AN IMPROVED ROTARY ENGINE
Year: 1853

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to James Carter, of Oldham, in the County of
Lancaster, Painter, for the Invention of "AN IMPROVED ROTARY
ENGINE."
Sealed the 30th March 1853, and dated the 1st February 1853.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said James Carter at
the Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on
the 1st February 1853.
I, JAMES CARTER, of Oldham, in the County of Lancaster, Painter,
do hereby declare the nature of my said Invention of "AN IMPROVED
ROTARY ENGINE"" to be as follows: -
In the first place, I employ a wheel similar in construction to an
ordinary overshot water wheel. This said wheel is to be keyed or
otherwise firmly secured. upon the main shaft, to which rotary
motion is intended to be given. I place this wheel with the shaft
in an horizontal position in a rectangular or other suitable shaped
vessel, the sides of which are parallel to and nearly touch the sides.
of the said wheel. The ends of the vessel are parallel to the peri-

page_text: phery of the vessel, but at a little distance from it. The top and
bottom of the vessel may be either flat or convex. The shaft passes
out through steam tight bearings at the side of the vessel. Beneath
the bottom of the vessel, but under one side of the wheel only (that
is, on one side of the axis), is placed a furnace or fire place. The
vessel is to be filled with water up to some inches above the top of
the wheel, and the fire lighted. The result will be, that steam will
be generated immediately above the fire, and, rising, will displace the
the water and cause it to rise on that side of the wheel, and pass
over the top of the same, whilst the water on the other side of the
wheel will descend to supply its place. Thus, the water in the
vessel is kept in a state of constant circulation up one side of the
wheel, over the top and down the other side, thereby giving constant
rotary motion to the wheel and shaft so long as the fire and the
necessary supply of water are kept up. The steam thus generated:
may be allowed to escape into the atmosphere, or it may be applied
to various useful purposes.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters
Patent, filed by the said James Carter in the Great Seal.
Patent Office on the 1st August 1853.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I,
JAMES CARTER, of Oldham, in the County of Lancaster, Painter,
send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria by Her
Letters Patent, bearing date, the First day of February, in the
year of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and fifty-three, in
the sixteenth year of Her reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and
successors, give and grant unto me, the said James Carter, Her
especial license that I, the said James Carter, my executors, admi-
nistrators, and assigns, or such others as I, the said James Carter,
iny executors, administrators, and assigns, should at any time agree

page_text: 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 "AN IMPROVED ROTARY ENGINE," upon the condition (amongst
others) that I, the said James Carter, 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 James Carter, 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 (that is to say):
My Invention of an Improved Rotary Engine is adapted either to
stationary, marine, or locomotive purposes, and by its use I am
enabled to produce and maintain rotary motion with a smaller
amount of fuel and with steam at a lower pressure than has hitherto
been accomplished. My Invention consists of a rotary engine so
constructed that the steam is applied to produce motive power in
the same vessel in which it is generated, and previously to it's
ascending to the surface of the water. The construction of my
improved rotary engine is as follows:- In the first place, I employ
a wheel similar in form and construction to an ordinary overshot
water-wheel. This said wheel is to be keyed or otherwise firmly
secured upon the main shaft, to which rotary motion is intended to
be given. I place this wheel with the shaft in a horizontal position
in a cylindrical or other suitably formed vessel, but in a slightly
excentric position, so that the wheel is nearer to one side of the:
cylinder than to the other. The shaft passes out through steam tight
bearings or stuffing boxes at the ends of the vessel. At each end.
of the vessel, beneath the same, but under one side of the wheel
only (that is, on one side of the axis) is placed a furnace or fire-

page_text: place. The upper part of the vessel is connected by tubes or
passages to an ordinary condenser. A vacuum being produced in
the condenser, and fire being applied beneath the vessel, which is
nearly filled with water, steam will be generated at a low tempe-
rature immediately above the fire, and the steam rising will fill the
buckets on that side of the wheel, and displacing the water will
destroy the equilibrium of the wheel in proportion as the specific
gravity of the water in the buckets upon one side of the wheel
exceeds that of the steam in the buckets upon the other side of the
said wheel. The water also in the vessel is thus kept in a state of
constant circulation up one side of the wheel, over the top and
down the other side of the same; which, in addition to the steam
rising and displacing the water upon one side of the wheel only,
will give a constant rotary motion to the said wheel and shaft, so
long as the fire and the necessary supply of water are kept up.
The quantity of fuel necessary to generate the steam is very small
in consequence of the vacuum above the water. In order more
fully to illustrate my said Invention, and the practical application
thereof, I have annexed hereunto a Sheet of Drawings, representing
four distinct views of a rotary engine, constructed upon my
improved principle, and have marked the same with figures and
letters of reference corresponding with those in the following
description thereof. The Drawing is made to a scale of about three
eighths of an inch to a foot. Fig. 1, represents a side elevation of
the engine, the outside plates being removed from the left hand
end in order more clearly to shew the flues. Figure 2, is an end
view of the engine, with the end plate of the frame removed. Fig. 3,
is a plan or horizontal view of the engine as seen from above, the
upper half of the cylinder or vessel being removed; and Fig. 4, is
a transverse section of the same taken through about the centre of
the exhaust pipe; a, a, represents the main shaft, to which rotary
motion is intended to be given. Upon this shaft a wheel b, b,
similar to an ordinary overshot water-wheel, is keyed or otherwise
firmly secured. This wheel b, b, is placed in the interior of a
cylinder or vessel c, c, being slightly excentric thereto, so as to be

