Improvements in and Connected with Means for Diminishing the Condensation of Steam in the Cylinders and Accessory Parts of Steam Engines, and in the Means or Mode of Promoting Evaporation of the Water Existing in or Carried by the said Steam.
Year: 1888

page_text: Date of Application, 9th Mar., 1888
Complete Specification Left, 10th Dec., 1888
Complete Specification Accepted, 8th Mar., 1889
Improvements in and Connected with Means for Diminishing the
Condensation of Steam in the Cylinders and Accessory Parts
of Steam Engines, and in the Means or Mode of Promoting
Evaporation of the Water Existing in or Carried by the said
Steam.
αναμαζανsum
Steam.
BWAR
I, JAMES CARLTON STITT, of 17 Water Street, Liverpool, in the County of
Lancaster, Engineer, do hereby declare the nature of my said invention to be
as follows:
When steam from a steam generator enters a cylinder of a steam engine it has
been found that a certain portion of it condenses. It is also found that under certain
conditions more or less water exists in the steam entering the cylinder or cylinders of
the engine and that in "compound engines" water is carried over in the steam passing
from one cylinder to another.
Now the object of this Invention is to prevent the waste of steam or heat that
must occur if steam is condensed as stated, or the further waste that must take place
if such water passes through the engines to the condenser or air as the case may
be. To this end my Invention firstly consists in diminishing the amount of con-
densation of the steam entering or used in the cylinders of steam engines, and it
further consists in effecting the re-evaporation of the said water that exists in the
steam and comes over from one cylinder of the compound type to the other. These
ends I carry out in the manner I will now proceed to describe.
With reference to the first head of my invention I provide the top and bottom of
the piston and the top and bottom of the cylinder, that is to say, inside of the bottom
and underside of the cover of the cylinder and other non-wearing surfaces of the
engine, or any of them, which, are prezented or exposed to the steam, with a material
which is a bad conductor of heat. This material may consist of enamel-preferably
of the kind used for coating hardwares,--or like material; or asbestos and other non-
conducting material.

page_text: When the enamel is employed it may be applied either directly to the surfaces of
the above named parts that is, the said surfaces are "enamelled;" or it may be applied
to the parts in the form of enamelled plates, in which case such plates would be firmly
secured to the surfaces of the said parts. This enamel or the enamelled plates may
be applied to all or to a part only of the surfaces according to the conditions or
requirements of any particular application.
When I use asbestos or other non-conducting material requiring a considerable
thickness to give it the necessary strength to resist pressure and other disintegrating
tendencies, apply it to the parts specified in a plurality of pieces and hold such
pieces to the surfaces by suitable metallic strips plates or grooves, and the portion of
the plates or strips presented to the steam may if desired be enamelled.
Regarding the further carrying out of the objects of my invention, namely, the
prevention of loss of heat in the manner above described I pass the steam coming
from one cylinder to another over surfaces heated to a higher temperature than that
of itself and the necessary heat I obtain entirely or to a considerable degree from or
by the heat of the "waste gases" leaving the steam generator which I transmit or
This heat may
convey to the said surfaces over which the working steam is passed.
be conveyed to the said heating surfaces by steau, water or air the fluid used being
first passed through and heated in a system of tubes conveniently placed in the space
through which the hot waste gases pass, after leaving the steam generator. Or, the
waste hot gases themselves might be conveyed to the said surface instead of using one
of the vehicles above specified:
If water is used for the purpose specified it must be heated under pressure to give
it the necessary temperature and after use for heating the working steam as described,
it may be fed into the boiler.
When steam is used as a vehicle for conveying the waste heat it is preferably of a
lower
and
pressure, may be taken from the generator at reduced pressure by being
passed through a reducing valve, or it may be drawn from some part of the engine
after it has done work in one or more cylinders of the engine.
In all cases as already stated the heating fluid must be of a greater temperature
than the steam passing from one cylinder to another or others.
The means, devices or apparatus through which the heating fluid is passed or used
for heating the working steam in passing from one cylinder of the engine to another
or others, are various, and may take various forms. For instanco it may consist of
casings surrounding the working steam passages; or a system of tubes which are
heated by the heating fluid and through which such heating fluid is passed whilst the
working steam passes over them; or vice versa : Devices of this latter kind may be
placed inside the ordinary casings or passages, or preferably the working steam might
be passed through the devices by a duct placed outside the casing and between the
cylinders of the engine.
In this specification when 1 refer to "compound engines" I mean that kind of
engines in which the expansion of the steam is carried on in two, three or niore grades
and cylinders.

