CERTAIN IMPROVEMENTS IN STEAM MACHINERY AND APPARATUS CONNECTED THEREWITH
Year: 1850

page_text: TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, JOSEPH
POOLE PIRSSON, Engineer, of the City of New York, in the United States of
America, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her present inost Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her
Royal Letters Patent under the Great Seal of Great Britain, bearing date at
Westminster, the Thirty-first day of July, in the fourteenth year of Her reign,
did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant unto me, the said
Joseph Poole Pirsson, Her especial license, full power, sole privilege and
authority, that I, the said Joseph Poole Pirsson, my exors, adññiors, and assigns,
and such others as I, the said Joseph Poole Pirsson, my exors, adiñors, or
assigns, should at any time agree with, and no others, from time to time and
at all times during the term of years therein mentioned, should and lawfully
might make, use, exercise, and vend, within England, Wales, the Town
of Berwick-upon-Tweed, and in all Her Majesty's Colonics and Plantations
abroad, and in the Islands of Jersey, Guernsey, Alderney, Sark, and Man, my
Invention of "CERTAIN IMPROVEMENTS IN STEAM MACHINERY AND APPARATUS
CONNECTED THEREWITH;" in which said Letters Patent is contained a proviso
obliging me, the said Joseph Poole Pirsson, by an instrument in writing under
my hand and seal, particularly to describe and ascertain the nature of the said
Invention, and in what manner the same is to be performed, and to cause
the same to be inrolled in Her Majesty's High Court of Chancery within
six calendar months next and immediately after the date of the said in part
recited Letters Patent, as in and by the same, reference being thereunto had,
will more fully and at large appear.

page_text: NOW KNOW YE, that in compliance with the said proviso, I, the said
Joseph Poole Pirsson, do hereby declare that the nature of the said Invention,
and the manner in which the same is to be performed, is particularly described
and ascertained in and by the following description thereof, reference being
had to the Drawings hereunto annexed, and to the letters and figures marked
thereon, that is to say:-
Fig. 1 is a side elevation; Fig. 2 is a top-view; Fig. 3 is a longitudinal
section. Figures 4 and 5 are views- showing-variations in the construction of
the same apparatus. Fig. 6 is a view of a common condenser. Similar letters
refer to similar parts, unless specially noted to the contrary.
My Invention consists in certain improvements in condensers for steam
machinery, whereby the boilers used for generating the steam shall be supplied
with pure water or water freed from saline or other foreign substances. To
condense steam to water,. it must be brought in contact with some element of
less temperature than itself, and the extent and rapidity with which it can be
effected will be as the difference of temperatures; and the conducting quality
of the condensing element. The usual modes of condensing steam where it is
used as a motive power are by allowing it to escape into the air; by injecting
it into a vessel or vessels which are kept at a low temperature by immersion
in cold water or a current of air, the steam being cooled by contact with the
metal; and by injecting it into vessels in which it is brought in direct contact
with a jet of water. In the first instance the water resulting from the
condensation of the steam is lost; in the second it is retained in the vessel in
which it is confined unmixed with any other substance; in the third it is
retained, but is mixed with the water used for condensing it. Condensing
engines are those which employ one or other of the two last described plans.
In marine engines, or where salt or other impure water is employed for
condensing the steam, this latter plan involves the loss of the fresh water
resulting therefrom in a manner well known, and consequently either the
boilers must be supplied with bad water, or a supply of pure water must be
specially provided. In most cases this cannot be accomplished, as it has been
found impossible to carry a sufficient quantity to last for any great length of
time. This being the case, attention was early (in the history of the steam
engine) given to perfecting the second mode named herein, viz', the condensing
of the steam by radiation in closed metalic vessels kept submerged in water.
In this plan 'the boilers are to be first filled with pure water; the steam being
condensed back to water is thus caught and returned to the boilers to be used
over and over again; the leakage and waste being supplied from reservoirs
provided with an extra quantity or by distillation. The steam being condensed

