IMPROVEMENTS IN STEAM ENGINES AND FURNACES
Year: 1869

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Frederick Joseph Bramwell, of No. 37, Great
George Street, Westminster, for the Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN
STEAM ENGINES AND FURNACES."
Sealed the 25th September 1869, and dated the 15th April 1869.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Frederick Joseph
Bramwell at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his
Petition, on the 15th April 1869.
I, FREDERICK JOSEPH BRAMWELL, of No. 37, Great George Street,
Westminster, do hereby declare the nature of the said Invention for
"IMPROVEMENTS IN STEAM ENGINES AND FURNACES," to be as follows:-
This invention has for its object improvements in steam engines and
furnaces. Where steam engines are so situated that there is difficulty
or inconvenience in providing a supply of water to the boiler, as in the
case of locomotive and portable engines, I condense the whole or nearly
the whole of the exhaust steam, and so obtain water for the supply of
the boiler by means of a current of air provided by a fan or blowing
apparatus, which may be driven by the engine. A portion of the air so
heated I supply to the furnace to support combustion. The furnace I

page_text: use is adapted to burn liquid or pulverized fuel. This current of heated
air may advantageously be employed to carry the said fuel with it into
the furnace. That portion of the heated air which is not required to
support combustion may sometimes, as in the case of portable engines,
be used to dry wheat or other agricultural produce.
Also according to my Invention furnaces in which liquid or pulverized
fuel is used I combine " regenerators" or apparatus by which the
products of combustion escaping from the furnace are made to impart
a portion of their heat to the air entering the furnace to support com-
bustion. This apparatus may conveniently be a double set of flues or
passages so constructed as to expose a large surface and which are used
alternately for the escape of the heated products of combustion and for
the supply of air to support combustion in the furnace. As is now well
understood air can thus be highly heated without any fuel being
expended specially for the purpose. I employ the current of heated air
so obtained and propelled by a fan or forcing apparatus or otherwise to
carry into the furnace the liquid or pulverized fuel employed therein,
or, although it is less convenient, the said fuel and the air thus heated
may be separately supplied to the furnace.
ratent Umce on the rovn
er 1808.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, FREDERICK
JOSEPH BRAMWELL, of No. 37, Great George Street, Westminster, send
greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her
Letters Patent, bearing date the Fifteenth day of April, in the year
of
our Lord One thousand eight hundred and sixty-nine, in the thirty-
second year of Her reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors,
give and grant unto me, the said Frederick Joseph Bramwell, Her special
licence that I, the said Frederick Joseph Bramwell, my executors, ad-
ministrators, and assigns, or such others as I, the said Frederick Joseph
Bramwell, my executors, administrators, 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,

page_text: exercise, and vend, within the United Kingdom of Great Britain and
Ireland, the Channel Islands, and Isle of Man, an Invention for "Iм-
PROVEMENTS IN STEAM ENGINES AND FURNACES," upon the condition (amongst
others) that I, the said Frederick Joseph Bramwell, 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.
NOW KNOW YE, that I, the said Frederick Joseph Bramwell, do
hereby declare the nature of the said Invention, and in what manner the
same is to be performed, to be particularly described and ascertained in
and by the following statement thereof, that is to say ;-
One of the great drawbacks to the use of portable agricultural engines
and to that of traction engines employed for ploughing and for other
purposes is in many cases the labour and expense of keeping them
supplied with water by the use of water carts, involving the employment
of men and horses, and a further difficulty is that the water thus
procured is frequently of bad quality and therefore likely to injure the
boiler or to cause priming.
Now by my Invention these difficulties are entirely or in part over-
come, as I combine with such engines condensing apparatuses by which
the whole or a portion of the steam which has been employed in the en-
gines is turned into water, so that the boilers are fed entirely or in part
by such condensed steam, thus dispensing with the bringing to the engine
of so much water as is equivalent to that arising from the condensed
steam and the insuring the supply of the boiler with pure water to the
extent of the water produced from the condensation of the steam.
For the purposes of such condensation I employ a condenser formed
of suitable thin metallic surfaces, into which condenser the waste steam
as it issues from the engine is carried, while on the external surfaces of
such condenser I cause currents of air to act so as to condense the
steam and at the same time to heat the air. By this arrangement the
engine is deprived of the steam blast to urge the draft through the fire."
To compensate for this and to economize fuel I cause so much of the
heated air as is necessary for the combustion to pass into contact with
the fuel, such contact to be made by causing the air to drive into the

