US109616A - Improvement in steam-generators - Google Patents

Description

sngfl/ MFETERS, PHOTO-LxTHoGRAPHER. WASHINGTOND 6A tied gitarre @anni t time,

Letters Patent No. 109,616, dated November 29, 1870.

IMPROVEMENT-'IN sTEAM-eENEnA-rons.

The 'Schedule referred to in these Letters Patent and making part of the sanne,

` I, JOHN HOUPT, of Springtown, in the county of 4Bucks and State of leiinsylvania, have invented certain further Improvements in Condensers for Marinelngines, of which the following is a specification.

.Nature and Objects of the Intention.

My present improvements relate, generally, to the employment of a plurality of condensers for a single steam-cylinder describedin Letters Patent granted to me on the 18th day of May, 1869, but, more especially, to certain improvements, in condensers for which Letters Patent were granted to nic on the 19th day of A pril, 1870, and to certain further improvements in condensers for marine-engines described in an application filed by me in the United States Patent Ofiice March 24th, 1870.v

The first part of my present invention relates to the construction of a comparatively small primary jet condenser and an air-pump attached,l to operate together in combination with a Valve, and with la steampassage-way, which communicates with both exhausts of the steani-cylinder ofan engine and with a tertiary conductor in sncli a manner as `to allow only a small remnant of the exhauststeam coming from the said cylinder to be condensed by a jet-spray of sea-water, in the said primary condenser, to produce the required -vacuum before the piston, immediately after the first putt or main portion of the said exhaust-steam has been discharged through the said valve and passageway toward the tertiary condenser for the production of fresh water for the steam-generators of the engine; the object ot' this part of my invention being to proride for the passage ofthe main portion of the escapesteam toward the tertiary condenser, to more ecectually prevent any saline 'apoi' which may arise from the condensing water ot' the jet-'spray in the said primary from reaching the tertiary condenser, and also for the purpose of furnishing the water of condensation for the steam-generators of a higher degree of temperature than can be furnished by the ordinary condenscrs which are intended to produce a vacuum.

The second part ot' my present iiiventiou relates to the construction and arrangement of a secondary chamber or evaporator, incombination with the escape-steam passage-way which leads from' the exhausts of the steam-cylinder to the tertiary condenser, and with the liet-water 'discharge-pipe of the primary condenser, the object of this part of iny`invei'ition being to produce an additional amount of vapor free from any salines, to compensate for the loss of that portion which is condensed by the saline jet-spray in the primary condenser.

ihe third part of my invention relates to the combination, with the exhaust-steam passage-way, ot a supplementary furnace and'boiler or steam-generator in such a manner that aqueous vapor, free trom any salines, may be furnished thereby to the said steam passage-way when necessary, the object of thisV part of my invention beingto afford a more simple and inexpensive means of making up for the loss of the fresltwater vapor vcondense-d in the primarycondenser.' p

Description 'of the Drawing.

Figure l is a vertical section representing the steamcyiinder of an engine with its exhausts in communition with the steam passage-way, primary `1ct-con` denser7 andthe secondary chamber or evaporator, with their respective attachments, arranged substantially in the same'vertical planefor the purpose ot better illiist-ration.

Figure 2 is a like section of the saine parts, modi-- ed so as to operate without the secondaryveliamber or evaporator.

Figure 3 is a side elevation of the tertiary condenser, with its fresh-water reservoir and air-pump attached. v

General Description.

gine, a its piston, and a e" its exhausts, in eommu-v nication with the steam passage-way Bythe primary jet-condenser C, the secondary chamber or evaporator D, and the head or drum E of the tertiary condenser;

In' the passage-way B, near its junction ,with the two exhausts, a," a, ofthe cylinder A, avalve-chamber, b, is made,in which a spindle-valve, b", is fittedl to be opened upward and closed downward by a positive motion derived .through a connecting-rod, 1i",l

from any suitable moving part of the engine, so as.

to alternately open and close the passage-way B at a point directly above the primary condenserC.

The primary condenser C is surroundedby a ease.Av containing coldv sea-water, c", and hasa yet-spraypipe, c', for the discharge of cold sea-water from thesurrounding case into the condenser in a steady spray, regulated by an adjustable stop-cock, c, and has also communicating with its lower end an air-pump, 0',

operated in a positive manner by any suitable moving part of the engine, so as to draw out and force overboard, through a pipe, 0*, the air and the water of condensation deposited in the said condenser.

The upper end of vthe condenser C communicates with the passage-way B at a point directly below the valve b,'and has at this part a slide-vaive c5, operated'in a positive manner by any'suitable moving part of the engine in such a manner as to be closed when the valve b opens, and open immediately after .vacuum thus produced before the returning piston,

which, having nearly returned, `the valve 0" closes and the air and the warm water of condensation are drawn out of the condenser O and forced overboard through the pipe c by the air-pump c'. l

The evaporating or secondary chamber D is a capacious oval-shaped vessel supported in a comparatively elevated position, and into this the steam passage-way B opens, (see ii". l.) l

The said chamber I) has a bent pipe, d', within it,

y which is constructed with a series of very minute jetspray openings, d" ll", controllable by a hand-screw stem, d', tted with a stopper at its lower end, so that either one, two, or all of s'aid jet-openings may be stopped or opened at pleasure, and this bent pipe 1L communicates withthe pipe c' and is fitted with a valve, di, operated in a positive manner by any suita. ble moving part ofthe engine, so as to let warm water pass periodically from the pipe c4 into the chamber l), the object being to produce an additional supply of fresh-water vapor bythe cvaporating effect of the high steam, from the steam-passage way 13 upon the saline water from the spray-jets d." df', to compensate for the loss occasioned by the condensation of the steam in the primary condenser C.

