US1105602A - Turbine. - Google Patents

Description

E. ANDERSON.

TURBINE.

APPLICATION FILED NOV.1,1910.

1,105,602. Patented Aug. 4, 191

0BHBETSSHEET 1. 29?! WITNESSES. INVENTOR E. ANDERSON.

TURBINE.

APPLICATION FILED NOV. 1, 1910.

1, 1 05,602. Patented Aug. 4, 1914.

a SHEETSSHEET z.

WITNESSES: INVENTOR 25 AT ORNEYS E. ANDERSON.

' TURBINE.

APPLIOATION TILED NOV. 1, 1910 l, 1 05,602. Patented Aug: 4, 1914.

6 SHBETSSHEET 3.

I ,w W gs WITNESSES: INVENTOR W WW S BY u/i ywp a; ATTORNEYS E. ANDERSON.

TURBINE.

APPLICATION FILED NOV. 1f1910.

Patented Aug. 4, 1914.

0 SHEETS SIIEBT 4.

E. ANDERSON.

TURBINE.

APPLICATION FILED NOV.1,1910.

Patented Aug. 4, 1914.

6 SHEETS-SHEET 5.

W INVENTOR 42 AT ORNEYS 4 k. KMAF Ir kl HUL kl I X W VP VECLC VQJN 4/ in} I I M an mm L llllllillllll I r .A pr 1 KM m? .ww If l I THE NORRIS PETERS CU" PHD'H LITHL'). WASHINGTON. D. l

E. ANDERSON.

TURBINE. APPLICATION FILED NOV. 1, 1910.

Patented Aug. 4, 1914.

8 BEEETBBHEET 6.

WITNESSES TORNEYS TATE ATENT FFTCE.

ElVIIL ANDERSON, or NEW YORK, N. Y., ASSIGNOR 330 H. STANLEY TODD, or NEW YORK, N. Y.

TURBINE.

1,1o5,co2.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Aug. 4;, 1914.

Application filed November 1, 1910. Serial No. 590,175.

To all whom it may concern:

lie it known that I, EMIL ANDERSON, a citizen of the United States of America, and a resident of New York, county and State of New York, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Turbine-Engines, of which the following is a specification, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, forming a part thereof.

My invention relates to improvements in turbine engines and consists in a novel ar' rangement and construction of buckets carried by the impelling element, in combination with reaction surfaces or recesses carried by stationary abutment elements as will presently appear.

The objects of my invention are first, to provide for economically employing the motive fluid through several steps in the same stages; second, to economically employ motive fluid through a succession of highpressure stages; third, to provide for a similar employment of the motive fluid through a succession of low-pressure stages, and fourth, to provide for the operation of the engine in either direction at will.

To the foregoing ends my invention consists in many novel details of construction and combinations of parts, such as will be fully pointed out hereinafter, and, in order that my invention may be fully understood, 1 will now proceed to describe an engine constituting an embodiment thereof, having reference to the accompanying drawings illustrating the same, and will then point out the novel features in claims.

In the drawings: Figure 1 is a view in approximately central longitudinal section through a turbine engine constructed in accordance with my invention. Fig. 2 is a view in vertical transverse section therethrough, the casing being shown in central section and the impelling element upon such a liue as to disclose the buckets upon one side of the transverse medial plane thereof such as l hereinafter term the high pressure buckets; the line of this section is indicated by the line i2-2 in. Fig. 8. Fig. 3 is a view in vertical transverse section through the engine, the line of section passing through the stationary reaction member in close proximity to the impclling high pressure bucketsshown in Fig. 2, as indicated by the line 3-3 in llig. 8. Fig. 4; is a view in transverse vertical section through the engine upon a line passing through the stationary reaction member in close proxunity to the buckets upon one side of the transverse medial plane thereof such as I hereinafter term the low pressure buckets the point of view, however, being in a direction looking toward the high pressure buckets; the line of this section is indicated by the line -l -l; in Fig. 8. Fig. 5 in a diagrammatic view in development looking down upon the stationary abutment in which the reaction surfaces are contained and upon the periphery of the rotary element. Fig. (3 is a diagrammatic view showing the relation of the impelling buckets in the rotary element to the reaction surfaces in the stationary abutment. Fig. 7 is a view in transverse section through the rotary impelling element and in side elevation of one of the stationary rings looking toward the high-pressure reaction surfaces therein. The line of section is indicated by the line 7--7 in Fig. 8. Fig. 8 is a detail view in longitudinal section upon a somewhat larger scale through the stationary rings and the peripheral portion of the inipelling wheel, the plane of section being indicated by the line S-S in Figs. 3 and 4:.

