Improvements in Motors.
Year: 1890

page_text: Date of Application, 22nd Apr., 1890
Complete Specification Left, 22nd Jan., 1891-Accepted, 28th Feb., 1891
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Motors.
We, JAMES STURROCK, of Seacraig, Newport, in the County of Fife, Cashier,
Dundee Advertiser Office, and GEORGE DUNCAN MACDOUGALD, of 3, Youngsdale
Place, Newport, in the County of Fife, Analytical Chemist, do hereby declare the
nature of this invention to be as follows:-
Our invention has for its object the production of an improved motor or engine
which operates either partially or altogether by the condensation of steam and is
specially applicable to small power and low pressure.
Among the principal features of this motor are the methods of producing and
maintaining a good working vacuum without the use of a pump.
By the admission of steam into one or more close vessels, one at least of which is
subsequently cooled ;-or by the admission of steam into one or more close vessels
brought subsequently into connection with another vessel or vessels of small
capacity but considerable surface which is kept cold, but through which steam has
not been passed, we produce a vacuum.
We maintain the vacuum by steam jacketing all the principal joints, stopcocks,
glands, &c. liable to inleakage of air, or by surrounding said joints, stopcocks,
glands, &c. by water or other material the inleakage of which will not seriously
interfere with the vacuum.
The engine or working part of our motor is similar in form to other well known
steam engines with the exception of the jacketing above referred to.
In working this motor steam is supplied to the working engine from a boiler
supplying steam below or above atmospheric pressure the exhaust of the engine
The condensed
being in connection with one or more of the close vacuous vessels.
steam which accumulates in the vacuous vessels is disposed of as it may be found
most convenient according to the purpose for which the motor is constructed. The
boiler and vacuous chambers may be made large enough to contain all the water
required during a limited run of the engine after which a fresh adjustment and start
may be made, or the water may be returned to the boiler during the running of the
engine, or otherwise disposed of, firstly, by a duplication of the vacuum apparatus,
one set being in operation while the other is being emptied and readjusted, or
secondly, one of the vacuous chambers above referred to and capable of being shut
off from the apparatus automatically by a valve or by hand stopcock is placed so as
to retain all the condensed water. This vessel is periodically either filled with
steam or air and the water either allowed to gravitate to the boiler directly or
removed to another chamber from which it may gravitate to the boiler or be other-
wise disposed of.
1...
A 1800
JAMES STURROCK. :
G. D. MACDOUGALD.
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Motors.
We, JAMES STURROCK, of Seacraig, Newport, in the County of Fife, Cashier,
Dundee Advertiser Office, and GEORGE DUNCAN MACDOUGALD, of 3, Youngsdale
Place, Newport, in the County of Fife, Analytical Chemist, do hereby declare the
nature of this invention, and in what manner the same is to be performed, to be
particularly described and ascertained in and by the following statement :-
Our invention has for its object the production of an improved motor or engine

page_text: .
which operates either partially or altogether by the condensation of steam and is
specially applicable to small power and low pressure.
Among the principal features of this motor are the methods of producing and
maintaining a good working vacuum without the use of a pump.
By the admission of steam into one or more close vessels, one at least of which is
subsequently cooled; or by the admission of steam into one or more close vessels
brought subsequently into connection with another vessel or vessels of small
capacity but considerable surface which is kept cold but through which steam has
not been passed, we produce a vacuum. We maintain the vacuum by steam jacket-
ing all the principal joints, stopcocks, glands, and the like, liable to inleakage of air,
or by surrounding said joints, stopcocks, glands and the like by water or other
material the inleakage of which will not seriously interfere with the vacuum.
The engine or working part of our motor is similar in form to other well known
steam engines with the exception of the jacketing above referred to.
may be
In working this motor steam is supplied to the working engine from a boiler
supplying steam below or above atmospheric pressure the exhaust of the engine
being in connection with one or more of the close vacuous vessels. The condensed
steam which accumulates in the vacuous vessels is disposed of as it
found most convenient according to the purpose for which the motor is con-
structed. The boiler and vacuous chambers may be made large enough to contain
all the water required during a limited run of the engine after which a fresh
adjustment and start may be made, or the water may be returned to the boiler
during the running of the engine, or otherwise disposed of, firstly, by a
duplication of the vacuum apparatus, one set being in operation while the other
is being emptied and readjusted, or secondly, one of the vacuous chambers. above
referred to and capable of being shut off from the apparatus automatically by
a valve or by hand stopcock is placed so as to retain all the condensed water.
This vessel is periodically either filled with steam or air and the water either allowed
to gravitate to the boiler directly or removed to another chamber from which it
may gravitate to the boiler or be otherwise disposed of.
The accompanying sheets of explanatory drawings illustrate the method of
carrying out our invention.
Figure 1. (Sheet No. 1.) represents a view of an ordinary steam engine con-
nected with a close vacuous vessel mounted with the necessary fittings, Figure 2.
à sectional view of a slide valve in position to receive the condensed water from the
vacuous vessel and Figure 3. a view of another type of condenser hereinbefore
referred to as "one or more close vessels brought subsequently into
"nection with another vessel or vessels of small capacity but considerable
"surface."
con-
Figure 4. (Sheet No. 2.) represents a view of a jacketed gland for a piston
or valve rod, Figure 5. a cock fitted with a similar jacketed gland, and Figures 6.
and 7. a section at A. A. and B. B. respectively of the condensed water valve.
In these drawings the same reference numerals are used to mark the same or
like parts wherever they are repeated.
In the modification illustrated by Figures 1 and 2. 8. is an ordinary steam
engine, differing from other engines by having the glands at 9. and 10. steam,
water, or otherwise suitably jacketed. In small engines in lieu of the jacketed
glands we prefer to immerse the whole engine in steam, allowing the crank shaft
to project through a gland. The exhaust 11. is connected with the vacuous
vessel 12. said vessel being surrounded with a water jacket 13. in order that the
steam in the vessel 12. may be the more readily condensed. 14. and 15. are
pipes in connection with any suitable source of cooling fluid, such as a tank, so that
it may freely circulate. 16. is a slide valve with a port 17. through it so. placed
that when the valve is in the position shown in Figure 2. it may receive the
condensed water from the vessel 12. and afterwards when moved into the
position shown in Figure 1. the water in the port may gravitate towards the boiler
through the pipe 18.

