CERTAIN IMPROVEMENTS IN MACHINERY OR APPARATUS FOR CONDENSING STEAM, WHICH SAID IMPROVEMENTS ARE ALSO APPLICABLE TO OTHER SIMILAR PURPOSES
Year: 1847

page_text: TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, CHRISTIAN
SCHIELE, of Frankfort-on-the-Main, but now of Manchester, in the County of
Lancaster, Mechanician, send greeting."
WHEREAS Her present most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her
Royal Letters Patent under the Great Seal of Great Britain, bearing date at
Westminster, the Twenty-seventh day of May, in the tenth year of Her reign,
did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant unto me, the said
Christian Schiele, Her especial license, full power, sole privilege and authority,
that I, the said Christian Schicle, my executors, administrators, and assigns,
and such others as I, the said Christian Schiele, my exccutors, administrators,
or assigns, should at any time agree with, and no others, from time to time
and at all times during the terms of years therein mentioned, should and
lawfully might make, usc, exercise, and vend, within England, Wales, and
the Town of Berwick-upon-Tweed, and in all Majesty's Colonies and Plan-
tations abroad, and in the Islands of Jersey, Guernsey, Alderney, Sark, and
Man, my Invention of "CERTAIN IMPROVEMENTS IN MACHINERY OR APPARATUS
FOR CONDENSING STEAM, WHICH SAID IMPROVEMENTS ARE ALSO APPLICABLE TO OTHER
SIMILAR PURPOSES;" in which said Letters Patent is contained a proviso obliging
inė, the said Christian Schiele, by an instrument in writing under my hand
and seal, particularly to describe and ascertain the nature of my said Invention,
and in what manner the same is to be performed, and to cause the same to
be inrolled in Her Majesty's High Court of Chancery, within six calendar

page_text: 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, I, the said
Christian Schiele, do hereby declare that the nature of my said Invention, and
the manner in which the same is to be performed, is particularly described and
ascertained in and by the following description thereof, reference being had to
the Drawings hereunto annexed, and to the letters and figures marked thereon
(that is to say) :-
:-
This Invention consists of an improved construction of condenser, whereby
the vapor of water or of other fluids, after exerting its elastic force on the
piston of a motive power engine, may be economically and effectively condensed,
and be allowed to run off to the feed pump by which it may again be supplied
to the boiler where it was previously vaporized. In order that the construc-
tion and action of my improvements in machinery or apparatus for condensing
may be clearly understood I have shown in the accompanying Drawing several
views of the improved condensor, which is intended to be immersed in a tank
of cold water, so that the water level shall be a little above the casing of the
apparatus.
Figure 1 is a perspective view of the exterior of the condensor; Figure 2
a longitudinal sectional elevation of the same; and Figure 3 is a cross-section,
taken in the line x, y, of Figure 2. It consists of a metal cylinder divided by
a rigid partition N, into two chambers, A and B. h is a valve of the largest
convenient capacity connected to the lower part of the partition n, and opening
inwards to the chamber B. This valve is so hung that when there is a greater
pressure in the chamber A than in the chamber B, it will rise from its seat
and allow the fluid to flow from the chamber A to B. is a pendant bent
pipe, secured by its flange to the upper part of the partition n; and fis a con-
tinuation of this pipe, which forms a communication from the lower part of.
the chamber B to the upper part of the chamber A. That part of the pipe.
which is marked f, is, at its connection with e, circular, but at a little dis-
tance therefrom it assumes the form of a flattened-oval (as shewn best at
Figure 8), and is pierced on its under surface with a series of small holes.
The lower end of the pipe e is closed by a valve i, opening inwards;
steam or other vapour to be condensed is brought by the pipe a from the
engine, and is conducted by the elbow pipe 6 into the chamber A of the.
condenser. k is an elbow pipe in connection with the force pump. of the
boiler, and is intended to carry off the condensed fluid from the condenser.
It is provided with a vertical tubular-slide Z. which is intended to be raised to

