Turbine.

Application filed August 20, 1910. Serial No. 578,182.

To all whom it may concern:

. Be it known that I, Emil Anderson, a citizen of the United States, and a resident of New York, county and State of New 5 York, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Turbine or Impact Engines, of which the following is a specification, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, forming a part thereof.

. My invention relates to turbine or rotary impact engines, and particularly to compound engines of this character wherein, in addition to the motive fluid .being employed in successive stages, it is admitted at high 15 pressure at a plurality of points simultaneously.

The main object of my invention is to effect economy in operation and this object I attain by first, increasing the efficiency of 20 the engine: second, reducing the waste due to leakage.

In order that my invention may be thoroughly understood, I will now proceed to describe an embodiment thereof, having 25 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 central longitudinal section through an en³⁰ gine. constructed in accordance with my invention. Fig. 2 is a view in transverse vertical section, the plane thereof being substantially upon the line 2—2 of Fig. 1. Figs. 3, 4, and 5 are partial face views and views ³⁵ partly in section of the three inlet heads.

Figs. 6, 7,and 8 are sectional views through the impelling wheel and the stationary abutments which are formed as part of the heads shown in Figs. 3, 4, and 5, the planes of ⁴⁰ the sections 6. 7, and 8 being substantially parallel respectively with the face views in Figs. 3, 4, and 5. Fig. 9 is a detail view m side elevation of a portion of one of the low pressure elements of the impelling wheel. Figs. 10 and 11 are transverse sectional views through the buckets of the impelling wheel and the stationary abutments through which motive fluid 'is admitted thereto, the views being provided for the 5° purpose of showing,_ in somewhat diagrammatic form, the action of the motive fluid as it is admitted to the buckets.

In general, the engine comprises a suitable casing composed of a body portion 20 and end heads 21, and a rotary impelling wheel mounted therein. The casing is provided with a cylindrical bore 23 and three recesses 24 extending outwardly therefrom in a radial direction and substantially equidistantly disposed around the engine. The end 60 heads 21 are provided with suitable bearings 25 for supporting the shaft 26 of the impelling wheel. The impelling wheel 22 comprises a hub 27, a plurality of rotary rings 28, 29—29, 30—30, and 31—31 secured to ro- 65 tate therewith, and heads 32 which, by their abutting engagement with the rings and their screw-threaded engagement with the hub, secure the several parts together. The several rings of the impelling wheels are 70 provided near their peripheries with lateral depressions 33 constituting buckets for receiving the motive fluid, the walls of the recesses constituting impact surfaces against which the motive fluid acts to impart its 75 energy to the motor.

Located within the recesses 24—24 are three heads designated by the reference characters 34—35—36 respectively. Each of these heads includes a plurality of station- 80 ary plates 37 having portions which extend inwardly within the bore of the casing and between the several rotary rings 28—:29__

30—31. The inwardly extending portions of these plates constitute stationary abut- 85 ments as will presently be shown which serve, first, as a means through which motive fluid is admitted to the buckets; and second, as re-action elements for the motive fluid. The central pair of plates 37 of each 90 of the heads 34—35—36 combine with the buckets of the central ring 28 and the inner or adjacent buckets of the two rings 29 to constitute a plurality of high pressure stages in the engine, one for each of the said heads, ⁹⁵while the two pairs of outer plates 37 of the heads 34 and 35 combine with the buckets upon both sides of the rings 30, the outer buckets of both of the rings 29 and the buckets of both of the rings 31 (the ¹⁰⁰rings 31 having buckets upon one side only thereof) to constitute two low pressure stages in the engine. As will presently be shown there is no low pressure stage adjacent the head 36, the outer pairs of plates 37^a and 37^b therein being shorter and employed merely for the purpose of obstructing the passage of motive fluid at this point.

^_A11 of the blades except the plates 37^a and 37^b just referred to have transverse oblique ¹¹⁰

1,024,111 openings 38 therethrough near their front ends and lateral recesses 39 just in advance of these openings. The forward extremities of the blades are moreover pointed as at

S 40, Figs. 10 and 11.

Each of the heads 34—35—36 is provided with high pressure inlets 41 which communicate with tangential nozzles 42 through which motive fluid is directed at an angle 10 to the periphery of the ring 29, at a point in line with the ends of the buckets 33 therein. These nozzles are conveniently controlled by means of throttle valves in the form of rotatable plugs 43.

