Improvements in Steam Engines.
Year: 1896

page_text: Date of Application, 15th Jan., 1896-Accepted, 7th Mar., 1896
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Steam Engines.
I SYDNEY PITT of Sutton in the County of Surrey Gentleman do hereby
declare the nature of this invention which has been communicated to me from
abroad by La Compagnie Internationale des Procélés Adolphe Seigle of 147 Rue
de Courcelles, Paris, France and in what manner the same to be performed to
be particularly described and ascertained in and by the following statement :-
Steam engines according to this invention are made up of the following
elements:-
A worm heated in any suitable manner forming a steam generator, an engine of
any type, a pump, or if necessary two pumps, actuated by the engine which forcing
the feed water on the one hand into the steam generator worm and on the other
into an auxiliary feed reservoir where it accumulates under constant pressure until
a limit fixed by the load of a safety valve is reached when the return of the excess
of water into the hot well is permitted.
This auxiliary feed apparatus has for its object that it may always be ready either
to supply feed water for starting the engine or to supplement this feed by opening a
cock when the speed of the engine tends to decrease on account of a more or less
sudden increase of work.
Without this auxiliary feed apparatus it might happen that the boiler would have
no water by reason of the decrease in the delivery of the pump (which is actuated
by the engine) precisely at the moment at which the boiler should furnish an
increase more or less great in evaporative activity.
The introduction of the feed water into the boiler may be regulated by means of
a revolving distributor or otherwise, a kind of measuring cock with a motion
dependant or independant on that of the engine.
The engine employed may be vertical or horizontal, locomotive or stationary
according to the object desired.
The boiler and its accessory arrangements may according to circumstances be
modified in some of its details but this in no way alters the homogeneity of the
whole apparatus.
In the drawings an arrangement of apparatus according to this invention is shewn
as an example in which liquid hydrocarbons such as the heavy oils of coal, petroleum,
schist and the like are used for heating.
In the drawings
Figure 1 is a longitudinal section of the apparatus. The section is taken through
the axis of the combustion flue.
Figure 2 is an end elevation of the apparatus.
Figures 3 and 4 are respectively a side and an end view of the apparatus in
which certain portions have been omitted in order that the drawing may be more
easily understood.
These two figures show the feed water distributor in place.
Figures 5 and 6 are two sectional detail views to a larger scale of the feed water
distributor.
In these figures A is a gasefying burner or a sprayer of liquid hydrocarbons of
any suitable type.
BBB are three vapourizing shells of increasing diameter which form the
combustion flue, is a metallic tube wound in a helix with contiguous spirals
forming a worm inside each shell B.

page_text: C are junctions connecting the worms b of the different shells B.
The flue serves as the fire box for the incandescent vapours projected by the
gasefyer or sprayer A.
The three worms b are as shown coupled in series with the fourth b¹ which serves
as a superheater in such a manner that all the feed water is forced to circulate
through their entire length.
Each worm may however be separately connected both to the feed pipe and to a
steam collector.
D is an elbow connecting the combustion flue with the flues E and F in order to
utilize the greater portion of the heat of the extinguished gases before they pass
out by the chimney.
G is one of the feed water heating tubes.
These tubes are placed in the flue E.
H is one of the steam drying tubes and is completely surrounded by the heated
products of combustion..
These tubes are placed in the flue F.
K is the pipe leading the steam from the dryer H to the engine cylinder.
L is the pipe leading the water delivered either by the feed pumps direct or by
the auxiliary apparatus to the heater G and afterwards to the boiler worm.
M is the feed pump..
M is the pump forcing the water into the auxiliary feed reservoir.
N is the auxiliary feed reservoir provided with a safety valve and a discharge
pipe n leading to the hot well.
O is a metallic pyrometer rod, rigidly fixed by one end o upon a suitable support.
The other end of this rod is free, and the whole is encased in a tube completely
surrounded by the steam coming from the boiler, the steam being led there by
suitable pipes.
P is a lever mounted upon the free end of the rod O thus allowing the movement
of the end of the pyrometer to be transmitted to the regulating rod of the burner A.
In this way the admission of the liquid hydrocarbon decreases when the temperature
increases abnormally or vice versa, variations in the intensity of the fire being thus
automatically obtained as required.
Q is the feed water distributor which receives its movement of rotation from the
engine by means of the driving belt R. S is the chimney.
The apparatus works as follows:-
The burner A of the gasefyer or sprayer which is fed with hydrocarbon liquid
stored under pressure in a suitable reservoir is lighted and vapourizing or spraying
the hydrocarbon according to the nature of the apparatus projects it ignited into
the combustion flue B. B. B.
Air is drawn through the spaces left between the shells by the suction of the
flame.
Combustion of the hydrocarbon jet ceases in the elbow D which follows the
third shell.
The extinguished but still heated gases follow the path indicated by the arrows
along the flues F and E and pass out by the chimney S.
The heat contained in these gases is partially utilized to superheat the steam in
the heater H and to heat the feed water in the tubes G.
The cock of the auxiliary feed apparatus is then opened.
This apparatus consists of a reservoir into which water from one of the feed
pumps is sent, it contains water under high pressure of air and is consequently
always ready to act, the feed water distributor is then put into motion.
The pressure of gas in the reservoir N may also be obtained by a chemical
process or otherwise, by for example, placing it in communication with a reservoir
of liquid carbonic acid."
In this case the second pump or the double function of the first is omitted.
The water is vapourized and superheated in passing through the helical tube and
the superheater H, it is then led to the engine by the pipe K.

page_text: The intensity of the gaseous jet or spray of hydrocarbon coming from the
burner A is automatically regulated by means of a rod actuated by the pyrometer (
by means of the lever P.
The higher the temperature of the admission steam which enters the pyrometer
tube the more the elongation of this tube tends to decrease the delivery of the
combustible.
The centrifugal governor of the engine acting at the same time upon the feed
water delivery causes a double automatic regulation.
This system allows almost the entire heat produced by combustion to be utilized
and forms a powerful apparatus in a very small space which radiates very little and
in which there is not the slightest danger of explosion.
Of course there may be several combustion flues according to the power of the
engine, these may be superposed or placed side by side.
The combustion flues may also consist of a greater number of shells.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said
invention and in what manner the same is to be performed I declare that I do
not limit myself to the details of carrying out this invention which may vary
according to the use for which the generator and engine are intended especially
when applied to self propelled carriages, but what I claim is
In a locomotive or stationary engine
1. The combination of a steam generating worm heated in any suitable manner,.
with a pump or if desired two separate pumps driven by the engine forcing the
feed water into the worm on the one hand and on the other into an auxiliary feed
reservoir in which it accumulates under pressure of air or other gas in such a
manner as always to be ready to be introduced into the generator upon opening
a cock.
2. The combination with the above described assemblage of parts or a portion
of them of a regulating distributor for introducing water into the worm.
3. The combination of a worm made up of a series of shells of increasing
diameter forming the heating combustion flue with a gasefying or spraying burner
of liquid hydrocarbons and a pyrometer regulating the delivery of this hydrocarbon..
4. The combination of a worm heated in any suitable manner with a pump and
an auxiliary feed reservoir constantly containing water which is forced into the
tubular generator at the required moment by means of a gas produced chemically
or derived from any source.
5. The combination of an apparatus for projecting combustible vapours or gases,
a worm made up of metallic tubes helically wound and which form the shells of
increasing diameter of a heating flue and a pump for forcing the liquid to be
vapourized into the said tubes, all substantially as described and shown in the
drawings.
.