Improvements in Arrangements for Combining Auxiliary, Blowing, and other Steam Engines on Shipboard with Main Compound Steam Engines.
Year: 1886

page_text: Date of Application, 17th June, 1886.
Complete Left, 14th Mar., 1887.
Complete Accepted, 15th Apr., 1887.
Improvements in Arrangements for Combining Auxiliary, Blowing,
and other Steam Engines on Shipboard with Main Compound
Steam Engines.
I, ALEXANDER CARNEGIE KIRK, of the firm of Robert Napier and Sons, Lancefield
House, Glasgow, in the County of Lanark, North Britain Engineer, do hereby declare
the nature of this Invention to be as follows, that is to say:
My said Invention has for its object to extend the economical advantages of working
marine steam engines on the compound system to other engines than the main engines
of a ship, by means of improved arrangements for regulating the disposal of the
exhaust steam from any or all of the following engines, auxiliary engines, blowing
engines for increasing the draught in the furnaces, and generally engines other than
the main propelling engines, the exhaust from these engines being led into any of the
intermediate steam receivers of the main engines, and thus after working the auxiliary
or other engines is made to do work in one or more of the steam cylinders whether
they expand the steam in two, three, four or more successive stages.
In triple or quadruple expansion engines or engines of more successive expansions
pipe connections with suitable cocks or valves may be arranged so as to put these
engines in communication with any of the intermediate receivers according to the
amount of power they may be required to develop. At low powers, for instance, in a
triple-expansion engine where a low power only is required greater economy may be
had by connecting the exhaust to the first receiver, and where greater power is
required it may be connected to the second receiver. But whichever may be the
receiver the connection is made to I employ an arrangement to facilitate the manage-
ment of the exhaust steam while stopping starting, reversing or in general handling
the main engines, and which at the same time interferes as little as possible with the
regularity of the motion of the auxiliary blowing or other small engines.
In carrying out my Invention I employ a combined non-return and shut-off valve
arranged conveniently for the engineer for preventing the exhaust steam from entering
the receiver when the main engines are stopped, and also for preventing the steam in
the receiver from passing along the exhaust pipe to the small engines should by any

page_text: mistake this valve be left open when the main engines are at work. And along with
this valve 1 place a relief valve on the exhaust pipe, loaded slightly above the pressure
of the receiver, so that the steam, when the passage to the receiver is shut off may lift
it and be disposed of by escaping to the atmosphere or to a condenser. Or a plain
shut-off valve may be used along with a separate non-return valve. To further
simplify the working of this arrangement I by preference connect the valve to the
reversing shaft or gear of the main engines and arrange it so that the valve may shut
off the exhaust steam of the small engines from entering the receiver a little before
the main engine is stopped by the valve link or its equivalent being brought to
mid gear, and may remain closed for a little after it has passed mid gear on the
engine being reversed. Or in some engines it may be operated on by of the gear
connecting to the steam admission valve, closing the valve on the exhaust pipe from
the small engines when the main admission valve is closed and opening it when it
opens. Thus if the main engines are suddenly stopped and the exhaust steam from
the auxiliary, blowing, or other small engines is at the same time by the action of the
shut-off valve above described cut off from entering a receiver of the main engines,
then by a slight rise in pressure it will lift the loaded escape valve and so be disposed
of without materially affecting the back pressure in the exhaust of the small engines;
or materially altering their speed. If the escape valve is loaded by a spring or weight
it may be adjusted from time to time according to the power at which the main
engines are arranged to work so as to be only sufficiently above the receiver pressure
to enable the valve to keep shut, but on the other hand, the load on the valve may be
made self adjusting by substituting for a spring or a weight a steam piston or its
equivalent acted upon only by the steam in the receiver.
Dated this Sixteenth day of June 1886.
EDMUND HUNT,
Applicant's Agent.
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Arrangements for Combining Auxiliary, Blowing,
and other Steam Engines on Shipboard with Main Compound
Steam Engines.
1, ALEXANDER CARNEGIE KIRK, of the firm of R. Napier and Sons, Lancefield
House, Glasgow, in the County of Lanark, North Britain, Engineer, 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, that is
to say :-
My said Invention has for its object to extend the economical advantages of working
marine steam engines on the compound system to other engines than the main engines
of a ship, by means of improved arrangements for regulating the disposal of the
exhaust steam from any or all of the following engines auxiliary engines, blowing

