CERTAIN IMPROVEMENTS IN OBTAINING MOTIVE POWER
Year: 1853

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Jean Baptisto Pascal, of Lyons, in tho
Empire of France, and of 16, Castle Street, Holborn, City of
London, for the Invention of "CERTAIN IMPROVEMENTS IN OBTAINING
MOTIVE POWER."
Sealed the 26th May 1854, and dated the 15th December 1853.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Jean Baptiste
Pascal at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his
Petition, on the 15th December 1859.
I, JEAN BAPTISTE PASCAL, of Lyons, in the Empire of France, &
of 16, Castle Street, Holborn, City of London, do hereby declare the
nature of the said Invention for "CERTAIN IMPROVEMENTS IN OBTAINING
MOTIVE POWER" to be as follows:-
Improvements upon an Invention called "Improvements in Obtaining
Motive Power," for which I obtained Letters Patent Jan 5th, 1853.
These improvements consist chiefly in an altered arrangement of the
boiler part of my former Invention.
1, generating instantaneously for each stroke of the piston, the

page_text: necessary quantity of steam, by bringing the water into direct contact
with the flames & with the gases produced by combustion. The
water enters a chamber on the top of the fire box to which the flames
& burning gases have access by means of a dome.
2nd, using portion of the heat radiated by the exterior shell of the
engine, by constantly cooling the internal shell by the water to be
evaporated. A space is left between the boiler & its external case,
& is nearly exhausted by each stroke of the engine, & supplied by
fresh water.
3rd, burning the combined gases generated in the firo-place by a
current of heated air driven by a blowing engine, which drives a
column of air through a coil of pipes surrounding the fire-place, &
opening perpendicularly upon the top of the fire.
My present improvements also consist of a fire-place under the
moving cylinder, by which it is heated before starting the engine, and
of an exterior coating applied to the pipes & other portions of the
machine which convey the mixture when heated to a high temperature.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent,
filed by the said Jean Baptiste Pascal in the Great Seal Patent
Office on the 14th June 1854.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I,
JEAN BAPTISTE PASCAL, of Lyons, in the Empire of France, and of
16, Castle Street, Holborn, City of London, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her
Letters Patent, bearing date the Fifteenth day of December, in the
year of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and fifty-three, in tho
seventeenth year of Her reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and suc-
cessors, give and grant unto I, the said Jean Baptiste Pascal, Her
special licence that I, the said Jean Baptiste Pascal, my executors,
administrators, and assigns, or such others as I, the said Jean Baptiste
Pascal, my executors, administrators, and assigns, should at any time
agree with, and no others, from time to time and at all times thereafter

page_text: 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
"CERTAIN IMPROVEMENTS IN OBTAINING MOTIVE POWER," upon the con-
dition (amongst others) that I, the said Jean Baptiste Pascal, by an
instrument in writing under my hand and seal, 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 Jean Baptiste Pascal, do
hereby declare the nature of my said Invention, and in what manner
the same is to be performed, to be particularly described and ascer-
tained in and by the following statement :-
My present Invention consists in improvements upon an Invention
intituled "Improvements in Obtaining Motive Power," for which I
obtained Royal Letters Patent on the 5th January 1858. The improve-
ments which form the subject of the present Letters Patent consist
chiefly in an altered arrangement of the boiler part of my former
improvements for the purpose of,
Firstly, generating instantaneously, for each stroke of the piston, the
necessary quantity of steam by bringing the water into direct contact
with the flames and the gases produced by combustion. For this
purpose, the water enters a chamber on the top of the fire-box to
which the flames and gases have access by means of a dome on
its top.
Secondly, using a portion of the heat radiated by the exterior shell
of the engine, by constantly cooling the internal shell by the water fed
into the engine.
For this purpose a small space is left between the boiler and its
external case or jacket, the feed water passes through this space, so as
to intercept the heat radiated from the boiler to the case. This water
is exhausted at each stroke of the engine, and fresh water pumped in to
supply its place.
Thirdly, burning by means of a strongly heated current of air, the

