IMPROVEMENTS IN UTILISING The Waste HeaT ESCAPING INTO THE FUNNELS OF MARINE BOILERS AND OTHER CHIMNEYS, AND IN APPARATUS FOR HEATING FEED WATER OR SUPERKRATING STEAM THEREBY
Year: 1875

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to James Erskine, of Dalbeattie, in the County of
Kirkcudbright, North Britain, for the Invention of “IMPROVEMENTS
IN UTILISING The Waste HeaT ESCAPING INTO THE FUNNELS OF MARINE
BOILERS AND OTHER CHIMNEYS, AND IN APPARATUS FOR HEATING FEED
WATER OR SUPERKRATING STEAM THEREBY,”
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION loft by the said James Erskine at tho
Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on the
5th October 1875.
I, JAMES ERSKINE, of Dalbeattie, in the County of Kirkcudbright,
North Britain, do hereby declare the nature of the said Invention for
“IMPROVEMENTS IN UTILIZING The Waste Heat ESCAPING INTO THE FUNNELS 07
MARINE BOILERS AND OTHER CHINNEYS, AND IN Apparatus for HEATING FEED
WATER OR SUPERHEATING STRAM THEREBY," to be as follows:-
1st. A series of cylindrical "annuli" or annular drums are placed
vertically one within the other in the uptake or root of funnel of one or
more steam boilers. These annuli are made eccentric in shape though

page_text: concentric with each other, the two cylindrical plates forming them
approaching each other nearer at one point than at another; they aro
connected together with curved pipes which join the outer sides of the
various annuli together. The exterior annulus has two pipes connecting
its bottom and top with a chamber or reservoir higher than itself fitted 5
with a safety valve and water gauge glass.
2nd. When used for feed heating the exterior annulus is connected
with pipes to the source of supply. The central annulus or (if used)
the cylinder placed in the centre of the annuli (and connected with
them and forming one of the series) has a pipe to the stop valve 1
supplying the boilers. In marine condensing engines this pipe usually
passes down through the flue of the superheater in order to be kept hot,
and may be either straight or coiled in the same.
3rd. This apparatus can be used also for re-superheating the steam
escaping from the high-pressure cylinder of a compound engine before 1
it is admitted into the low-pressure onc. In this case the steam enters
the outside annulus, and after traversing each annulus in succession
descends the pipe through the superheater (if there be one of the usual
annular cylindrical type) into the valve chest of the low-pressure
engine.
4th. Each annulus has a partition in its widest side, the entrance pipo
being at one side of the partition, the exit one at the other. The feed
water or steam has thus to traverse the entire circuit of the annulus
before escaping to the next. The pipes having conical faced joints are
curved, and are brought from outer side to outer side of the annuli so as
to allow for expansion. Each annulus has two or more perforated
division plates placed to cause water or steam to circulate round cach
annulus in a wave-like form, and intermix to an equal temperature.
I sometimes substitute a coil of tubing for the annuli.
2
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Lotters Patent, 8
filed by the said James Erskine in the Great Scal Patent Office
on the 5th April 1876.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, JAMES
ERSKINE, of Dalbeattie, in the County of Kirkcudbright, North Britain,
send greeting.
8

page_text: WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her
Letters Patent, bearing date the Fifth day of October, in the year of
our Lord One thousand eight hundred and seventy-five, in the thirty-
eighth year of Her reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give
and grant unto me, the said James Erskine, Her special licence that
I, the said James Erskine, my executors, administrators, and assigns, or
such others as I, the said James Erskine, 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 "IMPROVEMENTS IN UTILIZING THE WASTE
HEAT ESCAPING INTO THE FUNNELS OF MARINE BOILERS AND OTHER CHIMNEYS,
AND IN APPARATUS FOR HEATING FEED WATER OR SUPERHEATING STEAK THEREBY,”
upon the condition (amongst others) that I, the said James Erskine, my
executors or administrators, by an instrument in writing under my,
or their, or one of their hands and scals, should particularly describo
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 James Erskine, 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, reference being had to the accompanying Drawings,
and to the figures and letters of reference marked thereon:
1st. A series of cylindrical annuli or annular drums A, B, C, are
placed vertically one within the other in the uptake or root of funnel D
of one or more steam boilers. These annuli are frequently made eccentric
in shape though concentric with each other, the two cylindrical plates
forming them approaching each other nearer at one point than at
another; they are connected together with curved pipes E, E, which
join the outer sides of the various annuli together. The exterior
annulus O has two pipes, F and G, connecting its bottom'and top with a
chamber or reservoir H higher than itself fitted with a safety valve and
water guage glass.

page_text: the cylinder placed in the centre of the annuli (and connected with
them and forming one of the series) has a pipo J to the stop valve
supplying the boilers L, L. In marine boilers this pipe usually passes
down through the flue of the superheater M in order to be kept hot, and
may be either straight, as in Sheet I., or coiled, as in Sheet 2 in the
same.
3rd. This apparatus can be used also for re-superheating the steam
escaping from the high-pressure cylinder of a compound engine before
it is admitted into the low-pressure one.
In this case the steam enters
the outside annulus C, and after making the circuit of each annulus in
succession descends the pipe J through the superheater M (if there be
one of the usual annular cylindrical type) into the valve chest of the
low-pressure engine.
4th. Each annulus has a partition (and if eccentric in its widest side),
the entrance pipe being at one side of the partition N, the exit one at
the other. The feed water or steam has thus to twice traverse the
circumference of the annulus before escaping to the next. The pipes E
having preferably V faced joints are curved, and are brought from outer
side to outer side of the annuli so as to allow for expansion. Each
annulus usually has two or more horizontal perforated division plates or
rings P placed to cause water or steam to circulate round cach annulus in
a wave-like form, and intermix to an equal temperature; in this case the
water or steam to be heated enters the top of the annulus, goes almost
entirely round above the perforated division plate or ring, then passes
through the perforations (made only at that point) and makes the
reverse circuit. The perforations alternate with the rivets, one per-
foration (or three as shown in the Drawing, Sheet 1) being between
each. Sometimes I substitute a coil of pipes for the annuli as shown in
Sheet 2.
Having now described my Invention and the manner of carrying it
into effect, I wish it to be distinctly understood that I do not claim the
broad principles of feed water heating or superheating steam by means
of pipes or other receptacles surrounded by the effluent gases from boilers,
as these are well known, but that on the contrary I disclaim all other
known feed water heaters and superheaters, but what I believe to be
new and claim under the aforesaid in part recited Letters Patent is,―
1st. Constructing two or more concentric, eccentric, or nearly con-

page_text: centric annuli at the base of the funnel in marine or other boilers for
the purposes described.
•
2nd. Bringing the feed water or steam through the hollow super-
heaters M, either in straight or coiled pipes to a heating apparatus of
a character substantially as described at or near the base of the funnel.
3rd. The use of coiled pipes in the superheaters M and root of funnel
substantially as and for the purposes described.
In witness whereof, I, the said James Erskine, have hereunto set
my hand and seal, this Twenty-first day of March, in the year of
our Lord 1876.
JAMES ERSKINE. (L.S.)
Witness,
ROBERT MARK EVANS,
Apprentice to W. P. Thompson,
Patent Agent.
6, Lord St.,
Liverpool.