IMPROVE- MENTS IN GENERATING STEAM AND OTHER VAPOURS
Year: 1853

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Moses Poole, of the Avenue Road, Regent's
Park, in the County of Middlesex, for the Invention of "IMPROVE-
MENTS IN GENERATING STEAM AND OTHER VAPOURS."-A commu-
nication.
Sealed the 17th May 1858, and dated the 21st March 1853.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Moses Poole, at
the Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on
the 21st March 1853.
I, MOSES POOLE, of the Avenue Road, Regent's Park, in the County
of Middlesex, do hereby declare the nature of the said Invention for
"IMPROVEMENTS IN GENERATING STEAM AND OTHER VAPOURS" to be as
follows:-
The improvements in generating steam and other vapours consist in
bringing the water or other liquid into contact with wire gauze, or
other form of metal exposing a large surface, such metal having
been first heated, either by means of plunging it into a bath of melted
metal, or by being exposed to a current of hot air.

page_text: Also, in generating steam or vapour by means of injecting into it
fused metal or a heated liquid, which is not evaporated with the same
facility as water, or the liquid which is then being operated upon,
or the heated metal or liquid may be caused to circulate in tubes
inside the boiler.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent,
filed by the said Moses Poole, in the Great Seal Patent Office,
on the 21st September 1853.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I,
MOSES POOLE, of the Avenue Road, Regent's Park, in the County of
Middlesex, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her
Letters Patent, bearing date the Twenty-first day of March, in the year
of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and fifty-three, in the six-
teenth year of Her reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors,
give and grant unto me, the said Moses Poole, Her special licence
that I, the said Moses Poole, my executors, administrators, and assigns,
or such others as I, the said Moses Poole, 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 ex-
pressed, 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 GENE-
RATING STEAM AND OTHER VAPOURS," communicated to me from abroad,
upon the condition (amongst others) that I, the said Moses Poole, by
an instrument in writing under my hand and seal, 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 Moses Poole, do hereby declare
the nature of the said Invention, and in what manner the same is to be

page_text: performed, to be particularly described and ascertained in and by the
following statement thereof (that is to say):
The improvements in generating steam and other vapours consists
in bringing the water or other liquid into contract with wire guage, or
other form of metal, exposing a large surface, such metal having been
first heated either by means of plunging it into a bath of melted metal,
or by being exposed to a current of hot air. Also, in generating steam
or vapour by means of injecting into it fused metal or a heated liquid,
which is not evaporated with the same facility as water, or the liquid
which is then being operated upon, or the heated metal or liquid may
be caused to circulate in tubes inside the boiler.
One part of the Invention consist in the generation of steam and
other vapours in boilers, or close vessels used in the place of boilers, by
means of heat communicated to water or other liquids from wire cloth
or wires, or other forms of metal exposing an extensive surface, em-
ployed in combination with fused metal, or compounds of metal.
I proceed to describe a method of putting this part of the Inven-
tion into operation, and refer to the accompanying drawing No. 1.
Figure 1, represents a longitudinal vertical section of the boiler A,
Figure 2, a transverse section. I introduce into the boiler, see Figure 1,
A, or close vessel in which the vapour is generated, a quantity of fused
metal, say the metal commonly known as fusible metal, and it lies
upon the bottom of the boiler or close vessel, or in a depression or
reservoir connected therewith, the surface of the same being repre-
sented by the red line 6, b, Figure 1. I also introduce a quantity of wire
cloths or wires, Figure 1, C, D, E, disposing of the same in the such
way that they shall be either permanently in part submerged under or
in contact with the fused metal, or that they may be alternately sub-
merged under and withdrawn out of the fused metal; to effect which
motion the wires may be connected with the working parts of the engine
by means of rods F, F, passing through stuffing boxes or otherwise.
The purpose of using the fused metal is to communicate heat to the
wires, and the purpose of using the wires is to communicate heat to
the water or other liquid, and thus generate or produce steam or other

