IMPROVEMENTS IN STEAMTRAPS
Year: 1879

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Carl Holste, Civil Engineer, of 21, Great St. Helens, in
the City of London, for the Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN STEAMTRAPS."
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Carl Holste at the Office
of the Commissioners of Patents on the 16th July 1879.
CARL HOLSTE, Civil Engineer, of 21, Great St. Helens, in the City of London.
"IMPROVEMENTS IN STEAMTRAPS."
My Invention consists in an improved steamtrap, working automatically, for the
continuous discharge of the water formed by condensation in steam pipes and
vessels.
The principle upon which the steamtrap has been designed is that which is
employed in the steamtrap described in the Specification of a Patent granted to
William Bünger, dated 27th October 1862, No. 2890, and in his Provisional
Specifications No. 163 and 1855 of the year 1866, and No. 609 of the year 1870,
namely, the expansion and contraction of a hermetically enclosed volume of fluid by
changes of temperature. When the collected water in the trap is hot, there is but
As the water
little water lying in the pipe, and expansion then closes the valve.
accumulates its temperature is reduced and the hermetically confined fluid is
thereby reduced in volume, that is, the hermetic case contracts and opens the valve
for the escape of the water of condensation. When the water has nearly all escaped
the temperature of the remainder, being nearer the steam, is higher, the hermetic
The action of
case is therefore again expanded and the valve is closed, and so on.
the trap hitherto constructed has been impaired by practical defects, and it is the
object of my present Invention to remove these defects.
The form of the hermetically closed chambers has been hitherto a vessel with two
opposite sides formed of corrugated plates, and the valve has been a seated valve
closing rigidly by seating at a certain point in its travel. These corrugated sides to
obtain sufficient travel had to be made of a construction too weak to long withstand
the frequent buckling of the plates, and the sometimes great pressure in the chamber
when the valve being already closed and rigidly seated, the hermetically enclosed

page_text: fluid has been further heated and there was no possibility of further extension in the
direction of the valve. To remove these defects I have constructed the chamber in
my Invention in a number of hermetically closed cells, so arranged that the
_variations-of-volume-of-the-several cells are cumulatively applied to move the valve
a distance equal to the sum of the several expansions. In this way I get over the
need-of-corrugated-plates, and I can obtain a sufficient travel by using only flat
plates of greater strength than could be employed for corrugated sides. I also make
my valve a piston valve or a ring valve, not seated, so that after closing if further
expansion succeeds, the valve can move unobstructedly_on_or_in_its cylindrical_
chamber. The valve in my arrangement is not intended to be ever absolutely
steamtight. I prefer to avail myself of the circumstance that a small leak of less
than the rate of condensation is not a disadvantage-in-a steamtrap.

page_text: SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent filed by
the said Carl Holste in the Great Seal Patent Office on the 15th January
1880.
CARL HOLSTE, of 21, Great Saint Helens, in the City of London.
MENTS IN STEAMTRAPS."
IMPROVE-
My Invention consists in an improved steamtrap working automatically for the
continuous discharge of the water formed by condensation in steampipes and vessels.
The principle upon which the steamtrap has been designed is that which is
employed in the steamtrap described in the Specification of a Patent granted to
William Bünger, dated 27th October 1862, No. 2890, and in his Provisional
Specifications No. 163 and 1855 of the year 1866, and No. 609 of the year 1870,
namely, the expansion and the contraction of a hermetically enclosed volume of fluid
by changes of temperature, the vessel enclosing this fluid carrying the outlet valve.
When the collected water in the trap is hot, there is but little water lying in the
pipe, and expansion then closes the valve. As the water accumulates, its
temperature is reduced and the hermetically confined fluid is thereby reduced in
volume, that is, the hermetic case contracts and opens the valve for the escape of
the water of condensation. When the water has nearly all escaped, the temperature
of the remainder, being nearer the steam, is higher, the hermetic case is therefore.
again expanded and the valve is closed, and so on.
The action of the traps hitherto constructed has been impaired by practical defects,
and it is the object of my present Invention to remove these defects. The form of
the hermetically closed chambers has been hitherto a vessel with two opposite sides
formed of corrugated plates, and the valve has been a seated valve closing rigidly
by seating at a certain point in its travel. These corrugated sides to obtain
sufficient travel have had to be made of a construction too weak to long withstand
the frequent buckling of the plates, and the sometimes great pressure in the
chamber when the valve being already closed and rigidly seated, the hermetically
enclosed fluid has been further heated, and there was no possibility of further
extension in the direction of the valve. To remove these defects I have constructed
the chamber in my Invention in a number of hermetically closed cells, so arranged
that the variations of volume of the several cells are cumulatively applied to move
the valve a distance equal to the sum of the several expansions. In this way I
get over the need of corrugated plates, and I can obtain a sufficient travel by using
only flat plates of greater strength than could be employed for corrugated sides.
also make my valve a slide-valve, either a piston-valve, or a ring-valve not seated,
or a flat or curved slide valve, so that after closing if further expansion succeeds, the
valve can move unobstructedly on or in its cylindrical chamber or flat or curved
surface. The cylindrical valves in my arrangement are not intended to be ever
absolutely steamtight. I prefer to avail myself of the circumstance that a small
leak of less than the rate of condensation is not a disadvantage in a steamtrap.
Fig. 1 in the annexed Drawing shows a steamtrap with a piston-valve, Fig. 2 one
with a ring-valve, and Fig. 3, one with a flat slide-valve. The same letters indicate
like parts in all the Figures.
In a cast-iron box are suspended from the cover hermetically closed vessels a, a,
to which is attached the outlet valve b. The screw d to which the vessels are
attached can be turned, the top ƒ being square, and then tightened by means of the
nut e. This serves for regulating the position of the valve b. A is the steam-inlet,
and B the outlet. The screws g are used for tightly closing the filling holes after the
cells have been filled with the fluid,

page_text: Having now set forth the nature of my Invention I wish it to be understood
that I claim,-
1. The substitution of a plurality of plain-sided cells for a corrugated cell.
2. The substitution-of-a-non-seated-or-slide-valve for the seated valve..
In-witness-whereof, I, the said Carl Holste, have hereunto set my hand and
seal, this Fifteenth day of January, in the year of our Lord One thousand
-eight-hundred and eighty.
-Witness,-
JAMES THORNE,
21, Great St. Helens..
CARL HOLSTE. (L.S.)