An Improved Method of and Apparatus for Utilizing the Waste Heat from Steam Engines and similar Apparatus.
Year: 1889

page_text: Date of Application, 30th July, 1889-Accepted, 21st Sept., 1889
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
[Communicated from abroad by HENRY SMITH ROBINSON, of 28, States Street, Boston,
Massachusetts, United States of America, Engineer.]
An Improved Method of and Apparatus for Utilizing the Waste Heat
from Steam Engines and similar Apparatus.
I, HENRY HARRIS LAKE, of the firm of Haseltine, Lake & Co., l'atent Agents,
Southampton Buildings, in the County of Middlesex, do hereby declare the nature of
this invention and in what manner the same is to be performed, to he particularly
described and ascertained in and by the following statement :-
The object of this invention is to utilize a portion of the heat that is now wasted in
manufactories and similar places where steam power is used.
In such establishments where condensing engines are used large quantities of water
are heated to a high temperature in the neighbourhood of 125 degrees F., in the
operation of condensing the steam, and although small portions of the heated water
are utilized for the feed water of the boiler, and other purposes, the greater part of
the water runs to waste carrying with it the beat that has been imparted to it by the
condensing steam.
The main object of my invention is to utilize a greater or less portion of this heat
which is now wasted, which utilization is effected by causing a current of air to be
exposed to the rest of the water discharged from the engine, and using the air thus
heated for warming the apartments of the building or for other purposes for which
hot air can be used.
The apparatus by means of which the invention is put into practice comprises a
condensing engine, and a heater in which a current of air is exposed directly or
indirectly to the hot water discharged from the engine and means for maintaining
the air current, and for delivering the air after passing through the heater into the
apartments to be warmed.
In the accompanying drawings
Figure 1 shows in side elevation a sufficient portion of an apparatus for
utilizing waste heat to illustrate this invention.
Figure 2 is a plan view of said apparatus.
Figure 3 is a longitudinal section of the exhaust steam passages and co-operating
appliances, and
Figures 4 to 7 inclusive show sectional views illustrating different constructions of
the heater in which the beat is taken from the water and imparted to the air current.
The engine a of any usual construction exhausts the steam through the pipe b into
a condenser c shown in this instance as an injection condenser although the invention
is equally applicable to an engine having a surface condenser.
In either case large quantities of water are heated to about 125 degrees F., more
or less, by the condensing steam and usually the greater portion of the water thus
heated is permitted to run to waste.
When an injection condenser is employed the hot water is drawn from the
condenser c by the air pump represented at d and the portion of the hot water if there
be any, that is utilized is commonly taken from the discharge pipe e of the air pump.
In order to utilize the heat that has heretofore been carried off by the water
delivered from the condenser the said water is in accordance with this invention
delivered from the pipe c into a heater f, shown in figure 1 as a chamber having a
perforated partition g upon which the heated water is delivered from the pipe e so
that it falls in drops or streams through the perforations in the plate g and through
the body of the chamber below the partition.
The said chamber is provided at one end with an inlet pipe or conductor h and at
its other end with an outlet pipe or conductor i for air, which when caused to move