page_text: in vacuo, the external surfaces of these vessels are thereby subjected to the
pressure of the atmosphere, and also to the pressure of 'a column of water
proportional to the depth at which they are immersed. In Figure 6 is a view
of the usual mode of constructing this kind of condenser. (a) is a cluster of
pipes (that being the best form to resist pressure) inserted in two flanges (6);
the ends of the pipes are covered at (c) by a cap, and at (d) by the channel in
the bed plate; (e) is a tank to hold the water for condensing, which flows in
and out as indicated; (f) is the exhaust pipe for conveying the steam to be
condensed; (g); the air pump! The steam is thus condensed by coming in
contact with the cold surface of the metal, the pump (9) maintaining the
vacuity of the pipes by removing the water as fast as it accumulates in
the channel (d), and also any air or other gases. Hence the external
surfaces of the tubes are subjected to the pressure of the air, and also to that
of the column of water in which they 'are immersed, as before named. This
mode of condensing steam has these 'difficulties to contend with, and which
have hitherto been found insuperable. The alternate heating and cooling of
the metal pipes consequent upon the periodical injections of the steam causes at
series of expansions and contractions to be continually going on. In addition
to this, the great pressure upon them soon produces fractures in the various
joints and seams, which at once destroys the whole operation, as the vacuum
can no longer be maintained from the flowing in of the air and also of the
water, which is fatal to the whole operation.
"
Having thus stated the peculiar character of the old modes of condensing
steam, I shall now proceed to describe my improvements, and to set forth
wherein they differ from all others. At the letter (/) is represented a box or
case composed of metal, and of sufficient strength to resist the pressure of the
atmosphere, and is also to be made as perfectly air and water tight as possible.
In the under side of the box (1) there is an opening (i), through which a
connection is made by'a pipe or channel (k) with an air pump (7) of common
construction, as shown in section Fig. 3. At (m) is a perforated plate on
which the condensing water is received and is for the purpose of dispersing
it in a manner well known. At (o) a pipe and cock are attached for injecting
the water for condensing the steam. Into the box thus constructed I next
introduce a radiating condeuser, that is to say, a vessel or apparatus in which
steam is to be condensed by contact with cold metallic or like surfaces, which
I make as follows:-At (n), Figure 3, is seen a number of pipes arranged
horizontally, their ends being fixed in plates or flanges of metal having holes
perforated to receive them; next I cover the ends of the tubes by attaching
caps (pand) to these plates, as shewn in section Fig. 3. The tubes thus

page_text: arranged are introduced within the box (h), as shown. In the cap (p) there
is an opening made at (s) to receive the end of the pipe which conveys the
steam to be condensed, which pipe is seen at (s'). The steam pipe (s¹) is
bolted to the outside of the box (h) by a flange, the end passing through and
made to enter the cap (p) through the hole (s), as shown. The cap (p) is
divided into two compartments by a partition (p'), the object of which is to
cause the steam to traverse through two sections of pipes. More partitions
may be introduced or any other arrangement may be adopted to insure full
and equal distribution of the steam to each pipe. At (t) is shown a pipe
connected with the lower side of the cap (p) which passes through the box (h),
having a tight joint where it comes out. This pipes terminates in a pump (u),
the use of which is to pump away the water resulting from the condensation
of the steam, and which collects in the bottom of the pipes and caps. At (w)
is an opening in the lower division of the cap (p), which forms a passage from
the pipes to the interior of the box, the use of which will be described more
fully. This opening (w) is to have a door or valve over it of common con-
struction, which may be opened or closed by a handle from the outside of
the box (), the handle working through a stuffing box in (h). I have
described this part of my Invention as being made of tubes or pipes chiefly,
but it is obvious that other forms may be substituted, as sheets of metal,
coils of pipe, &c. The operation of this part of my Invention is as follows:-
The engine being started in the usual manner, the exhaust steam flows through
the pipe (s) into the cap (p), and thence into the cluster of pipes (n); at
the same time a jet of cold water is admitted through the injection cock (0)
on the perforated plate (m), from which it falls in a shower upon the
pipes (n), and thus by a well-known law at once condenses the steam, the
water resulting being collected in the bottom of the pipes and caps; the large
pump (1) removing the condensing water as fast as it accumulates from the
box (h), and maintaining the vacuum; the smaller pump (2) removing the
water resulting from the condensed steam in like manner. The condensing
water is allowed to flow off as fast as discharged from the pump (1), but the
water taken from the pipes is retained for the feed to the boilers. The use of
the aperture (w) is for the purpose of maintaining an equal pressure on each
side of the pipes, or rather to prevent them from being subjected to any
pressure either internal or external. This can be made apparent as follows:-
Supposing the orifice (w) closed and cold water admitted in quantity sufficient
to condense a part of the steam only, it will be evident that the vacuum in the
box (h) will be better than the vacuum in the pipes, and the difference will
be as the volume of uncondensed steam; now, if we open the door or valve

