IMPROVEMENTS IN THE MEANS AND APPARATUS FOR CONDENSING STEAM
Year: 1864

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to William Thorold, of the City and County of Norwich,
Civil Engineer, for the Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN THE MEANS AND
APPARATUS FOR CONDENSING STEAM."
Sealed the 20th October 1864, and dated the 26th April 1864.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said William Thorold at the
Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on the
26th April 1864.
1, WILLIAM THOROLD, of the City and County of Norwich, Civil.
Engineer, do hereby declare the nature of the said Invention for "IMPROVE-
MENTS IN THE MEANS AND APPARATUS FOR CONDENSING STEAM," to be as follows:-
My Invention consists in the condensation of waste steam from steam
engines, by bringing it intimately into contact in an attenuated form
with a current or currents of atmospheric air inside a closed vessel. For
this purpose I prefer to employ apparatus of the following arrange-
ment I conduct the waste steam after it leaves the cylinder or cylinders
into a rotary engine, such as Avery's, or a turbine, in which such steam
after causing such rotary engine or turbine to to rotate by reaction
escapes from the periphery of the same into a surrounding casing, where
it is brought into intimate contact with a current or currents of air
forced into the said casing by any suitable means, such as fans or pumps,
worked either by the rotary engine or turbine, or by the steam engine
itself. The superfluous air or gases are allowed to escape through

page_text: orlices in the casing into a pipe or pipes, through which it is conveyed
at pleasure either into the open air, or into the chimney or furnace of
the steam boiler. If requisite I provide a separate pipe with a valve
or cock, through which the steam blast can pass into the chimney in
the usual way when getting up steam. The water resulting from the
before-described condensation of the steam is collected in the lower part
of the casing, and is thence pumped or injected into the boiler. In some
cases in order to accelerate the condensation of the steam, I introduce
a certain quantity, either of the water of condensation or of other cold
water, through pipes revolving with the rotary engine or turbine, and
cause the same to issue in the form of spray, and mix with the steam
escaping from the rotary engine or turbine. In some cases instead of
or in combination with the arrangement herein-before described, I cause
the waste steam to issue from fixed jets, and arrange other jets in close
contiguity with the same, through which the atmospheric air required
for condensation is forced and brought into intimate contact with the
steam.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters l'atent, filed.
by the said William Thorold in the Great Seal Patent Office on the
25th October 1864.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, 1, WILLIAM
THOROLD, of the City and County of Norwich, Civil Engineer, send
greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her Letters
Patent, bearing date the Twenty-sixth day of April, in the year of our
Lord One thousand eight hundred and sixty-four, in the twenty-seventh
year of Her reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and
grant unto me, the said William Thorold, Her special licence that 1,
the said William Thorold, my executors, administrators, and assigns,
or such others as I, the said William Thorold, my executors, admini-
strators, 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 IMPROVEMENTS IN THE MEANS AND APPARATUS FOR CONDENSING STEAM," upon
the condition (amongst others) that I, the said William Thorold, my

page_text: executors or administrators, 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 we, the said William Thorold, 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 thereof, reference being had to the accompanying
Drawings, and to the figures and letters marked thereon, that is to
say-
My Invention consists in the condensation of waste steam from steam
engines, by bringing it intimately into contact in an attenuated form
with a current or currents of atmospheric air inside a closed vessel. For
this purpose I prefer to employ apparatus of the following arrange-
ment--I conduct the waste steam after it leaves the cylinder or cylinders
into a rotary engine, such as Avery's or a turbine, in which such steam
after causing such rotary engine or turbine to rotate by reaction, escapes
from the periphery of the same, into a surrounding casing, where it is
brought into intimate contact with a current or currents of air, forced
into the said casing by any suitable means, such as fans or pumps,
worked either by the rotary engine or turbine, or by the steam engine
itself. The superfluous air or gases are allowed to escape through
orifices in the casing into a pipe or pipes, through which it is conveyed
at pleasure, either into the open air or into the chimney or furnace of
the steam boiler. If requisite, I provide a separate pipe with a valve
or cock, through which the steam blast can pass into the chimney in the
usual way when getting up steam. The water resulting from the before-
described condensation of the steam is collected in the lower part of
the casing, and is thence pumped or injected into the boiler. In some
cases, in order to accelerate the condensation of the steam, I introduce
a certain quantity either of the water of condensation or of other cold
water through pipes revolving with the rotary engine or turbine, and
cause the same to issue in the form of spray, and mix with the steam
escaping from the rotary engine or turbine. In some cases, instead of
or in combination with the arrangement herein-before described, I cause
the waste steam to issue from fixed jets, and arrange other jets in close
contiguity with the same, through which the atmospheric air required