page_text: any suitable elevation by a rod and handle m,, to determine the level of the
condensed fluid, and the amount of steam or vapour space c. In the con--
denser g. is a valve attached to the upper part of the chamber A, and placed
at the opposite end to that where the entrance vapour pipe 6 is situated. This
valve opens outwards to allow of the escape at certain periods of the operation
of steam or other vapour and any air contained in the chamber A. p is a
glass gauge ball in communication with the chamber B, by. means of a small
pipe which depends upon the top of that chamber to about one fifth of its
depth. This ball p.is intended to shew the diminution of the air in the
chamber B, by the rise of the fluid into it. r is a small pipe for supplying air
to the chamber when required, and is provided with a stopcock, as shewn at
Figure 3. A third pipe q is connected with the chamber B, and is intended
to furnish a fresh supply of water or other fluid from an elevated cistern to the
condenser, in order to compensate for the fluid lost by leakage. It is to be
furnished with a sieve or strainer on its outer end, and also with a throttle
valve for regulating the flow of the fluid and stopping the supply. The valve q
must be adjusted by the engineer soon after the condensing operation is com-
menced, but while the engine stops working the valve-must be closed.
Having now pointed out the various parts of my improved condensing
apparatus, I will.describe the manner of its operation, which is as follows:-
The steam or other vapour which has escaped from the working cylinder
of the engine enters the chamber A, by the pipe a, b, and expels such
air and gases as have found their way into this first chamber (by leakage),
or from the chamber B, through the valve g, which is raised by the pres-
sure of the steam or vapour. The entrance of the steam or other vapors
also serves to depress the fluid in the chamber A, and drive it through
the now open valve. into the chamber B, whereby the air contained in
the
space d of that chamber will be compressed; and.so much of that space
as is not filled with air will be occupied by the fluid. This movement of the
fluid will equalize the pressure in both chambers, but immediately the vapor
in the chamber A begins to condense by contact with the surrounding surfaces,
the fluid which has just entered the chamber B will flow up the pipe e along
the pipe f, and fall down in small streams through the perforations in the
lower surface in that pipe, thereby cooling the vapor in its descent. The air
confined in the space d, being an elastic medium, will insure the flow of the
fluid up the pipe e, as described. When the condensation of the steam or
other vapor has raised the level of the fluid in the chamber A above the level
of the adjustable tube l, it will flow over the edge of that tube and down into
the elbow pipe-k,, which is connected, as before stated, with the feed pump
.

page_text: where it will be ready to return again to the boiler. The fluid, therefore, at
its highest temperature of condensation, will flow away to the boiler, while the
coldest stratum of the fluid will be always employed to thrown down the vapor.
I would remark, that I prefer the height of the exit pipe to be about three
fourths the depth of the condenser. Should the working of the feed pump
become impeded, or should air instead of fresh fluid enter through the pipe q,
and thus the proper height of the water or other fluid in the boiler become
appreciably diminished, the steam or other vapor supplied to the condenser
from the engine will blow off through the valve g, and thus give the engincer
timely warning of danger. In condensers which are connected with boilers
wherein a fluid other than water is employed, I employ a pipe imme-
diately above the valve 9 for receiving the escape vapor and conveying it to
an open reservoir, from whence, when condensed, it may be taken up and
employed again in the boiler. It will be readily understood, that, as my
improved condenser is set in operation by the sudden entrance thereto of the
escape steam or vapor from the engine, the effective working of the condenser
will be the more certain according to the speed with which the valves of the
engine allow of its escape from the cylinder after it has exerted its elastic
force upon the piston. When commencing to operate with my improved
condenser, it is necessary to set it in order as follows:-The sliding tube / is
drawn up to its greatest height, and the valve g is opened to let water (when
steam is to be condensed) into the condenser. When the chamber A is
nearly filled the supply of water is stopped; the cock of the piper is then
opened to allow of the escape of air from the chamber B, and the flow of
water from the chamber A to that chamber through the valve h. As soon
as the water. has attained a uniform level in the two chambers, the valve
g and the cock of the pipe r are closed. The tank in which the condenser is
immersed is now filled with water a little above the level of the valve g, and
a fresh supply of water is caused to circulate freely around the casing of the
condenser during the whole time of the operation, the entrance of the water
being near the bottom of the chamber B, and its exit near the entrance of the
steam pipe a. The engine may be now set to work, and after a few
strokes the sliding tube is gradually lowered until the valve 9 only opens
momentarily at every stroke of the engine, at which time the proper
height of the tube is obtained. In order in some degree to neutralize the
waving of the water in the condenser when applied to the engine of a steam
vessel which has to encounter heavy seas, I propose to adapt to the condenser
vertical cross partitions, which shall rise a little above the level of the water,
and have outlets at their lower part to allow of the free circulation of the
g

page_text: lower and colder stratum of the water. Another modification of my improve-
ments is, substituting a vertical closed tube C in place of the air entrance pipe
r and glass gauge ball p, which tube C is bolted to the top of the chamber B,
and is in connection therewith. The object of this tube is to compensate for
the air carried away by the flow of water up the pipe e; a further supply of
water entering the chamber B by the valve h and rising in a column up the
tube C, the weight of this column of water will produce a similar effect to
the compressed air before mentioned in the space d.
Having now described my Invention, and the manner in which the same is
to be carried into effect, I wish it to be understood that under the above in
part recited Letters Patent, I claim the peculiar construction of machinery
or apparatus, as above described and shewn in the Drawing, for condensing
steam or other vapors; and I also claim any modification of such apparatus
wherein the pressure of the steam or vapor from the engine is enabled to
act upon the fluid contained in the condenser, and cause it to pass through the
uncondensed vapor in a divided form, for the purpose of drawing off the heat
of such vapor and effecting its condensation in an effective and economical
manner.
In witness whereof, I, the said Christian Schiele, have hereunto set my
hand and seal, this Twenty-sixth day of November, in the year of our
Lord One then
L
CHRISTIAN (L.s.) SCHIELE.
AND BE IT REMEMBERED, that on the same Twenty-sixth day of Novem-
ber, in the year above mentioned, the aforesaid Christian Schiele came before
5 our Lady the Queen in Her Chancery, and acknowledged the Specification
aforesaid, and all and every thing therein contained, in form above written.
And also the Specification aforesaid was stamped according to the tenor of the
Statute in that case made and provided.