Improvements in Apparatus for Condensing Steam or other Vapours, also Applicable for Heating or Cooling Fluids.
Year: 1889

page_text: Date of Application, 4th Mar., 1889
Complete Specification Left, 4th Jan., 1890-Accepted, 8th Feb., 1890
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Apparatus for Condensing Steam or other Vapours,
also Applicable for Heating or Cooling Fluids.
I OLIVER MATTHEWS Row, of 37 Hanover Street Liverpool in the County of
Lancaster Engineer do hereby declare the nature of this invention to be as
follows:-
The object of my invention is to provide apparatus for condensing vapours, or
heating or cooling fluids, which shall be simple in construction, readily accessable for
examination & cleaning, and effecient in action.
For this purpose I so arrange tubes and tube plates that one or more serpentine,
convoluted, spiral, or zig-zag passages are formed through which the vapour or fluid
to be condensed, cooled or heated passes, and around which the cooling or heating
liquid or vapour is caused to circulate, in any usual or convenient manner; if desired
the action may be reversed.
Under one modification I so place the tubes in the plates, that when two plates
with their tubes are fitted together the tubes form one or more coils or worms.
Under another modification the plates are formed with passages which with the
tubes in such plates form a zig-zag or serpentine passage or passages.
A number of such tube plates and tubes may be combined to form one apparatus
and the tube plates may be so arranged that some of the tubes form one or more
coils or worms and others of zig-zag or serpentine passage or passages.
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Apparatus for Condensing Steam or other Vapours,
also Applicable for Heating or Cooling Fluids.
I, OLIVER, MATTHEWS Row of 37 Hanover Street, Liverpool in the County of
Lancaster, Engineer 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 :-
The object of my invention is to provide apparatus for condensing vapours or
heating or cooling fluids which shall be simple in construction, readily accessable for
examination and cleaning and effecient in action.
For this purpose I so arrange tubes and tube plates that one or more serpentine
convoluted, spiral or zig-zag passages are formed through which the vapour or fluid
to be condensed, cooled or heated passes, and arround which the cooling or heating
liquid or vapour is caused to circulate, in any usual or convenient manner, if desired
the action may be reversed.
Under one modification I so place the tubes in the plates, that when two plates
with their tubes are fitted together the tubes form one or more coils or worms.
Under another modification the plates are formed with passages which with the
tubes in such plates form a zig-zag or serpentine passage or passages.
A number of such tube plates & tubes may be combined to form one apparatus
and the tube plates may be so arranged that some of the tubes form one or more
coils or worms and others a zig-zag or serpentine passage or passages.
DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS.
Figs. 1 and 2. are views partly in section and partly in elevation at right angles

