IMPROVEMENTS IN TURBINES FOR OBTAINING MOTIVE POWER, APPLICABLE ALSO TO RAISING AND FORCING FLUIDS AND TO PROPELLING SHIPS OR VESSELS
Year: 1865

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to William Brookes, of 62, Chancery Lane, in the
County of Middlesex, Civil Engineer and Patent Agent, for the Inven-
tion of "IMPROVEMENTS IN TURBINES FOR OBTAINING MOTIVE POWER,
APPLICABLE ALSO TO RAISING AND FORCING FLUIDS AND TO PROPELLING SHIPS
OR VESSELS." A communication from abroad by Joseph Denis Farcot,
Jean Joseph Léon Farcot, Michel Basile Abel Farcot, Joseph Etienne
Eloi Chateau, and Emmanuel Denis Farcot, all of Port Saint Quen
(Seine), in the Empire of France.
Sealed the 8th June 1866, and dated the 13th December 1865.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said William Brookes at the
Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on the 13th
December 1865.
I, WILLIAM BROOKES, of 62, Chancery Lane, in the County of Middlesex,
Civil Engineer and Patent Agent, do hereby declare the nature of the said
Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN TURBINES FOR OBTAINING MOTIVE POWER,
APPLICABLE ALSO TO RAISING AND FORCING FLUIDS AND TO PROPELLING SHIPS OR
VESSELS," (communicated to me from abroad by Joseph Denis Farcot, Jean
Joseph Léon Farcot, Michel Basile Abel Farcot, Joseph Etienne Eloi Chateau,
and Emmanuel Denis Farcot, all of Port Saint Ouen (Seine), in the Empire
of France,) to be as follows:-
The Invention relates to means for giving a great velocity to the wheel
whilst only a feeble movement is imparted to the fluid, in order to reduce the

page_text: loss of power to the minimum. For this purpose the fluid is prevented from
participating in the movement of the wheel by not allowing contact therewith
until the instant it presents itself. to the edge of the floats. This is effected,
particularly in elevating turbines or rotary pumps, by means of a shield which
conducts the fluid from the inlet pipe to the floats without permitting it to
receive any rotary movement from the disc. A second shield acts in like
manner to prevent the water in the delivery chamber from participating in the
rotation of the disc. Also to the form of the delivery chamber, which, instead
of being of an uniform circular section, progressively increases in proportion
to the amount of delivery to be effected. Also to the form of the delivery tube,
which, instead of being cylindrical, is conical, progressively increasing in sec-
tion. This arrangement allows of the greatest utilization of the power of the
water repelled by reason of the progressive neutralization of the contra
pressure, whether the delivery conduit be horizontal or vertical. Also to the
construction of the floats by means of a disc of sheet metal cut radially and
enclosed between two plates. Also in a new. arrangement of the stuffing
boxes for the axis provided with rings, forming a hydraulic joint by means of
a small passage communicating with the delivery chamber. Two little spaces
formed by small longitudinal ribs enclosing a spongy substance constitute a
filter, which arrests sand or other foreign substances which might arrive at
the small passage from the delivery conduit, and only allows the water to pass
into the upper space of the stuffing box.
Also an arrangement of turbines applicable to the propulsion of ships, and for
effecting the escapement of the water and the working or manoeuvering of the
ship. The delivery tube is connected by a receiver, which has tubes capable
of being each closed at will to allow of the direction of propulsion being varied.
If a tube opening at the stern is open the ship moves forward. In order to
move backwards this tube is closed and others inclining forwards are opened.
To turn round or tack about lateral conduits are opened corresponding with
the direction required. These principles are applicable to screw propellers by
the transformation of their blades into tubes curved (enroulés) following a
curve corresponding to the speed of the ship, and presenting only their heads
as surfaces of resistance, into which the water enters as in the turbines with
floats. The direction of motion is changed by causing each of the tubes to
make half a turn, at the same time reversing the direction of rotation.

