IMPROVEMENTS IN APPARATUS FOR AND MODE OF GENERATING STEAM AND ECONOMISING FUEL
Year: 1859

page_text: LETTERS PATENT Thomas William Miller, of Her Majesty's Dock-
yard, in the Parish of Portsea, in the County of Southampton, for
the Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN APPARATUS FOR AND MODE OF GENERATING
STEAM AND ECONOMISING FUEL."
Sealed the 27th October 1859, and dated the 3rd May 1859.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Thomas William Miller
at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on
the 3rd May 1859.
I, THOMAS WILLIAM MILLER, of Her Majesty's Dockyard, in the Parish
of Portsea, in the County of Southampton, do hereby declare the nature
of the said Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN APPARATUS FOR AND MODE OF GENERATING
STEAM AND ECONOMIZING FUEL," to be as follows:-
This Invention relates to improvements in the construction of boilers
and their furnaces for generating steam, by which a more perfect and
economic combustion of the fuel employed therein is effected, and also in
apparatus to be employed for more economically utilizing the steam to be
generated in such or other steam boilers, by which a further economy of
fuel is effected, and the advantages to be derived from the substitution of
fresh water for salt water in the boilers of marine engines may be ensured.
Instead of constructing and arranging the tubes, flues, or heat spaces of
Di Q.7

page_text: marine and other boilers in a direction fore and aft the length of the fur-
naces, or vertically over the furnaces, or at any angle between the hori-
zontal and the vertical position, ordinarily employed for arranging and
disposing of the tube, flue, or sheet space, heat passages, or passages for
the escape of heat and products of combustion from the furnace or
furnaces (into the uptake, and finally) into the chimney, I arrange the
tubes, flues, or sheet spaces for the passage of the heat, and the products
of combustion, in a boiler having several furnaces, or composed of several
pieces, laterally and transversely, to the length of the furnaces, and above
or over the bars of each furnace, so that the products of combustion from
the first furnace pass over the several furnaces, between it and the
chimney or outlet; and where there are more than two or more furnaces
or feeding openings in one piece of boiler, I prefer in some cases to
arrange the passages, so that instead of passing the products of combus-
tion, the first over the second, and the second over the third, and so on,
they may be alternated, and the total length of the furnaces be divided
into two or more parts, so that the products of combustion from one fur-
nace to another, or from one part of a furnace to another, may be led or
diverted laterally from the front, from the back, or from the centre part
of such furnace to the next, or to the next but one, or to any furnace in the
series further therefrom, by bridging over or otherwise forming suitable
passages, either laterally alone or by means of short tubes, flues, or sheet
spaces, at right angles with the lateral openings, flues, or passages.
Suitable variations in the lengths and diameters of the tubes, and in the
number thereof, or in the number, length, and areas of the passages,
spaces, or flues, between one part and another, must be made to equalize
the draught, and promote and maintain a proper circulation throughout,
in proportion to the increase in the quantity of products, or of the
increased quantity and temperature of such products, as they approach
the up-take flue or delivery. Now, instead of feeding such boilers, or
other descriptions of boilers used for marine engines with salt water, by
which much unnecessary waste of fuel is incurred, and much damage to
marine boilers is produced by its use, I exhaust the steam from each end
of each main cylinder, and also collect the waste steam from the donkey
engines used for working pumps, and from the safety valves, blow off,
escape, and other valves, and from other sources of escape and waste, and
collect them in seperate surface condensers or refrigerators, for the pur-
pose of converting the steam exhausted from each end of each cylinder,
or otherwise collected into fresh and pure water, to be again used for the

