IMPROVEMENTS IN CONDENSING STEAM ENGINES
Year: 1854

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to John Champney Bothams, of Vine Cottage,
Londonderry Road, Camberwell Green, in the County of Surrey,
for the Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN CONDENSING STEAM
ENGINES."
Sealed the 2nd August 1853, and dated the 30th May 1853.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said John Champney
Bothams at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his
Petition, on the 30th May 1853.
I, JOHN CHAMPNEY BOTHAMS, of Vine Cottage, Londonderry Road,
Camberwell Green, in the County of Surrey, do hereby declare the
nature of the said Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN CONDENSING STEAM
ENGINES" to be as follows:-
This Invention consists of employing an ordinary cylinder and
piston, and of connecting the piston rod directly to the crank pin. The
cylinder is suspended, and it oscillates about an axis at right angles to
its own central axis. The oscillating or pendulous motion of the
cylinder is caused by its being fixed to the axis or shaft, which partly
rotates backwards and forwards by having fixed to it by one of its
sides a piston of a rectangular form. This rectangular piston de-

page_text: scribes in its to and fro movement part of a circle, and is worked
by the combined force of steam and vacuum in a chest or vessel.
Or the cylinder may be fixed to the chest or vessel, and the cylinder
and chest together have a pendulous motion on the fixed shaft attached
to the rectangular piston. The centre of gravity of the cylinder or
parts of the engines having a pendulous motion may be so fixed below
the axis of oscillation that the centre of gyration of the mass may be
as nearly as possible the required distance below the axis of suspen-
sion for a pendulum describing the required number of oscillations per
minute. And in constructing the condenser I form it of a collection of
tubes or narrow passages placed vertically; each tube or passage is of a
tapering or conical form, so that the tube or passage gradually increases
in size and thinness of metal from one end to the other; the larger
end of the tubes are placed upwards, and the steam is admitted into
the condenser near the upper ends of the tubes; it will, therefore,
meet with more surface and thinner metal than at the lower end of the
tubes, which being of a smaller size and thicker metal will be stronger
to resist the increased pressure arising from the depth of water used for
condensing. The cold water used for condensing is not allowed to
flow freely into the condenser, but is pumped in by a pump or pumps
so arranged that no cold water for the purpose of condensation can
enter the condenser without the same quantity of water which has been
used for condensation being pumped out of the condenser at the same
time, so that there will always be the same quantity of water in the
condenser for the purpose of condensation. The water formed by the
condensed steam is pumped out of the condenser, and discharged into
the boiler or other required place. The pumps for pumping in and
pumping out the cold water used for condensation are fitted with
ordinary slide valves or ordinary forms of valve, which are opened and
shut by the pressure of the water, if with the ordinary flap valves, but
so as to prevent the water flowing uninterruptedly through the pump,
An auxiliary engine may be employed, when advisable, to pump the
water used for condensing into and out of the condenser, and the water
formed by the condensed steam into the boiler.

page_text: SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent,
filed by the said John Champney Bothams in the Great Scal
Patent Office, on the 25th November 1853.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I,
JOHN CHAMPNEY BOTHAMS, of Vine Cottage, Londonderry Road, Cam-
berwell Green, in the County of Surrey, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her
Letters Patent, bearing date the Thirtieth day of May, in the year of
our Lord One thousand eight hundred and fifty-three, in the sixteenth
year of Her reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and
grant unto me, the said John Champney Bothams, Her special licence
that I, the said John Champney Bothams, my executors, administra-
tors, and assigns, or such others as I, the said John Champney Bothams,
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,
exercise, and vend, within the United Kingdom of Great Britain
and Ireland, the Channel Islands, and Isle of Man, an Invention for
"IMPROVEMENTS IN CONDENSING STEAM ENGINES," upon the condition
(amongst others) that I, the said John Champney Bothams, by an
instrument in writing under my hand and seal, 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.
USC.
NOW KNOW YE, that I, the said John Champney Bothams, do
hereby declare the nature of the said Invention, and in what manner
the same is to be performed, to be particularly described and ascer-
tained in and by the following statement thereof (that is to say):
This Invention consists of employing an ordinary cylinder and piston,
and of connecting the piston red directly to the crank pin. The cylin-
der is suspended and it oscillates about an axis at right angles to its
own central axis. The oscillating or pendulous motion of the cylinder

page_text: is caused by its being fixed to the axis or shaft, which partly rotates
backwards and forwards by having fixed to it by one of its sides a
piston of a rectangular form. This rectangular piston describes in
its to and fro movement part of a circle, and is worked by the com-
bined force of steam and vacuum in a chest or vessel. Or the cylinder
may be fixed to the chest or vessel, and the cylinder and chest together
have a pendulous motion on the fixed shaft attached to the rectangular
piston. The centre of gravity of the cylinder or parts of the engines
having a pendulous motion may be so fixed below the axis of oscillation
that the centre of oscillation of the mass may be as nearly as possible
the required distance below the axis of suspension for a pendulum
describing the required number of oscillations per minute. And in
constructing the condenser I form it of a collection of tubes or narrow
passages placed vertically; each tube or passage is of a tapering or
conical form, so that the tube or passage gradually increases in size and
thinness of metal from one end to the other; the larger ends of the
tubes are placed upwards, and the steam is admitted into the condenser
near the upper end of the tubes; it will, therefore, meet with more
surface and thinner metal than at the lower end of the tubes, which
being of a smaller size and thicker metal will be stronger to resist the
increased pressure arising from the depth of water used for condensing.
The cold water used for condensing is not allowed to flow freely into
the condenser, but is pumped in by a pump or pumps so arranged that
no cold water for the purpose of condensation can enter the condenser
without the same quantity of water which has been used for condensa-
tion being pumped out of the condenser at the same time, so that
there will always be the same quantity of water in the condenser for
the purpose of condensation. The water formed by the condensed
steam is pumped out of the condenser, and discharged into the boiler or
other required place. The pumps for pumping in and pumping out
the cold water used for condensation are fitted with ordinary slide
valves or ordinary forms of valve, which are opened and shut by the
pressure of the water, if with the ordinary flap valves, but so as to
prevent the water flowing uninterruptedly through the pump. An
auxiliary engine may be employed, where advisable, to pump the water