page_text: nearer one side of the vessel than to the other (see Fig. 4.) The
shaft a, a, passes out through steam tight bearings or stuffing boxes
d, d, one at each end of the cylinder. The cylinder or vessel c, c,
is partly supported by the side and end plates e, e; f, f, are two
pipes or passages leading from the top of the vessel c, c, to the
condensers are furnished with throttle valves g, g; h, h, is an
auxiliary boiler for blowing through previously to starting the
engine; and i, i, are the blow through cocks or valves. Under each
end of the vessel c, c, is a moveable furnace or fire place k, k; 1, 1, are
tubes leading from the fire places to the flue m, m; and n, n, is the
return flue leading to the ascending flues o, o, in connection with
the chimney. These flues m, m, and n, n, are formed by the tank
or cistern p, p. This tank p, p, is kept filled with water, which thus
becomes heated, and from it the vessel or cylinder c, c, is supplied
by means of the cock g, ġ (see Figure 3.) It will be evident that
by this arrangement of furnaces and flues, the heat from the fire is
entirely confined to the left hand side of the axis (see Figs. 2, and
). The cylinder c, c, being filled with water or nearly so, and the
fires lighted, and the steam in the auxiliary boiler h, being at à
pressure of about two or three pounds above the atmosphere, to
start the engine close the throttles g, g, and open the blow through
cocks i, i, blowing the steam through the pipes and condensers.
Then close the blow through cocks i, i, condense the steam and
open the valves g, g. If a sufficient vacuum has been obtained,
steam will be produced immediately above the fire places, displacing
the water from the buckets on that side of the wheel, and by the
combined action of the steam and water, the wheel -b, b, will com-
mence to revolve, and continue to do so as long as the vacuum, the
heat, and the supply of water, are kept up. In order to stop the
engine, close the throttle valves g, g, and as soon as the vacuum is
cut off, the temperature will be too low to produce steain, and con-
sequently the wheel will cease to move. I would here remark that
whenever the valves are closed, the supply of water to the vessel
must also be stopped. If it is required to stop the engine for some
C, C
length of time, remove the fire to the other side, or keep the tempe-

page_text: rature down by any other means. As there is no reserve of steam,
the engine may be regulated by means of dampers in the flues,
which may be worked by a revolving governor, in the same manner
as an ordinary steam engine throttle valve. The wheel b, b, is repre-
sented in the Drawing as about ten feet in diameter and thirty-six
feet in length, the buckets being about ten inches deep; but great
advantage is derived from an increased diameter. For instance, a
wheel fifteen feet in diameter will give double the power, and one
twenty feet diameter four times the power of a ten feet wheel with only
about one half the quantity of steam per horse power. A wheel of the
latter diameter (twenty feet) will give about five hundred effective
horse power with a consumption of steam less than six cubic feet
per horse power per minute. This result supposes. the vacuum to
equal thirteen pounds. The wheel must be balanced in the water;
that is, it must be weighted so as just to sink, and no more. This it
is evident will prevent the unequal friction which the bearings would
otherwise be liable to.
Having thus described the nature and object of my said Invention,
together with the manner of carrying the same into practical effect,
I would remark in conclusion, that I claim as my Invention the con-
struction of a rotary engine as above described, and shewn in the
Drawings, or any suitable modification thereof wherein the steam is
applied to produce motive power in the same vessel in which it is
generated, and previously to it's ascending to the surface of the
water.
In witness whereof, I, the said James Carter, have hereunto
set my hand and seal, the Thirtieth day of July, One thousand
eight hundred and fifty-three.
Signed, sealed, and delivered
in the presence of
JOHN DAVIES,
Manchester.
JAMES CARTER.
(L.S.)