AN IMPROVED AUTOMATIC BOLLER FEEDING APPARATUS, APPLICABLE ALSO AS A FLUID METRE
Year: 1871

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to John Grindrod, of Manchester, in the County of
Lancaster, Engineer, for the Invention of "AN IMPROVED AUTOMATIC
BOLLER FEEDING APPARATUS, APPLICABLE ALSO AS A FLUID METRE."
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said John Grindrod at the
Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on the
13th May 1871.
.
I, JOHN GRINDROD, of Manchester, in the County of Lancaster,
Engineer, do hereby declare the nature of the said Invention for "AN
IMPROVED AUTOMATIC BOILER FEEDING APPARATUS, APPLICABLE ALSO AS A FLUID
METRE," to be as follows:-
My Invention consists of a vessel placed above the level of the boiler
to be fed; at the top of this vessel is a vacuum valve opening inwards.
Within the vessel are two equilibrium valves which are opened and
closed by a float moving on a vertical rod. The vessel is connected to
the water reservoir and to the boiler by pipes provided with check
valves. When the boiler requires a supply of feed water the steam from

page_text: the boiler is admitted to the upper part of the vessel, thereby causing
the water in the vessel to flow into the boiler. As soon as the vessel is
empty the float closes one equilibrium valve to shut off the steam and
opens the other to allow the steam in the vessel to escape into the feed
water; the top valve then falls to allow the air in the vessel to escape as
the water flows in through the check valve. When the float arrives at
the top of the vessel it reverses the position of the valves to shut off the
water and to admit steam; these operations are repeated automatically
until the water in the boiler regains its proper level.
The above apparatus may be used as a meter for water and other
fluids by the addition of a registering dial actuated by the vacuum valve
or other moving part connected thereto.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent,
filed by the said John Grindrod in the Great Seal Patent Office on
the 13th November 1871.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, JOHN
GRINDROD, of Manchester, in the County of Lancaster, Engineer, send
greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her
Letters Patent, bearing date the Thirteenth day of May, in the year of
our Lord One thousand eight hundred and seventy-one, in the thirty-
fourth year of Her reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors,
give and grant unto me, the said John Grindrod, Her special license
that I, the said John Grindrod, my executors, administrators, and
assigns, or such others as I, the said John Grindrod, my executors,
administrators, and assigns, should at any time agree with, and no,
others, from time to time and at all times thereafter during the term
therein expressed, should and lawfully might make, use, exercise, and
vend, within the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland, the
Channel Islands, and Isle of Man, an Invention for "AN IMPROVED
AUTOMATIC BOILER FEEDING APPARATUS, APPLICABLE ALSO AS A FLUID METER,"
npon the condition (amongst others) that I, the said John Grindrod,
my executors or administrators, by an instrument in writing under my,
or their, or one of their hands and seals, should particularly describe and
ascertain the nature of the said Invention, and in what manner the same
"

page_text: was to be performed, and cause the same to be filed in the Great Seal
Patent Office within six calendar months next and immediately after the
date of the said Letters Patent.
NOW KNOW YE, that I, the said John Grindrod, do hereby declare
the nature of my said Invention, and in what manner the same is to
be performed, to be particularly described and ascertained in and by
the following statement, that is to say :-
My Invention consists of a vessel placed above the level of the boiler
to be fed; at the top of this vessel is a vacuum valve opening inwards.
Within the vessel are two equilibrium valves which are opened and
closed by a float moving on a vertical rod. The vessel is connected to
the water reservoir and to the boiler by pipes provided with check valves.
When the boiler requires a supply of feed water, the steam from the
boiler is admitted to the upper part of the vessel, thereby causing the
water in the vessel to flow into the boiler. As soon as the vessel is
empty the float closes one equilibrium valve to shut off the steam,
and opens the other to allow the steam in the vessel to escape into the
feed water; the top valve then falls to allow the air in the vessel to
escape as the water flows in through the check valve. When the float
arrives at the top of the vessel it reverses the position of the valves to
shut off the water and to admit steam. These operations are repeated
automatically until the water in the boiler regains its proper level.
The above apparatus may be used as a metre for water and other
fluids by the addition of a registering dial actuated by the vacuum valve
or other moving part connected thereto.
And in order that my Invention may be fully understood and readily
carried into operation, I will proceed to describe the accompanying Sheet
of Drawings, in which Fig. 1 is a section of my improved automatic
boiler feeding apparatus; Fig. 2 is another section of the apparatus ;
Fig. 3 is a sectional plan view; and Fig. 4 an enlarged section of the
valves.
a represents an upright cylindrical vessel or reservoir supported upon
legs a¹ at any convenient point adjacent to but at a higher level than
the steam boiler which is to be fed with water. At the top of this
reservoir is a hemispherical projection b, with which communicates a
short tube provided with the vacuum valve ', and at the bottom of
the reservoir is a similar projection 62, to which is connected a pipe c,
communicating with the steam boiler at any convenient point below the