page_text: for condensation is forced, and brought into intimate contact with the
steam.
On the accompanying Drawings are shown various arrangements for
carrying my Invention into practice. The same letters of reference
indicate the same parts, or parts having the same functions, in each of
the Figures.
Figure 1, Sheet I., shows a sectional side elevation of an arrangement
of the condensing apparatus applied to the smoke box of a locomotive
engine, and Figure 2 shows a sectional front elevation of the same.
The blast pipe A is provided with a throttle valve B, which, when
placed in the position shewn, causes the exhaust steam to pass into the
fixed guide vanes c, c, to the turbine C, running loose upon the fixed
spindle D. The steam reacting upon the vanes of the turbine causes the
same to revolve rapidly, and issues from the periphery of the same into
the surrounding enclosed passage E. Upon the back of the turbine C
are fixed the fan blades F, which, in rotating rapidly with the turbine,
draw the external air in through the eye of the casing, and throw it out
at the periphery. The velocity with which the air enters the fan is
greatly increased by the speed with which the locomotive drives the
fan against it; and in order to increase the pressure to the utmost, a
wind collector G is fixed to the eye of the fan casing, so as to collect and
conduct the greatest possible quantity of air into the fan. The steam
issuing from the turbine into the passage E, and the air thrown from
the circumference of the fan, instead of being brought immediately in
contact with each other, are first caused to pass through alternate
narrow passages in the current divider H, as indicated by the arrows,
from which they issue in alternate small streams into the condensing
chamber I; the steam is thus brought into most intimate contact with
the air, and is thereby condensed. The construction of the current
divider H, will be more readily understood on reference to the perspec-
tive sectional elevation of part of the apparatus at Figure 3; it consists
of a plate of thin metal bent into a zig-zag form, as shown, so as to
form a number of narrow spaces, closed by a plate at the back in such
a manner that the steam can only enter the chamber I through the
spaces h, h, whilst the air can only pass in through the spaces h¹, h', as
shown by the arrows. Water in the form of spray is introduced into
the passage E, to assist in the condensation of the steam, through pipes
J, J, rotating with the turbine and fan, which pipes are supplied with
water from the gland box j, communicating with the supply pipe K,

page_text: through the passage d formed in the spindle D. The gland box j is kept
water-tight upon the spindle D by means of leather collars placed on
either side as shown. The water resulting from the condensation of the
steam as above described, passes down through the chamber I into the
box I', whence it is conveyed through the pipe i into the boiler by means
of a pump or injector. The uncondensed gases pass from the chamber F,
through the passage L, into the blast pipe A, so as to compensate to some
extent for the abstraction of the steam blast.
Figure 4 shows a sectional side elevation of an arrangement similar
to that just described, but with a second fan F', also driven by the
turbine C, which forces the air at an increased pressure into the fan F.
In this arrangement no spray pipe is employed, and the uncondensed
gases, instead of passing into the blast pipe, are conducted in part
through the pipe L, opening into the centre of the top of the funnel and
partly through other pipes L' opening into the annular aperture
surrounding the funnel, for the purpose of increasing the draught. By
this arrangement any uncondensed vapour of water or watery particles
that may be carried away by the gases in passing through the vertical
pipes L, L', will become condensed and fall back into the chamber I.
In the arrangement shown at Figures 1 and 2 the passage L may, how-
ever, be replaced by a vertical syphon pipe, as shown at L, Figure 5,
through which the gases pass before entering the blast pipe A, and in
which the watery particles become condensed and fall into the chamber I
and into the receptacle ', whence the water passes through a pipe
into I. In some cases I also conduct either a portion or the whole of
the uncondensed gases into the fire-box of the engine to assist both the
draught and the combustion; for which purpose, in addition to the pipes
shown at Figure 4, I provide another syphon pipe, as shown at M in the
part end elevation at Figure 6, which pipe after descending again passes
to the front of the fire-box, as shown in part sectional elevation and
plan at Figures 7 and 8, where it is connected by means of a swivel
joint to a passage M₁ formed in the hinge of the fire-door N. From this
passage the gases issue through apertures n, n, into the fire-box, and
when the door is open, as shown in plan, the jets of gas in passing across
the opening will prevent the cold air from passing into the fire-box.
Figure shows a part side elevation, and Figure 10 shows a part
sectional end elevation, of an arrangement in which a second fan F', for
driving the air into the turbine fan, is placed above the smoke-box of
the engine, and is driven by means of a strap O from a pulley P on the

