IMPROVEMENTS IN APPARATUS FOR HEATING AND COOLING ATMOSPHERIC AIR AND OTHER AERIFORM BODIES, AND FOR HEATING OVENS, AND FOR HEATING AND VENTILATING BUILDINGS
Year: 1865

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Loftus Perkins, of Francis Street, Gray's Inn Road,
in the County of Middlesex, for the Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN
APPARATUS FOR HEATING AND COOLING ATMOSPHERIC AIR AND OTHER AERIFORM
BODIES, AND FOR HEATING OVENS, AND FOR HEATING AND VENTILATING
BUILDINGS."
Sealed the 29th August 1865, and dated the 7th March 1865.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Loftus Perkins at the
Office of the Commissioners of l'atents, with his Petition, on the
7th March 1865.
I, LOFTUS PERKINS, of Francis Street, Gray's Inn Road, in the County of
Middlesex, do hereby declare the nature of the said Invention for "IMPROVE
MENTS IN APPARATUS FOR HEATING AND COOLING ATMOSPHERIC AIR AND OTHER
AERIFORM BODIES AND FOR HEATING OVENS, AND POR HEATING AND VENTILATING
BUILDINGS," to be as follows:-
This Invention has for its object improvements in apparatus for heating
and cooling atmospheric air and other aeriform bodies, and for heating ovens,
and for heating and ventilating buildings. For these purposes iron or steel
tubes, or it may be tubes of copper or other suitable metal, are used, which
are closed at both ends by welding, or by brazing, or soldering, so as to make

page_text: the closed ends stronger than or as strong as may be in relation to the other
parts of the tubes, and capable of resisting more than the maximum pressure.
Each tube will be required to bear without leaking and without melting the
braze or solder when such materials are used for closing the ends. It is,
however, preferred to employ wrought iron or steel tubes, welded at both
ends, series of such tubes may be arranged and made up into apparatus for
heating and cooling air in various ways; thus supposing it is required to warm
and ventilate a hall, or room, or other part of a building, a cluster of such
tubes is used by preference in an upright position. At the lower end of the
cluster of tubes a furnace or fire-place is constructed, which may be of a more
or less ornamental character, and such may be the case in respect to the
arrangement of the cluster or set of tubes. One end of each tube is first
closed, and then there is introduced a quantity of water, or it may be other
fluid, but water is preferred except when the apparatus is intended for
producing a cooling effect when ether or other highly volatile fluid is used.
The quantity of water introduced into each tube is generally such as to extend
above the parts which are to be subjected to the action of heat, excepting in
cases where a comparatively considerable length of a tube is subjected to
the heat, then the other end of each tube is to be closed by welding when the
tube is of iron or steel, or by the other means above mentioned; and the
peculiarity of the Invention is that there is to be a quantity of water extending
beyond the direct action of the heat, so that there will be a constant evapora-
tion and conversion into steam of part of the water, whilst the part of each
tube subjected to the heat will be full of water; the steam in the other parts
of the tube will constantly condense on the interior surface of each of the
tubes, and will descend down to the water not evaporated. It is not
essential when warming and ventilating rooms and parts of buildings that the
tubes should be vertical or arranged in clusters or parallel to each other, as
they may be arranged in planes or in curved lines, or may be more or less
inclined either to each other or to the horizon, so long as the condensed water
or fluid will run back to the heated ends of the tubes.
In constructing ovens, also hot rooms for baking bread and other articles,
and for drying, and for various other purposes, the bottoms, tops, sides, and
ends, or any of these parts, may thus be heated, using the series of such tubes
horizontally inclined or vertically, according to the special requirement of
each case.

