IMPROVED APPARATUS FOR GENERATING STEAM
Year: 1861

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Henry Matheson, of Lahore Terrace, Sydenham
Road, Croydon, in the County of Surrey, Varnish Manufacturer, for the
Invention of "IMPROVED APPARATUS FOR GENERATING STEAM."
Sealed the 5th July 1861, and dated the 12th January 1861.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Henry Matheson at the
Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on the 12th
January 1861.
I, HENRY MATHESON, of Lahore Terrace, Sydenham Road, Croydon, in the
County of Surrey, Varnish Manufacturer, do hereby declare the nature of
the said Invention for " IMPROVED APPARATUS FOR GENERATING STEAM," to be as
follows:-
My Invention of "Improved Apparatus for Generating Steam "relates to a
novel mode of constructing a tubular boiler.
In carrying out my Invention I arrange the tubes in one, two, or more
coils, and supply them with water from a reservoir placed or arranged in such
a manner that by simple hydrostatic pressure the coils may be properly sup-
plied with water from below, as steam is generated and issues from the top
part of the coils of pipe. The fire or furnace will be conveniently arranged,
so that the flames, hot air, and vapours therefrom may be carried up the
centre of the coil of water pipes, and, if desired, brought down behind or

page_text: outside them or some of them, and conducted from thence to the flue. In
some forms of boilers I find it convenient to place the furnace immediately
under the central space of the coils, so that the fire may be supplied with fuel
from above. Steam as it is generated is conducted from the coiled pipes to
the chamber which forms the water reservoir, and which therefore forms a
kind of steam chest, the pressure of steam in the boiler and in this chamber
are therefore equalized, and the supply of water to the bottom of the coil
therefore depends upon the pressure of the hydrostatic column. This water
reservoir must, of course, be kept supplied by means of a force pump.
As
the upper part of the coils will by the rapid evaporation of the water be filled
with steam, only this steam will be superheated and made very dry by the
action of the fire, the boiler will not therefore be liable to prime, as is
sometimes the case with some boilers in which steam is generated very
rapidly.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent, filed
by the said Henry Matheson, in the great Seal Patent Office on the
12th July 1861.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, HENRY
MATHESON, of Lahore Terrace, Sydenham Road, Croydon, in the County of
Surrey, Varnish Manufacturer, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her Letters
Patent, bearing date the Twelfth day of January in the year of our Lord
One thousand eight hundred and sixty-one, in the twenty-fourth year of Her
reigu, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant unto me,
the said Henry Matheson, Her special licence that I, the sail Henry
Matheson, my executors, administrators, and assigns, or such others as I, the
said Henry Matheson, 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 "Iм-
PROVED APPARATUS POR GENERATING STEAM," upon the condition (amongst others)
that I, the said Henry Matheson, 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

page_text: 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 1, the said Henry Matheson, do hereby declare the
nature of my said Invention, and in what manner the same is to be per-
formed, to be particularly described and ascertained in and by the following
statement, reference being had to the drawings hereunto annexed, and to the
letters and figures marked thereon (that is to say):-
My invention of Improved Apparatus for Generating Steam" relates to
a novel mode of constructing a tubular boiler, and in so arranging the various
parts that as nearly as possible all the heat given off from the ignited fuel may
be absorbed by the water in the boiler.
In carrying out my Invention I arrange the tubes in one, two, or more
coils, and supply them with water from a reservoir placed or arranged in such
a manner that by simple hydrostatic pressure the coils may be properly sup-
plied with water from below as steam is generated and issues from the top
part of the coils of pipe, and passes from thence into the steam space above.
The fire or furnace is conveniently arranged so that the flames, hot air, and
vapours arising therefrom may be carried up the centre of the coils of water
pipes, and, if desired, brought down behind or outside them or some of them,
and conducted from thence to the flue. The coils of water pipes may be
arranged or placed either in a vertical or horizontal position according to
circumstances, and the purpose for which the boiler is intended to be used.
In some forms of boilers I find it convenient to place the furnace immediately
under the central space of the coils, so that the fire may be supplied with fuel
from above, but, if desired, the fire-place may be arranged with a feeding
door in front and a fire-bridge behind or at the back, as in horizontal boilers
of the ordinary construction. Steam as it is generated is allowed to escape
from the open upper ends of the coiled pipes into the upper part of the
chamber which forms the water reservoir above, and which therefore forms
a kind of steam chest, the pressure of steam in the boiler and in this
chamber is therefore equalized, and the supply of water to the bottom of the
coils therefore depends upon the pressure of the hydrostatic column. This
water reservoir must, of course, be kept supplied with water by means of a
force pump.
As the upper part of the coils will by the rapid evaporaton of
the water be filled with steam, only this steam will be superheated and made
very dry by the action of the fire on this part of the coils, the boiler will not
therefore be liable to prime, as is sometimes the case with boilers in which
steam is generated very rapidly.

