IMPROVEMENTS IN STEAM ENGINES
Year: 1880

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Konrad Wilhelm Jurisch, Ph.D., and John Henry Lewis,
both of Widnes, in the County of Lancaster, for an Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS
IN STEAM ENGINES." Partly a communication from Dr. Procll and Scharowsky,
Civil Engineers, of Dresden, in the German Empire.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Konrad Wilhelm Jurisch
and John Henry Lewis at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents on the
12th April 1880.
KONRAD WILHELM JURISCH, Ph.D., and JOHN HENRY LEWIS, both of Widnes,
in the County of Lancaster. "IMPROVEMENTS IN STEAM ENGINES." [Partly a
communication from Dr. Proell and Scharowsky, Civil Engineers, of Dresden, in the
German Empire.]
This Invention is an improvement upon the system for which a Patent was
granted to two of us, namely, Konrad Wilhelm Jurisch and John Henry Lewis, in
1877, Number 3642, and relates to an improved system of steam engines by which
steam of very high pressure is utilized more advantageously than hitherto, and which
allows the same to be generated with greater regularity even in boilers of very
small steam space.
It is well known that steam of high pressure presents material advantages with
regard to an economical utilization of the heat which it contains, but when the
pressure exceeds certain limits the boilers, if made of cylindrical shape, become
excessively heavy, and are nevertheless insecure in respect to danger from explosion.
If on the other hand a safety boiler consisting of a number of externally heated
tubes or soctions of other shape is used, the space for water as well as for steam is
reduced to such an extent that it is practically impossible to maintain the steam
at a uniform pressure whenever any variations in the resistance of the engine
occur.
The object of the present Invention is to regulate the generation and the pressure
of steam in a high pressure boiler of even a very small steam space by combining
with it in a special manner a second boiler or reservoir of comparatively large size,
and containing an amount of water and steam which is adequate to compensate for
the deficiency in the bigh pressure boiler, the steam in the second boiler being of a
lower pressure than in the first one. For this purpose the steam from the high

page_text: pressure boiler is caused to act expansively in a high-pressure cylinder, and thereupon
to exhaust into the second or low pressure boiler. Thereafter the steam is utilized
in a second cylinder in the usual manner. Of course this low-pressure cylinder
must be in a certain ratio larger than the high-pressure cylinder.
The two pistons are or may be connected with each other by a piston rod from
which motion is transmitted by a connecting rod to a crank shaft, or the two
cylinders may belong to two separate engines, or to engines coupled by a common
crank shaft.
The low-pressure boiler may be of any suitable shape, and under certain
circumstances it may even be designed on the principle of safety or tubular boilers.
It may be heated from the outside by the combustion gases passing off from the
high-pressure boiler, but if preferred it may have a grate of its own. Nevertheless
it is not, strictly speaking, a steam generator, as the heat applied to it mainly serves
to raise the temperature of the feed water to the temperature of the boiler; and to
cover the losses of heat by radiation. A certain part of the heat necessary for the
former purpose is, however, obtained by condensation of a certain amount of the
steam entering into the boiler from the high pressure cylinder.
The manner in which the low pressure boiler regulates the tension of steam in
the high pressure boiler will be understood from the following considerations:-
When the resistance which the engine has to overcome is temporarily increased,
an additional quantity of steam will be required for overcoming such increase.
This quantity may be supplied entiroly or of the greater part from the low-pressure
boiler, which holds a large amount of steam in reserve. Moreover the water
contained in the latter boiler will gencrate stean by its own heat as soon as the
pressure to which it is exposed begins to decrease, and consequently the boiling
point to fall. Supposing, on the other hand, that the resistance decreases, and that
in consequence the consumption of steam falls below the average; in this case the
large steam space in the low-pressure boiler is adapted to retain the surplus of
steam with comparatively small increase of pressure, and besides the water being
subject to such increase, however slight, will on account of its large quantity tako
up, in raising its boiling point, a material amount of heat from the steam, whereby
a portion of the latter is condensed.
For the purpose of causing the variations in the consumption of steam to act
entirely or chiefly upon the low-pressure boiler the engine is provided with a self-
adjusting expansion gear, which either regulates the admission of steam to the low
pressure cylinder only, or which causes such admission to be varied to a greater
extent than the admission of steam to the high-pressure cylinder.
It is evident that by the described arrangements the fluctuations in the consumption
of steam from the high pressure boiler will be moderated in comparison to the
fluctuations which would otherwise ensue, and that consequently the steam pressure
within the same will be maintained far more uniformn than otherwise.
In case the pressure in the low pressure boiler should fall below a certain degree
it may be considered necessary to allow the high-pressure boiler to make up for the
deficiency.
For this purpose both boilers are connected with each other by means of a pipe
in which a pressure regulator is inserted, which allows steam to pass from the high-
pressure boiler directly into the low pressure boiler whenever the fixed lowest
degree of pressure in the latter has been reached. When the pressure in the low
pressure boiler rises too far above the average a valve is opened by a regulator
consisting of an elastic corrugated disc or other appliance, designed on the principle
of common steam gauges, and the combustion gases become thereby compelled to
pass partly or entirely into a side flue, instead of circulating around the boiler.
The low pressure boiler is fed in ordinary manner with water from the condenser
or from a tank or a feed water heater by any suitable feed pump or other feeding
apparatus, while the high pressure boiler is supplied with water from the low
pressure boiler by means of any suitable feeding apparatus, or by a particularly
constructed feed pump. The latter arrangement affords the advantage that the.