page_text: SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent, filed
by the said Loftus Perkins in the Great Seal Patent Office on the
7th September 1865.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, LOFTUS
PERKINS, of Francis Street, Gray's Inn Road, in the County of Middlesex,
send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her Letters
Patent, bearing date the Seventh day of March, in the year of our Lord One
thousand eight hundred and sixty-five, in the twenty-eighth year of Her reign,
did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant unto me, the said
Loftus Perkins, Her special licence that I, the said Loftus Perkins, my.
executors, administrators, and assigns, or such others as I, the said Loftus
Perkins, my executors, administrators, and assigns, should at any time agree
with, and no others, from time to time and at all times thereafter during the
term therein expressed, should and lawfully might make, use, exercise, and
vend, within the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland, the Channel
Islands, and Isle of Man, an Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN APPARATUS FOR
HEATING AND COOLING ATMOSPHERIC AIR AND OTHER AERIFORM BODIES, AND FOR
HEATING OVENS, AND FOR HEATING AND VENTILATING BUILDINGS," upon the
condition (amongst others) that I, the said Loftus Perkins, my executors or
administrators, by an instrument in writing under my, or their, or one of their
hands and seals, should particularly describe and ascertain the nature of the
said Invention, and in what manner the same was to be performed, and
cause the same to be filed in the Great Seal Patent Office within six calendar
months next and immediately after the date of the said Letters Patent.
NOW KNOW YE, that I, the said Loftus Perkins, do hereby declare the
nature of the said Invention, and in what manner the same is to be per-
formed, to be particularly described and ascertained in and by the following
statement thereof, that is to say:-
This Invention has for its object improvements in apparatus for heating and
cooling atmospheric air and other aeriform bodies, and for heating ovens and
for heating and ventilating buildings. For these purposes iron or steel tubes, or
it may be tubes of copper or other suitable metal, are used, which are closed
at both ends by welding or by brazing or soldering, so as to make the closed
ends stronger than or as strong as may be in relation to the other parts of the
tubes, and capable of resisting more than the maximum pressure; each tube
will be required to bear without leaking and without melting the braze or
solder when such materials are used for closing the ends. It is, however,

page_text: preferred to employ wrought iron or steel tubes welded at both ends. One end
of each tube is first closed, and then there is introduced a quantity of water,
or it may be other fluid, but water is preferred, except when the apparatus is
intended for producing a cooling effect, when ether or other highly volatile
fluid is used, and afterwards the other end of each tube is closed. A series of
such tubes may be arranged and made up into apparatus for heating and
cooling air in various ways; thus, supposing it is required to warm a hall, or
room, or other part of a building, a cluster of such tubes is used, the tubes
being placed by preference in an upright position. At the lower end of the
cluster of tubes a furnace or fire-place is constructed, which, together with the
case containing the cluster or set of tubes, may be of a more or less ornamental
⚫ character.
The portions of the tubes which are exposed to the action of the fire being
full of water, there will be a constant evaporation and conversion into steam
of part of the water; and this steam in the upper parts of the tubes will
constantly condense, and will descend down to be again evaporated, and so
the tubes are kept uniformly heated from end to end. It is not essential
when warming rooms and parts of buildings that the tubes should be vertical
or arranged in clusters or parallel to each other, as they may be arranged in
planes or in curved lines, or may be more or less inclined either to each other
or to the horizon so long as the condensed water or fluid will run back to the
heated ends of the tubes.
In constructing ovens and also hot rooms for baking bread and other
articles, and for drying and for various other purposes, the bottoms, tops,
sides, and ends, or any of these parts of the oven or chamber, may thus be
heated, using the series of such tubes inclined or vertically, according to the
special requirement of each case.
For ventilating rooms and buildings a set or coil of pipes of this description
may be arranged in connection with an opening at the upper part of the room
or building at the same time that air is admitted by another opening or
openings at the lower part.
Figure 1 of the annexed Drawings shows a vertical section of an apparatus
constructed according to my Invention for warming a room or building;
Figure 2 is a section of the same, taken at the line A, B, Figure 1. a, a,
are the pipes; one of them is shown in section; and a transverse section of the
same, full size, is shown at Figure 3; they are, by preference, made of wrought
iron and welded up at the ends, care of course being taken in making the
second weld to keep the other end of the tube containing the water the lowest
until the weld is complete. The quantity of water placed in the tube should