page_text: supply of the boilers for generating steam. When one main engine
cylinder is used, I employ three refrigerators; or where two main
cylinders are used, I employ five refrigerators, and so on; in each case I
employ one refrigerator to take the steam from each end of the main
cylinder, and a seperate refrigerator to take the steam from the safety
and other valves, and from the donkey engine or engines.
Each refrigerator or surface condenser has a steam chamber at the top,
whilst at the bottom or below the refrigerating chamber or series of tubes
or spaces is a condensing water chamber, which may be seperate, and
independently belonging to each or the whole of the condensed water
from the several condensers or refrigerators may be collected in one
The
chamber common to and connected with the several refrigerators.
pure fresh water produced by the condensation of the steam may be
pumped direct therefrom for feeding the boiler. These refrigerators
must be placed below the water line, or the surface of the water which is
to be used for the purpose of condensing the steam.
Where one main cylinder is employed, I prefer to use two donkey
engines, one to work the larger air and feed pump or pumps, and one to
work the smaller feed pump; and where there are two main cylinders, I
propose to use three donkey engines, two to work the larger air and feed
pumps, and one to work the smaller feed pump or pumps.
The refrigeration or condensation of the steam is intended to be
effected by the flow and natural circulation of the cold or external body
of water, which being made to enter at the lower part of the refrigerators
or surface condensers, and after coming in contact with the heated sur-
faces, the water becomes heated, and rising, flows to the upper part of
these refrigerators or condensers, from whence it escapes, and its place
becomes supplied with colder condensing water.
In fitting these refrigerators or surface condensers into ships or other
vessels, I select a suitable and convenient position for them in relation to
the steam engine or engines, as also to the external water line, or line of
flotation of the ship, and I connect the bottoms of such condensers or
refrigerators each with the external body of water by means of a suitably
large pipe passing through the bottom of the ship, whilst the upper part
is connected by means of a suitable pipe through the upper part of the
side of the ship, but a sufficient distance below the light load water line to
ensure the constant circulation of water through the refrigerator, and in
each of these pipes I insert a suitable cock or cocks or valves for shutting

page_text: SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent,
filed by the said Thomas William Miller in the Great Seal Patent
Office on the 2nd November 1859.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, THOMAS
WILLIAM MILLER, of Her Majesty's Dockyard, in the Parish of Portsea,
in the County of Southampton, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her Most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria by Her
Letters Patent, bearing date the Third day of May, in the year of our
Lord One thousand eight hundred and fifty-nine, in the twenty-second
year of Her reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and
grant unto me, the said Thomas William Miller, Her special licence that
I, the said Thomas William Miller, my executors, administrators, and
assigns, or such others as I, the said Thomas William Miller, my
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 expressed, 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 "IMPROVEMENTS
IN APPARATUS FOR AND MODE OF GENERATING STEAM AND ECONOMIZING FUEL,"
upon the condition (amongst others) that I, the said Thomas William
Miller, by an instrument in writing under my hand and seal, should
ticularly 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 calender months next and
immediately after the date of the said Letters Patent.
par-
NOW KNOW YE, that I, the said Thomas William Miller, do hereby
declare the nature of my said Invention, and in what manner the same is
to be performed, to be particularly described and ascertained in and by
the following statement and accompanying Drawings:-
The attainment of greater fuel, economy in the generation of steam,
the more economical conveyance to and employment of the steam in the
machine by which the power of the steam is utilized, and the more perfect
collection and condensation of the steam after use, again to be employed

page_text: as fresh feed water in power giving, are matters of the gravest and
chiefest importance, and now so thoroughly understood to be desiderata,
more especially in long-voyage sea-going steam ships, that material
changes in the structural arrangements of steam boilers are necessitated;
for the continued discharged of dense black smoke from boiler chimneys,
and the very high unproductive temperatures of uptakes and funnel
roots, are evidences of the absence of economy in the use of the fuel, and
the advantage of feeding boilers exclusively with fresh water is in like
manner to be insisted on, whilst equal importance should be attached
to the use of steam in a suitably dry state in the engines.,
Now it is to effecting these economical objects and the insuring the
advantage of good vacuum in aid of the steam pressure (arising from the
peculiar arrangement and application of surface condensers or refriger-
ators) that the present Invention is addressed.
I will now proceed, first, to describe the nature of my said Invention
and the manner of carrying the same into effect, and afterwards illus-
trate some of the modes in which I propose to apply it in practice, by
several views in the accompanying two Sheets of Drawings; the several
views of the several parts of my Invention being explained by the aid of
letters of reference and the textual description thereof herein contained.
This Invention relates to improvements in the construction of boilers
and their furnaces for generating steam, by which a more perfect and
economic combustion of fuel employed therein is effected, and also in
apparatus to be employed for more economically utilizing the steam to be
generated in such or other steam boilers, by which a further economy of
fuel is effected, and the advantages to be derived from the substitution
of fresh water for salt water in the boilers of marine engines may be
insured. Instead of constructing and arranging the tubes, flues, or heat
spaces of marine and other boilers in a direction fore and aft the length
of the furnaces, or vertically over the furnaces, or at any angle between
the horizontal and the vertical position ordinarily employed for arranging
and disposing of the tube, flue, or sheet space, heat passage or passages
for the escape of heat and products of combustion from the furnace or
furnaces into the uptake, and finally into the chimney or outlet, I arrange
the tubes, flues, or sheet spaces for the passage of the heat and products
of combustion in a boiler having several furnaces or composed of several
pieces, laterally and transversely to the length of the furnaces, and above
or over the bars of each furnace, so that the products of combustion
from the first furnace pass over the several furnaces between it and the

