Year: 1888

page_text: I, ALEXANDER MORTON of 241 West George Street, Glasgow in the County of
Lanark, Engineer, 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:-
This Invention relates to improvements in that class of steam and other motive
power engines known as re-action engines and the improvements consist in so con-
structing and arranging such an engine that high pressure steam or other elastic acting
fluid is conveyed from or to the boss or nave of a dise through passages or ducts to or
from the periphery of the disc where the fluid issues froui apertures into a series of
nozzles. The nozzles are all arranged to react in the same direction and are so formed
that they gradually increase in area from the apertures in the peripheries of the disc to
their discharge ends so permitting the contained acting fluid to continuously expand
until it is discharged into the atmosphere or into any well known arrangement of
condenser.
On the accompanying drawings figure 1 is in part an 'end elevation and in part a
transverse section and figure 2 is a longitudinal section of a re-action engine con-
structed in accordance with my said Invention the apparatus being composed of a
rotating disc A, keyed upon a shaft B, and enclosed within a stationary air tight
casing C through stuffing glands in the sides of which the shaft passes being at the
outside of the casing carried in bearings in brackets D, which are bolted to the
sides of the chamber or to a separate sole plate.
The disc A, has four or other number of hollow arms E, extending preferably in a
curved direction from its nave or boss F to the periphery and at the outer end of each
of the said arms there is fitted to or formed on the periphery a nozzle G. Around the
shaft B apertures are made in the nave or boss of the disc A, to afford a free annular
passage on each side of the centre and so equally balance the pressure of the acting
fluid in all directions. The inlet passage H for the acting fluid and which is formed
on the exterior of the stationary air tight casing C, communicates with the boss or
nave F of the disc A, through the said passages x, and on the outer casing C there is
also formed a branch I, to which a pipe is connected to conduct the exhaust steam or

page_text: other acting fluid to a condenser of any suitable construction so as to maintain a
vacuum or partial vacuum within the casing C or the said exhaust fluid may pass from
the casing directly into the atmosphere.
From the apertures w in the periphery of the disc A at the outer ends of the bent
arms E the steam or other acting fluid passes into the nozzles G which are so arranged
as to direct the fluid in a tangential direction as indicated by the arrows on figure 1
and the said nozzles are made of such form as to gradually increase in area from the
apertures w to the orifice or mouth of the nozzle so as to allow the acting fluid to
expand whilst passing through them the said nozzles being proportioned both as
regards area and length to suit varying initial pressures of the acting fluid.
To prevent radiation of heat as between the revolving interior part of the engine and
the fixed outer casing the disc A may be enclosed within an air tight casing y, as seen
at figure 2 the said casing rotating with the disc A.
Instead of being arranged on a horizontal shaft the disc A may be fitted to rotate
with a vertical shaft and the nozzles G in lieu of being secured to or formed on the
outer face of the periphery of the disc A may as seen at figure 3 be secured to or
formed on the inner face in which case the direction of the current of the acting fluid
is the reverse of that indicated at figure 1 that is to say the acting fluid enters the
casing C through the branch I thence it enters the nozzles from the outer side of
the disc's periphery and escapes to the condenser or into the atmosphere through the
hollow arms E and annular passages and through the branch H the passages in the
arms E being of equal or greater area than the mouths of the nozzles.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said Invention'
and in what manner the same is to be performed, I declare that what I claim is :-
1. The general arrangement and combination of parts constituting the improved
motive power engines hereinbefore described with reference to the drawings annexed.
2. In a motive power engine a rotating dise having a series of hollow arms extending
from its boss to the periphery and a series of nozzles gradually increasing in area from
their inlet to their outlet ends arranged around the periphery substantially as set
forth with reference to figures 1 and 2 of the appended drawings.
3. In a motive power engine a rotating disc having a series of nozzles gradually
increasing in area from their inlet to their outlet ends arranged around the interior of
its periphery and communicating with an exhaust branch through hollow arms sub-
stantially as described with reference to figure 3 of the accompanying drawings.
Dated this Twenty seventh day of November 1888