IMPROVEMENTS IN INJECTORS & EJECTORS
Year: 1886

page_text: I GRAHAM STEVENSON Mechanical Engineer Airdrie Engine Works Airdrie N.B.
do hereby declare the nature of my invention for IMPROVEMENTS IN INJECTORS &
EJECTORS to be as follows:-
The Invention relates to the Instrument or Motor called the "Injector," also
sometimes called Ejector, Jetometer, Exhauster, Boiler feeder, Water elevator, and
many other names.
It is best known as "Giffard's Injector," as employed mainly in inducing the
flow of liquids (commonly water) at such temperatures as suffice to condense the
actuating elastic fluid (commonly steam) at higher temperatures.
In instances, however, the Motor is variously employed to cause one elastic fluid
to give motion to another elastic fluid in which little condensation takes place, as
in drawing or driving air to or from mines, gas or air to or from furnaces, and the
like, and further is sometimes employed so that elastic fluid gives motion to solids,
as in throwing ashes from pits of steam ships, gravel from excavations, or sand
from the beds of water runs & many other useful purposes, including with those
just indicated the raising of liquids from one level to another, the filling of tanks
or boilers against pressure or against the gravity of the liquids raised, or the
driving of machines or apparatus by the impact or weight of the impelled liquids,
sometimes, along with such performances, giving advantages to useful ends by the
heat imparted to the impelled by the impelling fluid, which imparted heat is always
or nearly always a result of the working of the apparatus.
A peculiarity of the apparatus distinguishing it from most other heat engines or
self-contained prime movers is that steam may be used in it to useful purposes
more ecanomically at low than high pressures, and may also be used at lower
pressures than in any or most others.
For example-Morton, in virtue of a Patent granted in 1867 No. 2106, performed
by it such purposes with steam at less than 2 or 3 pounds pressure per square inch,
i.e. with steam at less pressure than that of the atmosphere by 12 or 13 pounds;
for not only did he use the apparatus to impel the water condensing the steam it
employs against the atmospheric pressure at one end of its flow and partial a
vacuum at the other, but at the date named, or a very little later, as was experienced
by the present Inventor, he raised that water in level against gravity or pressure

page_text: along with which, use sometimes was made of the heat imparted to the water in
steam boilers into which the water was forced.
As steam is obtainable in many instances from the boilers of steam engines,
(particularly from some of those by Watt, and other early makers,) below atmos-
pheric pressure (so much below in fact, that often such boilers have failed by
collapse, in place of explosion, as is so vexingly prevalent in these days) and
further as steam at slightly higher, equal, & even lower pressures than that of the
atmosphere is obtainable from the drying, washing, boiling, cooking, distilling,
refining, melting, motion giving & other cylinders, drums, vessels or vats employed
in our manufactures & industries, it will be easily perceived that this engine (the
Injector) has command of steam supplies from sources beyond the reach of many
others, & that without its use, steain, and especially steam partially reduced in
original energy would have to be thrown to the air as worthless, where in many
instances available to useful ends.
Again as steam, existing at any pressure above that of the atmosphere may
either at such pressure or being "wire-drawn" (as it is called) to lower pressure
on entering the apparatus by adjustments of its steam admission ports, it will be
perceived that the improved apparatus herein described will have command of
steam supplies from sources of the highest, as well as of the lowest pressures.
Much perplexity was at first evinced, and even yet largly prevails at the
apparently paradoxical fact that by suitable adjustments of parts steam at one
pressure could be employed to impel not only itself (when condensed to water) but
also the condensing water employed, against higher pressures than possessed by
the steam on entering the apparatus; but, in such perplexities the fact was lost
sight of, that equal weights or quantities of steam employed in an ordinary steam
engine may perform equal work.
These remarks are made with the view of better clearing up in a popular sense
certain confusing & confounding of the features & functions of the intended
employment of the Improved Injector to the end that the same may be made
more open to the public use than Injectors are generally believed to be, further to
the effect that its adoption may be more widely, cheaply, & efficiently availed of in
replacing less serviceable engines.
To describe specifically the Improved Injector under this invention the present
Inventor would say its main parts, and particularly those subjected to the severe
friction of fluid jets are cast on hollow or solid steel or other metal spindlers
or mandrils which gives them their desired form without the usual skill & cost
of cutting them to the same, with machines & tools, whilst surfaces & nozzles
(especially when these are cast of iron and steel) are at the same time made so
hard as practically to be incapable of cutting by tools, and therefore practically
ever endurable against the action of jets. The present inventor casts or forms the
nozzles for the lower or discharging end of the combining cone, and the upper or
receiving end of the delivering cone (with an overflow passage between the nozzles)
in any desired number of sets, and slides the particular set into position best
calculated to perform the work in hand for the time being, with regard to the
pressure of steam employed for the time being.
The cones immediately above named are preferred to be curved in their axes, in
place of in straight line as usual. The steam supply cones' nozzle and the com-
bining cones' receiving or upper nozzle are as heretofore made of a cross sectional
area proportioned to the kind of work to which each particular instrument is
intended to be applied with due regard to the area of throat or delivering end
of the combining cone and the pressure of steam employed in the apparatus;
thus when the steam employed is lower in pressure than the pressure & suction or
either to be overcome, the steam nozzle is usually larger than the discharging
end of the combining cone, & vice versa, the relative proportions being practically
unlimited in either direction.
A steam tight partition is formed between the steam admission port or ports and
the atmosphere at the internal upper end of the apparatus, and a like partition

