IMPROVEMENTS IN STEAM ENGINES AND IN APPARATUS FOR APPLYING THE MOTIVE POWER OF ELASTIC FLUIDS
Year: 1873

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Thomas Baldwin, of Bury, in the County of
Lancaster, Engineer, for the Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN STEAM
ENGINES AND IN APPARATUS FOR APPLYING THE MOTIVE POWER OF ELASTIC
FLUIDS."
Sealed the 27th March 1874, and dated the 29th September 1873.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Thomas Baldwin at the
Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on the
29th September 1873.
I, THOMAS BALDWIN, of Bury, in the County of Lancaster, Engineer,
do hereby declare the nature of the said Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS
IN STEAM ENGINES AND IN APPARATUS FOR APPLYING THE MOTIVE POWER OF
ELASTIC FLUIDS," to be as follows:-
=
My improvements consist in the application of steam or other elastic
fluid or fluids to produce rotary motion as follows:-I apply steam or
other elastic fluids to machines constructed in the form of turbines, the
flow being inward or outward or parallel; and I also use a hollow disk

page_text: having any convenient number of apertures at or near its periphery, so
that the force of the jets of steam issuing from these apertures reacts
and causes the disk to revolve, or I use pipes joined to a hollow boss
having apertures near their ends for the issue of jets of steam, which
react and cause the pipes to revolve in a similar manner to what is
known as © Barker's mill."
66
I also use a casing with a wheel working inside of it, and on the
circumference of the said casing I place any convenient number of
apertures for jets, so that steam may issue from them and act upon the
said wheel, which contains vanes or cells of any convenient shape that
may be found necessary for the steam to act upon.
The jets of steam may be applied on the outer circumference or the
inner circumference, or on one or both sides by the vanes or cells, being
placed in the necessary positions to receive the jet or jets of fluid.
The steam or other elastic fluid is passed from the boiler at any
convenient pressure, either through the axis or into the outer casing, as
may be required.
The steam or other elastic fluid after it has issued through the before-
named apertures is maintained in the casing at any convenient pressure,
less than its propelling pressure, and an aperture in the casing is made,
so that a communication is established with a second apparatus similar
to any of those mentioned, and the steam again issues in jets or through
apertures, doing work on this second revolving apparatus, and another
communication by means of pipes or apertures is made from this second
apparatus to a third of a similar construction, causing it also to revolve
and produce work. Any convenient number of revolving apparatus are
coupled together in such a manner that the steam or other elastic fluid
after it has done work in causing the first apparatus to revolve leaves
the casing at a reduced pressure, and by that pressure acts on the
second apparatus and causes it to revolve, and enters the second casing
at a still further reduced pressure, and so on to the third apparatus or
any convenient number of the said apparatus.
The casings, in which the revolving wheels or apparatus are inclosed,
communicate with the passages to the revolving apparatus of the next
in degree, delivering thereto steam at a lower pressure, which will again
produce work that has not been taken from it by the first apparatus,

page_text: and after it has done work in the second apparatus it will again produce
work in the third, and so on until by the use of any requisite number of
combinations of these apparatus the steam is expanded to any desired
pressure less than its initial pressure.
The steam's final action on the last revolving apparatus may be
increased by using an ejector or injector, as the case may be; the water
resulting from the last operation may have its motion converted into
work by applying it to a suitable water wheel or turbine that may be
found convenient.
The object of my Invention is to utilize the power contained in steam
by the use of apparatus of a much less complicated character than the
ordinary steam engine, and apply it for the same or similar purposes at a
much reduced cost.
The revolving shafts where they pass through the said casings are
kept steam-tight by the use of any convenient kind of stufling boxes.
The greatest portion of the expansive action of the steam or other
elastic fluid takes place in the short length of passage from the casing
where the steam is at the highest pressure to the end of that passage
immediately where the jet of fluid leaves, or what is known as the
orifice, and where it issues into the casing enclosing the revolving wheel,
and where the fluid is at a pressure below the initial pressure in the
outer casing; and the expansion takes place as just described when
entering each casing through the passage in which the jets are formed,
and this rapid expansion produces velocity, and the momentum of the
particles of fluid produce motion by acting on vanes, or by
the jets
issuing into the steam in the open case, causing the disks or arms to
revolve by reaction.