In general the engine comprises a stationary casing 10 provided with end heads 11 and a rotary impclling element 12 mounted upon a central drive shaft 13 which is journaled in suitable bearings 14 carried by the end heads 11 of the casing. The casing 10 has a substantially cylindrical bore therein concentrically arranged with respect to the axis of rotationof the rotary element, and secured fast therein within the said bore are two rings 15 constituting stationary abutment elements in which the reaction surfaces for the motive fluid are contained, as will be presently described. As a matter of convenience in manufacture the rotary impclling element 12 is made in two parts lo lti divided upon a medial plane, the end portions of the parts it) being extended outwardly in llangc-like form as appears at 17 in Fig. 1 of the drmvings. Between these [hinge-like portions 17, the rotary clement carries a ring 18 rigidly secured thereto, the outer faces of the ring portion 18 and the inner faces of the llange portion 17 containing recesses such as constitute buckets for receiving the motive fluid as follows: Referring now particularly to Figs. 1 and 2 the ring 18 will be seen to contain four sets of buckets l920-21-22 disposed in concentric annular rings around each other, the rings being offset or stepped laterally with respect to each other as appears in Fig. 1, the uppermost ring of buckets 19 being nearest to the medial. plane of the impelling wheel and the rings 202122 being offset outwardly from the medial plane as they ap proach toward the axial centers of the impelling wheel wherein they constitute a series of steps. For convenience of description I have termed these buckets herein as the high pressure buckets of the impelling wheel, it being understood that there is a similar set of these high pressure buckets upon each side of the medial plane which face in the opposite direction, 2'. e., both these sets of high pressure buckets face outward from the said medial plane. Upon the side of the flange-like portion 17 of the impelling wheel facing the high pressure buckets area set of low pressure buckets arranged in concentric rings 23 24 5, the said rings being laterally ofiset as they progress toward the outer periphery of the impel-ling wheel so that they are substantially complementary to the sets of buckets 19-- 202122 in the ring 18, except that the inner ring of buckets 23 in the flange 17 corresponds to the two inner rings 21 and 22 in the ring member 18, the buckets of the set 2-3 being of such a size to be substantially opposite the buckets of both of the sets 21 and 22, the buckets of the sets 24L and 25 be ing opposite respectively to the buckets of the sets 20 and 19, The general shape of the buckets will be understood by reference to the diagrammatic View Fig. 6 in which the buckets appear in end view, read in connection with Fig. 2 in which they appear in side elevation. Each of the buckets is in the form of elongated recesses having curved ends 26 terminating in sharp edges 27 upon the face of the portion of the impelling wheel containing them, the said buckets hav ing a substantially triangular abutment or dividing wall 28 intermediate their ends and projecting inward from the face of the part containing them to a distance part of the way into the complete recess. The high and low pressure buckets just described are arranged face to face with re-action surfaces in the stationary abutment elements 15, and one complete set of the high pressure re action surfaces appears in Fig. 7. These reaction surfaces are comprised in a plurality of concentric rings corresponding to the rings of the buckets in the impelling wheel, and as there are four of these high pressure bucket rings upon each side of the impelling wheel there are correspondingly four sets of high pressure reaction surfaces in the stationary abutment elements. These reaction surfaces are arranged in six groups with.