page_text: vapour. The fused metal may receive its heat through the bottom of
the boiler or close vessel, or it may be introduced into the boiler in a
heated state. This combined appartus of wires and fused metal may
be advantageously used either in the common form of boiler, water
being present in quantity, or in a close vessel in which water or other
liquid is not present in quantity, but is injected upon the wires and
fused metal in measured charges at intervals, as steam or vapour is
required, so that any desired quantity of steam or vapour of any desired
tension may be produced for immediate use, and thus danger of
explosion be avoided.
Another part of the Invention consists in the generation of steam
and other vapours in boilers or close vessels by means of heat com-
municated to water or other liquids from fused metal or compounds
of metal, or from liquids not so easily evaporated as water or the other
liquids (source of the vapour) used.
I proceed to describe a method of putting this part of the Invention
into operation, referring to the accompanying drawing No. 2, of which
Figure 1, represents a longitudinal vertical section of the boiler, and
Figure 2, a transverse section of the same. I apply the fused metal
or heated liquid in the following ways:-
First, by an injection into the boiler, see Figure 1, A, or close
vessel containing the water or other liquid, of a jet or shower of fused
metal, say fusible metal, using the well known means of introducing
and removing the fused metal represented at B, and C, Figure 1.
Second, by passing a current of fused metal through a system of
metallic tubes, immersed in the water or other liquid, in the boiler or
close vessel, or by dividing the lower part of the boiler into compart-
ments D, E, F, G, II, I, Figure 2, parallel with or adjoining each
other, separated by thin metallic partitions, the alternate compartments
D, F, II, holding fused metal, and communicating with each other so
as to form a channel for the passage of the fused metal from one to the
other by means of tubes, Figure 2, T, T, or otherwise, and also com-
municating with a reservoir of fused metal, either inside or outside the
close vessel, in which reservoir the heat is communicated to the fused

page_text: metal; and if the reservoir be disconnected from the close vessel, it
may be relieved from all high pressure, and the fused metal be intro-
duced by means of a force pump, or other well known means; the
other alternate compartments, E, G, I, Figure 2, being filled with the
water or other liquid in the boiler or close vessel. If, instead of fused
inetal, certain heated liquids, not so casily evaporated as the liquid
(source of the vapour) used, be employed, regard should be had, of
course, to the comparative weights, specific heats, and other properties
of the liquids employed, as well as to the peculiar circumstances of
the case.
When the fused metal or liquid is heated in a reservoir or vessel
outside the boiler, or close vessel in which the steam or vapour is
generated, I heat the fused metal or liquid by means of the following
described apparatus:-I establish a current of hot air from a furnace,
see Figure 3, J, in a pipe or channel, Figure 3, K, K, of suitable dimen-
sions. I place underneath the pipe, or channel in open communication
with the same, a trough or reservoir L, L, which I fill with fused metal
or the heating liquid. I place in the pipe or channel over the trough
or reservoir a quantity or system of wire cloths M, N, O, wires, or other
forms of metal, exposing an extended surface, and allowing the passage
of the current of heated air so arranged that they may be at pleasure
immersed in or withdrawn from the fused metal or liquid beneath. The
wire cloths or wires, having been heated by the current of hot air in the
pipe K, are immersed, wholly or in part, in the fused metal or liquid,
and communicate their heat to the same; they are then withdrawn,
wholly or in part, from the fused metal or liquid, to be heated anew in
the current of hot air; and by using several of these plunging apparatus
in connexion in one pipe or channel, and causing them to dip and rise
successively, I intercept, without intermission, the current of hot air,
and take up as nearly as may be the whole of its heat. Or instead of
plunging apparatus, I use wire cloths or wires, see Figure 4, P, P, at-
tached to a revolving horizontal axis, see Figure 4, R, R, so placed that
while the axis revolves, the lower parts of the system of wires shall at
all times be submerged in the bath of fused metal L, L, while the upper

