IMPROVEMENTS IN STEAM ENGINES AND IN BOILERS FROM WHICH SAID ENGINES CAN BE WORKED
Year: 1877

page_text: PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by Henry Pierre Rieth at the Office of
the Commissioners of Patents on the 21st August 1877. (A communication
from abroad by Thister Reiner Rieth, of Bonn.)
:
HENRY PIERRE RIETH, of Antwerp, Belgium. "IMPROVEMENTS IN STEAM ENGINES
AND IN BOILERS FROM WHICH SAID ENGINES CAN BE WORKED." (A communication
from abroad by Thister Reiner Rieth, of Bonn.)
It is a well-known fact among engineers that in practice 5 per cent. only or about
a twentieth part of the heat that coal can produce, according to theoretical calcu
lations, is actually transformed into motive power, and that consequently 19 kilos. of
coal out of 20 are entirely lost.
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It may with certainty be stated that the theoretical evaporative efficiency of coal
will never be practically realized, but the numerous attempts that have been made
in this direction, and partly with success, show that a diminution of this enormous
loss of heat is considered possible and remains to be realized.
>
The object of this Invention is to reduce to a minimum the most important cause
of this loss of heat. This cause is due to the fact that the large amount of air
which passes into the furnace, added to the products of combustion, leads away in a
useless manner into the atmosphere a large quantity of heat. To give an idea of the
enormity of this loss it is sufficient to state that in well constructed boilers of marine
engines the temperature of the products of combustion arriving in the chimney is
raised to 250 degrees centigrade, and that it attains even 300 degrees in some
boilers. This temperature is sufficient to produce again at least the same quantity
of vapour at the same pressure as that of the steam already produced in the steam
boiler, and that by employing it to vaporize a hydrocarbon the point of ebullition of
which is about 60 degrees.. Theoretically speaking, it may be. admitted that the
temperature of the products of combustion in the furnace, thus employed to vapourize
a hydrocarbon, will be lowered to 100 degrees of heat, there will consequently have
been an absorption of heat of from 200 to 300 degrees heat wbich will have been
employed to produce motive power.
A hydrocarbon of any point of ebullition desired may be used. It will of course
be best to employ one whose point of ebullition is as low, as possible on account of
condensation.

page_text: To the objection of danger from fire it is sufficient to state that nowadays boilers
are made perfectly steam tight, that steam coming out of a little opening could
not take fire, because it would not directly touch the flames. In addition to this,
in employing dry boilers, that is to say without liquid, the total quantity of hydro-
carbon stored will be so small that there need be no dread of fire. Thus established,
this Invention consists of the three following points:-
1. The production in steam engines of an ulterior force by the aid of the heat
still remaining in the gases or products of combustion after they have left the
boiler and have arrived in the chimney, being no longer at a sufficiently high
temperature to form steam.
2. The employment of dry boilers as hereafter described.
2
The amalarmant of a herdenenshon as a lianid to ho vonounized
To enable the Invention to be better understood I will describe one application of
it by way of example. To an ordinary steam engine with steam boilers of any
construction I add as a new part a second boiler destined to vapourize the hydro-
carbon liquid. This boiler called "dry" is placed either behind the engine, or behind
the first boiler. The steam pipe of the hydrocarbon vapour boiler leads to a second
motor machine, which in working puts into action a feed pump. The vapour
coming from the cylinder of the second machine enters a condenser cooled from
outside.
With this arrangement the action of the apparatus will take place as follows:-
The gases escaping from the furnace after having left the steam boiler do not enter
immediately into the chimney as at present, but circulate round the outside of the
second boiler. At the same time each lift of the piston of the feed pump drives
back into the boiler a certain quantity of hydrocarbon liquid. This quantity is
measured exactly, so that after its vaporization it is sufficient to produce the
necessary pressure to displace the piston in the steam cylinder. After the piston of
the steam cylinder has reached the end of its course the communication with the
condenser take place by a valve. In this manner a vacuum is produced which in
the return course of the piston produces the same effect as in an ordinary condenser.
At the same time the feed pump takes at the proper time from the condenser the
same quantity of hydrocarbon liquid, and drives it back into the dry boiler, in
such a manner that the vapour from this latter, when the piston returns, produces
a motive force upon the other side of the piston. This action is repeated regularly
as in all ordinary condensers.
To avoid the hydrocarbon vapour cooling too much in the cylinder, or on the
contary augmenting its expansion, it will be found useful to encase the steam
cylinder, and the steam pipe of the second machine. In this casing the steam
coming from the first boiler is allowed to circulate; this last utilization of the steam
presents a certain analogy to the proposition of Monsieur Verdale, of Tremblay.
The steam from the first machine having been used may also be led to a condenser
after having served to maintain the cylinder and the steam pipes of the second
machine warm, and consequently whenever possible it will be best to make the
first machine serve as a condenser. If this does not do the steam may be added
to the gases from the furnace to increase the draft, after having served as before
stated.
With great care the point of ebullition of the hydrocarbon may be fixed once for all
for each machine, as only a small quantity of hydrocarbon will be consumed in a
constant circulation.
The second boiler in which the hydrocarbon liquid evaporates will be by preference
tubular to increase the heating surface; being fed in proportion to the evaporation
there is no necessity for a safety valve, as the point of ebullition is fixed, and as the
quantity of liquid contained in the boiler is limited, and it is certain that after
vaporization the pressure cannot exceed a certain limit,' a level indicator inside may

page_text: also be dispensed with, and the test cocks, since there is never any liquid in the
boiler.
Lastly. The boiler will not require repairing because incrustation will be impossible,
and because the back plate cannot be destroyed by the fire.
For these reasons in applying this Invention to marine engines additional hydro-
carbon boilers can be placed in a separate place, and if once for all the fastenings
have been carefully done the boiler may be left to itself.
It is evident that caoutchouc or india-rubber must not be used for the joints, some
fire-resisting material, such as asbestos, being necessary.
The Invention may be applied with advantage to all machines which have
at their disposal sufficient water for condensing purposes, but it is especially
applicable to marine engines of all kinds because the advantage for them is double,
seeing that the expense of firing is saved, and great room is gained.
The advantages of this Invention are,―
1. The power gained in applying it may be increased to a multiple of the original
power of the steam engine, and only necessitates the expense of fitting and not of
working.
2. The danger of catching fire is done away with, because the boiler will not touch
the fire, and because by reason of its acting in an isolated position, it can be placed
in any closed or non-accessible place.
3. The temperature cannot exceed a given maximum, because the quantity of
liquid and the temperature of it are limited, and by reason of this the danger of
explosion is excluded.
4. The boiler may be constructed, having regard only to the pressure and to the
greatest possible surface, and in accordance with the most complicated systems of
boilers with straight tubes or bent, which cannot be used for steam boiler by reason
of the difficulty of cleaning.
5. The boiler will never require repairing by reason of non-incrustation or fire
burning.
'
6. The construction of the boiler is most simple, by reason of its acting dry,
requiring no level indicator, nor manometer, nor safety valve, nor man-hole.