Improve- MENTS IN MARINE AND STATIONARY ENGINES
Year: 1871

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Loftus Perkins, of Seaford Street, Gray's Inn
Road, in the County of Middlesex, for the Invention of "Improve-
MENTS IN MARINE AND STATIONARY ENGINES."
Sealed the 12th March 1872, and dated the 21st October 1871.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Loftus Perkins at the
Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on the
21st October 1871.
I, LOFTUS PERKINS, of Seaford Street, Gray's Inn Road, in the County
3 of Middlesex, do hereby declare the nature of the said Invention for
"IMPROVEMENTS IN MARINE AND STATIONARY ENGINES," to be as follows :—
This Invention has for its object improvements in marine and
stationary engines.
According to this Invention each engine has two or more cylinders
O placed one above the other and belongs to the class of engine known as
compound. The small or high-pressure cylinder is fastened securely to
the top of the large or low-pressure cylinder. The small cylinder has a

page_text: flange at one end for that purpose, which also forms the cover to the top
end of the large cylinder. In the centre of the large cylinder a trunk is
made the entire depth of it, the top end having a set of piston rings, the
diameter being less than that of the small cylinder. All the cylinders
are lined with cast iron, or other suitable metal. The outer casing of
the cylinders is steam jacketed by coils of wrought-iron pipe cast in
them, through which steam is passed. The pistons for the high and low
pressure cylinder are made in one piece, and work over the trunk in the
centre of the large cylinder, the interior of the pistons forming another
high-pressure cylinder. The down stroke of the engine is made by the
high-pressure steam acting on the small piston, and the exhaust steam
from the interior cylinder upon the annular space round the outside of
the high-pressure piston, and the up stroke by the high-pressure steam
upon the centre trunk in the interior cylinder, and the exhaust steam
from the small cylinder upon the annular space round the outside of the
trunk. The piston rods are secured to the body of the low-pressure
piston, and pass through the annular space round the trunk and through
stuffing boxes in the bottom cover. By this arrangement the high-
pressure steam never comes in contact with the packing round the rods
until it has been considerably reduced in pressure. All the stuffing
boxes of valve rods and other parts have long nozzles to protect the
packing from heat. The steam is distributed from one cylinder to
another by equilibrium piston valves, and worked by eccentrics and link
motion in the ordinary manner. All the steam pipes are made of
wrought iron and flanged together, the joint being made by rings of
copper of small section recessed into the face of one of the flanges and
pressed by a nipple projecting from the other. All covers to valve
boxes and other parts are similarly constructed. Ports are made in the
cylinders in such a manner that the steam is admitted to the engine
from the low-pressure cylinder into the high. The advantage of this
arrangement is that no pipes are disturbed in taking the high-pressure.
cylinders off, or the pistons out for repairs or examination.
The boiler I construct in a similar manner to that described in the
Provisional
Specification
Jadoodl
T
100

page_text: pipes are arranged in rows in the most convenient manner and placed in
a wrought-iron casing, one end of the casing being bolted to the tube
plate containing the large pipes. Up the centre of each of the large pipes
a smaller one is inserted. These pipes are open at both ends; one end is
secured into a wrought-iron tube plate; this plate is placed at a short
distance from the plate containing the large pipes. A casting with an
outlet pipe is placed between the two tube plates, and another with an
inlet pipe is placed below the tube plate and forms a chamber into
which the cold water to be circulated through the condenser is admitted.
From this chamber the water passes up the smaller tubes to nearly the
top of the large and down the outside of the small into the space
between the tube plates, from there through the outlet pipe into the
circulating pump. From the bottom of the casing of the large pipes the.
condensed water is run into a hot well. A valve is placed on the top of
the condenser loaded to a few pounds above the atmosphere.
All the water put into the boiler to supply the loss by leakage is
distilled, and is effected in the following manner :-A thin wrought-iron
casing is made having a coil of wrought-iron pipe in it, from the top of
the casing a pipe leads into the condenser, one end of the wrought-iron
coil is in communication with the boiler and the other with the
condenser, a suitable screw cock is placed to regulate the flow of steam
through it. The water to be distilled is run into the casing surrounding
the coil, high-pressure steam is then passed through the coil which boils
it off and passes it in the form of steam into the condenser, leaving all
the sediment it contained in the bottom of the casing.
One peculiarity of this system is that in marine engines no salt water
is used or the produce of salt water, but all waste is made good by
distilling fresh water. The quantity required is so small that it can be
carried easily by vessels going long voyages and is less in weight than
the coal saved by this system. By this means also the inside surfaces
of the boiler tubes are kept perfectly clean and free from deposit, and
consequently the evaporative power of the boiler never diminishes or
suffers from corrosion, distilled fresh water being perfectly innocuous.

