Improvements in Applying Heat to Obtain Motive Power by means of Steam or Vapour and Apparatus therefor.
Year: 1890

page_text: Date of Application, 10th Sept., 1890-Accepted, 11th Oct., 1890
Improvements in Applying Heat to Obtain Motive Power by means
of Steam or Vapour and Apparatus therefor.
I CHARLES LATAROHE of Lempiro près Verdun (Meuse) in the Republic of France,
Gentleman, 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 :--
My invention relatos to obtaining motive power by means of an improved method
of applying heat to evaporate a liquid in such a manner as to enable the resulting
vapour to be applied for actuating a motive power engine under most economical and
advantageous conditions with the aid of a novel combination of apparatus as herein-
after described.
If at the present day the fuel consumed in steam engines is not completely
utilised or employed to the best advantage, it is not because the mechanism employed
to collect the work or energy developed by a fall of temperature more and more
elevated has not been brought to the highest degree of improvement or perfection and
it appears difficult under existing conditions to expect much further progress in this
direction.
Nevertheless, this fall of temperature, however great and however well utilised by
scientifically contrived mechanism, represents only a small part of the total heat of the
steam, the other, by far the most important part, is absorbed to no useful purpose
whatever in the change of condition. This change of condition nevertheless does not
necessarily imply an expenditure of energy being only temporary and the heat
which had disappeared in the molecular work of evaporation and which has not
been converted into external work must reappear in the condensation of the
steam.
On this basis 1 have constructed an entirely novel system in which owing to the
methodical or regulated employment of steam or vapour the production of mechanical
work by the said steam or vapour is enabled to be obtained with an expenditure of
energy only slightly in excess of that which is ultimately transformed or made avail-
able. This forms the object of the present invention according to which the heat is
absorbed by the liquid in a closed vessel from which the liquid is conducted to a
series of other vessels where it is partly converted into vapour. This vapour after
doing work in an engine or motor is conducted into condensers where it is condensed
by the excess liquid which is not converted into vapour and which after being cooled
in a refrigerator is injected or introduced into the condensers where its temperature is
raised and whence it ultimately returns to the heating vessel in a heated condition
along with the liquid resulting from the condensation.
And in order that my said invention may be fully understood I shall now proceed
more particularly to describe the same and for that purpose shall refer to the several
figures on the annexed sheet of drawings the same letters of reference indicating
corresponding parts in all the figures.
Figure 1 of the accompanying drawings illustrates the general arrangement of the
apparatus in elevation.
Figure 2 is a plan view and
Figure 3 a transverse section of the same.
The heat receiver is reduced to its simplest form and its sole function is to transmit
the heat of the furnace to the liquid. It is represented in the drawing at A Figures 1
and 2. The steam or vapour which is hereinafter referred to simply as steam is not
formed or evolved in the said heat receiver A under the direct action of the furnace or
heating agent that is to say there is no steam generator in the ordinary sense of the

