MENTS IN SURFACE CONDENSERS AND Heaters
Year: 1884

page_text: COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
"
I JOHN KIRKALDY of 40 West India Dock Road Poplar in the County of
Middlesex Engineer, do hereby declare the nature of my Invention for IMPROVE-
MENTS IN SURFACE CONDENSERS AND Heaters" and in what manner the same
is to be performed to be particularly described and ascertained in and by the
following statement:—
.
In the Specification of a former Patent granted to me N° 1816 in the year 1883
I described a surface condenser in which helical worms were placed parallel with
one another within a metal casing-steam was admitted to one end of each coil
and the other end of each coil opened into a chamber from which the condensed
water could be pumped or drawn off cold water was admitted to the bottom of the
outer metal casing and passed off from the top.
The object of my present Invention is to increase the efficiency and working
capacity of condensers of this kind or of similarly formed heaters.
According to my present Invention I make each tube as before in the form of a
helical coil. I place the several helical coils side by side and close together so that
the coils of one tube may pass into the spaces between the coils of the adjacent
tubes. Preferably I range them in this way in a circle and surround them with
a circular casing. I also make them of alternately right and left handed worms so
that they may the better fit the one into the other. The condensers may either
be made with a single circle of such adjacent helical worms or they may be made
with two or more circles one within the other.
At the upper end of each belical coil the tube of which it is formed is bent
upwards and passed through a tube plate, two nuts are screwed on to the end of
each tube one to bear against the inside of the tube plate the other to bear against
its outside. Or in place of the nut on the inside the tube might have brazed on
to its end a short length of tube screwed externally and formed with a collar at its
inner end.
In a similar manner the lower end of each tube is passed through and secured to
a tube plate.
The top tube plate passes across the top of the cylindrical casing—which
surrounds the assemblage of helical coils, the bottom tube plate passes across the
bottom of this casing. Above the top tube plate is a chamber to which the steam
to be condensed is conducted by a suitable pipe. And below the bottom tube plate

page_text: is a chamber into which water produced by the condensation of steam flows from
the worms and if the condenser is being used as the condenser of a steam engine
is removed from the chamber by pumping.
Water is introduced into the lower part of the casing through a pipe which rises
up through the centre of the bottom tube plate and is allowed to pass off from the
upper part of the casing through an overflow pipe.
In some cases in place of water being used for cooling the tubes they might be
cooled by exposure to the atmosphere or to a forced current of cold air.
As a heater the construction is the same but the water or other fluid to be
heated would be admitted to the tubes and steam to the casing.
In the Drawings hereunto annexed I have shewn two examples of surface
condensers constructed as above described.
In the condenser shown at Figures 1. 2. 3 and 4 there is a single circle of spiral
worms with a single spiral worm in the centre.
In the condenser shewn at Figures 5 and 6 there are three concentric circles of
spiral worms.
Figure 1 is a vertical elevation with one half in section of the outer casing of
the condenser. Figure 2 is a vertical elevation of the condenser with the outer
casing in section. Figure 3 is a plan view and Figure 4 a plan view with the top
cover and tube plate removed.
In these Figures A is the outer casing with a steam chamber B at the top and
chamber C.for condensed water at the bottom. D are the spiral worms passing at
their upper ends through the top tube plate E and at their lower ends through the
bottom tube plate F. It will be seen that the coils of one worm pass into the
spaces between the coils of the worms which are on either side of it and also that
the spiral.worms are alternately right and left handed to permit of their thus
being made to interlock with one another.
G is the inlet pipe for admitting water to the lower part of the casing A, it is
carried up nearly to the top of the casing A so that the water within it may to
'some extent cool the water in the upper part of the casing-G₁ are holes formed
through the pipe G through which water is forced out into the lower part of the
interior of the casing-H is an outlet passage by which water can pass off from the
top of the casing. The chamber C is also formed with an outlet passage by which
water produced by the condensation of steam in the worms D can be pumped off
from it-this outlet is not shown in the Drawing.
The construction of the condenser shown at Figures 5 and 6 is similar to the one
just described except that as before stated it is formed with three concentric rings
of interlocking spiral worms one ring within the other. The same parts are lettered
with the same letters of reference as in Figures 1. 2. 3 and 4 so that it is
unnecessary to give any further description of it.
In place of the condensers. being placed vertically they might be placed
horizontally 1 however prefer to place them vertically so that water resulting from
the condensation of steam may flow off from the spiral worms by gravitation.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said
Invention and in what manner the same is to be performed I declare that what
I claim is
First. The construction of surface condensers or heaters with the cooling or
heating surface composed of alternately right and left handed spiral worms erected
parallel with one another and with the coils of each worm passing into the spaces
between the coils of the worms on either side of it substantially as described.
Second. The construction of surface condensers of an assemblage of spiral worms
erected within a casing parallel with one another and with the coils of each worm
passing into the spaces between the coils of the worms on either side of it-and
also with one of the ends of each coil opening into a steam chamber at one end or
the casing and with the other end of each coil opening into a chamber from which
water can be pumped or drawn off and also with means for supplying water to the

page_text: lower end of the casing by which the spiral worms are surrounded and of permitting
it to pass away from its upper end substantially as described.
Third. The construction of surface condensers and heaters substantially as
herein before described and illustrated in the Drawings annexed.