AN IMPROVED STEAM GENERATOR
Year: 1885

page_text: I WILLIAM EDWARD GEDGE, of No 11 Wellington Street, Strand, London, in the'
County of Middlesex, Patent Agent, do hereby declare the nature of my invention
for AN IMPROVED STEAM GENERATOR to be as follows :—
This Invention relates to a Steam Generator, the idea presiding over the
invention of which is the production of Steam capable of the same useful effects as
that obtained with boilers, by the aid of an excessively reduced receiver, suitable
to be easily arranged in any place, and thus to make general the use of Steam
Engines, either in small workshops or for vehicles, by doing away with the
cumbrous and costly boiler apparatus.
The apparatus invented with this object subverts the ordinary data of Steam
boilers; the mass or body of water is done away with, and the receiver, reduced to
very small dimensions, is brought to a red heat and receives the water which is
injected into it in small and regulated proportion, so as to give birth to an instan-
taneous production of Steam, which thus obtained acquires a very considerable
expansive force, with saving of fuel resulting from the utilisation of all the caloric
which is not lost in heating the body or mass of water.
But to thus obtain the production of this superheated Steam, capable of useful
work, it was necessary to find the particular arrangements suitable for dividing
and directing this steam, with safety, which are set forth in the following
description.
The Generator consists of a cylinder, of cast steel, of a dimension not exceeding
two feet in length, and of a diameter of five or six inches, having a central space,
also cylindrical, terminated by a semi-spherical part existing in the solid bottom of
this cylinder; the other extremity is firmly closed by a steel stopper or plug, the
crown, flange, or ring of which is fixed by six bolts screwed into the side or thick-
ness (about an inch) of this cylinder. This plug is pierced with three holes, the
first to give passage to an injector tube which penetrates into the interior of the
cylinder until within a short distance of its bottom. In the second is fixed a

page_text: copper tube serving as escape orifice for the steam. The third, closed by a bolt,
permits the introduction into the generator of iron shot or fragments of iron which
fill it, and the function of which will be hereinafter explained.
This cylinder is placed, either vertically or horizontally, in any kind of furnace
or fire place, where it is brought to a red heat; and its feed water pipe terminates
at a very small pump worked by the ordinary Regulator of the machine to be
actuated (which may be of any kind) so that this pump injects only the regulated
quantity of water according to the working of this machine; as to the Steam-pipe
it goes from the generator placed in the fire place to the driving cylinder, or the
Steam after having caused the piston to act may pass into and be condensed in the
reservoir which serves to feed the small pump.
But to arrive at the production of this steam in the conditions necessary for its
useful effect, it was not sufficient to introduce the water, even regulated in quantity,
into the generating cylinder, it was requisite that it should vaporise by pulverisation
and division, so as not to escape in spheroidal steam.
For this purpose the injector tube is furnished at its end almost reaching the
bottom of the generator, with an iron rod intercepting the space or passage of this
tube for a certain length, and having three small channels or flutings by which the
water penetrates into the almost capillary outlet hole of a sort of nipple or vent
which ends this tube, from whence the water is injected pulverised by the powerful
pressure which it undergoes, and it transforms, instantaneously, into steam at
several thousands of volumes, in passing in the interstices or vacant spaces formed
by a mass of fragments of iron of all shapes ("mitraille") galvanised so that they
may not decompose the water) which I propose to designate Metallic Sponge, and
which forms an important element in this invention. This metallic sponge might
also be formed of a metal cylinder perforated in all directions, in which place would
be provided for the water injection pipe.

