IMPROVEMENTS IN STEAM ENGINES
Year: 1860

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Alfred Vincent Newton, of the Office for Patents,
66, Chancery Lano, in the County of Middlesex, Mechanical Draughts-
man, for the Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN STEAM ENGINES," A com-
munication from abroad by Henry Waterman, of New York, in the
United States of America.
Sealed the 11th May 1860, and dated the 12th March 1860.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Alfred Vincent Newton
at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on the
12th March 1860.
I, ALFRED VINCENT NEWTON, of the Office for Patents, 66, Chancery
Lane, in the County of Middlesex, Mechanical Draughtsman, do hereby
declare the nature of the said Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS
ENGINES," to be as follows:-
STRAM
The object of this Invention is to render more efficient the application of
superheated steam to steam engines than by any other known plan. To this
end the steam cylinder side pipes and steam chests of the steam engine are
enveloped in a chainber, which is to be kept heated at a temperature at least
equal to that of the superheated steam when working the engine. By this
means the Inventor avoids the condensing effect of the surrounding atmosphere,
which if permitted to come in contact with any portion of the cylinder side
pipes or steam chests containing superheated steam, will reduce the tension

page_text: due to the superheat of the steam. The glands of the steam cylinder project
beyond the heating chamber to allow of their being readily got at without
removing the cover of the chamber. Connected with the heated chamber is a
pump or equivalent mechanism for discharging any water which may accu-
mulate therein, and which, if not discharged therefrom, would be interposed
between the lower part of the heated chamber and the steam introduced as the
heating medium in the chamber, and thus leave the metal of the lower part of
the chamber exposed to the cooling influence of the surrounding atmosphere,
which by causing the water to circulate, would have a tendency to cool the
cylinder, and thereby reduce the tension due to the superheat of the steam.
Within the heating chamber is a coiled pipe connected with the steam
chest, the upper end of the coil being placed just under the chamber cover.
This end of the coil is open, and provided with a cock or throttle valve,
the stem of which passes through the chamber cover, which is to be there
provided with a suitable stuffing box. The stein of this cock or throttle is
to be operated by hand or by the governor in the same manner as the
throttle of any other engine.
The steam for working the engine is admitted to the heating chamber, and
thence taken from the chamber through this throttle, and after circulating
through the coil, is admitted to the steam chests, and thence to the
cylinder.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent, filed
by the said Alfred Vincent Newton in the Great Seal Patent Office on
the 12th September 1860.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, 1, ALFRED
VINCENT NEWTON, of the Office for Patents, 66, Chancery Lane, in the County
of Middlesex, Mechanical Draughtsman, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her Letters
Patent, bearing date the Twelfth day of March, in the year of our Lord
One thousand eight hundred and sixty, in the twenty-third year of Her
reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant unto
me, the said Alfred Vincent Newton, Her special license that I, the said
Alfred Vincent Newton, my executors, administrators, and assigns, or such
others as I, the said Alfred Vincent 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

page_text: and lawfully might make, use, exercise, and vend, within the United King-
dom of Great Britain and Ireland, the Channel Islands, and Isle of Man,
an Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN STEAM ENGINES," being a communication
from abroad, upon the condition (amongst others) that 1, the said Alfred
Vincent 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 tho 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 Alfred Vincent Newton, 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, reference being had to the Drawing hereunto annexed,
and to the letters and figures marked thereon (that is to say) :-
"
66
In describing the improvements in steam engines, forming the subject of
the present Invention, the Inventor makes the following preliminary remarks:-
"I have, at considerable cost of time, labor, and mouey, constructed a purely
"experimentalcondensingsteam engine, with boiler aud appendages complete,
"for the purpose of ascertaining the best and most economical method of using
"steam, and have made long and careful experiments therewith which havo
"léd me to the discovery, 1st, that in all steam engines, according to size,
there is obtained only from one-half to two-thirds of the dynamic effect due
"to the water which disappears from the boiler,and which is generally assumed
"to have been evaporated, and that but a small portion of the loss is due to
"external radiation, even with unprotected cylinders, while with cylinders
thoroughlycovered on every part bya non-conducting substance, the loss from
"radiation is too small to be of material consequence. 2nd, that a slight
reduction in the temperature of the steam, while acting on the piston below
"the degree under which it was generated, is attended with a loss of dynamic
"effect orelastic force immenselydisproportionatetothe quantity of heatwhose
"loss has caused the said reduction of elastic force. 3rd, that if to steam, in
the said condition of having lost a few degrees of the temperature under
"which it was generated, such loss of temperature be restored, requiring for
"that purpose only a small pro-rata amount of caloric as compared with the
"total number of degrees of temperature employed in generating the steam,
"it will regain its full elastic force. 4th, that in order to prevent the said
"reduction of temperature and consequent loss of elastic force while the steam
"is passing through the engine, and which cannot be prevented by the mere
"use of non-conductors, every part of the engine through which such steam

