IMPROVEMENTS APPLICABLE TO STEAM BOILERS AND ENGINES FOR ECONOMIZING FUEL IN THE GENERATION OF STEAM AND IN THE ADDARATING CONNECTED THED BWITH
Year: 1867

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to John Robinson, of Greenfield, in the County of York,
for the Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS APPLICABLE TO STEAM BOILERS AND
ENGINES FOR ECONOMIZING FUEL IN THE GENERATION OF STEAM AND IN THE
ADDARATING CONNECTED THED BWITH
Sealed the 28th May 1867, and dated the 19th March 1867.
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION filed by the said John Robinson at the
Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition and Declaration,
on the 19th March 1867, pursuant to the 9th Section of the Patent Law
Amendment Act, 1852.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, JOHN
ROBINSON, of Greenfield, in the County of York, send greeting.
WHEREAS I am in possession of an Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS APPLI-
GABLE TO STEAM BOILERS AND ENGINES FOR ECONOMIZING FUEL IN THE GENERATION
OF STEAM AND IN THE APPARATUS CONNECTED THEREWITH," and have petitioned
Her Majesty to grant unto me, my executors, administrators, and assigns,
Her Royal Letters Patent for the same, and have made solemn Declaration
that I am the first and true Inventor thereof.
NOW KNOW YE, that I, the said John Robinson, do hereby declare
that the following Complete Specification, under my hand and seal, fully
describes and ascertains the nature of the said Invention, and in what manner

page_text: the same is to be performed, in and by the following statement and accom-
panying Drawings, that is to say:—
As these improvements embrace various arrangements which attain similar
results, that is, the heating of feed water prior to such water being injected
into the boiler, and are adapted so as to suit all descriptions of boilers and
engines, I will proceed to describe each one separately; and in order that the
modification, arrangements, and construction of each may be more clearly
specified and explained I have hereunto attached a Sheet of Drawings made
upon a scale of about one inch and a half to the foot, similar letters of
reference being marked on all the Figures alike.
Fig. 1 represents a front sectional view of a locomotive boiler constructed
with outside cylinders, a, a. In this arrangement, there being ample room, I
adapt and secure between the cylinders the box b, the top lid or cover being
some little distance below the tubes of the boiler; this box contains a number
of concentric or spiral pipes c, the ends d of which nearest to the exhaust are
coupled or connected with the pump, and their other extremity have an
entrance into the boiler; the box, receptacle, or chamber 6 has openings or
thoroughfares f connecting it with the exhaust vacuum g, g; the chamber 6 is
also supplied with a well or receptacle h in which the condensed water
accumulates until there is sufficient to depress the spring of the valve i, at
which time it is allowed to flow through the pipe j into the tank or supply
reservoir. The openings or thoroughfares f forming the vacuun chambers are
so constructed that they will form a yielding joint that will compensate for
any contraction or expansion that takes place in the vacuum chambers between
the exhaust port and the box containing the concentric or spiral pipes. When
the pumps are in action the cold water is caused in its circulation through the
concentric or spiral pipes c to pass first through the pipes placed against the
sides of the box or chamber 6 nearest to the space in which the exhaust
steam first enters after leaving the cylinders, the exit port for such steam being
at the top of the box at the point when what remains of vapour is ejected
into the blast pipe 7; thus it will be seen the steam when passing from the
cylinder is first brought into contact with that portion of the concentric or
spiral pipes through which the water first passes in its circulation to the
boiler, thereby effecting a greater amount of condensation to the same, and at
the same time enveloping the pipes containing the cold water with the
greatest amount of heat, the slight dwell and constant supply of steam from the
exhaust in the box 6 containing the pipes transmits to the water circulating
through the same a high degree of heat before entering the boiler.

page_text: Fig. 2 represents a similar view to the last, with this exception, that the
cylinders are placed inside instead of out, in which case the space is con-
siderably contracted, so that in engines and boilers of this class the boxes
containing the spiral pipes through which the water circulates on its passage
to the boiler are arranged so that each box receives its own separate exhaust
from the cylinders through the passages or thoroughfares m, m', the passage
m being the ordinary construction of exhaust as nów employed, and the
passage of the exhaust m² being particularly arranged and adapted for our
improved heater as seen, the passages in either case being first acted upon by
the cold water in the manner and for the purpose herein-before described, or
the steam from the cylinder may be received in a central space before
entering the boxes containing the feed water pipes.
Fig. 3 represents a side elevation of that portion of the locomotive to which
the heating boxes are applied, the letters of reference being similar to those
marked on Figs. 1 and 2. In all the foregoing arrangements the steam on
first passing from the cylinders into the exhaust is received into a space or
chamber against which the water in its coldest state first circulates on its
passage to the boiler, thus effecting a partial vacuum that materially reduces
the back pressure upon the piston.
Figs. 4 and 5 represent another part of my Invention which is designed for
the purpose of heating the water supplying the steam boilers of stationary
engines, and consists in the arrangement and construction of a series of eight
or more tubes or pipes a', a', of large bore placed transversely or otherwise
in the flue & immediately behind the boiler c; these tubes are supported in
the sides or walls d' of the flue, the ends of which are arranged so as to project
outside the walls, at which points they are considerably contracted in their
diameter. These pipes are connected to each other by means of small bore
pipes d, and so arranged that the water will flow in a serpentine course through
the pipe from its entrance into such pipes, which may be increased or
diminished in number as desired. After passing through these serpentine
small bore pipes the water is received by the large bore pipes a', a', after
which it is finally injected into the boiler. The chief feature of this part of
the Invention being the use of heating pipes of a large "bore" and contained
within the flue, and in connecting them together by tubes of small bore,
whereby the water is considerably retarded in its passage through them, and
is consequently longer under the influence of heat, by which means it attains a
high degree of temperature before being injected into the boiler. In order to
prevent the exterior surface of the heating pipes receiving an accumulation of

