Improvements in and relating to Steam Generators and Motors for Road Carriages and other purposes.
Year: 1896

page_text: Date of Application, 31st Mar., 1896
Complete Soecification Left, 31st Dec., 1896-Accepted, 27th Mar., 1897
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in and relating to Steam Generators and Motors for
Road Carriages and other purposes.
We, GEORGE FRANCIS GABRIEL DES VIGNES, Engineer, of Orleans Boat
Yard, Teddington, in the County of Middlesex, and STEPHEN HARDING
TERRY, M. Inst. C.E., of 17, Victoria Street, in the County of London, 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 relates to steam generators and motors for self-propelled road
carriages and other purposes where economy of water is essential and where
lightness and compactness are of importance.
Our improvements relate particularly to the steam generator, to the engine or
motor, to the steam condensing apparatus, and to the arrangement, combination,
and detail thereof with the object of securing a light boiler with a maximum of
heating surface, an efficient engine adapted to consume a minimum of water, and
a combined arrangement of apparatus for condensing, feed-heating, and air-warming,
all adapted to operate in the most economical manner.
The boiler is of the vertical type with internal closed firebox which according
to our improvements is fitted with a number of superposed full diameter cross
water-tubes all radiating at different angles, or spirally from the vertical centre
line of the box. In the same horizontal plane as each of these cross-tubes is a
number of radial or centripetally disposed closed ended water circulating tubes,
each having preferably (or where its diameter admits) an internal circulating
diaphragm plate extending from the expanded or fixed end of the tube for a suitable
distance towards its closed end. The uptake is arranged as usual at or near the
top of the box, and the boiler shell is made in two parts with a central bolted
flange joint for affording access to the firebox and tubes. We prefer to employ
two fire-doors, one about the grate level for lighting up, cleaning out, and so forth,
and adapted to be closed up during work; the other at a much higher level for
firing purposes. The fuel is preferably fed automatically to the upper door by a
shoot leading from an upper hopper, and suitable valves or slides are or may be
placed in or in connection with said shoot adapted to receive and discharge at each
firing without manual aid other than operating the slides; or we may employ
liquid fuel injection (on the principle patented by S. H. Terry under No. 18443
of 1894,) or fire by gas or solid fuel in the usual way.
This boiler is connected to the motor which may consist of a high speed self
lubricated engine of the closed compound type, preferably tandem or double crank,
with two separate eccentric rods for the high and low pressure cylinders, and the
novelty of our improvement in such a motor is that we use and arrange the high
pressure valve gland and sometimes the low pressure valve gland so as to be always
exposed to view, for in a completely closed engine experience has shown that it is
with these glands and especially the high pressure gland that trouble by unseen
leakage always occurs.
Next as to the condensing apparatus. We employ a novel kind of combined
surface and jet condenser by which also the feed water for the boiler and the air

page_text: supply to the furnace are heated, and by which all water of condensation is
recovered, whereby great economy and efficiency accrue. In this arrangement the
exhaust steam from the engine first passes into a feed heater constructed like a
surface condenser and consisting of a vessel containing baffle plates and tubes,
through which latter the feed water is pumped to the boiler as hereinafter shown.
In connection with this feed heater and at a lower level, preferably vertically
beneath same, is a second vessel containing air tubes through which air is forced or
induced by a fan suitably driven (as described in S. H. Terry's Patent No. 16496
of 1893), and such air is passed to the furnace heated to some extent by the external
contact with its containing tubes of the steam and hot water of condensation in
the condenser. The jet condensing arrangement consists of a perforated pipe rose
or distributor placed at or near the top of the lower air tube surface-condensing
vessel and fed by gravity or pressure with a separate supply of make-up feed
water from a store tank. Thus the exhaust steam is practically all condensed, and
the condensed water falling to the bottom of the vessel is drained off by a pump
(equivalent to the usual air pump) and conveyed to a tank whence it flows to the
boiler feed pump and is circulated through the feed heater as above explained to
the boiler, and thus the cycle of operations is complete. Any uncondensed steam
accumulating at any time in the condenser passes through a chamber of suitable
area therein to the atmosphere. The jet condensing process may be effected if
desired independently in a separate vessel, but the result remains the same.
We have above described a compound type of engine, but we do not limit
ourselves to this, since the condensing apparatus above described may be provided
with an air pump, and the vacuum so obtained may be utilised in the low pressure
cylinder, thus producing a compound condensing engine of increased efficiency.
The generator may be used for supplying steam to any kind of motor besides
the particular arrangement above referred to.
Dated this 31st day of March 1896.
J. C. CHAPMAN,
Agent.
Improvements in and relating to Steam Generators and Motors for
Road Carriages and other purposes.
We, GEORGE FRANCIS GABRIEL DES VIGNES, Engineer, of Orleans Boat
Yard, Teddington, in the County of Middlesex, and STEPHEN HARDING
TERRY, M. Inst. C.E., of 17, Victoria Street, in the County of London, 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 relates to steam generators and motors for self-propelled road
carriages and other purposes where economy of water is essential and where
lightness and compactness are of importance.
Our improvements relate particularly to the steam generator, to the engine or
motor, to the steam condensing apparatus, and to the arrangement, combination,
and detail thereof, with the object of securing a light boiler with a maximum of
heating surface, an efficient engine adapted to consume a minimum of water, and a
combined arrangement of apparatus for condensing, feed-heating, and air-warming,
all adapted to operate in the most economical manner.
In fully describing our invention we will refer to the accompanying drawings,
explaining the various figures as we proceed.

