Improvements in Elastic Fluid Turbines.
Year: 1899

page_text: COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Elastic Fluid Turbines.
A communication by Joux FRANKLIN BRADY, of Chicago, in the State of Illinois,
United States of America.
I, WILLIAM PHILLIPS THOMPSON, F.C.S., M.I.M.E., of the Agency for Foreign
Patent Solicitors, 6, Lord Street, Liverpool, and 6, Bank Street, Manchester, both
in the County of Lancaster, 118, New Street, Birmingham, in the County of
Warwick, and 322, High Holborn, in the County of Middlesex, Civil Engineer, do
hereby declare the nature of this invention and in what manner the same is to be
performed, to be particularly described and ascertained in and by the following
statement:
This invention relates to that class of turbines which are particularly adapted
to developing power from the movement of steam or gases under comparatively
high pressure, and its object is to produce a simple construction adapted to obtain
much higher results with a given amount of steam or gas than has been attained
heretofore, the same being described hereinafter and illustrated in the accom-
panying drawings, in which
Fig. 1 is a horizontal axial section of the principal operative parts, together with
the journal bearings in which the shafts are mounted to revolve.
Two short shafts are shown in plan with small portions broken away to an axial
section, to show pins for securing revoluble parts thereto.
Figs. 2 and 3 are detached axial sections of two of the principal operative parts
shown in Fig. 1, which clearly illustrate their construction.
Fig. 4 is a cross section of the vanes attached to the turbine wheels on broken
line 5-6, Fig. 1, looking in the direction indicated by arrow 7, to illustrate one
form of vanes and their relative positions.
Similar letters indicate like parts throughout the several views.
The principal operative parts comprise the two wheels A and B. Wheel A is
mounted upon or is integral with a hollow shaft C, which is mounted to revolve in
bearing box C, and in the packing gland at where the hollow portion of the
shaft is in communication with the supply of steam or gas under pressure, which is
received from the source of supply within a hollow receptacle D. At the face side
of wheel A, Fig. 2, near the centre, projects a boss A', which is provided with a
number of passage ways A² which lead outwardly from the hollow portion of the
boss and which hollow portion is a continuation of the hollow part of shaft C.
At the outer or terminal end of boss A is a portion into which the tenoned end
of solid shaft E is secured by means of a pin E³, Fig. 2.
Wheel A is provided, in this instance, with three circular rows of vanes A3, A4,
and A5, which project outwardly from the face thereof, and the face side J or J¹
of each vane is disposed at an angle to a radial line from the centre of the wheel,
as shown in Fig. 4, and there is an annular space on each wheel between each
adjacent circle of vanes.
The outer end of shaft E is mounted to revolve in a bearing at E.
Wheel B is similar in form to that of wheel A, but is provided, in this instance,

page_text: with four circles of vanes B', B2 B3 and B which project from the face thereof,
and there is an annular space between the adjacent circles of vanes. Wheel B is
mounted on or is integral with hollow shaft B, which is mounted to revolve in a
bearing E', and around solid shaft E, which is disposed through the hollow portion
of shaft B, the latter being provided with a packing gland at 136, to prevent the
egress of steam or gas from the central portion of the wheels A or B.
The vanes projecting from wheel A are disposed to revolve within the annular
spaces between the vanes projecting from wheel B, and the vanes projecting from
wheel B are disposed to revolve in the circular spaces between the circles of vanes
projecting from wheel A, the wheels with their vanes revolving in an opposite
direction, one to the other.
A bevel cog wheel F, in this instance, is secured to shaft 135 and another hevel
cog wheel G is attached to solid shaft E, which cog wheels engage with the teeth
at opposite sides of bevel cog wheel H, which is secured to a shaft H', which latter
is mounted to revolve in bearings I and I.
In operation, steam or gas under pressure is admitted through hollow shaft C,
to the hollow boss A¹ of wheel A, thence it passes outwardly through the passage
ways A2 of the boss, and contacts with the circle of vanes B of wheel B, thence
the steam or gas passes outwardly or radially, when it successively contacts the
faces of the vanes in circles of vanes, A³, 133, A4, 132, A2, and B', thence, outwardly
into the atmosphere, or into a condenser, as may be desired or convenient.
The inward faces of the vanes, such as J or J, Fig. 4, are disposed at an angle
to the direction of the flow of the steam or gas, and the faces of the circles of the
vanes of one wheel are disposed at an angle, the reverse of the angle subtended
by the faces of the vanes of the opposite wheel so that, in the outward flow of
the steam or gas, wheel A, together with the shaft upon which it is mounted, will
revolve in the direction indicated by arrow 8, while wheel B, together with its.
shaft, will revolve in the opposite direction, or as indicated by arrow 9.
In order that both wheels may transmit power to one shaft for distribution, the
bevel cog wheels and G both engage with cog wheel H, whereby the motion
iniparted to both wheels is transmitted to shaft H, which revolves in the direction
indicated by arrow 10.
It is obvious that the cog wheels F and G may be much larger than cog wheel H
should it be desired to impart a high speed to shaft H. Cog wheel H may be very
much larger than either For G, should a low rate of speed be desirable in shaft H³.
It is obvious that many other forms or gearing in common use may be substi-
tuted for the gears shown and described for transmitting the motion of the turbine
wheels A and B to one shaft. The vanes of each of the wheels A and B serve the
double purpose of wheel vanes, and guide vanes to direct the expanding steam or
gas tangentially, and substantially squarely against the vanes of the opposite
wheel, as is indicated by the arrows in Fig. 4. With only a slight modification,
this turbine may be arranged to receive steam or gas under pressure at the
periphery of the wheels, and the flow of the steam or gas be directed inwardly,
to be exhausted at the central portions of the wheels, as in common with several
kinds of steam turbines already in use, without materially altering the construc-
tion embodied in two opposing sets of circles of vanes revolving adjacent and in
opposite direction whereby the vanes on one wheel serve the double purpose of
wheel vanes and guide vanes to the vanes in the opposite revolving wheel.
It is not absolutely necessary that the two wheels be geared to one common
shaft except in cases where the whole power of the turbine must be concentrated to
do a given duty, for it is obvious that the power transmitted by either of the
wheels may be used for a purpose separate one from the other.
The turbine is particularly adapted to utilize the force in elastic liquids for the
reason that, a great part of the loss is saved which is always wasted in ordinary
turbines by the steam or gas expanding to a lower pressure and temperature in
the space between the stationary guide vanes, without transmitting any power to
the turbine shaft.

page_text: Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of the said inven-
tion and in what manner the same is to be performed, as communicated to me
by my foreign correspondent, I declare that what I claim is :-
1. A turbine adapted to utilize the expansive forces of elastic fluids, having two
wheels with separated circles of vanes, and each vane disposed with the face thereof
at an angle to a radial line from the centers of the wheels, the vanes of one wheel
placed relatively at an angle, the reverse of the angle subtended by the vanes of
the opposite wheel, whereby one of the wheels revolves in the opposite direction
to the other, for the purpose herein before stated.
2. In a turbine, two wheels mounted to revolve each independent of the other,
a plurality of concentric circles of vanes on each wheel, annular spaces between
the circles of vanes, the faces of the vanes on each wheel disposed at an angle to a
radial, line from the center thereof, and the vanes of one wheel disposed relatively
at an angle, the reverse of the angle subtended by the vanes of the opposite wheel,
annular spaces relatively so placed that part of the circles of vanes of one wheel
revolve within the annular spaces and in an opposite direction to the circles of
vanes of the opposite wheel, and substantially in the same plane, for the purpose.
stated.