AN IMPROVED METHOD OF CONDENSING STEA■
Year: 1875

page_text: PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by Alfred Norfolk at the Office of
the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on the 21st
June 1875.
I, ALFRED NORFOLK, of Ross, in the County of Hereford, do hereby
declare the nature of the said Invention for "AN IMPROVED METHOD OF
CONDENSING STEA■,” to be as follows :-
-
The condenser to be used condenses steam upon a surface of copper
or any other good heat conducting material.
The form the condenser may be cylindrical, globular, flat, or other-
wise.
The size and length of the condenser and its appurtenances must be
according to the quantity of steam to be condensed.
1st. The cylindrical form of condenser consists of a double or twofold
cylinder, or one cylinder enclosing the other, the outer and the inner.
There must be a space between the outer & inner cylinders, which
is to be kept filled with water; this water is the receptacle for the heat
of the steam on condensation, the heat of the steam passing through the

page_text: condensing surface or plate into it. The water must therefore be
renewed with cooler water from some available source as required to
facilitate condensation. The inside surface of the inner cylinder is the
surface on which the steam is condensed. Inside this inner cylinder is
placed a perforated pipe or tube connected with the exhaust pipe or port
of the steam engine or other apparatus, from whence the steam comes to
be condensed. The perforated pipe is not to touch the condensing
surface which surrounds it, but there must be a space between, sufficient
for the steam to spray from the holes of the perforated pipe upon the
condensing surface.
The steam to be condensed is conducted into the perforated pipe, and
thence through its perforations on to the condensing surface, and is
there condenced. It is necessary therefore that the size of the perforated
pipe and its perforations should be sufficient to convey all the steam to
be condensed.
The condensed steam or liquid accruing from condensation escapes by
means of an outlet or pipe for that purpose at the lower end of the
condenser, and may flow away spontaneously or be pumped therefrom
by a pump commonly termed an "air pump," which when used keeps
the interior of the condenser void of air, and thereby prevents the
pressure of the atmosphere upon the piston of the steam engine with
which the condenser may be connected.
The condensed steam or steam water may be used over and over
again, and may be pumped directly from the condenser into the boiler
again, or (when taken from the condenser sufficiently cool) may be used
to renew the water between the cylinders of the condenser, and there
receive fresh heat, and from thence be pumped into the boiler again, or
used for other purposes, or be allowed to flow away.
Should the condenser used be a long one in a vertical position, the
condensed steam (generated in the upper part of the condenser) while
streaming down the condensing surface, may be liable to be overheated
ere it reaches the bottom of the condenser by the sprays of uncondensed
steam playing into it. To prevent this a small shelf or trough is
attached to the condensing surface part way down it. This shelf or
trough either precipitates the condensed steam from the upper part of
the condenser to the bottom, or conveys it into a pipe, which further

page_text: conveys it to its final outlet. When such long condenser is in an oblique
or horizontal position a pipe will suffice to convey away the condensed
steam from the influence of the uncondensed, as shown in Figure 3.
These shelves, troughs, or pipes, are to be used as often as found
necessary in these condensers, for the quicker the condensed steam is
removed from the condensing surface the cooler it will be, and the
temperature of the condensing surface more uniform.
2nd. The globular form of condenser consists of three globes, one
within the other, having water between the outer and next inner globe,
and a perforated globe innermost. These condensers condense steam in
a similar manner to that of the cylindrical form, their inlets and outlets
being also similar..
.
Brd. In other forms of these condensers the steam to be condensed is
introduced into a space between two or more perforated plates, instead
of perforated pipe or globe. These perforated plates discharge the
steam through their perforations on to corresponding sized condensing
surfaces in the same manner as the perforated pipe or globe in the
afore described condensers, with similar inlets and outlets.
When condensing surfaces are of large area, and the inside of a
condenser made void of air by the air pump, it may be necessary to
attach supports to the condensing surfaces to prevent them from
collapsing from the atmospheric pressure on their exterior surfaces. But
when a condenser is placed high above its feed water, the condensing
surface will need no supports, for the pressure of the atmosphere will be.
mitigated by lifting or supporting a higher column of water.
The object of the perforated pipe, globe, or plate in a condenser is
to spray all the steam to be condensed, so that every particle of it may
be brought into direct contact with the surface that is to condense it.
The main object to be attained by all spray surface condensers is that
of economy. This is effected by these condensers in the following
ways:-

page_text: perforated pipe; 0, 0³, main outlet pipe for condensed steam; 8, 8³,
branch outlet pipe for condensed steam, to hasten condensed steam from
the interior of condenser.
Figure 4 represents the exterior form of condenser described in
Figure 8. The bend in pipe 8, 8, at T is to hold water to prevent steam
passing from.condenser; P, pump (may be placed elsewhere & pipe
used to convey the water from A, A, to that pump). An air pump
may be attached to pipe 0, 0, when vacuum is required.