IMPROVEMENTS IN SURFACE CON- DENSERS AND SUPERHEATERS
Year: 1862

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to George Allibon and Edward Snell, of Lewisham,
Kent, Engineers, for the Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN SURFACE CON-
DENSERS AND SUPERHEATERS."
Sealed the 28th November 1862, and dated the 4th June 1862.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said George Allibon and
Edward Snell at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with their
Petition, on the 4th June 1862.
We, GEORGE ALLIBON and EDWARD SNELL, of Lewisham, Kent, Engineers,
do hereby declare the nature of the said Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN
SURFACE CONDENSERS AND SUPERHEATERS," to be as follows:-
These improvements relate to the construction of tubulous vessels in which
the steam or vapour to be cooled or condensed, or superheated (or charged
with additional degrees of heat), as the case may be, is made to pass from one
chamber or passage, by means of a series of bent tubes, into another chamber
or passage, the cooling or heating, or the heat abstracting or superheating
(as the case may be) being effected within the main casing and through the
external surfaces of the bent metal tubes. The apparatus may either consist

page_text: of a vessel divided into two parts by a tube plate in which the two ends of
each of the bent tubes are secured, the larger portion of the chamber being
occupied by the tubes, and the smaller portion being occupied by a number of
divisions or plates forming chambers or passage ways, alternately arranged,
for the ingoing or outcoming of the steam, which is made to pass through the
legs of each of the bent pipes; or, instead of the apparatus being formed of
one vessel only, the tubulous portion may be one vessel and the divisional
or cellular portion for the inward and the outward passage of the steam
may be another vessel, and these two may be bolted together or otherwise
connected.
For surface condensers we prefer to make the case or external shell of cast
iron, although it may be constructed of any other metal, and where horizontal
layers of bent tubes are preferred, the front and back of the condenser should
each be enclosed or secured by a perfectly air-tight cover, so that ready access
may, when necessary, be had to the interior. Each of the passage ways or
chambers devoted to the exhaust should be connected with a bottom chamber
or general receiver for the condensed water, whilst the steam passages are, in
like manner, connected together from the steam exhaust pipe. The bent ends
of the pipes, which are free to expand and contract, may be supported either
on bearing pieces cast with the back cover, or they may be supported on
bearing bars or independent bearers arranged within the case. The two ends
of each bent pipe being secured in the same tube plate, in each case the one
leg communicates with the steam passage or chamber and the other leg with
the exhaust or condensing passage or chamber. By making the divisions and
passages vertical, and arranging the bent tubes one above the other, for each
set of vertical passages, the number of vertical series may be increased,
according to the space which can be afforded, to the width of the condenser
and according to the condensing surface or area required.
For superheaters we prefer to employ an apparatus generally similar to that
described as intended for the condensation of steam, although the proportions
as well as the details of the arrangement should be varied to render it more
suitable for the special purpose and the position of its application; but
generally we prefer to add an exterior casing surrounding the shell within
which the heating operation is performed, and within which interior shell is
contained the bent tubes through which the steam to be superheated is made
to pass.

page_text: SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent, filed
by the said George. Allibon and Edward Snell in the Great Seal Patent
Office on the 3rd December 1862.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, we, GEORGE
ALLIBON and EDWARD SNELL, of Lewisham, Kent, Engineers, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her Letters
Patent, bearing date the Fourth day of June, in the year of our Lord One
thousand eight hundred and sixty-two, in the twenty-fifth year of Her
reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant unto us,
the said George Allibon and Edward Snell, Her special licence that we, the
said George Allibon and Edward Snell, our executors, administrators, and
assigns, or such others as we, the said George Allibon and Edward. Snell, our
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 SURFACE CONDENSERS AND
SUPERHEATERS," upon the condition, amongst others, that we, the said George
Allibon and Edward Snell, our executors or administrators, by an instrument
in writing under our, or their, or one of their hands and seals, should
particularly 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 calendar months next and imme-
diately after the date of the said Letters Patent.
NOW KNOW YE, that we, the said George Allibon and Edward Snell, do
hereby declare the nature of our said Invention, and in what manner the same
is to be performed, to be particularly described and ascertained in and by the
following statement in writing, and on reference to the accompanying Sheet of
Drawings, that is to say :-
These improvements relate to the construction of tubulous vessels in which
the steam or vapour to be cooled or condensed, or superheated. or charged
with additional degrees of heat, as the case may be, is made to pass from
one chamber or passage, by means of a bent tube, into another chamber or
passage, the cooling or heating, or the heat abstracting or superheating (as
the case may be), being effected within the main casing and through the
external surfaces of the bent tubes. The apparatus may consist of a vessel
divided into two parts by a tube plate in which the two ends of each of the
bent tubes are secured, the larger portion of the chamber being occupied by