page_text: Condensation of Steam in the Cylinders and Accessory Parts
of Steam Engines, and in the Means or Mode of Promoting
Evaporation of the Water Existing in or Carried by the said
Steam.
I, JAMES CARLTON STITT, of 17 Water Street, Liverpool in the County of
Lancaster, Engineer, do hereby declare the nature of my said invention and in
what manner the same is to be performed, to be particularly described and
ascertained in and by the following statement :-
When steam from a steam generator enters a cylinder of a steam engine it has been
found that a certain portion of it condenses. It is also found that under certain con-
ditions more or less water exists in the steam entering the cylinder or cylinders of the
engine, and that in "compound engines" water is carried over in the steam passing
from one cylinder to another.
Now the object of this Invention is to prevent the waste of steam or heat that must
occur if steam is condensed as stated, or the further waste, if such water passes
through the engines to the condenser or air, as the case may be. To this end my
Invention firstly consists in effecting tho re-evaporation of the said water that exists
in the steam and comes over from one cylinder of an engine of the compound type to
the other; these ends I carry out in the manner I will now proceed to describe.
With reference to the first head of my Invention I provide the top and bottom of
the piston and the top and bottom of the cylinder, that is to say, the inside of the
bottom and under-side of the cover of the cylinder, and other non-wearing surfaces
of the engine, or any of them, which are presented or exposed to the steam, with a
material which is a bad conductor of heat. This material may consist of enamel-
preferably of the kind used for coating hardwares, or like material; or asbestos, and
other non-conducting material.
When the enamel is employed, it may be applied either directly to the surfaces of
the above named parts (that is, the said surfaces are "enamelled "), or it may be
applied to the parts in the form of enamelled plates, in which case such plates would
be firmly secured to the surfaces of the said parts. This enamel or the enamelled
plates may be applied to all or to a part only of the surfaces, according to the con-
ditions or requirements of any particular application.
When I use asbestos or other non-conducting material requiring a considerable
thickness to give it the necessary strength to resist pressure and other disintegrating
tendencies, I apply it to the parts specified in a plurality of pieces, and hold such
pieces to the surfaces by suitable metallic strips, plates or grooves, and the portion of
the plates or strips presented to the steam may, if desired, be enamelled.
Regarding the further carrying out of the objects of my Invention namely, the
prevention of loss of heat in the manner above described, I pass the steam coming

page_text: from one cylinder to another over surfaces heated to a higher temperature than that
of itself; and the necessary beat I obtain entirely or to a considerable degree from or
by the heat of the "waste gases" leaving the steam generator, which I transmit or
convey to the said surfaces over which the working steam is passed. This heat may
be conveyed to the said heating surfaces by steam, water or air, the fluid used being
first passed through and heated in a system of tubes, conveniently placed in the space,
through which the hot waste gases pass, after leaving the steam generator.
waste hot gases themselves might be conveyed to the said surface instead of using one
of the vehicles above specified.
Or, the
If water is used for the purpose specified it must be heated under pressure to
give it the necessary temperature, and after having been used for heating the
working steam as described, it may be fed into the boiler.
When steam is used as a vehicle for carrying the waste heat, it is preferably
of a less pressure than that used in the engine, and may be taken from the generator
at reduced pressure by being passed through a reducing valve, or it may be drawn
from some part of the engine after it has done work in one or more cylinders of the
engine.
•
In all cases as already stated the heating fluid must be of a greater temperature
than the steam passing from one cylinder to another or others.
The means, devices or apparatus through which the heating fluid is passed, or used
for heating the working steam in passing from one cylinder of the engine to another
or others, are varions, and may take various forms. For instance it may consist of
casings surrounding the working steam passages; or a system of tubes which are heated
by the heating fluid, and through which such heating fluid is passed whilst the working
steam passes over them; or vice versa. Devices of this latter 'kind may be placed
inside the ordinary casings or passages, or preferably the working steam might be
passed through the devices by a duct or chamber placed outside the casing and between
the cylinders of the engine.
In this specification when I refer to "compound engines" I mean those engines
in which the expansion of the steam is carried on in two, three, or more grades and
cylinders.
In the drawings which serve to illustrate my Invention are shown two of the modes
hereinafter mentioned by which the prevention of condensation may be carried out,
namely one, in Figures 12 and 3, in plan, sectional elevation, and cross section, shows
the mode of securing plates having enamelled surfaces, to the top and bottom surfaces
of a piston. Another in Figures 4 and 5 shows the mode in which asbestos putty, or
like comparatively weak material, is applied to the surfaces of the non-working parts
of a steam engine which come in contact with the steam. And the apparatus
illustrated in Figure 6 shows, in sectional plan, the means by which the water carried
by the steam passing from one cylinder to another of a compound steam engine is
evaporated.
At
With reference in the first instance to Figure 1. 2 and 3, A is a piston, and a
designates the plates, the outer surface, that is, the surface exposed to the action, or
subjected to contact of the steam, thereof being provided with vitreous enamel.
The plates a are constructed in the form of radiating strips and are secured to the
top and bottom surfaces of the piston by bars b, as shown in the Figures.
the top ef the piston it will be seen the ends of the bars b come under the nut D
at the centre of the piston and abutt against the inner edge of the junk ring Di
at the periphery of the piston; whilst at the bottom of the piston the bars are
held at one end by the collar 1, and the edges of the plato a at the periphery
of the piston are held by studs c; like studs being used to hold the bars bor
plates wherever required.
In Figures 4 and 5 it will be seen, the asbestos putty, or other like material
is held in place in dovetail grooves formed in the surface of the metal. The
ridges (which are equivalent to the bars b) may in this case be enamelled so that
the whole surface presents a bad conductor of heat to the steam, but of a composite
nature.

