IMPROVEMENTS IN THE METHOD OF USING STEAM AND HOT-AIR COMBINED AND IN THE CONSTRUCTIONNECTIONREWI
Year: 1883

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LETTERS PATENT to William Turnbull of 2 School Road Villa New Hampton
in the County of Middlesex for an Invention of IMPROVEMENTS IN THE
METHOD OF USING STEAM AND HOT-AIR COMBINED AND IN THE CONSTRUCTION
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said William Turnbull at the
Office of the Commissioners of Patents on the 17th November 1883.
WILLIAM TURNBULL of 2 School Road Villa New Hampton in the County of
Middlesex "IMPROVEMENTS IN THE METHOD OF USING STEAM AND HOT-AIR
COMBINED, AND IN THE CONSTRUCTION OF ENGINES IN CONNECTION THEREWITH
"
The object of this invention is the construction of an Engine which will be
driven by the combined forces of Steam and Hot-air in a manner which will
materially economise the working expenses of such Engine the simplicity of its
construction reduces to a minimum friction of the working parts and loss of heat.
The manner of performing the Invention may be thus described.-For example
I employ by preference in the construction of Marine Engines an arrangement of
fixed Cylinders and in order to minimise the space between the Cylinder and the
driving shaft so as to dispense with the connecting rods I mount on the convex
surface of the Cylinder cover a moving or sliding disc maintained in its true
position whilst sliding so as to be steam tight by two radial arms secured to the
Cylinder cover by joints, and to a cross head through which the oscillating piston
rad slides The sliding disc forms a stuffing box on the Cylinder cover through
which the piston rod passes the lower end of the said piston rod inside the Cylinder
being connected by a swivel pin or joint to the piston and its other end outside the
Cylinder is connected direct to the crank of the driving shaft. The true bearing
of the stuffing box disc being maintained on the cylinder cover by means of springs
placed between the aforesaid cross head and the stuffing box cover connected by
the radial arms; friction and wear between the Cylinder and piston on that side
Price GdI

page_text: opposed to the angular thrust of the crank is diminished by the novel use of Steam
or hot-air which I cause to be admitted by a suitable duct to that portion of the
frictional surface between the cylinder and piston which requires it, the admission
to and between such surfaces being regulated by a ball valve. The Cylinder
I employ both with respect to that portion of the Engine driven by hot air, and
that by steam are high and low pressure. The high and low pressure steam
cylinders I arrange in tandum fashion so as to agree with the arrangement of
Cylinders hereafter described driven by hot air, and air compressing pumps, for
example The high and low hot air Cylinders I place side by side connected by
suitable thoroughfares and valves, and above each of these Cylinders I superpose
tandum fashion pumps high and low pressure; the pistons or plungers of which are
connected direct with the piston of the hot-air Cylinders, the continuous line of
piston rod in each Cylinder from the pump through the piston of the driving
Cylinder being connected direct with the crank and driving shaft. The steam
Cylinder is arranged in like manner with this exception that the tandum high
pressure Cylinder takes the place, and is in a line with the pumps of the hot-air
Engine, the low pressure Steam Cylinder being placed below or on a line with the
high and low pressure hot air Cylinders the whole of the said Cylinders by this
arrangement admit of their several and respective piston rods being connected in
manner as before described with the cranks of the driving shaft-Although I
have described as an example high and low pressure Cylinders I wish it to be
. understood that the combined arrangement of driving with Steam and hot air can
with equal advantage be employed in the construction of ordinary single expansion
Engines condensing or non-condensing
In order to maintain and retain an equality of heat in the Cylinders I surround
the same by an outer Cylinder between which and the inner Cylinders or liners an
annular space is formed, into these spaces I admit by suitably arranged ducts and
valves, hot air the heat of which will maintain an equality of heat or pressure in
the hot air or Steam Cylinders, or if preferable such annular spaces may be filled
in with any suitable non-conducting material. The use of hot-air in the annular
spaces is a desideratum as it will offer a means of readily raising temperature at
the time of starting the Engine.
As a further modification of the arrangement herein described when two separate
cylinders are employed for producing motive power by the use of hot-air and steam,
I would remark that instead of using separate cylinders the steam and hot air
combined may be employed together in one cylinder, or in one cylinder with
separate compartments the steam exerting its force on one side and the hot air on
the other side each compartment being supplied with independent pistons.

