Improvements in Steam Generators.
Year: 1896

page_text: Date of Application, 3rd Dec., 1896
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Steam Generators.
I, JOHN OWDEN O'BRIEN M.I. Mech. E. of the firm of W. P. Thompson & Co.
of 6 Bank Street, Manchester Liverpool, and London, in the Counties of Lancaster
and Middlesex respectively, Patent Agents, a communication to me by La Societe
anonyme L'Industrielle of 14 Rue de la Victoire, l'aris, in the Republic of France,)
do hereby declare the nature of this invention to be as follows:-
The invention relates to that kind of steam generator in which the volume of
water provided by each stroke of the feed pump is instantly transformed into
steam by its passage in a fine stream or sheet over surfaces of metal heated to a
high temperature. Its object is to provide means of obtaining a generator of this
kind the weight of which is inconsiderable and which nevertheless has a sufficient
amount of heat stored to allow the generator to produce when necessary a greater
quantity of steam than that produced in a normal manner by the action of fire.
It consists firstly in utilising for the storing or accumulating of the heat certain
materials not having a high density and having a sufficiently high capacity of
heat and secondly in a special arrangement of generator which allows the use of
these substances for this purpose.
Instead of increasing the reserve of heat in the generator by augmenting the
quantity of metal used in its construction that is to say by the employment of
materials whose density is about 8 while their capacity of retaining heat is
about 0-11, we employ materials which are not decomposed by heat whose density
is only about 2 while their heat retaining capacity reaches double or treble that
of metals.
Among materials the density of which is about twice that of water we might
employ the following the calorific retaining capacity of each of which is shown.
Wood Carbon
Animal Black
Magnesia
0.24
0.26
0.24
Alumina
Silica
Plaster
0.29
0.31
0:33
These materials may be employed alone or their action may be greatly increased
by filling the interstices between the particles of these materials with water the
density of which is equal to 1 and the heat capacity is also 1.
We will describe the arrangement of generator by which we employ these
materials for the object mentioned above.
The generator is composed of a number of straight tubes of iron copper or
aluminium and each of these tubes is connected to the next by means of a bent
or curved tube and flanges so that the whole represents a kind of coil made up of
straight elements into which the water is introduced by a feed pipe and escapes as
steam by an outlet pipe.
Each one of the straight tubes contains a core of the same length and having
a diameter almost as large as the interior of these tubes, this core consists of a metal
tube filled with one of the materials above mentioned such as plaster, carbon,
sand etc. and both ends of which are closed by means of metallic plugs or caps.

page_text: These cores constitute the caloric accumulation of the generator and the heat that
they store during the intervals of time between each stroke of the feed pump
forms a reserve which can be utilized when a momentary excess of work by the
motor absorbs a greater quantity of steam than the generator normally provides.
When it is desired to still further increase the reserve of heat contained in the
cores in the tubes of the generator, this can be done in the following way.
The tubes forming the cores are filled with coke or other material in a powdered
or granular condition and the plugs or caps of the tubes of the generator are
perforated so that the water introduced into the generator may penetrate there-
through. It will be understood that this water will remain suspended among the
particles of the substance employed while the water constantly supplied by the feed
pump will find a more easy passage into the free spaces between the cores and the
tubes which enclose them and it will circulate in a regular manner in these spaces
until it evaporates. But when the steam thus produced becomes momentarily
insufficient to feed the motor the water contained in the cores which is at a high
temperature then evaporates utilizing the heat it has already stored when acting
pmally.
Allowing that the quantity of water thus kept inert between the particles of
the substance is equal to half the volume of the core it will be seen that the average
caloric capacity of the materials of which it is made up which can be valued
which equals 0:60,-is nearly six times greater than that of a metal
which is about 0 11 as explained above.
af
The serpentine form of generator may be placed in a furnace provided with fire
bars and a flue or opening on top communicating with a chimney but any suitable
heating arrangement may be employed.
In order to prevent the deposite of calcareous matter between the tubes of the
gererator and the cores the latter can be made to move automatically in the
following way.
The cores are made slightly shorter than the tubes which contain them and
pressed against the bottom of the tubes by a spring at the end from which the
water enters. At each stroke of the pump the cores are forced to move a certain
distance forward and compress their springs when the water passing in the ring-
shaped space separating the two tubes is evaporated, and at that moment the
pressure is equal on the two ends of the cores and the spring again becomes
preponderant and pushes the core back into its place until a fresh pulsation of the
pump reproduces the action. In order to facilitate these movements of the cores
the tubes of the boiler may be fitted between two plates receiving the inlet pipe
ard outlet pipe and in this case the generator is placed in an inclined position so
as to facilitate the action of the springs.
It will be understood finally that the invention is not limited to the arrange-
ment of generator described above for the use as heat accumulators of the materials
above indicated on account of the advantages they may present because of their
slight density which is only about 2 while their caloric capacity is much higher
than that of metals, so that by using them the maximum of power and the
minimum of weight is obtained.
Dated this 2nd day of December 1896.