page_text: word but the liquid after boing heated in the vessel A is converted into vapour in a
series of any suitable number of evaporators B B B and after doing work in a
series of motor cylinders M M M is condensed in an equal number of condensers (
CC corresponding with the said evaporators.
The action is based on a continuous circulation of the liquid throughout the entire
series of apparatus. The evaporators are constructed or arranged in exactly the saine
unner as the condensers. The liquid enters at the upper part of each vessel as
shown more clearly in the section Figure 8 and falling in drops or rain collects at
the lower part of the vessel which cominunicates with a dischargo pipe or conduit.
The hot liquid leaving the receiver A for example by a pipe passes through the
series of evaporators B B B in succession the said evaporators being connected by
the pipes DD. A portion of the liquid is converted into vapour in each evaporator
and passing through pipes K' K³ K' acts on the pistons in the corresponding
cylinders M M M and the part still retaining its liquid form in the last ovaporator
passes through a pipe F into a refrigerator or cooler R.
The communications betworn the apparatus or vessels A, B1, B2, 13³ and Ris
regulated or controlled according to the pressure arising from the temperature of the
liquid by means of suitable cocks or valves on the pipes D² D² D³ and F.
The liquid parts with a certain amount of heat in the cooler or refrigerator R this
being strictly speaking the only part of the heat which is not utilised.
From the refrigerator R the liquid enters the condenser (which corresponds with
the evaporator B and condenses the steam exhausted through the pipe 1 from the
cylinder after which it enters the condenser C corresponding with the
evaporator B and condenses the exhaust escaping through the pipe 17 from
the cylinder M and then passes into the condensor (" corresponding with the
evaporator 13 where it coudenses the exhaust discharged through the pipe L³ from
the cylinder M finally returning in a heated condition through a pipe G along with
the water of condensation to the receiver A where it takes up a fresh supply of heat
and then returning to the evaporators recommences another cycle the same body of
water being thus kept in continual circulation. Pumps P P P placed on the
pipes EE and G ensure the circulation or flow of the liquid from one condenser to
the other until it reaches the receiver A.
The same body of liquid is thus caused to undergo the successive variations in
temperature necessary to obtain the successive falls in temperature which are utilised
in the engines. The highost limit of the temperature of the liquid is attained when
it issues from the receiver A in order to enter the evaporators and the lowest limit is
reached when it leaves the cooler It in order to pass into the condensers. The liquid
is thus progressively cooled by successive evaporations in proportion as it advances in
the series of evaporators three only of which are shown in the drawing but which in
practice may be moro numerous.
In proceeding on its return from the cooler to the receiver the liquid becomes pro-
gressively reheated in passing through the condensors C C C and finally reauters
the receiver at a temporature which more nearly approaches its initial temperature
in proportion as the number of elementary groups consisting of an ovaporator and a
condenser is increased.
During the return or second half of its travel the liquid thus recovers to a certain
extent the heat which it lost in the first half and the cycle or circuit is thus closed
without further expenditure by the return or recuperation of the heat of evaporation.
Consequently by interposing a motive power engine such as the steam cylinders M'
M M between the evaporators B B B and the condensers C¹ CC so as to utilise
the fall of pressure which is produced in each of the elementary groups formed by an
ovaporator and a condenser a total fall is obtained whose value equals the sum of the
partial or succussive falls with the advantage of reducing the expenditure resulting
from the unproductive heat of evaporation to an extent increasing in proportion to
the actual number of the said falls.
In the example illustrated the motor cylinders M' M' M' are caused to act upon

page_text: one crank shaft V which receives the power developed by the apparatus. The cylinders
are arranged end to end or tandem fashion and only one crank is shewn in order to
simplify the work and avoid complicating the drawing.
For the same reason the cocks or valves in the connections, the pressure indicators,
gauges, safety valves and other details which may be of any known or suitable con-
struction are likewise omitted from the drawing.
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. The improved method of obtaining motive power by heating a liquid circulating
continuously in a closed circuit or cycle and subjected whilst proceeding in one
direction to variations of temperature giving rise to evaporations and while proceeding
in the other direction to changes of temperature producing condensations these
opposite effects being utilised for obtaining motive power under highly economical
conditions substantially as heroinbefore described.
2. In connection with a steam or motive power engine the combination or
arrangement in which a liquid caused to circulate continuously in a closed circuit
or cycle formed by a series of successive apparatus namely 1stly a heat receiver A,
2ndly a series of ovaporators B1 B2 B3, 3rdly a refrigerator or cooler R and 4thly a
series of condensers ("C" C³ connected with the aforesaid evaporators through
motors or cylinders M¹ M³ M³ substantially as hereinbefore described with reference
to the accompanying drawings.
3. The arrangements and combinations of parts constituting the improved apparatus
for obtaining motive power by the evaporation and condensation of liquids substan-
tially as hereinbefore described.
TL 104 1800
J. H. JOHNSON & Co.,
Agents.