AN IMPROVED SELF-ACTING ESCAPE VALVE FOR DRAWING OFF' THE CONDENSED FLUIDS FROM STEAM ENGINES, PIPES, AND OTHER STEAM VESSELS
Year: 1869

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Samuel Chatwood, of Bolton-le-Moors, in the
County of Lancaster, Safe and Lock Engineer, and James Crompton,
of Bolton-le-Moors, in the County of Lancaster, Engineer, for the
Invention of "AN IMPROVED SELF-ACTING ESCAPE VALVE FOR DRAWING OFF'
THE CONDENSED FLUIDS FROM STEAM ENGINES, PIPES, AND OTHER STEAM
VESSELS."
Sealed the 3rd May 1870, and dated the 4th December 1869.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Samuel Chatwood and
James Crompton at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents,
with their Petition, on the 4th December 1869.
We, SAMUEL CHATWOOD, of Bolton-le-Moors, in the County of Lan
caster, Safe and Lock Engineer, and JAMES CROMPTON, of Bolton-le-
Moors, in the County of Lancaster, Engineer, do hereby declare the
nature of the said Invention for "AN IMPROVED SELF-ACTING ESCAPE VALVE
FOR DRAWING OFF THE CONDENSED FLUIDS FROM STEAM ENGINES, PIPES, AND OTHER
STEAM VESSELS," to be as follows:---
This Invention has for its object an improved self-acting escape valve
for drawing off the condensed fluids from steam engines, pipes, and
other steam vessels.

page_text: For this purpose we apply to the waste water pipe of the engine
cylinder, or such other steam vessel as the apparatus may be used for,
an apparatus consisting of a short vertical pipe open at the top, which
should be at a lower level than the cylinder or other steam vessel.
Around the upper part of the pipe is formed a valve face, the face
being downwards.
The upper part of the pipe with the valve face
above-mentioned is enclosed within a small vessel closed at the top and
having at its lower end a neck which fits on a parallel part of the pipe
below the valve face and carries a corresponding valve seating set with
its face upwards, so that when the vessel is lifted up the valve and
seating are in close and steam-tight contact, and wlien the vessel drops
the seatings separate and allow any fluid contained in the vessel to
escape through grooves or openings left in the neck.
The action of this apparatus is as follows:-When steam only is in the
pipes the vessel is pressed upwards owing to the internal area of the
vessel being greater at the top than at the bottom by the amount of the
area of the valve face, and thereby the valve and face.are closed together.
so as to prevent the escape of steam. When water is formed in the
pipe by the condensation of the steam it gradually accumulates in, the
closed vessel until by its weight it overcomes the upward pressure of
the steam and causes the vessel to drop, thereby opening the valve and
allowing the water to flow out through the openings in the neck until
the weight of the vessel and its contents falls below the upward pressure
of the steam, which then lifts the vessel upwards again, thereby closing
the valve and preventing the escape of any steam. We place above the
mouth of the vertical pipe above mentioned a guard, against which when
the valve opens the condensed fluids are driven by the pressure in the
steam vessel, so that by their downward reaction they tend to keep the
vessel down and the valve open until the vessel is empty or nearly so.
We also apply a weighted lever to the closed vessel by which the valve
may be weighted more or less by moving the weight along the lever so
as to n
regulate it to suit the pressure of steam in the engine or other
steam vessel to which the apparatus is applied. The same end may
also be effected by applying weights directly to the valve without the
intervention of a lever.
;

page_text: SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent,
filed by the said Samuel Chatwood and James Crompton in the
Great Seal Patent Office on the 4th June 1870.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, we, SAMUEI.
CHATWOOD, of Bolton-le-Moors, in the County of Lancaster, Safe and
Lock Engineer, and JAMES CROMPTON, of Bolton-le-Moors, in the County
of Lancaster, Engineer, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her
Letters Patent, bearing date the Fourth day of December, in the year
of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and sixty-nine, in the thirty-
third year of Her reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors,
give and grant unto us, the said Samuel Chatwood and James Crompton,
Her special licence, that we, the said Samuel Chatwood and James
Crompton, our executors, administrators, and assigns, or such others as
we, the said Samuel Chatwood and James Crompton, our 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 ex-
pressed, 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 "AN IMPROVED SELF-ACTING ESCAPE
VALVE FOR DRAWING OFF THE CONDENSED FLUIDS FROM STEAM ENGINES, PIPES, AND
OTHER STEAM VESSELS," upon the condition (amongst others) that we, the
said Samuel Chatwood and James Crompton, our executors or adminis-
trators, by an instrument in writing under our or their hands and seals,'
or under the hand and seal of one of us or them, 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 Samuel Chatwood, on behalf of
myself and the said James Crompton, do hereby declare the nature of
the said Invention, and in what manner the same is .to, be performed,
to be particularly described and ascertained in and by the following
statement thereof, that is to say:-
This Invention has for its object "An Improved Self-acting Escape
Valve for Drawing off the Condensed Fluids from Steam Engines, Pipes,`
and other Steam Vessels.'