page_text: over the aperture (w), a portion of the steam in the pipes will at once rush
through, and extend itself throughout the box (h) until an equilibrium is
produced. So long as the steam is fully condensed, and also the operation
of the pumps ( and u) equal, then of course the radiating condenser (n)
will be subjected to the same pressure both external and internal, or rather,
will not be subjected to any, even if the orifice (w) be kept closed. The
use of the opening (w), therefore, is to insure the preservation of the equi-
librium in cases where the steam is not fully condensed, or where the
pumps fail to work equally, the atmospheric pressure being sustained by
the box (h).
Having now described the principal elements of my condensing apparatus,
except some of its modifications (to be mentioned hereafter), I will next
describe an apparatus for making up any deficiency in the supply of pure
water which may arise from leaks and other means of waste. At (%),
Figures 1, 2, 3, is seen a tauk standing upon the top of the condensing box (h),
but may be put in any other convenient place. This tank must be air and
water tight, and also capable of sustaining the pressure of the atmosphere.
At (y) a steam pipe is attached, which may terminate on the inside in a coil
or cluster of pipes or other chamber for holding steam, as shown. The lower
end of this coil terminates in a pipe which passes out through the side of the
tank at (y), and empties into another pipe, as shown. (2) is a pipe attached
to the lower side of the tank (a), the opposite end of which terminates in the
"hot well ",of the air pump (1) or other reservoir containing a supply of the
water to be evaporated. (¹) is a pipe attached to the upper side of the
tank (a); it is bent so as to pass down through the top of the box (h), to
which it is bolted by a flange, the end terminating so as to discharge into
the cap (p) of the inside condenser, as shown. (2") is a pipe attached to the
tank (a) near its bottom by one end, and by the other to the box (h), so as to
discharge into it. To put this apparatus in operation, the engine is first set in
motion, and the condensation of the steam going on, the vacuum of the
box (h) will be communicated through (z') to the tank (a), the interior of
which will consequently be in vacuo. The cock to the pipe (3) being opened,
water from the hot well of the pump (4) will flow into (x) by the pressure of
the atmosphere; the tank is to be filled sufficiently to cover the coil of pipes,
or as seen at the dotted lines; next, steam is to be admitted through (y), the
cock (y) being kept closed (except when it is necessary to draw off the water
which may collect from the condensation of steam in this place). By this
means the water in (a) will be vaporised, the vapor being drawn off as fast as
it rises through the pipe (1) into the condenser's cap (p), and there condensed