The lower end of this chzunber D is provided with a series of try-cocks, 6 6 G, by which the height of the water therein may bereadily ascertained, and also with an evacuatiug-pipe, 7, fitted with a stop-cock, 8, aud opening into a chamber, 9, which communicates with a force-pump, F, whereby the water in the said chamber l) can' be drawn out and forced overboard when necessary.

For the purpose of affording a ready means for washing out any saline deposits which vmay in time accumulate ou the bottom of the said evaporatingchamber D, an inlet pipe, 10, fitted with a stop-cock, is fixed to communicate with the said bottom and the warm-water pipe ci; and for the purpose of affording a ready means of warming upthe evaporator D before starting the engine, and also of increasing Vthequantity of'fiesh-water vapor, should there not be a sufficiency provided by the action of the steam upon the spr. y-water in the 4said evaporatiiig-chamber D, a supplementary evaporator is provided',consisting of a boiler, G, fitted with a steam-pipe, g', which passes vertically up through the bottom of D and opens into the upper end ot' the san1e,a gravit-ating-valve g" being applied over the open end ofthe said pipe.

The saidboiler is supported and heated by a small special-furnace, g, and receives its supply of water from the warm-water pipe c, through a communicatingpipe, g, which is provided with a stop-cock.

As the supplementary boiler G will "probably be s/ufiicient to furnish the required amount of fresh-water vapor to compensate in the greater number of marineengines for that lost in the primary condenser, the evaporating-chamber 1) may, in such cases, be dispensed with entirely, and the boiler G relied upon to makeup the deficient amount of vapor, by modifying the stealn-passage-way B and opening the valved end of the pipe y'of the boiler G directly into the said pipe orV steam-passage-way l5, as represented in fig. 2. This modification has the advantage also of being much less costly in construction.

',lhe tertiary condenser, (see fig. 3,) consists .of a series of inclined condensing-cases a' c', constructed and operating in connection with a reservoir for the wat-cr produced, in the manner described in my application filed in the Patent Ofiice on the 24th day of March, 1870, as before stated; but in my present invention I apply an air-pump, H, so arranged and operated between the condenser and the reservoir I as to produce a sufficient vacuum in the condensers to facilil tate, the escape-steam through. the steam-passage-way B -into the said tertiary condenser without any more expenditure of power in working the said air-pump H than will be sufficient to produce the said partial vacuum, and without straining the sliding joints, as aforesaid. i

ln the operation of my present invention it will be understood that, as there is but a small remnant of the exhaust-steam to be condensed in the primary condenser O, the temperature therein can be more quickly reduced, and to a lower degree and therefore a more sudden and better vacuum be produced and maintained in front ofthe piston than heretofore.

y It will also be understood that, as theinain port-ion of the exhaust-steam passes into the tertiary coudenser, only the small remnant condensed in the primary has to he provided'in order to keep up the full supply of fresh water foi" the lsteam-generators, and that therefore the mode of producing this deficiency hy means of the evaporating-ehamber D and the sup plementary boiler G, as represented in fig. 1, or hy means of the. boiler G alone, as represented in fig2, will be sufficient to produce lnore'vapor than will be required.

' Although it is believed that the vapor produced by the action of the high steam upon the very minute spray-jets of thc saline water coming fromthe pipe c* will be free from any saline matter, still I prefer the modification shown in iig. 2, first, because the vapor generator or boiler G is `much more distant, and theref'orethe vapor will thc more certainly be free from any salines by the time it reaches the outlet-valve g" in the top of the pipe g', and second, `because it is much less costly of construction.

The partial vacuum produced inthe tertiary eondenser by means of the air-pump H t-will be evident must facilitate the passage of the steam and vapor through the steam-passage-way B into the condenser by releasing the latter of a part of the air that may be contained therein.

Claims.

I claim as my invention- 1. 'lhe primary condenser C and air-pump e'", in combination with the valve l1 and steam-passage-\vay B, thc said parts being constructed and arranged to operate substantially as and for the purposes -herein' before set forth.

2. The secondarychamber or evaporator D, in combination with the escape-steam passage-way B and the hot-water discharge-pipe 0*, the said parts being constructed and arranged to operate substantially as and for the purpose hereinbcfore set forth.

3. The supplementary boiler G, furnace g', and pipe g', in combination with the escape steam-passageway l, when arranged substantially as shown iufig. 2, for the purpose hereinbefore speciiied.- i

. JOHN HQUPT. Witnesses Bum. Montsox, Wim H. MolusoN.

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