IMPROVEMENTS IN STEAM, WATER, AND OTHER FLUID ENGINES
Year: 1862

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to John Knowelden, of Southwark, in the County
of Surrey, Engineer, for the Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN STEAM,
WATER, AND OTHER FLUID ENGINES."
Sealed the 3rd October 1862, and dated the 9th April 1862.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said John Knowelden at the
Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on the 9th
April 1862.
I, JOHN KNOWELDEN, of Southwark, in the County of Surrey, Engineer,
do hereby declare the nature of the said Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN
STEAM, WATER, AND OTHER FLUID ENGINES," to be as follows:-
I construct the frame and fix the cylinders of engines worked by steam,
water, or other fluids, as follows:-For marine and other engines, when the
steam is condensed, I make the framework hollow, so as to form the con-
denser, and, by preference, round; on this I fix any number of cylinders, by
preference, an uneven number. For agricultural and other portable engines
I construct the casing of the boiler of sufficient length to form the frame in
which I fix any number of cylinders, but of these, by preference, three. In
locomotive and traction engines I fix the cylinders to a round framework,
which may be connected to or which may form the wheels. I make the crank
shaft of the engine hollow to form the steam and exhaust pipes, and I fix the
crank shaft to the springs or frame of the boiler or carriage, or the cylinders
may remain stationary.

page_text: Secondly, I construct cylinders and pistons as follows:-If for open
cylinders or trunk engines, the piston is bored to form the joint of the con-
necting rod, and is fitted with a cap or gland and bored spherical, so as to
allow the piston free action. I also construct the cylinder covers and bottoms
with a chamber, between which and the cylinder I fix a diaphragm of any
suitable material, and a frame or grating to prevent the same being forced in
the cylinder. I establish a connection between the chamber and the supply pipe
to equalize the pressure in the cylinder, thus leaving the diaphragm at liberty
to move by priming or other causes. In trunk engines I construct the trunk
of such size as to make the area of the cylinder or the trunk side of the piston
in such proportions as are necessary for the expansion of the steam on the
other side of the piston, so as to act on the principle of the engines known
as Woolfe's, as high and low pressure engines. The steam first acting on
the trunk side is open to the condenser, after which the passage is open
between the two sides of the piston, so as to equalize the steam on both sides,
thus working expansively. When the cylinders are double-acting I place
guides on the outside of the cylinder in such form as may be necessary to
guide a frame to which the piston and connecting rods are connected. I
construct the slide to work by a rotary or other motion, as may be required,
the same being fitted to a round slide case, one end of which is bored to
receive a piston connected to the slide in such way as to take the pressure off
the back of the slide. In steam engines where surface condensers are used,
I form the condensers of a series of flat chambers, through the centre of
which passes a pipe with small holes made in each chamber, the chambers
being held together by bolts passing through collars, leaving sufficient space
to allow the condensed water to return, the steam first passing through the
casing of the engine, the lowest part of which is made to form a chamber to
receive the first steam and injection water, so that it may be returned to the
boiler hot. The water from the air pump is passed through a rotary refri-
gerator, which at the same time gives motion to the water acting on the
condenser. In engines for cranes I use three cylinders, which for light work
may be connected to the barrel direct, and may be worked by steam, water,
or other fluid. When water is used I make the cylinder with a diaphragm
in the centre or otherwise; the cylinder in which the piston works is filled
with oil, or some other lubricating fluid, the diaphragm dividing the same
from the water. In governors for engines, I make a rotary piston acting on
a plunger, diaphragm, or piston by means of a fluid, and I regulate the speed
of the delivery of the fluid by a screw valve or cock.

page_text: SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent, filed
by the said John Knowelden in the Great Seal Patent Office on the
9th October 1862.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, JOHN
KNOWELDEN, of Southwark, in the County of Surrey, Engineer, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her Letters
Patent, bearing date the Ninth day of April, in the year of our Lord One
thousand eight hundred and sixty-two, in the twenty-fifth year of Her
reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant unto me, the
said John Knowelden, Her special licence that I, the said John Knowelden,
my executors, administrators, and assigns, or such others as I, the said
John Knowelden, my executors, administrators, 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
STEAM, WATER, AND OTHER FLUID ENGINES," upon the condition (amongst
others) that I, the said John Knowelden, my 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 I, the said John Knoweiden, do hereby declare
the nature of my said Invention, and in what manner the same is to be per-
formed, to be particularly described and ascertained in and by the following
statement thereof, reference being had to the Drawings hereunto annexed,
that is to say:-
I construct the frame and fix the cylinders of engines worked by steam,
water, or other fluids, as follows:-
For condensing engines I form the frame hollow, so as to form the con-
denser, and, if convenient, round. I fix to this frame one or more cylinders,
but in all cases I prefer an uneven number. I make a division, so as to form
it into two separate chambers, into one of which the water to supply the boiler
is admitted, which meeting the first discharge of the steam from the exhaust
pipe causes partial condensation thereof, while at the same time the water
becomes heated; that portion of the steam remaining uncondensed passes into
the second chamber, when again meeting with a further supply of cold water

