AN IMPROVED STEAM GENERATOR
Year: 1877

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Thomas Sheppard, of Dudley, in the County of Worcester,
Engineer, and Walter Sheppard, of the same Place, Engineer, for the Invention
of "AN IMPROVED STEAM GENERATOR."
Sealed the 22nd September 1877, and dated the 26th March 1877.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Thomas Sheppard and
Walter Shoppard at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents on the 26th
March 1877.
THOMAS SHEPPARD, of Dudley, in the County of Worcester, Engineer, and
WALTER SHEPPARD, of the same Place, Engineer. "AN IMPROVED STEAM GENE-
RATOR."
This Invention consists substantially in so constructing a steam generator that
an uniform level of water may be maintained in the several chambers and cylinders
of which our Invention consists, as herein-after explained. We provide then a
suitable number of small chambers which may be of any desired shape, but by
preference we construct them in the form of vertical cylinders; these are placed near
to each other in any desired position, and they are connected one with another by
means of suitable pipes.
In combination with these said small chambers we use those circulating tubes
commonly known as Field's boiler tubes, which have communication with the
respective chambers to which they are pendant.
The advantage of our Invention are many, but one of the most obvious is, that
in its application to a vessel of an oscillating character an uniform level of water is
maintained.
20 SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent filed by
the said Thomas Sheppard and Walter Sheppard in the Great Seal Patent
Office on the 25th September 1877.
THOMAS SHEPPARD, of Dudley, in the County of Worcester, Engineer, and
WALTER SHEPPARD, of the same Place, Engineer. "AN IMPROVED STEAM GENE-
5 RATOR."

page_text: In the construction of our steam generators or boilers we combino a series of
vertical wrought-iron cylinders of small diameter, placed side by side, and united
for the free passage of water and steam, with steam generating tubes pendent
therefrom, having internal tubes for securing a rapid circulation of heated water,
securing thereby economy in the use of fuel, ability to generate steam of a high
pressure and comparative safety from explosion.
The cylinders, which can be of any convenient height, are made of boiler plate,
welded or rivetted at the vertical seams. Into the tops of these cylinders flanged
covers are rivetted, having circular holes cut therein for access to the interior for
examination, cleansing, and repair. Two notches are cut from the circular hole out- 1
wards for the insertion of the man-lid edgewise. The man-lid, which is fixed on
the under side of the cover, and kept in position by a cross bar and screw, has
projecting ears to cover the notches in the circular hole, the upper side of the lid
and the under side of the cover being faced in a lathe to form a steam-tight joint.
In the bottom of each cylinder a flanged plate is rivetted, into which holes are 1
bored for the reception of as many steam generating tubes as can conveniently be
arranged therein. Into these holes are expanded the steam generating boiler tubes,
which have closed bottoms and open tops, and are of any convenient length. Into
these tubes smaller circulating tubes are inserted; these internal tubes have both
ends open, and are suspended in the steam generating tubes, reaching nearly to the 2
bottom of them; they are so placed as to have their tops a short distance above the
tops of the external tubes, and are prevented from falling to the bottom of the
outer tubes and held in their concentric position by a clip or holder placed round
them at the top, of such a shape as not to impede the flow of water in the tubes.
The internal sectional area of the circulating tubes should be about the same as that
of the annular space between the tubes.
A vertical oblong hole having been cut near the bottom of each cylinder, all the
cylinders are placed with hole opposite to hole, and washers, with holes corre-
sponding with those in the cylinders, and bevelled to fit their curve, having been
placed between them, the cylinders are rivetted together through the washers, a
having a waterway from one cylinder to another. Each of the cylinders is also
united near the top to a steain pipe, into which the steam is taken for use in the
steam engine.
A cylinder of the same construction as the above, but with a pipe from the
centre of the bottom communicating with a nud cock, is supplied when the water
to be used is impure. It is attached midway in height to one of the others near
the bottom by a pipe. Into the quiescent water of this mud collector impurities
will continually subside and be blown off at intervals as may be found necessary.
In fixing the boiler the cylinders and pendent steam generating tubes are
placed over the furnace and flues, and are consequently surrounded by the flame
and hot furnace gases.
In the annexed Drawings, which serve more particularly to illustrate the said
Invention, which is known as the "Staffordshire safety boiler,"-
Figure 1 is an elevation of the steam generator showing also the section of a
sectional part thereof through the line A, B.
Figure 2 is a plan showing also arrangement of the tubes in one sectional
division and section through the line C, D; E, E, are steam generating tubes, having
circulating tubes F, F, inside them; G is one of the steam connections inserted to
enable steam in each cylinder in one row to pass through the other row to the
steam pipe.
Figure 3 shows the man-lid.
Figure 4 shows the iron washer used to connect the cylinders.
Figure 5 shows a section of the washer through the line H, I; K is the pipe
through which the steam from all the cylinders passes to the steam engine; L, L,
are the water communications through the washer, Fig. 4, between one cylinder and
another; M, M, are the cross bars for supporting the man-lid.
Having now described and particularly ascertained the nature of the said.

page_text: Invention, and the manner in which the same is or may be used or carried into
effect, we proceed now to state, in conclusion, what we consider to be novel and
original, and therefore claim as the Invention secured to us by the herein-before in
part recited Letters Patent, namely:-The combination of vertical cylinders of small
5 diameter, forming united chambers for water and steam, together with pendent
tubes for generating steam, having internal tubes for the rapid circulation
of heated water, substantially as described and illustrated in the annexed
Drawings.
In witness whereof, we, the said Thomas Sheppard and Walter Sheppard,
have to this our Specification set our hands and scals, this Seventeenth day
of September, in the year of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and
Bovantuz_SAVAN
5 Witness,
A. SHEPPARD.
THOMAS SHEPPARD. (L.S.)
WALTER SHEPPARD. (L.S.)