page_text: high pressure boiler receives feed-water of a very high temperature, that is, of the
temperature of the steam in the low pressure boiler. If it should however be
preferred under certain circumstances the feed water for the high pressure boiler
inay be obtained from any other source.
As the regularity of the generation of steam in the high pressure boiler is
promoted by causing the same to be fed continuously with water from the low-
pressure boiler, we prefer to make the feed-pump of such a size that it may work
without interruption, and in analogy to the mode of using the steam in the high
pressure cylinder the steam for the pump should also be taken from the high
pressure boiler, and exhaust into the low pressure boiler.
Moreover, instead of using but two boilers and two cylinders, three or more
boilers may be employed, each containing steam of a lower pressure than the
preceeding one of the series, and each being combined with a separato cylinder.
The steam, after having acted in the first and second cylinder as described, is in
this case exhausted from the latter into the third boiler, whereupon it operates in
the third cylinder, and so on. It would also be possible to use a set of two or
more cylinders with each boiler, or two or more boilers containing steam of the
same pressure with any one of the cylinders or sets of such.
We claim as our Invention,―
A higli pressure boiler, and one or more boilers or steam and water reservoirs,
each containing in succession steam of a lower tension than the preceeding one, or
than the high pressure boiler, in combination with so many steam cylinders, or sets
of cylinders, as there are boilers or reservoirs, substantially as and for the purpose
described.

page_text: SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent, and of
an Order of the Lord Chancellor, filed by the said Konrad Wilhelin Jurisch
and John Henry Lewis in the Great Seal Patent Office on the 29th October
1880.
KONRAD WILHELM JURISCH, Doctor of Philosophy, and JOHN HENRY LEWIS,
both of Widnes, in the County of Lancaster. "IMPROVEMENTS IN STEAM ENGINES."
This Invention is an improvement upon the system for which a Patent was
granted to two of us, viz., Konrad Wilhelm Jurisch. and John Henry Lewis, in
1877, No. 3462, and relates to an improved system of steam engines, by which
steam of very high pressure is utilized more advantageously than hitherto, and
which allows the same to be generated with greater regularity, even in boilers of
very small steam space.
It is well known that steam of high pressure presents material advantages
with regard to an economical utilization of the heat which it contains, but when
the pressure exceeds certain limits the boilers, if made of cylindrical shape, become
excessively heavy, and are nevertheless insecure in respect to danger from explosion.
If, on the other hand, a safety-boiler consisting of a number of externally heated
tubes or sections of other shape is used the space for water, as well as for steam, is
reduced to such an extent that it is practically impossible to maintain the steam
at a uniform pressure, whenever any variations in the resistance of the engine
occur.
The object of the present Invention is to regulate the generation and the
pressure of steam in a high pressure boiler, of even a very small steam space, by
combining with it in a special manner a second boiler or reservoir of comparatively
large size, and containing an amount of water and steam which is adequate to
compensate for the deficiency in the high pressure boiler, the steam in the second
boiler being of a lower pressure than in the first one. For this purpose the steam
from the high pressure boiler is caused to act expansively in a high pressuro
cylinder, and thereupon to exhaust into the second or lower pressure boiler.
Thereafter the steam is utilized in a second cylinder in the usual manner.
On the annexed Sheet of Drawings this combined system of boilers and cylinders
is represented in general outlines.
A is the high pressure boiler; B, the steam and water reservoir or boiler con-
taining steam of considerably lower pressure than the boiler A, and which we shall
hereafter call the low pressure boiler. This boiler may be of any suitable shape,
and under certain circumstances it may even be designed on the principle of safety
or tubular boilers.
It may be heated from the outside by the combustion gases passing off from the
Never-
high-pressure boiler A, but if preferred it may have a grate of its own.
theless it is not, strictly speaking, a steam generator, as the heat applied to it
mainly serves to raise the temperature of the feed water supplied by pump M. or
other suitable feeding apparatus to the temperature of the boiler and to cover the
losses of heat by radiation. A certain part of the heat necessary for the former
purpose is however obtained by condensation of a certain amount of the steamp
entering into the boiler from the high pressure cylinder.
C is the high pressure cylinder, and D the low pressure cylinder, which must be
in a certain ratio larger than the high pressure cylinder. The two pistons are or
may be connected with each other by a piston rod from which motion is trans-
mitted by a connecting rod to a crank shaft, or the two cylinders may belong to
two separato engines, or to engines coupled by a common crank shaft.
The steam from the boiler A passes by pipe G to cylinder C, but only so much
steam is admitted that after having expanded it may have the tension of the