page_text: SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent and
of an Order of the Lord Chancellor filed by the said William Turnbull in the
Patent Office on the 17th June 1884.
"
WILLIAM TURNBULL of School Road Villas New Hampton in the County of
Middlesex IMPROVEMENTS IN THE METHOD OF USING STEAM AND HOT AIR
COMBINED AND IN THE CONSTRUCTION OF ENGINES IN CONNECTION THEREWITH
The object of this Invention is the construction of an Engine which will be
driven by the combined forces of Steam and Hot Air in a manner which will
materially economise the space occupied and also the working expenses of such
Engine the simplicity of its construction reduces to a minimum friction of the
working parts and loss of Heat
The Invention may be described as follows
Upon a bed plate I mount standards or framing which support the following
arrangement of Cylinders and mechanism in connection there with constituting the
ordinary working parts of a Steam Engine
The Cylinders I employ may be High and Low pressure Steam Cylinders High
and Low pressure Hot-air Cylinders and High and Low pressure pumps or the
High and Low pressures of Steam and Hot Air may be arranged to work in the
same Cylinders instead of Separate Cylinders If the former arrangement is used
I place the High and Low pressure Steam Cylinders side by side with the 'Steam
Chest between them connected by suitable thoroughfares and valves The High
and Low pressure Hot Air Cylinders I also place side by side and above each of
which I superpose tandem fashion and in a line therewith the High and Low
pressure pumps employed for forcing compressed Air to the Heater described in the
Specification of a patent granted to me on the thirty-first day of October 1883
N° 5175 in which heater the compressed air is increased in volume for subsequent
use in the Hot Air Cylinders
In order to minimise the space between the various Cylinders and the driving
shaft so as to dispense with the connecting rods I mount on the convex surfaces of
each of the Cylinders in lieu of a fixed gland a sliding steam tight disc or plate
sufficiently large to cover whilst sliding an elongated slot in the Cylinder Cover
this plate has projecting from it a Gland or stuffing box through which the piston
rod slide The piston rod of each Gland is maintained in its position whilst sliding
by radial arms and coiled springs the former of which are secured to the Cylinder
Covers by joints at one end and to a cross head at the other through which the
piston rod slides the coiled springs being placed between the Cylinder Cover
and the Cross head by this arrangement a true bearing is always maintained
(during the time the piston Rod is oscillating) between the sliding gland plates
and the convex surface of the Cylinder covers The lower end of each of the said
piston rods inside their respective cylinders are connected by a pin joint to their
pistons and the opposite end of such piston rods outside their cylinders are
connected direct with cranks of the driving shaft friction and wear between the
Cylinders and their pistons on that side opposed to the angular thrust of the
Cranks is diminished by the use of Steam or Hot Air which I cause to be
admitted thereto by suitable ducts the admission to and between such surfaces
being regulated by an arrangement of ball valve which is actuated to open and
close valves in accordance with the varying pressures of Steam exerted upon it
from the Cylinders
In Order that the Invention may be well understood and explained in detail
I have hereunto annexed a Sheet of Drawings representing as an example the

