IMPROVEMENTS IN APPARATUS FOR INTRODUCING AND CONTROLLING THE INTRODUCTION OF FLUIDS TO SURFACE CONDENSERS OF STEAM ENGINES
Year: 1867

page_text: LETTERS PATENT Norman Willis Wheeler, of the City of Brooklyn, in
the County of Kings, in the State of New York, in the United States
of America, for the Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN APPARATUS FOR
INTRODUCING AND CONTROLLING THE INTRODUCTION OF FLUIDS TO SURFACE
CONDENSERS OF STEAM ENGINES."
Sealed the 5th November 1867, and dated the 7th May 1867.
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION filed by the said Norman Willis Wheeler at
the Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition and
Declaration, on the 7th May 1867, pursuant to the 9th Section of the
Patent Law Amendment Act, 1852.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, NORMAN
WILLIS WHEELER, of the, City of Brooklyn, in the County of Kings, in the
State of New York, in the United States of America, send greeting.
WHEREAS I am in possession of an Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN
APPARATUS FOR INTRODUCING AND CONTROLLING THE INTRODUCTION OF FLUIDS TO
SURFACE CONDENSERS OF STEAM ENGINES," and have petitioned Her Majesty to
grant unto me, my executors, administrators, and assigns, Her Royal Letters
Patent for the saine, and have made solemn Declaration that I am the true
and first Inventor thereof.

page_text: NOW KNOW YE, that I, the said Norman Willis Wheeler, do hereby
declare that the following Complete Specification, under my hand and seal,
fully describes and ascertains the nature of the said Invention, and in what
manner the same is to be performed, in and by the following statement:-
The first part of my Invention relates to combinations of mechanism which
effect an automatic regulation and control of the pressure existing in the cir-
culatory spaces in relation to the pressure existing in the so-called vacuum
spaces; also prevent the vacuum in the circulatory space becoming greater
than that in the vacuum space; also introduce measured quantities of air or
gas to remain in the upper part of the circulatory space; and also regulate
the area of the passage for the water at the nozzle, where it is delivered into
the circulatory space, so as to affect its velocity but slightly..
In the Drawings Figure 1 represents a sectional elevation, and Figure 2 a
sectional plan of such apparatus. The same letters of reference indicate like
parts in these several Figures.
a', a², as, is the channel plate; B, B, the condensing cylinder or pots; E,
their caps, the walls of which cylinders form the condensing surface; c, c, the
enclosing vessels with their caps D; the space around the condensing
cylinders B, B, and within the enclosing vessels c, c, being a part of the
vacuum space, and the space within the cylinders B, B, being a part of the
circulatory space; the nozzle Z being the place for admission of steam into the
vacuum space. 9, 9, are pipes secured to the cliannel plate, each within its
condensing cylinder, and communicating with the cavity a¹ in the channel
plate, and bearing upon its top the circulating heads F, F; openings &, &,
are left within each .condensing cylinder, which communicate with the
cavity a in the channel plate, so that if a pump be attached by its suction
pipe to the opening i, and the opening / be also connected by a pipe with a
body of fluid, the working of the pump will draw water through a', 9, 9,
F, F, &, &, and a, and if the flow of fluid bo obstructed make a more or
less perfect vacuuin within the circulatory space. The cavity a³ communi-
cates with the vacuum space within the enclosing vessels by openings s², s²,
and is provided with the opening j, to which to apply an exhausting air pump,
so that the working of the air pump may make a more or less perfect vacuum
within the vacuum space. To the circulating heads F, F, are fitted the val-
vular segmental cylinders p, p, p, p, fitting against the open concave sides of
the heads, and mounted upon their rods o, 0, 0, 0, in such a way that by
turning them the outlet of the beads may be increased or decreased at will,
the outer or convex sides of the heads forming guiding lips for the circulating
fluid when the outlet is large, thus securing the requisite direction and highest

