MENTS IN APPARATUS FOR GENERATING STEAM, OR FOR GENERATING AND SUPERHEATING STEAM"
Year: 1862

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Alexander William Williamson, of University
College, in the County of Middlesex, for the Invention of "IMPROVE
MENTS IN APPARATUS FOR GENERATING STEAM, OR FOR GENERATING AND
SUPERHEATING STEAM"
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Alexander William
Williamson at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his
Petition, on the 8th March 1862.
I, ALEXANDER WILLIAM WILLIAMSON, of University College, in the County
of Middlesex, do hereby declare the nature of the said Invention for
"IMPROVEMENTS IN APPARATUS FOR GENERATING STEAM, OR FOR GENERATING AND
SUPERHEATING STEAM," to be as follows -
I employ a number of tubes of moderate diameters, either made by drawing
or welding when they have to stand a very great internal pressure, or formed
of rivetted plates when they are employed for lower pressures, which tubes
will afford considerable strength with only a moderate thickness of metal;
each of these tubes is made to act as a steam boiler, or combined steam boiler
and superheater, being so arranged in a vertical or more or less slanting
position. that the water contained in the same is at one end and the steam at
the other end, or chiefly so. These boilers are connected together at their
lower ends by means of tubes of greater or less diameter, through which they
are supplied with water. In order to give stability these boilers are firmly
fixed at the lower end, and are only so far supported or confined at the upper
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page_text: end as to prevent inconvenient movement, but not to prevent or impede their
lengthening by expansion. The rigid connection at the lower end is effected
either by a direct connection to a foundation without putting any strain on
the connecting pipes supplying the water, or the boilers are firmly attached
to connecting pipes of such strength as to hold them securely to the
foundation. The steam is taken from the upper end of each of these boilers
by means of a curved pipe of copper or thin iron sufficiently long to admit
of its yielding without injurious strain to the expansion of the boiler. These
small steam pipes open into larger ones, which convey the steam to wherever
required. The furnace is so arranged that the flames first strike against
the lower part of these boilers containing the water, and pass through
spaces left between then either directly to the flue or uptake, or else to
the upper part of the boilers containing the steam, which by this means
becomes superheated. The connecting pipes supplying the water are so
arranged as to be protected from the heat of the furnace.
A convenient method of carrying out the before-described principles of
construction may be, attained as follows:-I fix a number of the before-
described boilers in a row into a strong cast or wrought iron connecting pipe,
in such a manner that a small space intervenes between each successive boiler.
For the convenience of fixing, these boilers are made tapering or conical at
the end by which they are fixed into the connecting pipe, which is provided
with a corresponding number of short branches. Three such rows of boilers
with their connecting pipes I place in close contiguity one behind the other,
so as to form one block of boilers, such that the spaces between the boilers
in each row are opposite the spaces in the other rows. This block of boilers
I place in a slanting position, the strong connecting pipes resting upon and
secured to suitable foundations. By the side of this block of boilers I place a
second similar block of boilers, the strong connecting pipes at the bottom of
the one block being parallel to the corresponding connecting pipes of the
other block, and at such a distance from each other as to leave sufficient space
for the furnace, as herein-after described, the boilers of the one block leaning
over the furnace towards the boilers of the other block, and leaving a space
between the tops of each block sufficient for the uptake. These blocks are
supported at the top in this position by suitable stays, in such a manner that
each boiler has perfect freedom to expand lengthways by theaction of the heat,
whilst they are prevented from shifting bodily from the position in which they
are held. To the upper end part of each individual boiler I attach a copper
steam pipe, which is bent backwards away from the centre between the two
blocks of boilers, and is attached in an oblique direction to a main steam pipe

