IMPROVE- MENTS IN OBTAINING MOTIVE POWER
Year: 1851

page_text: TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, JAMES
FREDERICK LACKERSTEEN, of Kensington Square, in the County of Middlesex,
Gentleman, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her present most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her
Royal Letters Patent under the Great Seal of Great Britain and Ireland,
bearing date at Westminster, the Ninth day of October, (One thousand eight
hundred and fifty-one,) in the fifteenth year of Her reign, did, for Herself,
Her heirs and successors, give and grant unto me, the said James Frederick
Lackersteen, my exors, adññors, and assigns, Her especial license, full power,
sole privilege and authority, that I, the said James Frederick Lackersteen, my
exors, admors, and assigns, or such others as I, the said James Frederick
Lackersteen, my exors, admors, or assigns, should at any time agree with,
and no others, from time to time and at all times during the term of years
therein expressed, should and lawfully might make, use, exercise, and vend,
within England, Wales, and the Town of Berwick-upon-Tweed, and in the
Islands of Jersey, Guernsey, Alderney, Sark, and Man, and also in all Her
said Majesty's Colonies and Plantations abroad, my Invention of "IMPROVE-
MENTS IN OBTAINING MOTIVE POWER;" in which said Letters Patent is con-
tained a proviso, that I, the said James Frederick Lackersteen, shall cause
a particular description of the nature of my said Invention, and in what manner
the same is to be performed, by an instrument in writing under my hand and
seal, to be inrolled in Her said Majesty's High Court of Chancery within
six calendar months next and immediately after the date of the said in part
recited Letters Patent, as in and by the same, reference being thereunto had,
will more fully and at large appear.
NOW KNOW YE, that in compliance with the said proviso, I, the said
James Frederick Lackersteen, do hereby declare that the nature of my said

page_text: Invention, and the manner in which the same is to be performed, are fully
described and ascertained in and by the following statement thereof, reference
being had to the Drawings hereunto annexed, and to the figures and letters
marked thereon, that is to say:-
My Invention consists in the construction and application of machinery and
apparatus whereby carbonic acid gas, which is obtained by means of suitable
chemical matters, is employed as a motive power.
And in order that my Invention may be fully understood and readily carried
out, I will proceed to describe the means adopted by me.
A, in Figure 1, is what I call the generator, which consists of a strong
vessel of sufficient strength, and of suitable shape, to resist a great pressure, into
which the chemical matters for evolving the carbonic acid gas are introduced.
B is what I call the purifier, partially filled with water, into which the car-
bonic acid gas passes from the generator A through the pipe G, which dips in
the water nearly to the bottom of the vessel B, to cause the gas to be purified
by passing up through the water. C is an expander into which the gas from
the purifier B is introduced by means of the pump I (the peculiar construction
of which is described hereafter), through the pipes N and J, previous to its
passing through the pipe K into the cylinder L, where the action of the gas on
the piston is the same as in the ordinary steam engine. W,X, are two vessels
to contain the chemical materials to evolve the gas. D and E are the pumps
which work simultaneously for forcing the chemical materials into the gene-
rator A by means of the two discharge pipes which are coupled together by the
double pipe F inside the generator, for the purpose of more effectually com-
bining the materials together in their passage into the generator. O is a vessel
called a percolator, placed in the generator under the double pipe F, and filled
with small pieces of glass or other substances for the purpose of presenting an
extended surface for the more effectual mixing of the chemical materials in
their passage through the percolator when used in solution. R is a float or
hollow globe placed in the generator, to act as a self-acting valve to discharge
the residuary liquid through the pipe S, when it collects to a certain height
in the generator, after it has passed through the percolator, and has consequently
parted with all its gas. Q, Q, is a guide for keeping the float valve in its
position, and preventing its rising too high, so as to displace the valve. To
prevent the float from being crushed from an excessive pressure of the gas,
provision is made to admit the gas inside by a small opening at the top of the
rod which passes through the float, to equalize the pressure both inside and out-
side. P is a shield suspended from the bottom of the percolator, to prevent the
liquid from the percolator from interfering with the proper action of the float.

