Improvements in Condensers, and Pumps for the same.
Year: 1893

page_text: Date of Application, 5th Dec., 1893
Complete Specification Left, 17th Aug., 1894-Accepted, 29th Sept., 1894
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Condensers, and Pumps for the same.
We, FREDERICK MERIAM WHEELER, Mechanical Engineer, of No. 121
Gates Avenue, Montclair, in the County of Essex and State of New Jersey, and
CLIFTON HAROLD WHEELER, Manufacturer, of Tennis Court, Flatbush, in the
County of Kings and State of New York, both in the United States of America,
do hereby declare the nature of this invention to be as follows:-
In steam-boats, and particularly in, war vessels, the space that can be availed of
for the condenser is necessarily limited, and it is desirable to connect with the
condenser itself an independent steam engine and two pumps, one pump being
employed for circulating the water through the condenser, and the other pump
acting to take away the water of condensation from the condenser, and to
maintain a vacuum, and in surface condensers difficulty has been experienced in
fitting the tubes in such a manner as to prevent leakage and to allow for expansion
or contraction by changes of temperature.
In our present invention the tubes of the condenser are each provided with a
screw thread to screw into one of the tube sheets, the screw thread being larger
than the exterior of the condenser tube, so that the condenser tube can be
freely passed through the openings in the heads of the condenser, and the power
exerted in rotating the tube, as it is screwed into the tube sheet, is applied
directly adjacent to the screw threaded exterior portion so as not to twist the tube.
This screw thread not only makes a tight joint, but it also holds one end of the tube
rigidly to the tube sheet and allows for the tube to be taken out for repairs, or for
placing in another tube.
At the opposite end of the tube the exterior surface is smooth and it passes
freely through the tube sheet, and there is a packing around the tube which is
compressed or tightened in any desired manner, so that the tube is free to expand
and contract, and there is only one packing to each tube.
The surface condenser itself is supported upon the pumps made use of for
circulating the water, and for removing the water of condensation, and for
maintaining the vacuum, and the pumps are driven by an engine that is independent
of the main engine of the vessel; and we prefer to make use of a direct acting
engine, the piston of which is connected by rods, either directly, or through the
intervention of a cross head, to the piston rods of the respective pumps, and the
water of condensation passes directly into the valve chamber of the pump that
removes the water of condensation and maintains the vacuum, such pump being
immediately below and acting as a support for the surface condenser, and the
condensing water is made to circulate through the condenser by the second pump
which also is actuated by the independent steam engine.
Where the condenser is sufficiently long, the water pump may be below one end
thereof, and the vacuum pump below the other end, and the steam cylinder be
between the two, the piston rods being in line with each other, and where the
condenser is shorter, the steam engine cylinder may be between two cylinders
forming one of the pumps, the cylinder forming the other pump being in line with
the steam cylinder, there being a crosshead between the respective cylinders,
whereby the pistons of the pumps that are at the opposite sides of the steam
cylinder may be actuated from the cross head.
The pumps themselves may be constructed in any desired manner, the waterways

page_text: of the pumps being adapted to the direct connection with the condenser at or near
the respective ends, and the steam engine, cylinder, and valves may be of any
desired character.
Dated this 5th day of December 1893.
ERNEST DE PASS,
Chartered Patent Agent,
78, Fleet Street, London, and 6, Victoria Street, Nottingham,
Agent for the Applicants.
Improvements in Condensers, and Pumps for the same.
We,
FREDERICK MERIAM WHEELER, Mechanical Engineer, of No. 121 Gates
Avenue, Montclair, in the County of Essex and State of New Jersey, and CLIFTON
HAROLD WHEELER, Manufacturer, of Tennis Court, Flatbush, in the County of
Kings and State of New York, both in the United States of America, do hereby
declare the nature of this invention and in what manner the same is to be
performed, to be particularly described and ascertained in and by the following
statement:-
In steamboats and particularly in war vessels, the space that can be availed of
for the condenser is necessarily limited, and it is desirable to connect with the
condenser itself an independent steam engine and two pumps, one pump being
employed for circulating the water through the condenser and the other pump
acting to take away the water of condensation from the condenser and to maintain
a vacuum, and in surface condensers difficulty has been experienced in fitting the
tubes in such a manner as to prevent leakage and to allow for expansion or
contraction by changes of temperature.
