A.,MODE, OF INCREASING THE EFFICIENCY OF STEAM FOR MOTIVE POWER PURPOSES
Year: 1867

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to William Edward Newton, of the Office for Patents,
66, Chancery Lane, in the County of Middlesex, Civil Engineer, for
the Invention of "A.,MODE, OF INCREASING THE EFFICIENCY OF STEAM
FOR MOTIVE POWER PURPOSES."-A communication from abroad by John
Tinited States of 1 morica
CTU
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said William Edward Newton
at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on the
14th September 1867.
I, WILLIAM EDWARD NEWTON, of the Office for Patents, 66, Chancery
Lane, in the County of Middlesex, Civil Engineer, do hereby declare the
nature of the said Invention for "A MODE OF INCREASING THE EFFICIENCY OF
STEAM FOR MOTIVE POWER PURPOSES," to be as follows:-
The object of this Invention is to increase the efficiency of steam as a
mechanical agent for driving machinery and for other purposes by employing
in conjunction with it highly heated air under pressure from an air forcing
engine, and mixing this air and steam together in the steam chest on their
way to the cylinder of the engine, thus effecting a reheating or superheating:
of the steam after it leaves the boiler and while it is confined within the
steam chest and cylinder.

page_text: SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent, filed
by the said William Edward Newton in the Great Seal Patent Office
on the 14th March 1868.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, WILLIAM
EDWARD NEWTON, of the Office for Patents, 66, Chancery Lane, in the County
of Middlesex, Civil Engineer, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her Letters
Patent,bearing date the Fourteenth day of September, in the year of our Lord
One thousand eight hundred and sixty-seven, in the thirty-first year of Her
reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant unto me, the
said William Edward Newton, Her special licence that I, the said William
Edward Newton, my executors, administrators, and assigns, or such others
as I, the said William Edward Newton, 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 "A
MODE OF INCREASING THE EFFICIENCY OF STEAM FOR MOTIVE POWER PURPOSES,"
being a communication to me from abroad, upon the condition (amongst
others) that I, the said William Edward Newton, my executors or adminis-
trators, by an instrument in writing under my, or their, or one of their
hands and seals, should particularly describe 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 William Edward Newton, do hereby
declare the nature of the 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 Drawing hereunto
annexed, and to the letters and figures marked thereon (that is to say):-
The object of this Invention is to increase the efficiency of steam as a
mechanical agent for driving machinery and for other purposes by employing
in conjunction with it highly heated air under pressure from an air forcing
engine, and mixing this air and steam together in the steam chest on their
way to the cylinder of the engine. By this means a reheating or superheating
of the steam after it leaves the boiler and while it is confined within the steam
chest and cylinder will be effected.

page_text: The following is a description of one mode of carrying the Invention into
effect:-
In the accompanying Drawings, Fig. 1 is a side elevation representing the
Invention applied to a stationary high-pressure engine with boiler attached
thereto; Fig. 2 is a plan view of the engine and air pump; but I do not
intend to confine myself to this form of engine, as it is applicable to other
forms of steam engines.
A represents the steam cylinder mounted upon a bed B and provided with a
valve chest C, slide valve, and exhausting ports like any well-known form of
stationary engine; D, D¹, represent steam pipes which are connected at their
lower ends with a single pipe D2 leading into the valve chest C for the purpose
of conducting highly heated air and common steam within the steam chest,
from whence they are allowed to escape into the cylinder A by the reciprocating
movements of the slide valve, and to act alternately upon both ends of the
piston in a manner common to high-pressure steam engines generally. The
pipes D, D¹, are both provided with oscillating or other suitable forms of
valves, the stems a, a', of which have arms b, b¹, secured to them by which
they are moved or oscillated. The arms 6, 6', are connected to the arms"
of an oscillating lever G arranged below the pipes D, 1, which lever
receives its motions from the main fly wheel shaft Ļ through the medium
of an excentric P and connecting rod R as shewn in the Drawings.
Thus it will be seen that as far as the engine is concerned there is very
little change required to apply the Invention to it. The only change really
required is the two pipes D, D', for bringing the steam and air from suitable
reservoirs in separate channels, so that this air and steam will not be mixed
until they enter the valve chest C, both the pipes being provided with valves
for letting on and cutting off the steam and air alternately and at proper times."
The steam pipe D leads off to a steam boiler which may be made as shewn in
Fig. 1, or of any other suitable form, and the air pipe D' leads off to a
series of pipes g, g, which may be arranged within the fire space of the boiler,
as shewn or which may be otherwise suitably arranged.
I prefer to have the air heating pipes within the fire-place or furnace of the
boiler for generating steam for the reason that one fire will answer for heating
both the air and the boiler, but if desirable a separate air heating apparatus
may be employed. The air is supplied to the pipes g, g, by means of a forcing
pump S of suitable construction, which may be worked by means of the engine
so that the supply of air will be commensurate to the demand. The safety
valves and governor valve may be arranged in any manner found most
convenient. The governor valve may be applied to the pipe D2 leading from

page_text: the valve chest to the air and steam pipes. It will be seen from the above
description that highly heated air and common steam are brought together in
the valve chest, and at suitable times this mixture is allowed to enter the
cylinder of the engine and act upon the piston. The air should be of an equal
or greater degree of temperature than the steam, and its pressure may be
equal or greater than the steam used, so that as soon as the two are mixed in
the valve chest the temperature of the steam will be suddenly augmented,
which will not only increase its effectiveness upon the piston, but will prevent
it from condensing while acting thereupon. By heating the air considerably
and using common steam the latter.may be superheated and its elasticity
increased to an almost unlimited degree after leaving the boiler and while
communication between the boiler and valve chest iscut off. The introduction
of steam and heated air into the valve chest is effected by means of the valves
above described controlled by the fly wheel shaft of the engine, so that when
steam is let into the valve chest and the steam valve closed the air valve will
be opened and compressed beated air let into the valve chest, which will
instantly reheat the confined steam more or less according to the temperature
of the air. I am aware that it has been suggested to employ air mixed with
steam as a force for driving engines, such air being forced into a chamber at a
cool temperature and thus mixed with steam therein. In this case it is obvious
that the air will instantly abstract from the steam a certain amount of its heat,
and hence destroy its efficiency. I am also aware that it has been suggested
to mix cool air and steam together in a chamber and raise them to a high
temperature before conducting the mixture to the engine. I do not therefore
claim the use of air and steam mixed as a force for driving engines; nor do
I confine myself to the particular form of engine herein described; I have
shewn its application to this well-known form of engine as one practical mode
of carrying it into effect, as one mode of reheating or superheating steam on its
way to the engine cylinder by the application of highly heated air without raising
the temperature of the steam in the boiler or increasing the pressure therein.
Having now described my Invention of a mode of increasing the efficiency
of steam for motive power purposes, and having explained the manner of
carrying the same into effect, I claim the employment of an air forcing engine
and an air heating apparatus in combination with a steam generator for the
purpose of mixing heated air under pressure with steam previously to
introducing them into the cylinder of an engine.
I also claim reheating or superheating steam after it leaves the steam
génerator by mixing highly heated air with it as described and for the
DEFACED stated

page_text: I claim, lastly, the use of air and steam pipes, or conduits D, D', provided
with suitable valves and leading into the valve chest of an engine, as aud for
the purposes described.
In witness whereof I, the said William Edward Newton, have hereunto
set my hand and seal, this Fourteenth day of March in the year of our
Lord One thousand eight hundred and sixty-eight.
Witness,
J. W. MOFFATT,
66, Chancery Lane.
W. E. NEWTON. (L.S.)