aprovements in and relating to Means or Apparatus for Drying the Exhaust Steam in Motor Vehicles Using Steam as a Motive Power.
Year: 1899

page_text: Date of Application, 26th June, 1899-Accepted, 29th July, 1099
5
aprovements in and relating to Means or Apparatus for Drying the
Exhaust Steam in Motor Vehicles Using Steam as a Motive Power.
communication from abroad by GEORGE ELI WHITNEY, of 32, New Street,
Boston, State of Massachusetts, United States of America, Inventor.
I, ALFRED GEORGE BROOKES, of 55 and 56, Chancery Lane, in the County of
ondon, Chartered Patent Agent, do hereby declare the nature of this invention
nd in what manner the same is to be performed, to be particularly described
nd ascertained in and by the following statement:-
This invention has for its object the production of simple and effective means
for drying the exhaust steam in motor vehicles using steam as a motive power,
whereby the steam is discharged into the atmosphere in a practically invisible
condition, thus overcoming the annoyance and inconvenience of clouds of vapour
accompanying the vehicle when in motion.
Fig. 1 is a top or plan view, partly broken out, of a steam boiler and engine,
with one embodiment of my steam drying apparatus applied thereto, and
Fig. 2 is a side elevation of the apparatus shown in Fig. 1, the shell of the
boiler being partly broken out;
I have herein illustrated my invention as applied to an upright boiler A,
having fire tubes a³, and a combustion chamber C, of any suitable construction,
such for instance as shown and described in the specification of Letters Patent
No. 6947 dated 22 March 1898, the boiler therein shown being provided with an
attached engine, the cylinders C¹ being herein shown by dotted lines, Fig. 1,
enclosed in a jacket D, which is connected with the boiler.
Such a motor is well adapted for use with motor vehicles, on account of its
compactness, power, rapid steaming capacity, and strength and simplicity of con-
struction, but while I have illustrated my invention in connection with such
motor, its use is not restricted thereto, as it will hereinafter appear that my
steam drying apparatus is equally well adapted for use with other steam motors.
It is well known that the admixture of air, especially hot air, with steam will
serve to dry the latter in proportion to the heat of the air, dissipating the con-
densed particles to such an extent that they become substantially invisible.
To this end, I provide a mixing chamber, shown as a hood H surmounting the
boiler and into which the products of combustion and other gases pass from the
flues a, the upper tube sheet a¹, Fig. 1, forming the bottom of the hood in the
present instance.
The hood is provided with an air intake H¹, shown as located in the side of
the hood, which may be built out, as at H*, if desired, the opening H¹ being of
sufficient size to admit a large volume of air.
An escape flue F for the products of combustion is shown as arranged at the
side of the boiler, and preferably downturned, as in the patent referred to, the
upper end of the flue communicating with the hood H.
The exhaust steam from the engine is led by a pipe d to such a point that
when the engine is in operation, the exhaust will exert a draught in the flue, and

page_text: this is conveniently accomplished by turning the discharge end of the pipe d
into the flue, as at ', pointing towards the exit end thereof.
It will be noticed that the intake H' and the opening from the hood to the
flue are quite near together, and to prevent the direct passage of the incoming
air to the flue, I prefer to use a deflector m interposed between the intake and
the flue inlet, extending from the top to the bottom of the hood and projecting
towards the centre of the hood.
When steam is being raised, the products of combustion pass into the hood H
and out through the opening H', following the shortest path, as indicated by
dotted arrows 3, Fig. 1, but after steam has been raised and the engine is in
operation, the exhaust creates a draught from the hood H into the flue F.
This acts to draw air through the intake H¹ into the hood, wherein it is mixed
with and heated by the products of combustion and passes therewith into the
flue, as indicated by the dash line arrows 4, Fig. 1.
The heated air and the hot products of combustion thus mix witli and act upon
the exhaust steam, drying out the latter before it escapes from the flue, so that
there is practically no visible vapour at the outlet of the flue.
The deflector m prevents the direct passage of the air from the intake to the
flue, so that the air is mixed with and heated by the products of combustion, to
a greater or less degree, before it comes in contact with the exhaust.
In motor vehicles, the cooler air entering the hood tends to lower the tempera-
ture of the heated gases, which is a convenience particularly in passenger
vehicles, as the motor is usually located below the seat thereof.
My invention is not restricted to the precise construction and arrangement
herein shown, as the same may be modified or rearranged in various particulars
without departing from the spirit and scope of my invention.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said
invention and in what manner the same is to be performed, I declare that what
I claim is:-
1. A steam boiler and engine, a mixing chamber provided with an air intake,
and means to utilize the engine exhaust to draw air into said chamber in contact
with and to dry out the exhaust before the latter is permitted to escape from
the chamber.
2. A steam boiler and engine, a hood to receive the products of combustion
and having an air inlet, an escape flue communicating with the hood, and an
exhaust outlet leading from the engine and arranged to create a draught in the
flue, the products of combustion passing through the flue, and the air drawn
thereinto through the hood by the draught, both acting to dry the exhaust.
3. A steam boiler and engine, a hood to receive the products of combustion and
having an air inlet, a downturned escape flue communicating with the hood, and
an exhaust outlet leading from the engine and arranged to create a draught in
the flue, the products of combustion passing through the flue, and the air drawn
thereinto through the hood by the draught, both acting to dry the exhaust.
4. A steam boiler and engine, a hood to receive the products of combustion and
having an air inlet, a downturned escape flue communicating with the hood, an
exhaust outlet leading from the engine and arranged to create a draught in
the flue, the products of combustion passing through the flue, and the air drawn
thereinto through the hood by the draught, both acting to dry the exhaust, and
a deflector in the hood between the air inlet thereof and the entrance to the flue
from the hood.
11
321
1
T
1000
WM. BROOKES & SON,
55 and 56, Chancery Lane, London,
Agents for the Applicant.