IMPROVEMENTS IN DISTILLING MACHINERY, AND IN THE MODE OF WORKING THE SAME
Year: 1875

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Alphonse Louis Normandy, of No. 35, Albert
Square, Clapham Road, in the County of Surrey, for the Invention
of "IMPROVEMENTS IN DISTILLING MACHINERY, AND IN THE MODE OF
WORKING THE SAME."
Sealed the 28th December 1875, and dated the 20th July 1875.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Alphonse Louis
Normandy at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with
his Petition, on the 20th July 1875.
I, ALPHONSE LOUIS NORMANDY, of No. 35, Albert Square, Clapham
Road, in the County of Surrey, do hereby declare the nature of the said
Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN DISTILLING MACHINERY, AND IN THE MODE OF
WORKING THE SAME," to be as follows:-
My Invention consists in so constructing and working distilling
machinery that the exhaust or waste steam discharged from the steam
pump used for supplying condensing water, instead of being discharged
into the atmosphere or simply condensed into water in such a manner

page_text: that the heat evolved during condensation is lost, is condensed in such a
way that the latent heat of this exhaust or waste steam is caused to
evaporate a portion of the condensing water, thereby increasing the
yield of condensed water and economising fuel.
In order to effect this object I discharge the exhaust or waste steam
into a condensing chamber consisting of tubes or any other convenient
known form so that it may be condensed into water, the outer surface of
this condensing chamber being supplied with a regulated supply of
condensing water, and the escape of the condensed water inside this
condensing chamber being also regulated in such a way that the waste
-stean in being condensed into water causes the outer condensing water
to generate stcam. This steam is condensed into water in another
condensing chamber, thereby producing a larger quantity of condensed
water than would have been obtained by simply condensing the exhaust
or waste steam without utilising the heat evolved during condensation.
The condensing chamber into which the exhaust steam is discharged
may also be supplied with steam direct from the steam boiler so as to
increase the power of the machinery and yield of condensed water. In
such cases, when steam is also supplied direct from the boiler I throttle
the supply of such steam by means of a cock or valve so that the
pressure inside the condensing chamber into which the exhaust steam is
admitted shall be less than the pressure in the boiler, a safety valve
being also in some cases provided to prevent the pressure in the
condensing chamber rising above the desired point.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent, 2
filed by the said Alphonse Louis Normandy in the Great Seal Patent
Office on the 20th January 1876.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, ALPHONSE
LOUIS NORMANDY, of No. 35, Albert Square, Clapham Road, in the
County of Surrey, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her
Letters Patent, bearing date the Twentieth day of July, in the year of
our Lord One thousand eight hundred and seventy-five, in the thuty -
ninth year of Her reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successois, give
3

page_text: and grant unto me, the said Alphonse Louis Normandy, Her special
license that I, the said Alphonse Louis Normandy, my executors, admini-
strators, and assigns, or such others as I, the said Alphonse Louis
Normandy, 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, excrcise, and vend, within the United Kingdom of Great
Britain and Ireland, the Channel Islands, and Isle of Man, an Inven-
tion for "IMPROVEMENTS IN DISTILLING MACHINERY, AND IN THE MODE OF
WORKING THE SAME," upon the condition (amongst others) that I, the
said Alphonse Louis Normandy, my executors or administrators, by an
instrument in writing under my, or then, or one of their hands and
seals, should particularly describe and ascertam 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 Scal Patent Office within six
calendar months next and immediately after the date of the said Lotters
Patent.
NOW KNOW YE, that I, the said Alphonse Louis Normandy, do hereby
declare the nature of the said Invention, and in what manner the same
is to be performed, to be particularly described and ascertained in and
by the following statement thereof, reference being had to the accom-
panying Sheet of Drawings and to the figures and letters marked thereon
that is to say :-
'
My Invention consists in so constructing and working distilling
machinery that the exhaust or waste steam discharged from the steam
pump used for supplying condensing water instead of being discharged
into the atmosphere or simply condensed into water in such a manner
that the heat evolved during condensation is lost, is condensed in such a
way that the latent heat of this exhaust or waste steam is caused to
evaporate a portion of the condensing water thereby increasing the
yield of condensed water and economising fucl.
In order to effect this object I discharge the exhaust or waste steam
into a condensing chamber consisting of tubes or any other convenient
known form, so that it may be condensed into water, the outer surface
of this condensing chamber being supplied with a regulated supply of
condensing water, and the escape of the condensed water inside this
condensing chamber being also regulated in such a way that the waste