page_text: uptake or chimney or outlet, and in like manner the products of com-
bustion from the intermediate furnaces between the first furnace and
the uptake or chimney or outlet pass over the several furnaces. And
when there are more than one furnace in one or more pieces of a boiler,
I prefer in some cases to arrange passages, so that instead of passing the
products of combustion, the first over the second, and the second over
the third, and so on, they may be alternated, and the total length of the
furnaces be divided into two or more parts, so that the products of com-
bustion from one furnace to another or from one part of a furnace to
another may be led or divided laterally from the front, from the back, and
from the centre part of such furnace, to the next or to the next but one, or
to any furnace in the series further therefrom, by bridging over or other-
wise forming suitable passages either laterally alone or by means of short
tubes, flues, or sheet spaces at right angles with the lateral openings,
flues, or passages, and in such cases the tubes, flues, or sheet spaces
would be arranged longitudinally or lengthwise with the lengths of the
furnaces. Suitable variations in the length and diameters of the tubes,
and in the number thereof, or in the numbers, lengths and areas of the
passages, sheet spaces, or flues between one part and another, must be
made to equalize the draught and promote and maintain a proper circu-
lation throughout, in proportion to the increase in the quantity of the pro-
ducts or in the increased quantity and temperature of such products as
they approach the uptake flue or delivery. And in further aid of the
economy effected in the generation of steam in a boiler as just described,
I construct and apply in the upper part of it or in a steam chest open to
the boiler, or in a steam chest separate from a boiler, but connected with
it by an opening or steam pipe, a series of tubes or sheet spaces longi-
tudinally from front to back or transversely from side to side, or any
combination of one and the other direction, through which the moist
steam generated from the water in the boiler is caused or made to pass
in its way to the main steam pipe, by which it will become more suitable
for use in the cylinders of a steam engine. Now, instead of feeding such
or other descriptions of boilers used for marine engines with salt water,
by which much unnecessary waste of fuel is incurred, and much damage
to marine and multitubular boilers is produced by its use, I exhaust the
steam from each end of each cylinder, and also collect the waste steam
from the donkey engines used for working pumps, and from the safety
valves, blow-off, escape, and other valves, and from other sources of escape
and waste, and I collect them in separate surface condensers or refrige

page_text: rators for the purpose of converting the steam exhausted from each end
of each cylinder or otherwise in any manner collected into fresh and pure
water, to be again used for the supply of the boilers for generating steam.
When one engine cylinder is used, I employ three refrigerators, or where
two engine cylinders are used, I employ five refrigerators, and so on; in
each case I employ one refrigerator to take the steam from each end of
the engine cylinders, and a separate refrigerator to take the steam from
the safety and other valves and from the donkey engine or engines.
Each refrigerator or surface condenser has a steam chamber at the top,
whilst at the bottom or below the refrigerating chamber or series of tubes
or spaces is a condensing water chamber, which may be separate and
independently belonging to each, or the whole of the condensed water
from the several condensers or refrigerators may be collected in one
chamber common to and connected with the several refrigerators; the
pure fresh water produced by the condensation of the steam may be
pumped direct therefrom for feeding the boiler.
In the application of these refrigerators on board of ship, as in any
other case, they must be placed below the water line of the vessel, or
below the surface of the stream of water which is to be used for the pur-
pose of condensing the steam so as to insure a free current of water flowing
through the condenser or refrigerator.
In the application of my Invention to marine engines where one
cylinder is employed, I prefer to use two donkey engines, one to work
the larger air or feed pump or pumps, and one to work the smaller feed
pump, and when there are two cylinders I prefer to use three donkey
engines, two to work the larger air and feed pumps, and one to work
the smaller feed pump or pumps.
The refrigeration or condensation of the steam is intended to be
effected by the flow and natural circulation of the cold or external body
of water, which being made to enter at the lower part of the refrigerators
or surface condensers after coming in contact with the heated surfaces,
the water becomes heated, and rising, flows to the upper part of these
refrigerators or condensers, from whence it escapes, and its place becomes
supplied with colder condensing water. But it is to be observed that the
refrigerating chamber or series of tubes or spaces is to be formed into two
tiers, the upper tier to be surrounded by the pure fresh water as it passes
from the feed pump or pumps to the boiler, so as to take up as much of
the heat from the steam entering into the refrigerator as possible, and
the lower tier to be surrounded by the cold water entering in at the lower