page_text: I, JOIN OWDEN O'BRIEN, M.I. Mech. E., of the firm of W. P. Thompson & Co.,
of 6 Bank Street, Manchester, Liverpool, and London, in the Counties of 1ncaster
and Middlesex respectively, l'atent Agents, (a communication from La Societe
anonyme L'Industrielle, of 14 Rue de la Victoire, Paris, in the Republic of France,)
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 invention relates to that type of steam generator in which the volume of
water provided by each stroke of the feed pump is instantly transformed into
steam by its passage in a fine stream or sheet over surfaces of metal heated to a
high temperature. Its object is to provide means of obtaining a generator of
this kind the weight of which is inconsiderable, and which nevertheless has a
sufficient amount of heat stored to allow the generator to produce when necessary
a greater quantity of steam than that produced in a normal manner by the action
of fire. It consists firstly in utilizing for the storing or accumulating of the heat
ce. tain materials not having a high density and having a sufficiently high capacity
of heat, and secondly in a special arrangement of generator which allows the use
of these substances for this purpose.
Instead of increasing the reserve of heat in the generator by augmenting the
quantity of metal used in its construction that is to say, by the employment of
materia's whose density is about 8, while their capacity of retaining heat is
about 0-11, we employ materials which are not decomposed by heat, whose density
is only about 2, while their heat retaining capacity reaches double or treble that
of metal
Among materials the density of which is about twice that of water, we might
employ the following, the caloric retaining capacity of each of which is shown.
Wood Carbon
Animal Black
Magnesia
0.24
Alumina
0.26
Silica
0.24
Plaster
0.29
0:31
0:33
These materials may be employed alone or their action may be greatly increased
by filling the interstices between the particles of these finely powdered materials
with water the density of which is equal to 1, and the heat capacity is also 1.
We will describe the arrangement of generator by which we employ these
materials for the object mentioned above.
Fig. 1. Elevation with part vertical section of the generator.
Fig. 2. Plan, partly in section, of the generator.
Fig. 3. Sectional detail showing construction of extremity of a tube.
Fig. 4. Vertical section, showing another arrangement of the generator.
Referring to Figs. 1, 2, and 3, the generator is composed of a number of straight
tubes A of iron, copper, or aluminium, and each of these tubes is connected to the
next by means of a bent or curved tube B, and flanges b, so that the whole repre-
sents a kind of coil made up of straight elements into which the water is introduced
by a feed pipe e, and escapes as steam by an outlet pipe f.
Each one of the straight tubes A contains a core of the same length, and having
a diameter almost as large as the interior of these tubes, this core consists of a
metal tube or sleeve C, filled with one of the materials D above mentioned, such
as plaster, carbon, sand, etcetera, and both ends of which are closed by means of
metallic plugs or caps d Fig. 3. These cores constitute the caloric accumulator
of the generator, and the heat that they accumulate or store during the intervals