page_text: I WILLIAM EDWARD GEDGE of No 11 Wellington Street Strand London in the
County of Middlesex, Patent Agent do hereby declare the nature of my invention
for "AN IMPROVED STEAM GENERATOR" (a communication by Pierre Lucien
Buisson, père, Jean Antoine Buisson Fils, and Louis Bouisson Fils, St Etienne
Loire France) 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 a Steam Generator, the idea presiding over the
invention of which is the production of Steam capable of the same useful effects as
that obtained with boilers, by the aid of an excessively reduced receiver, which
may be easily placed anywhere, and thus to make general the use of Steam
Engines, either in small workshops or for vehicles, by doing away with the heavy
cumbrous and costly boiler apparatus.
The apparatus invented with this object subverts the ordinary data of Steam
Boilers; the mass or body of water necessitating the considerable volume of the
receiver is done away with, and the receiver, reduced to very small dimensions, is
brought to a red heat and receives the water which is injected into it in small and
regulated proportion, so as to give birth to an instantaneous and continuous pro-
duction of steam, which, thus obtained acquires a very considerable expansive force,
with saving of fuel resulting from the utilization of all the caloric which is not
lost in heating the body or mass of water.
But to thus obtain the production of this superheated Steam, capable of useful
work, it was necessary to find the particular arrangements suitable for dividing
and directing this Steam, with safety, which are set forth in the following descrip-
tion, reference being had to the accompanying sheet of drawings and to the figures
and letters of reference placed thereon.
The Generator consists of a cylinder, of cast steel, A (see Fig. 1), of a dimension
not exceeding two feet in length, and of a diameter of five or six inches, having a
central space, also cylindrical, terminated by a semi-spherical part existing in the
solid bottom of this cylinder; the other extremity is firmly closed by a steel stopper
or plug B, the crown, flange, or ring of which is fixed by six bolts screwed into the
side or thickness (about an inch) of this cylinder.
This plug is pierced with three holes (see Fig. 3 ;), the first to give passage to an
injector tube C which penetrates into the interior of the cylinder until within a
short distance of its bottom.
In the second is fixed a copper tube D serving as escape orifice for the steam.
The third a closed by a bolt, permits the introduction into the generator of iron
shot, granulated iron, or fragments of iron, which fill it, and the function of which
will be hereinafter explained.
This Cylinder is placed, either vertically or horizontally, in any kind of furnace
or fire place, where it is brought to a red heat, and its feed water pipe C terminates
at a very small pump, governed by the ordinary Regulator of the machine to be
actuated (which may be of any kind), so that this pump injects only the regulated

page_text: quantity of water according to the. working of this machine; as to the steam pipe
it goes from the generator placed in the fire place to the driving cylinder, where
the steam, after having caused the piston to act may pass into and be condensed in
the reservoir which serves to feed the small pump.
But to arrive at the production of this steam in the conditions necessary for
its useful effect, it was not sufficient to introduce the water, even regulated in
quantity, in the generating cylinder, it was requisite that it should vaporise by
pulverization, and division, so as not to escape in spheroidal steam.
For this purpose the injector tube C (shown in what may be full size in Fig. 2)
is furnished at its end, with an iron rod d intercepting the space or passage of this
tube for a certain length, and having three small channels or flutings ill by
which the water penetrates into the nipple or vent c, having an almost capillary
bole, from whence the water is injected pulverized by the powerful pressure which
it undergoes, and is transformed instantaneously into Steam at several thousands of
volumes in passing in the interstices or vacant spaces formed by a mass of fragments
or granulated iron of all shapes or of scrap iron "mitraille" G the galvanized
fragments of which do not decompose the water; and pass from thence by the
orifice E to actuate the piston of the driving cylinder of the engine.
This mass of fragments of all shapes may be replaced by a metal cylinder per-
forated in all directions representing a veritable sponge; therefore to this element
of the Invention which is the main spring of this system and without which it
could not exist is given the name of metallic Sponge.
It is only necessary to disconnect the small pump, or to close the water cock, to
stop the machine which is furnished with the usual apparatus such as guages and
safety valves.
The arrangement of the generator may vary, according to circumstances, and,
as shown Fig. 4, the water inlet may be placed at e¹, without it being necessary
that that the tube C¹ should pass almost entirely through the cylinder, or even at
the side, so that it is at the end opposite the steam outlet. This apparatus may be
placed vertically in a furnace or horizontally, in any kind of fire place, and be
furnished with a preservative jacket or casing of the most suitable material.
To obtain greater power it is only necessary to employ several generators in the
same furnace or fire place.
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. In a Steam Generator, the use of what I have herein termed a "Metallic
Sponge" formed of fragments of metal, of a cylinder of perforated metal, or of
their equivalent, filling the inner space of the Generator and having for object to
divide the vaporized water into a large quantity of volumes by means of the
interstices existing therein, as described.
2. The Injector herein before described and shown.
3. The Steam Generator herein before described and shown.