page_text: In the accompanying Drawings I have shewn two forms of steam boiler
constructed according to my Inventon.
Fig. 1, Sheet I., is a sectional elevation of a boiler in which the water coils
are arranged vertically; Fig. 2 is a sectional plan view of the same. a, a, is
the shell or outer casing of the lower part of the apparatus. This casing
is made quadrangular, and contains the water coils b, b, b, which communicate
by their lower ends with a chamber c, which forms a mud space. The
other ends of the coil pipes b, b, pass through the bottom of a close vessel
or chamber d, which forms a water reservoir above the shell or casing a, a.
The upper ends of the pipes b, b, being open, steam escapes therefrom into
the space in the dome or upper part of the vessel d, which is provided with a
blow-off or safety valve e. The upper and open ends of the pipes b, b, are
covered by a capf, to prevent a sudden rush of steam from improperly acting
on the safety valve, and also to prevent priming. The furnace or fire-place is
situated in the central space g, and is surrounded by and enclosed within the
coils b, b. An ash-pit h is placed below the fire-place, and is closed in front
by a door as usual. As the fire is situated in the centre of the coiled
pipes b, b, the coils of each pipe are laid sufficiently close to prevent the fuel
from passing between them, but care must be taken to allow sufficient space
for the flame and heated gases from the fuel to pass through and act on the
coils of the central and outer pipes. The upper coils of the pipes b, b, are
laid close together, so as to oblige the flame and heated gases to pass between
the lower coils. The circular central space or fire-place g is closed in at top
by a tubular cover i, to the upper end of which a damper is adapted, and is
worked by a rod for the purpose of creating a draught when the fire is first
lighted. By opening this damper j the gaseous products of combustion are
allowed to pass direct from the fire place to the exit flue k, and will thereby
create a strong draught through the fire, but when the damper is closed these
gases will pass between the coils, which are left open at the central part for
the purpose.
Upon referring to the plan view Fig. 2 it will be seen that as the pipes b, b,
are arranged in circular coils within a rectangular chamber, there will be
space for the gases to circulate in the chamber before passing to the flue k.
The fire is fed with fuel from above through the opening 1, which is closed by
a door as in ordinary furnaces. The water reservoir or chamber d having
been supplied with water to the proper level, the stop-cock m on the feed
pipe n is opened, and water is allowed to flow from the chamber d down the
pipen (as indicated by the arrow) into the chamber c, from whence it passes

page_text: up into the coiled pipes b, b, and fills them. As fast as steam is generated in
the pipes b, b, it passes out at the upper ends of the pipes 6, which for the
free exit of the steam are extended above the level of the water in the
reservoir, and the water from the reservoir will enter at the lower end only of
the pipes b, b, and a constant circulation will be thus maintained in the pipes.
A cock o is adapted to the feed pipe n for the purpose of emptying the same,
and blowing off from the chamber c when required.
The fire-place is placed at
Fig. 3, Sheet II., is a sectional view of a stationary boiler constructed upon
my improved plan, but with the coiled pipes b, b, arranged horizontally instead
of vertically, us in Figures 1 and 2. In this instance the steam generator is
mounted in brickwork or masonry a, a.
There are only two sets of coiled
pipes b used, but more may be employed if desired. One end of these pipes
communicates with the chamber c, which is supplied with water from the
reservoir d above by the pipe n, as in Fig. 1.
one end of the coils, and the central space g forms a combustion chamber in
which the gaseous products of combustion are burned, but if preferred, the
fire may be placed on a grate within the space g, as in the former instance.
A tubular box i is placed at the rear end of the coiled pipes 6, and is provided
with a damper j, for regulating the draught. The upper ends of the coiled
water tubes b, b, pass up into the steam space in the water reservoir d above,
and care must be taken that water does not enter these tubes from the upper
end, otherwise the circulation will be impeded.
Although in Fig. 3 I have shewn the horizontal arrangement of the water
pipes mounted in masonry, a similar arrangement of pipes may be enveloped
in a cylindrical or other shaped iron casing or shell, and the fire-place may be
arranged in the circular space within the coils, as before mentioned, but when
this is the case it will be found advisable to place the coils of the outer pipe
in close proximity, in order to protect the outer iron casing from being
I would also
injuriously acted upon by the flame and heat of the fuel.
observe, that it is not absolutely necessary to place the water reservoir d
immediately above the steam generator, as it may sometimes be found more
convenient to place it at the side, but when this is done care should be taken
that the level of water therein be maintained a little above the top of the coils,
and it is important that the open ends of the pipes b, b, be kept considerably
above the level of the water in the reservoir.
Having now described my Invention of" Improved Apparatus for Generating
Steam," and having explained the manner of carrying the same into effect, I
claim as the Invention secured to me by Letters Patent as aforesaid, the mode

page_text: herein set forth of arranging the various parts of my improved steam
generator; I claim particularly arranging the combustion chamber within
one, two, or more coils of water pipes, and combining therewith a reservoir
placed and arranged in such a manner that the water pipes may be kept
constantly supplied with water, and a free circulation maintained therein, as
herein set forth.
In witness whereof, I, the said Henry Matheson, have hereunto set my
hand and seal, the Eleventh day of July, in the year of our Lord One
thousand eight hundred and sixty-one.
HY. MATHESON. (L.8.)