page_text: SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent, filed
by the said William Brookes in the Great Seal Patent Office on the
13th June 1866.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, WILLIAM
BROOKES, of 62, Chancery Lane, in the County of Middlesex, Civil Engineer
and Patent Agent, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her Letters
Patent, bearing date the Thirteenth day of December, in the year of our
Lord One thousand eight hundred and sixty-five,in the twenty-ninth year of
Her reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant unto me,
the said William Brookes, Herspecial licence that I, the said William Brookes,
my executors, administrators, and assigns, or such others as I, the said
William Brookes, 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 Kingdomof Great Britain and Ireland,
the Channel Islands, and Isle of Man, an Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN
TURBINES FOR OBTAINING MOTIVE POWER, APPLICABLE ALSO TO RAIBING AND FORCING
FLUIDS AND TO PROPELLING SHIPS OR VESSELS," communicated to me from abroad
by Joseph Denis Farcot, Jean Joseph Léon Farcot, Michel Basile Abel
Farcot, Joseph Etienne Eloi Chateau, and Emmanuel Denis Farcot, all of
Port Saint Ouen (Seine), in the Empire of France, upon the condition (amongst
others) that I, the said William Brookes, 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 Inven-
tion, 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 mouths
next and immediately after the date of the said Letters Patent.
NOW KNOW YE, that I, the said William Brookes, do hereby declare the
nature of the said Invention, and in what manner the same is to be per-
formed, to be particularly described and ascertained in and by the following
statement thereof, that is to say :-
One of the principal causes of loss of power which takes place in these
receivers is the speed which pressure imparts to the fluid, the changes in
section and in speed produce eddies and loss of power, which do not take
place when the fluid acts by pressure at a low speed. The application of the
latter mode of action constitutes one of the improvements which form the
object of the Invention; this is effected by giving to the wheel only a great

page_text: velocity and imparting to the fluid a feeble motion, in order to reduce the loss
of power to a minimum. With this object the fluid is prevented from par-
ticipating in the motion of the wheel, and is not permitted to come in contact
with it until the moment it presents itself to the edge of the floats. This is
effected (particularly in elevating turbines and rotary pumps) by means of a
fixed shield a (Figure 8), which conducts the liquid from the inlet pipe 6 to
the floats c without permitting it to receive any rotary motion from the disc d.
A second shield i prevents the water of the chamber participating in the
rotation of the discs. The inclined surface of the floats then causing a slight
motion, which causes the water to pass from the suction chamber e into the
chamber f, at the same time transmits to it a slight impetus in the direction
of rotation, but the contact being of very slight duration and extent this
impetus is unimportant; it will be moreover utilized to increase the motion of
the liquid in the circular tube f, from which the outlet pipe 7 branches. The
chamber fincreases in section in proportion to the amount of delivery to be
effected at each point from the commencement z of delivery (Figure 5) to the
outlet pipe g. This tube or pipe g, instead of being cylindrical, forms the
commencement of a conical conduit m (Figure 4), progressively increasing in
section.
I
The object of this arrangement is to utilize as much as possible the power
of thewater repelled by the progressive neutralization of the contra pressure,
in order to realize the greatest useful effect and delivery. The form of the
chamber facts likewise for that purpose. It is important to remark that the
conical diverging form given to the delivery conduit (represented horizontal
in the Drawings) may, for the elevation of water, be advantageously employed
in a vertical direction. It should in that case be more useful still, for the
progression of the successive sections can be determined so as to effect at each
point a natural decrease of velocity due to the resistance of the weight of the
liquid during ascension. The pressure being greater in the chamber f* than
in the suction chamber e, a loss of water at the revolution of the wheel might
take place, but the small quantity of liquid contained in the interior of the
moveable crown in the space / participating entirely in the rotary movement
possesses by its velocity a centrifugal force greater than the pressure of the
outlet without effecting the total result, as it only acts on a very small
quantity of the outlet water. Motion can be transmitted to the wheel either
by the end of the shaft, as indicated in Figure 3, or by the end on the side
of the suction pipe b, as indicated by Figure 6, or otherwise.
h
The floats (represented face view, Figure 4, and by sectional view
opened out at Figure 5) are formed by means of a disc of sheet metal cut