.2973031-3233-34, the groups 2931 the ring, and the groups 3032 and 84 being similarly arranged in alternation there- Considering first of all the groups 29-8l and 33 the recesses will be seen to be progressively arranged, that is to say, the outer set thereof constitutes a ring segment which extends through nearly one-sixth of the circumference, while the next set commences at a later period looking toward the left in Fig. 7, and so on,each set progressively toward the central axis of the en gine commencing later and extending through a shorter arc. Reference is made to Fig. 6 for the cross-sectional form of these reaction surfaces or recesses, such surfaces or recesses being designated individually by the reference character 35. They are re cessed from the surfaces of the abutment element, forming channels which enter into the interior thereof and emerge at a point farther in advance, the portion between the point of entry and the point of emergence constituting a wall or abutment 3 6. The total length of each recess is just equal to the total distance between the contiguous ends of adjacent buckets, but the distance between the recesses is slightly in excess of the width of the bridge wall 28 of the buckets. The reason for this is as follows: The motive fiuid in the operation of the engine enters a bucket and is projected first against the bridge piece 28 thereof and then toward the forward wall thereof, thereby exertingan impactive force upon the rotating element tending to move it in the direction of the arrow'in Fig. 6. This motive fluid emerges from the forward end of the bucket and enters the rear end of one of the channels or recesses 35 in the stationary abutment element, and in the reaction due to the reversal of the direction of the .motive fluid therein exerts a further force tending to move the rotary elements in the same direction. The motive fluid is then again projected forward and in the direction of the next succeeding bucket into which it enters and imparts a further portion of its energy. This again continues except that when it reaches a point wherein it can enter the recess of the next succeeding stage it will expand to the extent permitted by the increase of area afforded by the two sets of recesses and the two sets of buckets, as will presently be explained. As the motive fluid moves I forward, however, through the various ref cesses, the rotating element will be moved in the same direction, hence the distance beftween tue recesses or channels 35 is desige nated to be such that at a predetermined rate of movement of the rotary element, the rear or admlsslon end of the buckets will successlvely register with the forward or discharge ends of the re-action recesses or while the outermost. is the shortest.

naoneoa channels 85. this arrangement there is at no time any continuous channel for the motive fluid. Assuming the rotating element to be stationary for instance, it will then beseen that by reason of the increase of distance between the abtument recesses the motive fluid will be cut oii from further movement after it has passed through several of the buckets and will not be able to move farther along until in a movement of the rotary element the forward buckets are gradually open to the recesses.

The groups 29-3l and 33 of the reaction recesses are arranged for co-action with the buckets in the rotary impelling element during the movement of the latter in one directi on, and for simplicity of description this direction may be termed herein the forward direction of the engine and is indicated in the variousviews by arrows. re-action surfaces or recesses of the groups 3032:34 our the other hand are arranged for co-action with the buckets upon the impelling wheel when the latter is rotating in the opposite direction, 11. (3., in a direction opposite to that of the arrows in the several figures, which direction will be termed herein the rearward direction. The recesses of the groups 30-32 and 34 are, for the foregoing reason, oppositely arranged with respect to the recesses of the groups 29-31 and 33; and furthermore, the innermost set or ring segment of each group is the longest,