page_text: fixed on the outer side of each blook of boilers. The three connecting pipes
to each block of boilers intercommunicate by means ofother small connnecting
pipes. In the space at the bottom between the two sloping blocks of boilers
I construct one or more fire-grates, on each side of which is a bridge of fire-
brick of such a height as to protect the connecting pipes from the effect of the
heat. Immediately over the fire-grate or fire-grates I construct a shield or
shields formed of iron, protected by fire-clay which rises or rise from the
centre of the fire-grate or fire-grates, and passes or pass in a curved form over
to either block of boilers, thus causing the flame to pass into the narrow space
between the boilers which constitute so many small flues. In order to protect
the shield from the heat, as also to aid the combustion of the fuel it is
perforated with a number of small holes, through which air is made to pass
into the fire-grate. The middle portion of that surface of each block which
slopes over the fire-grate is covered with sheet iron, by which the flame is
prevented from passing out from the above-named small flues into the central
space until near the top of the boilers, by which the steam in the same
becomes superheated. On emerging from between the boilers the heated
gases are guided upwards by another shield into a flue which conducts them
into the chimney or uptake. The before-mentioned small flues between the
boilers are covered in at the top by means of plates, which can be removed
for the purpose of clearing the flues of soot. The whole arrangement is
surrounded by a suitable wrought-iron casing.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent,
filed by the said Alexander William Williamson in the Great Seal
Patent Office on the Sth September 1862.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, 1, ALEXANDER
WILLIAM WILLIAMSON, of University College, in the County of Middlesex,
send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her Letters
Patent, bearing date the Eighth day of March, in the year of our Lord
One thousand eight hundred and sixty-two, in the twenty-fifth year of
Her reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant unto
me, the said Alexander William Williamson, Her special licence, that I, the
said Alexander William Williamsou, iny executors, administrators,and assigns,
or such others as I, the said Alexander William Williamson, my executors,
administrators, and assigns, should at any time agree with, and no others,

page_text: 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 "IMPROVEMENTS IN APPARATUS POR GENE-
RATING STEAM, OR FOR GENERATING AND SUPERHEATING STEAM," upon the
condition (amongst others) that I, the said Alexander William Williamson,
my executors or administrators, by an instrument in writing under my, or
their, or one of their hands and seals, should particularly describe and
ascertain the nature of the said Invention, and in what manner the 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 Alexander William Williamson, 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 thereof, reference being had to the accom-
panying Drawing, and to the figures and letters of reference marked
thereon (that is to say):-
I employ a number of tubes of moderate diameters either made by drawing
or welding when they have to stand a very great internal pressure or formed
of rivetted plates when they employed for low pressures, which tubes will
afford considerable strength with only a moderate thickness of metal, each
of these tubes is made to act as a steam boiler or combined steam boiler, and
superheated, being so arranged in a vertical or more or less slanting position,
that the water contained in the same is at one end and the steam at the
other end, or chiefly so. These boilers are connected together at their lower
ends by means of tubes of greater or less diameter or size through which they
are supplied with water. In order to give stability, these boilers are firmly
fixed at the lower end, and are only so far supported or confined at the upper
end as to prevent inconvenient movement, but not to prevent or impede their
lengthening by expansion. The rigid connection at the lower end is effected
either by a direct connection to a foundation without putting any strain on the
connecting pipes supplying the water, or the boilers are firmly attached to
connecting pipes of such strength as to hold them securely to the foundation.
The steam is taken from the upper end of each of these boilers by means of a
curved pipe of copper or thin iron sufficiently long to admit of its yielding
without injurious strain to the expansion of the boiler. These small steam
pipes open into large ones, which convey the steam to wherever required.
The furnace is so arranged that the flames first strike against the lower part