page_text: low water line and provided close to the reservoir with a check valve c¹
of ordinary construction, which opens in the direction of the arrow, see
Fig. 1; d is a steam pipe, one end of which communicates with the
steam boiler at the proper water line, while its opposite end passes
through one side of the reservoir a, and terminates within the same in
a valve casing e, the latter having an outlet pipe f, which projects
upwards towards the top of the reservoir. The pipe c, by which water
under a moderate pressure is supplied to the reservoir, communicates
with the latter at the lower end of the same, and the said pipe is
furnished with a branch g, which also enters the reservoir, and which
terminates within the same in a valve casing e¹, precisely similar to the
casing e and arranged at a point directly beneath the same, the said
casing being also provided with an outlet pipe f¹ which projects towards
the bottom of the reservoir. The supply pipe c is furnished at a point
between its branch 9 and the reservoir with a check valve c³, opening
in the direction of the arrow, and the said pipe should also be pro-
vided at a point beyond the branch g with a valve by which the supply
of water can either be cut off from the reservoir or regulated as required.
To a lever h, which is hung to a bracket h³ secured to the valve casing e,
is connected a rod i, upon which is arranged to slide freely a float, the
rod being guided and maintained in a proper vertical position by means
of a stop at its lower end, which enters the passage leading to the
pipe c, but is so formed as not to obstruct the same, see Fig. 2. To the
opposite arm of the lever his hung a rod j, which is connected to the
ram k, the latter entering both of the casings e and e¹; at the upper end
of the ram k is the valve k¹, and below is the valve k². The valve k¹,
see Fig. 4, is the valve proper, and is adapted to a seat in the passage to
the outlet pipe f, while the valve k³ closes the opening to the pipe f¹.
It will be seen on referring to Figs. 1 and 2, that the valves k¹ and k*
in the casings e and e¹, are so arranged in respect to each other that
when one is open the other must be closed.
The operation of the apparatus is as follows:-Let it be supposed that
the water in the steam boiler is below its proper level, that the several
parts of the feeding apparatus are in the position shewn in Fig. 2, and
that the regulating cock or valve on the pipe c has been opened so as to
permit water to flow through the same to the reservoir a. The valve b₁
at the top of the reservoir is first opened as shewn in Fig. 2 to permit
the air to escape, when the reservoir a will be immediately filled with

page_text: water, which will enter it through the pipe c and the branch pipe g, the
valve 6' being then closed by the steam passing through the pipe f. As
the reservoir is thus filled with water the float 2¹ rises, sliding on the
rod i, from the position shewn in Fig. 2 to that shewn in Fig. 1, or
until it strikes and turns the lever h. This turning of the lever / will
so operate the valves k¹ and k² as to open communication between the
interior of the reservoir and the steam pipe, thereby cutting off the
supply of water from the branch pipe 9. As soon as the steam is thus
admitted to the reservoir and the pressure within the same becomes
equal to that in the boiler, the check valve o' will be opened and the
water will flow by its own gravity through the pipe c into the boiler,
the float sliding down its rod i as the water leaves the reservoir until it
strikes the stop ². This striking off the stop will so act on the lever h
and the valves operated by the same as to move the latter to their
original position, see Fig. 2, or in other words the steam will be shut
off and communication with the feeding branch opened. At first the
pressure of steam within the reservoir will be sufficient to force back the
water, but this steam becoming quickly condensed a vacuum or partial
vacuum will be formed, and the valve 6' will be immediately opened and
the reservoir will be filled as before to be again emptied, when the
lever his turned by the float and fresh steam admitted to the reservoir,
the operation of filling and emptying the reservoir being continued
automatically in the same manner until the boiler has been filled to the
proper level. The steam pipe d, as before mentioned, communicates
with the boiler at the proper water line, so that as soon as the water
rises to this point steam can no longer pass through the said pipe to
displace the water contained in the reservoir, the latter consequently
remaining filled until the boiler again needs replenishing. It will thus
be seen that the above apparatus will not only fill an empty boiler by
operating automatically, but will maintain the water at exactly the
proper level so long as the supply is kept up through the pipe c.
A great advantage possessed by my Invention over other apparatus of
this class is, that the valves and other appliances are contained entirely
within and are protected by the reservoir, and consequently are not
liable to get out of order, while the valves, owing to their peculiar con-
struction and to the fact that the pressure is nearly equal on all sides
of the same, work regularly and without leaking, and do not require
any of the usual packing, so that a most delicate operation of the
apparatus is ensured.

page_text: When this apparatus is used as a fluid meter, every rise and fall of
the float, and consequently every time the valve 6' is opened and
closed, the weighted lever of the valve b¹ actuates the index finger of
the counting apparatus shewn atz, in Fig. 1, by this means the number
of times that the vessel a is filled and emptied is recorded.
Having thus stated the nature of my Invention and described the
manner of performing the same, I declare that I claim,―
First. The float arranged in the vessel a interposed between a steam
boiler and water reservoir and communicating with the steam and water
spaces of the boiler, substantially as described.
Secondly. The combination, substantially as herein described, of the
float rod i, lever h, connecting rod j, and valves k³, k³, on the ram k.
Thirdly. The valve casings e and e', each having a seat adapted for
the reception of the valves and ³, arranged substantially in the
manner described.
Fourthly. The valves k¹, k², arranged within the reservoir a and
operated from a ram k, substantially as specified.
Fifthly. The arrangement in respect to the reservoir a, and its
valves k¹, k, of the pipes c and d, and the branch 9, substantially as
set forth.
Sixthly. The self-acting valve b¹ to allow the air to escape.
And lastly. The application of the apparatus shewn and described as
a fluid meter.
In witness whereof, I, the said John Grindrod, have hereto set
my hand and seal, this Sixth day of November One thousand
eight hundred and seventy-one.