for the reason as will presently appear that in. a rearward direction of drive motive fluid is admitted; to the inner rings of buckets first and passes-thence to the outer, while in the forward driving, motive. fluid is first understood by reference to Fig. 3, crossover passages or channels 37 being provided for this purpose. At their forward ends the entire set of each of the groups are arranged to communimite with transfer passages 38 which communicate with transfer valves There are three of these transfer valves 39 arranged equidistantly around the engine, being disposed between the contiguous groups of recesses 29 and 30, 31 and 32, 33 and 3d, and when the valves are Set in the position for forward driving the transfer passages 38 of the groups 29-31 and 33 are arranged in direct conununication therethrough with low pressure reaction surfaces upon the opposite side of the rings It will? also be seen that by The This is 15. Referring to Fig. 4 it will there be seen tthat there. are six groups of recesses constituting low pressure reaction surfaces correlsponding to the six high pressure groups ishown in Fig. 7. These groups are respec tively designated by the reference characters l()-:l1-t2-l3-tl-t5, the groups 40 12 and -14 being arranged in communilcation with the groups 20-31 and 33, while the groups 4J3-4-l and 43 are complementary to the groups 30--32 and 3-1. When the values 39 are set for forward driving of the engine as above described, the rear ends of the transfer passages 38 of the group 29 for instance, communicate through the valve 39 with the forward end of the innermost set of the reaction surfaces 40 that is to say, at the end thereof first approached in the forward direction of rotation of the engine. The sets of low pressure recesses have crossover passagis 37 at their forward and rear ends corresponding to the similar cross-over passages already referred to for connecting the several sets of each of the groups of high pressure reaction sl'lrifaces, and at their rear end each of the low pressure groups of surfaces connect either directly or through certain of these crossover passages with exhaust chambers 46. There are three of these exhaust chambers 46 upon each side of the engine, located respectively in proximity to the contiguous exhaust ends of each pair of the low pressure groups, 2'. 0., the groups employed in both directions of rotation of the engine, as will be well understood by reference to the drawings and particularly to Fig. 4 thereof.

The engine is provided with three inlet valvesdi, located. equidistantly around the casing of the engine and disposed between the inlet ends of the contiguous groups of the high pressure recesses, that to say, they alternate in position with the position of the transfer valves 35). Each of these valves in the construction herein shown comprises a rotatably mounted disk 48 having two openings l9 therein (see Figs. 2 and 5). The valve is arranged to be moved to the position shown in the lower part of F ig. 5 I wherein the openings -19 will be in line with l passages which laid to buckets in the rotary l inipelling member in the immediate proximity of the inlet ends of the outermost high pressure reaction surface recesses of 11 the groups 29-31 and 33 respectively, and 1 when the valves are adjusted to such a. position the engine will be adjusted for forward driving, '1'. (1., driving in the direction of the arrows in the drawing. W hen these valves ,l-T, however, are rotated through an angle of 180 degrees and in which position one of them is shown in the upper part of Fig. 5, these openings 1-9 will be in line with other passages which lead to buckets in the rotary impelling member in proximity to the &

inlet end of the innermost set of the reaction surface recesses of the groups 3()32 and 34L, and in this position of the. valves the engine will be adusted for rearward to those buckets of the impelling wheel con-,

tained in the outer rings 19 thereof such as are in the immediate proximity of the inlet openings in line with the said valves, thence the motive fluid will pass to the first high pressure reaction surface recesses of the outermost sets of the groups 293133: Thence the motive fluid will pass backward and forward between the reaction surfaces in the outermost sets of the groups 2931 and 33 and the buckets in the rings 19 of the rotary member as the said reaction surface recesses are successively reached. When the first cross-over passages 37 which connect the outermost and next succeeding sets of recesses of the groups 2931 and 33 are reached, the motive fluid will be permitted to enter the buckets not only of the outer rings 19 of the rotary element, but also the buckets of the rings 20 thereof, and in the further movement of the rotary member the motive fluid will pass backward and forward between the buckets in the two rings 19 and 20 of the rotary element and the reaction surfaces in the two outermost sets or rin se ments of the 'rou as 29-3133.-

h C b The motive fluid will thus be permitted to expand into substantially twice the space it heretofore occupied. In the further movement of the impelling wheel it will successively reach the cross-over passages 37 which connect the reaction surface recesses of the next succeeding ring segments of the groups 2931 and 33, and so on until the innermost of the ring segments have been reached. Thence the motive fluid will pass through the transfer passages 37 and through the transfer valves 39; thence the motive fluid will pass to the opposite side of the stationary abutment rings 15 to the low pressure groups of reaction surface recesses 10-42 and 4%. It will then pass progressively through the several stages therein in the same manner as has been heretofore'described in connection. with the several stages in the high pressure side, to be finally discharged through the exhaust passages 46.

