Improvements in Steam and other Motive Power Engines.
Year: 1898

page_text: PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Steam and other Motive Power Engines.
We, FREDERICK JOSEPH THOMPSON, Engineer, Fleetwood, and WILLIAM
ECKFORD, Engineer, Preesall, both in the County of Lancaster, do hereby declare
the nature of this invention to be as follows:-
This invention relates to improvements in steam and motive power engines
in which it desirable to utilize the expansive force of the steam or fluid for
the purpose of economy and efficiency and when applied to engines for pumping
with a single acting ram our invention enables power to be given out unequally
by the cylinder or cylinders to suit the varying load upon the pump plunger
or ram.
In carrying our invention into effect in one convenient manner we construct
our cylinder for use with steam as a motive power in the form of two single
acting cylinders in which two pistons work such. pistons being connected to the
same piston rod and the two cylinders being formed preferably from one casting
having two independent areas for the pistons to work in and fed by steam supplied
from two separate steam chests controlled by ordinary slide or other valves.
We connect each slide valve preferably to one common valve rod and we cause
the exhaust from the smaller or upper cylinder to pass through the valve to
the steam chest of the lower or larger cylinder there to be expanded to act upon
the underside of the larger piston making thereby the two single acting con-
nected cylinders to give a double acting impulse to the piston rod of varying
power suitable to the varying load upon the plunger or pump ram.
We find it convenient to arrange the upper or high pressure cylinder within
the same casting as the lower or low pressure cylinder, the pistons in each being
of the trunk pattern provided with ordinary packing or like rings. The upper
or high pressure cylinder we make to project into the main casting in such a
manner as to form an annular space between its walls and the inner working walls
of the larger cylinder the low pressure piston being provided with a long sleeve-
like trunk which works within the annular space. To drain this annular space
we connect it by means of an ordinary pipe or passage and back pressure valves
to the steam chest of the low pressure cylinder. We form a port or passage
or arrange an ordinary pipe to lead the steam from the upper valve exhaust
area to the lower chest supply area and regulate the admission therefrom to the
underside of the low pressure piston by an ordinary slide or other suitable valve
actuated by the main valve rod. The exhaust from the lower or low pressure
cylinder is discharged to the atmosphere or conveyed to any condenser or heater
as may be desired.
We mount our cylinders in pairs or in a series to suit the extent of the work
to be performed and we couple up the various steam and other connections as
may be convenient for any particular requirement.
We sometimes make our engine with the small cylinder single acting but with
the large or low pressure cylinder arranged for double acting purposes by
mounting the smaller cylinder upon the top of the larger cylinder in the form

page_text: of a steeple like cover and then causing the steam from the top cylinder to
exhaust into the low pressure chest when it is distributed through any ordinary
three ported or other suitable valve first to the underside of the large cylinder,
and then on to the top of the same, that is on the annular space surrounding
the trunk piston which forms on its upper area the high pressure piston.
We vary the combinations and extent of our cylinder areas to suit the nature
of the duty required from the engine sometimes connecting the steam chests of
the large cylinders together so that the fluid exhausted from either of the small
cylinders may expand in the larger cylinder of the opposite or coupled engine,
or we may sometimes admit the steam to the larger cylinder steam chest from
the small cylinder exhaust port of the opposite engine. When this arrangement
is adopted it is not necessary to employ a working valve to admit the steam
to the annular area as such area may be kept always open by means of a port
or connections always open to the large cylinder steam chest, the,slide valve
being employed to govern the port for the underside and for the exhaust only.
We modify the arrangement of our cylinders and the form an arrangement
of the valves and other connections to suit any particular requirement or special
purpose for which the engine may be intended.
Dated this 1st day of December 1898
MARKS & CLERK,
18, Southampton Buildings, London, W.C., and
13, Temple Street, Birmingham, Agents,
We, FREDERICK JOSEPH THOMPSON and WILLIAM ECкFORD, Engineers, of
Fleetwood and Preesall respectively, both in the County of Lancashire, do hereby
declare the nature of this invention and in what manner the same is to be per-
formed, to be particularly described and ascertained in and by the following state-
ment:-
This invention relates to improvements in steam and motive power engines
in which it is desirable to utilise the expansive force of the steam or fluid for
the purpose of economy and efficiency and when applied to engines for pumping
with a single acting ram our invention enables power to be given out unequally
by the cylinder or cylinders to suit the varying load upon the pump plunger
or ram.
In the three accompanying sheets of explanatory drawings Figure 1 is a
sectional elevation of a pair of steam cylinders coupled up and arranged in
accordance with our improvements.
Figure 2 is another type of construction we sometimes adopt, and
Figure 3 is a modified form for our high pressure cylinder.
In carrying our invention into effect in one convenient manner we construct
our cylinder for use with steam as a motive power in the form of two single
acting cylinders A B in which two pistons CD work, such pistons being con-
nected to the same piston rod E and the two cylinders being formed either as
one casting or connected together while having two independent areas for the
pistons to work in and fed by steam supplied from two separate steam chests F, F¹
controlled by ordinary slide or other valves G H.
We connect each slide valve preferably to one common valve rod K and we
cause the exhaust from the smaller or upper cylinder A to pass through the

