IMPROVEMENTS IN GENERATING AND APPLYING MOTIVE POWER
Year: 1864

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Henry Martyn Nicholls, Civil Engineer, of 14,
Southampton Street, Strand, in the County of Middlesex, for the Inven-
tion of "IMPROVEMENTS IN GENERATING AND APPLYING MOTIVE POWER."
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Henry Martyn Nicholls
at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on
the 12th January 1864.
I, HENRY MARTYN NICHOLLS, Civil Engineer, of 14, Southampton Street,
Strand, in the County of Middlesex, do hereby declare the nature of the said
Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN GENERATING AND APPLYING MOTIVE POWER,"
to be as follows:-
My improvements in generating and applying motive power relate principally
to where the elastic force of gasious fluids generated or augmented by the
The mode I adopt of
application of heat is the motive power employed.
generating and applying such motive power may be illustrated by its applica-
tion in the case of steam, here I generate the steam from a comparatively
small quantity of water or other liquid either in a boiler or directly in
a cylinder fitted with a piston or plunger, against which piston or plunger it is
allowed to act. This piston or plunger is made to work steam-tight in the said
cylinder by a packing similar in principle to that used for packing the plunger
of a hydraulic press, only metal is substituted for the leather there employed.
This piston or plunger is so connected with another piston or plunger
adapted to work in a similar cylinder, the diameter of which may be equal to

page_text: that of the first, that if it move out of the cylinder it will cause the second
piston or plunger to move into its cylinder and expel whatever this second
cylinder contains; this second cylinder is filled with oil or other liquid and its
interior containing the oil or other liquid is connected by a pipe with a third
cylinder of smaller capacity which is also fitted with a piston or plunger, which
piston or plunger is connected with whatever machinery is to be put in motion
by the motive power. The piston or plunger of this third cylinder is main-
tained in operation, giving motion to whatever is required to be moved by
the engine by means of the oil expelled from the second cylinder by the piston
or plunger in the second cylinder. When the pistons or-plungers in the
first and second cylinders have completed their stroke a communication
is opened with the atmosphere or a condenser for the steam in the first
cylinder to escape, the pistons or plungers then return to their original position,
when the oil being returned to the one, and fresh steam supplied to the other,
the process is repeated.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent, filed
by the said Henry Martyn Nicholls in the Great Seal Patent Office on
the 11th July 1864.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, HENRY
MARTYN NICHOLLS, Civil Engineer, of 14, Southampton Street, Strand, in the
County of Middlesex, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her Leiters
Patent, bearing date the Twelfth day of January, in the year of our Lord
One thousand eight hundred and sixty-four, in the twenty-eighth year
of Her reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant unto
me, the said Henry Martyn Nicholls, Her special licence that I, the said
Henry Martyn Nicholls, my executors, administrators, and assigns, or such
others as I, the said Henry Martyn Nicholls, my executors, administrators,
and assigns, should at any time agree with, and no others, from time to time
and at all times thereafter during the term therein expressed, should and
Jawfully might make, use, exercise, and vend. within the United Kingdom
of Great Britain and Ireland, the Channel Islands, and Isle of Man,
an Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN GENERATING AND APPLYING MOTIVE
POWER, upon the condition (amongst others) that I, the said Henry Martyn
Nicholls, my executors or administrators, by an instrument in writing under
my, or their, or one of their hands and seals, should particularly describe

page_text: and ascertain the nature of the said Invention, and in what manner the
same was to be performed. and cause the same to be filed in the Great
Seal Patent Office within six calendar months next and immediately after
the date of the said Letters Patent.
NOW KNOW YE. that I, the said Henry Martyn Nicholls do hereby declare
the nature of my said Invention, and in what manner the same is to be
performed, to be particularly described and ascertained in and by the
following statement:---
My improvements in generating and applying motive power relate prin-
cipally to where the elastic force of gaseous fluids generated or aug-
mented by the application of heat is the motive power employed. The
mode adopt of generating and applying such motive power may be
illustrated by its application in the case of steam. Here I here I generate
water, or other liquid,
the steam from a comparatively small quantity of
either in a boiler, or directly in a cylinder fitted with a piston or plunger,
against which piston or plunger it is allowed to act. This piston or plunger
is caused to work steam-tight in the said cylinder by a packing similar in
principle to that used for packing the ram of a hydraulic press, only metal is
substituted for the leather there employed. This piston or plunger is so con-
nected with another piston or plunger adapted to work in a similar cylinder
to the first, that if it move outwards from its cylinder it will cause the second
piston, or plunger to move inwards into its cylinder, and expel whatever it
contains. This second cylinder is filled with oil or other liquid, and its
interior containing the oil or other liquid is connected by a pipe with a third
cylinder of smaller capacity, which is also fitted with a piston or plunger,
which piston or plunger is connected with whatever machinery is to be put
in motion by the motive power. The piston or plunger of this third cylinder
is maintained in operation, giving motion to whatever is required to be moved
by the engine, by means of the oil or other liquid expelled from the second
cylinder by the piston or plunger in the said second cylinder. When the
pistons or plungers in the first and second cylinders have completed their
stroke, a communication is opened with the atmosphere, or a condenser, for
the steam in the first cylinder to escape, when the pistons or plungers in the
first and second cylinders return to their first position. The oil or other
liquid is then re-supplied to the one, and steam to the other, and the operation
recommences, and is so continued.
In the accompanying Drawings Fig. 1 represents a sectional elevation of
the engine; Fig. 2, represents a section on line A, B, (Fig. 1); Fig. 3.
represents a top plan of the engine, (Fig. 1); Fig. 4, represents a section on