page_text: combined of
gases oxygen, hydrogen, and carbon, which are generated
in the fire-place. This current of air is driven by means of a blowing
engine, which blows also the fire, the boiler being otherwise closed to
the access of external air. This blowing engine drives a column of
air through a coil of pipes surrounding the fire-place, and opening
perpendicularly upon the top of the fire, whose smoke is consumed by
the air heated in the coil.
My present improvements also comprise a fire-place under tho
driving cylinder, by which it is heated before starting the engine, and
an exterior coating applied to the pipes and other portions of the
engine which convey the gaseous mixture highly heated.
Having thus described the general nature of my improvements I
shall now enter upon the practical means by which the same are or
may be carried into effect, reference being had to the accompanying
Drawings, on which the same letters stand for the same parts. Fig. 1,
(Sheet 1,) is a plan of an engine for obtaining motive power. Fig. 2,
(Sheet 2,) is a sectional elevation of the said engine through the lines
1, 2, 3, of the plan. Fig. 3, (Sheet 8,) is an end view of the engine
shewing the boilers, the upper part of one of the boilers being shewn
in section through the lines 4, 4', of the plan Fig. 1. Fig. 4, (Sheet 3,)
is a plan of the boilers passing through the line 5, 5', of Fig. 3. A, A',
is the boiler, consisting of an ash-pit B, of a fire-box a, for the fuel,
and the generating part F, above it, in which the steam is generated &
heated by mixing directly with the flames and gases of combustion.
These two apparatus are equal in every respect. I shall therefore only
describe one of them. They may work separately or together, i. e., one
is sufficient for driving the engine, but it is more convenient to have
two, so as to let them work alternately for the purpose of not stopping
the engine whilst the fuel in one of the boilers is renowed; B, is the
ash-pit or ash-box into which the compressed air is driven through a
pipe m', from the compressing or blast cylinder P. This ash-box has
a lid g, which fits exactly on its seat so as to form an air-tight joint.
The bearing surface of this lid is cleaned with a brush every time the
cinders are taken out of the ash-box; C, is a pipe coiled round the fire-
place, its top end bends down upon the fire, and the bottom end com-

page_text: municates by an exterior pipe m", with the pipe m'. This coil is for
pouring in above the fire place. a current of, overheated & compressed
air which burns the smoke and gases produced by combustion. A
butterfly valve t, which is placed between the. tube m', and that m",
regulates the current of air Fig. 4; M, is a three-way cock for shutting
off the compressed air. from the blast engine, and thus preventing it
from entering either one or the other of the boilers, whilst the fuel is
put in. d, is a coating of fire-clay surrounding the boiler furnace;
E, is a cast iron cylinder, which is fixed below upon the jacket i of
the boiler, and closed above by a 'plate with two openings., ". The
opening e' communicates with the door g', for, introducing the fuel;
this door being in all respects like that 9, of the ash-box. The
opening is only covered with a cap e, and allows the flames and
gases of combustion to pass into the generator F, after having
been made to impinge on the top plate by means of the cap "". The
external surface of the cylinder is almost in contact with the jacket i,
leaving between them the least possible space; the cylinder also has
near its bottom part a groove e, which is intended to distribute round
the cylinder the water sent by the feed-pump through the pipe n
This feed.pump is not shown on the Drawings; it ought to be a double-
acting force-pump driven by the engine, and so contrived as to be easily
thrown in and out of gear for the purpose of working it by hand and
starting the engine. The water which has thus been distributed round
the cylinder rises between the two surfaces, and absorbs their heat; it
then flows.over on the plate which terminates the, cylinder above, and
there is evaporated; the steam thus generated being overheated, either.
by contact: with the plate, or by mixing with the flames and the gases
produced by.combustion. When the boiler is stopped, the water is let
out by means of a cock q (Fig 1 & 3), which communicates with the
groove; at the same time, the communication with the feed pump is
cut off by a similar cock r; F, is the generator in which the steam is
of com-
generated and overheated by mixing with the flames, and gases.
bustion; h, represents a sheet iron pipe fixed on the generator F, and
in a concentric cast iron pipe; the space between the two pipes is filled
up with fire-clay'd, for-the purpose of diminishing the radiation of heat.
'vid'

page_text: This pipe ends above in a safety valve u, and by a lateral pipe h', leads
off the mixture of gases, which, after having lifted the valve K, Fig. 3,
passes successively through the pipe ", the oblique wire-gauze L, and
the opening of the regulator N, into the driving cylinder R.
All the parts through which the mixture passes at a high degree of
temperature, have an inner thickness or coating of fire-clay; K, is a
valve which shuts off the communication between the two boilers whilst
one of them is stopped for firing; L, is a screen of fine wire-gauze for
preventing fragments of fuel or other impurities being carried into the
driving cylinder; v, is an opening on the under side of the box which
contains this screen, and is opened sometimes for cleaning the screen;
N, is a regulator or slide for regulating the speed of the engine, or for
shutting off the gases entirely if required; P, is the blast cylinder or
double acting blast engine for compressing the air which is passed into
the ash-box for keeping up the combustion, and also that which is sent
into the coil C, for burning the smoke and the gases produced in the
fire-pluce. In this cylinder works a piston packed with leather or with
metallic segments. This piston compresses alternately on each side the
air contained in the cylinder, and drives it into the boilers A, A', through
the pipe m, by lifting the valves b, b'. The atmospheric air enters the
cylinder by lifting the valves r, r'. The piston is set in motion by the
direct action of the driving piston, whose rod is coupled to the blast
engine rod, which latter again transmits the motion to the crank shaft
by means of the connecting rod y; R, is a double acting driving
cylinder similar to those used in steam engines. It is enclosed in a
casing of bricks on which is reared a chimney. In this casing circu-
lates the smoke which rises from a furnace X, beneath the driving
cylinder. This furnace is for heating the cylinder previously to starting
the engine. A mercurial thermometer a placed inside the slide-box of
the cylinder indicates the degree of temperature; when this thermometer
rises to 250 or 300 degrees Fahrenheit, the fire is extinguished and the
doors of the furnace are carefully shut so as to keep in all the heat
which is retained a long time by the brick casing. The stuffing boxes
of the piston and slide rods project outside the brick casing, so as to
have the packing protected from the heat which prevails in the casing.