page_text: valve G to the steam chest of the lower or larger cylinder B there to be expanded
to act upon the underside of the larger piston D making thereby the two single
acting connected cylinders to give a double acting impulse to the piston rod of
varying power suitable to the varying load from the plunger or pump ram.
We find it convenient to arrange the upper or high pressure cylinder A within
or upon the same casting as the lower or low pressure cylinder B, the pistons
in each being provided with ordinary packing or like rings d. The upper or
high pressure cylinder A we make to project into the lower cylinder B in such
a manner as to form an annular space B₁ between its walls and the inner working
walls of the larger cylinder the low pressure piston D being provided with a long
sleeve-like trunk which works within the annular space. To drain this annular
space we connect it by means of an ordinary pipe M or passage and back pressure
valves M Ma to the steam chest of the low pressure cylinder. We form a port
or passage L or arrange an ordinary pipe to lead the steam from the upper valve
exhaust area to the lower chest supply area and regulate the admission there-
from to the underside of the low pressure piston by an ordinary slide or other
suitable valve H actuated by the main valve rod K. The exhaust from the lower
or low pressure cylinder is discharged to the atmosphere or conveyed to any con-
denser or heater as may be desired.
We mount our cylinders in pairs as shown in Figure 1, or in a series to
suit the extent of the work to be performed and we couple up the various steam
and other connections as may be convenient for any particular requirement.
We sometimes make our engine with the small cylinder single acting but with
the large or low pressure cylinder arranged for double acting purposes as shown
in Figure 2 by mounting the smaller cylinder A upon the top of the larger
cylinder B in the form of a steeple-like cover and then causing the steam from
the top cylinder to exhaust into the low pressure chest F1, when it is distributed
through any ordinary three ported or other suitable valve H first to the under-
side of the large cylinder, and then on to the top of the same, that is on the
annular space B' surrounding the trunk piston which forms on its upper area
the high pressure piston. We sometimes arrange our cylinders and ports as
shown in Figure 3.
We vary the combinations and extent of our cylinder areas to suit the nature
of the duty required from the engine sometimes connecting the steam chests of
the large cylinders together so that the fluid exhausted from either of the small
cylinders may expand in the larger cylinder of the opposite or coupled engine,
or we may sometimes admit the steam to the larger cylinder steam chest from
the small cylinder exhaust port of the opposite engine. When this arrangement
is adopted it is not necessary to employ a working valve to admit the steam
to the annular area as such area may be kept always open by means of a port
or connections always open to the large cylinder steam chest, the slide valve
being employed to govern the port for the underside and for the exhaust only.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of our said
invention, and in what manner the same is to be performed, we declare that what
we claim is:-
1. In steam and other motive power engines the combination and arrangement
of a high with a low pressure cylinder formed in one piece and having an annular
space for a trunk type of piston to work therein substantially as and for the
purposes herein before described and as illustrated in Figure 1 of the accompany-
ing drawings.
2. In steam and other motive power engines the combination and arrangement
of a high with a low pressure cylinder attached or connected to each other, and
having a trunk type of piston working therein substantially as and for the pur-
poses herein before described and as illustrated in Figures 2 and 3 of the accom-
panying drawings.
3. The improvements in connection with steam engines whereby the steam

page_text: may pass from the upper to the lower cylinder and act expansively therein, sub-
stantially as herein before destribed and as illustrated in the accompanying draw-
ings.
Dated this 1st day of September 1890
MARKS & CLERK,
18, Southampton Buildings, London, W.C.,
13, Temple Street, Birmingham, and
25, Cross Street, Manchester, Agents,