page_text: of the boilers containing the water, and pass through spaces left between
them either directly to the flue or uptake or else to the upper part of the
boilers containing the steam, which by this means becomes superlicated. The
connecting pipes supplying the water are so arranged as to be protected
from the heat of the furnace.
Figures 1 to 5 on the accompanying Drawing represent one arrangement
of my improved boiler; Figure 1 shews a part end elevation of the same, and
part transverse section on line X, X, Figure 2; Figure 2 shows a longitudinal
section through the boiler on line Y, Y, Figure 1; Figure 3 shews a sec-
tional plan on line Z, Z, Figure 1, the same letters of reference indicate the
same parts in each of the Figures. A number of steam generators A, A, A,
A, A', A', consisting of thin wrought-iron tubes with internal flanges at either
end are connected in rows by their lower ends to strong cast-iron connecting
or foundation pipes B, B, B, B, over corresponding openings formed in the
latter, each tube A being thereby made to communicate through openings
in the bottom flange with the interior of the pipes B, B. Three such rows
are placed in close contiguity one behind the other in a slanting position on
either side of the furnace, which consists of four separate fire-grates C, C, C, C.
The steam generators A, A, A, A, forming the two inner rows on either
side of the furnace are fixed at such distances apart to their respective
connecting tubes that small spaces a, a, a, a, intervene between each two
tubes of each row, and each two rows are so arranged that the spaces are.
opposite cach other. The two outer rows A', A', are sometimes made of a
somewhat enlarged diameter as shewn so as to leave no spaces between the
Lubes, and thus form close walls of tubes preventing the flames from the fire
passing through. The strong connecting pipes B, B, B1, B1, are secured to
cast-iron saddles or framing D, D, which support the same, and which are
themselves fixed to the foundation. The connecting pipes B, B', are protected
from the heat of the fire by the fire-brick bridges E, E, each set of three on
either side of the furnace is connected together, and made to intercommunicate
at either end by a separate casting F, F, having passages, as shewn more
clearly in an enlarged sectional plan of the connection at Figure 4, being
bolted to the open ends of the same. By this arrangement the water contained
in each of the steam generators, and each of the connecting pipes of each
block is in communication with that contained in the others, and complete
circulation of the same is thus effected. The feed water is introduced into
the connecting pipes B, B, through branch pipes Q, Q. To the upper end
of each steam generator A, A', is connected a curved steam pipe G of small
diameter, and made of thin wrought iron or copper, the other ends of which

page_text: e
is connected to a branch / formed on the main steam pipe H, H, fixed one on
either side of the boiler, which serve to conduct the steam to wherever required.
The steam generators A, A', are supported at their upper ends in the position
shewn by means of stays from the casing I, in such a manner as to be prevented
from having any inconvenient side motion, but at the same time to have
perfect freedom to move lengthways owing to the expansion of the tube by
heating, the form and construction of the small steam pipes G, G, being such
as readily to allow of this motion without straining any of the connections.
The manner in which I prefer to connect the steam pipes G to the steam
generators A, A', as also the connection of these latter with the cast-iron
connecting tubes B, B, is shewn more clearly in the enlarged section at
Figure 5. The bolts b, b, are screwed into threaded holes partially tapped
through the upper internal flange C of the tube A, and pass through the
flange g of the pipe G, on the top of which they receive nuts for bringing
the flange tight against the conical projection on the top of c forming
thus a perfectly steam-tight joint. In a similar manner the bolts d, d, are
screwed into threaded holes tapped partially through the lower internal flange
of the tube A, and pass through holes formed in bosses cast on the
outside of the connecting pipes B, at the under side of which they receive nuts
to draw the tube A tight down upon the upper surface of the same, the flange
being provided with a circular conical projection to form a perfectly tight
joint. From the fire-brick wall J dividing the fire-grates longitudinally fire-
brick arches K, K, are made to pass over to either side abutting against each
block of steam generators. By this arrangement the flame is conducted from
the fire over to and among the tubular steam generators A, A, imparting heat
to them, and then rising up through the small spaces a, a, a, to the upper
part of the same containing the steam. The flames or hot products of com-
bustion are prevented from passing from among the steam generators A, A,
into the space O above the furnace on their way to the uptake, excepting
through the openings left between the top of the sloping shields L, L, and the
lower edges of the plates M, M, which confine the upper ends of the steam
generators A, A'; by this means the hot gases are retained among the upper
ends of the steam generators A, A', containing the steam, which thereby becomes
somewhat superheated. The products of combustion, after having thus given
off a great portion of their heat, escape through the passage R to the
uptake U,which passes through the casing I in a conical form, and is attached
to the sheet iron forming the passage R, so as to prevent the smoke and hot
gases from passing into the spaces over the top of the tubular boilers con-
taining the steam pipes G and H. For the same purpose the small passages