page_text: along with the exhaust steam from the engine, so that it serves to make up
for the loss by leakage, &c. of the first supply. As this apparatus is of use
only where the water for generating the steam is impure or salt, some mode
is required for keeping the tank (2) clear of the deposit of these impurities,
as by evaporation all these must collect in the evaporating 'vessel, according to
laws well known. To remedy this, I connect the evaporating vessel with the
box (h) by a pipe (11), said pipe entering the evaporator near its bottom and
discharging into box (h), as shown. A cock or valve is also fitted into said
pipe to regulate the rate of discharge which takes place by gravity alone, as
the two vessels are alike in vacuo. The saturated water will flow through the
pipe (2) in the same manner as if (a) and (h) were both open vessels. If
the supply for waste is to be made up from salt water, as in sea-going
steamers, then a certain quantity of this water must be taken out of the tank
by this pipe proportionate to the quantity evaporated, and thus the amount fed
through the pipe (2) must be sufficient for both the evaporation and the
quantity thus drawn off. The same rule applies to evaporating water con-
taining line or any other impurity. The water taken off through (") enters
the box (), and is pumped out with the condensing water by the air pump ().
In Figure 5 is a view of a modification of the condensing apparatus, the same
letters referring to the same parts, except where otherwise indicated. This is
to show a mode whereby the radiating or surface condenser may be immersed
in the condensing water or showered at pleasure, and exhibits also a variation
whereby the pump removing the water resulting from the condensed stean!
may be dispensed with. In this case, when the pipes or other surfaces (11)
are immersed in the water, they are subjected to the pressure of the same in a
greater or less degree according to its depth, but they are not subjected to the
pressure of the atmosphere in addition, as will be shown. (h', h",) represent
two openings in (h), connecting the air pump (7) by the channel (k). (", ")
are valves for closing the openings (", ") operated from, the outside of the
box (h), as shown. If the pipes (n) are to be used submerged, the valve (k")
must be closed and valve (Z) opened. The condensing water being let on
through (o) fills up the box (h) until the water is on a line with the opening
(h), and thus the pipes are immersed. If the pipes are to be showered
instead, then () must be opened and the condensing water let on through (0)
on to the plate (m) in the manner before described. When this plan is
adopted, the aperture for insuring the equilibrium must be placed in such a
situation that the condensing water cannot enter the pipes. In Figure 5 it is
shown at the pipe (w), and (w) is the stop or valve for opening or closing it.
The next feature is a method of dispensing with the pump (u). A is a tank,

page_text: air and water tight, and capable of sustaining the pressure of the atmosphere.
This is to be connected to (t) by a pipe with a valve or cock intermediate as
(t). At (t) is a delivery cock; at (t) is an air cock. The pump (u) being
disconnected, (t) is to be opened, and thus communication is made between
the tank A. and pipes (n), as plainly shown, (¹) and (1) being closed always
when (t) is opened. The water from the condensed steam will now descend
by its gravity into A. When A is full (¹) must be closed, (t") and (¹)
opened, which permits the water in A to run out, being collected in reservoirs
from which the boilers are to be fed. As soon as A is empty, close (", ",)
and open () until again filled, and so on. The periodic opening and closing
of these valves or cocks can be easily arranged. to be operated by the works
themselves.
:
Figure exhibits another arrangement, embodying, however, the same
general principles. The same letters are used to represent similar parts
described in the other Figures. The principal variation in the construction of
this part of my Invention consists in forming the box (h) so that the tubes (n)
shall be inserted. in the two opposite sides, as shown in the dotted lines. In
that case the caps (p and r) to cover them are placed outside. The injection
cock (0) is placed at the bottom, and the delivery pipe (k). at the top, so that
the pipes are shown as immersed in the water, but may be showered by
making the changes before described. (w¹) represents a pipe forming a
communication with the box (h) and the interior of the pipes (n) for keeping
the pressure equal, and is equivalent to the aperture (w) in Figure 3, or (20')
in Figure 5. Another variation consists in the manner of removing the water
of the condensed steam, the same principle being applicable to removing the
condensing water also. The pump (u) being taken off, a pipe (a) is sub-
stituted, which is attached to the cap (1) where the water from the condensed
steam accumulates. This pipe must have a descent vertically sufficiently
great to cause the column of water to counterbalance the atmospheric pressure
(say, of 34 feet), and may terminate in a reservoir. By this means the gravity
of the water will overcome the vacuum in the pipes, and thus deliver itself
without other mechanical aid. I have thus set.forth several modes in which
I contemplate constructing, operating, and applying my Invention, and I will
now state wherein it differs from all others, and the advantages, to be derived
from the same.
First, by arranging the, radiating or surface condenser so that it is not sub-
jected to the pressure of the atmosphere.
2. By reason of, which arrangement the apparatus is not so liable to. be