page_text: It is also advisable to coat the under side of the cylinder with fire clay
so as to protect it from the sudden and unequal action of the fire which
is directly under it. The other contrivances do not differ from those
already used in steam engines, and any engineer may apply them to
this engine. The power of the engines shewn is about four to five
horse power, and the cylinders are placed horizontally, having their
rods coupled to each other; but it is to be understood that the engine
may be made of any power, and may be arranged differently from
what is shewn here, so as to be applicable to stationary, marine, and
locomotive engines. The engine is worked in the following way:-
In order to start it, the fire X, under the cylinder R, is lighted, and
as soon as the mercury in the thermometer a, fixed on the cylinder,
begins to rise, the fires of the boiler A, A', are also lighted. This
is effected by opening the door g', for introducing the fuel into the
furnace a, and the door g, for creating a draught. When the thermo-
under the cylinder
meter indicates 250 degrees Fahrenheit, the fire
is put out, and the doors of this furnaco are shut, as stated above. The
two fires in the boilers A, A', having been thus lighted, and the parts
round the cylinder being thoroughly heated, the engine is started in the
following manner :-The doors 9,9', are shut, the cock M is turned on
so as to put the two boilers in communication with the pipem, through
which the air is expelled from the cylinder P. The cock 1, having been
opened, the feed pump is disengaged, and several strokes made with it
by hand so as to force the water into the groove o, from whence it rises
up the sides of the cylinders, as above described. These cylinders being
heated to excess, reduco the water immediately into steam, which enters
the driving cylinder R, and thus it will be seen that the engine is at
once set in motion.
The pump is then thrown in gear with the engine, thus furnishing at
every stroke of the engine the necessary quantity of water. At the
same time the blast engine delivers at every stroke the necessary
quantity of air for the combustion of fuel, and thus the engine is kept
working continuously as long as the fuel last. The fuel is replaced in
the following manner without stopping the engine. The cock M is
turned so as to pass all the blast air into one of the boilers only, and so

page_text: as to stop the working of the other in which the fuel has to be renewed;
the cock r, is also turned off whilst that 9, is opened for letting the
water contained in the apparatus run out to prevent the waste of heat
attending the evaporation of this water. Then the valve u is lifted,
and the doors g&g, are opened (the latter only in case it is necessary
to rake the grate of the furnace). A new charge of fuel is thrown in
by the door g', after which both doors 9, & 9', are shut again by means
of their set screws. The cock 9 is shut, & that M opened, so as to
let the blast air in, after which the cock r is suddenly opened, so as
to let the water pass through, which is evaporated and starts the engine
as before.
The time which elapses between each firing, and the next, varies
according to circumstances and the fuel used, which may be either coal,
anthracite, coke, charcoal, or any other kind of fuel. If, however, the
fuel is in powder or in dust, it has to be made solid first by mixing it
with clay paste. For stopping the engine it is only necessary to shut
the regulator N. The safety valves u will then rise from over pressure,
and the cocks q are opened for letting out the water. For starting
the engine again, the regulator is opened again, and the feed water for
the first stroke or so thrown in by hand as above described; but if the
engine has to be stopped for a considerable length of time, the doors g
& g' of the boilers are opened lest the firo should go out. The regulator
acts like those of steam engines or locomotive engines, whose action is
well understood. The quantity of air let into the coil C, by means of
the butterfly valve t, has to be found out by practice or experience, so
as to produce the greatest heat with the least fuel. The same remark
holds good with regard to the quantity of water pumped into the
boiler; if too much water is injected, the steam will be wire-drawing
and priming, and if too little be injected, the steam will be too hot for
keeping the cylinder greased. The stroke of the pump has therefore to
be regulated so as to obtain a mixture which causes the thermometer
only to rise to 520° or 570 degrees Fahrenheit at most, which is below
the boiling point of oil. The pressure obtained depends on the pro-
portions of the driving and blast cylinders. If this proportion is as
three to two, the pressure may rise to three atmospheres.

page_text: Having thus described the nature of my Invention, I wish it to be
understood that I claim the following improvements in obtaining motive
power substantially as described, viz. :-
Firstly, generating instantaneously, and for each stroke of piston
only, the necessary quantity of steam by bringing the water in direct
contact with the flames and the gases produced by combustion.
Secondly, using a portion of the heat that would be radiated or lost
by the external surface of the boiler apparatus, by constantly cooling
the internal surface of the same with the water that has to bo
ovaporated.
Thirdly, burning, by means of a strongly heated current of air, the
smoke and the oxygen and hydrogen gas which is formed in the
furnace.
Fourthly, heating the driving cylinder by means of a furnace placed
under the same..
In witness whereof, I, the said Jean Baptiste Pascal, have
hereunto set my hand and seal, this Twelfth day of June,
in the year of our Lord 1854.