IMPROVEMENTS IN CONDENSING APPARATUS
Year: 1861

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to George Kelson Stothert, of Bristol, for the Invention
of "IMPROVEMENTS IN CONDENSING APPARATUS."
.Sealed the 1st April 1862, and dated the 7th October 1861.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said George Kelson Stothert
at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on the
7th October 1861.
I, GEORGE KELSON STOTHERT, of Bristol, do hereby declare the nature
of the Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN CONDENSING APPARATUS," to be as
follows:-
This Invention has for its object improvements in condensing apparatus. For
these purposes it is preferred to construct a condenser in a cylindrical form, the
cylinder being somewhat longer than the tubes contained therein. The two
ends of the cylinder are made with flanges, and external of the cylinder is a
jacket or casing extending nearly the whole length of the cylinder, leaving a
water space between the external surface of the cylinder and the interior of
the cylinder, which water space communicates with the interior of the cylinder
by openings near the two ends of the cylinder. The tubes are fixed into two
plates or discs, one of which is fixed near one end of the cylinder, and the
other is arranged to slide within the cylinder near its other end; a gland or
ring, and packing being used to keep the same steam and water tight. A
portion of each tube is expanded into a ring, thus == so as to form
an expansion ring to the tube, in order to allow each tube to expand or
contract. Each tube has by preference two such rings formed upon it, one near
[Price 8d.]

page_text: each of its ends, in order that such rings may come against the interior surfaces
of the plates or discs. In some cases the cylinder is made in two lengths
and they are connected by a hollow band which will admit of the cylinder
expanding lengthwise. In order to diffuse the steam equally amongst the
tubes a concentric perforated interior cylinder around the cluster of tubes may
be used, there being a suitable space between the interior of the water casing
and the exterior of the perforated cylinder in order to receive the steam.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent, filed
by the said George Kelson Stothert in the Great Seal Patent Office
on the 7th April 1862.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, GEORGE
KELSON STOTHERT, of Bristol, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her Letters
Patent, bearing date the Seventh day of October, in the year of our Lord
One thousand eight hundred and sixty-one, in the twenty-fifth year of Her
reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant unto me, the
said George Kelsou Stothert, Her special licence that I, the said George
Kelson Stothert, my executors, administrators, and assigns, or such others
as I, the said George Kelson Stothert, 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 Inven-
tion for "IMPROVEMENTS IN CONDENSING APPARATUS," upon the condition
(amongst others) that I, the said George Kelson Stothert, 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 Seal Patent Office within
six calendar months next and immediately after the date of the said Letters
i'atent.
NOW KNOW YE, that I, the said George Kelson Stothert, 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 thereof, that is to say:-
This Invention has for its object improvements in condensing apparatus.

page_text: For these purposes it is preferred to construct a condenser in a cylindrical
form, the cylinder being somewhat longer than the tubes contained therein.
The two ends of the cylinder are made with flanges, and external of the
cylinder is a jacket or casing extending nearly the whole length of the cylinder,
leaving a water space between the external surface of the cylinder and the
interior of the jacket, which water space communicates with the interior of
the cylinder by openings near the two ends of the cylinder. The tubes are
fixed into two plates or discs, one of which is fixed near one end of the
cylinder, and the other is arranged to slide within the cylinder near its other
end, a gland or ring and packing being used to keep the same steam and
water tight.
Figure 1 is a longitudinal section, and Figure 2 is an end view of con-
densing apparatus arranged according to my Invention.
a, a, is the cylindrical body of the condenser; al,a',are flanges at the extremity
thereof; b is a jacket or casing surrounding the cylinder a, and enclosing a
water space between itself and the cylinder; a³, a², are passages through the
cylinder a, connecting the exterior water space with the interior of 'the
cylinder a; d,d, are tubes, they are fixed at their ends iuto tube plates e and f;
the tube plate e is bolted to the cylinder a, near one end thereof, but the tube
plate is free to slide within the cylinder; it has a flange f" upon it, this
receives the packing ring g over which a packing of fibre is placed; h is a
gland, it is drawn up by bolts i so as to cause it to press on the fibrous packing
and thus make a tight joint. The inlet for the condensing water is at one
end of the cylinder 4, and the outlet is at the other; it passes through the tubes
d, and also through the water space outside the cylinder a. The steam or
vapour to be condensed is conveyed into the interior of the cylinder a, by a
pipe passing through the side of the cylinder and also through the casing b.
It will be seen that in this arrangement, when the tubes expand or contract
in consequence of change of temperature, there will be no strain thrown on
the joints which secure the tubes as would be the case were both the tube
plates e and fixed to the cylinder a, but the tube plate will slide to or fro
within the cylinder; thus injury to the joints will be avoided which otherwise
would be very liable to occur. It is preferred to bore the portion of the
cylinder a over which the plate fworks in order to obtain a true surface for
the packing to slide upon.
When the apparatus above described is employed as the condenser of a
condensing steam engine the cylinder a is put in communication with an air-
pump to maintain the requisite vacuum therein. The apparatus may be
employed in connection with high-pressure steam engines in order to obtain

page_text: hot water with which to feed the boiler. If preferred the apparatus may be
worked in a different manner to that above described, the condensation water
being caused to circulate within the cylinder a, and the steam or vapour to be
condensed being caused to pass through the tubes d, and the space between
the cylinder a and the casing b. It is obvious that the condenser need not
be circular in section, it may be square or of other form; circular will however
usually be most convenient. When iron tubes are employed it is preferred
to galvanize them, and if of brass or copper to tin them. When the arrange-
ment above described is not employed and where both of the tube plates
are fixed the joints between the tubes and the tube plates may be rendered
less liable to injury by making them in the following manner :-A portion of
each tube is expanded into a ring thus ==, so as to forman expansion
ring to the tube in order to allow each tube to expand or contract; each tube
has by preference two such rings formed upon it, one near each of its
ends, in order that such rings may come against the interior surfaces of the
tube plates or discs. Figure 3 is a section of a tube secured in this manner
together with a portion of the tube plate into which it is fixed; the expanded
ring on the tube is shown at a, it is produced by a tool of suitable form which
is introduced into the tube and caused to revolve whilst it is expanded by a
wedge or otherwise; this expanded ring gives a slight amount of longitudinal
elasticity to the tube and it also considerably strengthens the joint. In some
cases the cylinder of the condenser is made in two lengths, and they are con-
uected by a hollow band which will admit of the cylinder expanding lengthwise.
A longitudinal section of such a condensing apparatus is shown at Figure 4, the
tubes are fixed in a tube plate at each end and these are both fixed to the cylinder
a, which is itself rendered somewhat elastic by means of the hollow ring a'. In
order to diffuse the steam equally amongst the tubes a concentric perforated
interior cylinder around the cluster of tubes may be used, there being a suitable
space betweenthe inte:ier of the water casing and the exteriorof the perforated
cylinder in order to receive the steam.
In witness whereof, I, the said George Kelson Stothert, have hereunto
set my hand and seal, this Fourth day of April, in the year of our
Lord One thousand eight hundred and sixty-two.
G. K. STOTHERT. (L.S.)