page_text: fire-place or to mix with powdered fuel (in the manner described in the
Specification of a Patent granted to Thomas Russell Crampton, and
dated the 13th day of August 1868, No. 2539), or to inject and mix with
liquid fuel or a mixture of powdered fuel and liquid fuel; or the heated
air may be passed into a closed ash pan so as to pass through between
the grate bars, or partly into the ash pan, as above stated, and partly
into the fire-place for the more effectual combustion of the gases.
In order to diminish as far as possible the power. required to actuate
the currents of air it is desirable that the blowing fans or other imple-
ments to produce such currents should be made of considerable size
and with large apertures, so that the air may at no part of its course be
put into very rapid movement, or if it should be considered advisable
under certain circumstances to have small fans moving at considerable
velocites and putting air into motion also at considerable velocities, then
only a portion of all the air required should be thus dealt with, the
remainder of the air being being put into motion by induced currents set
up by the quick currents arising from the small quick going fans, so that
the energy which had been imparted to the small portion of the air might
be utilized in setting into motion the remainder of the air. By taking
care not to give the air which acts on the condenser too high a velocity it
will be found that the saving in fuel arising from using heated air for
the combustion will largely compensate for the power required to set the
air into motion, and in cases where it is desirous to economize fuel to
the utmost the air after leaving the condensor may be made to traverse
channels heated on their external surfaces by contact with the products
of combustion on their way to the chimney top or other outlet.
In certain cases it may be convenient to divide the air into two
distinct parts, the one representing the air required for the combustion
which should be driven at a higher velocity so as to inject the powdered
or liquid fuel with more force into the fire-place or combustion chamber,
while the remainder of the air which passes over the condenser should
be driven at a lower velocity, either by the use of a separate blowing
implement or by an induced current set up by a portion of the air from
the blowing implement producing the greater velocity current. The
portion of the heated air not required for the combustion I employ when
there is opportunity so to do for the drying of grain or sheaves of
corn or the drying of grass or other green crops. Such air will be
peculiarly fitted for the purpose, as it will be at a temperature below that

page_text: of boiling water and incapable of effecting those injuries which arise from
the use of air tainted by contact with the products of combustion. If
a larger volume of air however be caused to act upon the condenser
than is sufficient to cause the air to leave the condenser at about the
temperature of boiling water, then such air when used for drying purposes
may have its heat augmented by being passed through channels, the
outer surfaces of which are in contact with the products of combustion,
care being taken that there be no intermixture of the products of com-
bustion with the air, and that the air is not raised to such a temperature
as to injure the matters to be dried.
Hitherto traction and portable engines alone have been considered, but
the system of combining condensation and the urging of the fire by a
heated fan blast as before described is also applicable to locomotives on
railroads, as by its use boilers would be supplied with pure water, the
danger arising from the emission of sparks would be obviated, and
express trains would not be compelled to stop to take in water. The
weight of the condensor and apparatus would be an extra, but there
would be saved the weight of water in the tender varying from 6 to 9
tons. The condenser is by preference mounted on the tender. The
condensers of traction and portable engines may also in some cases be
carried on a tender. In some cases it will be convenient to arrange the
condenser around the chimney of the engine.
Figure 1 shows a common form of portable agricultural engine as
combined with the condenser. a is the exhaust steam pipe leading to
the condenser b, shown as placed below the boiler; c is the blowing fan,
of which there may be one on each side of the engine, driven by a band
off the band wheels d on the crank shaft. The air from the blowers is
brought through the trunks e to the end of the condenser b, and passes
through the condenser in a direction opposite to that in which the waste
steam passes. The condensed steam accumulates in the pocket f, from
which it is fed into the boiler by the feed pump g. h is a small tank to
receive the water supplied to the engine in the ordinary manner, which
water is by a regulating cock i to be allowed to flow into the receptacle f
for the purpose of making up any deficiency in the feed arising from
non-condensation of the steam or from waste at the safety valves or
elsewhere. In those condensers, such as the one shewn, where it is not
proposed to reduce the pressure below that of the atmosphere, a waste
pipe j is provided to allow of any uncondensed steam or air making its