page_text: steam in boiler B. It is thereupon exhausted by pipe into this boiler, where it
mixes with the steam contained in the same, and is subsequently utilized expan-
sively in cylinder D in the ordinary manner. From D the expanded steam passes
off into the atmosphere or into a condenser.
The manner in which the low pressure boiler B regulates the tension of steam
in the high pressure boiler A will be understood from the following considerations:-
When the resistance which the engine has to overcome is temporarily increased,
an additional quantity of steam will be required for overcoming such increase.
This quantity may be supplied entirely or of the greater part from the low pressure
boiler B, which holds a large amount of steam in reserve. Moreover, the water
contained in the latter boiler will generate steam by its own heat as soon as the
prossure to which it is exposed begins to decrease, and consequently the boiling
point to fall. Supposing on the other hand that the resistance decreases, and
that in consequence the consumption of steam falls below the average; in this case
the large steam spaco in the low pressure boiler is adapted to retain the surplus of
steam with comparatively small increase of pressure, and besides the water being
subjected to such increase, however slight, will on account of its large quantity take
up, in raising its boiling point, a material amount of heat from the steam, whereby
a portion of the latter is condensed.
For the purpose of causing the variations in the consumption of steam to act
entirely or chiefly upon the low pressure boiler, the engine is provided with a self
adjusting expansion gear, which either regulates the admission of steam to the low
pressure cylinder only, or which causes such admission to bo varied to a greater
extent than the adinission of steam to the high pressure cylinder.
It is evident that by the described arrangements the fluctuations in the con-
sumption of steam from the high pressure boiler will be moderated in comparison
to the fluctuations which would otherwise ensue, and that consequently the steanı
pressure within the same will be maintained far more uniform than otherwise.
In case the pressure in B should fall below a certain degree, it may be considered
necessary to allow the boiler A to make up for the deficiency.
For this purpose both boilers are connected with each other by means of a pipe E
in which a pressure regulator F is inserted, which allows steam to pass from A
directly into B whenever the fixed lowest degree in the latter has been reached.
When the pressure in boiler B rises too far above the average, the valve O is
opened by a regulator consisting of an elastic corrugated disc P or other appliance
designed on the principle of common steam guages, and the combustion gases
become thereby compelled to pass partly or entirely into a side flue instead of
circulating around the boiler.
The boiler B is fed in ordinary manner with water from the condenser or from
a tank or a feed water heater L by the pump M or other suitable feeding apparatus,
while the boiler A is supplied with water from boiler B by means of any suitable
feeding apparatus or by a particularly constructed feed pump N. The latter arrange-
ment affords the advantage that the boiler A receives feed water of a very high
temperature, i.e., of the temperature of the steam in the boiler B. If it should
however be preferred under certain circumstances the feed water for the boiler A
may be obtained from any other source.
As the regularity of the generation of steam in boiler A is promoted by causing
the same to be fed continuously with water from the boiler B, we prefer to make
the feed pump N of such a size that it may work without interruption, and in
analogy to the mode of using the steam in the cylinder C the steam for this pump
should also be taken from boiler A and exhaust into the boiler B.
Moreover, instead of using but two boilers and two cylinders, as shown by our
Drawing, three or more boilers may be employed, each containing steam of a lower
pressure than the preceding one of the series, and each being combined with a
separate cylinder. The steam after having acted in the first and second cylinder
as described, is in this case exhausted from the latter into the third boiler, where-
upon it operates in the third cylinder, etc. It would also be possible to use a set

page_text: of two or more cylinders with each boiler, or two or more boilers containing steam
of the same pressure with any one of the cylinders or sets of such.
Having thus described the nature of our Invention and the method of carrying
the same into effect, we wish to make it understood that we do not confine
ourselves to the exact arrangements as described, but that we may vary same to
suit different circumstances.
We claim as our Invention,-
A high pressure boiler and one or more boilers or steam and water reservoirs,
each containing steam of a lower tension than the preceeding one, or than the
high pressure boiler, in combination with as many steam cylinders or sets of
cylinders as there are boilers or reservoirs, substantially as and for the purpose
described.
In witness whereof the said Konrad-Wilhelm Jurisch and John Henry
Lewis, have hereunto set their hands and seals, this Twentieth day-of
October, One thousand eight hundred and eighty.
KONRAD WILHELM JURISCH. (L.S.)
JOHN HENRY LEWIS.
(L.S.)