page_text: of time between each stroke of the feed pump, forms a reserve which can be
utilized when a momentary excess of work by the motor, absorbs a greater quantity
of steam than the generator normally provides.
When it is desired to still further increase the reserve of heat contained in the
cares or auxiliary vapourisers in the tubes A of the generator, this can be done in
the following way.
The tubes or sleeves C forming the cores or vapourisers, are filled with coke or
other material in a powdered or granular condition and the plugs or caps d of these
tubes are perforated, so that the water introduced into the generator may penetrate
theethrough. It will he understood that this water will remain suspended among
the articles of the substance employed while the water constantly supplied by
the feed pump will find a more easy passage into the free spaces between the cores C
and the tubes A, which enclose them and it will circulate in a regular manner in
these spaces until it evaporates. But when the steam thus produced becomes
momentarily insufficient to feed the motor the water contained in the vapourising
cores which is at a high temperature, then evaporates utilizing the heat which has
br n already stored when acting normally.
Allowing that the quantity of water thus lodged between the particles of the
in rt substance is equal to half the volume of the core C, it will be seen that the
average caloric capacity of the materials of which it is made up-which can be
valued at 010-60, is nearly six times greater than that of a metal
which is about 0-11 as explained above.
Referring to Figs. 1 and 2, the serpentine form of generator is placed in a
furnace H provided with fire bars G and a flue or opening I on top communicating
with a chimney but any convenient arrangement of heating apparatus may be
employed.
n order to prevent the deposit of calcareous matter between the tubes A of the
generator and the vapourising cores, the latter can be made to move longitudinally
and automatically in the following way, represented in Fig. 4 of the drawings.
It will also be seen from this fig. that the cores are made slightly shorter than
the .ubes A which contain them, and are pressed against the bottom of the tubes A
by a spring R at the end opposite to that from which the water enters. At each
stroke of the pump these cores are forced to move a certain distance forward and
compress their springs R when the water passing into the annular space separating
the two tubes A and C is evaporated, and at that moment the pressure is equal
on the two ends of the cores and the spring R again becomes preponderant and
pushes the core C back into its place until a fresh pulsation of the pump reproduces
the action.
In order to facilitate these movements of the cores or auxiliary vapourisers
sae tubes of the generator may be fitted between two plates M and N Fig. 4,
receiving the inlet pipe e and outlet pipe f and in this case the generator is
placed in an inclined position so as to facilitate the action of the springs R.
It will be understood finally that the invention is not limited to the arrangement
of generator described above for the use as heat accumulators of the materials
above indicated, on account of the advantages they may present because of their
low density which is only about 2 while their caloric capacity is much higher than
that of metals, so that by using them the maximum of power and the minimum
of weight is obtained.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of the said inven-
tion 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.
1. In a steam generator in which the water to be evaporated is contained in
tubes; the combination with each tube of an auxiliary vapouriser formed of a
metal core placed in the said tube almost completely filling it, and containing
inert matters having a low specific weight and a high caloric capacity, such as
silica, alumina, magnesia, plaster, coke and others, in order to obtain with a light
weight, a reserve of heat available at a given moment.

page_text: 2. In combination with the water tube of a steam generator, an auxiliary
vapouriser core consisting, of a hollow metallic core placed in this tube and con-
taining inert pulverised matters of a low density and a high caloric capacity; the
said core being perforated at its ends in such a manner that the water contained
in the tube of the generator can penetrate it, and remain confined amongst the
particles of inert matter with a view to increasing the reserve of heat, substantially
as described.
3. With a view to the employment of auxiliary vapourising cores above described
a generator with water tubes constructed in a serpentine form with straight
elements and in which the said vapourising cores almost completely fill the tubes,
so that at each stroke of the feed pump, the water evaporates instantaneously,
whilst passing between the said water tubes and the said vapourising cores,
substantially as above described and represented in Figs. 1, 2, 3, of the
accompanying drawings.
4. In view of the use of auxiliary vapourising cores above described a generator
with water tubes in which the said tubes are placed in a group and each contain a
vapourisin core shorter than the water tube, and subject to the action of a spring
which pushes the said vapourising core at the end opposite that at which the water
enters, in such a manner that it is obliged to move forward at each stroke of the
pumi and to return again under the action of the said spring when the injected
water is vaporated, substantially as described above and represented on Fig. 4 of
the accompanying drawings.
Eated this 16th day of August 1897.
WM. P. THOMPSON & Co.,
Manchester, Liverpool and London, Patent Agents.