A NEW OR IMPROVED PROCESS OR MEANS OF AND APPARATUS FOR EMPLOYING STEAM IN STEAM ENGINES
Year: 1880

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to William Henry Beck, of 139, Cannon Street, in the City
of London, Consulting Engineer and Patent Agent, for an Invention of
"A NEW OR IMPROVED PROCESS OR MEANS OF AND APPARATUS FOR
EMPLOYING STEAM IN STEAM ENGINES." A communication from abroad by
Jean Claude Crozet, Emile Crozet, & Alphonse Demenge, Engineers, all of
Paris in the Ranublic of France
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said William Henry Beck at the
Office of the Commissioners of Patents on the 4th August 1880.
WILLIAM HENRY BECK, of 139, Cannon Street, in the City of London, Consulting
Engineer and Patent Agent. "A NEW OR IMPROVED PROCESS OR MEANS OF AND
APPARATUS FOR EMPLOYING STEAM IN STEAM ENGINES." [A communication from
abroad by Jean Claude Crozet, Emile Crozet, & Alphonse Demenge, Engineers, all
of Paris, in the Republic of France.]
The Invention consists in taking steam at high pressure, in expanding it down
to the pressures usually employed in steam engines, and in using the work of this
expansion to draw away, by suitable means, a part of the exhaust steam or other
fluid, and in utilizing the mixture thus obtained for working any kind of steam
engine whatever.
The apparatus for effecting this object comprises,―
Firstly. An ordinary steam cylinder.
Secondly. A high pressure steam generator or boiler.
Thirdly. A receiver for the exhaust steam.
Fourthly. A mean pressure receiver for the mixture of fluids at high and low
pressure.
Fifthly. An injector, ejector, or extractor (hereinafter for shortness designated
the injector) for effecting the mixture of the fluids at bigh and low pressure. This
apparatus may be analogous to that well known under those names or to any other
apparatus in which steam at high pressure is used to introduce steam or fluid of
lower pressure into the mean pressure receiver.
Sixthly. Pipes for placing the injector in communication with the boiler and
with the two receivers above named. Pipes for the admission and exhaust to

page_text: and from the cylinder, a small starting pipe, various cocks or valves, and all the
usual appliances for securing safety in working.
Seventhly. An equilibrium valve placed upon the exhaust receiver. This valve,
which is pressed down by a spring, rises when the pressure of the exhaust exceeds
that for which the spring has been adjusted, and allows a certain quantity of steam
to escape.
Eighthly. A regulator for maintaining a sensibly constant pressure in the mean
pressure receiver. It is composed of a cylinder in which a piston moves. This
piston is pressed by a spring which may be tightened up at pleasure by suitable
adjusting means. The rod of the piston may act directly or through intermediate
parts upon the needle of the injector to regulate the supply of high pressure
steam.
The apparatus is set to work in the following manner :-
All the cocks or valves are shut except those leading from the boiler to the steam
cylinder, and one on the mean pressure receiver. When the desired pressure of the
exhaust has been attained in the exhaust receiver, the equilibrium valve will allow
steam to escape, the cocks or valves which open communication between the injector
and the boiler and exhaust receiver are. opened, and the cock or valve on the mean
pressure receiver is closed, and when the desired pressure in the mean pressure
receiver has been reached, the cock or valve leading from it to the steam cylinder
is opened, and those between the boiler and steam cylinder are closed.
The normal movement being thus produced, the steam at high pressure passing
through the injector, will draw away a part of the exhaust steam contained in the
exhaust receiver, the surplus which would produce an excess of pressure escaping
into the atmosphere through the equilibrium valve, the entrance of high pressure
steam being regulated by the above mentioned regulator.
The injector may be placed inside the exhaust receiver, or in a chamber
communicating therewith, the regulator for the mean pressure receiver acting, as
before explained, on the needle of the injector in order to obtain a regular supply
of high pressure steam.
The high pressure boiler employed may be constructed of a number of tubes
filled with water as in the boilers called "inexplosible."
The high pressure boiler may be placed in the mean pressure receiver, and this
latter in the exhaust receiver. In this way the cylindrical shells of the boiler
and receivers may be worked so as to be subjected to the differences of pressure
only.
Further, the boiler may be cylindrical and tubular, with an independent furnace
if preferred.
The advantages of these arrangements are the following:-
First. Economy in fuel, resulting from the rational employment of steam at high
pressure.
Second. The possibility of applying the apparatus to existing engines.
Third. In locomotives the economy will be greater because these engines are
always without condensation. The quantity of water and coal to be carried will
also be less.
Fourth. In marine engines, whilst the weight of fuel will be considerably reduced,
surface condensers will be suppressed. Pressures sensibly higher than that of the
atmosphere may be used in the exhaust receiver, and the steam which escapes at
the equilibrium valve may be used to distil the whole or part of the sea water
necessary for feeding the steam boilers, or, in any engine the steam escaping
at the equilibrium valve may be condensed and made to raise the temperature of
the feed water.

