APPARATUS FOR CONDENSING STEAM
Year: 1885

page_text: I GEORGE BEST of N° 9 Benthal Road, Stoke Newington, N. in the County
of Middlesex, gentleman do hereby declare the nature of my Invention for
APPARATUS FOR CONDENSING STEAM to be as follows:-
When it is desired to condense the waste steam from Steam Engines; the steam
after leaving the cylinders, instead of being ejected into the air and lost as is
generally done with non-condensing engines, is to be conveyed by means of the
ejection pipe into the following described apparatus.
A framework wheel of very light construction, baving a number of arms or
spokes radiating from its centre to the circumference, is to be mounted, either
vertically or horizontally, by means of its axle on suitable bearings or supports, so
as to rotate freely and evenly. This wheel is to be divided into a number of
compartments, by means of partitions attached to the said radiating arms or spokes.
These partitions are to be composed of fine Wire Gauze, Perforated Metal Sheets,
or other similar material. If necessary the sides of the wheel, and also its periphery
or rim, may be covered with the aforesaid Wire Gauze, or perforated metal
This wheel is to be enclosed in an outer case or covering of such a size and shape
as will allow the wheel to rotate freely within it: this outer case is to be fixed
and stationary.
The steam to be condensed must enter the apparatus in an oblique direction so
as to strike against the sides of the radiating arms and partitions, causing the wheel
to rotate, and billing with steam each compartment as it comes opposite the steam
inlet. Cold air, or air at the existing temperature of the atmosphere, is allowed to
enter the apparatus freely, through openings in the outer case. These openings
may be on the underside of the case, or wherever it may be found convenient, but
I prefer to admit the air through an opening in the periphery of the case.
By reason of the rotary motion of the wheel the compartments charged with
steam are brought into contact with the cold air, which forces itself through the
minute holes of the Wire Gauze, thus breaking up the Steam and thoroughly
permeating it, so that the steam is rapidly condensed. This condensation is also
assisted by the natural property of the Wire Gauze which readily abstracts the

page_text: heat from the steam, and as readily parts with the heat again by contact with the
.cold air.
The cold air which enters the apparatus is by these means heated, and ascends
to the upper part of the case where it is collected by suitable channels or corru-
gations, made in the case; and conducted into a hot air pipe, which conveys it
away for utilization; such as heating apartments, feeding the furnaces of steam
boilers thus economising fuel; or other purposes, as may be required.
The water of condensation trickles down the partitions of the wheel to the
bottom of the case, where it is also collected, and conveyed away by suitable
channels and pipes.
When, on account of insufficient force or pressure of the steam injected into the
apparatus, the rotary motion of the wheel is not sufficiently rapid to allow of the
complete condensation of the steam; then the said motion may be accelerated by
other well known means..

page_text: I GEORGE BEST, of N° 9, Benthal Road, Stoke Newington, in the county of
Middlesex, 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:—
This invention relates to the construction of an improved apparatus for
condensing exhaust or waste steam from the cylinders of steam engines or from
any other source for the purpose of allowing it to be utilized for warming and
other useful purposes.
My improved apparatus is constructed of a wheel or revolving fan of light
construction and divided into compartments or divisions by means of arms or
blades radiating from its centre to the circumference. This wheel or fan with its
shaft is mounted so that it can freely rotate either vertically or horizontally,
preferably the latter, in suitable bearings. The said arms or blades are constructed
of wire gauze or of perforated metal sheets preferably of copper.
This wheel is enclosed in an outer casing of size and shape to allow the wheel
to revolve without friction within it; this outer casing is fixed and stationary.
The steam to be condensed is conducted into the casing in an oblique direction,
so as to strike against the sides of the radiating arms or blades, thereby causing or
assisting the wheel to rotate, at the same time filling with steam each compartment
or division of the wheel as it comes opposite to the steam inlet. Cold air or air
at any temperature which it may be convenient to employ enters the apparatus
through openings in the casing. These openings may be made in any part of the
casing as may be necessary but I prefer to admit the air at one large aperture only,
situated in the rim of the casing, and this aperture I term the suction tube.
If on account of insufficient force, or pressure of the steam entering the apparatus,
the rotary motion of the wheel is not sufficiently rapid to allow of the complete
condensation of the steam, then the said motion may be accelerated by other well
known means, and for this purpose I provide a pulley keyed on to the axle of the
wheel outside of the casing, to which pulley motion may be imparted by means of
a driving belt.
In order to prevent the escape of uncondensed steam into the hot air pipe, a flat
plate of metal is interposed between the revolving wheel and the hot air pipe."
This plate has a hole in its centre through which the axle of the wheel passes, and
the edges of the plate reach to and are secured at the rim of the casing. A number
of perforations are made in that portion of the plate which covers the air side of
the apparatus, but on the steam side, that is where the stean enters and revolves,
the plate must be unperforated. By this means the steam, where it enters the
apparatus and through some distance in its circuit, is coufined under an impervious
plate, but when the steam reaches a point where condensation has begun and hot
air is evolved then the latter will rise through the perforations there existing and.
so escape into the hot air pipe.
In order to enable my invention to be fully understood I. will proceed to describe-
the same by reference to the accompanying drawing in which figure 1, is a vertical
section of an apparatus constructed according to my invention and figure 2, is a

