a correspondingly lower temperature than that in the
receding one. Other liquid bodies may be used besides molten metals, such as
alts in liquid form, or petroleum and other oils, that will not be decomposed
y the high pressure steam with which they are brought in contact.
As the air contained in or becoming mixed with the steam would be liable
o oxidise metals such as lead, I counteract this effect by introducing into the

page_text: tubular chamber from time to time carbonaceous material, such as a hydro-
carbon liquid, that will have the effect of reducing the oxides formed. Or a
small quantity of such liquid may be introduced together with the steam.
Although I have spoken more particularly of turbines, it is to be understood
that any other kind of rotary motor may be used for the purposes of any in-.
vention in which the propulsion is effected by the vis inertice of the motor fluid,
such as a bucket wheel acted upon by a tangential jet of fluid, and the like.
Instead of steam at very high pressures may also be employed gases at very
high temperatures and pressures, such as those produced by the combustion of
explosive mixtures of air and gas or oil vapours.
On the accompanying drawings are shewn by way of example three construc-
tions of motor engines operating according to my above described invention
Fig. 1 shews a longitudinal section of a vertically arranged single turbine
engine, while Fig. 2 shews a horizontally arranged double turbine engine and
Fig. 3 shews a vertical section of a motor with tangent action.
con-
In Fig. 1, the outer casing A, which is jacketted and heated to the required
degree by any suitable heating fluid, contains a central inner casing A¹
nected thereto by ribs and within which is the turbine motor C and its guide
vanes D. Below the turbine motor is a central block A2 connected to the cas-
ing A by ribs, and serving as a bearing for the motor shaft E to which the
turbine C is fixed and which passes through a stuffing box bearing A³ at top of
the casing A.
The turbine C consists of a number of separate discs with blades secured on
the shaft E by a screw nut E¹ as shewn, and the intermediate guide vanes D
between each two turbine discs are carried by corresponding rings fixed in the
casing A¹.
The lower end of the casing A¹ is fixed to a nozzle piece, consisting firstly of
an annular chamber F and secondly a central nozzle F¹, the lower part F of
which is fixed in the lower end of the casing A.
This lower part has firstly a central passage f communicating with a steam
supply pipe G, and secondly an annular passage f¹, communicating on the
one hand by side openings with the passage f and on the other hand by means
of the hollow ribs with the annular chamber F, so that steam passes from G
both up through fand the perforations of the nozzle F¹, and through the ribs f
into chamber F from which it issues through the perforations into the annular
space between F and F¹.
The supply of steam through the nozzle is controlled by a valve H. The
annular space between the casings A and A¹ being filled with liquid material
such as molten lead, it will be seen that on admitting steam through the pipe G
the steam jets issuing in an upward direction from F and F¹, will propel the
liquid upward and through the turbine C, from the upper end of which the liquid
will flow back into the annular space, while the steam will escape through the
outlet at I. The liquid will descend to the bottom of the casing again and
entering the space between F and F through the lateral openings shewn, will
again be propelled upward by the steam.
In the double motor shewn at Fig. 2 precisely the same action takes place.
The molten metal or other liquid being contained in the jacketted tubular cas-
ing A, in the middle of which is arranged the steam nozzle F1 and annular
steam chamber F, supplied by the branch pipe G the steam from which propels
the liquid into the annular chamber A¹ in which the steam and liquid flow in
either direction to the two opposite turbines C, which are fixed on one and the
same shaft E, so that the end pressure exerted in the one direction is balanced
by the same pressure in the contrary direction.
On issuing from the outer ends of the turbines the steam escapes through
the branch pipes I while the liquid flows back into the tubular casing A. The
turbines C and guide vanes D are built up of discs and rings in the same manner
as described with reference to Fig. 1. The turbine shaft E is enclosed in a

page_text: tubular casing A3 which is fixed in the part A³ connected by ribs to the casing A¹.
Fig. 3 only differs from the preceding arrangements in that the combined liquid
and steam jets act upon the blades or buckets C¹ of a motor wheel C instead of
on a turbine. The arrangement of the jacketted casing A containing the molten
metal or other liquid in its lower part, and the compound nozzle F, F' supplied
with steam and liquid respectively through pipe G and orifices f operate sub-
stantially the same as previously described. 1 is the steam outlet.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of this
invention and in what manner the same is to be performed, 1 declare that what
I claim is:
-
1. The herein described method of utilizing steam and combustion gases at
high pressures and temperatures as motive power, which consists in causing
such steam or gases on their way to a rotary or turbine motor to come in con-
tact with and impart velocity to a dense fluid at about the same temperature
as the steam or gases, the vis inertia of which fluid is then made to act upon
the said motor.
2. A rotary motor operating according to the method referred to in the first
claim, wherein the steam or gas at high pressure is made to issue in divided
streams into a heated chamber containing molten metal or other suitable fluid
material so as to propel this through a channel on to the blades of a turbine
or series of turbines, through which the steam or gas together with the molten
metal pass, in imparting rotation thereto, while the molten metal on issuing
from the turbine or turbines, is led through a channel back into the heated
chamber, the steam or gas being led away elsewhere substantially as described.
3. The combination of two rotary motors such as are referred to in the first
and second claims, in such manner that the two turbine chambers have their
turbines mounted on one and the same shaft and are arranged with their inlet
ends facing each other and both communicating by one and the same central
channel with the middle portion of a heated chamber containing the molten
metal or other material so that the high pressure steam or gas entering the
heated chamber at such point, propels the molten metal in opposite directions
along such central channel simultaneously into each of the turbine motors, the,
molten metal issuing from the outer discharge ends of the motors being led
back through channels to the two ends of the heated chamber while the steam
or gas is led off elsewhere through branch channels, substantially as described.
4. The combination of two or more rotary motor engines such as are referred
to in the first and second claims, in such manner that the high pressure steam
or gases on issuing from the one motor pass into the heated chamber of the next
motor containing fluid material that will remain in a molten condition at a
temperature lower than that of the material in the heated chamber of the first
motor, so as to correspond with the reduced temperature of the steam or gas
acting thereon, substantially as described.
5. In rotary motor engines such as are referred to in the preceding claims,
preventing the oxidation of the molten metal or other medium employed by
introducing into the heated chamber carbonaceous material that will effect the
reduction of any oxides formed, substantially as described.
Dated this 13th day of September 1898.
ABEL & IMRAY,
Agents for the Applicant.