page_text: leading wheel of the engine, passing over the small pulley Q on the
spindle D' of the fan. The air is conducted to both eyes of the fan F'
by means of the wind collectors G, G, the lower portions of which are
arranged to turn on hinges, as indicated, so as to allow of access to
the boiler tubes as usual. The trunk from the upper fan F' to the
lower one is also hinged at f' for the same purpose.
Figure 11 shews a transverse section of a portable steam engine or
traction engine, with the condensing apparatus fixed on the top of the
boiler R. In this arrangement the exhaust steam passes direct from
the slide valve T of the steam cylinder S through the exhaust passage U
and passage E into the current divider H, without passing through and
acting upon a turbine, as in the former arrangements, and the fan F
is driven by means of a strap from a pulley on the crank shaft of the
engine passing round the pulley Q. The air from the fan in this case
passes into the current divider H at its outer diameter, and the steam
at its inner diameter, as indicated by the arrows. The water of con-
densation is conveyed from the chamber I through the pipe i into the
boiler, and the uncondensed gases pass through the pipe M into the
fire-box or funnel of the engine.
Figure 12, Sheet II., shews a sectional end elevation, and Figure 13
shews a sectional side elevation, of an arrangement similar to that shewn
in Figures 1 and 2 on Sheet I., with the entire condensing apparatus
placed horizontally above the upper line of boiler tubes V, V, of the
locomotive engine, in order to render the tubes more accessible for
cleaning and repairs. The blast pipe A is provided with two branches
A', A', communicating with the chamber W formed over the fixed
vanes c, c, of the turbine C, C. The throttle valves B', B₁, to these
branch pipes are fixed upon the same spindle X as the throttle valve B
to the blast pipe A, but at right angles to the same, so that when the
latter is shut the former are open. The air is collected and conveyed
to the eye of the fan F by the wind collectors G, G, which are made to
turn upon hinges, as before described, with reference to Figures 9 and 10.
The water of condensation passes from the condensing chamber I through
the pipes into the lower receptacles I', from which it is conducted to
the boiler through the pipe i. The uncondensed gases pass through the
circular passage L and opening into the blast pipe A.
Figure 14 shews a sectional front elevation, and Figure 15 a sectional
side elevation, of an arrangement in which the condensing apparatus is
placed above the boiler tubes, as in the before-described arrangement,

page_text: but in a vertical position, and instead of causing the steam to act upon
a turbine for working the fan, it is made to pass direct from the blast
pipe A into the passage E, whence it enters the current dividers H, H,
of which there are two in this arrangement, on account of the fan F
being a double one. The fan is in this case driven by a strap O from
a pulley on the leading or driving wheel of the engine in a similar
manner to that shewn in the arrangement at Figures 9 and 10, and
also, as in that arrangement, the wind is conveyed to both eyes of
the fan by the hinged wind collectors G, G. J is a spray pipe, as in
the arrangement at Figures 1 and 2, fixed to the revolving spindle D,
and communicating with the passage d in the same, through which the
water passes from the pipe K. The bearing in which the spindle works
is for this purpose provided with a stuffing box, as shewn, for keeping
the joint water-tight.
Figure 16 shews a sectional side elevation, and Figure 17 shews a
sectional front elevation, of an arrangement in which both the turbine
and the fan are dispensed with, and in which the requisite force of the
air blast passing into the current divider H is provided entirely by the
wind collector G catching the air as the locomotive engine passes rapidly
along. The exhaust steam also passes direct from the blast pipe A
through the passages E, E, into the current divider H, as indicated by
the arrows.
The upper portion of the condensing chamber I is formed
with a spherical surface, as is also the central portion G' of the lower
hinged part of the wind collector, in order to guide the wind to the
current separator. A trumpet-mouthed opening Y, formed in the lower
part of the wind collector, serves to conduct a certain quantity of the
wind into the blast pipe A through the pipe Y', in order to supply to a
certain extent the place of the steam blast. The uncondensed gases
pass into the blast pipe A through the passage L. The water of con-
densation passes from the upper condensing chamber I into the lower
one I through the pipe i¹.
Figure 18 shews a sectional elevation of an arrangement for applying
the condensing apparatus to marine steam engines. A is the pipe for
conducting the exhaust steam from the steam engines to the circular
passage E, from which it passes through the current divider H into the
condensing chamber I. F is a fan, of large diameter, which may be made
of wood, drawing in air through the air tube G, and driven from the
screw shaft 1 by means of frictional gearing 2, 2, & 3, of which the
wheels 2, 2, slide upon the shaft 1, so as to be put in gear with opposite