page_text: velocity of circulating fluid as it issues from the heads F, F, consonant with
the various pressures maintained in the circulatory space and area of the
outlets. These valvular segments are connected together so as to be moved
simultaneously by means of the rods o, o, arms r, r, r, r, and links s, s;
attached to the channel plate is the cylinder k, the ends communicating
respectively with the cavities a² and as by suitable passages, and within the
cylinder is fitted to move freely the piston attached to the rod m, and to
which rod.m is connected the. arm in such a way that if the piston / be
moved along in its cylinder the valvular semi-cylinders p, p, p, p, will have a
corresponding motion. To the rod m or equivalent part is fitted a spring n
or a weight in such a way that its action will tend to hold the valvular
segments in position to allow the smallest opening at the nozzles of the
heads F, F, and this spring or weight should be so attached that its energy
may be varied at will. It is obvious that if the spring n have no energy, and
the moving parts have no friction, the pressures when the apparatus is in
action will be equal in the circulatory, and the vacuum spaces for the position
of the piston will be changed by any material difference of pressure, which
change will alter the capacity of the nozzles in the heads F, F. The pressure
upon each side of the walls of the cylinders B; B, being equal, they may be
made of very thin metal, aud thus the transference of heat be very rapid, and
yet there will be no communication between the circulatory and the vacuum
spaces, and no vapor pass over from one to the other and waste, as has been
the case heretofore in analogous apparatus wherein the vapor and cooling
fluid were. kept separate by imperfect diaphragms. The piston may be
replaced by a flexible diaphragm, and it is also obvious that the tension of the
spring n will cause a difference of pressure within the circulatory and the
vacuum spaces whenever desired, and, further, in ordinary tubular condensers
if there be a valve placed in the inlet pipe for cooling fluid and actuated by
the piston the working pressure upon the tubes may be ameliorated, and
the valves be equivalents of the segments p, p, p, p. If the automatic part of
this apparatus be not used the combination of the valvular segments P, P, P, P,
with the circulating heads F, F, has a value, for they are a good means of
enlarging or diminishing the areas of the discharge openings by manual
adjustment. To avoid the risk of a collapsing pressure coming upon the
cylinders B, B, there are fitted oue or more check valves R opening inwards,
so that in case of such accident vapor may pass into the circulatory space and
avoid undue strain upon the apparatus. In the example before us the best
action is obtained when the cooling liquid passes through the heads F, F, and
distributes itself in films over the inner surfaces of the cylinders B, B, which
l

page_text: are prevented from filling with liquid by the introduction of air or gas. This
introduction may be accomplished by making a small opening into any proper
part of the circulatory space which will allow air to enter the partial vacuum
therein; but the size of the required opening would require frequent-adjust-
ment, and it is better to introduce air or gas in measured quantities, as some
air will pass off with the liquid. To accomplish this result there is attached
to some part of the engine or pumps an air force or snifting pump, its barrel ù,
plunger t, receiving valve v, delivery valve w, and delivery pipe y, communi-
cating with the circulatory space. To prevent the partial vacuum within the
apparatus drawing air in through this pump I attach to the delivery valve w
a weight or a spring of sufficient energy to prevent-the spontaneous flow of
air past the valve, yet so that it will rise and allow the passage of air in
obedience to the' periodical pressure generated by the strokes of the plunger l.
The second part of my Invention relates to the same class of condensers,
that is to say, to that class of surface condensers in which the cooling fluid is
projected against tlie condensing surface in streams which pass through space
not occupied by liquids, and consists in combinations of mechanism for
securing the highest possible velocity of discharge under a given pressure,
whether the quantity of fluid which is used in a given time be greater
or less. To accomplish this object I use discharging nozzles so constructed
that when no fluid is forced through them the orifices will be closed or nearly so
through the instrumentality of springs or weights, but so that the fluid seeking
passage through the nozzles under pressure will tend to overcome the energy
of the springs or weights, and cause the nozzles to open and remain so to an
extent consonant with the volume of fluid seeking passage and the desired
velocity thereof as it issues from the nozzles.
In the Drawings Figure 3 represents a transverse section; Figure 4, a
sectional plan; Figure 5, a plan, and Figure 6, an elevation; like letters
indicating the same parts in these several Figures..
A, B, is a part of the circulating head through which the cooling fluid is
forced by pumps or other devices, whence it passes through the channel c to
the annular space D, D, and out through the nozzle p, p; E, E, is a barrel
made cylindrical upon the inside, and 9, 9, a 'cylindrical plunger fitting as
tightly into the barrrel E, E, as is consistent with a free longitudinal move-
ment; o is a conical end of the plunger 9, 9, which fits into the nozzle p, p,
when the plunger is advanced and closes it; h is a spring abutting against the
ball and against the plunger, tending to force it forward and close the
nozzle p, p, and i is a rod placed inside the spring to prevent its buckling.
Now the barrel E, E, and plunger 7, 7, have a greater area than the

