Improved Means for Utilizing Waste or Exhaust Steam for Jacketing Live Steam Pipes and for Heating.
Year: 1894

page_text: Date of Application, 3rd Aug., 1894
Complete Specification Left. 27th Mar., 1895-Accepted, 4th May, 1895
Improved Means for Utilizing Waste or Exhaust Steam for Jacketing
Live Steam Pipes and for Heating.
I, Dr. WILHELM ELBERS of Hagen, Westphalia, Germany, do hereby declare
the nature of this invention to be as follows:-
The present invention relates to piping for conveying steam and has for its object
to more effectually prevent loss of heat from the steam on its way from the steam
boiler to the place of use.
The arrangement of piping consists essentially of two concentric pipes, the inner
pipe conveying live steam from the boiler whilst the annular space between the two
pipes conveys, in the opposite direction, the waste or exhaust steam from the engine
so that the steam pipe proper is surrounded by a steam jacket which is highly
efficient as a non-conductor of heat.
The ordinary non-conducting coverings of steam pipes are liable to be easily
destroyed or rendered inefficient by water of condensation, rain, frost, and other
atmospheric influences while at the places where the piping gives out most heat,
namely at the flanges and at the valves, it was not possible to provide any covering,
or recourse had to be had to expensive special arrangements.
Now all these disadvantages are completely obviated by the use of the present
invention which provides a completely indestructible protective material for the
steam pipes throughout their length inclusive of the flanges and valves, moreover,
experiments have shown that the efficiency of the steam jacket is considerably
greater than the best non-conducting materials known, there is therefore first an
advantage gained by the saving in live steam or in the work done by the machinery
driven, because the heat given off by the live steam is less than before, and second,
the live steam heat is not lost because it is taken up by the exhaust steam and is
thus rendered capable of being utilized.
In utilizing the exhaust steam for purposes of consumption, there is further the
great advantage that a separate line of piping is dispensed with.
The single
lengths of piping required for the improved arrangement are manufactured from
cast iron, wrought iron or copper, according to the usual methods of making
ordinary steam pipes.
Figure 2 is a cross section taken through a flange of a standard straight length
of pipe. The two concentrically arranged pipes are firmly connected together at
each of their two ends by means of three short connecting pieces.
Figure 3 illustrates a tee-piece which is inserted in the line of piping for the
purpose of allowing live steam to be taken at that point. The merging together
of the outer pipe with the inner pipe necessitated at the union a, is effected according
to the nature of the material of which the piece is made, in the case of cast iron, in
the casting of wrought iron by welding; and of copper by brazing. The
employment of this tee-piece is advisable in cases where the steam is entirely
consumed, such as for instance for heating dyeing baths or for operating condensing
steam engines.
2.
i
The tee-piece illustrated in Figure 4 serves for taking exhaust steam.
Figure 5 illustrates a connecting piece which allows of taking live steam from the
inner pipe at a, and is also provided on the outer pipe with a branch union b which
may be employed at will either for taking or for receiving exhaust steam. This
1