page_text: part of the refrigerator, and naturally circulating through it, and flowing
out of it at the upper part and into the sea or external water.
In fitting these refrigerators or surface condensers into ships or other
vessels, I select a suitable and convenient position for them in relation to
the steam engine or engines, as also to the external water line or line of
flotation of the ship, and I connect the bottoms of such condensers or
refrigerators, each with the external body of water by means of a suitably
large pipe passing through the bottom of the ship, whilst the upper part
is connected by means of a suitable pipe through the upper part of the
side of the ship, but at a sufficient distance below the light load water
line to insure the constant circulation of water through the refrigerator;
and in each of these pipes I insert a suitable cock or cocks, or valves for
shutting off the admission or flow of water into the ship in case of an
accident or otherwise.
The air and feed pumps, either separately or combined, may either be
worked by donkey engines, or by the main engine or engines.
The several views in the accompanying Sheets of Drawings are illus-
trative of the Invention, more especially as applied to vessels of war.
In Sheet 1, Figure 1, is a section of a boiler or part of a boiler taken
through about the centre of Figure 2, and Figure 2 is a section taken
through about the centre of the furnace next the uptake in Figure 1. a is
the shell of the boiler; b, the line of furnace bars; c, the parts of the fur-
naces where the tubes are fixed; d, the tubes passing from the first to the
second furnace; e, the tubes passing from the second to the third furnace;
f, the tubes passing from the third furnace to the uptake g, and through
all of which the products of combustion will pass from the furnaces to
the uptake and chimney or outlet; g, the uptake; h, the chimney or out-
let; i, the internal steam pipe formed with narrow apertures cut trans-
versely to convey the moist steam from the boiler into the chamber k; k,
the chamber for conveying the steam into the series of pipes 1; 1, the
series of pipes fixed longitudinally, or from front to back in the boiler,
through which the steam has to pass to the chamber m, and becomes
more suitable for use in a steam engine by its more perfect vaporization;
m is the chamber for conveying the steam to the steam pipe, and n is the
nozzle to which the steam pipe would be connected.
In Figure 3 is shewn an outer front view of a boiler or part of a boiler
(shewn also by Figures 1, 2, 4, 5, 6, and 7), and Figure 4 is an outer side
view of a boiler or part of a boiler (described also in Figures 1, 2, and 4),
in which a is the shell of the boiler; b, the line of furnace bars; c, the

