IMPROVEMENTS IN MARINE STEAM MACHINERY
Year: 1854

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Walter Neilson, of Glasgow, in the County of Lanark,
North Britain, Engineer, for the Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN MARINE
STEAM MACHINERY."
Sealed the 16th May 1854, and dated the 25th March 1854.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Walter Neilson at the
Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on the 25th
March 1854.
I, WALTER NEILSON, of Glasgow, in the County of Lanark, North Britain,
Engineer, do hereby declare the nature of the said Invention for "IMPROVE-
MENTS IN MARINE STEAM MACHINERY" to be as follows:-
This Invention relates more especially to steam machinery intended for long
sea voyages, and consists in the adoption of certain means whereby both the
high and low pressure systems may be effectively worked out at sea with
superior economy. In these new arrangements the engine itself may be con-
structed according to any of the existing designs, but provision is made for
condensing the used steam by a combined system of surface cooling and
injection air pumps being employed under a peculiar arrangement to discharge
the air and supply the water for injection. The surface condenser consists of
a chamber or chambers of very large area, containing a great number of very
narrow sheet water spaces, of thin copper or other suitable material. It is
preferred to dispose these spaces vertically, and so as that a current of cool sea
water may enter their containing chamber, and play-freely over their outer
surfaces in tolerably thick strata, whilst the steam to be condensed and water

page_text: to be cooled is within in their sheets, the waste steam from the engines first
entering a receiver communicating with the sheet spaces referred to. Into
this receiver injection water is thrown from the discharge of the air p pumps, any
uncondensed vapour or steam being allowed to flow into these sectional spaces
at one end, and as it becomes cool in passing off to the other end, the water
and air of condensation is drawn along by the exhausting effect of a set of
small pumps acting instead of a single air pump. The condenser or cooler is
made so long that the water becomes pretty well cooled by the time it reaches
the opposite end, and it is here drawn up-along with the air and directed back
to the front or hot steam end of the condenser, whilst provision is made for the
discharge of the accumulated air, clear away. In this way the cooled water
of condensation is continually returned to the front or steam-entering end, and
there used as injection water for cooling the waste steam as it enters from
the working steam cylinder; thus, a- most effective system of condensation' is
kept up; and if a vessel starts from a river or harbour with a moderate supply
of fresh water, she can work through her voyage with the same water without"
allowing any salt. to enter her boilers, any loss of fresh water from leakage
or otherwise being kept up by a small supplementary boiler using sea water,
the steam from which is thrown into the condenser and condensed, or first
used through the engines, as may be arranged. The feed water for the boilers
is taken from the hottest part of the condenser, a well or receiver being pro-
vided there for the purpose.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent, filed
by the said Walter Neilson in the Great Seal Patent Office on the
25th September 1854.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, WALTER
NEILSON, of Glasgow, in the County of Lanark, North Britain, Engineer, send
greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her Letters
Patent, bearing date the Twenty-fifth day of March, in the year of our Lord
One thousand eight hundred and fifty-four, in the seventeenth year of Her
reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant unto
me, the said Walter Neilson, Her special license that I, the said Walter
Neilson, my executors, administrators, and assigns, or such others as I, the said
Walter Neilson, my executors, administrators, or assigns, should at any time