page_text: escape into the atmosphere. The air having become heated by passing
through the condenser case escapes therefrom by the channel k, from
which a branch with a regulating valve conducts the portion of it
required for combustion into the closed ash-pit m of the engine. The
air not required for the purposes of combustion makes its way by the
trunk n into the bottom of the smoke box, unless it be required for
drying purposes, in which case it escapes through a trunk to be put
upon the branch o to be led to any kind of drying apparatus in which
its use may be desired, such as a chamber with a perforated bottom, on
which the material to be dried is laid, and through which the hot air is
caused to escape; or a travelling web may in such an arrangement be
substituted for a fixed bottom. Other forms of drying apparatus may
also be used. Both the branches n and are provided with regulating
valves. The condenser, when it is not intended to reduce the pressure
of the steam within it below that of the atmosphere, I prefer to make as
shown in Figure 2, which shows a plan in section of the condenser seen
in outside view in Figure 1. a', a', shew the sides of the condenser;
6', 6', shew the sides of the chambers of which the condenser is formed;
they are by preference of thin sheet copper, but galvanised iron and
other materials may also be used. The sides 6', 6', are supported in the
centre of their length by corrugated or zig-zag bars which occupy the
distances between plate and plate, but allow the steam and air to pass
them freely. The space c¹ at the left-hand end is for the reception of
the waste steam, which enters from this space into the spaces d', d¹, d¹,
and when condensed makes its exit through the openings (shaded) e¹ in
the bottom conducting to the receptacle f of Figure 1. f¹ is the space
at the end of the condenser for the reception of the air from the blowing
fans, which makes its entrance into the spaces g', g', g', between the
steam spaces d¹, d¹, and makes its exit by the openings h¹ (shaded) which
convey it to the trunk k of Figure 1. The vertical sides a', 61, and the
ends ¹, ¹, are connected to the top and bottom plates of the condenser.
In Figure 1 a portion of the heated air has been shown as led directly to
the closed ash-pit of an ordinary fire-place.
Figure 3 shows the combination with an apparatus for supplying
powdered fuel to the fire, where a is the fire-box of the portable engine;
k is the heated air trunk of Figure 1, but brought in this instance below
the level of the bottom of the fire-box or ash-pit and led to the under
side of b, the measuring machine for measuring out powdered coal con-
tained in hoppers c, as described in the before-mentioned Specification

page_text: of Crampton's Patent, so that the measured out powdered coal may fall
into the upper part d of the trunk k and be projected by the heated air
passing through that trunk into the fire-place. The fire-box is adapted to
burn powdered fuel in the way which Crampton's Specification describes.
Figure 4 shows an arrangement by which a sharp current from the
quick-going small fan is caused to induce a slow-going larger current for
the purposes of the condenser. d represents a band wheel on the engine
shaft, and c a small fan working at a high velocity; e, the outlet from
that fan in connection with f, an enlarged trunk receiving the air from
the outlet e, as shown by the small centre arrow, and also receiving the
induced currents from the atmosphere, as shown by the large arrows,
the combined current making its escape into the condenser.
Figure 5 shows an arrangement by which part of the air passing
through the condenser may be kept at high velocity for the purpose of
injecting coal dust or liquid fuel, or both, into the fire while the
remainder goes at a lower velocity. In this view e represents the outlet
from the quick going blowing fan divided into two branches e¹ and e¹¹,
e¹ being led away into the part of the condenser partitioned off from the
other, so that the air may maintain its pressure on issuing from the
trunk k which conveys it to the fire; the branch e¹¹ is to be led to a
trunk f, in which an induced current is to be set up, as previously
explained. This section of the air which is to operate in the part of the
condenser reserved for it is to be used for condensing purposes, and is
not to be led to the fire. After having passed the condenser it may be
used for drying purposes, as before explained
It is not thought necessary to show any arrangement of passages by
which the heated air escaping from the condenser may be further heated
by the products of combustion on their way to the top of the chimney
or other outlet, as such arrangement of passages may be variously
modified and adapted by any intelligent workman according to the
circumstances of the case.
Although I have shown a simple form of condenser, which I prefer to
employ when the pressure of the steam is not to be reduced below that
of the atmosphere, other and stronger forms should be used when it is
so to be reduced, in which case the outlet pipe j of Figure 1 is of course
dispensed with, and the feed pump is to be made of sufficient capacity to
act as an air pump, and is to be provided with an air vessel and a self-
acting delivery of air, so as to prevent the air extracted from the