page_text: through the said pipe, passes through the falling streams of heated water in the
chamber and is heated thereby and the air thus heated may be conveyed to any
apartment in the mill or manufactory that needs to be warmed.
In many of the operations carried on in mills, it is desirable to have the air
moistened, and by having the cold air pass through or come directly in contact with
the hot water as just described, the air will besides being heated also take up a
considerable amount of moisture which will be beneficial.
While the water is delivered from the engine in large quantities, its temperature is
not very high and if it is desired to heat the air to a higher temperature than can be
attained by its exposure to the hot water, it may after leaving the heater be passed
through an additional heating chamber through which a number of small pipes i³
pass, the said pipes i³ communicating with the exhaust pipe b of the engine, as shown
at, figure 2, and also communicating with the condenser or inlet to the air pump d
as shown at i, figure 1.
Thus a small portion of the steam exhausted from the engine passes through the
pipes on its way to the condenser and the air delivered from the heater f passes
around and between the said pipes and thus has its temperature raised.
In many places the current of air through the heater will be maintained naturally
as the hot air will be delivered at a point above the heater and the air will be rarified
and tend to rise when its temperature is raised.
If necessary, however, the current of air may be maintained artificially by a
forcing device represented in figures 1 and 2 as a fan blower k of usual construction,
or in some cases the blast or current of air produced by the fly wheel and belt of
the engine may be utilized by providing a suitable casing around the wheel &" and
even providing the latter with wings or blades 12 if need be.
The invention is not limited to any specific construction of the heater f
As shown in figures 4 and 5 the water enters the top of the chamber from the
delivery pipe
e of the air pump, and then flows down over a series of shelves or
partitions 9, g, in the chamber fa portion of said partitions extending across the
middle of the chamber, but not reaching the side walls, while the other partitions g
meet the side walls of the chamber but do not extend across the middle of the
chamber so that the water flows down through the chamber in a zigzag direction as
indicated by the arrow, and the air which flows lengthwise of the chamber is
thoroughly exposed to the streams or sheets of water falling from the different
partitions.
In the forms of heater represented in figures 1 to 5 in which the air is exposed
directly to the water, the inlet pipe e and outlet pipe e¹ from the heating chamber f
will preferably be trapped as shown at e' so as to prevent the air from passing from
the chamber into the said pipes.
In case it is desirable not to have the air exposed directly to the water a surface
heater may be employed or one in which the air moves over the surface of chambers
or passages through which the water flows.
A heater of such construction as illustrated in figures and 7 in which the
chamber through which the current of air flows, as previously described contains a
number of flat chambers g³ each communicating at one end by a pipe with the
outlet pipe e from the condenser and at the other end by a pipe 9 with the waste or
delivery pipe e¹.
.The hot water thus constantly enters at the upper part of the chambers 93 and after
passing wholly across the said chamber is delivered at the lower end of said chamber
and the air enters the outer chamber near the delivery end of the hot water chambers
and is delivered near the receiving ends of said chambers having been thoroughly
heated in its passage.
An apparatus of this kind may be used in steamships as well as in factories and
when employed in connection with an engine having a surface condenser the
circulating water is used to impart heat to the air.
When the air is heated by direct contact with the water as in the apparatus
represented in figures 4 and 5 it should not generally be heated much above the

page_text: temperature of the apartment to be warmed, as it will, when heated by direct contact
with the water become laden with moisture, which would be deposited if it were
subsequently cooled any considerable amount.
The employment of the supplementary heater such as represented at will obviate
the tendency of the air to deposit the moisture when its temperature is subsequently
reduced.
Portions of the same apparatus may be used for ventilation when no heat is
required.
A conductor is represented in dotted lines at k¹, figure 2, leading from the fly wheel
case to the air pipes for the purpose of utilizing the disturbance of the air produced
by the fly wheel to maintain the proper current or circulation in the pipes.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said invention
and in what manner the same is to be performed as communicated to me by my
foreign correspondent I declare that what I claim is :-
First. The herein described method of utilizing waste heat from steam engines,
which consists in exposing a current of air to the water that has been heated in
condensing the exhaust steam of the engine, and thereby heating the air, substantially
as described.
Second. An apparatus for utilizing waste heat comprising an engine and condenser,
and a heater in which a current of air is exposed to and heated by the hot water
discharged from the condenser, substantially as described.
Third. The combination of a steam engine having a fly wheel and condenser for
exhaust steam; with a heater and a duct connecting the same with said condenser,
and an air duct or passage leading from the fly wheel to the said heater, as described ;
whereby the motion of the fly wheel produces a current of air through the wheel in
which the said air is heated from the hot water conveyed to the heater from the
condenser, substantially as described.
Dated this 20th tow of Tul 1900
HASELTINE, LAKE & Co.,
45, Southampton Buildings, London, W.C., Agents for the Applicant.