page_text: connecting piece can be employed in many different ways, as hereinafter described.
The standard tee-pieces, bends and cross-tee-pieces are constructed in an analogous
manner to that employed for the corresponding parts of ordinary steam piping."
Figure 6 illustrates a valve for the piping. It is of the ordinary construction,
but is surrounded, according to the improved method, with a jacket, the contour of
which conforms to the contour of the valve casing, the outer jacket being provided
at both ends with annular flanges and also connected to the valve casing by three
short connecting pieces. The valve can be inserted at any point in the line of
piping, and then serves for throttling or cutting off the live steam, the exhaust
steam surrounding the live steam in the valve.
In addition to the short connecting pieces at both ends, there is also provided a
wider connecting piece in the centre through which the valve spindle passes.
This serves to prevent all possibility of escape of live steam into the exhaust steam
pipe in case of leakage of the stuffing box. The making of tight joints between
the several parts of the piping is effected in the same manner as in the case of
ordinary steam pipes by packing the flanges with rubber rings, with the sole
exception that in place of a single rubber ring, a double rubber ring is employed
the two rings being connected by three radial portions of rubber, corresponding
with the connecting pieces aforesaid.
Figure 1 illustrates the employment of the new system of piping.
The steam from the boiler is supplied through a branch piece at A to the line
of piping which conveys the steam to a steam engine shown at the opposite end of
the drawing.
A standard tee-piece B, is inserted in the main line of piping, from which the
steam passes laterally through a standard straight length of pipe to the connecting
piece whence the steam is taken at d through an ordinary valve for operating the
steam engine, whilst at the steam exhausting from the engine passes into the
connecting piece and thence into the annular space between the two pipes of the line
of piping.
Consequently when the steam engine, or if more than one steam engine be
connected to the line of piping, when only one of said steam engines is working,
the space between the two pipes is filled with exhaust steam. By this means the
live steam is protected from loss of heat, and there is also the advantage of being
able to take exhaust steam from any desired point in the line of piping.
Thus the line of piping has connected to it through the medium of a tee-piece
at D, another branch (Figure 7) by means of which both live steam and exhaust
steam can be taken from the line of piping for the purpose of heating the dyeing
bath contained in the dyeing vat F either by means of live steam or exhaust steam.
As the line of piping is closed steam tight at the opposite end by a blank cover
plate, so that either, the live nor the exhaust steam is able to escape, the exhaust
steam which is not used, passes through the connecting piece A and out at the
union through an ordinary steam pipe into the feed water heater V.
In the latter the exhaust steam heats, in the manner shown in the drawing, the
feed water (which flows in the reverse direction) and is thereby partly condensed,
whilst the exhaust steam in excess escapes through the exhaust orifice P, the only
one in the whole arrangement.
Thus whilst the union C serves for taking live steam, and for receiving exhaust
steam, and the union D serves for taking both live steam and exhaust steam, the
union A serves for receiving live steam and taking exhaust steain.
Dated this 3rd day of August 1894.
A. M. & WM. CLARK,
53, Chancery Lane, London, Chartered Patent Agents.

page_text: Improved Means for Utilizing Waste or Exhaust Steam for Jacketing
Live Steam Pipes and for Heating.
1, Dr. WILHELM ELBERS, of Hagen. Westphalia, Germany, 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 :-
The present invention relates to piping for conveying steam, and has for its
object to more effectually prevent loss of heat from the steam on its way from
the steam boiler to the place of use.
The arrangement of piping consists essentially of two concentric pipes, the
inner pipe conveying live steam from the boiler whilst the annular space between
the two pipes conveys, in the opposite direction, the waste or exhaust steam from
the engine, so that the steam pipe proper is surrounded by a steam jacket which is
highly efficient as a non-conductor of heat.
The ordinary non-conducting coverings of steam pipes are liable to be easily
destroyed or rendered inefficient by water of condensation, rain, frost, and other
atmospheric influences, while at the places where the piping gives out most heat,
namely at the flanges and at the valves, it was not possible to provide any covering,
or recourse had to be had to expensive special arrangements. Now all these
disadvantages are completely obviated by the use of the present invention, which
provides a completely indestructible protective material for the steam pipes
throughout their length inclusive of the flanges and valves. Moreover, experiments
have shewn that the efficiency of the steam jacket is considerably greater than the
best non-conducting materials known; there is, therefore, first, an advantage
gained by the saving in live steam or in the work done by the machinery driven,
because the heat given off by the live steam is less than before, and, secondly, the
live steam heat is not lust because it is taken up by the exhaust steam and is thus
rendered capable of being utilized.
In utilizing the exhaust steam for purposes of consumption, there is, further, the
great advantage that a separate line of piping is dispensed with. The single
lengths of piping required for the improved arrangement are manufactured of cast
iron, wrought iron, or copper, according to the usual methods of making ordinary
steam pipes.
In the drawings left with my Provisional Specification
Figure 1 represents, partly in section, the general arrangement of a line of
combined live and exhaust steam piping between a boiler and a steam engine or
other steam using apparatus.
Figure 2 is a cross-section, taken through a flange of a standard straight length
of pipe. The two concentrically arranged pipes are firmly connected together at
cach of their two ends by means of three short connecting webs.
Figure 3 illustrates a tee-piece which is inserted in the line of piping for the
purpose of supplying live steam to the point required. The merging together of
the outer pipe with the inner pipe necessitated at the union a, is effected according
to the nature of the material of which the piece is made, in the case of cast iron,
in the casting; of wrought iron, by welding; and of copper, by brazing. The
employment of this tee-piece is advisable in cases where the steam is entirely
consumed, such as, for instance, for heating dyeing baths, or for operating
condensing steam engines.
The tee-piece illustrated in Figure + serves for supplying exhaust steam to tho
boint required
Figure 5 illustrates a connecting piece whereby live stea:n may be supplied