page_text: used for condensing into and out of the condenser, and the water formed
by the condensed steam into the boiler.
Having thus stated the nature of the Invention, I will proceed to
describe the manner of performing the same.
DESCRIPTION OF DRAWING.
i
The forms of engine I propose to use are shewn in Figures 1, 2,
and 3, and consist of an ordinary oscillating cylinder (C,) and piston; the.
piston rods being connected to the crank pin of the shaft to be worked.
This cylinder to oscillate about an axis or shaft at right angles to its
length, and to have an oscillating motion given to it by being fixed to
the shaft or axis (D,) of the second form of engine E. This second
form of engine consists of a piston F, fixed by its upper end to the
shaft D, about which it oscillates backwards and forwards within the
case or portion of a cylinder G; the shaft D, of the pendulous piston
and the axis of the oscillating cylinder C, being in the same straight
line. Figure 1, is a side clevation of the two engines. Figure 2, is a
cross section of the pendulous engine, shewing the cylinder behind.
Figure 3, is a section through the oscillating cylinder. The details,
excentrics, &c., are omitted.
CONDENSER.
1
The forms of apparatus I uso for condensing the steam are shown
in Figures 4, 5, and in Figures 6, 7, 8.
In Figures 4, and 5, the steam to be condensed is admitted at (b,)
and
passes into tubes or narrow spaces (a,) formed of thin sheet metal,
which is kept cold by being surrounded with cold water (c,) which is
pumped into the condenser at (d,) flows among the tubes, and overflows
out at (c, c,) and falls towards (f) where it is pumped out; the water
derived from the condensed steam flowing out of the bottom of the
tubes into the bottom of the condenser (s,) where it is pumped out.
In Figures 6, 7, and 8, the steam to be condensed is admitted at (b,)
and flows among the tubes or narrow spaces (a,) formed of sheet metal,
which is kept cold by cold water, which is pumped into the condenser
at (d) flows on to a distributing plate (e,) full of holes, thence through

page_text: the holes and down over the inside surface of the tubes or spaces (a,)
into the lower part of the condenser (f) and is then pumped out. The
space (g,) into which the cold water is pumped and the space (f,) from
which the condensing water is pumped out are to be connected by a
pipe h, h, to act also as an overflow. The water formed from the con-
densed steam and deposited on the bottom plate (i,) flows into the
receiver k, k, and overflows over the side into the space (1) Figures 7,
and 8, whence it is pumped out into the boiler. The plate p,
Figures 6, and 7, separating the space (g,) above the cold water
from the space into which the steam is admitted, descends about
half way between the surface of the water in the receiver k, k,
and the bottom, and acts as a syphon or trap, preventing a com-
munication between those spaces when they are in equilibrio; but
when the pressure on the surface of the water in k, k, is greater on
one side of the separating plate (p,) than on the other, the water on
the side where the pressure is greatest will be forced down to the
bottom edge of the plate p, and will allow the air or vapour on that side
to escape under the plate to the other side, until the pressures are equal.
In order to prevent the atmospheric pressure from forcing water into
pump, and past the valve into the condenser when the pump is not
being worked, apparatus shewn in Figures 9, 10, and 11, will be used
to prevent each valve opening until the other is shut. On the ends of
the spindle or axis (a,) of the valve (b,) is fixed a crank or lever (c,)
having fixed to it a pin (d) which slides in the curved link (e,) which
is fixed to the valve f. The whole to be so arranged that when the
valve b, is shut the pin d, shall be in a line with the spindle of the
valve f; and when the valve f, is shut the curved link (e,) shall be part
of a circle of which the spindle (a,) of the valve b, is the centre point.
:
the
Having thus described the nature of my said Invention, and the
manner of performing the same, I would have it understood that I do
not confine myself to the details shewn and described, nor do I claim
the mechanical parts separate. But I claim the obtaining a circular
motion by the combining an engine or engines of two different forms,
the one form being a cylinder with a piston moving backwards and
forwar is in the direction of the length of cylinder, the other form

page_text: of engine being a case or portion of a cylinder in which a piston has an
oscillating or pendulous motion; the pendulous motion of the piston in
the latter being communicated to the cylinder of the former. And also
the fixing the centre of gravity of the part having a pendulous motion the
proper distance below the axis of suspension according to the law of
pendulous motion, so that the oscillating part of the engines may
oscillate with ease at the required velocity.
I also claim the relieving the sheet metal from the pressure of the
atmosphere by pumping into the condenser cold water in the same
quantity and at the same time as the water which has been used for
condensing is pumped out.
I also claim the relieving the sheet metal from inequality of pressure
between the space into which the steam is admitted and the space con-
taining the condensing water, by connecting those two spaces by means
of a. trap or syphon kept full of water derived from the condensed
steam.
I also claim the application of apparatus (shewn at Figures 9, 10,
and 11,) for preventing the pressure of the atmosphere forcing water
into the pump, and through past the valve into the condenser, with-
out at the same time an equal quantity being pumped out of the
condenser.
In witness whereof, I, the said John Champney Bothams, have
hereunto set my hand and seal, this Twenty-first day of Noveni-
ber, in the year of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and
fifty-three.
Witness,
JOHN CHAMPNEY BOTHAMS. (LS.)
EDWIN JOHN SPEED,
Salisbury.