page_text: SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent,
filed by the said Loftus Perkins in the Great Seal Patent Office
on the 20th April 1872.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, LOFTUS
PERKINS, of Seaford Street, Gray's Inn Road, in the County of
Middlesex, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her
Letters Patent, bearing date the Twenty-first day of October, in the year
of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and seventy-one, in the thirty-
.fifth year of Her reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors,
give and grant unto me, the said Loſtus Perkins, Her special license
that I, the said Loftus Perkins, my executors, administrators, and
assigns, or such others as I, the said Loftus Perkins, 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
MARINE AND STATIONARY ENGINES," upon the condition (amongst others)
that I, the said Loftus Perkins, 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 Loftus Perkins, 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, that is to say:-
This Invention has for its object improvements in marine and stationary
engines.
According to this Invention each engine has two or more cylinders
placed one above the other, and belongs to the class of engine known as
compound. The small or high pressure cylinder is fastened securely to
the top of the large or low-pressure cylinder. The small cylinder has a

page_text: flange at one end for that purpose, which also forms the cover to the top
end of the large cylinder. In the centre of the large cylinder a trunk
is made the entire depth of it, the top end having a set of piston rings,
the diameter being less than that of the small cylinder. All the
cylinders are lined with cast iron or other suitable metal. The outer
casing of the cylinders is steam jacketed by coils of wrought-iron pipe
cast in them, through which steam is passed. The pistons for the high
and low pressure cylinders are made in one piece, and work over the
trunk in the centre of the large cylinder, thic interior of the pistons
forming another high-pressure cylinder. The down stroke of the engine
is made by the high-pressure steam acting on the small piston, and the
exhaust steam from the interior cylinder upon the annular space round
the outside of the high-pressure piston, and the upstroke by the high
pressure steam upon the centre trunk in the interior cylinder, and the
exhaust steam from the small cylinder upon the annular space round
the outside of the trunk. The piston rods are secured to the body of
the low-pressure piston, and pass through the annular space round the
trunk and through stuffing boxes in the bottom cover. By this arrange-
ment the high-pressure steam never comes in contact with the packing
round the rods until it has been considerably reduced in pressure. All
the stuffing boxes of valve rods and other parts have long nozzles to
protect the packing from heat. The steam is distributed from one
cylinder to another by equilibrium piston valves, and worked by
eccentrics and link motion in the ordinary manner. All the steam pipes
are made of wrought iron and flanged together, the joint being made
by rings of copper of small section recessed into the face of one of the
flanges and pressed by a nipple projecting from the other. All covers
to valve boxes and other parts are similarly constructed. Ports are made
in the cylinders in such a manner that the steam is admitted to the
engine from the low-pressure cylinder into the high. The advantage of
this arrangement is that no pipes are disturbed in taking the high-
pressure cylinders off, or the pistons out for repairs or examination.
In place of allowing the exhaust steam from the larger or low
pressure cylinder to pass directly to the condenser, it may be again
expanded in another cylinder before passing to the condenser. Such an
arrangement is shewn in the Drawings hereunto annexed at Figures 1
and 2, which are vertical sections of the engine taken in opposite

page_text: From the Drawings of this engine it will also be clearly seen how if
the second expansion cylinder were omitted the engine might be
worked in the manner herein-before described.
In the Drawings, Figures 1 and 2, a is the small cylinder at the top of
the large cylinder; b, c, is a narrow ring of copper compressed between
the flange a' of the cylinder a and the top of the cylinder to form a
secure packing between them; c* are coils of pipe cast into the metal
of the cylinders a and b, through which steam is passed to form a steam
jacketing to the cylinders; b' is a trunk projecting up from the centre
of the bottom of the cylinder and carrying packing rings * at its
upper end; d, d, are the pistons for the large and small cylinders; these
pistons are in one piece as shewn, and the piston d' is hollow and works
over the trunk b'. c, e, are the piston rods passing out through stuffing
boxes carried by the bottom of the cylinder b; f is a cross head to
which the piston rods are connected; g is a connecting rod passing from
the cross head to a crank on the main shaft h; k is an equilibrium piston
valve for controlling the passage of steam to and from the cylinders.
Other constructions of valve might however be employed in place of a
piston valve, if desired. Z is a cut-off valve; the link motion and
gearing for working these valves from eccentrics on the main shaft, arc
not shewn in the Drawings as they may be of any ordinary construction.
The downstroke of the engine is made by high-pressure steam admitted
to the top of the small cylinder a, and by the exhaust steam from the
interior of the piston d' expanding into the annular space around it. The
upstroke is made by admitting steam to the interior of the piston d'
through the trunk b', and by the exhaust steam from the small cylinder
expanding into the lower part of the cylinder a. The steam after being
expanded in the cylinder b, passes to the chamber m, see Figure 1, and
from there to the valvo chest of the second expansion cylindern; nare
piston rods passing from the piston, which works in this cylinder to a
cross head o from which a connecting rod passes to a crank on the main-
shaft; the plunger 7 of the feed pump is also worked as shown by
another piston rod n² from the piston of the second expansion cylinder.
The air pumps, circulating, feed, and other pumps are worked from the
piston rods n' in the usual manner; r is the tubular surface condenser
to which the steam passes from the expansion cylinder.
It will be seen from the Drawings that the several parts of the engine