page_text: the condensation is completed. The general construction of this engine is
shewn in Figure 1. a, a, a, are the cylinders, b, b, b, truuks, c, c, c, con-
necting rods, d is the air-pump rod, e is the air pump, fis the air-pump piston,
9, 9, are the air-pump valves, h, h, hot well, i, i, i, are the condensers, j, j, j
exhaust pipes, is the crank shaft, is the partition in hollow frame, m, m, are
guides for air-pump piston. Figure 2 is a section through the line a, a, of
Figure 1; n, n, are the steam ports, o is the exhaust, p is the slide, and q the
steam chest. Figure 3 is a plan; a is the cylinder, i the condenser, q, q,
steam chest. Figure 4 is a sectional elevation, showing a piston trunk and
slide; the piston carries a trunk as much less in diameter as will leave the
area of the piston on one side as much less than the other as will give the
desired amount of expansion, the steam being first admitted on the trunk side,
and then expanded on the other. If a trunk is not used the same object may
be obtained by working a cylinder of two different areas.
The slides repre-
sented at Figures 2 and 4 are worked by an excentric, or otherwise, in the
ordinary manner. The steam is first admitted into the steam port e¹ to the
upper part of the cylinder, the piston makes a stroke to the bottom of
the cylinder, the lower part of the cylinder and piston being open to the con-
denser, the slide then moves to the position shewn in the Drawing, the steam
returns through the port e, passing through the inner part of the slide to the
port f¹ and to the lower part of the cylinder, where the steam by expansion
acting on the larger side of the piston makes the return stroke; the arrow
shews the direction in which the piston is moving. If more than one cylinder
cylinders are placed round
is used these may be worked by one slide, if the
the crank shaft, the steam ports being placed in a circle round the face and
divided into as many ports as are required for the number of cylinders to be
used, the slide being so constructed as to work eccentric to the ports, as
shewn. The action of this slide having a rotary motion is as follows:-The
ports of each sort being placed at equal distance from the centre, and the
slide being round is fitted to a crank having the desired throw, and by giving
the crank a rotary motion rotary and eccentric motions are imparted to the
slide, thus opening the steam and exhaust ports at the times required.
Figure 5 shews the slide in face and edge views. A, A, A, are the top steam
ports, C, C, C, are the bottom steam ports, B, B, B, are exhaust ports,
E, E, is the exhaust of slide, D is the slide, F' is the shaft for working the
slide, G is the crank pin for working slide, and H is the face for the slide to
work on.
For agricultural and other portable engines I construct the casing
of the boiler of sufficient length to form the frame, in which I fix any number
of cylinders, but of these, by preference, three. In locomotive and traction

page_text: engines I fix the cylinders to a round framework, which may be connected to,
or which may form the wheels. I make the crank shaft of the engine hollow,
to form the steam and exhaust pipes, and I fix the crank shaft to the springs
or frame of the boiler or carriage, or the cylinders may remain stationary.
Secondly, I construct cylinders and pistons as follows:-If for open cylinders
or trunk engines the piston is bored to form the joint of the connecting rod,
and is fitted with a cap or gland, and bored spherical, so as to allow the piston
free action. I also construct the cylinder covers and bottoms with a chamber,
between which and the cylinder I fix a diaphragm of any suitable material,
and a frame or grating to prevent the same being forced in the cylinder. I
establish a connection between the chamber and the supply pipe, to equalize
the pressure in the cylinder, thus leaving the diaphragm at liberty to move by
priming or other causes. In steam engines, where surface condensers are
used, I form the condensers of a series of flat chambers, through the centre of
which passes a pipe with small holes made in each chamber; the chambers
are held together by bolts passing through collars, leaving sufficient space to
allow the condensed water to return, the steam first passing through the casing
of the engine, the lowest part of which is made to form a chamber to receive
the first steam and injection water, so that it may be returned to the boiler
hot. The water from the air pump is passed through a rotary refrigerator,
which at the same time gives motion to the water acting on the condenser.
Figure 6 is an elevation, partly in section, of a condenser constructed according
to my Invention. A, A, is the exhaust pipe from steam cylinder through the
condenser; B, B, B, B, are the return pipes for the water formed by the con-
densed steam; C the perforated pipe communicating with the air pump;
E, E, E, are bolts passing through the pipe to hold the plates forming the
condenser together; F, F, F, F, are the plates or cells through which the steam
passes from the exhaust pipe. Figure 7 is a view of a single cell or plate.
The action of the condenser is as follows:-The outside of the cells being kept
in contact with cold water, the steam passing through the exhaust pipe,
which passes through the cells F, F, and in connection with all of these, comes
in contact with the cold surface of the cells, and is thereby condensed; the
water formed by the condensed steam and delivered in the chamber o is drawn
therefrom by the air pump. In engines for cranes I use three cylinders, which
for light work may be connected to the barrel direct, and may be worked by
steam, water, or other fluid. When water is used I make the cylinder with a
diaphragm in the centre, or otherwise, the cylinder in which the piston works
is filled with oil, or some other lubricating fluid, the diaphragm dividing the
same from the water. In governors for engines I make a rotary piston acting

page_text: on a plunger, diaphragm, or piston by means of a fluid, and I regulate the
speed of the delivery of the fluid by a screw valve or cock.
And having now described the nature of my said Invention, and in what
manner the same is to be performed, I declare that I claim,-
First, making the framework of steam and other similar fluid engines
hollow, so as to form a condenser, as herein-before described with reference to
Figure 1 of the accompanying Drawings.
Second, the general arrangement of steam, water, and other fluid engines
represented at Figure 1 of the accompanying Drawings.
Third, the construction of steam and other elastic fluid engines with the
ports and slides so arranged, and acting as to cause the steam or other fluid to
act upon both sides of the piston, as herein-before described with reference to
Figures 2 and 4 of the accompanying Drawings.
Fourth, the construction of slides acting in manner herein-before described
with reference to Figures 3 and 4 of the accompanying Drawings.
And, last, the construction of surface condensers herein-before described and
represented at Figures 6 and 7 of the accompanying Drawings.
In witness whereof, I, the said John Knowelden, have hereunto set my
hand and seal this Ninth day of October, One thousand eight hundred
and sixty-two.
JOHN KNOWELDEN. (L.S.)