IMPROVEMENTS IN WARMING AND VENTILATING BUILDINGS AND STRUCTURES
Year: 1850

page_text: TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, we, JOHN
HAMILTON, of Princes Square, Glasgow, and JoHN WEEMS, of Johnstone, in
the Kingdom of Scotland, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her present most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her
Royal Letters Patent under the Great Seal of the United Kingdom of Great
Britain and Ireland, bearing date at Westminster, the Twenty-fifth day of
November (One thousand eight hundred and fifty), in the fourteenth year of
Her reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant unto us,
the said John Hamilton and John Weems, our exors, admors, and assigns.
Her especial licence, full power, sole privilege and authority, that we, the said
John Hamilton and John Weems, our exors, admors, and assigns, or such
others as we, the said John Hamilton and John Weems, our exors, admors,
or assigns, should at any time agree with, and no others, from time to time
and at all times during the term of years therein expressed, should and
lawfully might make, use, exercise and vend, within England, Wales, and
the Town of Berwick-upon-Tweed, our Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN
WARMING AND VENTILATING BUILDINGS AND STRUCTURES;" in which said
Letters Patent is contained a proviso that we, the said John Hamilton
and John Weems, or one of us, shall cause a particular description of
the nature of our said Invention, and in what manner the same is to
be performed, by an instrument in writing under our hands and seals, or
under the hand and seal of one of us, to be inrolled in Her said Majesty's

page_text: High Court of Chancery within six calendar months next and immediately
after the date of the said in part recited Letters Patent, as in and by the
same, reference being thereunto had, will more fully and at large appear.
NOW KNOW YE, that in compliance with the said proviso, we, the said
John Hamilton and John Weems, do hereby declare that the nature of our
said Invention, and the manner in which the same is to be performed, are
fully described and ascertained in and by the following statement thereof,
reference being had to the Drawings hereunto annexed, and to the figures and
letters marked thereon, that is to say:―
of same.
Our Improvements in Warming and Ventilating Buildings and Structures
consist in forcing into them, by a fan or other mechanical means, fresh air,
causing the same to pass over heated surfaces in its progress to the buildings
or structures, in order to obtain the degree of temperature required. Figure 1
is an elevation of apparatus for heating air. Figure 2 an end view of
same. Figure 3 an elevation, principally in section. Figure 4 an end view
Figure 5 a plan principally in section, and Figure 6 a cross section
of same of the apparatus for warming the air. a, b, c, Fig. 3, are three steam
chests or cases placed one within the other. Each case is formed by joining
and closing two concentric tubes or cylenders at their ends. When the first
case a is placed within the second case 6, its outer surface is kept apart from the
inner surface of the second case 6 by the supports d, d. In the same manner
the second case b is kept apart from the third case c by the supports e, e.
The third or outmost case c is placed within the large pipe or receptacle f,
and its outer surface is kept apart from this pipe or receptacle by the
supports g, g.
These supports are hollow, to allow the air to pass through
them. is a safety valve, and is a collapse valve on the steam pipe h, for
the purpose of preventing accidents to the steam heating cases. The pipe n, with
its branch pipes m, m, m, are for running off condensed steam as it is formed
in the cases, and in order that it may be run freely off, the cases, along with the
pipe or receptacle which encloses them, are placed at an inclination or angle
on the wooden or other supports o, o. P. is a pipe or tunnel leading the fresh
and cold air from the fan or blowing apparatus employed. When the fan is
set in motion the air is made to pass, in the direction of the arrows, through
the inside of the first case and between the outside of the first case and the
inside of the second case, and having arrived at the end of these cases, it is
made, by means of a thimble q, to return backwards through and between
the outside of the second case and the inside of the third case; when it
has arrived at the end of these cases it is again caused, by means of
the ends on the large pipe or receptacle f, of any suitable material, to

