IMPROVEMENTS IN OBTAINING MOTIVE POWER
Year: 1854

page_text: PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by James Anderson at the Office of
the Commissioners of Patents, with his. Petition, on the 25th January
1854.
I, JAMES ANDERSON, of Auchnagie, in the County of Perth, North Britain,
Farmer, do hereby declare the nature of the said Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS
IN OBTAINING MOTIVE POWER" to be as follows:-*
This Invention relates to the peculiar arrangement and working of motive
power apparatus, wherein air, gases, or vapours are used as the motive means.
It may. be carried into effect under a variety of modifications. Under one
form an air compressing cylinder, a hot air cylinder, and regenerator are com-
bined to work together. In working such a contrivance, a portion of water,
naptha; and turpentine, or other vaporisable or volatile matter is placed in the
bottom of the heated cylinder, which has a fire beneath it, as in the usual way.
The heat of the fire then evaporates the contained liquids, which are placed all
together in the cylinder; and the vapours thus thrown off pass out into the
regenerator, and. become condensed upon the wires or permeable surfaces
therein, in the form of dew. Then the air in the compressing cylinder, being
compressed to the required amount, the heat evolved from the air during
such compression is absorbed by jets of cold water, or other suitable cooling
medium. This cold compressed air is passed into the regenerator, and as it
proceeds through this apparatus from the upper side, the vaporised water,

page_text: naptha, and turpentine admitted from beneath rise up, and diffuse them-
selves throughout the air, and through each other, according to Dalton's
law. Then the air thus heated passes together with the vapors to the
heating cylinder, there giving out their mechanical pressure or effect to the
working piston in such cylinder. The furnace of this cylinder is contrived to
impart to the air and vapours therein as much heat as they have just lost in
expanding and producing mechanical effect; hence when the air and vapours
return through the regenerator, they will impart to the latter as much heat as
they formally absorbed. The regenerator is thus left in a fit condition for
imparting a corresponding amount of heat and vapour to the same quantity of
air when again compressed, cooled, and passed through in continuation of the
working process. The working arrangements may be contrived in various
ways. In one practically important plan, the fire or primary heating medium
is placed beneath or near the regenerator, and the heat and gaseous currents
are passed up from the from the fire through a set of flue tubes disposed hori-
zontally in the bottom of the regenerating chamber. After passing through
these tubes, the heated current is continued on back and forward through tubes
passing in a zigzag or serpentine route to the top of the regenerator, which
is filled with permeable substances in the usual way. One end of the regene-
rator of course communicates with the bottom of the compression cylinder;
whilst the other end of the regenerator similarly opens into the top of the larger
working cylinder. By this arrangement the effect of the various volatile
matters is greatly improved, as the heat is more fully economised than in other
arrangements. The essential feature of this Invention consists in bringing
air, gases, or vapours, at comparatively low temperatures, in contact with
volatile matters at higher temperatures, which matters have been condensed
or deposited upon or in any cellular, permeable, or porous surface, the area of
such surface being very considerable, so as to facilitate the rising of the volatile
vapours and their diffusion amongst the air or gases, and amongst each other,
as well as in usual the tensional or elastic force thus acquired by the air or
gases, and the vapours of the volatile matters for the production of motive
power, just as steam is worked in an engine cylinder, and in causing the air.
gases, and vapours after they have been thus worked to return through the
same cellular or porous mass, again imparting most of their heat to such mass
for a repetition of the action.