page_text: The boiler is of the vertical type with internal closed firebox, and a boiler
constructed according to our improvements is shown in Figs. 1 and 2. Fig. 1 is a
complete vertical section thereof, and Fig. 2 is a horizontal section taken on
line C-D of Fig. 1, also showing some of the tubes in one plane in section. The
sections also show the fuel feed and measuring device hereinafter explained. As
will be seen the firebox B is fitted in its upper part with a number of superposed
cross water-tubes bb of the full diameter of the box which radiate at different
angles or spirally from the vertical centre line of the box one above another at
suitable vertical intervals apart. In the same horizontal plane as each of these
full diameter cross-tubes bb is a number of radial or centripetally disposed closed
ended water circulating tubes (see Fig. 2) of the same or less diameter than
said cross-tubes, each having preferably (or where its diameter admits) an internal
circulating diaphragm plate such as illustrated at 6 in one tube & in Fig. 1,
extending from the expanded or fixed end of the tube for a suitable distance
towards its closed end. The uptake may be arranged as usual at or near the top
of the box and passing through the crown of the shell as shown, or laterally
therethrough as most convenient. The boiler shell is made in two parts B' B¹
with a central bolted flange B3 for affording access to the firebox and tubes when
required for cleaning, repairing, and the like. In the boiler we prefer to employ
two fire holes, one F about the grate level for lighting up, cleaning out, and so
forth, and adapted to be closed up during work; the other F at a much higher
level and preferably at the opposite side of the box as illustrated for firing purposes.
The fuel is preferably fed automatically to the upper hole F by a shoot such
as F having an inclination slightly superior to the angle of rest of the fuel which
is contained in an upper hopper F. Ia this shoot two suitably formed "cut off"
slides ff with knife edged bases work in slots f/and are connected by a lever f
fulcrummed at f and having a hand lever such as for other convenient operating
device. The arrangement is analogous to that of the measuring necks of old
fashioned shot pouches, and by it on oscillation of the lever the measured
quantity of coal always lying between the slides ff will be discharged into the
furnace as will be readily seen, and afterwards a fresh charge will take its place;
or we may employ liquid fuel injection on the principle patented by S. H. Terry
under No. 18443, A.D. 1894; or we may fire by gas or solid fuel in the usual way.
The boiler is connected to the motor which may consist of a high-speed self-
lubricated engine of the closed compound type, preferably tandem or double crank,
with two separate eccentric rods for the slide valves of the high and low pressure
cylinders, and the novelty of our improvement in such a motor is that we use and
arrange the high pressure valve gland and sometimes the low pressure valve gland
so as to be always exposed to view, for in a completely closed engine experience
has shown that it is with these glands and especially the high pressure gland that
trouble by unseen leakage always occurs.
In Fig. 3 we have illustrated this improvement, where a a' are the exposed
glands of the valve rods a' a' of the high pressure cylinder A and low pressure
cylinder A respectively, said rods being operated as usual by eccentrics on the
main crank shaft A.
Next as to the condensing apparatus. We employ a novel kind of combined
surface and jet condenser by which also the feed water for the boiler and the air
supply to its furnace are heated, and by which all water of condensation is
recovered, whereby great economy and efficiency accrue. One form of our
improved combined arrangement is shown partly in sectional elevation and partly
in elevation in Fig. 4, and an equivalent arrangement is shown in sectional elevation
in Fig. 5 and in cross section in Fig. 6. Similar letters indicate similar parts in all
these figures.
In these arrangements the exhaust steam from the engine first passes by pipe c
into a feed heater constructed like a surface condenser aud consisting of a vessel C
containing one or more baffle plates such as C' and one or more groups of water
tubes C', through which latter the feed water is pumped to the boiler as hereinafter