In addition to the high pressure nozzles 42 in each of the heads 34—35—36 the head 34 is provided with two low pressure nozzles 44 transversely in line with the high pressure nozzle 42, as appears more clearly , in

Fig. 3, while the head 35 is provided with low pressure nozzles 45—45 to the rear of the high pressure nozzles 42, as will be seen by reference to Figs. 2 and 4. The nozzles 44 in the head 34 are controlled by the same valve 43 which controls the high pressure nozzle 42 therein, while a special valve 46 controls the low pressure nozzles in the head 35. The nozzles 44 in the head 34 are fed from branch passages 47 which lead from the high pressure buckets near the periphery of the disks 28—29—29 at a point immediately in the rear of the plates 37, while the nozzles 45 in the head 35 are supplied‘from branch passages 53 which simi35 larly lead from the high pressure buckets of the rings 28—29—29 at a point immediately to the rear of the plates 37 in the said head 35. The rear ends of these plates 37 are oblique to the peripheries of the rings and 40 to the radial sides of the buckets as shown, so that the fluid is deflected by them out of the buckets into the passages 47. At their forward ends the nozzles 44 and 45 are in communication with the periphery of the low 45 pressure rings 30—30 and are arranged to deliver motive fluid to the ends of the buckets therein. The head 35 is also provided with other passages 48—48 which afford communication between the low pressure buckets ⁵⁰ at the periphery of the rings 29—29, 30—30, 31—31, over the plates 37 from points immediately to the rear thereof to points immediately in advance thereof. The forward ends of these passages wherein they again ⁵⁵ deliver the motive fluid to the low pressure buckets are preferably of expanding nozzle form. The head 36 is provided with branch passages 49 corresponding generally with the branch passages 47 in the head 34, the said ⁶⁰ passages being designed to receive motive fluid from the high pressure buckets at a point to the rear of the plates 37 in the head 36 and to deliver the motive fluid to the low pressure buckets at a point slightly to the ⁶⁵ rear of that at which high pressure fluid is admitted to the high pressure buckets through the head 36.

Immediately in advance of the head 36 the engine is provided with an exhaust passage 50 which is in open communication with the 70 low pressure buckets in the rings 29—29, 30—30, 31—31, but is closed to the high pressure buckets in the rings 28 and 29—29.

The operation of the engine is as follows: Motive fluid.is admitted through all three 75 of the nozzles 41 in the heads 34—35—36 simultaneously, but for convenience of description I will first describe the action of the motive fluid which enters the high pressure nozzle in the head 34, and then after- 80 ward in order, the action of the steam which enters the high pressure nozzles in the heads 35 and 36. Motive fluid in entering the high pressure nozzle 41 in the head 34 passes through the nozzle 42 directly to the ends 85 of the high pressure buckets in the rings 28— 29—29, entering and filling up the buckets as they pass beneath the said nozzle. Being delivered at an angle the motive fluid will impinge against the forward walls of the ⁹⁰buckets whereby a certain portion of the energy of the motive fluid will be imparted to the impelling wheel to rotate the same in the direction of the arrow in Fig. 2.

Referring now particularly to Fig. 10 the ⁹³motive fluid will pass from the buckets in the ring 28 through the oblique openings 38 in the plates 37, which are slightly wider on the outside of the plates to allow for some expansion of the fluid, and will be directed ¹⁰⁰toward the forward walls of the buckets in the adjacent surfaces of the rings 29. This will produce a further impulse upon the impelling wheel as will be well understood. In the position of the parts shown in Fig. 10 1°⁵the motive fluid will pass thence through the lateral recesses 39 in the plates 37 to the buckets in the rings 29 in advance of those in line with the lateral openings 38, the shape of the recesses being such as to again ¹¹⁰direct the motive fluid upon the forward Avails of the buckets, upon which it now acts expansively, and thereafter the motive fluid will pass in front of the sharpened edges 40 of the plates 37 to the buckets in D-⁵advance of the said plates, through the corrugated passages which are formed on account of the fact that the buckets on adjacent faces of the rings 28 and 29 are staggered. Referring now to Fig. 11, it will be ¹²⁰seen that as the impelling wheel advances a certain portion of the motive fluid will pass through the recesses 39 upon the sides of the plates 37 adjacent to the ring 28 and.so will be deflected toward the front walls of the ¹²⁵advanced buckets in the said ring 28 and on through the corrugated passages between ring 28 and the other ring 29, in the same manner as was just described. Between the relative positions shown in Figs. 10 and 11 ¹³⁰

1,024,111 there is an intermediate position in which the outlet passages for the fluid are nearly or quite closed. This is because of the fact that the nozzle 42 overlaps the openings 38 ₅ but does not extend to the recesses 39. This construction affords high torque at starting and in running at low speeds.