page_text: The cock 19. and the valve 16. are also steam, water, or otherwise suitably `
jacketed.
1
To form a vacuum preparatory to starting the engine; the slide valve 16.
is drawn back until communication is established between the boiler and 12.
,
the cock 19. is opened and steam from the boiler is permitted to pass into the
vacuous vessel and through the exhaust pipe 11. into the engine, displacing the air
in 12, the cylinder, steam chest, and pipe attachments finally passing through a
twoway cock on the steam pipe 21. into the atmosphere.
When the air is.
expelled the, twoway cock on 21. is shut to the atmosphere and opened
between the boiler and the engine, the stopcock 19: is then shut leaving the engine
and pipes under steam, and finally valve 16. is placed in its norinal working position
and the cooling fluid is introduced to the jacket 13.
The vacuum being now
formed the engine may be started by opening cock 19. The vacuous vessel or
vessels may be cooled, and the steam condensed in any other known way. If the
vessel 12. is large enough, or if there be two or more such vessels connected.
together by means of pipes having jacketed cocks; the condensed water may be
taken out as the conclusion of the run, or each alternately may be used in
connection with the engine, as may be found most suitable.
In practice we prefer to use a moderately sized vessel, and to place it at a higher
level than the water in the boiler, alternately making communication between the
vessel 12. and the valve port 17. (Figures 1. 2. 6. and 7.) and afterwards the
port 17. and the boiler, thus allowing the condensed water to pass at frequent
intervals from the vessel 12. to the boiler.
Instead of using the vessel 12. we may employ the other modification in
which 22. is the vacuous vessel and 23. the condensing worm, 24. being the
vessel for containing the cooling fluid which circulates by means of the pipes 25.
and 26. 27. 29. and 30. are jacketed cocks; 18. being the communication to the
boiler.
B₁
In this modification the exhaust from the engine is connected to the worm 23., and
when it is required to obtain a vacuum the same process is adopted as in our first
modification, with this exception that during the displacement of the air the worm 23.
is temporarily cut out by closing stopcocks 27. and 30., and opening 29. To start the
engine the stopcock 29. is closed and 27. and 30. opened, the small quantity of air
remaining in 23. expanding into 22. The exhaust steam then passes through the con-
densing worm 23. into the vacuous vessel 22.; the condensed water being returned
to the boiler through 18. as previously explained. Figure 4. (Sheet No. 2).
illustrates the method by which air is prevented from passing through the piston
or valve gland, and Figure 5. shows how the cocks may be similarly dealt with.
31. is the pipe for conducting the steam, water, or other suitable fluid to the
space 32. 33. and 34. being inner and outer stuffing boxes respectively.
allowing any suitable fluid into the space 32. the leakage which may occur at the
stuffing boxes will consist of that fluid and hence air is effectually excluded.
Figures 6. and 7. show the valve-which may be actuated from any source of
power and at any suitable speed-which returns the water from the vacuous vessel
to the boiler. As we have previously explained how it works it only remains for
us to point out how it is rendered air tight. 35. is a channel from 18. to 36.
which allows steam from the boiler to surround the valve and which serves the
same purpose as in the stuffing boxes or glands. Instead of allowing steam to
come from the boiler the channel 35. may be done away with and steam, water,
or other suitable fluid be used instead, in a double gland. We are aware that
similar stuffing boxes have been used in connection with ether engines, and
therefore we do not claim the use of these in connection with such ether engines.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of our said inven-
tion, and in what manner the same is to be performed, we declare that what we
claim is :-
(1) In motor engines, the construction and arrangement of parts for obtaining

page_text: and keeping as perfect a vacuum as possible without the use of pumps, as illustrated
and hereinbefore described, with reference to Figures 1. 2. 4. 5. 6. and 7.
(2) In motor engines, the construction and arrangement of parts for obtaining
and keeping as perfect a vacuum as possible without the use of pumps, as
illustrated and hereinbefore described, with reference to Figures 1. 3. 4. 5. 6.
and 7.
(3) In motor engines, the general construction, combination, and arrangement of
parts, substantially as, and for the purposes herein set forth, together with any mere
modification or modifications thereof.
(4). In steam engines, the use of the jacketed glands and cocks substantially as
illustrated and described.
(5) In steam engines, the use of the jacketed valve for returning the condensed
water to the boiler, substantially as illustrated and described.
(6) In steam engines, the use of the engine immersed in steam, substantially as
described.
Dated this 19th dox of January 1891
GEO. C. DOUGLAS & Co.,
Applicants' Agents.