page_text: The
a, a, a, between the tubes A, A, are closed at their upper ends by means of
plates k, k, which plates can be removed when the passages a, a, a, require
clearing, the top of the casing I being made to open for this purpose.
fire-brick wall V, dividing the furnace in a transverse direction, also divides
each block of boilers into two sets. It is carried by a cast-iron framing W,
which passes right across the boiler, forming at the same time the centre
support for the connecting pipes B, B, and binding the two sides together.
The end supports D for these pipes are also connected across by means of
suitable tie rods S, S; 1, 7, are the doors to the furnace.
Figures 6 and 7 stew another arrangement of my improved boiler; Figure G
shews a transverse section of the same; and Figure 7 shews a sectional plan
on line X, X. In this arrangement the wrought-iron tubular steam generators
A, A, A, are somewhat contracted at their lower ends, and are screwed into
branches formed on wrought-iron cylindrical connecting tubes B, B, B. Four
rows of such steam generators are here shewn arranged on either side of the
furnace C, C, which, as in the first-described arrangement, is divided by brick
walls D, D, into four separate fire-grates.
The tubes B, B, are protected
from the fire by the fire-brick bridges E, E, and are carried by the frames
F, F. The tubular steam generators A, A, lean over the furnace from either
side, and are supported at their upper ends by suitable stays so as to prevent
all motion excepting that resulting from their expansion lengthways by the
action of the heat. The upper ends of the tubes are provided with flexible
steam pipes G connected to main steam pipes H, as in the first-described
arrangement. Fire-brick arches J are provided for guiding the flames from
the furnace among the tubes, between each of which small spaces exist in the
three inner rows, whilst the two outer rows A', A', are made of enlarged
diameter so as to form close walls, as before described, with reference to the
first arrangement. The sheet-iron casing K prevents the flames from passing
from among the tubes until they arrive at the upper ends of the same con-
taining the steam, which thereby becomes somewhat superheated. The hot
products of combustion pass thence into the flue L, which conducts them
into the uptake U. The top of the casing I can be opened for the purpose
of cleaning the passage a, a, a, between the tubes, which passages are
closed at top by removeable plates M. Q, Q, are the feed pipes for supplying
water to the tubes B, B¹.
Instead of contracting the tubes A at their lower ends, and cutting an
external thread upon them, I sometimes form them with an internal flange,
in which is cut a female screw, and into which the branches on the connecting
pipes B, B, are screwed, as shewn in detail in Figure 8; or I sometimes

page_text: form strong external flanges upon the lower ends of the tubes A, A, as shewn
in Figure 9, by which they are bolted down separatoly to the foundation C,
small connecting pipes B for supplying the tubes with water being bolted
to internal flanges formed in the same.
Having now described the nature of the said Invention, and in what
manner the same is to be performed, I wish it to be understood that I do not
limit myself to the precise arrangements, as described and shewn on the
accompanying Drawing, as these may be variously modified without departing
from the nature of my Invention; but what I claim is the construction of
boilers, wherein a number of slanting or vertical tubes, each acting as a
separate steam generator, are firmly connected, either directly or indirectly,to
a foundation at their lower ends, and are there made to intercommunicate by
having connecting pipes attached to them for supplying the feed water whilst
the upper ends of such tubes have no rigid connections, and are free to
expand in the direction of their length, the steam being conducted from
such upper ends by means of small curved flexible pipes attached thereto
which conduct the steam into main steam pipes, substantially as herein-
before described with reference to the accompanying Drawing.
In witness whereof, I, the said Alexander William Williamson, have
hereunto set my hand and seal, this l'ourth day of September, in the
year of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and sixty-two.
ALEX W. WILLIAMSON. (L.S.)