Improved Method of Utilizing Steam and Appliances connected therewith.
Year: 1891

page_text: Date of Application, 29th Dec., 1891
Complete Specification Left, 28th Oct., 1892-Accepted, 3rd Dec., 1892
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
Improved Method of Utilizing Steam and Appliances connected
therewith.
I, JAMES MURRIE, of 9 Granville Street West, Glasgow, Lanarkshire,
Engineer, do hereby declare the nature of my invention to be as follows :—
This invention has reference to a new or improved method, and arrangement and
combination of appliances for using steam at different pressures in
economical and efficient manner than heretofore.
a more
The improvements consist under one arrangement, as say where boilers or
ranges of boilers are working at different or high and low pressures to supply
steam to different engines or apparatus working at their respective pressures,
instead of using the steam generated in both boilers respectively and separately
by these improvements I arrange the pipes and valves so that the steam required
to be raised in the high pressure boiler for its respective purposes, during the time
of the day while that boiler is in use, is also conveyed direct from this boiler to
work the low pressure engine or engines usually worked from the low pressure
boiler and then exhaust through separate branches and cocks to the low pressure
boiler under a back pressure in this engine equal to the pressure required in the
low pressure boiler for its usual purposes. Thus the engine usually worked with
the low pressure steam is now worked with the high pressure steam but with a back
pressure sufficient to give the mean pressure in this engine usually obtained or
required. This throws no more strain on the parts of the engine although working
at the high pressure, the action and re-action being equal in the engine as when
working with the low pressure steam boiler, while no waste of exhaust steam to the
atmosphere takes place while the engine is so working: But 1 further arrange the
pipes and fittings that by merely shutting off a cock or valve in the pipe from
the high pressure boiler, and opening one from the exhaust pipe to the atmosphere,
I can work the low pressure engine as usual by the steam from the low pressure
boiler, when the high pressure boiler is not in use as say in the night time.
A modified arrangement of these improvements is also applicable where a high
pressure boiler is used and a range, or ranges, of boilers is frequently used at low
pressures, as for boiling, heating, or distilling purposes, and consist in making the
pipe fittings and valves, so as to operate the engine or engines with steam from
the high pressure boiler to work under a back pressure equivalent to that required
in the low pressure boilers, and exhaust into these low pressure boilers, so as to be
able to use this steam for the said heating and other purposes these sets of low
pressure boilers are required for, and in the cases where there was not sufficient
steam from the high pressure engines I would still retain a furnace under some of
these sets of low pressure boilers to raise steam in them sufficient for their
requirements, or supplement this from the high pressure boiler through a reducing
valve into the low pressure boilers. In this way a great number of the present
sets of low pressure boilers and their furnaces may be dispensed with, besides
preventing any escape of the exhaust steam from the high pressure engine to the
atmosphere.
Deted the 28th December 1801
W. R. M. THOMSON & Co.,
96, Buchanan Street, Glasgow, Agents.

page_text: COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improved Method of Utilizing Steam and Appliances connected
therewith.
I, JAMES MURRIE, of 9 Granville Street West, Glasgow, Lanarkshire,
Engineer, do hereby declare the nature of my invention and in what manner the
same is to be performed to be particularly described and ascertained in and by
the following statement in writing, that is to say :-
This invention has reference to a new or improved method, and arrangement and
combination of appliances for using steam at different pressures in a more
economical and efficient manner than heretofore.
The improvements consist under one arrangement, as say where boilers or ranges
of boilers are working at different or high and low pressures to supply steam to
different engines or apparatus working at their respective pressures. Instead of
using the steam generated in both boilers respectively and separately, by these
improvements I arrange the pipes and valves, so that the steam required to be
raised in the high pressure boiler for its respective purposes, during the time of the
day while that boiler is in use, is also conveyed direct from this boiler to work
the low pressure engine or engines usually worked from the low pressure boiler
and then exhaust through separate branches and cocks to the low pressure boiler
under a back pressure in this engine equal to the pressure required in the low
pressure boiler for its usual purposes. Thus the engine usually worked with the
low pressure steam is now worked with the high pressure steam, but with a back
pressure sufficient to give the mean pressure in this engine usually obtained or
required. This throws no more strain on the parts of the engine although working
at the high pressure, the action and re-action being equal in the engine as when
working with the low pressure steam boiler, while no waste of exhaust steam to
the atmosphere takes place while the engine is so working. But I further arrange
the pipes and fittings that by merely shutting off a cock or valve in the pipe
from the high pressure boiler, and opening one from the exhaust pipe to the
atmosphere, I can work the low pressure engine as usual by the steam from the
low pressure boilers, when the high pressure boiler is not in use, as say, in
the night-time.
A modified arrangement of these improvements is also applicable where a high
pressure boiler is used and a range, or ranges, of boilers, is frequently used at low
pressures, as for boiling, heating, or distilling purposes and consists in making the
pipe fittings and valves, so as to operate the engine or engines with steam from the
high pressure boiler to work under a back pressure equivalent to that required in
the low pressure boilers, and exhaust into these low pressure boilers, so as to be
able to use this steam for the said heating and other purposes these sets of low
pressure boilers are required for, and in the cases where there was not sufficient
steam from the high pressure engines I would still retain a furnace under some of
these sets of low pressure boilers to raise steam in them sufficient for their require-
ments, or supplement these from the high pressure boiler through a reducing valve
into the low pressure boilers.
And in order that my said invention and the manner of performing or carrying
the same into effect or practice may be properly understood, I have hereunto
appended an explanatory sheet of drawings in which the same reference letters are
used to indicate corresponding parts in all the figures where shown.
Figure 1, is a front elevation and Figure 2, a corresponding plan view broken
away!
of a range of two boilers D, working at high pressure and three boilers E,
working at low pressure in accordance with one, arrangement of my improvements.
And Figure 3 is an elevation showing an arrangement of my improvements as
applied in connection with a direct acting steam engine.
Referring first to Figure 3, of these drawing.-In carrying these improvements