page_text: required. It will also be seen that all the joints between the cylinders
and their covers, and the other joints which require packing are made
tight by the compressing of a narrow ring of copper, or such like com-
paratively soft metal between the two surfaces, between which the joint
is to be made; all the joints in the steam pipes and in the boiler and
condenser are also secured by metallic joints, so that if the engine be a
marine engine all access of salt water to the boiler, engine, or condenser
is perfectly excluded, and loss of water is reduced to a minimum. By
this means I am enabled to work the engine with pure fresh water, and
to exclude all salt water or impure water from the boiler and engines.
Any loss of water is to be replaced by pure fresh water; the quantity
required for this purpose is so small that it can be carried casily by
vessels going long voyages, and is less in weight than the coal saved by
this system, as the inside surface of the boiler tubes are kept perfectly.
clean and free from deposit, and consequently the evaporative power of
the boiler never diminishes or suffers from corrosion, pure fresh water
being perfectly innocuous, whereas even if distilled salt water were used,
the iron of the boiler and other parts would quickly be eaten away.
The manner in which I prefer to construct boilers for marine and
stationary engines is shewn at Figures 3 and 4 of the Drawings.
The general construction of the boiler is similar to that described
in the Specification of a Patent granted to me on the Twelfth day
of July One thousand cight hundred and seventy-one, No. 1822.
The boiler is composed of several tiers or rows of horizontal wrought-
iron tubes a, cach tube having solid ends welded into it. The tubes a
of each row are connected to the tubes above and below them by short
vertical tubes b. These vertical tubes are screwed at each end, one
with a right and the other with a left-hand thread. This allows of the
vertical pipes being screwed simultaneously into two layers of horizontal
tubes. After the vertical pipes have been screwed in as tightly as
possible they are secured in their places by caulking. The fire-box is
formed of wrought-iron tubes bent into the desired form to make the sides
of the box and connected to each other, and the horizontal rows of pipe a
above them by short vertical pipes b, as shown; d, d, are the fire-bars,
and e the ash-pit. The whole assemblage of tubes is enclosed in a double
casing c, packed with a non-conducting material such as vegetable black.
Some of the rows of tubes a are longer than the others and are brought
up to the front or the back of the casing, as shewn, so as to cause the
licated gases from the furnace to pass in a zig-zag course to the chimney f.

page_text: Various constructions of surface condenser may be employed so long
as the joints for connecting its several parts are packed with metallic
packing. I prefer to construct the condenser of a number of large
wrought-iron pipes. Each of these pipes has one solid end. The open
ends are screwed into a wrought-iron plate, and secured in their places by
caulking. These pipes are arranged in rows in the most convenient
manner, and placed in a wrought-iron casing, one end of the casing being
bolted to the tube plate containing the large pipes. Up the centre of
each of the large pipes a smaller one is inserted. These pipes are open
at both ends; one end is secured into a wrought-iron tube plate. This
plate is placed at a short distance from the plate containing the large
pipes. A casting with an outlet pipe is placed between the two tube
plates, and another with an inlet pipe is placed below the tube plate,
and forms a chamber into which the cold water to be circulated through
the condenser is admitted. From this chamber the water passes up the
smaller tubes to nearly the top of the large, and down the outside of the
small into the space between the tube plates, from these through the
outlet, pipe into the circulating pump. From the bottom of the casing
of the large pipes the condensed water is run into a hot well. A valve is
placed on the top of the condenser loaded to a few pounds above the
atmosphere.
All the water put into the boiler to supply the loss by leakage should
be distilled as before stated, and this may be effected in the following
manner:- -A thin wrought-iron casing is made having a coil of wrought
iron pipe in it; from the top of the casing a pipe leads into the condenser.
One end of the wrought-iron coil is in communication with the boiler
and the other with the condenser. A suitable screw cock is placed to
regulate the flow of steam through it. The water to be distilled is run
into the casing surrounding the coil; high-pressure steam is then passed.
through the coil, which boils it off, and passes it in the form of steam
into the condenser, leaving all the sediment it contained in the bottom of
the casing.
Having thus described the nature of my Invention, and the manner of
performing the same, I would have it understood that what I claim as
ww immmments in marine and stationary engines is.

page_text: 2. The construction of marine and stationary engines with the joints
of the several parts of the boiler, engine, and condenser, packed with a
metallic packing as herein described, whereby I am enabled to exclude
all access of salt or impure water to the interior of the machine, and to
work with pure fresh water, and so maintain the inner metal surfaces
always in a clean state, and free from corrosion.
In witness whereof, I, the said Loftus Perkins, have hercunto set
my hand and seal, this Twentieth day of April, in the year of
our Lord One thousand eight hundred and seventy-two.
LOFTUS PERKINS.
(L.S.)