page_text: 66
passes must be surrounded by a heating medium of a temperature at least
"equal to that under which such steam is generated. 5th, that with any
"known method of using steam other than my Invention, it is impracticable
"to prevent the said loss of heat before the action of the steam on the piston;
"for I have also discovered that if water be present in any part of the engine
through which the steam passes to work the engine, the heat applied to
prevent the loss of temperature will be taken up by such water, and be
thereby rendered latent instead of maintaining the temperature and elastic
"force of the steam working the engine."
"
16
In order, therefore, to give practical effect to this discovery, and as a means
of obtaining the full effect of the elastic pressure of steam, the Inventor
combines with the boiler and engine what he terms "a heat maintaining
apparatus." This apparatus consists of a casing which surrounds the entire
cylinder (circumference and heads) the steam chests, side pipes, and steam
pipe, and is so connected with the boiler, or with an auxiliary boiler, as to
envelope all the said parts of the engine, and connections with steam of the
temperature, or nearly the temperature of the steam generated in the boiler
for working the engine. By this means the steam generated in the boiler, in
its passage to and during the action in the engine, will be maintained at
maximum pressure, and the particles of water which pass over with the
steam from the boiler will be evaporated, and thus avoid the reduction of
pressure which otherwise would take place by reason of the expansion due
to wire drawing in passing to the cylinder.
In combination with the boiler and engine jacketted and surrounded by
steam, as above stated, is a coil of pipes or equivalent means for presenting
a large extent of heating surface within a small compass. The coil is placed
within the surrounding steam jacket, or within the steam chamber of the
boiler, so that it will be kept heated by steam either from the main boiler or
from an auxiliary boiler, and is so arranged that the steam in its passage into
this series of pipes (or their equivalent) shall be wire drawn, and in its passage
through the said pipes or equivalent shall be exposed to the re-heating
influence of the surrounding steam, and thereby restore the pressure lost by
wire drawing by evaporating the particles of water which pass over with
the steam, and the presence of which as water tends so much to the
reduction of the pressure, whilst at the same time the heat so applied acts
as a superheater to restore the steam so expanded to the temperature under
which it was generated in the boiler.
For separating the water from the steam, the casing of the heating appa-
ratus is made available as a chamber between the boiler and the steam valves,

page_text: in which the water carried over by and with the steam will be arrested, and
from which it is to be discharged, as the presence of water tends, as before
stated, to reduce the elastic force of the steam in passing through the
engine.
In the accompanying Drawings Fig. 1 is an elevation of part of a steam
engine with this Invention applied, and Fig. 2 is an elevation with the casing
in section, the better to exhibit the internal arrangement. The same letters
indicate like parts in all the Figures.
a represents the cylinder of a steam engine of any suitable construction,
and 6 the side pipes and steam chests, containing valves of any suitable con-
struction, and which, therefore, it is unnecessary to describe or represent. All
these parts and the steam pipe from the boiler are surrounded by a casing c,
leaving a chamber d all around and above and below, termed the heat-main-
taining apparatus. The top of this chamber, extending over the cylinder
head, is secured by bolts to the flanch of the cylindrical part of the surrounding
case, that it may be taken off to give access to the cylinder head :. It is
preferred to have the glands of the stuffing boxes fand g of the piston and
valve rods h, i, pass through the top of the casing, that they may be adjusted
without the necessity of taking off the top e
e
Near the top of the casing e there is a nozzlej, which is to communic.ite,
by a suitable pipe, with the upper part of a steam boiler, and within a short
distance of the bottom there is an exhaust pipe & leading to a condenser or
discharging into the atmosphere. The steam introduced through the nozzlej
circulates in the chamber d to keep that chamber and all within it at a
temperature, as nearly as may be, equal to that under which the steam is
generated in the boiler, and as the steam enters the chamber d near the top
any priming or other water that may pass over with the steam on entering
the heating chamber will fall to the bottom of the casing. For the purpose
of discharging this water periodically there is a small pump at the side of
the casing, which communicates with the lower part of the chamber d. The
piston rod m of the said pump is to receive motion at regular intervals from
some appropriate part of the engine, as that will be more convenient than
to operate it by hand, exposed as that would be to the negligence of the
engineer.
Within the chamber d is a coiled pipen (or equivalent means of presenting
a large extent of heating surface) connected with the valve chest. The upper
end of the coil is placed just under the top e of the casing. This end of the
coil is open, and provided with a cock or throttle valve, the stem o of which
passes through the top or cape of the casing, which is to be there provided