page_text: The
into practice under this arrangement I lead the high pressure steam from the
high pressure boilers D, through the pipes A A', and through branch connecting
pipes A, A", and a check or stop valve a to the steam chest of the engine
cylinder Z to actuate the piston of this engine with high pressure steam.
exhaust steam would be led from the exhaust chest of the cylinder Z through the
branch connecting pipes B³ B, B', and check valve b¹ to the low pressure steam
pipe B all as indicated by the arrows, so that the engine would thus be operated
by the high pressure steam against the back pressure of the low pressure steam in
the pipes B', 'B', B, and boilers E. When it is desired to work the engine with low
pressure steam alone, the check valves a and would be closed; and the low
pressure steam would pass from the boilers E and pipes B, B', through the branch
pipe B, check valve band branch connection A to the cylinder Z; and the
exhaust steam would be led from the exhaust chest of the cylinder Z, through the
pipe B, and check valve as indicated by the darts on this pipe, to the atmosphere
or to a condenser when working with low pressure steam.
Referring to Figures 1 and 2, in this arrangement, the two boilers D, D, are
supposed to generate and work under high pressure steam, and the three
boilers E, E, E, to work under reduced or low pressure steam.
A is the high
pressure steam pipe, and B the low pressure main steam pipe. When working with
high pressure steam it would be led from the steam chests or domes D', 'D', of
the boilers D, D, through the check valves c¹, cl, and branch pipes c, c, to the
main high pressure pipe A, from whence it can be led by convenient pipe con-
nections, not shown in the drawings, for motive power, heating or other purposes.
The surplus or unused high pressure steam from either or both boilers D, D,
would be passed from the pipe A, through the branch C and a reducing valve C1
to the low pressure boilers, the connection being made through the check valve e,
to the chest E' of the first low pressure boiler, and through the check valves e¹
and main pipe B to each of said low pressure boilers E.
When working the engine shown in Figure 3, with high pressure steam from the
boilers D and pipes A, A', as previously described, the exhaust steam would pass
from the cylinder Z, and branch connections to the pipes B2, B', and on to the
main pipe B, and low pressure boilers E, E, E, from whence it can be utilized for
driving low pressure engines, and the other purposes for which the steam is at
present used from these low pressure boilers, and in this case the check valves d, d,
would be closed to the high pressure boilers D, D, or may be dispensed with
altogether, or only used to supplement the pressure in the pipe B and boilers E,
without passing through the reducing valve C². Any or all of the low pressure
boilers E, E, E, may be heated by furnaces, or by surplus high pressure steam
from the pipe A, taken through the reducing valve C' as previously described.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my inven-
tion and in what manner the same is to be performed, I declare that what I
claim 18,
First. The method of utilizing steam at high and low pressures respectively for
motive power, and like purposes from corresponding pressure boilers, substantially
as herein described in reference to and by way of application shown in the accom-
panying drawings.
Second. The method of utilizing steam in steam engines and boilers consisting in
working the low pressure engines with high pressure steam from high pressure
boilers, under a back pressure of low pressure steam in connection with low pressure
boilers, substantially as and in the manner herein described in reference to and by
way of application shown in the accompanying drawings.
Third. The arrangement and combination of pipes and valves for utilizing high
pressure steam to work the low pressure engines under a back pressure of low
pressure steam, and convertible for working said engines with low pressure steam,
substantially as and in the manner herein described in reference to and shown in
the accompanying drawings.

page_text: Fourth. The arrangement and combination of pipes and valves for working sets
of boilers under high and low pressure steam respectively, substantially as and for
the purposes herein described in reference to and shown in the accompanying
drawings.
Dated the o27th Ondahan 1000
W. R. M. THOMSON & Co.,
96, Buchanan Street, Glasgow, Agents.