Improvements in and connected with Apparatus for the Condensation of Steam and Vapours.
Year: 1897

page_text: Date of Application, 20th Oct., 1897-Accepted, 29th Jan., 1898 ·
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in and connected with Apparatus for the Condensation
of Steam and Vapours.
I, JACOB KLEIN, of 70, Market Street, Manchester, in the County of Lancaster,
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 :-
These improvements are applicable generally in connection with apparatus and
methods for the condensation of steam and vapours but have been more particularly.
designed to meet cases where the supply of steam or vapour to be condensed is
intermittent or irregular. For example in the case of intermittently running steam
engines, the condensers cannot follow quickly the differences from zero to maximum
in the quantity of steam to be dealt with and ineffective condensation follows as a
consequence. According to my present invention I employ a single condenser either
for a single engine or for a plurality of engines or other source or sources of steam
or vapour to be condensed; or, alternatively to a single condenser, I employ a battery'
of condensers.
I will more particularly describe my said invention with reference to the
accompanying drawings in Figure 1 of which, representing a vertical transverse
section, and Figure 2, a sectional plan, the exhaust from one or more engines is
supposed to be connected through a suitable pipe or pipes with the exhaust trunk A,
the air trunk B being similarly connected with the air pump or air pumps:
These trunks may be joined to suitable condensers of any type but I prefer to
employ the construction illustrated. In this construction each element of the
condenser consists of twin groups of tubes C C¹ arranged preferably one above the
other. The upper group C may be connected at one end with the exhaust trunk A
and at the other end, through a suitable connecting tube or chamber with the
lower group C which has its opposite end connected with the air pump trunk. The
construction of these elements follows similar constructions used for other purposes.
Thus, at each end of each group of tubes there may be a box or chamber having on
one face a perforated tube plate into the perforations of which the ends of the tubes
are expanded, screwed or otherwise secured. The connections to and between the
groups of tubes are made through or in connection with the end chambers or boxes.
Suitable valves may be provided for cutting out the twin element or any one or more
of the twin elements when more than one is used. As shewn, the condensers are
arranged in separate tanks D, a pair of the twin elements in each tank. At one end
of the tanks there is a separate longitudinal tank E, which may have any convenient
breadth and be divided from the condenser tanks by a brick or metallic partition F.
Water is arranged to flow through the tanks in any suitable manner, as, for example,
by natural flow from a stream, reservoir, or the like through all the tanks in
parallel or in series. The condenser elements may also be arranged in series instead
of, as shewn, in parallel. The circulation of the water is preferably arranged so
that the cold water enters as near as practicable to the outlet from the condensers
to the air trunk. In Figure 1, an apparatus for cooling the water is indicated as
being employed. It consists of a vertical series of wooden grids G G, over the

page_text: surface of which the water is caused to trickle from the troughs T, to which it is
raised by the pump H. This apparatus is already known and in use and is described
in the Specification of Letters Patent No. 10025 of 1897. It may be omitted or
be substituted by other cooling apparatus, as may be found convenient. The chief
object of the end tank E, in this arrangement, is to enable any element in the
battery of condensers, or pair or set of elements contained in one separate tank, to be
cut out when desired, for repairs and other purposes. To this end the admission
to the particular tank of the condensing water is temporarily stopped and a
valve El controlling a passage from that tank to the tank E, is also closed. The
water in the isolated tank can then be pumped out or run off and the necessary
work on the condenser can be carried out. In Figures and 3 the two groups.
of tubes forming the condenser or one element of the condenser as the case may
be, are represented as arranged one above the other. This arrangement is
advantageous as promoting the more perfect circulation of the condensing water,
but it is not essential as they may obviously be arranged diagonally or horizontally.
In the modification represented by Figure 3 in longitudinal section and by
Figure 4 in plan, a more copious supply of condensing water is supposed to be
available and the cooler shewn in Figure 1 is omitted. A single condenser consisting
of the twin elements C C only is represented as being used but it will be
understood that there may be as many as may be required arranged in any
convenient manner. The letters of reference indicate the same parts as in
Figures 1 and 2, and the condensing water is supposed to be derived from a canal,
stream or reservoir J by natural flow.
Figure 5 represents in plan and Figure 6 in longitudinal vertical section, the
method which I employ for the purpose of my invention, in connection with a jet
condenser. Here, four intermittently running engines L L are supposed to be
employed with a separate air-pump M, which may be driven from a separate motor
or source of motion. The condenser is sufficiently capacious to contain a
comparatively large volume of condensing water and a considerable condensing space
above it wherein all the exhaust steam from all the running engines is simultaneously
condensed. The large volume of water is of importance as will be evident from the
consideration that if a comparatively small quantity were contained in the condenser
and the steam from several engines had to be condensed at the same time, the
water would be rapidly heated and either a quicker change of water must be effected,
or the condensation will be incomplete at a low vacuum. By employing a large
volume of water I am enabled to meet all emergencies and maintain a constant slow
change or circulation of the condensing water. A sufficient number of jet pipes N
open into the condenser as do also the exhaust pipes A.
Following the same principle, I may arrange the hereinbefore described twin
condensers in a large volume of water such as a "lodge" or reservoir instead of
in a derivation therefrom, as thereby I can obtain complete automatic circulation
and change of the condensing water as it is obvious that that water, as it absorbs
heat from the condenser, will rise and flow away, it place being taken by cold
water. A great advantage arising from this form of condenser is further, that it is
perfectly free to yield in every direction as the metal expands or contracts under
changes in its temperature.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said inven-
tion and in what manner the same is to be performed I declare that what I
claim is :-
1. The herein before described method of condensing an intermittent supply of
steam or vapour, which consists in conveying the steam or vapour to a sufficiently
large condenser or condensation battery and condensing it therein by means of a
large storage of condensing water in which there is a relatively small artificial
circulation; substantially as set forth.
2. The hereinbefore described method for the condensation of steam and vapour
which consists in conveying it to and condensing it in a surface condenser immersed

page_text: in or in connection with a stream or reservoir and in withdrawing the water or liquid
of condensation therefrom by an air-pump; substantially as set forth.
3. condenser or system of condensers containing or enclosed with a comparatively
large supply of water having a relatively small circulation adapted to condense an
intermittent supply of steam or vapour, and constructed and arranged substantially
as hereinbefore described with reference to the accompanying drawings.
4. A condenser adapted to be used alone or as an element in a condensation
battery, consisting essentially of twin groups of tubes connected together at one end
and connected at the opposite ends to the steam or vapour supply and to the air-
pump or outlet respectively; constructed and arranged substantially as hereinbefore
described and as illustrated by the accompanying drawings.
5. A condensation battery consisting of a series of separate tanks each of which
contains a condenser or group of condensers, so arranged that any tank and any
condenser or condensers may be cut out of the system at will, substantially as
herein before described with reference to the accompanying drawings.
6. A surface condenser or series of surface condensers immersed in or in connection
with flowing water and adapted for the condensation of steam without the use of a
circulating pump, substantially as herein before described with reference to the
accompanying drawings.
Dated this 19th day of October. A D 1897