page_text: engines for increasing the draught in the furnaces, and, generally engines other than
the main propelling engines, the exhaust steam from such engines being led into any
of the intermediate receivers of the main engines, and thus after working the auxiliary
or other engines being made to do work in one or more of the cylinders of the main
engines, whether they expand the steam in two, three, four or more successive
stages.
.
I hereunto append two sheets of diagrams to be hereinafter referred to in explaining
the manner of carrying out my Invention, I do not however make any claim for any
of the separate parts or pieces of apparatus shown in these diagrams but only for the
arrangements or combinations in which they are used for the purposes of my
Invention.
With main engines having two, three, or four stages of expansion, such as are
indicated in figures, 1, 2, 3, on sheet, 1, of the drawings by combinations of
cylinders, A, B, C, D, or with main engines having more than four stages of expansion
or otherwise arranged than as so indicated. I provide pipe connections and valves
such as are indicated in the said figures, 1, 2, 3, to allow of the auxiliary or other
small engines being put in communication with any available intermediate receiver,
R1, R2, or R 3, of the main engines according to the relative amount of power such
small engines may be required to develop. With two-stage (or ordinary compound)
engines, figure, 1, of course only one intermediate receiver, R1, is available, whilst
two, R1, R2, are available with three-stage (or triple expansion) engines and three,
R1, R2, R 3, with four-stage (or quadruple expansion) engines. If with three-stage
main engines, for example, a low power of the small engine or engines is required the
greater economy may be had by connecting the exhaust to the first receiver, R1, and
when greater power is required, the exhaust may be connected to the second
receiver, 2; or to the third receiver, R 3, in the case of four-stage main engines.
In figures, 1, 2, 3, a single pipe, E, is in each case shown for leading the exhaust
steam from the small engine or engines to the receiver of the main engines; separate
small engines, may however, where convenient or desirable be so connected by ineans
of separate pipes. The pipe, E, is connected through one or more inlet valves,
11, 12, 13, to the receiver or receivers, R1, R2, R3.
Whichever may be the receiver the connection is made to, I employ an arrangement
to facilitate the management of the exhaust steam of the small engine or engines,
whilst stopping, starting, reversing, or in general, handling the main engines, this
arrangement being such as to interfere as little as possible with the regularity of the
notion of the small engine or engines, I use for the valve, I 1, 12, 13, communicating
with each receiver, R1, R2, R3, a combined non-return and shut-off valve, such as is
shown enlarged and in section in figure, 4, or figure, 5; or I may use a combination
of a non-return valve with a shut-off valve as shown in figure, 6. The valve is to be
closed by hand when the main engines are stopped, to prevent the exhaust steam from
the small engine or engines from entering the main receiver, whilst the non-return
action of the valve prevents steam from at any time passing from the main receiver
along the exhaust pipe, E, to the small engine or engines, should by any mistake this
valve be left open when the main engines are at work. I also form a connection from
the small-engine exhaust pipe, E, through a relief valve, S, loaded slightly above the
pressure of the receiver, R1, R2, or R3, so that when the passage to the receiver is
shut off the steam may lift the relief valve, S, and be disposed of by escaping to the
atmosphere through a stop valve, T, or to a condenser, U, through a stop valve, V.
To further simplify the working of this arrangement I by preference connect a valve
to the reversing shaft or gear of the main engines, and arrange the gear so that the
exhaust steam from the small engine or engines may be shut off from the main receiver
a little before the main engines are stopped, by the valve link or its equivalent being
brought to mid gear, and may remain closed for a little after the link has passed mid
gear on the engines being reversed. A simple arrangement for this purpose is shown
partly in section in figure, 7. The valve is a simple plate, P, sliding over a port and
is connected to the valve-motion link, L, so as to close the port when the link is in or
near its middle position and to open the port when the link is moved in either

page_text: direction from its middle position. Or in some engines, a valve, I, admitting the
small-engine exhaust steam to the receiver, may be operated on, as indicated in
figure, S, by gear connected to that for opening or closing the steam admission
valve, G, so as to be closed when the main admission valve is closed and vice versa.
Thus if the main engines are suddenly stopped and the small-engine exhaust steam is
at the same time shut off from entering the receiver, then with a slight rise in pressure
it will lift the loaded relief valve, S, and so be disposed of without materially affecting
the back pressure in the exhaust of the small engine or engines, or materially altering the
speed thereof. If the relief valve, S, is loaded by a spring or weight it may be adjusted
from time to time according to the power at which the main engines are arranged to
work so as to be only sufficiently above the receiver pressure to enable the valve to keep
shut. Or the load on the relief valve, S, may be made self adjusting by an arrange-
ment such as is shown in figure, 10, or such as is shown in figure, 11. The valve, S,
shown as a double-beat valve in these figures is connected to a piston or diaphragm, Q,
the space above which is in communication with the receiver whilst the space beneath
it communicates with the small-engine exhaust pipe, E, and, when the valve is opened,
When the receiver pressure
with a passage leading to the atmosphere or a condenser.
is below that of the small-engine exhaust steam the valve, S, opens and the steam does
not pass into the receiver. In certain cases where the small-engine exhaust steam is
discharged at a constant pressure, as if it were into the atmosphere or into an auxiliary
condenser at atmospheric pressure I employ by preference a plain relief valve, S, such
as is shown in figure, 9. But if the pressure of the steam into which the discharge
takes place varics, for example if at one time it takes place at atmospheric pressure
and at another into the main condenser in which the pressure is considerably below
atmospheric pressure, then I prefer to use an arrangement such as is shown in figure, 10,
or in figure, 11.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said Invention
and in what manner the same is to be performed, I declare that what I claim is :-
The improved arrangements of connecting pipes and valves for combining auxiliary,
blowing, and other steam engines on shipboard with main compound steam engines,
substantially as herein before described.
Dated thic Twelfth day of March 1887
EDMUND HUNT,
Applicant's Agent.