Falvey's Steam Turbine.

Progress, Volume II, Issue I, 1 November 1906, Page 12

Falveys Steam Turbine.

The steam turbine, as a high-speed motor, has reached a very high degree of efficiency, but there are many engineers who consider that it is still capable of great improvement, and that in its present form it is only what may be reasonably considered the pioneer in the art of steam-motor construction. Our illustrations show longitudinal and transverse sections respectively of a new turbine invented by Mr. Thos. Falvey, engineer, of Wellington, of which a model has recently been exhibited. According to Mr. Falveys invention a revolvable disc has, projecting from its face, a large number of inclined vanes arranged in concentric circles. These vanes enter annular spaces provided between concentric circles of fixed vanes, upon the casing of the turbine, and are inclined in a direction reverse to the movable vanes. Steam is admitted to the inner circles of fixed vanes and passing through the outer circles is expanded and finally exhausted into a condenser or to the atmosphere. Annular partitions, forming a disc, divide the vanes into two sets or series — the direction of the vanes of one set being the reverse of those of the other set. The invention will be understood by referring to the illustrations. It will be seen that the circles of vanes, i, 2 and 3, are fixed to a main disc, 4, which is mounted upon a shaft, 5, revolving in bearings, 6. The circles of vanes, 7, 8 and 9 are fixed to the back of the casing, 10, in which the disc, 4, and its vanes are adapted to revolve, the circles of moving vanes on the disc alternating with the circles of vanes fixed to the casing, 10.

The direction of the inclination of the moving vanes is the reverse of the direction of the fixed vanes. The vanes of the disc, 4, are provided with annular partitions, 14, and 15, and the vanes of the casing, 10, are provided with similar partitions, 16 and 17, so that when the disc is in operative position the partitions, 14, 15, 16 and 17, form two continuous discs dividing the vanes lengthwise into sets or series. Steam is admitted to the turbine through a passage, 25, and finds its way to the interior of the circular inlet valve, 26, which is provided with ports, 27, 28, 29 and 30. An exhaust valve, 38, is mounted upon the end of the shaft, 36, at the junction of two passages, 39 and 40, (Figure 1) through which exhaust steam passes to the exhaust pipe, 41. The steam from the ports, 42, passes into an annular space, 44, surrounding the valve casing, and thence finds its way through the fixed circle of vanes, 7, and is thereby deflected on to the circle of movable vanes, 1, by which it is again deflected on to the vanes, 8, and so on until it finds its escape outside the vanes and through the holes, 24, into the recess, 21, and thence to the exhaust passage, 40, and the exhaust pipe, 41, the valve, 38, being open as shown m Figure 1 When more power is required the valve, 26, is turned by the lever, 33, until the ports 28 are brought into correspondence with ports, 45 m the casing, 43.

Steam continues to pass through the ports. 27 and 42, and also passes through the ports, 28 and 45, and between the partitions, 16 and 17, whereby increased area of the vanes is subjected to the action of the steam. It is understood that Mr. Falvey will have a model of the invention working in the International Exhibition, and visitors who are interested in the subject will no doubt take an opportunity of seeing it at work.