IMPROVE- MENTS IN STEAM ENGINE CONDENSERS
Year: 1846

page_text: TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, THOMAS
Howard, of King and Queen Iron Works, Rotherhithe, in the County of
Surrey, Engineer, send greeting..
1.
WHEREAS Her present most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her
Royal Letters Patent under the Great Seal of Great Britain, bearing date at
Westminster, the Twenty-fifth day of March, in the ninth year of Her reign,
did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant unto me, the said
Thomas Howard, my exors, adññiors, and assigns, Her especial licence, full
power, sole privilege and authority, that I, the said Thomas Howard, my
exors, admors, and assigns, or such others as I, the said Thomas Howard,
my exors, admors, or assigns, should at any time agree with, and no others,
from time to time and at all times during the term of years therein expressed,
should and lawfully might make, use, exercise, and vend, within England,
Wales, and the Town of Berwick-upon-Tweed, my Invention of "IMPROVE-
MENTS IN STEAM ENGINE CONDENSERS;" in which said Letters Patent is con-
tained a proviso that I, the said Thomas Howard, shall cause a particular
description of the nature of my said Invention, and in what manner the same
is to be performed, to be inrolled in Her said Majesty's High Court of
Chancery within six calendar months next and immediately after the date
of the said in part recited Letters Patent, as in and by the same, reference
being thereunto had, will more fully and at large appear.
:
NOW KNOW YE, that in compliance with the said proviso, I, the said
Thomas Howard, do hereby declare that the nature of my said Invention,
and the manner in which the same is to be performed, are fully described
こ
...

page_text: and ascertained in and by the following statement thereof, reference being
had to the Drawing hereunto annexed, and to the figures and letters marked
thereon, that is to say:-
This Invention applies to such condensing steam engines as have their
boilers supplied with water of condensation, and wherein the steam is con-
densed by injecting such water properly cooled down. A tank (A) is placed
in any convenient situation, and is supplied with cold water by pumps, or
otherwise (at B), and which, having its course governed by plates (C, C,)
within the tank, escapes (at D), as further shewn by the arrows. The ends of
the tank are closed by plates (which I recommend to be of brass) (E, E,)
pierced with holes, in which are secured water-tight the ends of tubes of copper
or other appropriate metal (F, F, F), a section of one row in height only being
shewn in the Drawing, but which extend through the breadth of the tank.
Bonnets (G, G,) are fixed over the plates and open ends of the tubes (and so
as to be removable if access be required to the tubes), and are divided into
compartments which in either bonnet alternate in position with those in the
opposite one at the other end of the tubes, as shewn in the Drawing. A nozle
(H) on one bonnet is connected by a pipe, or otherwise, with the hot cistern,
and a nozle (I) on the other is connected with the injection cock of the steam
engine. Within the nozle (H) is a plate (h) perforated with small holes. A
quantity of water being introduced into the hot cistern (by first starting the
engine with the ordinary injection, which I recommend to be attached, or
otherwise), sufficient to fill the tubes, and properly effect the circulation, the
injection cock connected with the nozle (at I) is opened, when the warm water
in the hot cistern will pass by the atmospheric pressure through the opposite
nozle (at II), and to and fro along each series of tubes, determined by the
divisions in each bonnet (and as shewn by small arrows), and will be reduced
to nearly the same temperature as the external water (supplied at B), and
will, after passing through the nozle (I) and effecting the condensation by its
injection, be withdrawn by the air pump of the engine in the ordinary way
into the hot cistern, from whence it will again circulate through the tubes,
being cooled and re-injected continually, as before described. Any waste
which takes place is made good by the ordinary injection, which I prefer to
the use of stills, but the latter may be employed upon any ordinary plan if
required.
I do not confine myself to the precise arrangements herein-before described;
and I would state that the injection water, and the external refrigerating water,
may be made to change positions, the former to pass without and the latter
within the tubes or other surfaces; and the cold water may be supplied by

page_text: any known means. I recommend that the refrigerating surface be about ten
square feet per nominal horse power when the steam is so employed as to
leave the cylinder of the engine at 10 lbs. per square inch pressure, irrespective
of the atmosphere, and be more or less accordingly. I further recommend
that the supply of external or cold water be not less than twice the quantity of
the injection water.
Now, whereas a Patent was granted to me, the said Thomas Howard, dated
the Thirteenth day of October, One thousand eight hundred and twenty-five;
and also a Patent dated the Thirtieth day of November, One thousand eight
hundred and thirty-two; in both of which was included a process of condensa-
tion by the re-injection of the same water or other liquid; I do not therefore
hereby claim such process.
But I claim the so arranging apparatus that the water for condensation
shall be subdivided into many streams in its progress to be cooled, and used
as injecting water, as herein-described.
In witness whereof, I, the said Thomas Howard, have hereunto set
my hand and seal, this Twenty-fourth day of September. One thousand