LOCOMOTIED AND STATIONARY STEAM ENGINES
Year: 1872

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to John Downes, of Handsworth, in the County
of Stafford, Merchant, for the Invention of
LOCOMOTIED AND STATIONARY STEAM ENGINES.”
" IMPROVEMENTS IN
LOCOMOTIVE AND STATIONARY STEAM ENGINES."
Sealed the 27th December 1872, and dated the 9th July 1872.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said John Downes at the
Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on the
9th July 1872:
I, JOHN DOWNES, of Handsworth, in the County of Stafford, Mer-
chant, do hereby declare the nature of the said Invention for “Im-
IN LOCOMOTIVE AND STATIONARY STEAM ENGINES," to be as
PROVEMENTS
follows:-
:-
My Invention consists of the construction and combination or arrange-
ment of parts herein-after described of locomotive and stationary steam
engines, the said construction and combination of parts having for their
object the condensing and utilizing of the exhaust steam of the said

page_text: engines and making them noiseless and smokeless, or nearly so, and the
economizing of fuel.
My improvements are especially applicable to locomotive engines for
common roads and tramways, but may also be applied to stationary
steam engines.
•
In carrying my Invention into effect. I make the outlet. port for the
passage of the exhaust steam from the cylinder considerably larger than
the inlet port, and I connect the said outlet port with a tank or series
of pipes arranged as herein-after described, and convey the said exhaust
steam into the said tank. This tank is by preference lined with sponge,
cork, india-rubber, or other material which will rapidly condense the
exhaust steam as well as deaden the noise. The tank is divided into.
compartments or sections, the said compartments being in communica-
tion with one another. The water with which the boiler of the engine
is fed is heated by the said exhaust steam before it is supplied by the
pump to the boiler. The cold water is first supplied to one compart-
ment of the tank, where it is partly heated; it then passes to the second
compartment, where it is further heated, and finally to the third com-
partment, where it is raised to a boiling or nearly boiling heat and
pumped therefrom into the boiler. The tank is furnished with a valve
to permit of the escape of exhaust steam when necessary.
From either compartment of the tank described a pipe passes to the
fire hole of the boiler furnace, the said pipe being furnished with one or
more jets and regulators. By means of the said pipe and its jet or jets
and regulators the exhaust steam is conveyed from the tank into the
furnace in the form of a spray and tends by its action to increase the
draught and suppress smoke. I also in a similar way convey the
exhaust steam into the funnel of the engine for creating a draught.
-
By arranging the parts in the manner described the exhaust' steam is
self-supplied and requires no attention.
When my Invention is applied to the engines of tramway cars. there
is no noise of escaping steam, and the frightening of horses is avoided.
+

page_text: SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent,
filed by the said John Downes in the Great Seal Patent Office on
the 4th January 1873.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, Joun
DOWNES, of Handsworth, in the County of Stafford; Merchant, send
greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her
Letters Patent, bearing date the Ninth day of July, in the year of
our Lord One thousand eight hundred and seventy-two, in the thirty-
sixth year of Her reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give
and grant unto me, the said John Downes, Her special license that
I, the said Jolin Downes, my executors, administrators, and assigns, or
such others as I, the said John Downes, 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 Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN LOCOMOTIVE AND
STATIONARY STEAM ENGINES," upon the condition (amongst others) that I,
the said Jolin Downes, 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 Patent.
NOW KNOW YE, that I, the said John Downes, 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 :-
My Invention consists of the construction and combination or arrange-
ment of parts herein-after described of locomotive and stationary steam
engines, the said construction and combination of parts having for their
object the condensing and utilizing of the exhaust steam of the said
engines, and making them noiseless and smokeless or nearly so, and
the economising of fuel and water.
My improvements are especially applicable to locomotive engines for
common roads and tramways, but may also be applied to stationary and
marine steam engines.

page_text: In carrying my Invention into effect I make the outlet port for the
passage of the exhaust steam from the cylinder considerably larger than
the inlet port, and I connect the said outlet port with a tank or series
of pipes arranged as herein-after described, and convey the said exhaust
steam into the said tank, and from the said tank into the boiler. This
tank is by preference lined with sponge, cork, india-rubber, or other
material which will rapidly condense the exhaust steam, as well as
deaden the noise. The tank may be divided into compartments or sections,
the said compartments being in communication with one another.
The water with which the boiler of the engine is fed is heated by
the said exhaust steam before it is applied by the pump or injector to
the boiler. When the tank is made of a series of compartments, the
cold water is first supplied to one compartment of the tank, where it
is partly heated, it then passes to the second compartment, where it is
further heated, and finally to the third compartment, where it is raised
to a boiling or nearly boiling heat and injected or pumped therefrom
into the boiler. The tank. is furnished with a valve to permit of the
escape of exhaust steam when necessary.
From either compartment of the tank described a pipe passes to the fire
hole of the boiler furnace, the said pipe being furnished with one or more
jets and regulators. By means of the said pipe and its jet or jets and
regulators the exhaust steam is conveyed from the tank into the furnace
in the form of a spray, and tends by its action to increase the draught
and suppress smoke. I also in a similar way convey the exhaust steam
into the funnel of the engine for creating a draught.
By arranging the parts in the manner described the exhaust steam
'is self-supplied and requires no attention.
3
When my Invention is applied to the engines of tramway cars there
is no noise of escaping steam and the frightening of horses is avoided.
Having explained the nature of my Invention, I will proceed to
describe, with reference to the accompanying. Drawings, the manner
in which the same is to be performed.
Figure 1 represents in side elevation, Figure 2 in end elevation, and
Figure 3 in transverse vertical section à locomotive steam engine
provided with my improvements; Figure 4 represents a portion of the
same in longitudinal vertical section. The same letters of reference
indicate the same parts in the several Figures of the Drawings.

