CERTAIN IMPROVEMENT IN THE PRODUCTION AND USE OF STEAM, APPLICABLE TO STEAM ENGINES
Year: 1844

page_text: 1. GRIEVE'S SPECIFICATION.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, JOHN
GRIEVE, of Portobello, in the County of Edinburgh, Engineer, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her present most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her
Letters Patent under the Great Seal of Great Britain; bearing date at West-
minster, the Seventeenth day of October, in the eighth year of Her reign,
and in the year of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and forty-four,
did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors; give and grant unto me, the said
John Grieve, Her especial licence, full power, sole privilege and authority,
that I, the said John Grieve, my exors, adñiors, and assigns, and such others
as I, the said John Grieve, my exors, admors; or assigns, should at any time
agree with, and no others, from time to time and at all times during the
term of fourteen years therein expressed, should and lawfully might make,
use, exercise, and vend, within England, Wales, and the Town of Berwick
upon Tweed, the Islands of Jersey, Guernsey, Alderney, Sark, and Man, and
also in all Her Colonies and Plantations abroad, my Invention of "CERTAIN
IMPROVEMENT IN THE PRODUCTION AND USE OF STEAM, APPLICABLE TO STEAM
ENGINES;" in which said Letters Patent there is contained a proviso obliging
me, the said John Grieve, by an instrument in writing under my hand and
seal, particularly to describe and ascertain the nature of my said Invention,
and in what manner the same is to be performed; and to cause the same to be
enrolled in Her said Majesty's High Court of Chancery within six calendar

page_text: months next and immediately after the date of the said in part recited Letters
Patent, as in and by the same, reference being thereunto had, will more fully
and at large appear.
NOW KNOW YE, that in compliance with the said proviso, I, the said
John Grieve, do hereby declare that the nature of my said Invention, and the
manner in which the same is to be performed, are described and ascertained in
and by the following statement thereof, reference being had to the Drawings
hereunto annexed, and the figures and letters marked thereon (that is to
say):
The first part of my Invention is founded on the principles that small
additions of temperature produce a great increase in the expansive force or
power of steam, which increases with the temperature, and that high tempera-
tures are easier maintained as the cooling medium is diminished. To effect
this, I make use of two or more steam vessels, a generator, and receiver or
receivers, both or all close to or from the atmosphere, having regulating valves
of different loads, the lesser load on the receiver or receivers. The steam,
after being formed in the generator, is passed into the receiver or receivers (as
will be afterwards described), where its expansive force is diminished, and the
water in the receiver or receivers being only what is required for the produc-
tion of steam, is raised to any degree of heat that may be wanted, less than
the temperature in the generator, by means of loading the valve of the receiver
or receivers to a greater or less extent. The water in the receiver, after being
heated, is forced into the generator by a force pump, placed either in the
receiver or between this vessel and the generator, or forced from one receiver
to another in a similar manner. Steam engines having a receiver or receivers
and generator on this principle I name "differential steam engines," as it is
from the difference of temperature between the generator and receiver or re-
ceivers that the power for propelling the engine is derived.
The second part of my Invention relates to a steam boiler or generator, with
one or more internal furnaces and flues, on the principle of the one shewn in
Figures 1, 2, and 3 of the annexed Drawings, for raising steam to drive one
or more engines. In order to make my meaning better understood, I proceed
to give a description of some of the different methods of applying steam in this
form, and also of my steam generator. In the annexed Drawings, the same
letters on each figure of the same vessel refer to the same parts. Figure 1 is
a vertical section of a spherical shaped steam boiler or generator; Figure 2, a
transverse section through the flues; and Figure 3, a horizontal section. A,
the furnace; B, ash pit; C, C, two curved flues leading to D, which is a
horizontal flue stretching across the lower part of the boiler; E, a vertical.