page_text: soot or other particles becoming incrusted thereupon, which interferes with
the heating of the pipes, I employ an arrangement of scrapers e, which are
caused when being drawn along to embrace and press upon the pipes, the
arrangement and construction of which are seen in Figs. 6, 7, and 8. The
red is supplied with two inclined surfaces ¹, which when being drawn
along press upon the studs P, P, attached to the semicircular clips m³, m²,
which has the effect when being so drawn along of pressing the clips m³, m³,
into close contact with the exterior surfaces of the tube a', by which means
the whole exterior surfaces of the pipes will be cleaned.
Fig. 8* represents a plan view of the flue in which the heating pipes are
placed, and in which is shewn an arrangement of apparatus for cleaning the
exterior surfaces of the pipes by means of hot air, the air is heated when being
forced through the annular space n¹ of the revolving hollow tube o¹, from
whence it is injected through the perforations in the arms p' whilst slowly
revolving over the entire surface of the pipes a¹, thus keeping them perfectly
clean and preventing soot or encrustation settling upon them, which would
materially interfere with the heating of the water.
Fig. 10 represents a longitudinal section of the improved arrangement of
heater shewn as applied to high-pressure stationary engines; the exterior
surface of the box g is logged with wood in order to prevent the radiation of
beat, and the interior is filled with pipes c running in a serpentine or
curvilinear direction; through these pipes the water from the pump circulates
on its passage to the boiler, its first entrance into the box being through the
pipes. h. The box itself containing the water pipes is conveniently situated
near to the engine cylinder in order that it can receive the exhaust steam
through the port or passages i immediately it has left the cylinder; the steam
is first caused to impinge against the pipes h³, through which the cold water
first passes, the effect of which is to partially condense the steam, and that
which remains envelopes the pipes c and finally becomes expelled into the
atmosphere through the outlet j, the condensed water runs off through the
outlet k.
Fig. 11 represents the heater as applied to condensing engine; in this
arrangement the box 9 containing the pipes c through which the water circulates
is adapted so as to intersect the passage of the exhaust between the exhaust
port and the condenser; in this view is the ordinary cylinder; m, the exhaust
port; and n, the condenser, all being well known parts. Between the ex-
haust m and the condenser n is secured the box g containing the serpentine
water pipes c through which the water circulates on its passage to the boiler,

page_text: being thereby heated in the manner and for the purpose herein-before
described.
Fig. 12 represents a front elevation of an ordinary well-known marine
screw trunk engine, in which the driving shaft is placed between the cylinders
and the exhaust; r is the exhaust pipe conducting the exhaust steam from
the cylinder to the exhaust. For the portion of the pipe between the cylinder
and first flange I substitute the box g containing the curvelined or spiral
pipes c through which the feed water on its passage to the boiler circulates,
thereby becoming heated before entering the boiler; and Fig. 12* represents
a plan of the exhaust pipe r, the exterior surface of which is covered with a
jacket or outer casing r¹; between this casing and the piper an annular space
is formed through which the feed water is caused to circulate in the direction
indicated by the arrows; by which arrangement the great heat radiating from
these pipes making the engine room oppressive is prevented, and so becomes
utilized for the purpose of heating the water feeding the boilers.
Having now described the nature of my said Invention, together with the
method of carrying the same into practical effect, I wish it to be clearly
understood in conclusion that I claim,-
First, the application, construction, and adaptation to locomotives, high-
pressure marine, or condensing engines of a box or boxes placed near the
exhaust port of the cylinders filled with curvilinear or spiral pipes through
which the water supplying the boiler is caused to circulate, the said box being
the thoroughfare through which the steam passes into the atmosphere, thereby
enveloping the feed water pipes, in the manner and for the purposes herein-
before described and set forth in Figs. 1, 2, 3, 10, 11, and 12.
Secondly, I claim the construction and arrangement of pipes or any slight
modification thereof, as shewn in Figs. 4 and 5 of the Drawings as adapted to
the flues of stationary boilers, for the purpose of heating the feed water, as
described.
Thirdly, I claim the arrangement of compensating scrapers, as shewn in
Figs. 6, 7, and 8, for cleaning the exterior surfaces of the heating pipes,
and also the arrangement of hot blast for the same purpose, as shewn in
Fig. 8.
And, lastly, I claim the novel construction of a jacket or outer covering as
adapted to the exhaust pipe of marine trunk engine, as seen in Fig. 12" of the
Drawings, for the purpose of heating the feed water as described, together
with the arrangement, construction, and adaptation of the several parts com-
posing the feed water apparatus for economizing the consumption of fuel, or

page_text: any slight modification thereof, as herein-before described, set forth, and fully
illustrated in the Drawings attached.
In witness whereof, I, the said John Robinson, have hereunto set my
hand and seal, this Eleventh day of March, in the year of our Lord
One thousand eight hundred and sixty-seven.
JOHN ROBINSON. (L.S.)