page_text: parts of the furnaces where the tubes are fixed; g, the uptake shewing the
ends of the tubes; h, the chimney or outlet; k, the outside of the chamuer
for conveying the steam to the series of pipes l; m, the chamber to convey
the steam to the steam pipe; n, the nozzle to which the steam pipe would
be connected. Figure 5 is a section of a boiler or part of a boiler taken
through about the centre between Figures 6 and 7, and Figure 6 is an
outer side view of Figures 5 and 7, and Figure 7 is a section taken through
about the centre of the furnace next the uptake in Figure 5; a, being the
boiler; b, the line of furnace bars; c, the part of the furnaces where the
sheet spaces are fixed; d, the sheet spaces passing from the first to the
second furnace; e, the sheet spaces passing from the second to the third
furnace; f, the sheet spaces passing from the third furnace to the up-
take g, and through all of which the products of combustion will pass
from the furnaces to the uptake and chimney, and outlet; g is the uptake;
h, the chimney or outlet; i, the internal steam pipe formed with narrow
apertures cut transversely to convey the moist steam from the boiler into
the chamber ; k, is the chamber for conveying the steam into the series
of sheet spaces 1; 1, being the series of sheet spaces fixed longitudinally,
or from front to back in the boiler, through which the steam will pass
to the chamber m, and in its progress become more suitable for use in
a steam engine by its more perfect vaporization; m is the chamber to
convey the steam to the steam pipe; n, the nozzle to which the steam pipe
would be connected.
Figure 8 is a section of a boiler or part of a boiler taken through about
the centre, between the rising part c' of the middle furnace and the up-
take g in Figure 9, and Figure 9 is a section taken through about the
centre of the middle furnace in Figures 8, in which Figure a is the boiler;
b is the line of furnace bars; c is the flue of the middle furnace where the
tubes are fixed; c', the rising part of the flue from the furnace; d, the flue
of the two outer furnaces where the tubes are fixed; d', the rising
parts of the flue from the furnaces. Both the flues c and d extending
across the furnaces, it will be seen that e is the tubes passing from the
flues of the two outer furnaces to the flue of the middle furnace, and f,
the tubes passing from the flue of the middle furnaces to the uptake g,
and through all of which the products of combustion will have to pass
from the furnaces to the uptake and chimney or outlet; it will be seen
that g is the uptake; h, the chimney or outlet; i, the internal steam pipe
formed with narrow apertures cut transversely to convey the moist steam
from the boiler into the chamber ; and, the chamber for conveying the
steam into the series of pipes l, whilst is the series of pipes fixed trans-

page_text: versely or from side to side in the boiler, through which the steam will
have to pass to the chamber m, and thereby become more suitable for use
in a steam engine by its more perfect vaporization; m is the chamber to
convey the steam to the steam pipe, and n the nozzle to which the steam
pipe would be connected.
Figure 10, Sheet 2, is a section of a boiler or part of a boiler taken
through about the centre between the rising part of the middle furnace
and the uptake g in Figure 11, and Figure 11 is a section taken through
about the centre of the middle furnace in Figure 10. a is the shell of the
boiler; the line of furnace bars; c, the flue of the middle furnace where
the sheet spaces are fixed; c', the rising part of the flue from the furnace;
d, the flue of the two outer furnaces where the sheet spaces are fixed; d',
the rising parts of the flue from the furnaces, both flues c and d extending
across the furnaces; e, the sheet spaces passing from the flue of the two
outer furnaces to the flue of the middle furnace; f, the sheets spaces pass-
ing from the flue of the middle furnace to the uptake g, and through all of
which the products of combustion will have to pass from the furnaces to
the uptake and chimney or outlet; g is the uptake; h, the chimney or out-
let; i, the internal steam pipe formed with narrow apertures cut trans-
versely to convey the moist steam from the boiler into the chamber k,
and is the chamber for conveying the steam into the series of sheet
spaces, being the series of sheet spaces fixed transversely or from side
to side in the boiler, through which the steam will pass to the chamber m,
and thereby become more suitable for use in a steam engine by its more
perfect vaporization; m is the chamber to convey the steam to the steam
pipe, and n is the nozzle to which the steam pipe would be connected.
Figure 12 is an outer front view of a boiler or part of a boiler illustrated
or shewn also by Figures 8, 9, and 14; and Figure 13 is an outer front
view of a boiler or part of a boiler described also by Figures 10, 11, and
15; and Figure 14 is a plan in section of a boiler or part of a boiler
described also by Figures 8, 9, and 12; and Figure 15 is a plan in section
of a boiler or part of a boiler described also by Figures 10, 11, and 13.
In these views a is the shell of a boiler; b, the line of furnace bars; c, the
flue of the middle furnace, where the tubes or sheet spaces are fixed; c',
the rising part of the flue from the furnace; d, the flue from the two outer
furnaces, where the tubes or sheet spaces are fixed; d', the rising part of
the flue from the furnace; e, the tubes or sheet spaces passing from the
flue of the two outer furnaces to the flue of the middle furnace; f, the
tubes or sheet spaces passing from the flue of the middle furnace to the
uptake g; g is the uptake; %, the outer end view of the chamber for con-