In our present invention the tubes of the condenser are each provided with a
screw thread to screw into one of the tube sheets, the screw thread being larger
than the exterior of the condenser tube, so that the condenser tube can be freely
passed through the openings in the heads of the condenser, and the power exerted
in rotating the tube as it is screwed into the tube sbeet is applied directly adjacent
to the screw threaded exterior portion so as not to twist the tube. This screw
thread not only makes a tight joint but it also holds one end of the tube rigidly to
thecube sheet and allows for the tube to be taken out for repairs or for placing in
another tube.
At the opposite end of the tube the exterior surface is smooth and it passes
freely through the tube sheet, and there is a packing around the tube which is
compressed or tightened in any desired manner, so that the tube is free to expand
and contract and there is only one packing to each tube.
The surface condenser itself is supported upon the pumps made use of for
circulating the water and for removing the water of condensation and for
maintaining the vacuum, and the pumps are driven by an engine that is independent
of the main engine of the vessel; and we prefer to make use of a direct acting
engine, the piston of which is connected by rods either directly or through the
intervention of a cross head to the piston rods of the respective pumps, and the
water of condensation passes directly into the valve chamber of the pump that
removes the water of condensation and maintains the vacuum, such pump being
immediately below and acting as a support for the surface condenser, and the
condensing water is made to circulate through the condenser by the second pump
which also is actuated by the independent steam engine.
Where the condenser is sufficiently long, the water pump may be below one end
thereof and the vacuum pump below the other end, and the steam cylinder be
between the two, the piston rods being in line with each other, and where the

page_text: coudenser is shorter, the steam engine cylinder may be between two cylinders
forming one of the pumps, the cylinder forming the other pump being in line with
the steam cylinder, there being a cross head between the respective cylinders,.
whereby the pistons of the pumps that are at the opposite sides of the steam
cylinder may be actuated from the cross head.
The pumps themselves may be constructed in any desired manner, the water ways
of the pumps being adapted to the direct connection with the condenser at or near
the respective ends, and the steam engine, cylinder and valves may be of any desired
character.
In the drawing,
Fig. 1 is a section in larger size representing two ends of a condenser tube.
Fig. 2 is a section illustrating a condenser with the tubes in position and such
condenser resting upon the vacuum and circulating pumps respectively.
Fig. 3 is a similar section to Fig. 2, representing a condenser in which the steam
is caused to pass through one set of tubes that are within another set of tubes, the
condensing water being made to circulate around the outer tubes.
In order to allow for the easy insertion or withdrawal of either condenser tube
and for making tight joints at both ends and with the use of only one packing, we
make the condenser tube, as shown in Fig. 1, of any desired length and diameter
with a screw thread at i, near one end, such screw thread being preferably slightly
tapering, as represented, and in one of the heads a the holes are screw threaded to
correspond with the screws upon the tubes, and the opposite ends of the tubes e
are plain and smooth on their exterior surface and any suitable device is made use
of for rotating the tube and screwing it into place or for unscrewing it when the
tube has to be removed.
With this object in view it is advantageous to provide a notch at 2 in the tube
at the screw threaded end so that a wrench or other device applied to rotate this
tube will act adjacent to the screw thread and thereby avoid any risk of twisting.
the tube in screwing it into place.
At the other end of each tube the tube sheet or head is adapted to receive any
suitable packing to surround the smooth exterior portion of the tube. Several
packings have heretofore been made that are adapted to use at this end of the
tube, but we prefer to employ fibrous material in an annular gland, as shown at h,.
the same being set up by the tubular screw 1, and this is advantageously done
after the tube has been inserted and screwed firmly into position; and it is also.
advantageous to loosen the tubular screw and relieve the pressure of the packing
before unscrewing the tube if the same has to be removed.