page_text: For the purpose of better illustrating my method of using carbonic acid
gas as a motive power, I shall for example suppose the chemical materials
to be sulphuric acid and carbonate of soda, as being cheap and readily
obtained, but I do not confine myself to these materials.
To prevent any
injurious effect on the pump which conveys the acid into the generator, I
protect those parts of the pump which come in contact with the acid with
platinum or gold, or form them of those materials alone.
I also protect
the interior of the generator by a lining of lead, and I also adopt the same
precaution to protect all the interior apparatus of the generator, as well as
the cistern for the acid which supplies the pump, the discharge pipe, and the
double pipe F. The valve seat and valve of the float should be made of
platinum or gold, or lined with either of those materials.
Now, it will be observed that as the carbonic acid is generated in the gene-
rator it passes into the purifier through the pipe G, and deposits that portion
of the sulphate of soda which it carries along with it. The gas in its purified
state is now forced by means of the pump I into the expander, where it is
expanded by heat, and consequently its pressure increased. The gas in the
expander may be heated either by direct application of heat, or by means of
the jacket a, a, with hot air, hot water, or steam. I also adopt the heating
and expanding of the gas in the expander by a current of electricity conveyed
into the interior of the expander, as shown by the red lines in the Drawing.
The gas in its heated and expanded state passes through the valve V into the
pipe K, which conveys it to the cylinder of the engine. The gas after acting
on the piston escapes in the usual way through the eduction pipe M into the
cistern N, which contains a solution of carbonate of soda, which having a
great affinity for carbonic acid readily absorbs and forms a bicarbonate,
which is again used to supply the cistern W. The gas not absorbed by
the solution in the cistern N escapes through the pipe Z. The pump I
propose for forcing the gas from the purifier into the expander, and which
I call a double-plunger pump, the construction of which is shown by a
section and elevation in Figure 2, another section of which is also repre-
sented at I, Figure 1. The mode of working this pump is represented in
Figure 2 by a shaft D and cranks F, F, F, F, which are connected by means
of side rods E, E, to the cross head G, which works the top plunger B.
The lower plunger C is worked by means of a cam fixed on the same
shaft as the cranks, and of such form as to give motion to the lower plunger,
to follow the upper plunger in its up stroke till it reaches the part represented
by the dotted line at a, where it remains stationary, the top plunger continuing
to rise till it has passed the opening y of the supply pipe, and when it has

page_text: returned past the opening Y, the lower plunger C recedes, owing to the
formation of the cam, and assisted by the compression of the gas between
the plungers B and C till it comes to the position shown in the Drawing, that
is, at the opening z, but not below the opening, the top plunger continuing to
follow till the ends of the two plungers come in actual contact, so that the gas
is completely excluded from between them, and forced into the expander
through the pipe J in Figure 1. On the return upward stroke the lower
plunger rises, and keeps in close contact with the upper plunger till it is past
the opening z, and continues to rise and in contact till it comes to the dotted
line at a, as before described. This pump is also applicable for pumping and
compressing all other elastic and gaseous fluids, particularly where great
pressure is required, such as for compressed air. Not confining myself to the
particular ingredients already mentioned for evolving carbonic acid gas, I can
employ any carbonate, bicarbonate, or sesquicarbonate, which, on the addition
of an acid or salt with an acid reaction will suffer decomposition readily with
the evolution of carbonic acid. I, however, prefer such carbonates or bicar-
bonates as are cheap and abundant, and which, with the acids employed, will
produce a residuary salt of commercial value, such as carbonate or bicarbonate
of soda and of potash; but I can employ under certain circumstances carbonates
of lime, ammonia, &c.; and although I can use any organic or inorganic acid
or salt with an acid reaction for the purpose of liberating carbonic acid from
any carbonate which I may employ, yet I prefer such acids as are cheap and
abundant, or which combine with the base of the decomposed carbonate
to form salts of commercial value. Thus I use sulphuric acid, which with
soda, potash, or ammonia will form sulphates of soda, potash, and ammonia ;
nitric acid, which will form valuable nitrates; boracic acid, which with soda
forms the borax of commerce, alum, which with soda or potash forms a valuable
fertilizing salt; chromic acid, which with potash forms chromate of potash;
hydrochloric acid, which with ammonia forms sal-ammoniac. Although I
have merely enumerated the above carbonates, acids, and acid salts, as
examples, not confining myself to the use of any of them, they will serve to
show what I mean by employing such materials as will in their residual con-
dition, after evolving carbonic acid, constitute salts of commercial value. In
all cases I combine the acids with the carbonates in the atomic proportions,
and which being described in all books I need not further specify.
Having thus described the nature of my Invention, and the manner of
performing the same, I do not confine myself to the arrangements herein
mentioned, as the same may be varied, provided the peculiar character of my
Invention be retained. I have to remark that I do not claim the use of car-

page_text: bonic acid as a means of producing power, being aware that it has been applied
before; but what I claim is, -
First, the employment of certain materials when corrosive acids are used in
the construction of the pumps and other portions of the apparatus.
Second, in the use of a percolator, whereby two materials forming the gas
are more intimately mixed together by passing through a more extended
surface.
Third, I claim a self-acting float valve, whereby the residuary matter
collected at the bottom of the generator is discharged from time to time.
Fourth, I claim the purifier, whereby the carbonic acid is purified before
used in the engine, to prevent any injurious action in the engine.
Fifth, I claim the pumping of the gas into the expander, to increase its
pressure by the action of heat, previous to its being used in the engine, whereby
greater economy is obtained in the consumption of
gas.
Sixth, I claim the heating and expanding of the gas for the last-mentioned
purpose by means of electricity.
Seventh, I claim the contrivance of a double-plunger pump, as represented
in Figure 2 in the Drawing, which requiring no valve is particularly adapted
for all aeriform and gaseous fluids, which require to be compressed or condensed
under strong pressure, and consequently adapted for my purpose, the mechanical
arrangements of which I have already described.
In witness whereof, I, the said James Frederick Lackersteen, have
hercunto set my hand and seal, this Eighth day of April, in the year
of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and fifty-two