Steam engine
OwnerFranz Krieglerinventor
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A steam engine wherein the inlet and relief valves are subjected to balanced stresses and the pressure of steam is maintained above the critical point. The engine can be braked electrically, mechanically and with steam; the braking with steam takes place subsequent to the application of electrical and mechanical brakes. The engine is equipped with arrangements for venting the steam path prior to starting, for replenishing the supply of fluid in order to compensate for leakage through the valves and/or from the engine cylinders, and with a control system which partly opens the relief valves and closes the inlet valves in response to actuation of the steam brake.
Claims17
In a steam engine for conversion of all kinds of heat energy into mechanical energy;
- the combination of engine cylinder means;
- reciprocable piston means in said cylinder means;
- rotary output means driven by said piston means;
- inlet valve means for admission of steam into said cylinder means and relief valve means for evacuating fluid from said cylinder means, said valve means including valving means acted upon by the pressure of fluid in said cylinder in an opening sense;
- means for biasing said valve means to closed positions;
- means for constantly balancing the force with which said pressure acts upon said valve means in the opening sense so that said valve means is subjected solely to the biasing force of said biasing means in the closing sense both in the open and closed positions of said valve means variable-ratio motion transmitting means for superimposing an opening force proportionate to said pressure upon the biasing force furnished by the respective biasing means so that the action of the latter upon said valving means prevails over that of said pressure at selected values thereof, including selector means movable to a plurality of positions for varying the pressure of steam which is admitted into said cylinder means by way of said inlet valve means and means controlled by said selector means and operative for opening said valve means and for simultaneously changing the degree of filling of said cylinder means with steam in dependence on the position of said selector means;
- condenser means;
- pump means;
- regulating means for relating the pressure in said condenser means to the operation of said pump means so as to achieve an optimum thermal efficiency by raising the condensation point to a maximum or to achieve maximum output by lowering said point to a minimum;
- and means for controlling the operation of said transmitting means, including speed-responsive governor means for indicating the speed of the engine, torque-responsive regulator means for indicating the output torque of the engine, and transmission and switching means interposed between said regulator and governor means and said transmitting means, and operative for changing the performance of the engine in dependency on the instantaneous conditions by so adjusting said transmitting means as to achieve opening and/or closing of said valve means as a combined function of the indications furnished by said governor means and said regulator means.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.