IMPROVEMENTS IN SURFACE CONDENSERS
Year: 1880

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Israel Rudolf Blumenberg, of Washington, District of
Columbia, in the United States of America, but at present of 33, Chancery
Lane, in the County of Middlesex, for an Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN
SURFACE CONDENSERS."
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Israel Rudolf Blumenberg at
the Office of the Commissioners of Patents on the 21st December 1880.
ISRAEL RUDOLF BLUMENBERG, of Washington, District of Columbia, in the
United States of America, but at present of 33, Chancery Lane, in the County of
Middlesex. "IMPROVEMENTS IN SURFACE CONDENSERS."
The main objects of this Invention are to produce a condenser of small exterior
dimensions and weight, large condensing surface, and using a minimum quantity
of condensing liquid; at the same time also affording facility for being increased
in size to almost any extent if more condensing surface is required, and also avoiding
the strain on tube joints by unequal expansion by heat.
I form the condenser of a chamber having approximately the form of a U, but
with the two legs or sides not parallel but diverging outwardly from the bend and
both running in a slanting direction one over the other; the legs may be of the
same length, or in any other relative proportion. The pipe or pipes, or chamber
or chambers, containing the gas, or vapour, or steam to be condensed, pass through
the above condenser chamber or body. The water is forced upward, passing through
the intermediate space, and the fluid to be condensed passes downwards or in the
opposite direction through the pipe or pipes or chamber or chambers.
To increase the condensing surface relatively to the volume of fluid to be con-
densed I may arrange internal closed pipes or rods in the pipes for the fluid to be
condensed, which latter then flows through the annular intermediate space.
The condenser in a simple and efficient form is constructed as follows:-
The condenser chamber or body may conveniently be made in two halves united
by longitudinal flanges, and of an oval or oblong cross section, or with flat top and
bottom united by half round parts at each end; a series of small tubes bent to the

page_text: form of the condenser body and at each end secured in a plate are inserted in the
chamber or body. These tube plates are bolted to flanges formed on each condenser
leg, and to the said flanges are also bolted end bonnets or pockets, the upper one
of them having the inlet for the fluid to be condensed, and the lower one having
the outlet for the condensed fluid. The inlet for the condensing water or liquid
is at the lowest end of the lower leg of the condensing chamber, and the outlet
for the said water is at the upper end of the upper leg of same. A test cock or
valve is arranged at the inlet for the fluid to be condensed, and a test cock or valve
may be placed at the outlet end. To increase the size of the condenser any width
of flat ribbed or corrugated intermediate chamber may be placed between the two
aforesaid condensing chambers, the end bonnets being then replaced by corre-
spondingly wider flanged bonnets, and the number of internal tubes being
correspondingly increased.