It will be understood that the low pressure buckets and reaction surfaces are of larger area than the high pressure buckets and reaction surfaces, the channel provided by the sets thereof which first receive the motive fluid from the high pressure sets being of a capacity somewhat greater than all of the high pressure sets, so that the motive fluid will expand from the high pressure sets to the low pressure sets, and will of course continue to expand through the several stages of the low pressure sets as the successive sets thereof are reached and their area is added to the previously reached sets, just as was described in connection with the high pressure sets.

From the foregoing it will be apparent that considering the four concentric ring segments of the high pressure reaction surfaces and the three concentric ring segments of the low pressure reaction surfaces, the motive fluld will pass through seven stages successively so that 1t w1ll be permitted to expand no less than seven times before it finally reaches the exhaust. Furthermore, because of the admission at three points in the engine this will be taking place through three different channels equidistantly arranged around the axial center of the engine, whereby there will be a complete balancing of pressure so far as the central bearings of the rotating element are concerned. When the engine is to be run in the opposite direction, 11. 6., in a rearward direction as it has been heretofore termed, the position of the inlet valves 48 is reversed as is also the position of the transfer valves 39. Motive fluid in such a case passes to the buckets in the impelling wheel which are in proximity to the inlet end of the segments of reaction surface recesses of the innermost ring segments of the groups 30 3234t. The motive fluid passes backward and forward through the buckets in the impelling wheel progressively in the opposite direction to that above described, being gradually brought into cooperation with the recesses of the outer ring segments of the groups 3032-3 l progressively, until finally they reach the outer transfer passages 38 which connect with the transfer valves39. The transfer valves 39 are in a position now to close communication between the high pressure groups 2931 and 33 with their complementary low pressure groups 4042 and 44 and to open communication between the buckets of the high pressure groups 3032 and 33 with the complementary low pressure groups 4541 and 4:3. Thence the motive fluid will pass progressively through the buckets of the outer toward the buckets of the inner ring segments until they finally reach the cross-over passages 37 at the termination thereof through which they may pass out through the exhaust passages 4-.6 into'the casing from which they escape through the base thereof.

From the foregoing it will be seen that the engine may be run in either direction by the mere adjustment of the inlet valves 47 and the transfer valves 39, it being understood that when the engine is running in a forward direction the .reaction recesses of the high pressure groups 29-31 and 33 and of the low pressure groups l()-f2 and H are active while those of the high pressure groups 303234t and of the low pressure groups 4l5 t1 and 43 are idle, while the converse is true when the engine is run in a reverse or rearward direction. It may be noted that by reference to Fig. 5 the course of the motive fluid for forward driving may be traced by commencing with the lowermost inlet valve and so following the course of the motive fluid through the successive reaction surfaces and the transfer valves, While similarly the course of the motive fluid may be traced from the uppermost valve downward when the engine is run in a reverse or rearward direction. iVithreference to Fig. 5 it must be borne in mind that this view is purely diagrammatic and that in order to show the buckets and reaction surfaces upon a sufficiently large scale while at the same time disclosing a complete set of them, the number of them shown has been reduced from that which is shown in the constructional view.

What I claim is: y

1. A turbine engine comprising a stationary casing element and a rotary impelling element mounted therein, the said impelling and easing elements being provided with two sets of buckets and two sets of reaction surfaces, the sets of buckets and reaction surfaces being arranged for respective coengagement, one of the said sets being shorter than the other set in the same element and commencing at a later period in the direction of rotation of the impelling element, whereby one of the said sets upon each of the casing and impelling elements will be in ctrengagement during a portion of the rotation of the impelling element and both of the said sets will be in such co-engagement during another portion of the rotation thereof. r

2. A turbine engine comprising a casing and a rotary il'npelling element mounted therein, the said impelling element and casing being provided with a plurality of sets of buckets and reaction surfaces progres sively disposed, the several sets being arranged to be successively connected with the preceding sets in the rotation of the rotary element whereby the area of the successive sets will be added to the area of the preceding sets to provide for the expansion of the motive fluid. through successive stages.