page_text: radially and held between two plates; this form, in addition to being very
simple, is very favourable to delivery. The form of the floats can, however, be
varied to follow such curves and lines which theory or experience may prove
to be most advantageous. Their number may also be varied, and they may
also overlap one another more or less, and the axis of rotation may be either
vertical, horizontal, or at an angle. The curves which conduct the water
from the suction conduit on to the crown of floats, and also those which form
the commencement of the delivery chamber, may be modified or omitted
entirely, if necessary, without affecting the system. The various speeds and
the dimensions of the various conduits may also be varied according to their
applications and experience.
By inspection of Figures 3 and 4 it will be seen that the stuffing boxes u,u¹,
are furnished with rings forming a hydraulic joint, by means of a small
passage communicating at o with the delivery, as in various systems of pumps.
The two little spaces r, 7, (Figure 4), formed by small longitudinal ribs,
enclose a spongy substance, and constitute a filter which arrests sand or other
foreign substances which might get in at v from the delivery chamber, and
will only allow the water to pass into the interior space of the stuffing box.
The arrangements indicated by Figures 1, 2, 3, and 4 for a rotary pump
are easily applicable as a hydraulic engine, for which purpose it is only
necessary to reverse the direction of motion of the liquid and of the
floata. In these various apparatus the speed of delivery will be equal to
02
2929
v 2
and
2 g
-h), being the speed of rotation, h being the height of delivery,
expressing the height due to v.
Figures 7 and 8 represent the application of these turbines to the pro-
pulsion of ships. The turbines or rotary pumps about to be described may be
employed for expelling gases and liquids, and their operation being superior
to that of other apparatus of the same kind, they are applicable to the
propulsion of ships, in which case the result will be greatly facilitated by the
arrangements represented by Figures 7 and 8. Z is the turbine or rotary
pump; m,the delivery tube conducting the water into the delivery chambern;
this chamber n is provided with tubes o, p, q, r, s, which are each capable of
being closed by valves as desired in order to alter the direction of propulsion
of the ship. If the tube o only is open the ship will move forward with the
full power of the apparatus. In order to move backwards the tube o is closed
and the tubes p and q are opened; and if it is desired to turn round or change
the direction of motion of the ship one of the lateral conduits ror s is opened.

page_text: The combination and situation of the various tubes.may be varied, and they
may be worked together or separately according to the nature of the
manoeuvre and the skill of the person in charge without altering the direction
of rotation or speed of the apparatus.
It may be advantageous in certain cases, according to circumstances, to
reduce cr to suppress the receiver n in order to preserve the power of the
liquid from the pump to the extreme outlet of the ship. It will be determined
by calculation and experiment what will be the best relation to adopt between
the respective speeds of the floats of the pump, the outlet of the water, and
the ship itself. A suction pipe may be arranged to empty the hold of water
by means of the rotary pump in the event of leakage or any other circum-
.
stance.
Figures 9 and 10 represent the direct application of the above principles to
screw propellers. This is effected by the transformation of the blades, as
indicated by Figures 9 and 10, and forming their acting parts of tubes
u, u, u, u, curved (enroulés) to correspond with the speed of the ship, so
as only to present their heads vas surfaces of resistance into which the water
enters, as in turbines with floats. The pressure being the same in each tube
and the liquid flowing out by the final orifice x (which is of smaller section
than v) acts by reaction upon the screw, and therefore upon its axis or upon
the vessel.
The direction of motion is changed by causing each of the tubes to make
half a turn (as indicated by dotted lines in Figures 9 and 10) by any
suitable means, and at the same time reversing the direction of rotation of the
machine.
Having thus described the Invention as communicated to me, I would
have it understood that what I claim is,-
First, the application to turbines generally of a fixed shield for the purpose
of preventing the fluid from participating in the movement of the wheel by
separating the one from the other, as above described.
Second, the arrangement of the delivery chamber f, which increases in
section in proportion to the amount of delivery to be effected at each point
from the commencement at z to the delivery tube g.
Third, the arrangement of the tube g which forins the commencement of a
conical diverging conduit m of increasing section.
Fourth, the construction of floats by means of a disc of sheet metal cut
radially and held between two plates.
Fifth, the new arraugement of stuffing boxes with spongy substance
forming a filter.

page_text: Sixth, the application of the above-described arrangement of turbines to
the propulsion of ships, as above described and represented by Figures 7
and 8.
Seventh, the application of the principle of the turbines herein described to
screw propellers; as described and represented by Figures 9 and 10.
In witness whereof, I, the said William Brookes, have hereunto set my
hand and seal, this Twelfth day of June, in the year of our Lord One
thousand eight hundred and sixty-six.
WILLIAM BROOKES. (L.B.)