IMPROVEMENTS IN APPARATUS FOR OBTAINING & APPLYING THE MOTIVE POWER OF STEAM
Year: 1861

page_text: PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by Frederick William Turner at the
Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on the 2nd
August 1861.
I, FREDERICK WILLIAM TURNER, of Llansamlet Works, Swansea, in the
County of Glamorgan, Engineer, do hereby declare the nature of the said
Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN APPARATUS FOR OBTAINING & APPLYING THE
MOTIVE POWER OF STEAM," to be as follows:-
In obtaining & applying motive power by the pressure of steam, I admit
the steam at a suitable pressure into one end of a cylinder or trunk
in the position and direction of its axis, such trunk or cylinder being
immersed in a vessel of water which has free ingress to the cylinder. I
place what I may term truncated cone pieces (being of a tapering form, the
section of which presents lines of epicycloidal outline) in the cylinder; the
larger part of the cone is placed in a position in the rear of the steam jet
(that is supposing the rear to be in the opposite direction to that towards
which the steam jet tends), while the small end is considerably in advance of
the steam nozzle; it further increases slightly in diameter again at that end;
a second and third cone piece may be disposed in the cylinder overlapping
slightly the preceding ones, & between the first and second cones a further
free supply of water, or it may be air, may take place. Within the cylinder
I dispose an axis traversing throughout its length, it may occupy the centre
of the steam nozzle; on this shaft I dispose one, two, three, or more screws,
similar. to screw propellers, the extreme diameters of which are adapted to

page_text: the internal diameter of the cylinder, while I partially occupy the central
space by the boss, which I make of somewhat large diameter & of a form
tapering smaller towards the steam nozzle, the outline, as seen in section,
being epicycloidal & forming a continuation of outline from the central
shaft. When two or more screws are disposed within the cylinder, I place
fixed screw blades or radii within the cylinder disposed between the screws,
the inclination of which fixed blades is opposite to that of the screws, the
object of which will herein-after appear.
If this apparatus is intended for the screw propulsion of vessels, I dispose
the cylinder or trunk so that the after end emerges at the stern of the vessel,
and I fit a screw propeller thereto, the boss or centre of which I form
cylindrical & of a diameter to coincide with that of the cylinder; this large
boss is hollow and connected by arms of a screw blade form to the smaller
boss, by which it is fixed on the axis before mentioned. The large external
When
blades of the propeller act in the open water in the ordinary manner.
this apparatus is fitted in vessels, I place it in a tank of water or between
bulkheads having free communication with the external water.
The action of the apparatus is-as-follows:-The-steam-being-injected in the
cylinder at one end as described passes through the cone pieces carrying with
it the water contained, which is forced throughout the length of the cylinder, &
thereby acts on the screws contained; and imparting to the axis on which
they are fixed a rotary motion, the water passes thence out at the end of the
A constant
vessel through the hollow boss of the screw before mentioned.
influx of water to the cylinder is at same time taking place at the opening
in the rear of the steam nozzle, which is as constantly projected through
the cones and acting in like manner. In this way a powerful propelling
action is imparted to the propeller of the vessel, which is thereby impelled as
required.
Instead of the cylinder or trunk being immersed in a tank, the water may
be conducted to the inlets required by suitable pipes, but I prefer it to be
immersed as described. When this apparatus is to be used for other
purposes than driving screw propellers, the screw propeller is dispensed with,
and the axis or shaft placed in suitable connection with the object to which
the power is to be communicated. Instead of the water being allowed to
escape freely from the end of the cylinder or trunk, a turbine may be disposed
in the position of the propeller on which the escaping water acts, & so
Instead of the screws dis-
contribute a further rotary force to the axis.
posed in the trunk or cylinder before described, vortex wheels or other
means of receiving the impulsive force of the water forced through the

page_text: cylinder or trunk may be adopted, whereby such force may be communicated
to an axis or prime mover & transmitted to and for any object desired, or
a turbine may be adopted as the only means of taking up the power of
the water impelled as described.
For land purposes the same water may be used over & over again in this
apparatus or engine, taking care to provide a sufficient additional supply to
prevent ebullition. The epicycloidal lines of the cone pieces before mentioned
present surfaces on which the water strikes and glides past readily, while the
I
fixed blades in the cylinder between the rotating screw blades prevent the
passing water participating in the rotary motion of the screws.