page_text: 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 STEAM MACHINERY," upon the condition (amongst others) that I, the
said Walter Neilson, by an instrument in writing under my hand and seal,
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 Walter Neilson, do hereby declare
the nature of my said Invention, and in what manner the same is to be
performed, to be particularly described and ascertained in and by the following
statement, reference being had to the accompanying Drawings, and to the
letters and figures marked thereon, that is to say:
My said Invention relates more especially to steam machinery intended for
long sea voyages, and consists in the adoption of certain means whereby both
the high and low pressure systems may be effectively worked out at sea with
superior economy. In these new arrangements the engine itself may be
constructed according to any of the existing designs, but provision is made
for condensing the used steam by a combined system of surface cooling and
injection, air pumps being employed under a peculiar arrangement to dis-
charge the air and supply the water for injection. The surface condenser con-
sists of a chamber or chambers of very large area, containing a great number
of very narrow sheet water spaces of thin copper or other suitable material.
It is preferred to dispose these spaces vertically, and so as that a current of
cool sea water may enter the chamber containing them, and play freely over
their outer surfaces in tolerably thick strata, whilst the steam to be con-
densed and water to be cooled is within in their sheets. The waste steam
from the engines first enters a receiver communicating with the sheet spaces
referred to, and into this receiver injection water is thrown from the discharge
of the air pumps, any uncondensed vapour or steam being allowed to flow into
the sectional spaces at one end. As it becomes cool in passing off to the
other end, the water and air of condensation are drawn along by the exhaust-
ing effect of a set of small pumps acting instead of a single air pump. The
condenser or cooler is made so long that the water becomes pretty well cooled
by the time it reaches the opposite end, and it is here drawn up along with
the air and directed back to the front or hot steam end of the condenser,

page_text: whilst provision is made for the discharge of the accumulated air, clear away.
In this way the cooled water of condensation is continually returned to the
front or steam-entering end, and there used as injection water for cooling the
waste steam as it enters from the working steam cylinder; thus, a most
effective system of condensation is kept up; and if a vessel starts from a river
or harbour with a moderate supply of fresh water, she can work through her
voyage with the same water without allowing any salt water to enter.her
boilers, any loss of fresh water from leakage or otherwise being kept up by
a small supplementary boiler using sea water, the steam from which is thrown
into the condenser and condensed, or first used through the engines, as may
be arranged.
The feed water for the boilers is taken from the hottest
part of the condenser, a well or receiver being provided there for the
purpose.
And in order that my said Invention may be properly understood, I shall
now proceed to describe the two explanatory Figures of the Sheet of Drawings
hereunto attached. The Figures on the Sheet of Drawings represent one
modification of the arrangements to be employed in working out my Inven-
tion; Figure 1 being a transverse vertical section of a steam vessel, shewing
the condensing apparatus and a portion of the engines in end elevation, but
with one of the condensing vessels in vertical section; whilst Figure 2 is a
longitudinal and vertical section of the vessel, shewing the condensing appa-
ratus and a a portion of the engines in side elevation. As already mentioned,
my improved condensing apparatus may be applied to engines constructed
according to any of the existing designs for driving screw or paddle propellers.
In the arrangement, however, which I have selected for illustrating the mode
of carrying out my Invention, a pair of inverted steam cylinders A are used;
these cylinders being mounted upon suitable framing, and being above the
propeller shaft B of a screw steamer to the cranks, on which shaft their piston
rods are directly connected. The cylinders lie fore and aft in the keel line of
the vessels, and have their valve casings placed between them at C. The
exhaust ports of the valve casings are each made to communicate with two
exhaust passages D, one on each side of the cylinders, and these passages D
run along to the back of the bindmost cylinder, where they open into a pair
of large pipes E, which descend to the condensing or cooling vessels F
below. The condensing vessels, of which there are two, one lying on each
side of the keel line of the ship, consist of oblong chambers of rectangular
cross section, and formed with funnel-shaped ends G, communicating with
apertures in the bottom or side of the vessel, so as to admit the sea water into