page_text: from the inner pipe at u, the outer pipe having a branch union whereby exhaust
steam may be either supplied or received at will. This connecting piece can be
employed in many different ways as herein described. The standard tee-pieces,
bends, and cross tee-pieces, are constructed in an analogous manner to that employed
for the corresponding parts of ordinary steam piping.
Figure 6 illustrates a stop-valve of the ordinary construction, but surrounded,
according to the improved method, with a jacket the contour of which conforins to
the contour of the valve casing, the outer jacket being provided at both ends with
annular flanges and also connected to the valve casing by three short connecting
pieces. The valve can be inserted at any point in the line of piping, and then
serves for throttling or cutting off the live steam, the exhaust steam surrounding
the live steam in the valve.
In addition to the short connecting pieces at both ends, there is also provided a
wider connecting piece 6 in the centre through which the valve spindle passes.
This serves to prevent all possibility of escape of live steam into the exhaust
steam pipe, in case of leakage of the stuffing box. The making of tight joints
between the several parts of the piping is effected in the same manner as in the
case of ordinary steam pipes by packing the flanges with rubber rings, with the
sole exception that, in place of a single rubber ring, a double rubber ring is
employed, the two rings being connected by three radial portions of rubber,
corresponding with the connecting pieces aforesaid.
Referring to Figure 1, which illustrates the employment of the new system of
piping, it will be seen that the steam from the boiler is supplied through a branch
piece at A to the line of piping which conveys the steam to a steam engine shewn
at the opposite end of the drawing.
A standard tee-piece B is inserted in the main line of piping, from which the
steam passes laterally through a standard straight length of pipe to the connecting
piece whence the steam is taken at d through an ordinary valve for operating the
steam engine, whilst at the steam exhausting from the engine passes into the
connecting piece and thence into the annular space between the two pipes of
the line of piping.
Consequently, when the steam engine, or, if more than one steam engine be
connected to the line of piping, when only one of said steam engines, is working,
the space between the two pipes is filled with exhaust steam. By this means the
live steam is protected from loss of heat and there is also the advantage of being
able to take exhaust steam from any desired point in the line of piping. Thus the
line of piping has connected to it, through the medium of a tee-piece at D, another
branch, (Figure 7) by means of which both live steam and exhaust steam can be
taken from the line of piping for the purpose of heating the dyeing bath con-
tained in the dyeing vat F, either by means of live steam or exhaust steam.
the line of piping is closed steam tight at the opposite end by a blank cover plate,
so that neither the live nor the exhaust steam is able to escape, the exhaust steam
which is not used passes through the connecting piece A and out at the union t
through an ordinary steam pipe into the feed water heater V.
As
In the latter the exhaust steam heats, in the manner shewn in the drawing, the
feed water (which flows in the reverse direction) and is thereby partly condensed
whilst the exhaust steam in excess escapes through the exhaust orifice P, the only
one in the whole arrangement.
Thus, whilst the union C serves for supplying live steam and for receiving
exhaust steam, and the union D serves for supplying both live steam and exhaust
steam the union A serves for receiving live steam and supplying exhaust steam to
the points required.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of the said inven
tion, and in what manner the same is to be performed, I declare that what I
claim is :-
1. The herein described system of piping for preventing loss of heat from live

page_text: steam and for conveying exhaust steam where required, which consists essentially
of double-walled or concentric pipes whereof the inuer one conveys live steam
from the generator to the engine whilst the outer one conveys exhaust steam from
the engine to the points where it is to be used or to a condenser or into the
atmosphere, so that the live steam will be protected from loss of heat and any heat
given off will be absorbed by the exhaust steam and so utilized.
2. The herein described construction of concentric steam pipes, coupling pieces,
and stop valves, adapted to convey both live and exhaust steam, substantially in
the manner, and for the purpose, specified.
Dated this 27th day of March 1895
A. M. & WM. CLARK,
53, Chancery Lane, London, Chartered Patent Agents.
A. M. & WM. CLARK,
53, Chancery Lane, London, Chartered Patent Agents.