page_text: WHEREAS. Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her Letters
Patent, bearing date the Twenty-ninth day of September, in the year
of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and seventy-three, in the thirty-
seventh year of Her reign, did, for Herself, Her: heirs and successors,
give and grant unto me, the said Thomas Baldwin, Her special licence
that I,the said Thomas Baldwin,my executors, administrators, and ‘assigns,
or such others as I, the said Thomas Baldwin, my executors, adminis
trators 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, use, exercise, and vend, within
the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland, the Channel Islands,
and Isle of Man, an Invention for IMPROVEMENTS IN STEAM ENGINES
AND IN APPARATUS FOR APPLYING THE MOTIVE POWER OR ELASTIC FLUIDS," upon
the condition (amongst others) that 1, the said Thomas Baldwin, my
executors or administrators, by an instrument in writing under my, or
their, or one of their hands and seals, 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.
"
.2
NOW KNOW YE, that I, the said Thomas Baldwin, do hereby declare
the nature-of-my-said-Invention, and_in_what_manner the same is to be
performed, to be particularly described and ascertained in and by the
following statement (that is to say):-
"
My improvements consist in the application of steam or other elastic
fluid or fluids to produce a rotary motion as follows:-I apply steam or
other elastic fluids to machines constructed in the form of turbines, the
flow being inward or outward. or parallel; and I also use a hollow disk
having any convenient number of apertures at or near its periphery, so
that the force of the jets of steam issuing from the apertures reacts
and causes the said disk to revolve, or I use pipes joined to a hollow
boss. having. apertures near, their ends.for the. issue of jets of steam,
which react and cause the pipes to. revolve in a similar manner. to..what
is known as Barker's mill.
-
.I also use a casing with a wheel working inside of it, and on the
circumference of the said casing I place any convenient number of
apertures or jets, so that steam may issue from them and act upon the

page_text: BARI wheel
which contains vanes or cells of any convenient shape that
may be found necessary for the steam to act upon.
The jets of steam may be applied on the outer circumference or
inner circumference, or on one or both sides by the vanes or cells being
placed in the necessary position to receive the jet or jets of fluid.
The steam or other elastic fluid is. passed from the boiler at any
convenient pressure, either through the axis or into the outer casing, as
may be required.
The steam or other elastic fluid after it has issued through the before-
named apertures is maintained in the casing at any convenient pressure,
less than its propelling pressure, and an aperture in the casing is made
so that a communication is established with a second apparatus similar
to any of those mentioned, and the steam again issues in jets or through
apertures, doing work on this second revolving apparatus, and another
communication by means of pipes or apertures is made from this second
apparatus to a third of a similar construction, causing it also to revolve
and produce work. Any convenient number of revolving apparatus are
coupled together in such a manner that the steam or other elastic fluid
after it has done work in causing the first apparatus to revolve leaves
the casing at a reduced pressure, and by that pressure arts on the second
apparatus and causes it to revolve, and enters the second casing at a still
further reduced pressure, and so on to the third apparatus or any, con-
venient number of the said apparatus.
The casings, in which the revolving wheels or apparatus are enclosed,
communicate with the passages to the revolving apparatus of the next
in degree, delivering thereto steam at a lower pressure, which will again
produce work that has not been taken from it by the first apparatus, and
after it has done work in the second apparatus it will again produce
work in the third, and so on until by the use of any required number of
combinations of these apparatus the steam is expanded to any desired
pressure less than its initial pressure.
The steam's final action on the last revolving apparatus may be
increased by using an ejector or injector, as the case may be; the water
resulting from the last operation may have its motion converted into
work by applying it to a suitable water wheel, such as any form of
turbine that may be found convenient.

page_text: The object of my Invention is to utilize the power contained in the
steam by the use of apparatus of a much less complicated character than
the ordinary steam engine, and apply it for the same or similar purposes
at a much reduced cost.
The revolving shafts, where they pass through the said casings, are
kept steam-tight by the use of any convenient kind of stuffing boxes.
The greatest portion of the expansive action of the steam or other
elastic fluid takes place in the short length of passage from the casing,
where the steam is at the highest pressure, to the end of that passage
immediately where the jet of fluid leaves, or what is known as the
orifice, and where it issues into the casing enclosing the revolving wheel,
and where the fluid is at a pressure below the initial pressure in the
outer casing; and the expansion takes place as just described when
entering each casing through the passage in which the jets are formed,
and this rapid expansion produces velocity, and the momentum of the
particles of fluid produce motion by acting on vanes, or by the jets
issuing into the steam in the open casing, causing the disks or arms to
revolve by reaction.
The said revolving wheels or revolving apparatus have each a shaft,
on which they are fixed, and drive any machinery that may be required
by using suitable gearing for that purpose.
The apertures through which the elastic fluid acts may be constructed
so as to regulate the quantity of fluid required to pass to the various
apparatus, as for instance, if the initial pressure of the elastic fluid be
100 lbs. on the square inch the pressure after the fluid has done its work
on the first revolving apparatus may be some pressure less than the
initial pressure, say eighty, seventy, or fifty pounds on the square inch,
that is, the pressures in the various apparatus may have their difference
decreased by increasing the number of such apparatus, and the efficient
circumferential velocity of the combination will be less with the same
initial and terminal pressures as the number of combined apparatus
increase.
The revolving apparatus may each be fixed on one shaft or they may
be each fixed on separate shafts, or they may be. arranged on any
convenient number of shafts, and the number of apparatus on each shaft
may be varied as desired, but all coupled by gearing when used to drive
one set of machinery.

page_text: Having now described the nature of my said Invention, and the
manner in which the same is to be performed, I wish it to be understood
that what I claim as of my Invention is, the combination of two or more
revolving wheels or revolving apparatus propelled by steam or other
elastic fluid, and the combination of parts as herein set forth and
described and for the purposes herein named.
In witness whereof, I, the said Thomas Baldwin, have hereunto set
my hand and seal, this Twenty-fifth day of March One thousand
eight hundred and seventy-four.