IMPROVEMENTS IN TURBINES."
Year: 1873

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Frank Wirth, of the Firm of Wirth & Company,
Patent Agency, at Frankfort-on-the-Maine (Germany), for the Inven-
tion of "IMPROVEMENTS IN TURBINES."-A communication from Edward
Sealed the 5th December 1873, and dated the 21st June 1873.

page_text: "
side of the following float, forming thus a dead space between the stream
of water and the convex side of the float. When the turbine acts in
standing water the stream is interupted because the above-mentioned
dead space is filled with back water. The effect of the turbine is thereby
diminished, as formerly acknowledged by Poncelet. This disadvantage
is removed by the use of a reverse and ventilating float, herein-after
described.
Second. If the back water rises, not only the effect of turbines,
but also their velocity is diminished, partly because the water in the
directrix, instead of moving with the pressure of the atmosphere, flows in
a space with compressed air, and therefore a lesser outflow of water from
the directrix takes place. Therefrom arises a lesser velocity of the
turbine, and the true velocity can only be obtained by a disproportionate
quantity of water. There is thus a lesser pressure on the floats of the
turbine, and the water also rushes more rapidly out of the directrix by
reason of the compressed air in the bucketting. This evil is removed by
ventilation.
•
A turbine, constructed according to this Invention, consists in forming
what is termed a reverse float on the convex side of the usual float. This
reverse float has a port opening into the ordinary float or bucket, which
may be formed by a steel guard cast on the sides of the turbine. There
is an opening from the reverse float through the sides of the turbine,
through which the float or bucket is ventilated, the air passing through
the port or opening from the reverse float to the ordinary float. It will
thus be seen that the turbine bucketting is ventilated, and the evils
herein-before stated are avoided.
This arrangement of a ventilating reverse float may be applied to any
hydraulic impacting motor, with the advantages herein-before stated.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent,
filed by the said Frank Wirth in the Great Seal Patent Office on
'the 12th December 1873.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, FRANK
WIRTH, of the Firm of. Wirth and Company, Patent Agency, at Frank-
fort-on-the-Maine (Germany), send greeting.

page_text: WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her
Letters Patent bearing date the Twenty-first day of June, in the year of
our Lord One thousand eight hundred and seventy-three, in the thirty-
seventh year of Her reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors,
give and grant unto me, the said Frank Wirth, Her special licence
that I, the said Frank Wirth, my executors, administrators, and
assigns, or such others as I, the said Frank Wirth, 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 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 TURBINES,"
a communication from Edward Ohl, a person resident at Bischweiler
(Alsatia), upon the condition (amongst others) that I, the said Frank
Wirth, 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 Scal Patent Office within six calendar months next and
immediately after the date of the said Letters Patent.
NOW KNOW YE, that I; the said Frank Wirth, 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 :-
-
.
Turbines as at present constructed are detrimentally influenced by
two different causes,―
.
First. When the turbine works above standing water the stream
follows the concave sides of the floats, and does not touch the convex
side of the following float, forming thus a dead space between the stream
of water and the convex side of the float. When the turbine acts in
standing water the stream is interrupted because the above-mentioned
dead space is filled with back water. The effect of the turbine is thereby
diminished as formerly acknowledged by Poncilet. This disadvantage
is removed by the use of a reverse and ventilating float herein-after
described.
Second. If the back water rises not only the effect of turbines but
1:

page_text: directrix instead of moving with the pressure of the atmosphere flows in
a space with compressed air, and therefore a lesser outflow of water from
the directrix takes place. Therefrom arises a lesser velocity of the
turbine, and the true velocity can only be obtained by a disproportionate
quantity of water. There is thus a lesser pressure on the floats of the
turbine, and the water also rushes more rapidly out of the directrix by
reason of the compressed air in the bucketting. This evil is removed by
ventilation.
A turbine constructed according to this Invention consists in forming
what is termed a reverse float on the convex side of the usual float. This
reverse float has a port opening into the ordinary float or bucket, which
may be formed by a steel guard cast on the sides of the turbine. There
is an opening from the reverse float through the sides of the turbine,
through which the float or bucket is ventilated, the air passing through
the port or opening from the reverse float to the ordinary float. It will
thus be seen that the turbine bucketting is ventilated, and the evils
herein-before stated are avoided.
This arrangement of a ventilating reverse float may be applied to any
hydraulic impacting motor, with the advantages herein-before stated.
The before-going being the nature, object, and purposes of this Inven-
tion, I will now proceed to describe more in detail how the same may be
carried into practical effect, and for that purpose I have hereunto
attached a Sheet of Drawings, showing so much of a turbine as will
serve to illustrate this Invention to any person acquainted with the
manufacture of turbines.
Figure 1 is a sectional clevation, showing the interior of the floats or
blades constructed according to this Invention fitted with reverse
ventilating float.
Figure 2 is a sectional elevation, showing the exterior of the floats
or blades constructed according to this Invention fitted with reverse
ventilating float.
Upon reference to the Drawings, Figures 1 and 2, it will be seen that
what is termed a reverse float is formed on the convex side C, D, of the
usual float. This reverse float has a port H opening into the ordinary
bucket, which may be formed by a steel guard C. fixed on the sides of
the turbine. There is an opening A, A¹, from the reverse float through

page_text: the sides of the turbine, through which the float or bucket is ventilated, .
the air passing through the opening A and through the port H. It will
thus be seen that the turbine bucketting is ventilated. B shows the
concave side of the float.
It. may be remarked that the annexed Drawing illustrates floats
calculated for a turbine of the following dimensions :-――
Mean diameter
Extreme diameter
Inner diameter
2756-2"/
3106.2™
2406.2 ™/m.
m
The directrix has fifty-six floats forming fifty-four buckettings for the
forcing of water. The turbine has fifty floats. The quantity of water
tobe employed may be reckoned at 1800 litres per second and a fall of
1.15 metres.
Having now described and ascertained the nature, object, and purposes
of this Invention, and described how the same is to be put into practical
effect, what I claim as the Invention communicated to me by Edward
Ohl, and secured by Letters Patent as aforesaid is,―
First. Applying a reverse and ventilating float to turbines, substan-
tially in the manner described and illustrated, and for the purposes set
forth in the before-going Specification.
Secondly. Applying a reverse and ventilating float to all hydraulic
impacting motors, substantially in the manner described and illustrated
(for turbines) and for the purposes set forth in the before-going
Specification.
In witness whereof, I, the said Frank Wirth, have hereunto set
my hand and seal, this Sixth day of December, in the year of
our Lord One thousand eight hundred and seventy-three.