Improvements in Compound Steam Engines.
Year: 1892

page_text: Date of Application, 21st June, 1892-Accepted, 6th Aug., 1892
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
[Communicated from abroad by JAMES N. GAMBLE, of Daytona, Volusia County,
Florida, United States of America, Manufacturer.]
Improvements in Compound Steam Engines.
I, HENRY HARRIS LAKE of the firm of Haseltine, Lake & Co., Patent
Agents, 45 Southampton Buildings in the County of Middlesex, 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 the construction and operation of compound engines and
has for its object to simplify at once the construction and operation of such engines.
The nature of my improvement will be best understood as described in connection
with the drawings in which they are illustrated and in which,
Figure 1 is a front elevation of my improved device adapted for use in connection
with a locomotive.
Figure 2 is a side elevation showing the front end of the locomotive on a central
longitudinal section so as to exhibit the receiver interposed between the high and
low pressure cylinders.
Figure 3 is a plan view of the casting embodying the two cylinders, valve
chamber, &c.
Figure 4 is a cross-sectional view taken on the line y y of Figure 1, the valves
being shown in their central position so as to exhibit the amount of lead given to
them; and
Figures 5, 6 and 7 are views of the valves and valve-chambers taken on the same
sectional plane as in Figure 4 but exhibiting the valves in various positions.
A indicates the locomotive boiler; A¹ is the steam-supply pipe leading from the
boiler to the engine cylinder; A² the shell surrounding the smoke-box at the front
end of the boiler; B is the smoke-box proper into which open the tubes of the
boiler and from which leads the smoke-stack of the engine; C is a corrugated
cylinder the inside of which forms the smoke-box B and between which and the
shell A is formed the annular chamber D D'; the two portions of this chamber
being separated by a partition C₁ extending nearly to the top of the annular
chamber but between which and the ring C2 at the bottom of the smoke-stack a
passage is formed leading from the chamber D to the chamber D'; E and E' are
respectively the high and low pressure cylinders constituting the compound engine
and which as shown are set in line with each other or tanden:-the pistons in each
cylinder being secured to the same piston-rod as shown in Figure 4. F is a piston
valve chamber or rather two chambers indicated by the letters F1 and F2 formed
in the same casting as the cylinders E and E', the two chambers being divided by
the cylindrical portion 15-the one marked F¹ pertaining to the high-pressure
cylinder, and the one marked F2 to the low-pressure cylinder; but both in my
preferred construction forming essentially a single cylinder chamber together with
the interposed cylindrical portion 15. The chamber F is provided with the steam-
admission or entrance port 1 connecting the chamber with a passage M formed in
the casting and which passage is connected at M' with the steam pipe A¹. On
each side of the passage or port 1, chamber F' has steam-ports 2 and 3 connecting
respectively with the passages 8 and 9 leading to the ends of the low-pressure
cylinder; and outside of the two passages 2 and 3 are the exhaust passages 4 and 5
also connecting with the passages 8 and 9 as shown. Outside of the ports 4 and 5
are what I may call the supplemental exhaust ports 6 and 7 both leading into the
chamber or passage N which connects at N' with the receiver D D' and in effect
forms a part of the said receiver.

page_text: The chamber F2 has a steam-admission or entrance port 10 in its centre connected
with a passage O leading from the receiver D D' and the side D¹. On each side
of port 10 lie the admission ports 11 and 12 leading respectively to the two
ends of the low-pressure cylinder, and outside of the ports 11 and 12 are the
ports 13 and 14 leading into the exhaust passage P which, at P¹, enters the smoke-
box B through the blast pipe P' situated beneath and in line with the smoke-stack
of the engine.
In the chambers F¹ is a spool-admission valve G G¹ secured to a spindle H and
on each side of said valve are other valves J and J' secured to a sleeve spindle I
which surrounds the spindle H; and I prefer that the said valves should be thus
independently secured to independent spindles because by this construction a
variation in the cut-off of the high-pressure can be effected without changing the
motion of the valves J and J' which regulate the exhaust. In Figures 5 and 6
the valves are shown in the respective positions they occupy in admitting steam to
the left and right-hand ends of the high-pressure cylinder; and in Figure 7 I have
shown the central admission valve G G as having cut-off the admission of steam
to the right-hand end of the high-pressure cylinder at a point in advance of
that where the cut-off would occur where all the valves move together as shown in
Figures 5 and 6.
To the extent above described and with the exception of its connection with a
receiver the valve chamber F and the valves working in it are also described in
another application for Letters Patent which I am about to file and the novel
features of the said arrangement are not claimed in this application because they
are covered by claims made in my other case.
Referring now to the valve chamber F, L L' is a spool-admission valve by which
the port 10 is connected alternately with the ports 11 and 12 and reciprocally the
ports 11 and 12 connected with the exhaust passages 13 and 14. The steam
entering valve chamber F through port 10 is the exhaust steam from the high-
pressure cylinder, being drawn from the receiver already described into which the
said exhaust opens; and the valve L L' is connected with the valves J J¹ so as to
move with them because the admission to the low pressure cylinder should take
place simultaneously with the exhaust from the high pressure cylinder and in the
same direction that the high-pressure steam is admitted to the high-pressure
cylinder. Preferably the valve L L is secured to the same valve spindle I as the
valve J J and although of course a fixed partition could be set up between the
chambers F and F I prefer to use what I may call a partition valve K also
attached to the sleeve spindle I and moving in the cylindrical portion 15 which
separates the chambers F1 and F2; the length of the cylinder 15 being such as to
permit the full travel of valve K without making any opening between the two
chambers or between the ports 7 and 13.
The receiver of the engine may be said to consist of the passage N, the annular
chamber or chambers D D', and the passage O. I am aware that it is not new
with me to so arrange the receiver that it shall receive heat from the gases issuing
into the smoke-box I believe the construction I have shown and described and by
which the annular connected chamber D D¹ surround the smoke-box is new and au
improvement the steam enters the bottom of chamber D-passes up around
cylinder C to the top of partition C¹ over which it passes to top of chamber D¹ in
which it passes down around cylinder C to the admission port of the low pressure
cylinder. Of course the fact that by my arrangement of the cylinders, valve
chambers and ports they can all be formed in a single casting and cheaply and
readily prepared for service will be apparent and is the construction which I have
illustrated.
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 :-
-

