AN IMPROVED BOILER FOR GENERATING STEAM
Year: 1857

page_text: (This Invention received Provisional Protection, but notice to proceed with the
application for Letters Patent was not given within the time prescribed
by the Act.)
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by Alexander Hédiard and Sénateur
Levieux at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with their
Petition, on the 9th September 1857.
.
We, ALEXANDER HEDIARD, Civil Engineer, and SENATEUR LEVIEUX,
Manufacturer, both of Paris, in the Empire of France, do hereby declare the
nature of the said Invention for "AN IMPROVED BOILER FOR GENERATING STEAM,"
to be as follows:-
This steam boiler or generator, the only one there is of the kind, is intended
to produce steam instantaneously, that is to say, the water injected into its
boiler tubes is immediately transformed into steam and raised to the highest
pressure, if required; its peculiar arrangement, which has nothing.in common
with ordinary boilers, obtains as results economy of fuel, impossibility of
bursting, lightness, easy, and inexpensive to repair, and of relatively very
reduced dimensions. In fact, the water is very much spread or distributed in
this apparatus on account of the combination of tubes and worms; for the
same reason the heating surfaces are considerably increased, whence arises the.
important economy of fuel. As regards explosions, which are so disastrous in
all steam-generating apparatus, they are completely neutralized by this new
process, even at a much higher pressure than required for industrial purposes;
this advantage is owing to the solidity of the worms, to the small quantity of
steam they contain, on account of the smallness of their capacity, and, to the

page_text: absence of a large accumulation of water and steam, as is the case in general.
Repairs are of very slight importance, the parts being of small dimensions
are easily connected or disconnected, and capable of being promptly repaired
or changed, & do not necessitate long stoppages, which generally increases the
already great expense necessary for the repairs. Its reduced size, united with
the economy of fuel, which requires a considerably less supply than ordinary
boilers, renders it indispensable for industrial purpose and for portability and
agriculture on account of its extreme lightness on railways, and particularly
in vessels where space is necessarily restricted.
In this description we have shown nine boiler tubes, but reserving to our-
selves the right of increasing or diminishing this number, according to the
power of the apparatus required, and also, if required, should experience
indicate the necessity, we put a sufficient number to obviate the use of
worms, in case the feeding can only be effected in one part of the tubes.
If practice should prove that in various cases the feed of water into the
boiler tubes is unequal, and cannot be sufficiently well regulated by the section
of the openings, we add a water gauge in each tube, which will shut the inlet
of water when it has reached the height deemed suitable, which will force the
water to enter into the tubes in which the same height has not been attained.
This arrangement in no way impedes the feeding, the pressure of the feeding
pump being always superior to that of the generator.
The brick furnace (Figures 1, 2, and 3) is simply to shew the simplicity of
the arrangement of our apparatus, and, in case diminution in price is required,
instead of the brickwork the furnace belonging to it may be of metal, having
double sides as at (Figure 4), between which the water from a water pump or
from a reservoir is injected from which the supply of the pump which feeds
the boiler tubes is derived. This part of our apparatus is attended with a
double advantage, firstly, it heats the feed water to a very high temperature,
which allows the calcareous matters kept suspended by the gases to settle
before it is fed into the tubes. The steam escaping from this water chamber
in urgent cases can be condensed either to serve as a supply for the feed, or to
serve in ships for the use of the crew, thus avoiding the necessity of having a
separatus distillery apparatus for that or for any other use, and this without
increasing the expenditure of fuel.
DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS.

page_text: D, ash-pit; E, fire bridge; F, damper; G, sheet iron chimney; H, feed pipe ;
I, conduct pipes distributing the water to be supplied in each of the tubes; J,
plung pipe dipping in the boiler tubes, so as to force the water which passes
through the lower part of the boiler tubes k to ascend between the plates of
L, and by the effect of the pressure spreading over the whole of its interior
heating surface, whereby it is put in ebullition; J', water gage; K, boiler
tubes; L, plate carrying the boiler tubes, and serving to put them into com-
munication with each other by means of conduct pipes arranged in its interior;
these conducts are shut at both ends by screw plugs, which can be removed
for cleaning when required; M, pipe fixed on the plate L at the highest point
of the conduct pipes indicated herein, and giving passage to the water in
ebullition or already vapourized; N, large tube receiving water by the pipe
M, and intended to receive the deposits which may be formed by the trans-
formation of the liquid into steam; it is furnished with a blow off cock; O, pipe
establishing communication between the large tube N and the other one P by
making two convolutions round the furnace; P, tubes dividing the steam into
the three worms Q, R, S. Q, R, S, worms, the interior of the coils of which
are traversed by the current of flame escaping from the furnace; they are
intended for superheating the steam, and for raising it to the degree of pressure
at which it is to be employed; T, tube similar to the one at P, but instead of
dividing and admitting the steam it concentrates it on leaving the worms, and
delivers it to the reservoir by the pipe; U, U, pipe conducting the steam to
the reservoir; V, reservoir of steam in direct communication with the machine;
X, steam supply pipe of the machine; Y, escape pipe; Z, safety valve.
We reserve to ourselves the right of adding to or modifying the above
described apparatus as may be found advantageous in practice.