A turbine engine comprising a casing and a rotary impelling element, the said impelling element and easing being provided with a plu 'ality of concentrically disposed sets of buckets and reaction surfaces, the buckets of each of the said sets being uniformly disposed to form complete rings, while the sets of reaction surfaces in the casing element are intermittently disposed to constitute ring segments of pro gressively decreasing length, the reaction surfaces of the several ring segments of each group being connected at the forward and rearward ends of the said segn'lents.

4-. A turbine engine comprising a casing and a rotary impelling element, the Said impelling element and easing being provided with a plurality of comzentrically disposed sets of buckets and reaction surfaces, the buckets of each of the said sets being uniformly disposed to form complete rings, while the sets of reaction surfaces in the easing element are intermittently disposed to constitute ring segments of progressively decreasing length, the terminal portions of the several sets of ring segments in each group being disposed in substantially the same radial lines, the reaction surfaces of the several ring segments of each group being connected at the approach and terminal ends of the said segments.

5. A turbine engine comprising a stationary casing element and a rotary impelling element mounted to rotate therein, the said casing and impelling elements having adj accnt lateral faces, the one having a plurality of cmicentrieally disposed reaction recesses therein, and the other with a plurality of concentrically disposed buckets arranged for respective co-engagement with the said reaction recesses, the several sets of reaction surfaces being of progressively decreasing length and arranged to commence at progressively later periods in the rotation of the impelling element, the said engine being provided with cross-over passages which connect the reaction surfaces of the several sets together, whereby in the rotation of the impelling element the area of the succeeding sets of reaction surfaces and buckets may be added to the area of the preceding sets so that the motive fluid may expand therethrongh in several stages.

(3. A turbine engine comprising a stationary casing element and a rotary impelling element mounted to rotate therein, the said casing and impelling elements being provided with complememary ring portions coiuzentrically disposed and laterally offset, the complementary lateral faces of the said ring-like portions of the casing and impelling elements having reaction surfaces and buckets respectively therein, the said reaction surfaces extending tlnrough progressively decreasing arcs uponthesaid ring-like portions, substantially as specified.

7. A turbine engine comprising a casing and a rotary impelling element mounted to rotate therein, the said rotary impelling element having a plurality of peripheral grooves therein of progressively increasing width, and the said chamber having an inwardly projecting portion fitted thereto whereby the complementary faces of the said inwardly projecting portion of the casing and of the outwardly projecting portion of the impelling element are arranged in a series of concentrically laterally offset rings occupying oarallel planes at right angles to the axis 0 rotation of therotary element, the said complementary faces of the casing and impelling members being provided with a plurality of recesses to constitute buckets and reaction surfaces.

8. A turbine engine comprising a casing and a rotary impelling element mounted to rotate therein, the said rotary impelling element having a plurality of peripheral grooves therein of progressively increasing width, and the said chamber having an inwardly projecting portion fitted thereto, whereby the complementary faces of the said inwardly projecting ortion of the casing and of the outwar ly projecting portion of the impelling element are arranged in a series ofconcentrically laterally offset rings occupying parallel planes at right angles to the axis of rotation of the rotary element, the said complementary faces of the casing and impelling members being provided with a plurality of recesses to constitute buckets and reactionsurfaces, the reaction surfaces upon each side of the said inwardly projecting portion of the casing being arranged to extend through progressively decreasing arcs.

