IMPROVE- MENTS IN TURBINES
Year: 1866

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Frederick Nicholas Meixner, of the City of Manchester,
in the County of Lancaster, Engineer, for the Invention of "IMPROVE-
MENTS IN TURBINES."
Sealed the 24th April 1867, and dated the 17th December 1866.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Frederick Nicholas
Meixner at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition,
on the 17th December 1866.
I, FREDERICK NICHOLAS MEIXNER, of the City of Manchester, in the County
of Lancaster, Engineer, do hereby declare the nature of the said Invention
for "IMPROVEMENTS IN TURBINES," to be as follows:-
My Invention relates to that class of turbines known as the "Fourneyron "
and more particularly to such of that class as have the depth of the guide
curves and buckets divided into a series of spaces to suit varying quantities
of supply fluid so as to obtain the greatest amount of power therefrom, and
my Invention consists in the application of a cylindrical valve to and in its
arrangement and combination with a Fourneyron turbine, so that the valve

page_text: will act both to regulate the supply of fluid to the turbine and shut it off
therefrom without any other valve, at the same time dispensing with the
space hitherto left for the regulator between the guide curves and the buckets,
and thereby more effectually directing the fluid upon the buckets.
My Invention is carried into effect by bringing the outer edge of the
guide curves or directors as near as possible to the inner edge of the buckets,
and by making the inner edge of the guide curves or directors in a line with
or of the same diameter or bore as the pipe supplying the fluid to the turbine,
and in fitting a cylinder (lined or faced with brass to prevent corrosion) into
the bore of the supply pipe and arranging it in suitable guides so that it can
be slided up and down the pipe to regulate or to shut off the supply fluid
from the guide curves or directors. The cylindrical valve is worked by means
of a lever to which it is connected by links, the lever being actuated through
a screw rod and link, or the valve may be worked by a screw acting directly
upon a boss in the centre of the valve to which it is connected by arms or it
may be actuated by any other suitable means. The screw for giving motion to
the valve may be actuated either by hand or by a governor in connection with
self-acting mechanism similar to that used for ordinary water wheels or steam
engines.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent, filed
by the said Frederick Nicholas Meixner in the Great Seal Patent
Office on the 26th April 1867.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, FREDERICK
NICHOLAS MEIXNER, of the City of Manchester, in the County of Lancaster,
Engineer, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her Letters
Patent, bearing date the Seventeenth day of December, in the year of our
Lord One thousand eight hundred and sixty-six, in the thirtieth year of Her
reign did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant unto me, the
said Frederick Nicholas Meixner, Her special license that I, the said
Frederick Nicholas Meixner, my executors, administrators, and assigns, or
such others as I, the said Frederick Nicholas Meixner, my executors,
administrators, and assigns, should at any time agree with, and no others,

page_text: 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 TURBINES," upon the con-
dition (amongst others) that I, the said Frederick Nicholas Meixner, my
executors or administrators, by an instrument in writing under my, 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 immediately after the date of the said
Letters Patent.
NOW KNOW YE, that I, the said Frederick Nicholas Meixner, 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 (that is to say):-
My Invention relates to turbines actuated by water, steam, or other fluid,
and to that class of turbines known as the Fourneyron, and more particularly.
to such of that class as have the depth of the guide curves and buckets,
divided into a series of spaces to suit varying quantities of supply fluid so. as
to obtain the greatest amount of power therefrom, and my Invention consists
in the application of a cylindrical valve to and its combination and with a
turbine of the Fourneyron class so that the valve will act both to regulate
the supply of fluid to the turbine and shut it off therefrom without any other
valve, at the same time dispensing with the space hitherto left for the regulator
between the guide curves and the brackets, and thereby more effectually
directing the fluid upon the brackets.
My Invention is carried out by bringing the outer edge of the guide curves
or directors as near as possible to the inner edge of the buckets, and by
making the inner edge of the guide curves or directors in a line with or of
the same diameter or bore as the pipe supplying the fluid to the turbine, and
in fitting a cylinder (lined or faced with brass) to prevent corrosion) into the
bore of the supply pipe and arranging it in suitable guides so that it can be
slided up and down the pipe to regulate or to shut off the supply of fluid
from the guide curves or directors. The cylindrical valve is worked by means
of a lever, to which it is connected by links, the lever being actuated through
a screw rod and link, or the valve may be worked by a screw acting directly
upon a boss in the centre of the valve to which it is connected by arms, or it
may be actuated by any other suitable means. The screw for giving motion
to the valve may be worked either by hand or by a governor in connection

page_text: with self-acting mechanism similar to that used for common water wheels, or
steam engines.
.
My improvements are illustrated by the accompanying Sheet of Drawings.
Fig. 1 is a sectional elevation through the centre of the turbine and
supply pipe, Fig. 2 is an elevation of the turbine with the supply pipe
at the back, and with the base part of the supply pipe in section, Fig. 3 is
a plan view of the turbine and supply part, and Figure 4 is a section of a
quadrant of the cylindrical valve and supply pipe, the guide curves or
directors, and the buckets of the turbine. a is the supply pipe united to
the base part (a¹) by flanges as shewn. This base has a slide or damper
valve (a) at one to give access to the base part upon the upper surface of
the base part (a) a cylindrical part (6) is secured as shewn, and in this part
the guide curves or directors (c) are arranged and the partitions (c) to.form
spaces in the turbine to suit any given supply of fluid; d is the shaft carrying
the bucket part of the turbine, this shaft has a footstep carried by the
crown part of b as shewn; e is the rotating or bucket part of the turbine
having partitions (e¹) corresponding to the partitions (c¹) in the guide curves.
The exterior edges of the guide curves (c) and the interior edges of the
The interior of
buckets (e) are fitted to work as close together as possible.
the part (b) is bored and turned to fit the cylindrical valve (f), which has
arms connecting it with its central boss which 'slides upon a central pillar or
guide (f.) This valve can be slided upwards or downwards so as to close
or open the spaces between the guide curves in succession, and when close
against the crown part of 6 will entirely shut off the supply of fluid to the
turbine. The upper and lower exterior edges of the cylindrical valve (f)
may be placed or lined with brass, and the lower edge may be arranged to
carry hydraulic or other packing rings if desired. The valve may be actuated
by a hand wheel (f³) forming a screw nut, which is placed at the end of
a pillar (f) secured to a floor or platform (f), the screw nut wheel actuates a
rod (f) (screwed at its upper end) which passes through a gland and stuffing
box (as shown) being jointed to a link (f³) at its lower end, which is jointed
to one end of a lever (fo) having its fulcrum (f) on a bracket (f³) secured
to the base part (a.) This lever (ƒ) gives movements to the valve (f) by
links (f) jointed to the lever and to the boss of the valve.
upper
I have now particularly described the nature of my Invention, and the mode
Invention,
of carrying it into effect, and claim as my
Firstly, the valve (f) used with turbines of the class in the manner and for
the purposes herein-before described and illustrated by the accompanying
Drawings.

page_text: Secondly, the combination and arrangement of the valve (f), guide curves
(c), and the buckets (e) of a turbine, substantially as herein-before described
nd illustrated by the accompanying Drawings.
In witness whereof, I, the said Frederick Nicholas Meixner, have here-
unto set my hand and seal, this Sixth day of April, in the year of our
Lord Oue thousand eight hundred and sixty-seven.
FREDERICK NICHOLAS MEIXNER. (L.s.)
Signed, sealed, and delivered by
the before-named Frederick
Nicholas Meixner, in the
presence of
JOHN FLOWER,
Solicitor,
Manchester.