page_text: veying the steam into the series of pipes l; and m, the outer end view of
the chamber to convey the steam to the steam pipe, whilst n is the nozzle
to which the steam pipe would be connected.
Figure 16 is an outer view of one of the refrigerators or surface con-
densers for converting the educted or blown-off steam into pure fresh
water for feeding marine or other steam engine boilers; Figure 17 is
a section of one of the refrigerators or surface condensers taken through
about the centre of Figure 18, and Figure 18 is a section of one of the
refrigerators or surface condensers taken through about the centre of
Figures 16 and 17, a being the outer casing of the lower part of the re-
frigerator; b, the outer casing of the upper part; c, the cover of the upper
part; d, the stuffing box attached to the cover; e, the bottom of the lower
part, and which forms the passage from the refrigerator to the air or
large feed pump; f, the stuffing box attached to the lower part; g, the
eduction pipe from each end of an engine cylinder, through which the
steam will pass out of the cylinder and into the refrigerator; h, the steam
or upper chamber of the refrigerator or condenser, which receives the
steam from the eduction pipe, and conveys it to the refrigerating or con-
densing pipes or tubes, and which passes through the stuffing box d
attached to the cover c; i, the perforated plate, which is pierced with a
number of small holes or slots, or instead of a plate, a sheet of thick
metallic gauze with meshes of a suitable fineness may be used, to more
completely distribute the steam over the refrigerating or condensing
pipes or tubes; %, the upper tube plate, into which the upper ends of the
upper series of refrigerating or condensing pipes are secured, and which
tube plate is to be secured by screw bolts and nuts, or otherwise to the
steam chamber ; l, the upper series of refrigerating pipes or tubes,
through which the same from the steam chamber will pass to the lower
series of refrigerating or condensing pipes or tubes; m, the lower tube
plate of the upper series of refrigerating pipes l, into which the lower
ends of this series of pipes are secured; n, the upper tube plate of the
lower series of refrigerating pipes, into which the upper ends of these
pipes are secured; this tube plate, together with the tube plate m, and
the outer flanges of the upper casing 6 and lower casing a are to be
secured by screw bolts and nuts, or otherwise, so as to form two separate
compartments, one to contain the upper series of refrigerating pipes or
tubes, and the other to contain the lower series of refrigerating or con-
densing tubes or pipes. o, the lower series of refrigerating pipes or
tubes, into which the steam will enter from the upper series of refrigerat-
ing pipes, and where it will be converted into pure fresh water; p, the

page_text: lower tube plate of the lower series of refrigerating pipes, and into which
the lower ends of these pipes are secured; q, the water or lower chamber
of the refrigerator or surface condenser, which receives the fresh water
as it runs from the lower series of refrigerating pipes or tubes, and con-
veys it down the pipe part q', which passes through the stuffing box f into
the bottom or passage e, and from thence it is drawn by the air or large
feed pump, and forced from thence by means of the piper into the upper
compartment, and thence by the continued action of the pump through
that compartment, when in its passage it takes up as much of the heat
from the steam passing down the upper series of refrigerating pipes as
possible, and then by means of the pipe t it is forced onward to the boiler,
to be again converted into steam; r, the pipe from the air or large feed
pump; s, the upper compartment surrounding the upper series of re-
frigerating pipes; t, the feed pipe, to convey the heated, condensed, or
fresh water to the boiler, to maintain the proper supply or feed for
generation into steam; u, the lower compartment surrounding the lower
series of refrigerating or condensing pipes or tubes; v, the induction or
inlet valve and pipe, by which the cold water or external body of water
will enter into the lower compartment or lower part of the refrigerator,
and come into contact with the lower series of refrigerating pipes, and
as it becomes heated will ascend, and naturally circulate and flow out of
the outlet w in the upper part of this compartment in a continuous
steam, thereby producing a continual supply of cold water for refrigera-
tion; w, the eduction or outlet pipe, by which the heated and rarefied
water escapes from the lower compartment; x, the shut-off valve, placed
upon the induction pipe for safety when the apparatus is not at work;
y, the shut-off valve, placed upon the eduction pipe for the same purpose
as that designated as ; z, the side of the ship or vessel.
It is to be observed, that although passages with flat surfaces or sheet
spaces are not shewn in Figures 16, 17 and 18, yet they can be used in
lieu of tubes or pipes to effect the refrigeration or condensation of steam
to form pure or fresh water.
I wish it to be understood that such surface condensers or refrigerators
may be formed with one compartment filled with one series of tubes or
pipes, or with passages with flat surfaces or sheet spaces, in lieu of tubes
or pipes, or with two compartments, one over the other; the upper one
filled with one series of tubes or pipes, or other passages, in lieu of tubes
or pipes, and the lower one filled with another series, so that the tubes
or pipes, or other passages of the upper compartment would first receive
the steam from the eduction passages of a steam cylinder of a steam