9. A turbine engine comprising a casing and a rotary impelling element mounted to rotate therein, the said rotary impelling element having a plurality of peripheral grooves therein, of progressively increasing width, and the said chamber having an inwardly projecting portion fitted thereto, whereby the complementary faces of the said inwardly projecting portion of the casing and of the outwardly projecting portion of the impelling element are arranged in a se ries of concentrically laterally offset rings occupying parallel planes at right angles to the axis of rotation of the rotary element,

the said complementary faces of the casing and impelling members being provided with a plurality of recesses to constitute buckets and reaction surfaces, the reaction surfaces upon each side of the said inwardly projecting portion of the casing being arranged to extend through progressively decreasing arcs and to commence at progressively later periods in the rotation of the impelling element.

I0. A turbine engine comprising a casing and a rotary impelling element mounted to rotate therein, the said rotary impelling ele- 'ment having a plurality of peripheral grooves therein of progresslvely increasing width, and the said chamber having an inwardly projecting portion fitted thereto, whereby the complementary faces of the sam inwardly projectin portion of the casing and of the outwarc 1y projecting portion or the impelling element are arranged in a series of concentrically laterally offset rings occupying parallel planes at right angles to the axis of rotation of the rotary element, the said complementary faces of the casing and impelling members being provided with a plurality of recesses to constitute buckets and reaction surfaces, the area of the said buckets and of the said reaction surfaces being-larger upon one side of the said in wardly projecting portion of the, casing than upon the other, whereby the reaction surraces and buckets upon one side constitute highpressure elements and upon the other side low pressure elements, the capacity of one set of the low pressure buckets and recesses being in excess of the capacity of all of the high pressure buckets and recesses.

11. A turbine engine comprising a casing and a rotary impelling element mounted to rotate therein, the said rotary impelling element having a plurality of peripheral grooves therein of progressively increasing width, and the said chamber having an inwardly projecting portion fitted thereto, whereby the complementary faces of the said inwardly projecting portion of the casing and of the outwardly projecting portion of the impelling element are arranged in a series of concentrically laterally ofiset rings occupying parallel planes at right angles to the axis of rotation of the rotary element, the said complementary faces of the casing and impelling members being provided with a plurality of recesses to constitute buckets and reaction surfaces, the reaction surfaces upon each slde of the said inwardly proecting portion of the casing being arranged to extend through progressively decreasing,

arcs, the area of the said buckets and of the said reaction surfaces being larger upon one side of the said inwardly projecting portion of the casing than upon the other, whereby the reaction surfaces and buckets upon one side constitute high pressure elements and upon the other side low pressure elements, the capacity of one set of the low pressure buckets and recesses being in excess of the capacity of all of the high pressure buckets and recesses.

12. A turbine engine comprising a casing and a rotary impelling element mounted to rotate therein, the said rotary impelling element having a plurality of peripheral grooves therein of progressively increasing width, and the said chamberhaving an inwardly projecting portion fitted thereto whereby the complementary faces of the said inwardly projecting portion of the casing and of the outwardly projecting portion of the impelling element are arranged in a series of concentrically late "ally otl'set rings occupying parallel planes at right angles to the axis of rotation of the rotary element, the said complementary faces of the casing and impelling members being provided with a plurality of recesses to constitute buckets and reaction surfaces, the reaction surfaces upon each side of the said inwardly projecting portion of the casing being arranged to extend through progressively decreasing arcs and to commence at progressively later periods in the rotation of the impelling element, the area of the said buckets and of the said reaction surfaces being larger upon one side of the said inwardly projecting portion of the casing than upon the other, whereby the reaction surfaces and buckets upon one side constitute high pressure elements and upon the other side low pressure elements, the capacity of one set of the low pressure buckets and recesses being in excess of the capacity of all of the high pressure buckets and recesses.

13. A turbine engine comprising a stationary easing element and a rotary impel- ;ling clement mounted therein, the said impelling element being provided with concentric rings of buckets and the said casing element being provided with two groups of concentrically disposed sets of reaction surfaces for complementary engagement with the said buckets, the said reaction surfaces in each group extending through arcs of progressively decreasing length and arranged to commence at progressively later periods in the rotation of the impelling element in one direction or the other respectively, and a reversing valve for admitting motive fluid to either one or the other of the said groups of reaction surfaces.

