IMPROVEMENTS IN SURFACE CONDENSERS
Year: 1862

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Alexander Parkes, of Liverpool Street, Birmingham,
in the County of Warwick, for the Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN
SURFACE CONDENSERS."
Sealed the 19th September 1862, aud dated the 19th April 1862.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Alexander Parkes at the
Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition; on the 19th
April 1862.
.J, ALEXANDER PARKES, of Liverpool Street, Birmingham, in the County of
Warwick, do hereby declare the nature. of. the Invention for "IMPROVE-
MENTS IN SURFACE CONDENSERS," to be as follows:-
This Invention has for its object improvements in surface condensers.
Surface condensers are now commonly made with copper or brass tubes, and
it is found in practice that these metals become more. or less acted on when
at work by the steam and grease, and consequently when the condensed or
condensation water is used to feed the boiler, small quantities of salts of
copper are introduced by it into the boiler; this causes corrosion to take place
within the boiler, and not unfrequently considerable damage, results. To
overcome this difficulty the tubes have in some cases been tinned, but this
does not succeed very well in practice.. Now my Invention consists in coating
the tubes with silver by, means of an electro-plating process; the tubes may
with advantage be silvered both inside and out, the principal advantage is

page_text: however, I consider, obtained by silvering the surface with which the steam
comes in contact. Or, in place of employing, tubes prepared in this manner,
tubes prepared from sheet copper or brass plated in the ordinary manner, and
bent up and soldered, may be employed, but I much prefer solid drawn tubes
electro-plated.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent, filed
by the said Alexander Parkes in the Great Seal Patent Office on the
18th October 1862.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, ALEXANDER
PARKES, of Liverpool Street, Birmingham, in the County of Warwick, send
greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her Letters
Patent, bearing date the Nineteenth day of April, in the year of our Lord
One thousand eight hundred and sixty-two, in the twenty-fifth year of Her
reign, did, for Herself, Her, heirs and successors, give and grant unto me, the
said Alexander Parkes, Her special licence, that I, the said Alexander Parkes,
my executors, administrators, and assigns, or such others as I, the said Alexander
Parkes, 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 SURFACE CON-
DENSERS," upon the condition (amongst others) that I, the said Alexander
Parkes, 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 Alexander Parkes, 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 surface condensers.
Surface condensers are now commonly made with copper or brass tubes, and
it is found in practice that these metals become more or less acted on when

page_text: at work by the steam and grease, and consequently when the condensed or
condensation water is used to feed the boiler, small quantities of salts of
copper are introduced by it into the boiler; this causes corrosion to take place
within the boiler, and not unfrequently considerable damage results. Το
overcome this difficulty, the tubes have in some cases been tinned, but this
does not succeed very well in practice. Now my Invention consists in coating
the tubes with silver by means of an electro-plating process; the tubes may
with advantage be silvered both inside and out, the principle advantage is
however, I consider, obtained by silvering the surface with which the steam
comes in contact. In plating the tubes I employ the ordinary electro-plating
process, a silver bath of sufficient size to receive the tubes conveniently being
made use of. I prefer to employ a coating of silver equal to from 30 to
40 grains per square foot of surface, as this will effectually protect the
surface of the tube without unnecessarily increasing the expense. If it is
desired to coat both the exterior and the interior of the tube, the silver solution
when the tube is placed in the bath is allowed to enter the tube, but if the
exterior only of the tube is to be coated the ends of the tube are stopped ;. if
it be desired to coat the interior only of the tube the exterior should be covered
with a protecting varnish, which will prevent the deposition of silver upon it.
If ferrules are employed in fixing the tubes, as they usually are, the ferrules
also should be electro-plated. Or, in place of employing tubes prepared in
this manner, tubes prepared from sheet copper, or brass plated in the ordinary
manner and bent up and soldered, may be employed, but I much prefer solid
drawn tubes electro-plated.
In witness whereof, I, the said Alexander Parkes, have hereunto set
my hand and seal, this Sixteenth day of October, in the year of our
Lord One thousand eight hundred and sixty-two.
ALEXANDER PARKES. (L.S.)