page_text: nozzle p, p, and when a pressure of fluid exists in the space D, D, such
pressure acting against the difference of the areas of E, E, and p, p, will: tend
to compress the spring h or its equivalent weight, and if. the pressure be
increase the plunger will be forced back until the nozzle.p is sufficiently
opened by the partial withdrawal of the cone o to allow the fluid to pass out
through the nozzle p at a velocity governed by the pressure due to the energy
of the spring. As the nozzle p, p, is opened more and more.the differential
area upon which the pressure acts to force back the plunger 9, 9, is increased,
but at the same time the spring his more and more compressed, and resists
with increasing energy, so that the two qualities may be adjusted in practice to
deliver the cooling fluid at a nearly uniform velocity, whether the volume be
great or little. Heretofore in condensers of this class discharge nozzles of
fixed dimentions have been used, and if the circulating pumps were run at
low speed the fluid would not be discharged at the proper velocity to secure a
high grade of efficiency in the condenser; but when the speed of the pumps
was slackened the velocity of discharge was slackened in the same ratio, and
the efficiency of the condenser diminished in a greater ratio, for the reasons
well known to science, thus rendering such condensers unsatisfactory when it
was necessary to run the engines to which they were attached at low speeds.
The clamp k, k, bolt l, and steady pins m, m, the use of which are obvious,
form a ready means of attaching such nozzles to the circulating head A, B.
I do not limit myself to the precise form or proportion of the several parts
herein described, but I claim,-
First, the combination and connection of the piston l, and passages con-
necting the opposite sides with the vacuum and circulatory spaces, and the
valved circulating heads F, F, or their equivalents, substantially as and for
the purposes described.
Also, the combination of the valve R with the condensing vessel or vessels
in a surface condenser arranged to guard against collapsing pressure, sub-
stantially as and for the purposes herein described.
Also, fitting the snifting pump u, v, w, y, with the loaded delivery valve w,
substantially as and for the purpose described.
Also, the combination of the valvular segments p, p, p, p, with the cir-
culating heads F, F, whether fitted for automatic or manual adjustment,
substantially as and for the purpose described.
Second, I claim in a surface condenser the combination of the plunger g,
nozzle p, and spring h, substantially as and for the purpose herein specified.
Also, the combination of the plunger g, nozzle p, and barrel E, as repre-
sented and for the purpose herein set forth.

page_text: .Also, the combination of the circulating head A, B, with a spring or
loaded nozzle, substantially such as herein described and for the purpose
herein specified.
Also, the combination of the circulating head A, B, with a spring or
loaded nozzle, substantially such as herein described and for the purpose
herein specified.
In witness whereof I have hereunto set my hand and seal, this―Third-
day of April AD 1867
NORMAN WILLIS WHEELER. (L.S.)
In presence of
THOMAS D. STETSON,
Solicitor of Patents, 5, Tryon Row,
New York.