page_text: the condensing vessels F. These funnel ends G are provided with sluices for
excluding the sea water, when it is necessary to open the condensers for
repairs or for other purposes. The two ends and portions of the funnels con-
taining the sluices of the condensing vessel on the near side in Figure 2 of
the Drawings are supposed to be removed, so as to shew the corresponding
ends and sluices on the further side, and their connection with the bottom of
the vessel. In the main body F of the condensing vessels a number of plates
H of thin copper or other suitable material are arranged vertically, so as to
leave thin spaces between each other, these spaces being of two different
dimensions, which are alternated. The plates are joined together in couples at
top and bottom, in such a manner as to cover in the wider spaces longitudi-
nally, and they are joined together in couples at the ends in such a manner as
to close in the narrow spaces vertically; in other words, the mass of plates
are so joined together as to leave the narrow spaces open at the top and
bottom only, whilst the wider spaces are open at the ends only. These plates
being joined together in this manner, are fitted into the condensing vessels F
in such a manner that the ends G of these vessels. communicate only with the
wider spaces between the plates, whilst the narrow spaces are open to the top
and bottom of the body portions F of the condensing vessels, and are conse-
quently in communication with the exhaust pipes E, which enter the body
portions F of the condensing vessels near their after ends; the exhaust
steam then descending by the pipes E, enters the condensing vessels F, and
flows into the narrow spaces between the plates H, and is therein exposed in
very thin sheets to the cooling action of the sea water, which is flowing
through the wider spaces between the condenser plates. The ends G of the
condenser being open to the sea, the onward motion of the vessel causes a
constant current of sea water to flow through the spaces between the condenser
plates H in the direction of the arrows, so that these plates are kept cool by
the continual renewal of the cold water, and the exhaust steam is consequently
exposed to a very extensive surface of cold metal, so that it is rapidly
condensed. The body portions F of the condensing vessels are carried down
a short distance below the mass of condenser plates H, so as to form recep-
tacles for collecting the water of condensation. These collecting spaces are
divided by an elevation I in the bottom of the vessel, so as to separate the
products of condensation into two portions. It will be obvious, that the water
of condensation which accumulates at the end J, where the exhaust steam
enters the condensing vessel, will be much hotter than that collected at the
end K, and it is from the end J that the water is taken for supplying the

page_text: boilers, being taken off for that purpose by the pipes L. The water of con-
densation which collects at the end K of the condensing vessel and the air
are pumped out by a set of pumps placed M, and these pumps discharge
the water and air into a species of well N. This well N consists of a vessel
which is transversely oblong in horizontal section, and which rises to a con-
siderable height, and is placed against the bulkhead of the vessel. It is open
at the top to allow the air to escape, and it is divided by a transverse partition,
which reaches to within a short distance of the top, and which is indicated by
dotted lines at O in the Drawing. The water of condensation is pumped over
this partition, and finds its way on the further side into the injection pipe P,
which is fitted with a cock at Q, for regulating the injection supply. The
injection pipe is represented on entering the condenser near the end from
which the water of condensation is pumped, but it may be carried along either
inside or outside the condenser to the end at which the exhaust steam enters,
or it may be arranged to discharge the injection water at any point in the
length of the condenser, where it may be thought that it will produce the best
effect. The condensing vessel F is of such a length, and the condensing
surface of the plates H is so extensive, that by the time the water reaches the
end K and is pumped into the well N it will be in a sufficiently cold state to
act efficiently as injection water. In some cases, however, the well N may be
dispensed with, the water of condensation being pumped directly into the
injection pipe, provision being made for the escape of the air which accom-
panies it.
Having now described and particularly ascertained the nature of my said
Invention, and the manner in which the same is or may be used or carried into
effect, I may observe, in conclusion, that I do not confine or restrict myself to
the precise details or arrangements which I have had occasion to describe or
refer to, as many variations may be made therefrom without deviating from
the principles or main features of my Invention; but what I consider to be
novel and original, and therefore claim as the Invention secured to me by the
herein-before in part recited Letters Patent, is,―
First, the general arrangement and construction of marine steam machinery
as herein-before described.
Second, the system or mode of effecting the condensation of the exhaust
steam of marine engines, by causing it to flow into alternate spaces formed by
metallic plates placed very near together, in which spaces it is exposed to
the cooling action of currents of sea water flowing through the intermediate
spaces formed by the metallic plates, as herein-before described.

page_text: 3
Third, the system or mode of effecting the condensation of the exhaust
steam of marine engines by means of surface condensation, in combination
with the injection of cold water obtained from the condenser itself, as herein-
before described.
In, witness whereof, I, the said Walter Neilson, have hereunto set my
hand and seal, this Twentieth day of September, in the year of our
Lord One thousand eight hundred and fifty-four.
WALTER NEILSON. (L.s.)