page_text: condenser being returned into the boiler. The delivery of the air may
be thus effected:-The air vessel may have a float within it, which when
the air accumulates unduly falls in consequence of its being no longer
supported by water, and in falling it opens a valvé, by which the excess
of air which is under pressure blows off; or two pumps may be
employed, the one as an air pump to pump into a hot well, the other as
a feed pump to draw from that hot well into the boiler. Such a form
of condenser is shown at Figure 6, and consists of an external case a, a,
of cylindrical or other suitable form having two tube plates b, b, with
tubes c, c, extending from plate to plate. The waste steam from the
engine makes its entrance by the pipe d; the condensed water goes to
the air pump by the outlet e; the air to produce condensation enters by
the trunk f, and the heated air makes its exit by the trunk 9. Instead
of passing the steam round about the outsides of the tubes and the air
through them, the steam may be passed through the tubes and the air
round about them, but I prefer the former arrangement. This form of
condenser may of course be used in those cases where it is not intended
to reduce the pressure of the steam below that of the atmosphere. In
this case I reduce the condensing surface by, say, one-half, thus bringing
it to, say, two feet of condensing surface per foot of boiler heating
surface. When the condenser is arranged around the chimney of the
engine it may be of this construction, but set upright, and with the
chimney passing through it from end to end. The air is in this case
made to enter at the bottom and pass out at the top, and so much of
the air as is required for the fire is caused again to descend by an
annular channel surrounding the chimney and between it and the inner
casing of the condenser. The chimney may, if desired, be so formed as
to expose an extended heating surface to the descending current of air.
The steam is led into the condenser at the top, and the condensed water
is led away at the bottom to a small tank from which the boiler is
supplied. Condensers, such as that shown at Figures 1, 2, and 5, may
also be applied at the sides of or around the chimney.
It is not considered necessary to shew the adaptation of arrangement
of the apparatus to a locomotive running on railways. It will be suffi-
cient to state that in the case of an engine with a tender the waste
steam will be conveyed by a flexible or universal jointed pipe from the
engine to the tender, there to enter the condenser formed of chambers
or of tubes arranged round about the tender so as to suit its shape, that

page_text: the fan for actuating the air would be placed on the tender, and by
preference would be worked by a donkey engine supplied with steam
through a flexible or jointed pipe from the boiler of the engine. The
condensed steam would be accumulated into a small tank, from which it
would pass to the suction pipes of the feed apparatus of the engine.
The fan however may be placed on the engine, and it may be driven by
straps or by frictional gearing.
In my Provisional Specification I described a further improvement,
consisting in combining regenerators with furnaces in which liquid or
powdered fuel is burnt, a fan or blowing apparatus being caused to force
a current of air through such regenerators, and the current of air so
heated being made to carry the liquid or powdered fuel into the furnace.
I have however since filing my said Provisional Specification discovered
that the said improvement was then already known, and I do not make
any claim thereto.
In witness whereof, I, the said Frederick Joseph Bramwell, have
hereunto set my hand and seal, this Ninth day of September,
in the year of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and sixty-
nine.
F. J. BRAMWELL. (L.8.)