By this construction the tube is held firmly by one of the heads at one end and
it is free to expand and contract, the other end sliding through the packing and-the-
possibility of the tube becoming displaced endwise is avoided and only one packing
has to be kept in order instead of two as have sometimes heretofore been made
use of. To render the condenser, air pump and circulating pump compact and
more efficient in consequence of being direct acting, the condenser is supported by
the respective vacuum and circulating pumps, as shown in Figs. 2 and 3.
In Fig. 2 the condenser with the tubes aforesaid is represented as supported by
the vacuum and circulating pumps. The steam is admitted into the case c of the
condenser by the pipe at c', and passes around the tubes, and the water of con-
densation passes from the pump cylinder G by the valves 9 into the chamber d,
and from there through the pipe e into the chamber d and returning through the
upper ranges of pipes into the chamber d' passes off by the pipe d³, and the
water of condensation passes by the opening E into the vacuum pump F, there
being induction valves 4 and eduction valves 5, and the rods 3 and 7 of the
pistons 2 and 6 come together in the cylinder K of the steam engine, so that
the power is direct acting upon the two pumps and the apparatus is made very
compact.
It is to be understood that the pump cylinders and valves are to be of any
desired character, those that are represented being simply illustrative, and the.

page_text: steam engine is to be of any desired character; I have represented a valve chest
at L to which the steam is supplied by a pipe in any usual manner.
In Fig. 3 the pumps and engine are represented corresponding to the devices
shown in Fig. 2, but these are employed with a condenser composed of ranges of
tubes, one set of tubes being within the other set of tubes, and the water of
condensation is circulated by the pump & through the case c around the respective
tubes, and the same passes off by the pipe 11, and the steam is admitted by the
pipe D into a chamber and passes through the inner tubes which are open at their
distant end and returns through the outer tubes C and passes through the
second range of inner tubes, returning through the second range of outer tubes
to the passage E that leads to the vacuum pump F.
It is to be understood that if desired, the steam can be admitted by the pipe 11
F
to surround the tubes C, and the water can be forced or drawn by the pump
so that the water is caused to circulate through the inner and outer tubes in place"
of the steam.
As aforesaid, the steam cylinder may be placed between two pump cylinders and
connected by a cross head, or the pump may be arranged in any desired manner
relatively to the steam engine cylinder, it being understood that such vacuum and
circulating pumps are below and serve as a support for the condenser.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of our said inven-
tion and in what manner the same is to be performed, we declare that what we
claim is:
First. The combination with the condenser heads, of tubes passing through such
heads, each tube having an enlarged screw thread around one end and means
adjacent to the screw thread for rotating the same, whereby such tube is screwed
into the screw threaded hole for permanently connecting such tube with one head,
the smooth and free portion of the tube at the other end being within the opposite
head, and a packing surrounding this end of the tube, and means for compressing
the same around the tube, substantially as set forth.
Second. The combination with a direct acting steam engine, of two pumps
driven by such engine and having ports and valve chests above the cylinders, a
surface condenser having pipes opening into a chamber at one end, which chamber
is directly connected to the valve chest of one pump and the casing of such
condenser having an opening into the valve chest of the other pump, substantially
as specified.
Third. The combination with a horizontal surface condenser, of a water circu-
lating pump beneath one end of the condenser and an air pump beneath the
other end of the condenser, such pumps being provided with the valves and the
ports thereof opening directly into the condensing water space of the condenser
and to the space for the steam and water of condensation respectively, and an
intermediate direct acting steam engine connected to the piston rods of the
respective pumps, substantially as set forth.
Fourth. The combination with a surface condenser having tubes opening into a
chamber at one end, of two pumps beneath the condenser and upon which such
condenser is directly supported, the case of the condenser opening into the valve
chamber of one pump and the end chamber of the condenser opening into the
valve chest of the other pump and an actuating steam engine between the pumps
and directly connected with them, substantially as specified.
Dated this 17th day of dvoust 1804
1
ERNEST DE PASS,
Chartered Patent Agent,
78, Fleet Street, London, and 6, Victoria Street, Nottingham,
Agent for the Applicants.