Condensers Purposes. for Use on Tramway Locomotives
Year: 1887

page_text: Condensers
Purposes.
for Use on Tramway Locomotives
I, FREDERICK JOHN BURRELL of the firm of Charles Burrell and Sons (Limited)
of Saint Nicholas Works Thetford in the County of Norfolk Engineers do hereby
declare the nature of this invention to be as follows :-
My Invention relates to annular air condensers especially suited for use on
tramway locomotives but applicable also to other purposes and has for its objects to
reduce the weight and cost of such condensers and increase their efficiency and also
to render the inner tubes capable of ready removal for cleaning examination or
repair, the deposit of grease from the exhaust steam rendering a ready means of
cleaning very desirable.
For this purpose instead of securing the inner tubes inside the outer tubes by
brazing or soldering the two ends together as has hitherto been the practice I employ
ferrules or glands for the purpose so that the inner tubes can be readily removed from
the outer tubes. I preferably employ a copper ring between the ends of the outer
and inner tube and tighten them by means of steel ferrules or rings one outside the
outer tubes and another inside the inner tubes. These rings are advantageously made
slightly taper so as to draw the two tubes together. As the copper ring expands
more for a given temperature than do the steel rings or ferrules this expansion of
the copper ensures a steam-tight joint when the condenser is hot. Thin copper tubes
exposed to the jar of the road as in a tramway engine have a tendency to collapse
sag between the points of suspension especially when they are of great length and
in time in consequence of this sagging they break across.
UT
To overcome this and to increase their surface circumferentially I corrugate the
outer tubes and the inner tubes longitudinally and the ends are rolled out to a larger
diameter so as to form a plain surface for the joint. By this means although the
5. tubes can be made much thinner they are much stronger than is the case with

page_text: ordinary tubes and owing to the increased amount of cooling surface thus obtained
less tubes are required to obtain an equal condensation. Solid drawn tubes cut to
lengths can be used for the purpose. The aforesaid mode of connection for the ends
of annular condenser tubes offers the least resistance to the atmosphere when the
engine is running and allows the air to act most effectively upon the cooling surfaces
of both the outer and inner tubes.
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Condensers of the Class Known as
Condensers". for Use on Tramway Locomotives
Purposes.
Annular Air
or for other
I FREDERICK JOHN BURRELL of the firm of Charles Burrell and Sons (Limited)
of Saint Nicholas Works Thetford in the County of Norfolk Engineers 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 relates to annular air condensers specially suited for use on tramway
locomotives but applicable also to other purposes and has for its objects to reduce the
weight and cost of such condensers and increase their efficiency and also to render
the inner tubes capable of ready removal for cleaning, examination or repair, the
deposit of grease from the exhaust steam rendering a ready means of cleaning very
desirable. For this purpose, instead of securing the inner tubes inside the outer tubes
by brazing or soldering the two ends together as has hitherto been the practice, I
employ ferrules or glands for the purpose so that the inner tubes can be readily
removed from the outer tubes. I preferably employ the arrangement shewn in the
accompanying Drawing, Figure 1 being a longitudinal section of the ends of tubes
secured according to my Invention and Figure 2 being an end view of the same.
A is the outer tube and B the inner tube.
I place a copper ring C between the ends of the said outer and inner tubes A and B
and I tighten them by means of steel ferrules or rings E and D, one (E) outside
the outer tube A and the other (D) inside the inner tube B. These rings E and D
are advantageously made slightly taper so as to draw the two. tubes together. : As
the copper ring expands more for a given temperature than do the steel rings or

page_text: ferrules this expansion of the copper ensures a steam-tight joint when the condenser
is hot.
The tubes may be plain or corrugated as desired.
The aforesaid mode of connection for the ends of annular condenser tubes offers
the least resistance to the atmosphere when the engine is running and allows the air
to act most effectively upon the cooling surfaces of both the outer and inner tubes.
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. In annular air-condensers, the connection of the tubes by means of ferrules glands
or rings substantially as and for the purpose herein before described.
2. In annular air-condensers, the connection of the tubes by means of steel rings
inside the inner tube and outside the outer tube with a copper ring between the two
tubes as herein before described and illustrated in the accompanying Drawing.
Dated this 25th day of July 1888.