page_text: For this purpose we apply to the waste water pipe of the engine
cylinder, or such other steam vessel as the apparatus may be used for,
an apparatus consisting of a short vertical pipe open at the top, which
should be at a lower level than the cylinder or other steam vessel.
Around the upper part of the pipe is formed a valve face, the face being
downwards. The upper part of the pipe with the valve face above
mentioned is enclosed within a small vessel closed at the top and having
at its lower end a neck, which fits on a parallel part of the pipe below
the valve face and carries a corresponding valve seating set with its face
upwards, so that when the vessel is lifted up the valve and seating are
in close and steam-tight contact, and when the vessel drops the seatings
separate and allow any fluid contained in the vessel to escape through
grooves or openings left in the neck.
The action of this apparatus is as follows:-When steam only is
in the pipes the vessel is pressed upwards owing to the internal area of
the vessel being greater at the tap than at the bottom by the amount of
the area of the valve face, and thereby the valve and face are closed
together so as to prevent the escape of steam. When water is formed
in the pipe by the condensation of the steam it gradually accumulates in
the closed vessel, until by its weight it overcomes the upward pressure
of the steam and causes the vessel to drop, thereby opening the valve
and allowing the water to flow out through the openings in the neck
until the weight of the vessel and its contents falls below the upward
pressure of the steam, which then lifts the vessel upwards again, thereby
closing the valve and preventing the escape of any steam. We place
above the mouth of the vertical pipe above mentioned a guard, against
which when the valve opens the condensed fluids are driven by the
pressure in the steam vessel, so that by their downward reaction they
tend to keep the vessel down and the valve open until the vessel is
empty or nearly so. We also apply a weighted lever to the closed
vessel, by which the valve may be weighted more or less by moving the
weight along the lever so as to regulate it to suit the pressure of steam
in the engine or other steam vessel to which the apparatus is applied.
The same end may also be effected by applying weights directly to the
valve without the intervention of a lever, or a spring might be employed
in place of a weight..
And in order that our Invention may be fully understood and readily
carried into effect, we have in the Drawings hereunto, annexed shewn
two modifications of an apparatus such as is above described.

page_text: Figure 1 shews a vertical section of one arrangement of the apparatus
in which the vessel wherein the condensed water accumulates is drawn
downwards by a weighted lever; Figure 2 shows a vertical section of a
similar apparatus in which a spring is employed in place of a weight to
draw the vessel down. In each of the Figures the same letters of
reference refer to similar parts.
a is the short vertical pipe having the valve face b at its upper part;
e is the vessel closed at the top and having at its lower part the neck d
which carries the valve seating e corresponding to the valve face b;
ff, are the grooves through which the condensed liquid is to escape;
g is the guard carried above the upper end of the vertical pipe a. The
steam enters at k, and the condensed liquid is conducted off through the
outlet. The shape of the casting forming the lower part of the
apparatus may be considerably varied.
In the arrangement shown at Figure 1 the outlet pipe is carried off
horizontally, whilst in the arrangement shewn at Figure 2 it is carried
down vertically. The form of the vessel c may also be varied.
The weighted lever shewn at Figure 1 for drawing downwards
the vessel c is marked h, and the springs shewn in Figure 2 for
drawing the vessel downwards are marked m. The springs can readily be
adjusted to the strength required by screwing up and unscrewing the
nuts n.
Having thus described the nature of our Invention, and the manner
of performing the same, we would have it understood that what we
claim is, the combined arrangement of apparatus herein described for
drawing off condensed fluids from steam engines, pipes, and other steam
vessels.
In witness whereof, I, the said Samuel Chatwood, have hereunto
set my hand and seal, this Second day of June, in the year of
our Lord One thousand eight hundred and seventy.