page_text: with a suitable stuffing box, and the stem of this cock or throttle is to be
operated by hand or by the governor in the same manner as the throttle of
any other engine. The steam for working the engine is admitted to the
chamber d, and thence taken from the chamber d through the throttle, by
which it is "wire drawn," as it is termed, and after circulating through the
coil it is.admitted to the valve chests, and thence to the cylinder. For the
facility of giving access to the inside of the chamber d, the casing e is
fitted with one or two doors o', o', bolted on in the manner of a man-hole
plate.
From the foregoing it will be seen that as the coiled pipen (which is really
the steam pipe), the side pipe valve chests, and cylinder are all enveloped in
steam of a temperature about equal to that in the boiler, and as the steam in
the parts so enveloped will be reduced in pressure and normal temperature by
the throttling at the entrance of the coil, the result will be that it will receive
heat from the steam of greater temperature surrounding these parts, and will
have all the water in it, whether due to condensation or to the versicular
condition, converted into pure steam and slightly superheated (according to
surface and difference of temperature within and without, so as to possess
the full elastic force due to the quantity of heat contained; and although it
will be best to encase all the parts of the engine with the said steam jacket,
nevertheless it will be obvious that omitting small portions would not materially
affect the result or the principle of the Invention.
Instead of employing steam from the same boiler in the manner above
described to supply the heat-maintaining apparatus, the steam for this purpose
may be taken from a small auxiliary boiler, in which it is to be kept at a
temperature at least equal to that of the main boiler supplying the cylinder.
Instead of the above mode, the coil of pipes may be placed within the
steam chamber of the boiler, in which case the steam chamber d, surrounding
the entire engine, is to communicate directly with the main boiler or with an
auxiliary boiler, and under such a modification it will be preferable to continue
the use of the throttle valve at the entrance of the coiled pipe.
It is preferred to employ the chamber d surrounding the cylinder as the
means of separating the water from the steam before it enters to work the
engine, and that for the following reason:-The steam enters this chamber
both for the supply of the cylinder, and to surround the steam pipes, side
pipes, valve chests, and cylinder, to keep them at the required temperature.
and before the steain enters the coil or steam pipe from this chamber to pass
to the cylinder, all the watery particles will be deposited in this chamber thus
separating in the one chamber the watery particles from the steam employed

page_text: to heat the cylinder and connections, as well as for working the engine; but
I do not wish to be understood as limiting my claim of Invention to this
mode of application, as a chamber for this purpose may be differently
located, and used only to separate the water from the steam which passes
through to work the engine.
Instead of the pumps above described for discharging any water which may
tend to accumulate in the heat-inaintaining apparatus, or in any part through
which steam passes, and the pressure of which is so objectionable, such water
may be led by suitable pipes to a closed reservoir containing a balance puppet
valve of the usual construction, and attached to a float. When the water rises
to the required height the float will be lifted, which will open the valve to
discharge the water into the hot well or directly to the force pump.
One meritof the present Invention is, that it obtains the maximum efficiency
heretofore aimed at, but not realized, by preceding superheating contrivances,
and that it is obtained without any of the dangers and mechanical difficulties
attending their use. Another merit of the Invention is, that for equal power
developed in engines there will only be required from one-half to two-thirds
the injection water needed with the usual manner of nozing steam, therefore
the same engine can be as efficiently worked with an air-pump and condenser
of less proportionate capacity, and with surface condousers of proportionally
less surface.
Having now set forth the nature of the Invention of improvements in
steam engines, as communicated to me by my foreign correspondent, and
explained the manner of carrying the same into effect, I wish it to be under-
stood that under the above in part recited Letters Patent, I claim the means,
substantially as herein-before set forth, for increasing the dynamic effect of
steam supplied to the cylinders of steam engines.
In witness whereof, I, the said Alfred Vincent Newton, have hereunto
set my hand and seal, this Twelfth day of September, in the year
of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and sixty.
Witness,
J. W. MOFFATT,
GG, Chancery Lane.
A. V. NEWTON. (S.)