1851 Great Exhibition: Official Catalogue: Class V.: Charles W. Siemens
46. SIEMENS, CHARLES W., Birmingham — Inventor.
Working model of a patent chronometric governor, acting upon a fly-wheel by means of a break, to illustrate its action. It has been applied to steam-engines, and by the Astronomer Royal to give smooth and accurate motion to astronomical instruments. It consists in substituting an expanding fly-wheel for the more delicate conical pendulum. The differential motion between this wheel and the engine directly affects the valve before any sensible error can have occurred, although the whole load of the engine may have been suddenly thrown off.
[The principle of this chronometric governor has been applied, with success, to regulate the supply of water to a barker's mill, or reaction engine.— J. G.]
Model of a variable expansion valve, consisting of a revolving cylinder divided in two in a helical curve corresponding with a helical aperture in the outer shell. The governor moves one portion of the revolving cylinder endways, and thereby varies the time for the admission of steam to the engine. This valve should be applied in connexion with the improved chronometric governor, which has sufficient power to work it with certainty.
Model of a surface condenser, showing an effective and simple arrangement of condensing surface.
Water-meter, in action, working under pressure. The novelty consists in the water impinging, in its passage, on two sets of helical blades which travel in opposite directions (being right and left handed), whereby deflection of the current and the effect of local currents are compensated. Its advantages are simplicity and efficiency of action.
Regenerative condenser, possessing the new and useful property of returning the condensing and condensed water at the initial temperature of the steam previous to its release from the working cylinder (or 212 degrees Fahr.), producing, nevertheless, an effective vacuum. When applied to high-pressure engines, it allows a large proportion of the waste steam to escape, and condenses the remainder with a minimum of condensing water.
Working model of a regenerative evaporator, applicable to the evaporation of brine, cane-juice, and other solutions, and saving nearly three-fourths of the fuel (1lb. of coal evaporates about 25lbs. of liquid). Its principle is similar to that involved in the regenerative condenser. The evaporator is generally applicable for the evaporation and distillation of liquids.