page_text: a. a¹ are curved tubes fixed into the tube plates b. b¹ by expanding or brazing or in
any other convenient manner and in such positions that when the tube plates are
secured together by bolts & nuts. c, such curved tubes form one continuous tube
arranged in several volute coils, d is the inlet for steam or other vapour or fluid to
be condensed, or cooled, or for heating purposes, e is the outlet for condensed water
or liquid or cooled fluid.
By unscrewing the nut c the tube plates b. 6' may be seperated and the curved
tubes can then be easily cleaned, is a container or casing provided with an inlet g
for cooling water or fluid, or for water or other fluid to be heated or evaporated, / outlet
for same.
Figs. 4 and 5 are views partly in elevation and partly in section at right angles to
each other and fig. 6 is a plan of another modification of apparatus under my inven-
tion arranged somewhat similar to figs. 1. 2 and 3, a, a' a², a³ are curved tubes fixed
into the tube plates b b¹.
The tubes a. a form one continuous helical coil or worm, and the tubes a² a³ form
a seperate continuous helical coil or worm.
care bolts and nuts for screwing the tube plates together, d' d' are the inlets
to the coils or worins, e. el are the outlets from the coils or worms, is the casing or
container with inlet g and outlet h. This is a convenient arrangement when it is
desired to condense and keep seperate steam from two different sources.
Both coils may however be connected to the same source if desired.
Fig. 7 is an elevation, fig. S a vertical section at the line A. A. in fig. 7, fig. 9
horizontal section at the line B. B in fig. 8. Fig. 10 a horizontal section at the
line CC in fig: 8 and figs. 11 and 12 are elevations of the internal faces of the tube
plates all of a further modification of apparatus under my invention.
a. a¹ curved tubes, b¹ tube plates c bolts and nuts for bolting said tube plates
together, & inlet for fluid, e outlet for same. The container for this apparatus may be
similar to that shewn in fig. 1, or any other convénient form may be used. In this
modification the tube plates 6. 61 are formed with passages a communicating with the
tubes a a¹ and so arranged that the fluid entering at d is caused to follow a zig-zag
or serpentine course to the outlet e, by this means the said fluid is baffeled or checked
in its passage through the tubes so as to facilitate the transfer of heat.
In order to allow of greater area of passage for the fluid during the first part of its
course the passages a are so arranged that the said fluid passes through two tubes at
once for the first part of its course and for the latter part of its course through one'
tube, i is a division plate for causing the fluid to follow a zig-zag course when passing
through one tube the arrows, shew the direction of motion of the fluid through the
tubes. It will be obvious that the passages at may be arranged in many different
ways and that the fluid may be caused to pass through more than two tubes at first or
through an equal number of tubes from inlet to outlet.
It will also be obvious that the tubes and passages may be so arranged as to form
several separated zig-zag courses with seperate inlets and outlets.
Some of the tubes may be arranged to form a zig-zag passage or passages, and
others to form a continuous coil or coils.
Fig. 13 is an elevation shewing several sets of tube plates 6 and tubes a connected
together by unions j. d inlet, e outlet.
More or fewer of these sets may be connected together to form a larger or a smaller
apparatus.
:
Fig. 14 is a vertical section and fig. 15 a plan of a further modification of apparatus
under my invention. Here the tube plate 6 alone is provided with tubes a, the plate b¹
being without any tubes, a' are the passages in the tube plate b.
The passages may be formed in the plate if desired, d inlet to the tubes, e outlet.
The tubes a and passages a in this case form zig-zag passage, the arrows shew the
direction of motion of the fluid through the tubes. The tube plate b is attached to
the casing or container f by bolts and nuts k so that the tube plate and tubes may
be readily removed without disturbing the connections of the inlet g and outlet / to
the said casing.

page_text: Fig. 16 is a view of apparatus under my invention arranged for evaporating
liquids.
7 is a vessel for containing the liquid to be evaporated, m outlet, n inlet, d inlet for
steam or heating fluid which passes through an arrangement of tubes and plates a. b,
similar to the apparatus hereinbefore discribed to the outlet e.
Fig. 17 is a plan shewing a convenient arrangement when apparatus of large size
is required or when it is desired to arrange two distinct apparatus in one casing or
container.
a. a' are the tubes and b. 6' the tube plates of one apparatus, a' a' are the tube
and 663 the tube plates of another apparatus surrounding the inner one, d d inlet.
The casing may be of any desired form.
In all the modifications herein described the apparatus is arranged so that the finid
to be condensed or cooled, or the heating fluid, flows through the interior of the tubes
and passages, and the cooling fluid or the fluid to be heated or evaporated passes
around the exterior of the said tubes; but it will be obvious that the action may be
reversed that is to say, the fluid to be condensed or cooled or the heating fluids may
pass around the exterior of the said tubes and the cooling fluid or the fluid to be heated
or evaporated may pass through the interior of the said tubes.
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
Constructing and arranging tubes and tube plates in such manner that when the
tube plates are screwed together one or more coils or worms or zig-zag passages are
formed, substantially as and for the purposes herein set forth.
Dated this Third day of Jan 1890