page_text: destroyed by the great pressure it would otherwise have to sustain; therefore
durability and safety is increased.
Third, small leaks and fractures will not affect its operation, the box (h)
being exhausted of air or other uncondensable gases, which are not therefore
present to flow through such appertures, and the condensing water will not
enter, because there is no external pressure upon the pipes to force it in; the
water falling upon the pipes by gravity alone, its tendency will be to run out
rather than in. Thus where salt or other bad water is used for condensing,
no admixture with the pure water of the condensed steam will take place.
Fourth, increased safety; as the whole surface condenser might be destroyed
in the box () without impairing the working of the engine, or even arresting
its motion. The only change perceivable would be the loss of fresh water
resulting from the condensed steam. This is a most important feature of sea-
going steamers.
In the foregoing Specification I have described the apparatus, arranged
generally so that the condensing water is applied to the exterior surface of
the pipes or radiating condenser; and although I prefer this plan, yet a slight
change can be made, whereby the condensing water shall be applied on the
inside of the pipes or surface condenser, and the steam injected in the box (h),
the pumps (7) and (u) being in that case transposed to suit the arrangement.
Having now explained fully the nature of the Invention which has been
secured to me under the herein-before in part recited Letters Patent, and
having also described the best method with which I am acquainted for carrying
the same practically into effect, I wish to declare that I do not intend or mean
to limit myself to the precise forms of construction or arrangement of parts set
forth herein, as those will doubtless require to be varied to suit the particular
nature of cach application, and without departing from the nature and object
of my Invention, but that which I consider to be new, and therefore wish to
claim as the Iuvention secured to me by the aforesaid Letters Patent, is,―
Firstly, the combination of a surface or radiating condenser, with a box or
case, in such way that the condensation of the steam shall be effected therein,
without subjecting the said radiating condenser to atmospheric pressure in the
manner described.
Secondly, I claim the aperture "w," or its equivalent, for maintaining the
equilibrium, and as a passage for any steam which may remain uncondensed
within the radiating condenser in the manner set forth.
Thirdly, I claim connecting the evaporator with the chamber in which the
vacuum formed by the air pump exists, for the purpose of enabling me to

page_text: draw off the saturated water from the evaporator substantially in the manner
described.
In witness whereof, I, the said Joseph Poole Pirsson, have hereunto set
my hand and seal, this Eighth day of January, in the year of our.
Lord One thousand eight hundred and fifty-one.
A.
This is the Specification referred to in the Affidavit of Richard Archibald
Broonan, sworn before me, this 28th day of January, 1851.
HENRY MOWBRAY.
Richard Archibald Brooman, of the firm of Messrs. I. C. Robertson and
Company, of 166, Fleet Street, in the City of London, Patent Agents, maketh
oath and saith, that he hath been informed, and verily believes, that the
signature "Robert Bunch," set, subscribed, and written at the foot of the
Specification hereunto annexed, marked A, and dated the Eighth day of
January instant, and purporting to be executed by Joseph Poole Pirsson,
Engineer, of the City of New York aforesaid, whereby it is stated that the
said Specification was acknowledged by him, the said Joseph Poole Pirsson,
before the said Robert Bunch, on the said Eighth day of January, at the City of
New York aforesaid, is of the proper handwriting of the said Robert Bunch.
Sworn at the Chancery Affidavit Office,
Southampton Buildings, Chancery Lane,
in the County of Middlesex, this 28th
R. A. BROOMAN.

page_text: AND BE IT REMEMBERED, that on the Affidavit of Richard Archibald
Brooman, the Specification aforesaid was enrolled word for word as above
written. And also the Specification aforesaid was stamped according to the
tenor of the Statute made for that purpose.
Enrolled the Thirty-first day of January, in the year of our Lord One 5
thousand eight hundred and fifty-one.