page_text: flue, on the top of which is placed the funnel. (In land engines, the boiler
may be surrounded by a dome of brick or mason work, leaving a space
between for the flame and smoke to circulate, with a flue taken from the
bottom of the casing or any other part, as may be desirable, to the chimney.)
F, F, a tube made of boiler plate, on the top of which is placed the plate G
for the safety valves H, H, and a float guage (not shewn) when required.
The plate G is placed at any convenient height above the boiler, so as to admit
of jacketing; or to avoid inconvenience from the escape of steam from the
valves, this plate is fitted, by grinding, to a ring fitted to the tube and fastened
to it by springs, weights, or bolts, made only strong enough to give way, and
render the plate itself a safety valve, in case of too high a pressure taking
place in the boiler, the plate being secured from falling off by a chain or guide
bolts attached to the tube (not shewn). Or the valve n, described in Figure 5
of a large size, may be placed on the top or on a branch near the top of the
tube F, F, as a safety valve. I, I, levers; and K, rods for regulating the
pressure on safety valves; L, furnace door; M, damper plate; N, steam pipe;
O, sludge pipe; P, door (lined inside with fire brick) for cleaning out flues,
see Figure 2; Q, man-hole door; R, R, R, R, pipe for supplying the gene-
rator with water from receiver, delivered at Z; S, force pump, made suffi-
ciently large to keep up supply of water to the generator freely, and to return
the surplus water to the receiver; T, two-way cock; V, V, V, boxes for valves,
opening towards the generator; W, pipe for returning surplus water to
receiver from two-way cock T; X, casing for flue E; a, a, a, open or perfo-
rated plate, near the surface of the water, to keep the water from shifting
heavily, but to let through the steam and water freely. Note.--In boilers of
large size, two furnaces may be applied on the same plan as the one shewn.
Figure 4 is a vertical section of the receiver (a cylindrical shaped vessel with
semi-spherical ends); f, f, steam pipe for ingress of steam; g, g, plates for
more rapidly transmitting the heat from the steam to the water. The method
shewn is what is preferred, but plates, tubes, or other forms placed in any way
to allow the steam and water to have free access (or nearly separated in close
vessels) will be equally effective. Copper is preferred, but iron or any other
good conducting substance may be used, or simply the water and steam
brought into contact. i, end of pipe for supplying the receiver with water, and
having a valve opening inwards, the water to be supplied with force pump
(not shewn) or otherwise, where it may be most expedient with one or two
engines working; h, steam pipe, to be used only when the steam is supplied
from the receiver to a second engine; F, steam tube (G, valve plate or valve
H); this steam tube, with its regulating valve on the receiver, may be used or

page_text: not when steam is taken from this vessel to a second engine.. Figure 5.is a
part of Figure 4, produced. to shew the regulating valve n; this valve is like
the throttle-valve in common use, with this difference, that the pivot is placed
(about a tenth or a twelfth part of its.diameter) off the centre, forming a long
and short side. On the long side is placed a lever for regulating the pressure;
the edge of the valve is fitted on a turning lathe into a pipe bored true. This
valve may be used also. instead of the one on the top of steam tube, Figure 4.
Another form of receiver, with a water chest, is shewn in Figures 6 and 7.
Figure 6 is a top view, and Figure- 7 an end view. a, the receiver; b, the
water, chest attached, forming a water valve at c, c; d, d, is the water line.
On the top of the water chest is an aperture e for the escape of uncondensed
steam, above which is placed a long thin tube, open at bottom, to admit cold
air, by which the steam can be nearly all condensed when the water is at or
above the water line d, d; f, steam pipe for ingress of steam. The part a is
fitted with plates, tubes, or otherwise, as described in Figure 4. Figure 8 is
an enlarged view of the plate G on the top of the tube F; Figure 1, and
Figure 9 is, a plan shewing two safety valves H, H, with their levers. I, I. It
is considered unnecessary to shew any part of a steam engine in connection,
the passage of steam through nozzles, valves, and cylinders, being. too well
known to require illustration. Suffice it to say, I do not propose to make any
difference in the passage of the steam through the cylinders than what takes
place in modern engines in general use, premising that where single engines
are used, the receiver here spoken of is placed instead of the air pump and
condenser in condensing engines, except where the mode: by Figure 5 is used,
as after mentioned. When a single engine is to be used, it may be placed
between the generator and receiver (Figures 1 and 4), the steam from Figure 1
entering the cylinder by the steam pipe N, and after propelling the piston,
it is conducted from the eduction pipe through the steam pipe f, f, into the
receiver, where it heats the water in this vessel, becomes of less expansive force
in consequence, and is passed into the atmosphere through the regulating
valve H, Figure 4, or through the water valve c, c, as shewn in Figures 6 and 7.
When two steam engines or cylinders are to be used, the steam for the second
engine is taken from the receiver, and passed, through its cylinder by means of
the steam pipe h, which is only used where two engines are in use, and is
afterwards wasted through an air pump and condenser attached to the second
engine, or passed through the water valve'c, c, Figures 6 and 7; the water to
be taken from the receiver, Figures 6 and 7, for supplying. the primary
receiver, or from the air pump and condenser, if used and injected by a force
pump or otherwise, as before stated. This system of supplying cylinders with