page_text: •
the tubes and the smaller portion being occupied by a number of divisions or
plates forming chambers or passage ways, alternately arranged, for the ingoing
or outcoming of the steam, which is made to pass through the legs of each
of the bent pipes; or, instead of the apparatus being formed of one vessel
only, the tubulous portion may be one vessel, and the divisional or cellular
portion for the inward and the outward passage of the steam may be another
vessel, and these two may be bolted together or otherwise connected.
For surface condensers we prefer to make the case or external shell of cast
iron, although it may be constructed of any other metal; and where horizontal
layers of bent tubes are preferred, the front and back of the condenser should
each be inclosed or secured by a perfectly air-tight cover, so that ready access
may, when necessary, be had to the interior. Each of the passage ways
devoted to the exhaust should be connected with a bottom chamber or
general receiver for the condensed water, whilst the steam passages are, in
like manner, connected together from the steam exhaust pipe, the bent ends
of the pipes, which are free to expand and contract, may be supported either
on bearing pieces cast with the back cover, or they may be supported on
bearing bars or independent bearers arranged within the case. The two ends
of each bent pipe being secured in the same tube plate; in each case the one
leg communicates with the steam passage or chamber and the other leg with
the exhaust or condensing passage or chamber. By making the divisions and
passages vertical, and arranging the bent tubes one above the other for each
set of vertical passages, the number of vertical series may be increased,
according to the space which can be afforded, to the width of the condenser
and according to the condensing surface or area required.
For superheaters we prefer to employ an apparatus generally similar to that
described as intended for the condensation of steam, although the proportions
as well as the details of the arrangement should be varied to render it more
suitable for the special purpose and the position of its application;. but
generally we prefer to add an exterior casing surrounding the shell within
which the heating operation is performed, and within which interior shell is
contained the bent tubes through which the steam to be superheated is made
to pass.
In the accompanying Sheet of Drawings we have illustrated our Invention
as being more particularly adapted for the condensation of steam, although
the same principle may be employed for superheating steam, heating the feed
water, and for other purposes, the arrangement and proportions of the several
parts of our apparatus being varied to suit the particular purpose for which it
is intended to be used or employed.

page_text: Figure 1 is a longitudinal sectional view of the apparatus taken on the line
A, B, Figure 2; Figure 2 is a half horizontal section and half plan view;
Figure 3 is a view of the front or inlet end of the apparatus, the casing or
cover being partly removed; Figure 4 is a view of the back or discharge end
with a portion of the casing or cover removed; Figure 5 being a view, to an
enlarged scale, showing one of the divisional or cellular passages or com-
partments, herein-before referred to and described, and a portion of two
others of such compartments with two of the bent tubes secured in the tube
plate.
When it is intended to apply our Invention for superheating steam we
employ a similar arrangement of tubes and passages to that shown and
described in the accompanying Sheet of Drawings, although, as has herein-
before been stated, the proportions as well as the details of the arrangement of
the several parts should be varied to render the apparatus constructed in
accordance with our Invention more especially adapted for this particular
purpose. As, for instance, it will be evident that in lieu of the top cover,
shewn in Figures 1, 2, 3, and 4, of the accompanying Sheet of Drawings, an
ordinary top casing, at a suitable height above the uppermost series of tubes,
would have to be substituted therefor, forming the ordinary smoke box or
chamber at the root of the funnel.
The external shell or casing of the apparatus constructed in accordance with
our Invention for the purposes of superheating steam may be formed of any
suitable metal, as may also the interior shell or casing and the enclosed series
of tubes.
In Figures 1, 3, and 4, we show an adaptation or arrangement whereby we
are enabled to effect the condensation of steam within a portion of the herein-
before described apparatus by means of the injection of cold water, as in the
ordinary "jet" condenser; this we are enabled to accomplish by forming a
chamber below the inlet end of the apparatus, and into which chamber the
injection pipes are introduced in the usual manner; attached to this supple-
mentary chamber we have shown two air pumps; and when it is desired to
work the apparatus as an injection condenser the solid air-pump buckets will
have to be removed and buckets with india-rubber or other suitable valves
(as indicated by the dotted lines in Figure 1) be substituted therefor. The
opening to admit of the passage of the sea water must also be closed and the
pump be caused to force the injection water through the circulating pipe up
and amongst the condenser tubes, and so discharge the water into the sea in
the usual manner.

page_text: Having described our Invention, and illustrated it in the accompanying
Sheet of Drawings, we claim,-
First, the construction of surface condensers, feed-water heaters, and steam
superheaters with bent tubes, fixed in the manner herein described.
Second, the mode or method of fixing and arranging tubes in relation
to the division plate for surface condensers, and such like or similar con-
structions.
Third, the arrangement of surface condensers as herein described.
In witness whereof, I, the said George Allibon, on behalf of myself and
the said Edward Snell, have hereunto set my hand and seal, this
First day of December, in the year of our Lord One thousand eight
hundred and sixty-two.
Witness,
JAMES STEVENSON,
19, Salisbury Street,
Adelphi, W.C.
GEORGE ALLIBON. (L.S.)