page_text: The kind of enamel which may be suitably employed is that commonly used on
enamelled cooking utensils, namely, that which will withstand the temperature of
steam used in engines, of the kind specified, without disintegration.
are
In Figure 6 Grepresents the exhaust port of the high pressure cylinder H of
any ordinary triple compound expansion engine, g' is the valvo face of this cylinder,
and I is the valve chest of the low or intermediate pressure cylinder, being the
valve face. K is a chamber communicating between the ports G and J,
tubes traversing said chamber and fixed in tubo plates 2. LL' are inlet and outlet
chests, respectively, by which the heating fluid is conducted to and distributed
through the tubes k¹, such fluid being introduced to and from said chests by
pipes 12, 13.
"
For convenience it may be assumed that the fluid used to pass through and heat
the tubes is superheated steam, the heat of which has been mostly obtained
from the
$ wasto gases from the steam generator, and that the steam used bas done
work in one or more cylinders of the engine, in the manner proposed in the speci-
fication of application for Letters Patent No. 28509. As above stated the temperature
of the steam must be greater than that issuing from tho high pressure cylinder, say
from 20 to 50 degrees Fahrt. greater. It will then be evident that the working
steam from the cylindor H in passing over the tubes of the chamber K will, by the
greater beat of such tubes, due to the superheated steam passing through them, be
raised in temperature, and the water carried by such steam will be transformed into
steam and will be so rendered useful in the next, or intermediate cylinder.
In a triple compound engine a chamber K may be used also between the inter-
mediate and low pressure cylinders.
If the fluid used to heat the tubes be water it must be heated under pressure
in order to raise its temperature to the requisite height and forced through the
apparatus: If however, it be oil baving a higher boiling point than the temperature
required, its pressure need only be that of the atmosphere. The oil or water may
be heated in a similar manner to the steam just described. The converse arrange-
ment of the apparatus illustrated in Figure 6 would consist of connecting the ports G
and J with the covers L and L, respectively, and causing the heating fluid to pass
around the tubes k¹ in the chamber K by connecting the pipes 12 1³ to it.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said
Invention, and illustrated some arrangements or constructions of devices or means
by which the Invention may be conveniently carried out I would state that the
forms and constructions herein set forth and illustrated may be modified in various
ways, as will be obvious to Engineers and others, and that therefore the scope of this
Invention is not limited or confined to these, or any particular forms or arrangements
of parts, by which the Invention is put into practical operation, but I declare that
what I claim in respect of the herein described Invention is:-
:-
1. The improvement herein described for preventing the condensation of steam in
the cylinders, and the accessory parts thereof of steam engines, which consists in the
application to the surfaces of the pistons or other non-wearing surfaces, or any of
then, which are presented or exposed to the steam employed in, or passing through
them, of enamel or other like bad conductor of heat.
2. The improvement herein described for preventing the condensation of steam in
the cylinders, and the accessory parts thereof of steam engines, which consists in the
application to the surfaces of the cylinders and pistons and other non-wearing surfaces,
or any of them, which are presented or exposed to the steam employed in or passing
through them, of asbestos or other like bad conductor of heat, let into or held in place
upon the surface of the metal, substantially in the manner set forth.
3. In the application of enamel to the non-wearing surfaces of cylinders and their
accessory parts, of steam engines, the employment of plates having enamelled surfaces,
and said plates being secured or attached to said surfaces, in the manner herein
described or any mere modification thereof.

page_text: 4. Effecting the evaporation of water carried by the steam in its passage from one
cylinder of a compound engine to another, by passing it over a surface heated by
steam, water, or other fluid heated to a higher temperature than that of the steam
passing from the one cylinder to the other, by the waste heat of the gases from a
steam generator or generators.
.
5. Apparatus for heating the steam and effecting the evaporation of water carried
by such steam in its passage from one cylinder of a compound engine to another,
comprising a chamber having a passage or series of passages, through which either
the said steam or a heating fluid is passed, and a pipe or series of pipes or passages
adapted to be subjected to the heat of the "waste gases of a steam generator, (by
which said heating fluid has its heat imported to it), and connected to said chamber or
the said passage or passages thereof by a pipe.
6. The apparatus set forth with reference to Figure 6, consisting, mainly, of a
chamber K having tubes k¹ and covers L, L' said chamber K being in communication
with the exhaust passage of one cylinder of the engine, and the inlet passage of the
next cylinder thereof.
JAMES
CARLTON STITT.
By Cheesbrough & Royston,
15, Water Street, Liverpool,
Patent Agents.