page_text: valve chambers F' having a steam-admission port 1 delivery ports 2 and 3 leading
to the high pressure cylinder and exhaust ports 4 and 5 connected with the delivery
ports as described; valves G G and J J operating in valve-chamber F1 as
described; a receiver connected with the exhaust of the high-pressure cylinder; a
piston-valve chamber F2 having a steam admission port 10 connected with the
receiver and ports 11 and 12 leading to the ends of the low-pressure cylinder ;.
and a valve L L working in said chamber F", substantially as and for the purpose.
specified.
Second: In combination with the two cylinders of a compound engine, the
piston-valve chambers F' having a steam-admission port 1, delivery ports 2 and 3.
leading to the high-pressure cylinder and exhaust ports 4 and 5 connected with the
delivery ports as described; valves G G¹ and J J operating in valve chamber F1
as described; a receiver connected with the exhaust of the high-pressure cylinder ;
a piston valve chamber F in line with chamber F1 having a steam-admission
port 10 connected with the receiver and ports 11 and 12 leading to the ends of
the low-pressure cylinder; and a valve L L' working in said chamber F2 and
attached to the same valve spindle as valves J J', substantially as and for the
purpose specified.
Third In combination with the two cylinders of a compound engine, the
piston-valve chambers F¹ having a steam-admission port 1, delivery ports 2 and 3.
leading to the high pressure cylinder, and exhaust ports 4 and 5 connected with
the delivery ports as described; valves G G₁ and J J¹ operating in valve-
chamber F as described; a receiver connected with the exhaust of the high.
pressure cylinder; a piston-valve chamber F2 forming a continuation of chamber F1
and separated therefrom by a cylindrical connection 15, said chamber having a
steam-admission port 10 connected with the receiver and ports 11 and 12 leading to
the ends of the low pressure cylinder; a valve L L' working in said chamber F2
and attached to the same valve spindle as valves J J' and a partition valve K also
attached to the same spindle and working in cylinder 15, all substantially as and for
the purpose specified.
Fourth In combination with the two cylinders of a compound engine arranged
in line or tandem, the continuous piston valve chambers F comprising portions F¹ F⁹
separated by a plain cylindrical portion 15; a steam-admission port 1 in the centre of
portion F¹ delivery ports 2-3, one on each side of port 1; exhaust ports 4-5 lying.
outside of ports 2-3 and connected like said ports with ports 8 and 9 leading to each
end of the high-pressure cylinder; exhaust ports 6-7 lying outside of ports 5-6 and
connecting with a receiver; a steam-admission port 10 midway of chamber F
and connected with the receiver; ports 11 and 12 on each side of said port 10 and
leading to the respective ends of the low-pressure cylinder; exhaust ports 13 and 14
lying outside ports 11 and 12; an independently-actuated admission valve G G¹ in
chamber F1; valves J J situated on each side of said admission-valve;
valves L L in chamber F2 and a partition valve K working in cylinder 15 said
valves G G L L' and K working together as described, all substantially as and for
the purpose specified.
Fifth In a locomotive engine having compound cylinders, a receiver con-
sisting of the outer shell A2 of the locomotive and an inner corrugated cylinder C
forming the smoke-box and divided by a partition C' as and for the purpose
specified.
HASELTINE, LAKE & Co.,
45, Southampton Buildings, London, Agents for the Applicant.