page_text: line C, D, (Fig. 1); Fig. 5, represents a section on line E. F, (Fig. 1);
Fig. 6. represents the smaller or working cylinder applied to produce a
rotatory motion alternately in opposite directions; Fig. 7, represents the
application of the same packing as is employed to pack the pistons or
plungers (as the case may be) to relieve a steam slide valve of the pressure of
the steam. In all these Figures similar parts are marked with similar letters
of reference.
a, is a cylinder of iron or other suitable material. it is closed at both
ends by covers b, b, which are screwed on, and rendered secure against
leakage by being made to compress rings c. c, of a soft metal between them
and the ends of the cylinder a; d, d, are two pistons united by a cylinder e,
these pistons and the cylinder e occupy somewhat more than half the length
of the cylinder a, they are made to fit the said cylinder without leakage, by
the following means: Perfect rings of steel, or of other suitable material
f, f, of the sectional form shewn are made to fit the interior of the cylinder a
accurately, and are besides sprung outwards against its interior by screwing up
the circular plates g, g, against their interior surfaces, so that when the pressure
of the third acts on them they are still further pressed against the inside of the
cylinder whereby the fluid prevents its own escape. The lower cover of the
cylinder a is furnished with a number of pointed wires of platein, or other
good conductor of heat, which pass through it, for the more rapid transfer of
heat from its exterior to its interior surface. The space h between the lower
piston and the bottom of the cylinder is (in the position shewn in Fig. 1),
supposed to be filled with a liquid from which steam is to be generated; i is
a furnace constructed to burn gas, oil, &c., which can be supplied to it through
the pipe. This furnace is formed of hollow bars 1, 1, placed gridiron fashion
with spaces between them through which air can ascend, and when lighted it
converts part of the liquid in the space h into steam. The heated air from the
said furnace escapes up the flue m, surrounding the cylinder a, and then through
the openings n, n, around the top of the said flue down the outer flue o, and
from the lower part of the same outer flue into a chimney of suitable height
shewn in plan in Fig. 4. On the steam being generated it tends to force up
the pistons d, d, and the upper portion of the cylinder a being full of oil or
other liquid the pistons will tend to expel this liquid. A pipe p opening into
the upper part of the cylinder a communicates with the valve boxes q, q,
of what I call the working cylinders r, r. these cylinders are fitted with
plungers s, s. united by a rack in such a manner that if one plunger move
outwards from its cylinder, the other plunger must move inwards into its
cylinder. The valves in the valve boxes q. q. are united by the rod u so as to

page_text: work in unison, and are so arranged that if one valve allows of the liquid
entering one of the cylinders the other valve will allow of the liquid escaping
from the opposite cylinder. These valves are worked by a projecting piece
and alternately coming in contact with corresponding projecting pieces on the
valve rod u, just as the stroke of each plunger is completed, whereby the action
is reversed. The rack geers with the pinion u which it causes to revolve
first one way and then in the opposite as each plunger is alternately forced
outwards from its cylinder. On the same shaft with the pinion w is a pulley x
of considerably larger diameter, which by a beli gives motion to a smaller
pulley y, which latter thus receives rotatory motion first in one direction and
then in the opposite direction. The exhaust pipes z, z, communicate with the
lower part of a close vessel a', and into this vessel the liquid is forced by the
retreating plunger of whichever of the cylinders u, v, is not in action. When
the pistons d, d, have nearly completed their stroke the upper surface of the
lower piston comes in contact with an eccentric b' on a spindle which passes
through into the cylinder a from the outside where it is properly supported.
This causes the said spindle to turn partly, and a lever c' on its outer end
which takes hold of the furnace i in a suitable manner causes the said furnace
to turn on the centre d', and so withdraws it from under the bottom of the
cylinder a. A scraper e' attached to the said furnace at the same time cleans
the bottom of the cylinder a. The same motion of the lever c¹ causes two
valves f, f', to open, one in the pipe ' communicating between the lower
part of the cylinder a and the interior of the condenser h, and the other,
marked i¹, communicating between the upper part of the cylinder a and the
lower part of the vessel a', The result of these valves being opened is that
the steam in the lower part of the cylinder a escapes up the pipe g¹ into
the condenser ' while the liquid in the vessel a' is free to enter the upper
part of the said cylinder. Then an equilibrium being established constantly
between the interior of the condenser hand the interior of the vessel a¹
by means of the pipe ¹, the pistons d, d, descend to occupy their former
position; but when they have nearly completed their descent the under
side of the upper piston comes in contact with the eccentric b¹, which
causes a reverse motion in the lever c¹, which now draws the furnace i
again under the cylinder, and closes the valves f, f. The liquid from
which the steam is generated having in the mean time found its way
back to the bottom of the cylinder a and filled the space h, then the pro-
cess recommences. The condenser his formed in the following manner:-
Two sheets of thin metal of suitable length and width are united all round at
their edges steam-tight by a narrow strip of metal which separates them a

