Improved Method of and Apparatus for Returning Part of the Exhaust from a Steam Engine to the Boiler, Combined with a Portion of Injection Water when such is Used.
Year: 1885

page_text: Improved Method of and Apparatus for Returning Part of the
Exhaust from a Steam Engine to the Boiler, Combined with
a Portion of Injection Water when such is Used.
I ALEXANDER BASIL WILSON of Holywood Belfast Ireland, Engineer do hereby
declare the nature of said invention for IMPROVEMENTS IN STEAM ENGINES to be
as follows:
This Invention has for its object the reduction in quantity of Fuel required for
the production of power by Steam Engines, By the better use of the Steam
produced by the Fuel By the return of a larger portion of the heat contained in
the steam after useing it in the Engine, back to the boiler, By sending the Feed
water into the Boiler or Boilers combined or mixed with less Gases than usual,
And by enabling the use in a Jet Condensing Engine of a large proportion of
impure Injection Water with a small proportion of pure water without passing the
impure water into the boiler or boilers.
And consists in making the Feed pump or pumps of such a form, that they will
draw direct from the condenser as well as from the intermediate receiver of
compound engines or from any other part from which it is desirable to take the
condensed steam and force it into the boiler. One pump being fitted to draw from
each or, one pump may draw from all the various places required. When applied
to engines having Jet Condensers, I make a modification of the condenser to
prevent the pump drawing too much and to enable it to take condensed steam
only, combined with pure injection water, in case a small supply of the latter is
available.
For the above mentioned purpose, I use a feed pump of such a form that it
delivers thro the discharge valve the entire volume of the space thro which the
ram or plunger moves, after it has passed the inlet orifices, and which I construct
as follows,
I use by preference a solid pump ram, or plunger, working in a cylinder bored
out to fit, which cylinder has a packing gland of the usual form at one end thro
which the ram works, and at the other a valve opening outwards from the cylinder,
covering the whole of its area and forming the discharge valve, I so arrange the
ram that it touches the said valve at the inward end of its stroke so that all the
contents of the cylinder are expelled thro the valve opening.

page_text: In the sides of the cylinder away from the discharge valve and next the packing
gland I make inlet openings in such positions that the end of the ram draws past
them at the outward part of its stroke sufficiently, to let the fluid in them run into
the cylinder. The returning stroke of the ram trapping it between the end of the
ram and the discharge valve, expelling it thro the latter.
When a pump draws from one place only I have a single set of inlet openings;
When it draws from several places having different pressures, I make a series of
openings arranged along the cylinder of pump, the outward stroke of ram opening
them successively; there position being regulated so that the inlet next discharge
valve communicates with the place having least pressure.
When there is more than one set of inlets, I place a non return valve, opening
towards the pump in each.
To more effectualy make the ram tight I adopt any of the usual means of
keeping pistons steam-tight in cylinders, such as, spring rings. Care being taken
that they pass over the inlets without catching in them.
To enable a pump as already described to draw a portion only of the condensed
and injection water in jet condensing engines, and to prevent it drawing too much,
I divide the condensor into two unequal chambers connected by an opening, I lead
the exhaust steam first into the smaller, and condense it, as far as possible with the
pure water available; completeing the condensation in the second chamber, by
impure injection water. The feed pump as afore-said drawing from the smaller
chamber and discharging into the boiler. The ordinary air pump drawing from
the larger, and discharging in the usual manner or thro a waste pipe.
•
Dated this Twenty fourth day of December 1885

page_text: Exhaust from a Steam Engine to the Boiler, Combined with
a Portion of Injection Water when such is Used.
I ALEXANDER BASIL WILSON of Holywood Belfast Ireland Engineer do hereby
declare the nature of my invention for IMPROVEMENTS IN STEAM ENGINES and
in what manner the same is to be performed, to be particularly described and
ascertained in and by the following statement:-
This Invention has for its object the reduction in quantity of Fuel required for
the production of power by Steam Engines.
By the better use of the Steam produced by the fuel.
By the return of a larger portion of the heat contained in the Steam after use in
the Engines back to the boiler or boilers.
By the return of less gas to the boilers combined or mixed with the Condensed
Steam than is usual.
By enabling the use of a large proportion of impure injection water with a small
proportion of pure water in jet condensing Engines without passing the impure
water back to the boilers.
It is usual in Steam Engines to draw the air, injection water, and condensed
steam from the condenser by an air pump and discharge it into a vessel called'
the hot well. Whereby if the injection water be impure, it is mixed with the
condensed steam, and that portion of the mixture which is sent back to the boiler
to be reconverted into steam, herein after called the feed, is impure and injurious
to the material, and heat producing power of the boiler.
The Feed is comparitively cold from the large proportion of injection water
contained in it, and is more or less aereated by the admixture of gasses in its
passage thro the air pump.
It is usual also to drain the condensed water formed from the steam in the
jackets caseings or other parts of the engine either to waste, into the hot well, or
into the condenser, in the two latter cases it becomes mixed with the impure
injection water and is thereby rendered unfit for re-evaporation and the mixture is
cooler than is desirable.
It is usual in surface condensing engines to draw the air and condensed steam
from the condenser by an air pump, discharge them into the hot well, and from
thence by a feed pump forcing the feed, back to the boiler, the drains from the
jackets etc being taken into the condensor or hot well.
By passing the condensed steam thro the air pump it is aeriated and the drainage.
water if taken into the condensor is unduly cooled.
As usually made Feed pumps will draw from the hot well which is at atmospheric
pressure and force the feed into the boilers, but they will not draw from the con-
denser, direct, which is considerably under atınospheric pressure, and feed into the
boilers especially if the water be hot.
My invention consists in making the feed pump or pumps of such a form that.
they will draw direct from the condensor as well as from the intermediate receiver