After the motive fluid has entirety passed the plates . 37 in the head 34 it will travel io v/ith the impelling wheel but at a speed greater than the speed of the impelling wheel, and by its successive engagement with the forward walls of the several buckets, will impart, still further energy thereto. 15 The buckets in the adjacent rings are, it will be noted, arranged in staggered relation to each other so that a zig-zag passage is provided for the motive fluid such as will tend to produce the greatest efficiency of the mo20 tive fluid as it passes around the engine. 'When the motive fluid reaches the head 35 it will be deflected by the rear edges of the plates 37 into the low pressure passage 35, passing along the branches thereof to the 25 low pressure nozzles 45, to the low pressure buckets in the rings 30. At these points it will be distributed by the forward ends of the low pressure plates 37 in the head 35 to the buckets in rings 31 and the low pressure go buckets in rings 29 in the same manner as was just described in connection with the high pressure plates in the head 34. There being two sets, however, of the plates and two sets of low pressure buckets, each of gg, which is of a capacity equal to the said high pressure buckets and plates previously described, the motive fluid will be permitted to expand to twice its previous volume where₇by the expansive force of the motive fluid 40 may be used, as is common in compound engines. The motive fluid will now pass along through the low pressure portion of the impelling wheel until it reaches the exhaustpassage 50 through which it will be dis45 charged. It may be noted that the low pressure plates 37^a—37^b in the head 36 will not prevent the free passage of the motive fluid to exhaust because of the fact they are not of sufficient length to do so, as will be seen 50 by reference to Fig. 8 and the dotted lines in Fig. 2.

Now considering the passage of the high pressure motive fluid which enters through the head 35.. This motive fluid passes 55 through the high pressure nozzle 42 in the said head,, thence to the high pressure buckets, being distributed by the high pressure plates 37 therein in the same manner as was described in connection with the admis60 sion of high pressure motive fluid through the head 34; thence the motive fluid will pass, through the high pressure portion of the impelling wheel to the passage 49 in the head 36, thence through the branch portions 65 of the said passage (see Fig. 5), thence to the low pressure buckets of the impelling wheel, and thence almost immediately to exhaust. . It may be noted that while the motive fluid from the high pressure portion of the wheel at this point enters the low pres- ₇₀sure portion of the wheel it is not distributed therein through plates 37 because there are no plates at this point corresponding to the plates 37 in the other heads, the only low pressure plates being the low pressure plates 75 37^a and 37^b which are arranged in advance of this point for confining the motive fluid to its proper point.

The motive fluid which enters the high pressure nozzle 42 in the head 36 passes into ₈o the high pressure buckets in the impelling wheel, being distributed therein through high pressure plates 37 in the same manner as was described in connection with the high pressure motive fluid in the head 34, ₈₅thence through the impelling wheel to the passage 47 in the head 34 and through the branches thereof to the low pressure nozzles 44. thence being distributed by the low pressure plates 37 in the head 34 through the 90 low pressure portion of the impelling wheel to the head 35, thence through the cross-over passages 48 back to the low pressure portion of the impelling wheel in advance of the head 45, and thence past the head 36 to the 95 exhaust 50.

From the foregoing it will be seen that the motive fluid is fully compounded through two stages from the heads 36 and 34, while the motive fluid from the head 35 100 is exhausted through the low pressure side of the wheel and a part of its energy is used expansively though not to such an extent as it is from, the other heads. As a result of the foregoing, however, I am enabled to 105 employ but a single exhaust for an engine having three high pressure points of admission and by this means I have avoided much loss otherwise liable to occur through leakage, etc., as is the case where three separate no and independent exhausts are ’employed. As this question of loss of leakage is one of great importance in engines of this descrip- . tion,.I have provided special means for preventing leakage between the periphery of 11.5 the impelling wheel members and the casing as follows: I have provided two stationary rings 51—51 suitably secured to the casing body 20 within the bore 23 thereof and surrounding the rings 29—29. The inner faces 120 of these rings are stepped as are the corresponding peripheral faces of the said rings 29—29 as will be readily understood by reference to Fig. 1. In order now for the motive fluid to pass directly from the high 125 pressure to the low pressure buckets over the edges of the rings 29—29, it will be necessary for them to pass a succession of surfaces and a succession of shoulders, each of which will act to oppose such passage. 130

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1,024,111

To prevent the lateral escape of motive fluid from the low pressure portion of the impelling wheel I have provided stationary rings 52—52 conveniently secured to the end 5 heads 21 of the casing and arranged for coaction with the outer faces of the rings 31. These rings may conveniently be adjustable so that wear may be compensated for.