page_text: adaptation of my improvements in their simplest form to that class of Engine
known as a Marine Engine letters of reference being marked on Corresponding
parts on all the Figs alike
DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS
Fig 1. represents an outline of the Engine in vertical section the arrangement
here shewn is that in which the two forces of Steam and Hot Air act in one
Cylinder the pumps compressing the Air for supplying the Heater being fixed
above such Cylinder and in a direct line therewith
Fig. 2 represents an end view of the same and
Fig 3. represents a further modification of my improvements shewing in Sectional
elevation an arrangement of Steam and Hot Air Compound Trunk Engines and
Pump detached
In these Figa is the framing and standard supporting the High and Low
Pressure Cylinder and pumps 6 is the entrance for cold air to supply the pumps
and b¹ is the exit pipe for the compressed Air to the heater described in the
Specification of my former patent herein recited The compressed Air in the heater
is increased in volume so as to receive a pressure equal to or superior to the Steam.
pressure of the Boiler These two pressures of Steam and Hot air are then
admitted by suitable thoroughfares c and d into the annular spaces c¹ and d¹ of the
Cylindrical valve i where such forces are governed in their passage by the said
valves to enter alternately the High and Low Pressure Cylinders e and f in a
manner which will direct the Steam into the space o above the pistons and the
Hot air into the space d' below the pistons
The exhaust for the Steam to the
Condensor being by the passage k and for the hot Air to the furnace of the boiler
by the passage 7 where it acts on a Hot blower for effecting a thorough combustion
of the fuel
By this arrangement of using the Steam and Hot air in one Cylinder the parts
composing the Engine are simplified and the advantage of carrying lubricant to the
frictional surfaces of the Hot Air Cylinder considerably enhanced as it will be seen
that instead of using separate Cylinders for the different forces the steam is
admitted for propelling the piston on one side and the Hot Air on the other Further
as there is a greater or superior power propelling the piston on the Hot air side
than on the Steam side such superior pressure is utilized for compressing the Air in
the single acting pump 8 which supplies Air to the heater thus causing the use of
such superior pressure to balance that of the Steam giving the reverse stroke and
by which also the strain upon the various working parts is equalized.
These advantages are further secured by the arrangement of Engine and
Cylinders sbewn on the Drawings at Fig 3 It will be here seen that the piston
of the combined Steam and Hot Air Cylinder is connected to the piston of the Air
compressing pumps by means of a trunk r the use of which enables the relative
areas of the pistons to be so regulated that the hot air pressure areas d' may be
readily proportioned to that of the steam pressure areas c³ in order that the
pressure exerted by the two in which the hot air has greater space for expansion
may be equalized and made suitable for the work each force is destined to perform
thereby securing the advantages above enumerated by a still greater simplification
of parts This principle is equally applicable to three Cylinder Engines with
Cranks placed at any suitable angle
Although I have described as an example High and Low Pressure Cylinders
I wish it to be understood that the combined arrangement of driving with Steam
and Hot air can with equal advantages be employed in the construction of ordinary
single expansion engine condensing or noncondensing
When applying my improvements to noncondensing single Cylinder High
pressure Engines the Steam Cylinders and Hot air Cylinders are placed side by
side with a suitable valve arrangement between them and the Air compressing
pump is placed tandem fashion above the Hot air Cylinder and is provided with

page_text: an arrangement of Valve for working the hot air expansively which will allow the
Air in the pump to be compressed to its full extent before it escapes into the heater
for being increased in volume
In order further to economise the use of fuel in the generation of Steam and Hot
air employed for propelling my improved arrangement of combined Steam and Hot
Air Engine I cause the exhaust from the Hot Air Cylinder to pass through pipes
direct to the furnace of the boiler thus supplying such furnace with a hot blower
which will cause a sure thorough and effective combustion of the fuel It will be
further evident that as half the power of the Engine is obtained through the
Agency of Steam the Condensers pumps and their connections will only require to
be half the size of those usually employed for a similar power of Engine and the
hot air having access to the same Cylinder in which the Steam is employed the
temperature of the Cylinders will be such that instead of the Steam becoming
reduced in volume by expansion as is the case in ordinary compound condensing
Engines the working steam will become superheated and increased in volume with
expansion which will materially economise the use of Steam and necessarily the
consumption of fuel
Having now described the nature of my said Invention together with the means
employed for carrying the same into practical effect I wish it to be understood in
conclusion that what I claim as new and of my Invention is
First The Novel arrangement construction and combination of Engines in which
the combined forces of Steam and Hot Air are employed for transmitting
motive power in the manner as herein substantially described set forth and
illustrated in the Drawings annexed
Second The novel arrangement construction and adaptation to the Cylinders of
Engine where Economy of space is a desideratum of sliding glands and
parts in connection therewith to be employed in the manner as substantially
described herein
In witness whereof I the said William Turnbull have hereunto set my hand
and Seal this the Seventeenth day of June in the year of our Lord One thousand
eight hundred and eighty four
:
Witness:-
THOMAS WRIGLEY
36 High Holborn W.C
WILLIAM TURNBULL (L.S.)