page_text: shown. In connection with this feed heater C and at a lower level, preferably
vertically beneath same as illustrated, is a second vessel D, Fig. 4, or it may be a
continuation of the same vessel as in Figs. 5 and 6, containing air tubes d d through
which air is forced or induced by a fan E suitably driven (as described for example
in S. H. Terry's Patent No. 16496 of 1893), and such air is passed as indicated by
the arrows through pipe E to the boiler furnace heated to some extent in its
passage by the external contact with its containing tubes d of the steam and hot
water of condensation in the condenser D. The air current may be direct as
shown, or deflected and made to take a more sinuous course as indicated for
example by the dotted lines at ee and dotted arrows. The jet condensing arrange-
ment consists of a perforated pipe such as G, or a rose or distributor placed at or
near the top of the lower air tube surface condensing vessel D and fed through
pipe t as shown by gravity or by pressure as most convenient with a separate supply
of make-up feed water from a store tank T. Thus the exhaust steam is practically
all condensed, and the condensed water falling to the bottom of the vessel Dís
drained off through pipe p by a pump P (equivalent to the usual air pump) and
conveyed to a tank Pi whence it flows to the boiler feed pump II and is raised
through pipe h and circulated through the feed heater C as above explained to the
boiler B through pipe h, and thus the cycle of operations is complete. Any
uncondensed steam accumulating at any time in the condenser passes through a
chamber of suitable area therein to the atmosphere. The jet condensing process
may be effected if desired independently in a separate vessel, but the result remains
the same.
A modified form of condensing apparatus is illustrated sectionally in Fig. 7. In
this case the condensing tubes d are arranged vertically and fixed into upper and
lower horizontal tube plates d' d'. The exhaust steam from the engine is ied to the
box or chamber D which is arranged at the top of the condensing vessel D, and in
the base of said chamber D' are a number of holes which may advantageously be
fitted with nipples n. The said holes or nipples n point down into the centre of
each of the vertical tubes d so that the exhaust steam may induce a current of air
through the tubes d, and being thereby condensed as well as by the cool surface of
the said tubes, the water of condensation will run down into the base of the
vessel D whence the air pump P through pipe p already described will lift it into
the tank P' so that the water will fall by gravity to the feed pump H and thereby
be transferred by pipe h to the feed heater C and thence by delivery pipe A¹ to the
boiler.
When desirable we make the nipples n n of considerable size as shown in Fig. 8
for the purpose of allowing an annular space a to intervene between them and the
inner tube d which may be open to atmosphere above the condenser D, or to assist
the action a portion of air may be led thereto from the fan E by a pipe such as e,
Fig. 8. By the fan E in the same manner as above described and either directly
or indirectly by suitable baffling plates and the like, the partially heated air is
driven to the furnace abstracting in its passage thereto as much heat from the
exhaust steam as possible, and so aiding condensation and recovery of heated feed
supply.
We may also in some cases force air outside the tubes d of the condenser D by
means of a trumpet mouthed orifice facing forward so that cold air may be driven
in by the rapid passage of the carriage over the ground, and thus provide for
the warming of the air for combustion whilst increasing the efficiency of the
condenser.
We have above described a compound type of engine, but we do not limit
ourselves to this, since the coudensing apparatus above described may be provided
with an air pump, and the vacuum so obtained may be utilised in the low pressure
cylinder, as will be understood by engineers, thus producing a compound condensing
engine of increased efficiency.
The steam generator above described may be used for supplying steam to any
kind of motor besides the particular arrangement above referred to.

page_text: 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. A vertical boiler constructed as described in reference to Figs. 1 and 2, that
is to say, having its shell made in two parts adapted to be bolted together, an
internal firebox in the upper part of which are a number of superposed full
diameter cross water tubes angularly disposed in regard to each other, and in
the same horizontal plane as each such cross tube a radial or centripetal group
of closed ended water circulating tubes, the fire grate being beneath all such
tubes.
2. In a vertical boiler of the kind above referred to, arranging two fire holes at
different levels above the grate, the lower one for lighting up and the upper one
for firing, said upper one being preferably provided with an inclined shoot with
slides and operating device as above set forth for delivering a measured quantity of
fuel to the grate, and adapted to operate substantially as described and illustrated
in Figs. 1 and 2 of the drawings.
3. The boiler with fuel delivering appliance constructed as described in reference
to and shown in Figs. 1 and 2 of the drawings for the purpose stated.
4. For use in road carriages and other purposes, a combined surface and jet
condenser, feed water and air warmer, whereby all water of condensation is
recovered, substantially as above set forth.
5. The several arrangements and combination of parts forming the combined
condensing, feed water and air for combustion heating apparatus, adapted for use
substantially as described in reference to and shown respectively in Fig. 4 and in
Figs. 5 and 6 of the drawings.
6. The modified arrangement of condensing apparatus described in reference to
and shown in Figs. 7 and 8 for use as herein set forth.
Delhi 21st day of December 1906