page_text: of compound engines, or from any other part from which it is desirable to take the
condensed steam, and force it into the boiler. One pump being fitted to draw from
each if prefered or one pump may draw from all the various places required.
When applied to engines having jet condensers, I make a modification of the
condenser to prevent the pump drawing too much and to enable it to take con-
densed steam only, combined with pure injection water, in case a small supply of
the latter is available.
For the above mentioned purposes I use a feed pump of such a form that it
delivers thro the discharge valve the entire volume of the space thro which the
ram or plunger moves after it has passed the inlet orifices or ports, and which
I construct as follows.
I use by preference a solid pump rain or plunger working in a cylinder bored out
to fit, which cylinder has a packing gland of the usual forn at one end, thro which
the ram works, and at the other a valve opening outwards from the cylinder,
covering the whole of its area, and forming the discharge valve. I so arrange the
ram that it touches the said valve at the inward end of its stroke so that all the
contents of the cylinder are expelled thro the valve opening.
In the sides of the cylinder away from the discharge valve, and next the packing
gland I make inlet openings or ports in such positions that the end of the ram
draws past them, at the outward part of its stroke sufficiently to let the fluid in
then run into the cylinder. The returning stroke of the ram, trapping it between
the end of the ram and the discharge valve and expelling it thro the latter to the
boiler.
When a pump draws from one place only, or from several places having the same
pressure, I have a single set of inlet openings. When it draws from several places
of different pressures, I make a series of openings or ports for each pressure
arranged along the cylinder of pump; in the outward stroke the ram passing and
opening them successively there position being regulated so that the inlet ports
next discharge valve communicates with the place having least pressure, those
furthest with the bighest pressure.
When there is more than one set of inlets I place a non-return valve opening
towards the pump in each.
To more effectually make the ram tight I adopt any of the usual means of
keeping pistons steam-tight in cylinders such as spring rings. Care being taken
that they pass over the inlets without catching in them, and that one set of ports
do not leak into another.
To enable a pump as already described to draw pure water only and condensed
steam in jet condensing engines, and to prevent it drawing too much, I divide the
condenser into two unequal chambers connected by an opening, I lead the exhaust
steam from the cylinders into the first and condense it as far as possible with what
pure water there may be available, completeing the condensation in the second
chamber with impure water. The feed pump as aforesaid drawing from the first
chamber only and discharging into the boiler.
By these means I return the feed to the boilers hotter than is usual and the
ordinary air pump drawes from the second chamber and discharges in the ordinary
manner into a hot well or thro a waste pipe.
In cases when jet injection is used in an engine running with few revolutions
per minute, I so connect the admission valve of the pure water injection that it
opens and closes with each admission of steam into the condenser, so that when
there is a great rush of steam there is a corresponding increase of water, the supply
being partly or completely cut off between each discharge of steam from the
cylinder into the condenser.
The following is a discription with reference to the accompanying drawings of a
way by which my invention may be carried out in practise.
Figure 1, is. an elevation in section of a Feed pump and condenser arranged
according to my invention.
Figure 2, is a section in plan through the Feed pump or line X. X.

page_text: In these drawings A is the Feed pump ram working in chamber B. which has by
preference, and for convenience of manufacture a lining b. b. of brass or suitable
metal thro which the ports P, and P, are cut for the admission of the fluid into the
cylinder of pump.
2
The rain A is made tight in pump chamber by a packing gland as shewn and
by packing rings a₁, a₁, The packing rings passing open the ports P₁ & P₂ without
catching in them, The distance apart of the packing rings a₁ & a being so
regulated with respect to the distance of the ports P₁ & P, that the contents of
ports P₁ are prevented from leaking into ports P₂.
The ram A is shewn in its outward position, in its inward position it touches
discharge valve C, driving the contents of its cylinder thro passage D to the
boiler or boilers; the valve C covering the whole area of pump cylinder B. b. all its
contents, after the Ram has passed ports P₂ are discharged thro the valve C.
The pump is shewn in this case as drawing from two places thro pipes E, & F,
E being from any part of the engine from which it is desirable to draw condensed
water, and F. being from the condenser.
It can be made to draw from other places by increasing the number of inlets and
ports, making the pump chamber long enough to give space for them. Further if
only required to draw from one place, the inlets E, inlet e, ports P₁ and packing
rings a may be dispensed with as well as the inlet valve f, which when drawing
only from one place becomes unnecessary. The pipe F may then be led direct to
the ports P.
To the left of the pump I show in the drawing a condenser, in which G is the
first chamber, g. the second, divided by M. Pipe H admitts the steam to be
condensed, I. the pure injection water, K. the impure injection water, F is the
suction pipe to the Feed pump, and L to the ordinary air pump.
The valve i, for the regulation of the pure water is so arranged that the jet of
water together with what steam it can condense falls into m. m. and from thence
is drawn out by the pump, this valve can be made to open for each discharge of
eteam thro H if required.
The valve K. for the impure water is so placed that the jet of water that issues
from it does not enter M. but is drawn away thro L. by the air pump.
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. An arrangement of steam Engine in which the feed pump or pumps are
constructed as described, drawing either from the condensor alone, or from the
condensor and caseings etc of the engine and discharging into the boiler or boilers.
2. An arrangement of steam engine with feed pump as aforesaid combined with
a condenser as described, whereby a quantity of pure injection water in conjunction
with a quantity of impure water can be used for cooling the steam without
returning the impure water to the boiler or boilers.