page_text: the same steam can be extended to more than two cylinders, when it may be
required.
. Another method. of generating steam by.different pressures is to join the
steam pipes N and ƒ (Figures 1 and 4), and place the valve 'n, regulated by
weight, on the end of the pipe f, as shewn in Figure 5, for supplying the
engine or engines with steam from the steam pipe h, and the generator with
water from the receiver by the force pump S through the pipe R, returning
the surplus water to the receiver by the two-way cock T, through the pipe W,
and the supply of water to the receiver by the pipe i (Figure 4) as aforesaid,
the steam, after passing the cylinder or cylinders, to be used in either of the
methods before explained.
Having thus described the nature of my Invention, and the manner in which
it may be carried into effect, I wish it to be understood that I do not coufine
myself to the particular construction, position, form, or configuration of the
generator and receiver or receivers or apparatus, as shewn in the Drawings or
described in this Specification for carrying out the first part of my Invention,
so long as the principle of it is retained, and that I do not make any claim for
any of the valves, force pumps, cocks, pipes, or receivers separately, but only in
combination, so as to produce "differential steam power."
What I do claim is, firstly, for generating steam in a close boiler or vessel,
which I call a "generator," by the application of heat from a furnace, and
collecting the same steam in another close vessel, which I call "a receiver,"
for heating the water contained in such receiver, and for driving an engine or
engines.
Secondly, for using steam that has been raised in the generator and col-
lected in the receiver, as described in the first claim, after propelling the engine
for heating water in a second receiver for feeding the first receiver or the
generator, or for feeding the first receiver, and then feeding the generator with
hot water from the first receiver to be raised into steam.
Thirdly, for using the uncondensed steam in the second receiver, described
in the second claim, for driving a second engine.
Fourthly, for collecting steam that has been raised in a boiler or generator,
after driving an engine, into a close receiver for heating water in such
receiver, for feeding the generator with hot water to be raised into steam.
Fifthly, for using the uncondensed steam in the receiver, described in the
fourth claim, for driving a second engine.
Sixthly, for collecting steam after driving a second engine in a second re-
ceiver for heating water therein for fǝeding the first receiver or the generator,

page_text: or for feeding the first receiver and then feeding the generator with hot water
from the first receiver to be raised into steam.
Seventhly, for using the uncondensed steam in the second receiver, described
in the sixth claim, for driving a third engine.
Eighthly, for a boiler made either of wrought iron, cast iron, copper, or
other metal or metals, or a combination of them, having one or more internal
furnaces, and having an arrangement of flues, as shewn in the Drawing, for
the purpose of generating steam for driving one or more engines: the ar-
rangement of the furnace or furnaces and of the flues being what I claim.
In witness whereof, I, the said John Grieve, have hereunto set my hand
and seal, this Fourteenth day of April, in the year of our Lord One
thousand eight hundred and forty-five.
Enrolled the Seventeenth day of April, in the year of our Lord One thou-
sand eight hundred and forty-five.