page_text: After the air bas
steam cases, and
then conveyed by
return and pass over the outside of the third case c.
been made to pass backwards and forwards over the
has thus been brought to the temperature desired, it is
the pipe T into the building or structure to be heated. When the fan or
other blower is in operation, and forcing the air at an uniform, or about an
uniform, velocity through the apparatus, and when steam is admitted into the
cases a, b, c, it will be seen that the air will be warmed, and as there is a stop-
cock on the steam pipe h, Fig. 1, the temperature of the air can be
regulated at pleasure, and that allowing more or less steam to enter the
cases. We prefer making the cases of tinned sheet iron, from Nos. 12 to
20 guage, well rivitted and soldered, but they may be made of any other
suitable material, and when it is wanted to put more pressure on the cases to
obtain greater heat the dip pipe n, which leads off the condensation water, may
be carried down into a deep cistern filled with water, or it may have on it a
stopcock for preventing the steam passing out too freely.
The collapse
valve is necessary to prevent accident to the cases, as in the event of the
stopcock v being closed while the cold air is being passed over the surfaces of
the cases the steam within them would be condensed, and thus a vacuum
would be formed. The collapse valve is made to open inwardly, so as to allow
the external air to supply the vacuum. The spaces between the cases for the
air to pass thro' may be from one to four inches wide, and the cases for the
steam from half inch to two inches wide. The length of the cases vary
from
six feet to thirty feet; however, the proportions of the difierent parts of the
apparatus will vary according to the dimensions of the building or structure to
be warmed, and the degree of temperature required. The apparatus described
is arranged in the most suitable manner, when heating by steam taken direct
from a steam boiler. Figure 7 is an elevation, principally in section, Figure 8
an end view of same, and Figure 9 a plan, principally in section, of a
similar apparatus to that described, modified, however, to receive the waste or,
exhaust steam of a high-pressure engine when it is used to heat the cases.
The only difference between this apparatus and the one previously described
is in the manner of admitting and letting out the steam. As it is desirable
to interrupt as little as possible the egress of the steam from a high-pressure
engine, we introduce it, as it comes from the engine, through the pipe A into the
cases c, b, a. The opening a' into the case c being larger than the opening
into the case b, and the opening 6 being larger than the opening c¹ into the
case a, the steam as it rushes through the cases will be more sure of being
distributed in them. The branches 1, 2, and 3 are soldered on to the outside of
the respective cases a, b, and c; the double or hollow rings 4, 5, and 6. are also

page_text: soldered on to the inside of the respective cases b, c, and receptacle f. A piece
or ring of vulcanized india rubber, of the form of a washer, is put into each
of the double or hollow rings, so that when the cases are put into their places,
and the cases with their branches 1, 2, and 3 are pressed up against the india-
rubber washers by the supports d, e, g, Figure 8, being pressed in between
them, will be the means of keeping the joints steam-tight. 0, 0, 0¹, are outlets
for the steam that has not been condensed. Expansion and contraction of the
cases may take place without injury which might otherwise be the case were
it not for the india-rubber packing. 5¹, 51, 51, 51, 51, 51, 51, 51, 51, 5¹
Figure 6, are pieces of iron soldered between the tubes, which forms the cases
for the purpose of stiffening and giving strength to the cases.
In Plan Figure 9 the air is shewn as being passed straight thro' the cases
into the pipe T, without being returned backwards and forwards. This plan
is not so good as that shewn by the direction of the arrows in Figure 5, which
heats the air much more thoroughly. After the air has been properly heated
in passing through the apparatus, it is conveyed by means of pipes or flues
into the building or structure which is to be warmed and ventilated, and the
effect is produced by allowing a portion of the warmed air to escape into
each apartment or chamber, which apartment has a suitable outlet to the
atmosphre for the foul or impure air which the incoming or heated air may
have the tendency to dispel. In the case of steamboats or vessels, the fan or
other blower, if placed in the engine-room, must not draw air from the engine-
room, but should be in communication with the fresh air on the outside.
When the fan has drawn in the fresh air it forces it through the apparatus
above described, and thence into the cabin. As the seats of a cabin generally
go round the whole of that part of a vessel, it may be desired to form a
channel for the hot air under the seat, and pass it into the cabin through
numerous openings, over which it will be desirable to have sliding doors or
ventilators to regulate the incoming air, or, when that cannot be conveniently
arranged, an air pipe round under it or close by it may be employed. The
same apparatus on board steamboats or vessels may be used in hot weather
for ventilating with pure unheated air, in which case no steam will be admitted
into the steam apparatus.
We claim the warming and ventilating of buildings and structures by
forcing into them by mechanical means pure air, warmed by its being passed
over surfaces arranged as herein described, and heated by steam from a boiler,
or by the waste or exhaust steam of the high-pressure engine, which is used
to force the air through the apparatus.
We claim the use of the steam-heating apparatus when constructed as

page_text: above described, with the outside pipe or receptacle f, and when the air is
caused to go backwards and forwards over the cases, and also when india-
rubber packing is employed for the purposes of heating drying stoves.
And we claim the manner of warming and ventilating steamboats or vessels
and sailing vessels, by forcing pure air into them, warmed by being forced to
pass over steam heated surfaces.
In witness whereof, we, the said John Hamilton and John Weems, have
hereunto set our hands and seals, this Twelfth day of April, in the
year of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and fifty-one.