page_text: SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent filed
by the said Israel Rudolf Blumenberg in the Great Seal Patent Office on the
25th May 1881.
ISRAEL RUDOLF BLUMENBERG, of Washington, District of Columbia," in the
United States of America, but at present of 33, Chancery Lane, in the County of
Middlesex. "IMPROVEMENTS IN SURFACE CONDENSERS."
The main objects of this Invention are to produce a condenser of small exterior
dimensions and weight, large condensing surface, and using a minimum quantity
of condensing liquid, at the same time also affording facility for being increased in
size almost to any extent if more condensing surface is required, and also avoiding
the strain on tube joints by unequal expansion by heat.
I form the condenser of a chamber having approximately the form of a U, but
with the two legs or sides not parallel but diverging outwardly from the bend, and
both running in a slanting direction one over the other; the legs may be of the
same length, or in any other relative proportion. The pipe or pipes, or chamber
or chambers, containing the gas or vapour, or steam to be condensed, pass through
the above condenser chamber or body. The water is forced upward, passing
through the intermediate space, and the fluid to be condensed passes downwards
or in the opposite direction through the pipe or pipes or chamber or chambers.
To increase the condensing surface relatively to the volume of fluid to be
condensed may arrange internal closed pipes or rods in the pipes for the fluid to
be condensed, which latter then flows through the annular intermediate space.
The condenser in a simple and efficient form is constructed as follows:-
The condenser chamber or body may conveniently be made in two halves united
by longitudinal flanges, and of an oval or oblong cross section, or with flat top
and bottom, united by half round parts at each end; a series of small tubes bent
to the form of the condenser body, and at each end secured in a plate are inserted
in the chamber or body. These tube plates are bolted to flanges formed on each
condenser leg, and to the said flanges are also bolted end bonnets or pockets, the
upper one of them having the inlet for the fluid to be condensed, and the lower one
having the outlet for the condensed fluid. The inlet for the condensing water or
liquid is at the lowest end of the lower leg of the condensing chamber, and the
outlet for the said water is at the upper end of the upper leg of the same. A test
cock or valve is arranged at the inlet for the fluid to be condensed, and a test
cock or valve may be placed at the outlet end. To increase the size of the con-
denser any width of flat ribbed or corrugated intermediate chamber may be placed
between the two aforesaid condensing chambers, the end bonnets being then
replaced by correspondingly wider flanged bonnets, and the number of internal
tubes being correspondingly increased.
Figure 1 of the accompanying Drawings is a side elevation of a condenser con-
structed according to my Invention in a simple form; Figure 2 is a vertical
longitudinal section, and Figure 3 a vertical cross section; Figure 4 is an end
view, and Figure 5 a perspective view of the condenser. Similar letters of reference
refer to like parts in all the Figures. The chamber or casing consists of two legs A, A¹,
both slanting and of the section shown in Figure 3; it is made in two halves,
united by flanges and bolts; B, B¹, are the end bonnets or pockets, and C, C¹, the
tube plates for the tubes D, D'; the plates C, C', are secured in place between the
flanges of the chamber A, A¹, and those of the pockets B, B¹. The condensing
water enters at b, ascends the lower leg A of the condenser, and then ascending
the upper leg A¹ of same passes out at 6'. The fluid to be condensed enters at C₁,
descends the upper ends or legs D' of the interior tubes, then descends the lower
legs D of same, and passes out as a condensed liquid at c. The coolest condensing

page_text: water current thus meets the coolest condensed or partly condensed vapour, gas, or
steam, and the warmest condensing water current meets the most uncondensed
vapour, gas, or steam, in the well known approved manner; E and F are test
cocks on the vapour inlet and condensed vapour outlet respectively; G is a cock
at the condensing water exit for checking the flow as required.
Figure 6 is a vertical cross section showing an enlarged condenser, that is, one in
which an intermediate chamber a, a¹, is interposed between the two halves of the
chamber A, A¹.
Figure 7 is a similar section of an enlarged condenser in which the intermediate
chamber a, a¹, is of a corrugated form in order to save condensing water and to
turn it over better.
Figure 8 is a cross section of another enlarged condenser in which the fluid to be
condensed flows through a pipe or chamber D, D¹, of a corrugated form instead of
a number of small tubes.
Figure 9 is a longitudinal, and Figure 10 a cross section of a condenser in which
the interior inner tube D for the fluid to be condensed is partly filled up centrally
by a blind tube H or a solid bar so far as to leave only a narrow intermediate
annular space for the fluid to be condensed.
Having now described the nature of my said Invention, and in what manner the
same is to be performed, I declare that I claim,―
First. A surface condenser consisting of two slanting diverging legs for the
condensing liquid to ascend in one leg after the other, and having a corresponding
interior tube system or chamber for the steam, vapour, or gas to descend in, and
to be thus condensed, substantially as set forth.
Second. A surface condenser consisting of a chamber A, A¹, made in the form of
two slanting diverging legs for the ascent of the condensing water, and having at
each end a tube plate C, C', with connecting tube or tubes D, D¹, for the descent of
the fluid to be condensed, and also a bonnet B, B', and inlet and outlet openings b, b',
and c, c¹, substantially as set forth.
Third. A surface condenser, the outlet chamber of which is made in the form of
two slanting diverging legs and constructed in halves for the convenience of
making, and for affording facility for adding an intermediate chamber, substantially
as set forth.
In witness whereof, I, the said Israel Rudolf Blumenberg, have hereunto set
my hand and seal, the Sixteenth day of May, in the year of our Lord
One thousand eight hundred and eighty one.
ISRAEL RUDOLF BLUMENBERG. (L.S.)