page_text: bush X to the groove Z outside of it, C', guide through which slides the
spindle of float K.
The steam pipe T communicates with a condensing chamber W³, and
the condensed water pipe N communicates with a cooling chamber X²,
neither of these chambers W and X² are shown on the Drawing, but I
have designated them by letters for facility of reference; they may be
made of any convenient form, but preferably cach is in the form of a
sheaf of tubes surrounded by a casing similar to the arrangement shewn
on the annexed Drawing, the tubes of the condensing chamber W' being
placed above the tubes of the cooling chamber X' so that both sets or
sheaves of tubes may be contained in one casing, the upper ends of the
tubes of chamber W² being covered by a chamber and pipe similar to
those marked G and B on the annexed Drawing, while their lower ends
open
into a
chamber, into which also open the upper ends of the tubes
of the cooling chamber X³, the lower ends of the tubes of cooling
chamber X being covered by a chamber similar to that marked H on
the annexed Drawing, and having an outlet pipe therefrom turned up
to a little above the upper ends of these tubes so as to keep the cooling
tubes always full of condensed water. The casing surrounding the
condensing and cooling chambers W³ and X² is provided with a cold
water inlet at the lower part, and with a hot water outlet at the upper
part, and the condensing and cooling chambers are made of such a
length as to fill up the surrounding casing instead of having a
considerable space in the upper part liko that marked V on the annexed

page_text: uncovering the holes Z through which the condensed water cscapes into
pipe L as fast as it is produced.
The condensed water from pipe L next passes through cock and pipe
M and N and thence into the chamber, into which open the upper ends
of the tubes of cooling chamber ✗²; it then flows through the cooling
chamber X³, and issues therefrom cold, having been cooled by the flow
of cold water outside of this chamber. The steam inside tubes A. in
being condensed causes the water W outside of them to boil, and the
steam thus generated rises into the steam room V, and from thence
passes through pipe T into the condensing chamber W², wherein it is
condensed into water, and the condensed water thus produced falls into
the cooling chamber X³, where it mixes with the condensed water from
inside the tubes A, and flows therewith from the cooling chamber X² in
a cold staic. While the water W is thus being evaporated a regulated
portion thereof is also run off through the cock S, so as to prevent the
undue concentration of impuritics in this water, and the level of the
water W is maintained at A' by a regulated supply of heated water
from the casing surrounding condensing chamber W, which heated
water enters the casing F through pipe and cock Q and R.
The object of the steam trap J is to prevent steam escaping from
inside the tubes A along with the condensed water, and from the forc-
going description it will be seen that the condensed water raises the
float K and plunger Y, so as to only allow room for itself to pass through
the holes B'. The groove Z outside the bush X is to enable opposito
outlet holes B¹ to be made from inside the bush X, so as to prevent the
pressure of the steam inside tubes A forcing the plunger Y against one
side of the bush X and thus impeding its free action, which would
occur if there were only one outlet hole from the bush. The pet cock P
is for the escape of air from the tubes A at first starting, which air by
resisting the entry of steam into tubes A would retard the formation
of the condensed water, as until sufficient condensed water has
accumulated in the steam trap J to raise the float K and its plunger Y
the outlet Z remains closed by the plunger Y.
The cock M serves to regulate the escape of the condensed water in
case of injury to the float K, and the cock O is to allow the dirty con-
densed water at first produced to escape, also to dram the machine when

page_text: The steam cock C should be regulated so as not to allow the pressure
of the steam inside the tubes A to rise to such a pressure as would cause
steam to escape by the safety valve E. It will be scon that by the
above arrangement the heat given out during the condensation of the
steam inside the tubes A. is utilized by causing it to generate a second
quantity of steam, which secondary steam is afterwards condensed into
water, thereby largely increasing the quantity of condensed water for
any given consumption of fuel.
When it is desired to still further economize fuel I cause the
secondary steam passing through pipe T to enter another arrangement
similar to that shewn on the annexed Drawing, so that this secondary
steam in being condensed again causes the generation of a third quantity
of steam, which tertiary steam is condensed into water in the same way
as the secondary steam is condensed in the above mentioned arrange-
ment, and consequently the condensed water flowing from the cooler
would in this arrangement consist partly of water produced by the
condensation of exhaust steam from the steam pump, and of steam
direct from a boiler partly of water produced by the condensation of
secondary steam generated by the steam from the pump and boiler, and
partly of water produced by the condensation of tertiary steam
generated by the condensation of the secondary steam above mentioned.
A still further economy of fuel may be secured by further adding
arrangements similar to that shown in the annexed Drawing, so as to
increase the number of times the heat evolved during condensation is
caused to generate further quantitics of steam.
Having thus described the arrangement of apparatus which I prefer
to employ in carrying out my said Invention, I wish it to be understood
that I do not confine myself to the precise arrangements herein described,
but what I claim 1s,—
First. The method substantially as herein described of utilizing the
heat of the exhaust or waste steam from the steam pump of' distilling
machinery, by causing such steam either by itself or mixed with other
steam to generate a further quantity of steam from the water used to
condense it, which further quantity of steam is afterwards itself con-
densed into water and utilized.
Second. The arrangement of distilling machinery wherein the waste
or exhaust steam from the steam pump is caused to pass either by itself

page_text: or mixed with other steam into a condensing chamber, the condensing
water in which is evaporated by the heat of such steam, the steam thus
produced being conducted into a second condensing chamber in order to
be itself condensed and utilized substantially as herein described.
In witness whereof, I, the said Alphouse Louis Normandy, have 5
hercunto set my hand and seal, this Nineteenth day of January,
in the year of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and seventy-
six.