page_text: sides of the wheel 3, for the purpose of driving the fan always in the
same direction, in whatever direction the screw shaft may revolve. L
is the passage into which the uncondensed gases pass; and M is the
pipe for conducting the same to the furnaces of the boilers; i is the pipe
for conducting the water of condensation to the boilers. As a certain
small quantity of watery vapour will always pass away with the uncon-
densed gases, it will be requisite to make good such loss by evaporating
a corresponding quantity of fresh water from sea water. For this
purpose a flat retort 4 is placed over the exhaust steam pipe A, and a
second flat vessel 5 is placed below the same, and sea water is intro-
duced first into the latter through the worm 6, and is then caused to
pass through the coil of pipes 7, situated in the steam pipe A, and into
the retort 4. This retort is furthermore surrounded by passages a, a,
filled with the exhaust steam from the pipe A, and the sea water becoming
thus heated to boiling point by close contact with the different steam-
heated surfaces, the evaporation of fresh water to the required extent
takes place.
The concentrated brine resulting from the continued
evaporation of the water is collected in brine pots 8, 8, from which it is
removed from time to time through openings 9, 9. The watery vapour
passes from the retort 4 through the passage 10 into the chamber 11,
containing the worm 6, through which the cold sea water is passing
into the receptacle 5; this water absorbs the heat from the watery vapour,
whereby the latter becomes condensed and passes through the pipe 12
into the pipe i, through which the water of condensation from the
condensing apparatus is passing. 13 is a suction pipe for exhausting
the retort 4 when required.
Having now described the nature of my Invention, and the best means
I am acquainted with of performing the same, I wish it to be understood
that I in no way limit myself to the precise arrangements of apparatus
as herein-before described with reference to the accompanying Draw-
ings, as it is evident that various other arrangements may be employed
for carrying my Invention into effect; also I wish it to be understood that
I am well aware that it has already been proposed to condense steam
by causing a jet of the same to pass into a closed vessel, which jet,
whilst passing in through an aperture in communication with the atmo-
sphere, draws in air along with it to assist in its condensation, and I in
no way claim such an arrangement; but what I claim is,-
First, condensing steam by causing one or more jets of the same to

page_text: come into intimate contact inside a closed vessel with one or more jets of
atmospheric air under pressure, or forced into the said vessel.
Second, condensing steam by causing one or more jets of the same to
come into intimate contact with jets of water and of air under pressure
combined.
Third, constructing apparatus for condensing steam in which the
steam to be condensed is first caused to act upon a turbine or rotary
engine, and on issuing from the same into a closed vessel in a number of
small jets, is brought into intimate contact with a number of small jets
of air, forced into the said closed vessel by the action of one or more
rotary fans receiving motion wholly or in part from the said turbine or
rotary engine, the uncondensed gases being caused to pass from the
said closed chamber, either into the flue or the furnace of the steam
boiler, or into the atmosphere; also in combination with the above, the
application of spray pipes rotating with the said turbine and fan for
introducing water in the form of spray to assist in the condensation of
the steam.
Fourth, constructing apparatus for condensing steam, in which the
steam is caused to pass directly in small jets into a closed vessel, where
it is brought into intimate contact with a number of small jets of air
forced into the said closed vessel by means of fans, pumps, or other
suitable means; also, in combination with the above, the introduction
of jets of water spray into the closed vessel to assist in the condensation
of the steam.
Fifth, constructing apparatus for condensing steam in which the steam
to be condensed and atmospheric air are introduced separately into a
closed vessel through a number of small jets placed in close contiguity
with each other.
In witness whereof, I, the said William Thorold, have hereunto set
my hand and seal, this Twenty-first day of October, in the year
of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and sixty-four.
WILLIAM THOROLD. (L.S.)