page_text: APPARATUS FOR EMPLOYING STEAM IN STEAM ENGINES.'
"
The Invention consists in taking steam at high pressure, in expanding it down
to the pressures usually employed in steam engines, and in using the work of this
expansion to draw away by suitable means a part of the exhaust steam or other
fluid, and in utilizing the mixture thus obtained for working any kind of steam
engine whatever.
The apparatus for effecting this object is illustrated in Figure 1 of the
accompanying Drawings, and comprises,―
Firstly. An ordinary steam cylinder a.
Secondly. A high pressure steain generator or boiler b.
Thirdly. A receiver c for the exhaust steam.
Fourthly. A mean pressure receiver d for the mixture of fluids at high and low
pressure.
Fifthly. An injector, ejector, or extractor e, seen in vertical section in Figure 2
(hereinafter for shortness designated the injector), for effecting the mixture of the
fluids at high and low pressure. This apparatus may be analogous to that well
known under those names, or to any other apparatus in which steam at high
pressure is used to introduce steam or fluid of lower pressure into the mean pressure
receiver d.
Sixthly. Pipes f, g, h, for placing the injector e in communication with the
boiler band with the two receivers c and d above named. Pipes i and j, for
the admission and exhaust of steam to and from the cylinder a. A small starting
pipe k, various cocks or valves l, m, n, o, p, and q, and all the usual appliances for
securing safety in working, which, being well known and understood, are not shewn
in the Drawings.
Seventhly. An equilibrium valve r, shewn in vertical section in Figure 3, placed
upon the exhaust receiver c. This valve, which is pressed down by a spring 8,
rises when the pressure of the exhaust exceeds that for which the spring has been
adjusted, and allows a certain quantity of steam to escape by the openings t formed
in the sheath u of the said valve.
Eighthly. A regulator v, for maintaining a sensibly constant pressure in the mean
pressure receiver d. It is composed of a cylinder w, in which a piston x moves.
This piston is pressed by a spring y, which may be tightened up at pleasure by
suitable adjusting means, such as, for example, the adjustable collar or plate 2.
The rod of the piston x may act directly or through intermediate parts upon the
needle A. of the injector e, to regulate the supply of high pressure steam.
The apparatus is set to work in the following manner :-
All the cocks or valves are shut except land m leading from the boiler to the
steam cylinder, and p on the mean pressure receiver. When the desired pressure
of the exhaust has been attained in the exhaust receiver c, the equilibrium valve r
will allow steam to escape, the cocks or valves q and n, which open communication
between the injector and the boiler, and between the injector and the exhaust
receiver c respectively are opened, and the cock or valve p on the mean pressure
receiver is closed, and when the desired pressure in the mean pressure receiver d
has been reached, the cock or valve o leading from it to the steam cylinder is
opened, and the cocks or valves and m between the boiler and steam cylinder are
closed.

page_text: The normal movement being thus produced, the steam at high pressure passing
through the injector, will draw away a part of the exhaust steam contained in the
exhaust receiver c, the surplus, which would produce an excess of pressure, escapes
into the atmosphere through the equilibrium valve r by the openings t, the entrance
of high pressure steam being regulated by the above mentioned regulator v.
The injector e may be placed inside the exhaust receiver c, or, as shewn in
Figure 4, in a chamber communicating therewith, the needle A of the injector
entering the said chamber, the regulator v, for the mean pressure receiver d acting,
as before explained, on the needle A of the injector in order to obtain a regular
supply of high pressure steam.
The high pressure boiler employed may be constructed of a number of tubes filled
with water as in the boilers called "inexplosible."
The high pressure boiler may be placed in the mean pressure receiver, and
this latter in the exhaust receiver. In this way the cylindrical shells of the
boiler and receivers may be worked so as to be subjected to the differences of
pressure only.
Further, the boiler may be cylindrical and tubular, with an independant furnace
if preferred.
Similar letters refer to like parts in each of the Figures of the Drawings.
By the employment of the arrangements above described, the following
advantages may be realized :-
-
First. Economy in fuel resulting from the improved process or means of
employing steam at high pressure.
Second. The possibility of applying the apparatus to existing engines so as to
increase the supply of steam to them under the most favourable conditions
whereby their economical power may be increased.
Third. When the Invention is applied to locomotives the economy will be still
greater, because such engines are usually non condensing. The quantity of water
and coal to be carried will also be less.
Fourth. In marine engines, whilst the weight of fuel will be considerably reduced,
surface condensers will be suppressed. Pressures sensibly higher than that of the
atmosphere may be used in the exhaust receiver c, and the steam which escapes
at the equilibrium valve r may be used to distil the whole or part of the sea water
necessary for feeding the steam boilers, or in any engine the steam escaping at the
equilibrium valve may be condensed and made to raise the temperature of the feed
water.
Having now described the nature of the said Invention as communicated to me
from abroad, and the manner in which the same is to or may be carried into effect,
I would have it understood that the various parts and arrangements of the apparatus
and the means of practically realizing the Invention may be modified without
departing from the nature thereof, but what is claimed as the Invention to be secured
by the within in part recited Letters Patent is,―
The process or means of and apparatus for employing steam in steam engines,
substantially as herein before described and illustrated in the Drawings hereto
annexed.
In witness whereof, I, the said William Henry Beck, have hereunto set my
hand and seal, this Third day of February, in the year of our Lord One
thousand eight hundred and eighty one.
W. H. BECK, (L.S.)
Patentee.