page_text: Around the upper side of the exterior of the boiler a of the locomotive
steam engine I place a tank or secondary boiler b, into which tank the
exhaust steam from the steam cylinders is conveyed by means of pipes
connected with the outlet ports of the said cylinders, the said outlet
ports being made considerably larger than the inlet ports. One of these
pipes is represented in Figure 1, and is marked c, the upper end of the
said pipe c, dipping into the water with which the tank b is partly
filled.
In the Drawing the tank b consists of a single chamber, but the said
tank may be divided into compartments or sections communicating
with each other, and the said tank may be lined with sponge or other
material which will rapidly condense the exhaust steam and deaden the
noise of the entering steam. The exhaust steam passed into the tank b
by the pipes c is partly condensed therein, and the water in the said tank
is brought to a boiling or nearly boiling heat. The heated water in the
tank may be fed to the boiler a by a pump or by an injector.
b
Or the
said water as well as the uncondensed exhaust steam in the tank may
be fed to the boiler a by an injector in the following manner :-On the
end of the tank b. is a dome d, from the side of which a pipe e passes to
the bottom of the boiler a, a valve or valves opening inwards being
situated at that end of the pipe e connected with the boiler.
In the
said dome d is an injector fin connection with the steam dome g of the
boiler a; is a pipe communicating between the tank band pipe e
passing to the boiler a and conveying the condensed water from the
tank to the said pipe e. By opening the stop-cock h high-pressure
steam is admitted to the injector f, and the condensed water and exhaust
steam are forced by the action of the injector along the pipe e and
through the valve or valves in its bottom end into the boiler a.
For the purpose of promoting the draught through the furnace i,
increasing the combustion of the fuel therein and preventing the
formation of smoke, I convey a portion of the exhaust steam from the
tank to the said furnace i by means of the pipe k passing to the
under side of the boiler. The lower end of the said pipe k is furnished
with a nozzle piece 7, which opens into the pipe m passing through the
ash-pit n of the furnace or through the furnace itself. This pipe m is
provided with branch pipes p, p, each of which has at its end a jet q
situated within the bell mouth pipe a projecting into the furnace i.
The exhaust steam conveyed to the pipes u, u, mixes with the air

page_text: entering the said pipes, and the mixture of exhaust steam and air passes
into the furnace i. The inner ends of the bell mouth pipes u, u, are
flattened out and provided with slits so as to inject the mixture of
exhaust steam and air into the furnace in the form of spray. The
exhaust steam is somewhat superheated in its passage through the
pipe m, which is heated by the furnace i. The quantity of exhaust
steam passing to the furnace through the pipes k, m, p, and jets q may
be regulated by the stop-cock w. Or the exhaust steam may be brought
direct from the dome ƒ over the top of the tank to the bell mouth
pipes u, u. The exhaust steam alone may be conveyed to the bell mouth
pipes u, u, in the manner described, or a mixture of exhaust steam and
heated air. In the latter case the pipe m is connected to the pipe »,
which passes to the smoke box t, the said piper terminating in a coil s
fixed in the said smoke box (see Figure 1). The end of this coil sis
open to the air. The air circulating through the coils becomes heated
thereby, and mixing with the exhaust steam supplied by the nozzle
enters the furnace by the jets q. The draught through the furnace and
the combustion of the fuel therein are thereby promoted and smoke
prevented. The draft of the furnace may also be promoted by conveying
the exhaust steam from the tank 6 into the smoke box t.
.
The improvements described and illustrated in the accompanying
Drawings are also applicable to locomotive steam engines for tramways,
and to marine and stationary steam engines.
'
In applying the said improvements to the said steam engines I
arrange or combine the parts constituting my Invention substantially
in the manner described and illustrated with respect to a locomotive
steam engine, such changes only being adopted as are necessary to
adapt my improvements to the particular steam engine with which they
are to be used.
Having now described the nature of my Invention and the manner
in which the same is to be performed, I wish it to be understood that I
do not limit myself to the precise details herein described and illustrated,
as the same may be varied without departing from the nature of my
Invention; but I claim as my Invention of improvements in locomotive
and stationary steam engines, -
Firstly. The arrangement or combination of parts herein-before
described and illustrated in the accompanying Drawings for condensing

page_text: and utilizing the exhaust steam of the said steam engines and making
them noiseless or nearly so.
.
Secondly. The arrangement or combination of parts herein-before
described and illustrated in the accompanying Drawings for conveying
the exhaust steam and condensed water from the condensing tank to
the boiler of, the engine.
Thirdly. The arrangements or combinations of parts hercin-before
described and illustrated in the accompanying Drawings for conveying
the exhaust steam to the furnace or smoke box of the engine, or a
mixture of exhaust steam and heated air, for the purpose of promoting
the draught of the furnace and the economising of the fuel therein and
preventing smoke.
In witness whereof, I, the said John Downes, have hereunto
set my hand and seal, this Second day of January, in the year
of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and seventy-three.
Witness,
RICHARD SKERRETT,
Olerk to George Shaw,
Birmingham.
JOHN DOWNES. (L.S.)