page_text: between the same ports & the water admission ports or spaces by a tapered plug
or key fitted into a correspondingly tapered seat giving steam-tight bearing surfaces
above and below the steam port in much the same way as certain kinds of ordinary
stop cocks do. This plug is cast in an iron or other metal case, and its seat on an
iron or other metal spindle or mandril, to form and harden their wearing surfaces
in manner already described as to parts subjected to the severe friction by the jets.
The plug is close at top, with a packed passage for the spindle of steain nozzle
piece, which it embraces. The plug is hollow at its centre, open at its point, and
receives the steam, by a port or ports at its sides, into its hollow, whence it the
steam passes into the steam nozzle piece, which is fitted to slide up and down in
the hollow.
The steam passes from the nozzle piece, to act on the water, and by raising or
depressing it the supply of water is regulated, whilst by turning the plug, as an
ordinary cock plug is turned, the flow of steam may be regulated.
The steam nozzle piece will, in the majority of cases, be regulated, most con-
veniently, by hand, but as above indicated, steam supply may be from a
motion-giving cylinder or other source, wherein intermittent pressure of steam,
and in such cases the nozzle is adjusted with the pulsations or interinitting
pressures of steam, by connecting it with some moving part, actuated by the
motion-giving cylinder which beats time with the pulsations of steam.
The lower part of the apparatus opens into the reception cone, by removal of a
tapered plug or valve, fitted, steam-tight, to the opening, which is held in position
by a centre screw pin; when this plug is removed, and also the partitioning one
at the upper end, an open passage is presented through the entire length of the
apparatus, so that inspection or cleansing of the surfaces may be easily effected.
In some cases it is best to make two Injectors in one main piece in place of one of
inconveniently large dimentions.

page_text: GRAHAM STEVENSON Mechanical Engineer Airdrie Engine Works Airdrie N.B.
I do hereby declare the nature of my invention for IMPROVMENTS IN INJECTORS
AND EJECTORS and in what manner the same is to be performed, to be particularly
described and ascertained in and by the following statement:-
The Invention relates to the instrument or motor called the "Injector" also
sometimes called Ejector, Jetometer, Exhauster, Boiler-feeder, water Elevator, and
many other names. It is best known as "Giffords Injector" as employed mainly
in inducing the flow of liquids (commonly water) at such temperatures as suffice to
condense an elastic fluid (commonly steam) at higher temperatures actuating the
flow. It is also employed to the effect of one elastic fluid giving motion to another.
as in drawing or driving air to or from mines, gas or air to or from furnaces and
the like, and further to the effect of elastic fluids giving motion to solids, as in
throwing ashes from pits of steam ships gravel from excavations and sand from
the beds of water runs, also in raising liquids from one level to another, in filling
tanks or boilers against pressure or gravity, and in driving machines or other
apparatus by the impact or weight of the impelled liquids, and sometimes along
with such operations giving advantages by the heat imparted to the impelled by
the impelling fluid. This imparting of heat is a necessary result of the working of
the apparatus.
A peculiarity of the apparatus is that steam may be used in it to useful purposes
more economically at low than high pressures, and it may also be used at lower
pressures in this than in many other instruments or motors.
For example Morton in virtue of a patent granted in 1867 No. 2106 performed
by the Injector useful purposes with steam at less than 2 or 3 pound pressure per
square inch (i e) with steam at less pressure than that of the atmosphere by 12 or
13 pounds per square inch, for not only did he use it to impel water against the
atmospheric pressure but raised the water in level against gravity or pressure in
which operations advantage was sometimes taken of the heat imparted to the
water by feeding it into steam boilers in its heated state.
As steam is obtainable in many instances from the boilers of steam engines,
below atmospheric pressure and as steam at slightly higher, equal, and even lower
pressures than that of the atmosphere is obtainable from the drying, washing,
boiling, cooking, distilling, and other cylinders or vessels employed in various
manufacturers it will easily be perceived that "the Injector" has command of
steam supplies from sources beyond the reach of many other instruments or motors
so that without its use steam in many instances would be worthless.
Much perplexity was at first evinced, and even yet largely prevails at the
apparently paradoxical fact that by suitable adjustments of the parts of the
instrument steam at one pressure could be imployed to impel not only itself (when
condensed to water) but also the condensing water employed, against higher
pressures than was possessed by the steam on entering the apparatus, but in such
perplexities the fact was lost sight of, that equal weights or quantities of steam
employed in an ordinary steam engine may perform equal work.

page_text: These remarks are made with the view of better clearing up in a popular sense
certain confusing and confounding of the features and functions of the improved
Injector to the end that the same may be made more open to public use than
Injectors are generally believed to be, and further to the effect that its adoption
may be more widely, cheaply and efficiently availed of in replacing less serviceable
instruments.
Describing the improved injector it may be said its main parts and particularly
those whose surfaces are subjected to the severe friction of its fluid jets are cast on
steel or other metal spindles or mandrils by which their desired form is given
without the usual skill and cost of cutting them with machines and tools. These
surfaces when cast of iron or steel are chllied by the mandrils or spindles and
thereby made so hard as practically to be incapable of cutting by tools, and
therefore practically ever endurable against the action of jets upon them. The jet
passages or cones are preferred to be curved in their axes, in place of in straight
lines as usual. The steam supply cones and the combining cones are as
theretofore made of cross sectional area proportioned to the kind of work to
which instruments are respectively intended to be applied with regard to
the pressure of steam intended to be employed.
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.
1st. The casting of the main parts of Injectors on steel or other mandrils or
spindles and thereby giving them their desired forms and hardening their surfaces
as described, and
2nd. The curving of the axes of one or more of the jet passages or nozzles as
described.
.