Improvements in the Means or Mode of Arranging Steam or other Engine Pipes.
Year: 1892

page_text: Date of Application, 29th Dec., 1892
Complete Specification Left, 23th Sept., 1893-Accepted, 28th Oct., 1893
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in the Means or Mode of Arranging Steam or other
Engine Pipes.
We, HENRY LEA, and WILLIAM HENRY THORNBERY the Younger, practising
as Lea and Thornbery of 38 Bennett's Hill, Birmingham, Consulting Engineers, do
hereby declare the nature of our said invention to be as follows:-
Our invention for improvements in the means or mode of arranging steam and
other pipes, relates more particularly to pipes and valves such as are used in central
stations for the generation of electric current. In such stations there is usually
a considerable number of steam engines and also of boilers, to supply the engines
with steam, and it is a matter of the greatest importance that in the event of a
break down of any engine, boiler, or pipe, or in the event of stoppage of any part
of the steam plant for alterations or repairs, the stoppage should be strictly
localized, so that no more of the plant should be stopped than is absolutely
necessary.
The same conditions sometimes occur in other establishments than electric
generating stations, and our invention is applicable to any case in which several
engines take steam from several boilers when any one or more of the engines takes
its steam from any one or more of the boilers.
The method hitherto usually adopted for this purpose has been by the use of main
steam pipes forming a ring or closed circuit, into this ring of main pipes the boilers
deliver their steam, and from the ring of main pipes the engines take their steam.
This system necessitates the use of many stop valves, of the full size of the mains
and is otherwise objectionable. We design all the system of pipes made according
to our invention the "Twin Main System" and its great advantages are that there
are no stop valves in the main pipes, and the pipes are most effectually duplicated,
so that in the event of accident or repairs being required a very small portion of the
steam plant is stopped.
In carrying our invention into effect, we provide two lines of main pipes each
precisely alike, closed at each end, and independent of each other. These we
usually place parallel to one another and on the same horizontal plane.
On each of these mains we provide short branch pipes for the attachment of pipes
for the supply of steam from the boilers to the mains, and also short branch pipes
for the supply of steam from the mains to the engines. Each of these branches is
provided with a stop valve. From each boiler we lead a steam pipe, and the end
of this steam pipe remote from the boiler we provide with two branches each
of which leads to one of the stop valves on a branch for the supply of steam to the
mains.
We provide a steam pipe to each engine, and the end of this pipe is also provided
with two branches each of which leads to one of the stop valves on one of the short
branch pipes for the supply of steam from the main pipes to the engines.
Both of the main pipes may be used at once, but we prefer to use only one at a
time, and alternately so as to ensure both being in good order.
For the utmost security in the event of accident, we prefer to arrange the mains
one on each side of a wall, and to have the spindles of the stop valves on the
branches long enough to go through the wall with a handwheel on each side.
In this case supposing an accident should happen to one of the mains or branches,
causing a rush of steam on one side of the wall, the necessary stop valves could be
In practice
closed from the other side of the wall which would be clear of steam.
the engine house would be on the one side of the wall and the boiler house on the
other.

page_text: We may use twin main pipes of similar construction to those before described for
the exhaust steam also, and in this case the mains and branches therefrom with
their stop valves are arranged in precisely the same way as for the steam pipes.
The exhaust pipe from each engine has two branches at the end remote from the
engine and these branches communicate with the stop valves on the short branches
on the main pipes.
With exhaust steam it would not be a matter of so much importance to separate
the mains by a wall, as the effect of a leakage of exhaust steam should such occur
would not be disastrous.
We may arrange the feed pipes for a range of boilers on the same system of twin
mains, when the boilers are supplied by two or more feed pumps.
Dated 29th December 1892.
THOS. KENDRICK,
Agent.
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in the Means or Mode of Arranging Steam or other
Engine Pipes.
We HENRY LEA and WILLIAM HENRY THORNBERY the Younger, practising
as Henry Lea & Thorubery at 38 Bennett's Hill, Birmingham, Consulting
Engineers, do hereby declare the nature of our said invention and in what manner
the same is to be performed, to be particularly described and ascertained in and by
the following statement :-
The said invention for improvements in the means or mode of arranging steam
and other engine pipes relates more particularly (but not exclusively) to pipes and
valves such as are used in central stations for the generation of electric current.
In such stations a considerable number of steam boilers and engines are usually
employed, and it is a matter of the greatest importance that in the event of a
breakdown of any engine, boiler, pipe or valve, or in the event of stoppage of any
part
of the steam plant for alterations or repairs, the stoppage should be strictly
localized, so that no more of the plant should be stopped than is absolutely
necessary, and also that in case of a leakage or breakage of a steam pipe the
consequent rush of steam may be checked with case and safety and with the least
possible interruption to the working of the engines.
In this Specification the application of our invention to steam motors is described,
from which description its application to hydraulic pneumatic and other fluid
motors, and to combinations of pipes for the conveyance of such other fluids for the
aforesaid and other purposes will be understood.
In carrying our invention into effect we provide two lines of main pipes, each
precisely alike, closed at each end, and independent of each other. These we
usually place parallel to one another and on the same horizontal plane.
On each of these mains we provide short branch pipes for the attachment of
pipes for the supply of steam from the boilers to the mains, and also short branch
pipes for the attachment of pipes for the supply of steam from the mains to the
engines. Each of these branch pipes is provided with a stop valve. From each
boiler we lead a steam pipe, and at the end of this steam pipe remote from the
boiler we provide two branch pipes each of which leads to one of the stop valves on
a branch pipe for the supply of steam to the mains.
We provide a steam pipe to each engine, and we provide the end of this pipe
remote from the engine with two branch pipes each of which leads to one of the stop
valves on one of the short branch pipes for the supply of steam from the main pipes
to the engines.
For the sake of security in the event of accident we arrange the main pipes one
on each side of a wall or other partition and we make the spindles of the stop valves
on the branch pipes long enough to go through the wall with a hand wheel on each

