IMPROVEMENTS IN STEAM CONDENSERS
Year: 1874

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Alexander Melville Clark, of 53, Chancery Lane,
-
in the County of Middlesex, Patent Agent, for the Invention of
"IMPROVEMENTS IN STEAM CONDENSERS." A communication from
abroad by Edwin Orlando Brinckerhoff, of the City, County, and
State of New York, United States of America.
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION filed by the said Alexander Melville Clark
at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with bis Petition
and Declaration, on the 8th December 1874, pursuant to the
9th Section of the Patent Law Amendment Act, 1852.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, ALEXANDER
MELVILLE CLARK, of 53, Chancery Lane, in the County of Middlesex,
Patent Agent, send greeting.
WHEREAS I am in possession of an Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN
STEAM CONDENSERS," and have petitioned Her Majesty to grant unto me,
my executors, administrators, and assigns, Her Royal Letters Patent
for the same, and have made solemn Declaration that it has been com-

page_text: municated to me from abroad by Edwin Orlando Brinckerhoff, of the
City, County, and State of New York, United States of America.
NOW KNOW YE, that I, the said Alexander Melville Clark, do hereby
declare that the following Complete Specification, under my hand and
seal, fully describes and ascertains the nature of the said Invention, and
in what manner the same is to be performed, in and by the following
statement, reference being had to the accompanying Sheet of Drawings
and to the letters and figures marked thereon (that is to say)
This Invention has for its object to furnish an improved condenser
for condensing the exhaust steam of steam engines, which shall be so
constructed as to condense the steam so rapidly as to render unnecessary
the use of air or vacuum pumps.
The Invension consists in the condenser formed by the combination
of the two concentric cases, having a water space between their tops,
bottoms, and sides, the pump provided with supply pipes and discharge
pipes, the U pipes one or more, the coiled pipe, the waste pipes, and
the condensed steam pipes, with each other and with the exhaust steam
pipe in the combination of the box or hollow table with the coiled
pipe, the inner case, the U pipe and the branch waste pipe of the con-
denser, as hereafter fully described, and in the outer case surrounding
the mechanism of a steam condenser in such a way as to form a water
space upon the top, bottom, and sides of said condenser.
In the accompanying Drawings Figure 1 is a top view of the
improved condenser, the tops of the outer and inner cases being
removed; Figure 2 is a vertical section of the same taken through the
line x, x, Figure 1. Similar letters of reference indicate corresponding
parts.
A and B are two steam and water tight cases or chambers placed the
one within the other, and which may be made rectangular, cylindrical,
or of any other desired form. The inner case B is supported upon
short legs b', and is made of such a size that a space may be left
between the tops, bottoms, and sides of the said cases, as shown in
Figures 1 and 2. C is a double acting pump, the piston of which is
designed to be connected with and operated from the walking beam or
some other part of the engine. D is the supply pipe for the pump C,
the outer end of which is designed to be connected with a well, cistern,

page_text: tank, or other supply of cold water. The inner end of the pipe D
is branched and is connected with the pump O above and below its
piston. With the pump C, above and below its piston, are connected
the ends of the branches of the discharge pipe E. With the discharge
pipe E is connected an air chamber F to make the discharge of the
water continuous. The other end of the discharge pipe E is branched
and the ends of its branches are connected with two U pipes G. The
upper end of one of the U pipes G, and the lower end of the other pass
through the side wall of the outer case A, and discharge the cold
water into the space between the cases A and B, whence it escapes con-
tinuously through the waste pipe H. The upper end of the other
U pipe G passes through the walls of both the cases A, B, and is con-
nected with the upper end of the coiled pipe I placed within the inner
case B, and the lower end of which is connected with the steam and
water-tight box J, upon which the said coil I stands, and which is
supported a little above the bottom of the said inner case B by short
legs, as shown in Figure 2. The lower end of the other U pipe G passes
through the walls of both the cases A, B, and enters the box or hollow
table J, so as to discharge a stream of cold water directly into the
said box J. From the box J the water escapes continuously through
the branch waste pipe h³, which passes out through the walls of the
cases B, A, and the outer end of which is connected with the waste
pipe H. K is the exhaust steam pipe, which passes in through the tops
of the cases A, B, and discharges the exhaust steam into the upper part
of the inner case B, where it is immediately condensed by the streams
of cold water passing continuously through the space between the
cases A, B, through the coil I, and through the box or hollow table J.
The water or condensed steam passes out through the pipes L, from
which it passes to the feed water chamber to be forced into the boiler.
'
In some cases the box or hollow table J need not be used, in which
case the lower end of the coil I will be connected directly with the
branch waste pipe h¹, and only one of the U pipes G will be required.
Having described the nature of the Invention, and the manner of
performing the same, I declare that what I claim as new and desire to
secure by Letters Patent is,-
1st. The condenser formed by the combination of the concentric

page_text: the pump C provided with supply pipes D and discharge pipes E, the
U pipes G, one or more, the coil I, the waste pipes H, h², and the
condensed steam pipes L with each other and with the exhaust steam
pipe K of an engine, substantially as herein shown and described.
2ndly. The combination of the box or hollow table J with the coil I, à
the inner case B, the U pipe G, and the branch waste pipe h¹ of the
condenser, substantially as herein shown and described.
3rdly. The outer case A surrounding the mechanism of a steam con-
denser in such a way as to form a water space upon the top, bottom,
and sides of said condenser, substantially as herein shown and described. 1
In witness whereof, I, the said Alexander Melville Clark, have
hereunto set my hand and seal, this Eighth day of December, in
the year of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and seventy-
four.
Witness,
HY. SWALES,
53, Chancery Lane,
London.
A. M. CLARK. (L.S.)