Improvements in Apparatus for Treating Water with Lime or other Matter for the Purpose of Purifying or Softening the said Water.
Year: 1884

page_text: Improvements in Apparatus for Treating Water with Lime or
other Matter for the Purpose of Purifying or Softening the
said Water.
I, ANDREW HOWATSON of 7 Lavender Hill in the County of Surrey Civil
Engineer do hereby declare the nature of said Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN
APPARATUS FOR TREATING WATER WITH LIME OR OTHER MATTER FOR THE PURPOSE
OF PURIFYING OR SOFTENING THE SAID WATER" to be as follows:-
My Invention has for its object to provide an apparatus for treating water with
lime or other matter for purifying or softening the said water whereby a large
amount of the labour and attention necessary in working such apparatus as hitherto
constructed is dispensed with. According to my Invention I provide a vessel at
the upper part of which is a perforated or reticulated tray or support in which
the lime or other purifying or softening agent is placed. At or towards the lower
part of the vessel is a mechanical agitator to which motion is given by a steam
Engine or other suitable motor. The said vessel is preferably partitioned into two
parts communicating at bottom so as to form a descending part at the top of which
the aforesaid tray or distributor is placed and an ascending part at which the outlet
is placed the agitator being placed in the communicating passage between the two
parts. The reagent is prepared in this vessel by water or other liquid being caused
to flow onto the purifying or softening agent which is thereby carried down with
the water or liquid into the descending part of the vessel and is then thoroughly.
mixed by the mechanical agitator and then ascends the ascending part and passes
into another vessel into which the water to be treated is admitted. This vessel is
preferably provided with a mechanical agitator or stirrer at the upper part which
can be conveniently driven by the motor used to drive the agitator or stirrer in the
other vessel.
This second vessel is also by preference divided into a descending and ascending
part as described with regard to the first vessel but the communication between
the parts in the second vessel is provided with a well with sloping sides for .the
deposit of solid matter.
The water used for mixing with the lime or other agent in the first vessel and
the water which is to be treated in the second vessel may be supplied from the

page_text: same tank or source from branches of the same pipe but in any case I prefer to
arrange the outlet nozzles or pipes themselves so that they bear a certain
proportion to each other in accordance with the proportions of water to be
delivered to each vessel. Where the same head of water is used to supply both
vessels it will be seen that by the use of nozzles or pipes properly proportioned to
each other the proper relative amounts of water can be readily supplied to each
vessel so that the solution of the purifying or softening agent prepared in the first
vessel is at once determinable and is supplied continuously in this predetermined
quantity to the second vessel to be mixed in due proportion with the water to be
treated.

page_text: Improvements in Apparatus for Treating Water with Lime or
other Matter for the Purpose of Purifying or Softening the.
said Water.
I ANDREW HOWATSON of 7 Lavender Hill in the county of Surrey, Civil
Engineer, do hereby declare the nature of this invention and in what manner
the same is to be performed to be particularly described and ascertained in and by
the following statement :-
My invention has for its object to provide an apparatus such as I show in the
annexed drawings for treating water with lime or other matter for purifying or
softening the said water whereby a large amount of the labour and attention
necessary in working such apparatus as hitherto constructed is dispensed with.
According to my invention I provide a rose A or a perforated or reticulated tray
or support at the upper part of an apparatus or vessel B, this vessel being supplied
with the water to be purified by or from the tank C by the pipe D. The lime or
other purifying or softening agent is placed upon the tray A.
The said vessel B is preferably divided into two parts E, F by a partition G so
as to form a descending channel E at the top of which the aforesaid tray or
distributor A is placed, and an ascending part F.
At or towards the lower part of the vessel B is a mechanical agitator H to which
motion is given by a steam engine I or other suitable motor.
The liquid leaves the channel F by the outlet J.
If a reagent be employed it is prepared in the vessel M by water or other liquid
from the tank N and thence by the pipe N¹ on to the purifying or softening agent
on the tray A and down with the water or liquid into the descending part E of
the vessel B and is then thoroughly mixed by the mechanical agitator H and then
ascends the ascending part F and passes into another vessel K into which the
water thus treated is admitted. This vessel K is preferably provided with a
mechanical agitator or stirrer P at the upper part, which can be conveniently
driven by the motor I used to drive the agitator or stirrer H in the other vessel.
. This second vessel K is also by preference divided into a descending part Q and
ascending part R as described with regard to the first vessel but the communication
between the parts in the second vessel is provided with a well S with sloping sides
for the deposit of solid matter.
The water mixed with the lime or other agent in the first vessel B may have a
further supply admitted into the second vessel K and may be supplied from the
same tank C or other source from a branch T of the same pipe D but in any case
I prefer to arrange the outlet nozzles or pipes themselves so that they bear a
certain proportion to each other in accordance with the proportions of water to be
delivered to each vessel B, K, so that the solution of the purifying or softening
agent prepared in the first vessel is at once determinable and is supplied continuously
in this predetermined quantity to the second vessel to be mixed in due proportion.
with the water to be treated.

page_text: Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said
invention and in what manner the same is to be performed I declare that what
I claim is
The improved means of treating water with Lime or other matter for the
purpose of purifying or softening the same, by the apparatus herein before described
and substantially as shown in the annexed drawings.
H. GARDNER,
166, Fleet Street, London,
Agent for the said A. Howatson.