14. A. turbine engine comprising a casing and a rotary impelling element mounted to rotate therein, the said casing being provided with an inwardly projecting ring and the said impelling element having outwardl y projecting flanges for co-engagement with the opposite sides of the said ring, the inwardly facing portions of the impelling element flanges being recessed in concentric rings to form buckets, and the outer faces of the inwardly projecting portion of the casing being recessed to form complementary reaction surfaces, the reaction surfaces being formed in alternately arranged groups, each group comprising a plurality of sets concentrically disposed in arcs of progressively decreasing length, t 'ansfer passages for connecting the groups of reaction surfaces upon one side of the casing portion with other groups upon the other side thereof, and valves for controlling the said passages to determine which groups shall be so connected.

15. A turbine engine comprising a stationary casing element and a rotary impel- Iing element mounted therein, the said impelliug element being provided with concentric rings of high pressure buckets and other concentric rings of low pressure buckets, and the said casing element being provided with two groups of concentrically disposed reaction surfaces for complementary engagement with the high pressure buckets and two groups of concentrically disposed sets of reaction surfaces for complementary engagement with the said low pressure buckets, the said reaction surfaces of the said high pressure groups extending through arcs of progressively decreasing length and arranged to commence at progressively later periods in the rotation of the impelling element in one direction or the other, a reversing valve for admitting motive fluid to either one or the other of the said groups of high pressure reaction surfaces, transfer passages for connecting the roups of high pressure reaction surfaces with other groups of the low pressure reaction surfaces, and valves for controlling the said passages to determine which sets of groups shall be so connected.

16. A turbine engine comprising a casing and a rotary impelling element mounted to rotate therein, the said rotary impelling element being provided with a plurality of concentrically disposed rings of high pressure buckets and a plurality of concentrically disposed rings of low pressure buckets of larger area, the said casing being provided with a stationary element provided with groups of high pressure reaction surfaces for co-engagement with the high pressure buckets, and groups of low pressure reaction surfaces for coe1'1gage1nent with the low pressure buckets, the said high and low pressure groups of reaction surfaces being arranged in pairs, each group comprising concentrically arranged sets which extend through arcs of progressively decreasing length ar -angcd to be reached progressively later in the rotation of the impelling element, transfer valves for connecting the groups of the high and low pressure reaction surfaces of each pair alternatively together, and reversing valves for admitting motive fluid to either group of a said pair of high pressure reaction surfaces.

17. A turbine engine comprising a casing and a rotary impelling element therein, said impelling element being provided with a plurality of concentrically arranged sets of buckets open on the same side; the casing being provided with a plurality of sets of recesses, each set of recesses being in circumferential alinement with one of the sets of buckets and arranged to lead motive fluid from some of the buckets to others of the buckets on the same side of the impelling element; w

18. A turbine engine comprising a casing and a rotary impelling element therein, said impellin'g element being provided With a plurality of concentrically arranged sets of buckets open on the same side there being the same number of buckets in each set; the casing being provided With a plurality of sets of recesses there being an unlike number of recesses in each set, each set of recesses being in circumferential alinement With one of the sets of buckets and arranged to le-ad motive fluid from some of the buckets to others of the buckets on the same side of the impell-ing element, the several sets of recesses being arranged to be successively con nected with the preceding set or sets (luring the rotation of the impelling element Whereby the capacity of the buckets and recesses will be cumulatively added to provide for expansion of the motive fluid through successive stages; i a

EMIL ANDERSON. lVitnesses-z D. HoWA-Rn HAYWOOD? LYMAN S. ANDREWS, J r.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressing the "commissioner of Pateii'tb, WaShiii'gtbiI, (D. G.

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