Im- PROVEMENTS IN THE METHOD OF USING AND TREATING STEAM FOR PURPOSES OF OBTAINING MOTIVE POWER, AND IN APPARATUS CONNECTED THEREWITH
Year: 1866

page_text: PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by Jobn Ramsbottom at the Office of
the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on the 23rd July
1866.
J, JOHN RAMSBOTTOM, of Blackburn, in the County of Lancaster, Hydraulic
Engineer, do hereby declare the nature of the said Invention for "Im-
PROVEMENTS IN THE METHOD OF USING AND TREATING STEAM FOR PURPOSES OF
OBTAINING MOTIVE POWER, AND IN APPARATUS CONNECTED THEREWITH," to be as
follows:-
This Invention consists in the use of a vessel supplied with a small quantity
of water; heat is applied until this water becomes wholly vaporized, the said
vessel may afterwards be supercharged with heat to a very considerable
degree, inasmuch as no direct communication exists with other aqueous
matter in liquid state. The vapor is conveyed to a compound steam engine
having two cylinders parallel with each other, and so arranged in size that
one cylinder shall possess an area greatly in excess of the other; on the said
cylinders is cast a valve box, in which are two valves worked simultaneously,
and so arranged that there shall be the least possible lap or lead, in order that
the steam may have the least possible expansion in the small cylinder, and

page_text: have the utmost freedom in discharge from both on completion of the piston's
stroke.
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The object of this arrangement is to work up as thoroughly as possible in
mechanical effect the heat contained in the vapor, which vapor passes from
the first or small cylinder through the second valve to the second cylinder, in
which it expands through the entire stroke. The steam on leaving the engine
is conveyed to a second vessel, on which is a slightly loaded valve covered by
a pipe, through which valve and pipe the steam further passes on, attaining
a greater pressure than that to which the said valve is loaded. The object
of this second vessel is to establish an uniform back pressure of a very low
degree against the piston of the second or large cylinder, and also to prevent
the cooling effects which result from the use of a condenser when in direct
communication with such cylinders as ordinarily applied; the steam passing
through the valve and pipe above mentioned then enters a third vessel and is
there condensed by the circulation of cold air or water in pipes passing
through the said vessel, and as it is very probable that much water of con-
densation would form in the second steam vessel, I propose to attach a
pipe to the bottom of this vessel and connect the same with what is known as
a "steam trap or condensing box, constructed so as to permit the passage
of water, but not of steam, from the second steam vessel to the third or
condenser. This steam trap is constructed and acts as follows:-Inside a closed
vessel is placed another vessel lighter than water and which will float therein,
but will not float in steam; the communicating pipe of the second steam vessel
conveys the water of condensation into the closed vessel aforesaid, and thereby
causes the floating vessel therein to rise and open a valve leading to the con-
denser; the water being thus discharged the float falls and the valve is closed
again. Now as the passage of steam from the first vessel to the engine, and
afterwards through the second vessel to the condenser, would diminish the
quantity of aqueous matter in the first vessel and proportionally enlarge that
in the condenser, a pump in connection with the engine is employed to
re-charge the first vessel from the water of condensation in the third; and in
order to effect this as required in an equable manner the draw pipe of the
pump is made to communicate at its open end' with a certain water line level
in the condenser, so that the pump after discharging, the water above the
water line would simply (until a further supply) be occupied in pumping
back watery vapor alone. As the temperature of the vapor in the first
vessel is high relatively to the amount of aqueous matter contained therein
the water re-supplied thereto by the force pump will be readily vaporized on

page_text: injection, and no additional supplies of water are needed other than are
equivalent to what may be lost by leakage. Tallow or other lubricating
matters may be injected with the water in the event of any pernicious effect
from the use of dry or superheated vapors.