page_text: small distance apart, other narrow bands or wires 1, 1, are interposed between
them to prevent their being forced into contact by external pressure. They
are then wound round in a spiral as shewn in Fig. 2; but their outside
surfaces are not allowed to come into contact but are kept separate by similar
bands, &c. In this way two similar passages are formed, one inside the other,
one of these passages is for the steam, and the other for the cooling medium
(in the present instance air). The pipe m' communicates with a fan blower,
or other similar contrivance for forcing air; this pipe passes round half the
inner circumference of the top of the condenser, and supplies air to the com-
mencement of the air channel through openings made into it. The air
passing round the channel escapes through the pipe ¹ to supply the furnace i.
At o' is a valve by which more or less of the air is allowed to escape to the
atmosphere for the purpose of regulating the supply of air to the furnace.
The steam when released from the cylinder a by the opening of the lower valve
passes through the pipe g' into the other channel in the condenser, and
passing round the spiral can rise through the pipe into the upper part of
the vessel a¹ above the float p', which latter prevents its coming in contact
with the liquid contained in the said vessel. Fig. 7 represents the application
of the same mode of packing as is employed to pack the piston d, d, applied
to remove the pressure from the back of a steam slide valve. Here q' is the
section of a slide valve having attached to its back a short cylinder u, to the
upper edge of this cylinder a perfect ring of steel, or of other suitable material,
is attached steam-tight. This ring is sprung outwards below against the
interior of a second cylinder which encircles the former. This latter
cylinder is independant of the former otherwise than that it is carried back
and forward by it, but it is free to move away from it in the direction shewn
by the arrow. represents the cover of the valve casing against which the
cylinder works. The steam tending to expand the ring forces it against
the interior of the outer cylinder ' and so prevents its own entrance behind
the valve. It will be perceived that the action of this engine would be inter-
mittant, and as this would be (in most cases) objectionable, I then use two,
one of which shall have begun to act before the other ceases, or I use several
acting alternately in groups.
I am aware that this Invention admits of considerable modification, for
instance, the fluid medium for transmitting the power might be exchanged for
a rigid one such as a train of wheels and pinions, but for obvious reasons it
would be inferior. I am also aware that fixed gases, such, for instance, as
atmospheric air, might be employed instead of steam, and their elasticity
augmented by the application of the heat, but the steam I conceive offers the

page_text: greatest results. The supply of air to the furnace might be taken direct from
the atmosphere in the usual way, or it might be drawn through the condenser
by the natural draught of the furnace. Again the motion transmitted by the
plungers of the working cylinders r, r, to through the rack to the pulley y
would of course be reversed with every reversal of the motion of the rack, but
there is nothing to prevent the said motion being converted in a continuous
motion in the one direction. Or an engine similar to an ordinary steam
engine, and having the required relative area of piston, might be used, the
liquid actuating it in place of steam. When use plungers in lieu of
pistons I cause the packing rings to be compressed against their sides by the
fluid so that it may prevent its escape past them, and this modification of this
system of packing can obviously be applied to the case of the slide valve.
I mention these modifications that the nature of my Invention may be more
clearly understood, and that what is really fundamental may be ascertained,
this is obviously the mode I adopt for generating and applying the elastic fluid
in the manner I have described. When I make use of condensers I make
them in the way I have explained, and in consequence of the slow rise of the
pistons d, d, I adopt the mode of packing them I have described, which from
the same reason, viz., the slow motion, is also applicable to the case of the
steam slide valve, at the same time it is clear that other forms of condenser
might be used, and other modes of packing the pistons.
In witness whereof, I, the said Henry Martyn Nicholls, have hereunto
set my hand and seal, this Eleventh day of July, in the year of our
Lord One thousand eight hundred and sixty-four.
HENRY MARTYN NICHOLLS. (L.S.)