page_text: be such as to ensure the part of the tube on which the fire acts shall be
always full of water, and I generally allow a considerable margin, but the
quantity of water must not be too great, or the tubes will not heat properly
from end to end. The quantity of water is indicated in the Drawings, and
the amount so shown is amply sufficient. is a fire-box, lined with fire-brick,
into which the lower end of the tubes are inserted; care the fire-bars in the
centre of the group of pipes; d is an ornamental casing masking the pipes.
Figure 4 shows in section a heating apparatus suitable for a room or
building, which may be employed when it is desired to use a greater extent of
heating surface at a lower temperature. a, a, is a coil of pipe placed in the
room or building to be heated; it may be conveniently pewter or lead pipe,
such as is used in gasfitting. The coil is closed at its upper end, and from
the lower end a pipe proceeds downwards to another coil b, which is contained
in a vessel c, in which is water kept boiling by a fire or in any other way, may
the lower coil be exposed to a moderate heat. In making the coil, when the
lower end has been soldered up, sufficient water is introduced into the tube to
fill the upper coil with steam at atmospheric pressure, or more may be used,
but the quantity should not be greater than can be contained by the lower
coil b. Then this water is heated, and at the same time, by an air pump
connected with the upper end of the coil a, the air is pumped out of the
system as completely as possible, and then the upper end of the coil a is bent
over and soldered up. There being then a vacuum in the tube, the water in
the coil will boil long before the water in the open vessel c; and so long as
the water in the vessel c is warm, the apparatus will continue in action,
evaporation taking place in the coil b, and condensation in the coila. The
fire in this arrangement may be in the basement of the building or in other
convenient locality.
For ventilating a building a coil such as is shown in this Figure 4 may be
mounted at the top of a building immediately under an aperture leading to
the open air, whilst air is at the same time admitted at the lower part of the
building or room. Where the object is to cool the air of a room or building,
a similar apparatus may be employed, except that the coil 6 should be above
in place of below the coil a. The coil a in this case is filled with ether or
volatile liquid, and a vacuum having been made, the coil is sealed. The
coil b is then kept cool by immersing it in a cooling liquid, or by keeping it
moist whilst exposed to a current of air, or by other convenient means.
Figure 6 shows a side view of a portable oven arranged according to my
Invention; Figure 7 is a longitudinal section, Figure 8 a transverse section,
and Figure 9 an end view of the same,

page_text: a, a, is the baking chamber, consisting of a wrought-iron case, with a
balanced door b at one end for the introduction and withdrawal of the bread;
c is another outer casing of iron, and the space between the two is filled with
lime, to prevent the escape of heat, and with the same object this casing c is
surrounded with felt d, and over this there is a wooden case e; f, f, are two
rows of water pipes, similar to those described in respect to Figure 1; sections
of these pipes are shown at Figures 3 and 10. One of the rows of pipes fis
at the bottom of the baking chamber a, and the other at the top thereof, and
immediately over the lower row is the tray g for receiving the bread or articles
to be baked. is the fire-box, lined with fire-brick, and into it the tubes f, f
project, as is shown; i is a passage at the top of the fire-box, for the draft to
pass to the chimney k, which is shown laying down for travelling; lis a damper
slide, for regulating the opening i, and so adjusting the heat of the oven; m is
a thermometer to indicate the temperature in the baking chamber; and nis
a pressure gauge applied to one of the tubes.
The method of arranging the portable oven for carriage is clearly shown in
the Drawing; it forms no part of the Invention, therefore a detailed description
of it is unnecessary.
It is evident that hot rooms and drying chambers may be arranged in a
similar manner with a greater or less number of tubes, according to the heat
required, also that by a similar arrangement any aeriform body may be
heated.
Having thus described the nature of my said Invention, and the manner of
performing the same, I would have it understood that what I claim is the use
of tubes sealed at both ends, and containing water or other volatilizable liquid
in heating and cooling atmospheric air and aeriform bodies, and in heating
ovens, and in heating and ventilating buildings as herein described.
In witness whereof, I, the said Loftus Perkins, have hereunto set my
hand and seal, this Sixth day of September, in the year of our Lord
One thousand eight hundred and sixty-five.
LOFTUS PERKINS. (L.S.)