page_text: side of the wall. Then supposing an accident should happen to one of the main
pipes or branch pipes, or valves, such as a leakage or breakage causing a rush of
steam on one side of the wall or other partition the necessary stop valves could be
closed from the other side of the wall, which would be clear of steam.
The engine house might be on one side of the wall or partition and the
boiler house on the other side or otherwise according to the circumstances of each
special case.
And in order that this our said invention may be more clearly understood we will
now proceed to describe it with the aid of the accompanying sheet of drawings
wherein the same letters denote the same parts in every figure in which they
occur.
Figure 1 is a plan of an arrangement of steam pipes connecting several engines
to several boilers.
Figure 2 is a cross section on line W X showing the pipe from a boiler to the
mains.
Figure 3 is a cross section on line Y. Z. showing the pipe from the mains to an
engine.
a, a, are the boilers and b, b, b, are engines supplied with steam from the
boilers a, a.
c and d are the main steam pipes which being usually made precisely
alike we call twin mains.
e, e, are steam pipes leading from the boilers to the mains c and d, and f, f, f, are
branch steam pipes leading from the mains c and d, to the engines b, b, b.
9, 9, are the ordinary stop valves on the boilers.
We provide each of the steam pipes e, e, with two branches e', e, each branch
being adjacent to one of the main pipes. Also we provide each of the steam
pipes, with two branches f', 8, each of these branches being also adjacent to
one of the main pipes.
We also provide the main pipes c and d with branches c' d' each branch on the
main pipe being opposite to a branch on one of the pipes e leading to one of the
boilers a, a.
We provide similar branches c, d, opposite to the branches on
the pipes leading to the engines b, b.
We place a stop valve between each of the branches c', d', on the main
pipes c, d, and each of the branches e', e, on the pipes leading from the boilers, and
we place a stop valve jj' between each of the branches c, d, on the main pipes c, d,
and the branches,, on the pipes leading to the engines. It will readily be seen
that by opening some or all of the stop valves g, and i, steam may be supplied from
one or from any number of the boilers a, a, to either of the twin main pipes c, and d,
or to both of them together; and also that by opening some or all of the stop
valves j,j, steam may be supplied to all or to any number of the engines b, b, b,
from either or from both of the twin mains c and d.
Whenever either in the course of ordinary working, or in case of accident, or in
case of alteration or repairs to any part of the system of pipes and valves a stoppage
of any part of the system occurs, such stoppage is strictly localized that is, confined
to the defective or withdrawn portion, and the whole of the rest of the system
continues working.
We are aware that this object has been hitherto attained by duplicating the
whole of the pipes, and also and more commonly by the use of main pipes arranged
in a ring, with stop valves in the main pipes, necessarily of the same size as the
main pipes, which main pipes have to be at every point as large in diameter as is
requisite for passing the full quantity of steam generated by all the boilers.
But by our method of arrangement the stop valves being all on the branch pipes,
the main pipes need not be, except for a short portion of their length, of the size
required on the "ring" system for the whole length.
We show this in Figure 1 where the mains are of a size sufficient to pass
the steam from all the boilers, only in the lengths d³: becoming smaller
at c and d and smaller still at cd. The mains c, and d, are closed at each end, the

page_text: dotted portions c³, d*, show how they would be continued in case a third boiler were
used.
For the purpose of preventing the disastrous consequences following upon an
accidental serious leakage or breakage of a steam pipe either in the engine house
or boiler house we place the twin mains, and d, the one on one side of a wall k, or
other steam proof partition, and the other on the other side, as shown on the
drawings.
The spindles of the stop valves g, h, and, are all made long enough to go through
small apertures in the wall k, and each spindle is provided with two hand
wheels g', g, h, ², j', j³, that is, one on each side of the wall. In case of a leakage
or breakage of a pipe or valve the rush of steam will fill the room in which the
breakage or leakage occurs, rendering manipulation of valves difficult or impossible.
But the necessary stop valve or valves can be manipulated with ease and safety
from the other side of the wall k, as that side will be free from steam. Suitable
windows (not opening) should be provided in the wall k.
-
Sometimes we arrange the twin mains. one in a lower room, and the other in a
room above, the floor between them answering the same purpose as the wall k, in
the arrangement herein before described. Or we may place one main on the inside
and the other on the outside of the building..
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of our said inven-
tion, and in what manner the same is to be performed, we declare that what we
claim is
1. In a steam plant wherein steam is supplied to more than one engine from
more than one boiler. The arrangement of main pipes called twin mains, and
branch pipes thereon having stop valves with long spindles and double hand wheels
one on each side of a wall, floor or other partition substantially as and for the
purposes described and illustrated by the accompanying drawings.
2. The improved method of arranging pipes and valves for steam, hydraulic,
pneumatic and other purposes, substantially as herein before described and
illustrated by the accompanying drawings.
3. The general construction, arrangement, and combination of the several and
respective parts, together forming our invention of improvements in the means or
mode of arranging steam and other pipes, substantially as herein before described
and illustrated by the drawings.
ત
1000
THOS. KENDRICK,
Victoria Chambers, Martineau Street, Birmingham,
Agent for the Applicants.
THOS. KENDRICK,
Victoria Chambers, Martineau Street, Birmingham,
Agent for the Applicants.