Page:The Russell Engine-Four Valve Automatic Cut Off.djvu/6

 Compound Engines

Coming now to our "Four Valve Compound," we feel that we have covered the entire field of steam engineering, and our customers should have no trouble in selecting the partiuclar engine that will best suit their conditions. This engine was designed to obtain the utmost economy in steam consumption, and the success with which it has met this expectation is forcibly shown by its popularity in the market to-day.

In describing our simple engine the compound has been described as well, since it is exactly like in all details, the only difference being the addition of a second cylinder with its component parts. Steam is distributed in each cylinder by four valves, two for admission and two for exhaust, operated by the contrifugal shaft governor, which through the cut-off eccentric regulates the cut-off, the degrees of admission ranging from 0 to 75 per cent.

The cylinders are thoroughly jacketed to prevent escape of heat by radiation. The joints or faces at ends of cylinders, where these either join the bed or at the distance piece, are ground to a perfect surface, and no gaskets or other packing is used at these places, thus making a tight and permanent joint that will never give any trouble no matter how varying may be the temperature and other conditions affecting these parts.

The bed, while the same in outline as in the simple engine, is made much heavier, and by reason of the heavier duty for which the compound engine is intended we have made it of more ample proportions throughout.

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Fig. 6

Our cross compound engines are built with right-hand high pressure and left-hand low pressure side; that is, the high pressure engine is on the left side of the fly-wheel and the low pressure on the right side, when standing at the cylinders. That is our standard practice, but if ordered the other way we can readily comply.

The cranks are placed at an angle of ninety degrees, and the low pressure cut-off valve is operated by the shaft governor on the high pressure side, leaving only a fixed eccentric on the low pressure side of the fly-wheel. This eccentric operates the admission and exhaust valves only.

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