page_text: horizontal section of the same; figure 3, is a plan of the metal plate for preventing
the escape of uncondensed steam, drawn to a smaller scale, and figure 4 is a
perspective view of the apparatus with a part of the casing broken away. Similar
letters in all the figures represent similar parts.
A, is the exhaust pipe which enters the casing B, injecting the steam against the
sides of the wire gauze arms or blades C of the wheel or fan, of which D is 'the
axle or spindle. By contracting the nozzle of the exhaust pipe A, the velocity of
the injected steam may be increased, if necessary. The pulley E, keyed on the
axle D of the wheel can be used when it is required to increase the velocity of the
wheel. The wheel revolves in the direction shewn by the arrows, and in the course
of this revolution the compartments of the wheel which are charged with steam are
brought into.contact with an opposing body of cold air, which enters the casing
through the suction tube F; in the direction of the dotted arrows. The metal
plate G, shewn detached in figure. 3, shews the means of preventing the upward
escape of the uncondensed steam on the steam side of the apparatus, while it allows
of the escape of hot air through the perforations a, a, in that portion of the plate
which covers the air side of the apparatus. In figure 3, the plain arrows shew the
direction of the steam, and the dotted arrows the direction of the air.
From this construction it will be understood that by reason of the rotary motion
of the wheel the compartments charged with steam are brought into contact with
the before mentioned cold air, which enters the apparatus through the suction
tube F, and as the wheel revolves, the said air passes through the minute apertures
of the wire gauze of the blades C, thus breaking up the steam and thoroughly
permeating it so that the steam is rapidly condensed. This condensation is also
assisted by the natural property of the wire gauze of the blades C which readily
abstracts the heat from the steam, and as readily parts with the heat again, during
its revolution through the opposing body of cold air, so that by the time the
compartments arrive at the point where they will again be charged with steam the
gauze will have become cool again and thus a continuous rush of cold metal, through
the steam, is maintained. It may sometimes be required to make the wheel revolve
in a contrary direction to the current of steam which enters the apparatus and it
is obvious that this can be done by reversing the motion imparted to the
aforementioned pulley E.
It is advantageous to divide the wheel into as large a number of divisions or
compartments as is convenient because by thus sub-dividing the steam into narrow
sections it is more readily acted on and permeated by the air and moreover the
larger the quantity of wire gauze that can be conveniently employed the more is
heat abstracted and condensation promoted. The wire gauze may also be corrugated
in order to increase its surface. The cold air that enters the apparatus is by its
contact with the steam and hot metal heated, and escaping through the per-
forations a, a, in the plate G, is collected in the chamber or space H which leads to
the hot air exit pipe I. The water of condensation is collected in the space J, at
the bottom of the casing and flows away by the pipe K. The stuffing boxes L, are
constructed on the hot air and water pipes, and the axle of the wheel passes
through them in order to reach the necessary bearings or supports.
In order to reduce the supply of cold air to the apparatus the mouth or inlet of
the suction tube may be covered with an adjustable door or damper, as the less cold
air required for condensation, the higher will be the temperature of the hot air
expelled.
On the other hand, when insufficient air enters the casing or when too much
steam enters, then more air may be forced in by means of an ordinary blowing fan
placed at the mouth of the suction tube, which blowing fan may have motion
imparted to it from the shaft of the apparatus.
When it may be more convenient to erect the apparatus so that the wheel may
revolve vertically, then some of the various inlets and outlets, and minor details,
may be varied somewhat from the foregoing description but as the principle
remains the same these variations need not be particularly described.

page_text: 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. An apparatus for condensing steam consisting of a wheel or fan, having
compartments, divisions, or blades formed of wire gauze, perforated metal sheets or
other similar material, such compartments or divisions being filled with the steam
to be condensed and the wheel put into rotary motion, the compartments or
divisions charged with steam are successively brought into contact with an
opposing current or body of cold air, which cold air penetrates through the
apertures of the wire gauze or perforated metal and assists in producing con-
densation of the steam, substantially as herein before described and represented
in the accompanying drawing.
2. An apparatus for condensing steam so constructed that wire gauze, perforated
metal or other similar material is alternately heated and cooled by being driven by
rotary motion through bodies or currents of steam and cold air successively by
which means heat is transferred from the steam to the air substantially as
hereinbefore described and represented in the accompanying drawing.
3. In apparatus for condensing steam, constructing the casing with inlet and
outlet pipes or tubes for cold and hot air, and with inlet and outlet pipes or tubes
for steam and water substantially as hereinbefore described and illustrated in the
accompanying drawing.
4. In apparatus for condensing steam the construction and use of a roofing plate
perforated in one section of its area only in such a manner as to prevent the escape
of uncondensed steam on one side of the apparatus, while permitting the escape of
hot air on the other side of the apparatus substantially as hereinbefore described
and represented in figure 3, of the accompanying drawing.
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