page_text: part is in the current of hot air in the pipe or channel K, K, and by
means of projections or deflectors in the interior of the pipe, the current
of hot air may be directed to any desired part of the revolving mass.
Another purpose of the Invention is to introduce the fused metal into
and remove it from the close vessel in which the steam or vapour is
generated, with great economy of power, by means of two pumps work-
ing together, one of which introduces the heated metal or liquid, while
the other removes a like quantity, the punips and their valves being so
connected and combined by means of well known mechanical arrange-
ments, that the outward pressure of the fused motal or heated liquid
upon the exhaust pump shall furnish a large part of the force requisite
to work the supply pump.
Another part of the Invention is the generation of steam and other
vapours in close vessels used in the place of boilers by means of heat
communicated to water or other liquids from wire cloth, or wires, or
other forminctal exposing an extensive surface, the wires or metal
having been previously heated by a current or blast of hot air. I
proceed to describe a method of putting this part of the Invention
into operation, referring to the necompanying drawing No. 3, in which
Figure 1, represents a horizontal section of the apparatus, and
Figure 2, a vertical section of the same. I place a strong box or chest.
say, of iron, Figure 1, A. or A 1, over or near a furnace B. I place a
quantity of wire cloth, wires, or extended metal C, or C 1, in the boxes
A, or A 1, by means of suitable valves D, E, and D', E 1. I introduce
(or cut off), at will, the current of hot air passing from the furnace
through the pipe F, or F 1. so that it shall pass, at intervals, through
the box A. or A 1. on its way to the chimney G, or G 1. I thus heat the
wires or extended inetal to any desired degree. The wires being suit-
ably heated, I, by means of the valves, cut off the current of hot air.
I then close the valves D, and E, and introduce upon the wires a jet
or shower of water, or other liquid source of the vapour, through the
pipe K; see Figure 2. The steam or vapour thus being generated,
the valves D, and E, being closed. I admit the steam through the
valves H, H1, to the working cylinder on either side of the piston.

page_text: The valve H, or H 1, is closed during the passage of the hot air
through the wires in the box. By the use of two or more boxes com-
municating with the ends of a cylinder on opposite sides of a piston, a
reciprocating motion may be obtained. The steam or vapour generated
by means of this apparatus may be used in combination with steam or
vapour generated in the usual way. By the use of this apparatus I
effect great economy as compared with the common modes of generating
steam in weight, space, cost of machinery and fuel, and also obtain
the
very desirable result of avoiding danger of explosion, by measuring
with exactness the quantity of water or liquid introduced, and of steam
or vapour generated.
Having thus described the nature of the Invention and the means of
putting it into operation, what I claim is,―
First, the generation of steam or other vapours in boilers or close
vessels by means of wire cloth or other forms of metal exposing an
extended surface, used in combination with fused metal or compounds
of metal substantially, as herein described.
Second, the generation of steam or other vapours in boilers or close
vessels by means of fused metal or other suitable heated liquid injected
or made to pass through tubes or through compartments in the bottom
of the boiler substantially, as herein described.
Third, the heating of the fused metal or other liquid conveyer of the
heat apart from the boiler in a vessel not under pressure, and intro-
ducing the same into and removing it from the boiler substantially as
herein described.
Fourth, the heating of the fused metal or other liquid conveyer of
heat by means of the immersion into it of wire cloth or other ex-
tended metallic surfaces previously heated by a current of hot air sub-
stantially, as herein described.
Fifth, the use of a pump for the introduction into, and another for
the removal of, the fused metal from the boiler, the pumps being so
arranged that the pressure of the fused metal issuing from the boiler
shall furnish a large portion of the power necessary to introduce a
similar quantity substantially as herein described.

page_text: Sixth, the generation of steam by means of an injection of water in
limited quantities upon a mass of wire cloth or other equivalen
extended metallic surfaces, the metallic surfaces having been previously
heated by the passage of a current of hot air from a furnace substan
tially as herein described.
In witness whereof, I, the said Moses Poole, have hereunto set
my hand and scal, this Twelfth day of September, in the year of
our Lord One thousand eight hundred and fifty-three.
Witness, WILLIAM E. DAVES,
Torquay, Devon.
MOSES POOLE. (L.S.)