page_text: engine, and by the action upon their surfaces of the feed water passing
through this compartment from the feed pump, the temperature of this
steam would be so reduced that when it passes into the tubes or pipes, or
other passages in lieu of tubes or pipes, which fill the lower compartment,
it would be completely condensed and converted into pure fresh water,
by the action of the cold water upon the metallic surfaces, which, as it
would enter into and rise from the lower part of this compartment, it
would become gradually heated, and therefore it would naturally circu-
late and flow out at the upper part.
When the surface condenser or
refrigerator is formed with one compartment, it would be made without
any divisional tube plates, but in every other respect the same as if it was
formed with two compartments. And when a surface condenser or
refrigerator of this description is used, care is to be taken that both the
induction passage at the lower part of the compartment for the admission
of cold water, and the eduction passage at the upper part of the compart-
ment for the ejection of the same water in its heated state after circula-
tion through the compartment, must be immersed in the water from
which the circulating water is obtained, and that this water must be
obtained from the sea or from a stream, or any large mass of water, so
that the temperature of the outlet water and that entering the com-
partment may not be rendered, by continued circulation, too hot to
produce condensation.
Having now described the nature of this Invention, and the manner of
applying the same for the purposes herein set forth, I would have it
understood that I do not confine myself to the precise mechanical or
other details of construction or application, so long as the peculiar
character of the several parts of my Invention are retained; but what I
claim is,―
First, the construction and arrangement as herein described of tubes,
flues, or sheet spaces, for the passage of the heat and products of com-
bustion in a marine or other boiler, having several furnaces laterally and
transversely to the lengths of the furnaces, and above or over the bars of
each furnace, or so that the products of combustion from the first furnace
shall pass over the several furnaces between it and the up-take or chim-
ney or outlet; and in like manner the products of combustion from the
intermediate furnaces between the first furnace and the up-take or chim-
ney, or outlet, shall pass over the several furnaces and the fuel therein
contained.
Second, the arrangement of tubes, flues, or sheet spaces for the passage

page_text: of the heat or products of combustion in a marine or other boiler having
more than one furnace, whether the same be arranged laterally and trans-
versely to the length of the furnaces, or longitudinally or lengthwise with
the length of the furnaces, but above or over the bars of the furnaces, so
that instead of passing the products of combustion the first over the
second, and second over the third, and so on, they may be alternated, and
the total length of the furnace be divided into two or more parts, so that
the products of combustion from one furnace to another may be led or
divided laterally from the front, from the back, and from the centre part
of such furnace to the next, or to the next but one, or to any other furnace
in the series further therefrom.
Third, the use and employment of a series of tubes, pipes, or sheet
spaces with a suitable entrance pipe and conducting chambers, as herein
described, and as illustrated, for the passage through them of the moist
steam generated in a boiler, by which the steam in its progress to the
main steam pipe of a steam engine becomes dried, or the water held in
suspension becomes vaporized, whether tubes, pipes, or sheet spaces be
arranged longitudinally or transversely, or in other direction, in the
upper or in any other part above the level of the water line of a marine
or other description of boiler, or in a steam chest open to or separate from
a boiler, by which means the series of pipes, tubes, or sheet spaces may
be surrounded by steam from the boiler, and be kept or maintained at
the highest temperature due to their position.
Fourth, the novel construction and arrangement of the interior struc-
tural parts, as well as the mode of applying surface condensers or refriger-
ators, as herein described, when such condensers or refrigerators are
attached to steam engines or boilers, for the purpose of obtaining fresh
water from the exhausted steam, or steam otherwise discharged from
boilers containing salt or sea water, or water impregnated with im-
purities, rendering its use destructive to boilers, or from boilers fed with
pure and fresh water.
In witness whereof, I, the said Thomas William Miller, have here-
unto set my hand and seal, this First day of November, One
thousand eight hundred and fifty-nine.
THOMAS WILLIAM MILLER. (L.S.)
Witness,
JAMES BANNISTER,
7, Victoria Terrace,
Landport, Portsea.